The Ultimate Toilet (Just What You Needed...)

Here is the ultimate toilet, if that is your thing. I don't like posting such weird stuff, but this thing just got my attention.

Here is an excerpt from a brief article on this toilet, "Toto's new 'Intelligence Toilet' system brings health measurements only a bathroom away. For mere thousands of dollars, the Intelligence Toilet system will measure urine sugar, blood pressure, body fat and weight on a daily basis." That's not all, "Sony Online Entertainment has announced the next version of Everquest will interface with this as well, so creating an in-game likeness of yourself is as easy as going to the bathroom."

In my humble opinion this product is just dumb and a waste of money. Who would want to spend a few thousand dollars on a toilet? If you have this much money just burning a hole in your pocket and you want to buy this thing. Go over to your current toilet, open it up put the money in and just flush it. This will save you the trouble of having to install this thing.

World's Smallest Linux Box Fits in RJ-45 Jack

German electronics company Kleinhenz is shipping a network-enabled Linux system built into an RJ-45 Ethernet jack. "Picotux" has a 55MHz ARM processor, 2MB of Flash, 8MB of RAM, a serial port, and five lines of GPIO. It measures 0.75 x 0.75 x 1.4 inches (19 x 19 x 36mm), and weighs 0.64 ounces (18 grams), packaged in a metal housing. A wireless 802.11 version appears to be on the horizon, too.

French Military Victories (Humor)

You have to see this web page to appreciate it. Also check out the cover this new French miltary magazine.

Free Tax e-Filing

Intuit the maker of TurboTax, is offering a free Tax e-Filing service for people who are going to submit a 1040EZ or standard federal tax form (i.e.: 1040 and 1040A).

Although, if you want more advance services you will have to pay $29.95 for their premier service. See the site for more information about your different options.

Note: State tax eFiling is an additional charge.

Optical Camouflage (Believe It, or Not)

Optical Camouflage technology seems like stuff out of science fiction, but at the same time when you first see it looks somewhat primitive.

When I first saw this technology demonstrated, a little less then a year ago. I thought the idea was pretty cool, but I also saw that it had a long way to advance in its current form. The way this technology works is by projecting a background image on to a 'masked object', and it appears that the object is virtually transparent.

Then I visited this web site today. I am not sure if the technology has advanced significantly since I first saw it or if I have finally seen a decent demonstration of its capabilities. Watch some of the QuickTime movies and judge for yourself.

Segway's Next Big Thingamajig

Popular Science reports Dean Kamen's next generation Segway (if thats really what it is). Its hard to describe exactly what it is without seeing it. When you first look at it, you might think it is an adult four wheel bike. You really need to see the slideshow to get a better appreciation for it.

Engineering a Better Bulb (Popular Science)

This is an interesting article that talks about the inefficiencies of modern lightbulbs, and suggests a new alternative. They estimated that we can save about US$35 billion dollars here in America by changing our production away from the traditional tungsten lightbulbs to a newer zinc oxide type bulb.

Here is an excerpt from the Popular Science article: "The lightbulb has remained virtually unchallenged since Edison invented it more than a century ago, but now scientists believe that zinc oxide-the same chemical that keeps diaper rash at bay-could provide a much-needed alternative to the inefficient lights that dominate our homes."

Firefox 1.0.2 is Available

Firefox 1.0.2 is now available for download. This update primarily just contains known security fixes. It is advisable that you download and install this update as soon as possible to ensure that your computer remains secure.

Microsoft Shares Longhorn Networking Details

Here is the latest news that I found on Microsoft's next generation operating system code name 'Longhorn'. This article talks about some of the new networking capabilities of the new OS. Although, it only contains limited details

Phone Phishing, Spoofing and SPIT

Criminals are now using VoIP (Voice over IP) technology to fool caller ID systems by spoofing phone numbers. This could allow fraudsters to impersonate your bank or other financial institutions by spoofing their phone number. Then try to persuade you into revealing your personal information to commit fraud or identity theft.

Debt collectors and private investigators are also using this technology to get people to answer their phones. Then there is the threat of SPIT (SPam over Internet Telephony). This is where telemarketers could use VoIP to send a huge numbers of voice messages to consumers.

This just mean that we will have to be that much more careful about giving out any personal information over the telephone or trusting the caller ID displays.

Spyware Writers Play Cat-and-Mouse with Rootkit Detectors (Article)

If viruses, trojan horses, worms, SPAM, spyware, adware, identity theft, and all the other security issues that we need to worry about are not bad enough. Now, it appears that 'Rootkit' attacks may be on the rise. Rootkits are nothing new, and have been around for years.

SecuritySearch.com defines a 'rootkit' as: "a collection of tools (programs) that a hacker uses to mask intrusion and obtain administrator-level access to a computer or computer network. The intruder installs a rootkit on a computer after first obtaining user-level access, either by exploiting a known vulnerability or cracking a password. The rootkit then collects userids and passwords to other machines on the network, thus giving the hacker root or privileged access."

Rootkits are generally hard to detect, they're designed that way. Well now, Rootkits are being designed to be even harder to detect. This article goes into more detail about the subject.

Yahoo Service Combines Blogging, Social Networking

Yahoo, is playing 'keep up with the Jones' with Google, they're beta testing a new community service that lets users share blogs, photos, music and other content. The new service is called Yahoo 360, and its currently in an 'invitation-only' beta test. It is scheduled to be opened to the public on March 29.

Firefox TV Ad

Here is a Firefox TV ad created by Eric Edwards. It is an interesting watch, althought I don't believe it has ever been aired on regular TV. But thank you, Eric Edwards for your hard work.

Microsoft Considering WinFS Support In Windows XP

Microsoft is considering releasing support for key Longhorn technologies in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Microsoft plans to have a beta-test version of WinFS available when Longhorn ships. WinFS is built on top of the current NTFS File System in Windows and uses relational engine technology from Microsoft's forthcoming SQL Server 2005 database as well as XML.

Indigo, Avalon Community Technology Previews Released

ENT News reports: "Microsoft on Wednesday released its first Community Technology Preview (CTP) of 'Indigo,' the code-name for the company's new communications subsystem for Windows, and a second CTP of 'Avalon,' a new Windows presentation subsystem." For more information read the rest of the article.

Corzine Unveils Sweeping Identity Theft Bill (Article)

With all the instanstes personal and corporate identity theft, Senator Jon S. Corzine (D-NJ) introduced a new bill called 'Identity Theft Prevention and Victim Recovery Act'. This new bill tries to prevent ID theft incidents and provide consumer protections to victims. One of the more notable points of this legislation is that a company's chief compliance officer (or CEO) would have to attest that security systems are in place to prevent theft of sensitive personal data.

Latest Looks at the 64-Bit Future (Article)

Have you been hearing all the hype about the new 64-bit CPUs and OSes. Are you confused about what this means for you? This article gives you a brief introduction to the technology. Although the article doesn't answer compatibility questions, about: software, drivers, and hardware.

Here is an excerpt from the article: "Though 64-bit computing has been around for some 14 years or so, until recently it has been accessible only to those operating high-end servers running RISC-based processors such as Sun Microsystem Inc.'s SPARC, IBM's Power and Hewlett-Packard Co.'s PA-RISC."

DNS Cache Poisoning (Technical Article)

SecurityFocus has published an indepth article on the subject of 'DNS Cache Poisoning'. If you want more information and history on this subject, its a pretty good read. This article is very technical, so if you don't understand DNS and TCP/IP, it might be boring.

Here is an excerpt from the article: "The old problem of DNS cache poisoning has again reared its ugly head. While some would argue that the domain name system protocol is inherently vulnerable to this style of attack due to the weakness of 16-bit transaction IDs, we cannot ignore the immediate threat while waiting for something better to come along. There are new attacks, which make DNS cache poisoning trivial to execute against a large number of nameservers running today. The purpose of this article is to shed light on these new attacks and recommend ways to defend against them."

IBM lets Millipede storage out for a stroll (Article)

CNET News.com does a great job reporting about IBM's MEMS (Micro-Electrical-Mechanical System) technology. Here is an excerpt from the article: "The MEMS prototype can hold the equivalent of 25 DVDs on an area the size of a postage stamp, IBM said." Also , See the slideshow, to get a better understanding of how MEMS technology actually works.

Pharming Out-Scams Phishing (Article)

Wired News reports: "First came phishing scams, in which con artists hooked unwary internet users one by one into compromising their personal data. Now the latest cyberswindle, pharming, threatens to reel in entire schools of victims."

If you're confused about the difference between a Pharming vs. a Phishing attack This article does a good job of explaining the difference between the two type of attacks that are trying to steal your personal information.

RFIDwasher - Zap RFID tags (Privacy)

Here is an interesting product, it is called RFIDWasher. It is a lightweight, handheld device that allows you to deactivating RFID tags. Thus preventing RFID scanners from being able to read them.

I am not sure if this product is works or not. I think it has great potential if you have privacy concerns about products that you purchased, and you want deactivate RFID tags.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 Details Begin to Leak (Article)

Microsoft Watch reports about the new features to be included in the new version IE (v7.0). Here is excerpt from the article: "IE 7.0 will feature international domain name (IDN) support; transparent Portable Network Graphics (PNG) support, which will allow for the display of overlayed images in the browser; and new functionality that will simplify printing from inside IE 7.0, partner sources said. The new browser also will likely include a built-in news aggregator."

Star Wars in ASCIImation

From the lands down under, now you can see Star Wars in ASCIImation. Its pretty good considering its all done is ASCII characters.

Geekfathers: CyberCrime Mobs Revealed (Article)

Baseline did a great article on hacker mobsters. The article gives you a glimpse into the computer underworld activity. Here is an excerpt from the article: "The amount of goods and services purchased with fraudulently obtained personal identification exceeded $52 billion in 2004, according to a release put out last month by the Federal Trade Commission. Businesses, from banks to online merchants—maybe even your company—bear much of the cost. But the initial, direct loss isn't the greatest threat posed by groups such as the Shadowcrew."

Total Recall: Desktop Search Utility Comparison (Review)

PC Magazine wrote a great article comparing the most popular free desktop search utilities available on the Internet. When you compare these utilities to the desktop search functionality that comes with Windows XP, it is primitive in comparison. The 'Yahoo! Desktop Search' utility got the highest ranking, but I would also check out 'Google Desktop Search' and 'Copernic Desktop Search' utilities.

Microsoft to exchange 32 bit Windows for 64 (Article)

The Inquirer reports: "WE MET a senior Microsoft bloke, a member of the Windows 64 bit group and he told us that within three months customers will be able to replace its existing copy for a brand new Windows 64 bit version."

Support Our Troops (Slide Show)

Whether you're for or against the war in Iraq, that is your own personal preference. Although our troops are over their fighting and dying, whether they believe in the cause or not. Our troops need our support, hopes, prays.

This link is to a slide show, which contains some great pictures of our troops in Iraq.

Institute for Backup Trauma (Video)

This is the most hysterical commercial that I have seen on the web for a real product. The commercial stars John Cleese. It does run a little long, about six minutes but it is worth watching. And whatever you do, do not press the third button at the end of the commercial.

All Your Base Belong to Us (Video)

You may have seen, or heard the quote 'All your base belong to us'. This quote comes from the introduction scene of a game called 'Zero Wing' for the Sega Genesis video game console. It turns out that the video game's creater Toaplan did a very poor job of translating the game's dialog into proper English.

The link above includes a video, showing how this simple quote has spread across the country. It also includes the introduction scene from the video game.

All Longhorn, All the Time (Site Review)

If you want to get the latest information Windows Longhorn, Paul Thurrott's SuperSite provides one of the best sources for information on subject. This site has some great pictures, articles and videos.

The Legend of Zelda Updated Impressions

If you're a big fan of the Legend of Zelda series, a brand-new trailer for the upcoming game for the GameCube is now available. The visual effects are very impressive, I don't believe that you will be disappointed. Check it out.

How Fast Can You Type

This is a cool little web page, it provides a typing speed test that shows you how fast can you type. This is not a comprehensive test, but it was fun to take. Although, it does grade you for accuracy.

Microsoft Gives First Key Details on New Xbox (Article)

Reuters reports: Microsoft gave out some key details on the next generation Xbox video game console. The new system will include an emphasis on high-definition content, an integrated media browser and "microtransactions" for in-game purchases.

Computer Rage

Computer rage is becoming a big problem in our world today. Men and women are taking out their frustrations on the computer; and unfortunately, sometimes misdirecting it to other people. In the work place and at the home, more and more people are smashing their computer screens, beating on the keyboard, and throwing the computer out the window.

This site is devoted to methods of venting on the primary target of all of our frustration: the computer.

WinFS To Be Available on Windows XP

Microsoft Watch reports: "Microsoft is back-porting its WinFS file-system technology to Windows XP, the same way that it is doing with its Windows presentation and communications subsystems, according to company officials."

Matrox Graphics Card Supports up to for Four Displays.

Matrox introduced a PCI Express graphics card that can support up to for four displays at one time. It supports a maximum resolution of 1600×1200 per display.

Microsoft Interview Questions

This page contains actual questions from actual interviews conducted by Microsoft employees on the main campus. The questions tend to follow some basic themes: Riddles, Algorithms, Applications, Thinkers.

So, if you're going for a interview at Microsoft, you might want to read up on this page.

Virtual Rubik's Cube (Fun)

This is a cool page, it has a virtual Rubik's Cube that you can play with, or you can choose for the cube to be solved. Enjoy.

Buy RIAA Toilet Paper (Its Real)

JINX.com is selling RIAA toilet paper. You can decide for yourself on how you want to use it. :-) Unfortunately, JINX.com currently out of stock on the product.

Real Online Hunting (Extreme Laziness)

Now you can shot animals from the comfort of your own browser. Never worry again, having to setting up camp, clean your kill, getting cold, etc. You can kill all the animals you want from the comfort of your coach with a laptop and a wireless connection.

Come on people, this is extreme lazyiness. Goto the site for more information and prices.

Tracking PCs anywhere on the Net (Article)

CNet reports: "A University of California researcher says he has found a way to identify computer hardware remotely, a technique that could potentially unmask anonymous Web surfers by bypassing some common security techniques."

An interesting article about tracking users on the Internet by using a new type computer fingerprinting technology called 'clock skew'.

TiVo for beginners: choosing the right DVR (Article)

Buying a new Digital Video Recorder (DVR), such as a Tivo or any of the other manufactures can be just as confusing buy a new HDTV. There are several important considerations to make, such do you want to record just regular TV, or do you want to record HDTV. Do you want to want to be able to archive your programs off to DVD?

Check out the article for more information about the different types of DVR technology and available options.

CNET's quick guide to TV types (Tutorial)

Do you want to buy a new HDTV, and confussed by all your options (tube, flat-panels, rear-projections, or front-projection TVs). If the displays options are not confussing enough, the new HDTV terminology can be fussing.

CNet provides a great article with a good explaination of the technology and terminology that you will need to understand before you buy a new HDTV. It also includes the Pros and Cons of each type of technology.

Peeking Into Google (Article)

I have to admit that I am one of those IT geeks. Google probably has some of the most legendary IT infrastructures. This article gives you a great peek inside Google infrastructure.

The Couch Potato Tormentor (Joke)

Couch Potato Tormentor interferes with the operation of different components, by performing random functions on it. For example, it can turn the device off, mute it, or change the channel.

It looks like a great partical joke.

The DVD Rewinder (Humor)

Never pay another DVD rewind fee again. You can own your own DVD Rewinder, for only $21.99. The product is real, but does it really work, check out the video at the bottom of the home page.

The next video game consoles (Article)

For the latest and the best information that I have seen from any source on the next video game consoles (Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft's Xbox 2 and Nintendo's next generation GameCube). Read this article.

Patient Assistance Forms (Updated)

I can not stand to see anyone being taken advantage of. Recently I saw an ad on TV, that promised free pharmaceutical drugs. Well it turns out, the ways the program works is that you send them a certain amount of money, and they will send you patient assistance forms from different pharmaceutical companies.

You can save yourself money, and download these patient assistance forms yourself for free. Just visit www.needymeds.com. You might also want to check out, Medicare.gov's 'Prescription Drug and Other Assistance Programs' (Including Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards) web page.

Also make sure to check out www.TogetherRxAccess.com or by calling 1-800-444-4106.

MIT OpenCourseWare

MIT is offering a free educational resource for its faculty, students, and self-learners around the world. There are also 900 courses published as of September 2004. All the courses sorted into their appropriate categories, or view a complete list of all the courses.

White House Secret Recordings

Did you know that between 1940 and 1973, six American presidents from both political parties secretly recorded about 5,000 hours of conversations. You can listen to these presidential recordings, or read the transcripts for some of the recording. Presidential tapes are available from: Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon.

Police Answering Machine Message (Windows Media Player)

A humorous police answering machine message, it probably reflects what they would really like to say. Enjoy.

Firefox 1.0.1, Download It Now

Firefox 1.0.1, is now available for download. This version of Firefox, fixes for several known security vulnerabilities, and improved stability. For more information about security vulnerabilities that are fixed in Firefox 1.0.1.

The Clinton Library Was Designed By a Redneck (Humor)

How you can tell that the Clinton Library was designed by a redneck.

Xbox2 Will Feature a Removable Hard Drive (Rumors)

GamesIndustry.biz reports: "Microsoft's next-generation Xbox console is set to feature a removable hard drive bay, according to online reports today, which will allow users to upgrade their entry-level systems to include mass storage capabilities."

Google @ the Movies (Article)

BetaNews reports: "Google has added yet another offering to its long list of custom Web searches: movie reviews. By including the 'movie:' operator within a search query, Google brings up organized reviews of a flick from across the Web. The new service even calculates a movie's combined rating out of five stars."

Star Wars - Episode III Spoiler Site (w/Pictures)

This site was last updated on 2/18/2005 with lots of new pictures.

Note: The site is pretty busy, and some of the pictures are not showing up properly.

U.N. to control use of Internet

"Leaders of a U.N. Internet panel yesterday said they hope to set up a global system where cyberspace would be under the control of the United Nations."

How to build an Apple I computer

A publication on how to build an Apple I replica computer is now available from publisher Syngress Publishing Inc.

Personal Note: I am a big computer history fan, so this is a subject near and dear to my heart.

Turbo SSL Certificate

GoDaddy.com has announced that it will issue Free 'Turbo SSL Certificates' to legitimate open source software projects -- at no cost. For more information see the Press release.

MAME Jump

Now for something completely different... If you grew up in the 80's, you'll love this.

Check out this 'Flovie'. Its music video, that combines Donkey Kong singing Van Halen's 'Jump', with video clips from Atari 2600 & 8-bit Nintendo (NES) games play in the background.

Rumour mill claims Longhorn has a real name

The Inquirer reports: "DO WE HAVE the new name of Longhorn revealed today? According to sources at Microsoft, we think we might. While Longhorn has been the much-mentioned codename for the next-generation Windows technology, a Microsoft mole came to us at the weekend with some news of high-level branding discussions that appear to have yielded a name for the new Windows. It could all just be the rankest of speculation, however."

Space Elevator: Momentum Building (Article)

Have you ever heard of a space elevator? If you have not is basically an elevator that goes from the ocean to a platform in space. It sounds simple, but it is a very complex, but it is a very machine.

If you want to learn more, Space.com has interesting article on the subject. Below is an excerpt: "Blue-sky thinkers like Edwards envision the space elevator as a revolutionary way of getting from Earth into space. The primary system is a ribbon attached at one end to Earth on a floating platform located in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The other end of the ribbon is in space, beyond geosynchronous orbit."

Microsoft Updates Media Player to Thwart Spyware Threat

Microsoft has released an update for its Windows Media Player (WMP) to protect users from a known threat of spyware infection. The update installs two components on the computers that adds more integrity checking to the WMP digital rights management system (DRM).

“Xbox 2 is an Amazing Innovation” – Steve Ballmer

Team Xbox reports "When you see the new Xbox, you're going to think it's un… -- well, let me say it politely -- unbelievable. Just unbelievable. The graphics, what it can do, the way things look, huge innovation."

This article is a little spare on information, but if you want to read everything you can on the Xbox 2. Here you go.

Microsoft to Put Patch Service to the Test

eWeek reports: "Microsoft Corp. Tuesday confirmed that it will release in March a beta version of what it is calling a unified software update service for consumers and small and midsize businesses."

The Windows Update Service (WUS) is the next generation of the Software Update Service (SUS). WUS is designed to system patch service for deploying Microsoft server patches in medium and large enterprises.

Internet Explorer 7.0 is coming

News Update: "Microsoft has committed to releasing Internet Explorer 7.0, but it will only be available only to Windows XP SP2 (Service Pack 2). There is no real word on what the feature set will be."

The wild success of Firefox has force Microsoft to change their minds about only releasing upgrade to IE when they release new versions of the OS. So, the browsers wars have now official escalated, may the best browser win.

Nuclear Bomb Blast Calculator

This program illustrates the range of destruction which would occur if a nuclear weapon were detonated in a U.S. city.

So what is string theory?

Do you understand String Theory, or do you want to know more about it. Check out the official String Theory web site.

Hacking Billy Mouth Bass in Linux (Project)

This project uses the power of Linux to add brains to the Big Mouth Billy Bass. The goal is to use any Linux device--desktop or embedded--to make the Big Mouth Billy Bass say or act any way you want!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie expected to be released on May 6, 2005. The official movie web site is up, with a teaser and some downloads.

More resources:
- Exclusive Pics: The Vogons of Hitchhiker's Guide
- Official Movie News

SnapStream Hydra PVR

SnapStream Media has taken Beyond TV's v3.5 versatility to a new level. First, they had Medusa, with a SIX tuner capability, now with the release of the PVR-500MCE dual tuner card. Hydra, now has the ability to record TEN shows using off-the-shelf PC parts at the same time.

3-D Dragon Optical Illusion

It's a 3-D optical illusion of a dragon, no matter how you look at its head turns to face you. The side includes a video and PDF.

Xbox 2 will release 'in late October, early November (Article)

MuchVideoGames.com reports: "It's been known in industry circles for months, but the news is now finally starting to leak. You'll be able to buy the next generation Xbox in both America and Europe in 2005."

I wonder who is going to be the first one out of the gate with their next generation video game console: Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo. Only time will tell.

Star Wars Video Parodies

I recently came across these Star Wars parodies. I have seen the Troops video in the past, but I never seen the 'Tie-Tanic'. Tie-Tanic is the movie I wish they created, it would have been more enjoyable for the guys.

Tie-Tanic: A hysterical Titanic/Star Wars cross. (3.5MB WMP)
Troops: hilarious take-off on Cops, using Storm Troopers. (30MB)

If this is not enough, there are several more available on the Internet.

Browser speed comparisons

This site does a great job of doing a browser speed comparisons. It is not just a Windows only, it includes Linux and Macintosh. It is also not just a comparison of the most popular browsers, such as Internet Explorer, and Firefox. The comparison includes, browsers that I have never heard of before. The results are suprising and detailed.

Below is an excerpt from the site: "There is a speed war on the web. Browsers compete on many fronts; security, standards support, features and speed. Most people are aware of which major browser fails on three of these, but one of them is still open for grabs. Speed."

What is Wrong With This Picture

Checkout out these bar stools.

Want a Gmail Account...

I have 50 Gmail accounts that I can give away, if you want one just email me. Use the "Send Comments" links in sidebar to email my request. I do reserve the right to choose whom I give these account to, and not give them to.

Quote Of The Day

"If God did not exist it would be necessary to invent Him."
-- Voltaire.

House approves electronic ID cards (Article)

CNET News.com reports: "The U.S. House of Representatives approved on Thursday a sweeping set of rules aimed at forcing states to issue all adults federally approved electronic ID cards, including driver's licenses."

Under the law, if your ID card doesn't comply, you won't be able to access to: airplanes, trains, national parks, federal courthouses and other areas controlled by the federal government. I have my opinions about this subject, but I will keep them to myself.

Although, I do have one question, where will this stop once it is created? This type of ID can create whole bunch of privacy and ID thief issues if not handled correctly. There is also a whole bunch of other problems it will create.

Microsoft Details New Longhorn Displays (Article)

eWeek reports: "When Microsoft delivers a beta version of Longhorn during the first half of this year, it will include support for 'auxiliary displays,'... "

You might ask yourself what the heck is an 'auxiliary displays,'? At first you might think it is extra monitor, but you would only half right if that is what you guessed. I am going to let read the article to find out what these 'auxiliary displays' truly are.

Google finds its map service (Article)

CNET News.com reports: "In its latest play in the ongoing search wars, Google on Tuesday quietly launched a beta site for a new map service."

It is amazing what Google has been able index, and allows you to search. First it was web pages, then images, then electronic documents (such as: .pdf files, .doc files), etc. It seems like you can almost find everything in Google.

Although Google is not perfect, and is getting better all the time. For example, Google recently started experimenting with video search. They're not the first or the last to have this type of search technology, other sites have been offering it for years. What Google has going for it, is that they're becoming the one place to go to find almost anything.

Yahoo and MSN have some great features, and services that are pretty cool. For example, nobody beats Yahoo for personal portal services (see: My Yahoo) Although in my mind nothing beats Google for searching the web.

Handheld gaming: the next generation (Review)

CNet did a great job of reviewing all the latest portable gaming platforms, which includes: Nintendo DS, Sony PS, Nokia N-Gage QD, Tiger Telematics Gizmondo, Tapwave Zodiac2. If you don't know which one to gaming device to buy, or the pros or cons of the different platforms, you will certainly come away educated after reading the reviews.

Mozilla Firefox 2.0 Roadmap

Check out the Roadmap for Firefox from Mozilla.org. This page includes: Milestone Plan, Naming, Marketing, Branding, and Release Dates for the next versions of Firefox.

Mind-Numbing New Interface Technologies (Article)

GameSpy reports: "Game interfaces often get the shaft. Developers invest tons in graphics or sound or physics, but nobody ever invests tons of time into the control scheme. ... And after a couple decades of stagnation (game pads are basically the same as they were for the NES, save for more buttons) we're finally on the verge of some crazy new technologies for how people interact with games."

The article talks about next generation game controls, that can respond to your movement not just the pressing a button on a control pad. Yes, this type of technology has been around for years, but now it is more sophisticated.

I am pretty sure that this technology can take games to a whole new level of interaction that has been available in the past.

Cooperative Linux

Cooperative Linux (aka 'coLinux') allows you to run Linux on Microsoft Windows natively, without the use of PC virtualization software such as VMware. coLinux allows the Linux kernel to run cooperatively alongside Windows 2000/XP.

To view some screenshots, click here.

Note: In its current state, coLinux runs the KNOPPIX Japanese Edition on Windows.

Free Unix Shell Accounts

Want a free Unix shell account. Check out HBX Networks, below is an excerpt from their site: "HBX Networks is a hacker-friendly community project dedicated to spreading awareness of the FreeBSD Computer Operating System. Our community consists of over 6,100 registered members (and many more who chose to remain anonymous) from every imaginable part of the world. Membership is free, and includes unlimited access to all of our services, including 'unrestricted' shell accounts on various machines. This website includes both a Wiki and Portal, with all the expected amenities, including Forums, Chat, News, Journals, File Archives, Photo Galleries, and enough affiliate projects to make you dizzy."

1 Terabyte of Storage using Holographic Versatile Disc (Article)

First, there was CDs which offers about 700MB of storage, then DVDs came along which have about 8.5GB of storage, soon there will be Blu-ray discs which offers up to 50GB of storage.

The followup technology to Blu-ray discs, is expected to be Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD). HVD discs can hold up to 1 Terabyte of stoage, which means that you could store a few hundred movies on a single optical disc.

For more information see CNET News.com article "Group aims to drastically up disc storage"

"I sue dead people..." (Article)

In RIAA quest to stop music piracy, they're now suing dead grandmothers. The live ones were too easy. In 2003, they tried to sue a 66-year-old woman for sharing gangsta rap.

PlayStation Portable is Coming, PlayStation Portable is Coming (Article)

CNET News.com reports: "Sony is set to launch another battle in the emerging handheld-game war when it brings its PlayStation Portable to North America next month."

Each PSP will cost about $250 dollars. I hope they solved all the problems that they had with their first released of the product in Japan.

A First Look at IIS 7.0 (Article)

FTPOnline reports: "Microsoft's next-generation Web server, Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0, isn't due for release until Longhorn ships sometime in 2006. But it's a good idea for Web developers to start thinking about the changes IIS 7.0 will bring..."

If you're an IIS fan, this is an article that you will want to read. It is not very detailed, but does provide a high level view of the technology. An IIS beta is expect out sometime this year.

Blacklists are (Almost) Official Useless!

Spammers have and are developing several techniques and technologies over the years to spread their messages, and bypass anti-spam filters. One of these technologies is a type of program called a 'spam zombie'. These zombies have become more and more powerful over the years, and now they're capable of making RBLs (aka Blacklists) useless.

The new Zombie architecture, acts as proxy to sends spam upstream via the ISP's mail server. This prevents RBLs from working properly, because it is impossible to block all the possible addresses where the messages can come from.

As you're probably already aware, the spam problem isn't getting better. The SpamHaus Project believes that spam is going to skyrocket new levels. The total amount of spam is expected to grow to over 90% in 2005.

FBI Unable to Launch New Computer Program (Article)

eWeek reports: "The FBI has squandered $170 million on a failed computer system agents can use to instantly share information, and seems to know neither how long it will take nor how much it will cost to build one, a Justice Department "

This is not first or the last major government modernization program failed. For example Washington Technology reports about other modernization projects that had similar cost overruns, and failures.

Microsoft to Release 13 New Security Advisories

Microsoft announced plans to release 13 security new advisories on Feb. 8. These advisories include 'critical' fixes for Microsoft Office, Windows Media Player and MSN Messenger; a cumulative patch is expected for Internet Explorer; and updates for Microsoft SharePoint Services, Microsoft .NET Framework and Visual Studio. These patch are designed for fix know problems and security vulnerabilities.

25% off Coupon for Borders/Walden Book

I am not sure that this is real, but I am going to post it anyway. This site is offering a coupon for 25% off at Borders or Walden Book Stores. It is good through 2/10/05.

Sony VAIO VGN-U750P (Review)

PC Magazine reports: "The Sony VAIO VGN-U750P is a neat handheld with a fully functional Windows XP operating system. The only thing missing is a built-in keyboard—and perhaps a compelling reason to need one."

If you're looking for an ultra-compact laptop, then the Sony VAIO VGN-U750P is a new choice. I am not the biggest Sony fan, but I was pretty impressed with the specs on this device.

I still don't know I would do with the device, but I am pretty impressive with what it can do. When you buy an MP3 play, you know that it can play MP3s. Without having a built-in keyboard, the VGN-U750P functionality of the device limited to what you can do with the pointing device. Once you plug in a keyboard, you're good to go.

Sun releases Solaris 10 for free (Article)

CNet reports: "Sun Microsystems has fulfilled its pledge to make its newest version of the Solaris operating system available for free."

New feature include:
- Support for 64-bit x86 processors
- Linux Application Environment, allows unmodified Red Hat Linux programs to run.
- Solaris Containers allows you to subdivide the OS
- New file system called ZFS (Zettabyte File System)
- DTrace, or Dynamic Tracing finds performance issues.
- Predictive self-healing
- and more...

To download the Solaris 10 go here (registration is required).

Rewriting GPL No Easy Task (Article)

eWeek reports: "In 1991, Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, rewrote the GNU General Public License and simply put the final version out over e-mail; that was the last time the GPL has seen significant change."

With all the current copyright and patent shanghaiing going over the last few years in Europe and US, I guess the GPL finally needed to be revised. This revision of the GPL could affect thousands of open source products that use this license.

Long Live Open-Source...

Skype Releases VOIP Software for Mac, Linux (Article)

Skype released the final versions of its software for the Macintosh and Linux platforms. I use SkypeOut for calling Europe, and it is great.

You can call PC-to-PC for free, but PC-to-Phone costs money. I spend about 5 U.S. cents per minute. Its much better then using a cell phone and calling cards that is for sure. I think calling cards were costing me about 10-15 U.S. cents per minute.

All you need is:
- Credit Card
- Broadband connection
- Computer with sound card.
- Good pair of headphone w/microphone

Be forewarned that calling a mobile phone in Europe is about 10x more expensive then calling a regular phone line.

Flash Mind Reader (check it out)

Amaze yourself and your friends. This is an interesting web page, it can perdict a symbol that your going to pick. I demonstrated it to another person, and he had minutes of fun trying to play 'stump the page'. It guesses the correct symbol pretty accurately for us, but it's not perfect.

Microsoft Launches Web Search Engine

eWeek reports: "Microsoft has reached its first major milestone in Web search with the release of its algorithmic search engine, which will compete against Google and Yahoo."

Every company these days wants to be a: Google, Microsoft, Walmart, etc. killer. Although, I don't expect any of these companies to fail or loose market position anytime soon unless these stop innovating.

Microsoft new web search engine is their latest attempt to topple Google. Microsoft has some great products and technology, but I have not found anything that matches Google.

Innovate or Die...