Thursday, May 21, 2009

New bill wants fiber conduit built into every road project

Here's a great idea. Lay conduit for fiber when the road is torn up anyway. This still won't solve the so-called last mile problem, however if this idea were adopted on a more local level it could help.

Where is Vista SP2?

The title says it all. Where is it? When will we see it? Does anybody out there really care? Hey, "Earth to Redmond"...

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Windows 7 RC's 'free' reign to end with auto-shutdowns Starting March 1st

Users must buy the OS by March 1, 2010 or face no-warning reboots

Verizon Expands 7Mbps DSL Availability to 9.7 million households in 21 States and DC

Verizon announced this morning, May 20th, that they've continued to expand availability of their 7Mbps DSL service. According to the telco, by July, 9.7 million households in parts of 21 states and the District of Columbia will be able to order the faster DSL service -- quite a jump from the 400,000 or so users back in December of 2007.

Transformers USB flash drive is ready to ravage your files, bring carnage to your desktop

Prices have been dropping on USB drives so at $42.99 for 2 GB it is pretty pricey. But it is a cool as it is pricey. So for those who need to relive their childhood, or who simply like this awesome cat, here is a USB drive to reckon with.

Web attack that poisons Google results gets worse

Another attack that makes safe sites unsafe. Once again the advice to keep your system updated and use a good anti-virus, is still good.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 05-17-09

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 05-17-09. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific that's 1PM to 4PM Eastern. Join us for the live show and chat. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

Windows 7 RC 32 bit gets its first bug, and it is sigificant

The first documented bug in the Windows 7 Release Candidate (build 7100) is a doozy. Microsoft provided details of a problem that affects the 32-bit (x86) English-language version of Windows 7 build 7100: a problem in which the installer incorrectly sets access control lists (ACLs) on the root of the system drive.

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) Okay right off I am going to use my green spot to bring up an old worldwide improvement that the advent of the computer promised us years ago. But, seemed to miss the mark. Supposedly there would be a major reduction in paper usage due to e-paper, well that sounded good; unfortunately along with computer advancement came printer advancement. Now I ran across this announcement yesterday and I think the future they promised may be emerging at last. I would like to have one of these if they can get the price down http://www.amazon.com This is an article on whats coming to improve them with color http://www.newscientist.com
2) That old question about us being alone in the universe may have an answer very soon now. Seems the new telescopes coming out will have the ability to spot exo-planets by looking at the atmosphere and detecting traces of air breathing life, This should offer an easy method to map out a few places to go when we burnout the Earth, if we are still around, and providing we also find a way to get there. A interesting new technology though, article here http://www.sott.net
3) In the event you thought the happenings in the Bermuda Triangle are just something out of the past, and put to rest due to weather anomalies, this is a serious site with some interesting reading. They keep up with the latest news on the subject, along with explanations of past events. http://www.bermuda-triangle.org/
4) The advancement of technology verses the size and scope of the world population may cause some interesting questions regarding the evolution of man, and ethics. The question of our splitting into different lines of the evolutionary tree at an increased rate due to the have-have not aspect of our society. Who gets the new medical treatments is already an issue, just look at the difference between us and most third world countries. Now enter the abilities to increase brain power with new technology and we may see a new area of separation in our own country with even greater implications. Very interesting article here http://www.newscientist.com
5) For my geek link this week I am going to pose the hypothesis that the next world war, if we have one, and providing we are not in it at the moment. Will be fought entirely by geeks. Look at what is going on in Afghanistan right now, the air attacks being flown right now are piloted by people here in Las Vegas. They drop a bunch of bombs on targets that were determined by surveillance of the countryside, all from here. Then stop for a buffet on their way home, every thing is done remotely. This article is not about that, but helps make my point we do not need tanks, and AK-47’s anymore. We need geeks sitting in little dark rooms looking at monitors, using computers to keep us safe from the other guys sitting at their computers. http://news.cnet.com

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals


Samsung Spinpoint 1TB SATA 16MB Cache Drive $75 at NewEgg.com Click Here
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Westinghouse M2401 24in Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD Monitor with 3.5in Digital Photo Frame $199.99, BestBuy has the Westinghouse 24" Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD Monitor with 3.5" Digital Photo Frame for a low $199.99. Free In-Store Pickup. 1920x1200 in 16:9 format; 5ms; 1000:1; 300nits; DVI w/HDCP & VGA;

Magellan Maestro 4200 Portable GPS System $93 at Buy.com Click Here
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