Saturday, May 15, 2010

Having problems sleeping? Blame your iPad (or laptop)

Very interesting article on the effect of the bright light of a laptop affecting your sleep cycle.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Patch Tuesday: Microsoft plugs Windows worm holes

Microsoft today issued patches for a pair of critical (remote code execution) vulnerabilities in Windows and Microsoft Office and urged affected users to apply the fixes as soon as possible.

Monday, May 10, 2010

More Reasons Why You Should Still Quit Facebook - Facebook - Gizmodo

I have been thinking about quitting Facebook, here is another article on Facebook's changing privacy policy (they don't think you have any privacy if you sign up with them.)

I do like the idea that a friend from my distance pass found me on FB, I don't have many friends from my Jr. High School days. However I don't think it's worth giving up my privacy for this,
What do you think?

AlaskaJoe

Sunday, May 09, 2010

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 05-09-10

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 05-09-10. 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.

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) I was caught by the name Tesla, a tease I always fall for, it seems this guy improved an old patent of Tesla’s for a wind turbine without blades. Not sure what is up with this the article sounds like a lot of hype, but short on details. Be interesting to keep an eye on them, or at least research this it a little more. http://www.ecogeek.org/wind-power/3151-solar-aeros-bladeless-turbine
2) I had 2 site referrals here lately one for the Mach20 Glider, and the X-37B, both are major concerns for some people worrying about the weaponization of space. This I think is going to be our next race to doomsday, when it comes to controlling the high ground military minds all over the planet understand what is at risk here. I have mixed feelings, like the “end game” in backgammon sometimes moves that look pretty risky and scary are the only way to win. http://www.foxnews.com
3) Sometimes we see something and it just causes a little warning light to come on saying hey what’s up with that. Well this was one of those I saw it, I said that looks like an inevitable part of the future, the idea will grow and morph into who knows what…and I don’t like it!! I was reading some stuff on electric cars and ran across this article. Electric cars are silent, ergo dangerous; we need some noise so people will know they are there. Creative sounds for my car to make, sounds like ring tones to me, in the article they even reference the ability to change the sound while you drive. http://www.dailymail.co.uk
4) Not sure if I remember any reference to smart dust in the past, the concept has been around since the 90’s, but now it is having a revival of sorts. The idea is millions, if not billions of very small data collectors reporting back wirelessly, their position, conditions, and whatever other data they were designed to record. That way we could monitor everything. Sounds a little grandiose, but evidently there are applications. http://www.cnn.com
5) Not very geeky, but I thought something on the light side to end up the week. I have a friend who went to see the movie “Iron Man 2” in Palm Springs last week, I have not got a review on the movie yet. But in case you want to take a shot at building a suit, here is what you can expect to spend http://io9.com

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

TECHNET Plus Subscription - 25% OFF - Software Evaluation & Technical Resources
Moicrosoft has a Deal going on for Technet Plus subscriptions at 25% off the normal price. Good until July 31st.

Dell Home again offers the Dell Inspiron 15 Pentium Dual-Core 2.2GHz 15.6" Widescreen Notebook in Jet Black for $419 with $12.95 for shipping via the directions below. Features include an Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4400 2.2GHz processor, 15.6" 1366x768 widescreen LED-backlit LCD, 2GB RAM, 250GB 5400 rpm hard drive, dual-layer DVD burner, 802.11g wireless, 6-cell battery, and Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit.
1.Click here to start at $3792.select "Intel Pentium Dual Core T4400, 2.2GHz/800MHz FSB/1MB cache (+$40)"
3.add to your cart for $419

AMD Dual Core 2.9GHz Desktop PC for $425 + free shipping
The HP Home & Home Office Store offers its HP Pavilion p6350z AMD Athlon II 2.8GHz Desktop PC, model no. AZ208AV#ABA, for $424.99 with free shipping via the directions below. That's Features include an AMD Athlon II 245 2.9GHz dual-core processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB 7200 rpm hard drive, DVD burner with LightScribe, Gigabit Ethernet, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. To get this deal:
1.Click here to start at $449.99
2.select "FREE UPGRADE! 4GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM... (+$0)"
3.select "FREE UPGRADE! 500GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive... (+$0)"
4.in-cart, apply coupon code "SVMB39487" and it drops to $424.99

SuperBiiz.com offers the ASUS 23" 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. MS238H, for $199.99. Apply coupon code "ILOVEMOM" to drop it to $184.99. This $20 mail-in rebate knocks it to $164.99. With free shipping, Features include a 1920x1080 (1080p) resolution, 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 250 cd/m² brightness, one HDMI input, and both VGA and DVI inputs. Deal ends May 9.

Batteries.com is offering 20% Off Everything with coupon code MOVE10 [Exp 5/16]. May not be combined with other discounts. Free shipping on select laptop batteries.

Through May 31st, National Geographic is offering 20% off all DVDs sitewide with coupon code AF10115 [Exp 5/31]. Shipping starts at $5. Available titles include The National Parks 7 DVD Collection, The Ultimate World War II DVD Collection and more.

ZipZoomFly has the Hitachi Travelstar 5K500.B HTS545050B9A300 (0A57915) 500GB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive (Bare Drive) for $70 - $10 rebate [Exp 6/15] = $60 with free shipping. Features an average seek time of 12ms


Tiger Direct has the Caviar Green Western Digital WD20EARS 2TB SATA Hard Drive for $140 - $40 rebate [Exp 5/20] = $100 with free shipping. Features 64 MB cache and SATA 3.0 interface in a 3.5" form facto

ZipZoomFly has the Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive for $100 - $15 rebate [Exp 5/31] = $85 with free shipping. This drive uses the new generation SATA 6.0gbs interface that features increased transfer speeds as well as updated power efficiency and native command queuing

$348.00
Was: $399.00
Proscan 32" Class 1080p 60HZ LCD HDTV, 32LB45Q
This is at Walmart so you can ship to store for free or ship to you. I think the shipping is free either way....
Proscan 32" LCD HDTV:
•32" LCD panel
With a 1920 x 1080 resolution
•Built in ATSC digital/NTSC analog tuner
Watch conventional and digital broadcasts, including HDTV programs where available
•High brightness of 500cd/m with 6 ms response time
Place your Proscan 32" LCD HDTV anywhere
•1300:1 dynamic contrast ratio
•HDMI Inputs: 2