Links from the Gregg Zone

1) This is a link to some new stuff out for Google maps; there are 10 new overlays for Google maps. The explanations sure look interesting, most do not look like I will use them, but they are not meant for my lifestyle they look like they would be useful for others. http://google-latlong.blogspot.com

2) For those of us who use meditation this article will probably be preaching to the choir, but for those who might be curious about the usefulness of the practice, if so this is an interesting article about research on the subject. http://esciencenews.com

3) I was sort of set back by the comparison of these two photographs of Shanghai, taken twenty years apart. They are a rather graphic illustration of the growth in China, this is just one city and while I am not sure just how representative this is for the rest of the country is concerned, I would think the astounding growth is very real. http://io9.com

4) Well here we go again; there is a new group in Italy saying they have created cold fusion. This seems to be one of those items that will fall into our reality sooner or later. My limited understanding of just how difficult this is makes it very difficult to access just how much of a wow value is present here. http://www.physorg.com

5) I have been wondering how long it would be before cell phone technology came to the attention of the cyber underworld. It seems like this may be the new necessity for protecting your identity, soon you will need a cell phone anti-virus, and some sort of software cleaner to protect yourself. http://www.technologyreview.com/

Mozilla blocks Skype add-on: caused 33k Firefox crashes in a week

Mozilla was forced to take this extraordinary measure after discovering that severe bugs in the add-on are crippling the browser's performance and stability.

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

Walmart has the Canon PIXMA MP495 Wireless Photo All-in-One Inkjet Printer for $49 with free site-to-store shipping or $3 shipping to home. Features 802.11n wireless, ChromaLife100+ archival quality prints, 4800 x 1200 dpi printing, 1200 x 2400 dpi scans, borderless prints, and can print directly from iPhones, iPod Touch and Android devices. Amazon has it for the same price.

Newegg has the Hitachi X750 0S03061

Mobile 750GB Portable External Hard Drive

for $70 - $10 off with coupon code HITACHI123 [Exp 1/23] = $60 with free shipping. Features 5400 RPM drive and powered by USB cable.

Newegg has the Corsair TR3X6G1600C9 XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory for $73 - $20 rebate [Exp 1/31] = $53 with free shipping. Includes Verbatim 700MB 52X CD-R 60 Pack Spindle free with purchase

Shop4Tech has the 2-Pack 6ft / 2M HDMI v1.3b Premium Cable for Full HD 1080p Deep Color for $6 - 15% off with coupon code SS15 + $0 shipping = $5 shipped. Features gold plated connectors.

Newegg has the Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory (KHX1333C7D3K2/4GX) for $62 - $25 rebate [Exp 2/5] = $37 with free shipping. Free Kingston DataTraveler 101 Gen 2 4GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive (DT101G2/4GBZ) included with purchase.

Newegg has the Micro Innovations IC35CA USB 2.0 Webcam for $40 - $23 off with coupon code EMCYTZT269 [Exp 1/24] = $17 with free shipping. Features a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200, built-in microphone, and comes with video/photo editing software.

Tiger Direct has the Toshiba Satellite Pro 15.6" C650-Z2510T Notebook for $550 - $50 off with coupon code ZCA17869 + $9 shipping = $509 shipped. Intel Core i3 350M 2.26GHz, 2GB DDR3 Memory, 500GB HDD Intel GMA HD, DVDRW Driver, Windows 7 Pro x64, 802.11b/g/n

Newegg has the Hitachi XL Desk 1TB USB 2.0 HXSDNB10001BBB (0S02484) External Hard Drive for $70 - $10 off with coupon code HITACHI123 [Exp 1/23] = $60 with free shipping. Inside you'll find a 3.5" 1TB hard drive

Alph
Today only, 13deals.com offers this 4-Port Squid USB 2.0 Hub in Black or White for $3.99. With $3 for shipping

HP Home & Home Office offers the HP Pavilion p6780t Intel Core i5 Quad 2.8GHz Desktop PC model XX206AV#ABA, for $629.99. Coupon code "SVMB39487" cuts it to $604.99. With free shipping, an Intel Core i5-2300 2.8GHz quad-core "Sandy Bridge" processor, 6GB RAM, 1TB 7200 rpm hard drive, DVD burner with LightScribe, media card reader, Ethernet, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

Buy.com offers the refurbished Lenovo ThinkCentre M55e Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8GHz Desktop PC (no monitor), model no. 9637-Q2U, for $199.99 with free shipping.Windows XP Pro. It features an Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 1.8GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 80GB 7200 rpm hard drive, DVD/CD-RW combo drive, Gigabit Ethernet, and Windows XP Professional. A 90-day warranty applies,

Comcast merges with NBC -Video Discussion @ PBS Online

Video discussion of the merger between Comcast and NBC at PBS Online

Why some companies are ditching their spreadsheets - Computerworld

"Budgeting and forecasting are a big deal for us. We're a seasonal company, so we have to have product ready to go or the sale will go to our competitor," The company dumped its excel spreadsheets and went to an online Content Management System.

Google Voice tests $20 number porting

You can pay $20 through Google Checkout to get the Google Voice process going. So, if you have been holding off on using the service because you'd rather keep the cell phone number you've been toting around for 10 years, now's your chance.

Why you should always encrypt your smartphone

California's Supreme Court reached a controversial 5-2 decision in People v. Diaz (PDF), holding that police officers may lawfully search mobile phones found on arrested individuals' persons without first obtaining a search warrant.

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 01-16-11

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 01-16-11. You can listen live every Sunday from 11AM to 12PM Pacific that's 2PM to 3PM Eastern. Join us for the live show and chat.

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) Sometimes when we live under the conditions dealt to us by fate we fail to fully access the positions of our fellow citizens on this planet. A while ago when my internet went down for a few days I was totally surprised about how much that simple loss disrupted my peace of mind. I was totally blown away learning just how much I relied on the medium to maintain my balance. This article is really a great read about how things are in the third world. The reflections and implications illustrated here are an interesting illumination of the process of the techno-evolution effecting mankind’s development, as I fully believe technology is the expedient factor regarding the evolution of our species. http://opinionator

2) Google has announced a global science fair, I suppose one could find all sort of theories about why Google is doing this for the good of the world or the good of Google’s head hunting future, I see that as mixed and may accomplish both. Anyway probably not news to this group, but if you missed it, and know a young genius you might mention it. http://mashable.com

3) Well it would appear there are some serious looking changes coming concerning theories about our early years on the planet. I have followed with curiosity the work being done on our ancient history, there are many interesting areas of research pushing back the early history of man. I will be following this story with great interest, looks like an upcoming National Geographic’s special to me, maybe five years or more. http://www.wgbh.org

4) And now, for something from deep in the Gregg Zone, the Wikileaks story looks like it may have something for everyone. I had heard in a radio interview that there was a threat by Mr. Assange stating if the governments did not leave him alone he would release leaks about the U.F.O. wars in Antarctica, well you know that caught my ear, hear is an article I ran across about that. http://www.eutimes.net

5) This is yet another search improvement site, I thought there were some interesting search tips here regarding Google searches. I especially liked the term allowing you to load the last page image Google cashed, in the event a site is down, or has been changed. http://websearch.about.com

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

Tiger Direct has the Seagate Barracuda LP ST32000542AS 2TB 5900 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive (Bare Drive) for $80 - $10 off with coupon code HGG17437 + $3 shipping (EconoShip) = $73 shipped. From Seagate's line of low-power "green" drives AND a 2TB Wester Digital for $79 at the same site.

Newegg has the SiliconDust HDHomeRun Network-based Single Digital HDTV Tuner HDHR-T1-US Ethernet Interface for $50 with free shipping. This single tuner solution plugs into your network and lets you receive both over the air and unencrypted content from your cable company. Amazon has it for the same price.

Dell Business has the Vostro 230 Slim Tower plus Dell Professional P2311H 23" LED Monitor for $459 + $8 shipping = $467 shipped. The Professional-series display features portrait view. [Compare]
Core 2 Duo E7500 2.93GHz, 3GB DDR3, 320GB HDD, 16X DVD+/-RW Intel GMA X4500, Microsoft Office Starter Windows 7 Home Premium

Newegg has the LG E2350V-SN 23" LED Backlit Slim LCD Monitor for $220 - $50 off with coupon code EMCYTZT261 [Exp 1/16] = $170 with free shipping. Features a 1080p resolution, LED backlight, 250 cd/m2 brightness, 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and 5ms response

Dell Business has the Dell E2311H 23" LED LCD Monitor for $229 - 30% off with coupon code 4QN5F7N$45W92W [Exp 1/31] = $160 with free shipping. Features 1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 5ms response time and 250 cd/m2 brightness. 1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 5ms response time 250 cd/m2 brightness, 160 (H) / 170 (V) viewing angles, DVI-D, VGA


SuperBiiz has the Super Talent 32GB Express Duo USB 3.0 Flash Drive for $59 - $10 off with coupon code APPLE3110 [Exp 1/17] = $49 with free shipping. Features transfer speeds up to 125MB/sec in USB 3.0 but is also fully backwards compatible

Newegg has the Lite-On eTDU108-96 USB DVD Drive for $30 - with coupon code EMCKJJF53 [Exp 1/16] - $10 rebate [Exp 1/19] = $15 with free shipping. Features Smart-X speed regulating technology, low power consumption, 8x DVD and 24x CD read times, and top-load design

MidnightBox.com has the Deni Automatic Ice Cream Maker with Candy Crusher in Lime for $28 + $4 shipping = $32 shipped. Features a 1 1/2 quart quick freeze canister and Makes ice cream, frozen yogurt, The upside of the ice cream maker you ask? Well, the ice cream is AMAZING!! Who knew that home made ice cream would taste one thousand times better than the stuff you buy in the store, even the really expensive brands

Abes of Maine has the Nikon Coolpix S570 12MP Digital Camera (Red) for $109 - $5 off with coupon code ABESAVES5 = $104 with free shipping. 5x wide-angle optical zoom, NIKKOR glass lens, 2.7" LCD, SDHC slot $131 at Anazon Metal body (less than 1" thick), 4-way VR image stabilization system

Newegg has the Caviar Green Western Digital WD20EARS 2TB SATA Hard Drive for $100 - $10 off with coupon code EMCKJJG27 [Exp 1/19] - $20 rebate [Exp 1/16] = $70 with free shipping. Features 64 MB cache and SATA 3.0 interface in a 3.5" form factor.

Fry's Electronics offers the Kingston 16GB SDHC Secure Digital High Capacity Class 6 Card, model no. SD6G2/16GB, for $24.99 with $1.99 for shipping ($1.69/GB). That's the lowest total price we could find by $11. Sales tax is added where applicable.

How and Why to Upgrade Windows 7 Easily

Microsoft has a comparison page where you can see the very detailed list of features that differentiate each version of Windows from another, but it’s a lot of information to take in. This article goes over the iomportant differences.

Neowin.net - Windows 7 Service Pack 1 close to release

Service Pack 1 will bring dynamic memory support to Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2, allowing administrators to pool all memory available on a physical host and dynamically distribute it to virtual machines running on that host as needed. RemoteFX will add enhanced desktop virtualization aimed at giving remote users the same experience as those sitting at a workstation.

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 01-09-11

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 01-09-11. You can listen live every Sunday from 11AM to 12PM Pacific that's 2PM to 3PM Eastern. Join us for the live show and chat.

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) I have decided to start off with something to take use some spare time, that is if you have any. This is the third link I have used from the Galaxy Zoo interactive citizen science participation site. This one is not for anything off planet, they are looking for people to enter data from old weather reports from early shipping. http://www.oldweather.org/

2) This is another area I touched on a year or two back, looks like this may be coming soon. I am referring to using light flickering office lighting to transmit data in an office setting. Since the lighting is confined to the room, without the need for unnecessary outside access it saves on speed and security. http://www.cbsnews.coml

3) We have speculated that the phones will someday be just implanted at birth, well here is another step down that road. You can now buy a device that uses brain waves to control your phone. I am not going to go too far with this as I feel a rant coming on. http://singularityhub.com

4) With all of the dead birds raining from the sky, beaches and rivers littered with dead fish and sea life, there is a lot of talk as to why. Some of the edgier stuff is interesting to read and therefore attracts me. There is a lot of talk about H.A.A.R.P. and their weather modification projects. That got me to looking around found several stories about Dubai making rain in the desert. Most stories blown out of proportion, this one a little more down to earth, and interesting read. http://breakingnewsdir.com

5) I read this about how an April fool’s day joke became reality, kind of like sci-fi it just plants the basic idea, and someone will run with it. http://kotaku.com