From the BBC:
Computer chipmaker Intel has been fined a record 1.06bn euros ($1.45bn; £948m) by the European Commission for anti-competitive practices.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
New Zune ad: It costs $30,000 to fill up your iPod | Technically Incorrect
The title of this article should have been "Higher Math" or "Do You Really Want to Listen to Coldplay When You are 167 Years Old?" Anyway, enjoy this trip into the world of Zune vs. Ipod.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sony: Had We Been Open, We Would've Beaten Apple
This is quite an article. Of course, only time will tell if Sony has really changed. I still remember back 20 to 30 years ago when buying something with the Sony name on it, with a few exceptions, meant you had chosen quality over price.
Somewhere along the way, somewhere post Walkman (you know, the cassette tape ones), they lost their way. Now they are trying to find the road back. Building stuff people want at a price they can afford is a start. Not pulling any more DRM tricks would help, too. Not making everything proprietary (memory stick) would be a finishing touch.
I read the word "control" in the article. I do think Sony tried to control their customers, and their customers said, "no thanks".
Somewhere along the way, somewhere post Walkman (you know, the cassette tape ones), they lost their way. Now they are trying to find the road back. Building stuff people want at a price they can afford is a start. Not pulling any more DRM tricks would help, too. Not making everything proprietary (memory stick) would be a finishing touch.
I read the word "control" in the article. I do think Sony tried to control their customers, and their customers said, "no thanks".
You have no rights, so buy windows 7
This is a rather harsh rant, but at least some of it is justified. Remember all the hype last week? Windows 7 RC was good for a year? Well, not so fast and not really. There is a surprise in store starting in March 2010. The surprise that means in effect the "goodness" ends then. Read the whole rant for that and other thoughts.
I don't take as hard a line as the authot, but the author does make some points.
I don't take as hard a line as the authot, but the author does make some points.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Baby monitors killing urban Wi-Fi
Here's a story from the UK. If you are having trouble with your WiFi, read this.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
OnComputers Radio show Podcast 05-10-09
This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 05-10-09. 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.
Links from the Gregg Zone
1) As usual starting off with green, and when ever possible involving transportation, where it seems to me the action is. First an article that I found mildly enlightening in that it illustrates the crux of the problem we have had in the past. Seems with all of the whiz bang performance enhancements we have made in the last thirty years relating to fuel savings. We just used the added efficiency to create more gadgetry. If we had used the technology we created to save fuel, on saving fuel, it is estimated the average car in the U.S. would be getting over 38 mpg. We, as usual chased the short term goals of sales, and profit by going for more power, and bigger and heavier vehicles. According to the article where we can save the most the quickest is to reduce the way we perceive what we need in a vehicle. It all makes sense to me. Article here http://www.wheels.ca
2) Well that last one was a little depressing so let me offer something a little counteractive to sort of inject a little hope about our future. I just do not believe the answers will come from the big auto companies. They have grown so much red tape, stock holder worries,distractions into unproductive research, and government appeasing policies, in general they have got to big to be innovative. It seems to me they stifle productivity, by requiring everything to fit their current paradigm. Here is a web site that offers some hope, it is about a high school, the X-prize, and some serious possibilities talent wise. Click around the news links, what they have already done, and what they are doing, they seem to have a shot. http://www.evxteam.org
3) Okay this is a sort of update on several past links all wrapped up in one. Quite a while back I did some stuff on prototype inkjet style printers that could print up objects. Then there was the team that grew a human ear on the back of a mouse. Two weeks back the magic powder that could regenerate the growth of a human severed finger. Well here is a link that sort of brings those together. Seems a team in Sweden has found a way to use a 3D printer, to grow a human thumb bone, Looks like they can just grow whatever bone they want to replace. I am amazed more and more everyday, if we can keep the planet together there is no stopping us. http://www.newscientist.com
4) Now here is an interesting site for the camera buffs out there. I was just blown away by this. Of course I am easily impressed, but if you have not seen this take a look. Called gigapixel photography it is a commercial site offering this product which seems very cool to me. Take a look and play with the zooming in on details, I found the whole thing kind of surreal. http://gigapixelphotography.com
5) My geek link offering for the week also is an update on something I used several months back. That being the mind interface headsets. They are coming out very soon, and quite cheap. Soon we may not need a keyboard at all, seems some of them will soon allow you to type just by thinking. OMG where is all of this headed, I can’t wait to see the next decade, check the article here, lots of interesting video links. http://www.newscientist.com
2) Well that last one was a little depressing so let me offer something a little counteractive to sort of inject a little hope about our future. I just do not believe the answers will come from the big auto companies. They have grown so much red tape, stock holder worries,distractions into unproductive research, and government appeasing policies, in general they have got to big to be innovative. It seems to me they stifle productivity, by requiring everything to fit their current paradigm. Here is a web site that offers some hope, it is about a high school, the X-prize, and some serious possibilities talent wise. Click around the news links, what they have already done, and what they are doing, they seem to have a shot. http://www.evxteam.org
3) Okay this is a sort of update on several past links all wrapped up in one. Quite a while back I did some stuff on prototype inkjet style printers that could print up objects. Then there was the team that grew a human ear on the back of a mouse. Two weeks back the magic powder that could regenerate the growth of a human severed finger. Well here is a link that sort of brings those together. Seems a team in Sweden has found a way to use a 3D printer, to grow a human thumb bone, Looks like they can just grow whatever bone they want to replace. I am amazed more and more everyday, if we can keep the planet together there is no stopping us. http://www.newscientist.com
4) Now here is an interesting site for the camera buffs out there. I was just blown away by this. Of course I am easily impressed, but if you have not seen this take a look. Called gigapixel photography it is a commercial site offering this product which seems very cool to me. Take a look and play with the zooming in on details, I found the whole thing kind of surreal. http://gigapixelphotography.com
5) My geek link offering for the week also is an update on something I used several months back. That being the mind interface headsets. They are coming out very soon, and quite cheap. Soon we may not need a keyboard at all, seems some of them will soon allow you to type just by thinking. OMG where is all of this headed, I can’t wait to see the next decade, check the article here, lots of interesting video links. http://www.newscientist.com
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals
New: ASUS 24" 1080p Widescreen LCD Display with HDMI for $190 + free shipping Today Sunday only
newegg.com offers the ASUS 23.6" 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. VH242H, for $189.99 with free shipping. ZipZoomfly.com charges the same. Resolution is 1920x1080 (1080p), integrated speakers, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m² brightness, 5ms response time, HDMI input, DVI and VGA inputs.
SanDisk 4GB Cruzer Micro USB 2.0 Flash Drive for $8 + free shipping
Meritline.com offers the retractable SanDisk 4GB Cruzer Micro USB 2.0 Flash Drive, model no. SDCZ6-4096-A11, for $10.95 plus free shipping. Add coupon code "MLC122433A" to your cart to slice it to $7.95
D-Link 802.11n Wireless 4-Port Router with Laptop Adapter for $40 + free shipping
Back at newegg.com is the D-Link DIR-615 802.11n Wireless 4-Port Router together with the D-Link DWA-642 RangeBooster N CardBus Notebook Adapter for $39.99 plus free shipping. (Scroll down to "Combo Deals" to find the bundle.)
MyFax free: Send up to 2 faxes per day for free
MyFax.com allows you to send up to two faxes per day for free through its MyFax Free service. Faxes will be sent within minutes of accepting a confirmation email. Documents must not exceed a file size of 10MB or 10 pages in length
newegg.com offers the ASUS 23.6" 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. VH242H, for $189.99 with free shipping. ZipZoomfly.com charges the same. Resolution is 1920x1080 (1080p), integrated speakers, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m² brightness, 5ms response time, HDMI input, DVI and VGA inputs.
SanDisk 4GB Cruzer Micro USB 2.0 Flash Drive for $8 + free shipping
Meritline.com offers the retractable SanDisk 4GB Cruzer Micro USB 2.0 Flash Drive, model no. SDCZ6-4096-A11, for $10.95 plus free shipping. Add coupon code "MLC122433A" to your cart to slice it to $7.95
D-Link 802.11n Wireless 4-Port Router with Laptop Adapter for $40 + free shipping
Back at newegg.com is the D-Link DIR-615 802.11n Wireless 4-Port Router together with the D-Link DWA-642 RangeBooster N CardBus Notebook Adapter for $39.99 plus free shipping. (Scroll down to "Combo Deals" to find the bundle.)
MyFax free: Send up to 2 faxes per day for free
MyFax.com allows you to send up to two faxes per day for free through its MyFax Free service. Faxes will be sent within minutes of accepting a confirmation email. Documents must not exceed a file size of 10MB or 10 pages in length
Friday, May 08, 2009
How many Intel CPUs will fail the XP Mode test in Windows 7? | Ed Bott’s Microsoft Report | ZDNet.com
If you are planning on running Windows 7's XP virtualization on your existing processor read this. Read this especially if you are running Intel. I'm pleased to discover that both my CPU's, laptop and desktop, will run it if I choose to. If you can't run MS's virtualization the good new is that Parallels is working on their own solution and of course there is always VMWare, but you will need to supply your own XP license where as Win 7 will come with an XP license for the purpose.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Wireless Heart and Patient Monitor Trasmits Info to Doctor Via CallPhone
A new product costing hundreds rather than thousands of dollars that will let your doctor or staff monitor you wherever you are via cellphone. The system will be available via prescription from a physician and consists of the wearable, wireless sensor; a small portable device that transmits vital data to a patient’s physician from anywhere in the world.
SCO to fight US bankruptcy trustee's motion to liquidate it
From the "it couldn't happen to a better company dept.", it looks like after a long tortuous illness, brought about by hubris and greed, SCO is finally going to die a well deserved death. Ding dong.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
OnComputers Radio show Podcast 05-03-09
This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 05-03-09. 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.
Links from the Gregg Zone
1) For my green link this week I am going back to basics, do we really understand what is causing the problem? I have often noticed that it seems the more sure people are about something, the more likely it is they have overlooked something important. While I am sure we humans fit into the equation in a big way, when it comes to climate change causation it just seems their may be some missing pixels. This is a very interesting article about our current sun cycle, which is nothing like any thing we have seen so far. Of course when we look at the life time of the sun, and do the math we have only been observing it for the equivalent of a nano second or so. http://www.independent.co.uk/
2) For my second offering I am going to the very cool, but with a few little hidden thought provoking twists. This is one of the better illusions I have seen, it looks to be a picture of Albert Einstein, but if you back off the monitor seven or eight feet, from a distance it morphs into Marilyn Monroe. It reminds me of those objects I see by the side of the road in the distance that morph from an animal into a tree trunk. In an odd sort of way it illustrates many things in our lives other than vision. How many points of view have you had about something from opinions of people and politics, to views on theories of science, religion or whatever, only to have them morph into something else upon closer examination? http://www.wired.com
3) I cannot remember for sure who sent me this one, I think it was Troll, but it may have been Joe, as it has been in my show stuff folder for a few weeks. But, thank you. This has to be the definitive site on the Aurora, better known as the Northern Lights. If you have any curiosity about them, or just want to see what Joe is talking about when he refers to them, this is the place to go. The site is put up by Michigan Tech, and has everything from, forecasts and maps, causes and effects, to as many images as you could want. http://www.geo.mtu.edu
4) This is another of those definitive sites covering a subject to the nth degree. If you are at all interested in the Kryptos Sculpture at the C.I.A. headquarters, or if this is new to you and you want to read up on it, view videos on it, well this is the place. It is a fascinating read, I am not to sure what I think about the whole thing, but that is just not unusual. I will leave my opinions lying on the cutting room floor of my mind, and leave it up to you to try and make sense of it. http://elonka.com
5) And now, the geek link of the week, what could be better coming from the zone than the “global warming” of the internet. An article predicting we will run out of band width in the near future. Reducing the internet to an unreliable toy around 2012, funny how that year keeps coming up in the oddest places, usually about something dire. Anyway they make what seems to be a plausible case for a rather unfortunate end to our fun. I also learned another new term from the article though, just when I thought I might digest the concept of a petabyte, now I have to think about an exabyte, (billion trillion). Read it here, http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/
2) For my second offering I am going to the very cool, but with a few little hidden thought provoking twists. This is one of the better illusions I have seen, it looks to be a picture of Albert Einstein, but if you back off the monitor seven or eight feet, from a distance it morphs into Marilyn Monroe. It reminds me of those objects I see by the side of the road in the distance that morph from an animal into a tree trunk. In an odd sort of way it illustrates many things in our lives other than vision. How many points of view have you had about something from opinions of people and politics, to views on theories of science, religion or whatever, only to have them morph into something else upon closer examination? http://www.wired.com
3) I cannot remember for sure who sent me this one, I think it was Troll, but it may have been Joe, as it has been in my show stuff folder for a few weeks. But, thank you. This has to be the definitive site on the Aurora, better known as the Northern Lights. If you have any curiosity about them, or just want to see what Joe is talking about when he refers to them, this is the place to go. The site is put up by Michigan Tech, and has everything from, forecasts and maps, causes and effects, to as many images as you could want. http://www.geo.mtu.edu
4) This is another of those definitive sites covering a subject to the nth degree. If you are at all interested in the Kryptos Sculpture at the C.I.A. headquarters, or if this is new to you and you want to read up on it, view videos on it, well this is the place. It is a fascinating read, I am not to sure what I think about the whole thing, but that is just not unusual. I will leave my opinions lying on the cutting room floor of my mind, and leave it up to you to try and make sense of it. http://elonka.com
5) And now, the geek link of the week, what could be better coming from the zone than the “global warming” of the internet. An article predicting we will run out of band width in the near future. Reducing the internet to an unreliable toy around 2012, funny how that year keeps coming up in the oddest places, usually about something dire. Anyway they make what seems to be a plausible case for a rather unfortunate end to our fun. I also learned another new term from the article though, just when I thought I might digest the concept of a petabyte, now I have to think about an exabyte, (billion trillion). Read it here, http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/
Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals
OCZ 2GB (2x1GB) PC3 DDR3 Desktop RAM Kit
newegg.com offers the OCZ SLI-Ready 2GB PC3-14400 DDR3-1800 240-Pin Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit with two 1GB DIMMs, model no. OCZ3N1800SR2GK, for $54.99. This $40 mail-in rebate drops the price to $14.99. With free shipping, . Rebate ends May 8.
Sceptre 24" Widescreen LCD Display for $200 + $2 s&h
CompUSA again offers the Sceptre 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. x24wg-Naga, for $199.99 plus $1.99 for shipping
Acer X183H b 18.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor
$100 (29% off $140 retail) at CompUSA
TechBargains Coupon Page - Hundreds of coupons for lots of Computer, Electronics and assorted Internet merchant sites.
Motorola H680 Bluetooth Headset for $17 + free shipping
newegg.com offers the Motorola H680 Bluetooth Headset for $16.99 with free shipping. Features include nine hours of talk time and up to 300 hours standby.
newegg.com offers the OCZ SLI-Ready 2GB PC3-14400 DDR3-1800 240-Pin Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit with two 1GB DIMMs, model no. OCZ3N1800SR2GK, for $54.99. This $40 mail-in rebate drops the price to $14.99. With free shipping, . Rebate ends May 8.
Sceptre 24" Widescreen LCD Display for $200 + $2 s&h
CompUSA again offers the Sceptre 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. x24wg-Naga, for $199.99 plus $1.99 for shipping
Acer X183H b 18.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor
$100 (29% off $140 retail) at CompUSA
TechBargains Coupon Page - Hundreds of coupons for lots of Computer, Electronics and assorted Internet merchant sites.
Motorola H680 Bluetooth Headset for $17 + free shipping
newegg.com offers the Motorola H680 Bluetooth Headset for $16.99 with free shipping. Features include nine hours of talk time and up to 300 hours standby.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Free Windows 7 RC1 from MS & Setup Secrets Article on ZDNet
Windows 7 setup secrets On May 5, the general public will finally be allowed to download the official Windows 7 Release Candidate from Microsoft. It’s been up on BitTorrent networks for more than a week. If you have a torrents client you can look for Windows 7 RC1 Build 7100. Then read the article at the above link. This software is valid for more than a year!
Office 2007 Service Pack 2 available for download | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com
"SP2 provides the usual security, performance and reliability fixes that SPs deliver. SP2 is especially tuned to update Outlook and SharePoint Server, according to the company. SP2 also includes support for more file formats, such as PDF and ODF, Microsoft oficials said. Here’s more from Microsoft’s release on Office 2007 SP2:"
As we always tell you, do your Microsoft updates. This Service pack is out and ready to download and install.
AlaskaJoe
As we always tell you, do your Microsoft updates. This Service pack is out and ready to download and install.
AlaskaJoe
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Google serves up better demographics, charts
Google has anew search feature that lets you compare data such as unemployment rate for a locality against a region or the whole country. I haven't pushed the limits of what Google has in its servers, but the ability to find and then do comparative graphs on government data will make many students very happy, as the picture illustrates.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Are Linux netbooks becoming extinct?
The netbook ought to have been the domain of Linux. It certainly started that way, with the inaugural 7" ASUS Eee Linux PC sporting Xandros. Then Windows XP came back into vogue and the vendors backed away. Both ASUS and Dell confirmed today that Linux features little in their future plans
Monday, April 27, 2009
Gateway in the Dead Pool - Geek News Central
"In 2007, Gateway sold off its professional division to MCS, formerly Micron Computer. This mean all small, medium, and large business, as well as education and government contracts, went with it."
I have been saying for some time now that Gateway support is going down hill fast. As a tech when I contacted Gateway for support they wanted me to ship the whole computer to them so they could replace a failed hard drive on a 6 week old system.
It seems it is much easier to send me a replacement hard drive than to spend $50 to ship the whole computer to them.
As the guy that wrote this article said: Buyer beware. I wouldn’t buy a Gateway at this point, not even from a retailer. I agree, let Gateway die in peace!
AlaskaJoe
I have been saying for some time now that Gateway support is going down hill fast. As a tech when I contacted Gateway for support they wanted me to ship the whole computer to them so they could replace a failed hard drive on a 6 week old system.
It seems it is much easier to send me a replacement hard drive than to spend $50 to ship the whole computer to them.
As the guy that wrote this article said: Buyer beware. I wouldn’t buy a Gateway at this point, not even from a retailer. I agree, let Gateway die in peace!
AlaskaJoe
Sunday, April 26, 2009
OnComputers Radio show Podcast 04-26-09
This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 04-26-09. 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.
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