I know many of our friends, listeners, and readers are former TechTV viewers and current CNET readers, so I wanted to post this. The news broke, about James Kim and his family missing, yesterday and I'm still in shock. At times like this the technology family seems very small, even though I have never met the Kims.
I know that the weather was really bad last weekend in Oregon. I will hope for the best, but it will be a week tomorrow since the family went missing. Still people have been found alive after that amount of time and I hope that they are okay. Keep the Kim family in your thoughts and prayers. Keep the search and rescue people in your thoughts and prayers, too.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Decoding an ancient computer
Okay, I admit it! I am an insatiable Discovery Channel addict; as if you couldn't guess.
Over the years there have been several shows about the Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient mechanical computer of great sophistication found under the ocean in 1901. The device fascinates me.
The link above will take you to a series of photographs on CNET's News.com which depict both the mechanism and a "completed" computer simulation of what scientists think the mechanism looked like. It is beyond merely cool, in my opinion.
Jack
Over the years there have been several shows about the Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient mechanical computer of great sophistication found under the ocean in 1901. The device fascinates me.
The link above will take you to a series of photographs on CNET's News.com which depict both the mechanism and a "completed" computer simulation of what scientists think the mechanism looked like. It is beyond merely cool, in my opinion.
Jack
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Sony Unveils New Self-Destructive
"Sure there are safety issues, but most homes are equipped with smoke detectors these days, and are chock full of pirated material which would be destroyed in the blaze. OK, their house might burn down, but isn't that a small price to pay to combat piracy?"
Excuse me! Did Sony just step on it AGAIN?
Thanks Buzz from the chat.
Excuse me! Did Sony just step on it AGAIN?
Thanks Buzz from the chat.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
MPAA Lobbying for Home Theater Regulations
You have got to be kidding me... I swear all these ^*($@*^!) need to be shot. Although I must say that his is the first article I've read where they come right out and say that they are going to try and control your personal movements, "Just because you buy a DVD to watch at home doesn't give you the right to invite friends over to watch it too. That's a violation of copyright and denies us the revenue that would be generated from DVD sales to your friends".
Here we go again!
This came to us from Sparky in SLUG
Here we go again!
This came to us from Sparky in SLUG
Microsoft Comes Out Swinging for 2007, Thursday November 30th
Many thanks to OC chat regular and listener, Earl, for this submission:
To those of you who are nay saying Vista’s saleability, its value, its security or its general appeal to the marketplace I say you just aren’t looking in the right place. This is not about Vista. It’s about Microsoft’s moneymaking strategy for the future. Microsoft is not just coming out with seven versions of Vista for the year 2007. It’s also coming out with eight versions of Office 2007. But if you think that’s all then you haven’t seen half of it. The new version of Windows Server currently called Longhorn Server is coming out in 2007. And what else? What is the killer app of the Internet? Email. Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 is to be released on Thursday too. This is a four punch combination that will impact the business community for years to come. And - as Microsoft well knows – the business world’s model of computing is followed by people taking it home. In other words, as the impact of Exchange 2007/Outlook/Office 2007/Office Live/Vista and the new Sharepoint /WebServer/Server2007 combo hits the biz community in the next few months it will either make it or break it for Microsoft. And what do you think Microsoft is planning on? Certainly they are not planning on the success of Vista alone to save their tush. Since 1997 Microsoft has depended on Exchange/Windows Server/Windows (95, 98, 2000, XP) and MS Office to be the winner in the corporate marketplace.
“This is no small matter. Together, Sharepoint, the Exchange e-mail offering and Office software rang up $14.5 billion of Redmond's $44.3 billion in revenue in the last fiscal year, which ended June 30. That exceeded Windows sales of $13.2 billion.
These segments are so profitable — that combined $27.7 billion from business software and Windows sales produced $19.9 billion in operating income — that they all but float the company, letting Microsoft's entertainment and online divisions lose money.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061124/ap_on_bi_ge/microsoft_new_vistas
November 30th is Microsoft’s first release date to the business world of Vista – Office 2007 – Exchange 2007. It’s not going to impact the world immediately. But MS software rarely does. The entire strategy for the future (Office, Vista, Server, Exchange 2007 and Sharepoint/Webserver) will make it or break it for the 800 pound gorilla. The rest of us just follow.
Earl
http://www.itjungle.com/two/two110806-story01.html
To those of you who are nay saying Vista’s saleability, its value, its security or its general appeal to the marketplace I say you just aren’t looking in the right place. This is not about Vista. It’s about Microsoft’s moneymaking strategy for the future. Microsoft is not just coming out with seven versions of Vista for the year 2007. It’s also coming out with eight versions of Office 2007. But if you think that’s all then you haven’t seen half of it. The new version of Windows Server currently called Longhorn Server is coming out in 2007. And what else? What is the killer app of the Internet? Email. Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 is to be released on Thursday too. This is a four punch combination that will impact the business community for years to come. And - as Microsoft well knows – the business world’s model of computing is followed by people taking it home. In other words, as the impact of Exchange 2007/Outlook/Office 2007/Office Live/Vista and the new Sharepoint /WebServer/Server2007 combo hits the biz community in the next few months it will either make it or break it for Microsoft. And what do you think Microsoft is planning on? Certainly they are not planning on the success of Vista alone to save their tush. Since 1997 Microsoft has depended on Exchange/Windows Server/Windows (95, 98, 2000, XP) and MS Office to be the winner in the corporate marketplace.
“This is no small matter. Together, Sharepoint, the Exchange e-mail offering and Office software rang up $14.5 billion of Redmond's $44.3 billion in revenue in the last fiscal year, which ended June 30. That exceeded Windows sales of $13.2 billion.
These segments are so profitable — that combined $27.7 billion from business software and Windows sales produced $19.9 billion in operating income — that they all but float the company, letting Microsoft's entertainment and online divisions lose money.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061124/ap_on_bi_ge/microsoft_new_vistas
November 30th is Microsoft’s first release date to the business world of Vista – Office 2007 – Exchange 2007. It’s not going to impact the world immediately. But MS software rarely does. The entire strategy for the future (Office, Vista, Server, Exchange 2007 and Sharepoint/Webserver) will make it or break it for the 800 pound gorilla. The rest of us just follow.
Earl
http://www.itjungle.com/two/two110806-story01.html
Monday, November 27, 2006
Apple Mac Tablet PC With Docking Station In 07
This is really last year's news. Apple has been floating these devices internally for a while now.
The difference is that this unit has a docking station and is aimed at home users, rather than business/enterprise niche uses. Apple has taken a bunch of patents applicable to this sort of device over the last few years, and probably had enough technology left over from the Newton to do this fairly well. (Yes, the Newton really was that far ahead of it's time, and hardware!)
Nothing is sure, yet. But if Apple really does bring out one of these, I'll be standing in line for one of the first, even if I have to hock my Mac running Linux to do it.
Jack
The difference is that this unit has a docking station and is aimed at home users, rather than business/enterprise niche uses. Apple has taken a bunch of patents applicable to this sort of device over the last few years, and probably had enough technology left over from the Newton to do this fairly well. (Yes, the Newton really was that far ahead of it's time, and hardware!)
Nothing is sure, yet. But if Apple really does bring out one of these, I'll be standing in line for one of the first, even if I have to hock my Mac running Linux to do it.
Jack
Sunday, November 26, 2006
OnComputers Radio show Podcast 11-26-06
This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 11-26-06. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. If you prefer, you can download the same file here via ftp.
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