$100 Home Server Offers Hacker/Hobby Toolkit

Marvell announced a $100 plug-in server this week.  Plug it into the wall and attach the Gigabit Ethernet and you have a Linux kernel-based server with 512 MB memory and 512 MB storage.  Five watt maximum power draw, always on, remote access to storage ... you get the idea.

Way cool.

A developer's toolkit will be released soon, so you can play with this fascinating hobbyist platform.  Now you can host your own web site in the volume of a beer can.

Interesting News from Tom's Hardware and Some Good Deals from Seagate Outlet

>>Windows 7 RC1 Shooting for April 10 Release?<<

AMD Unveils 'Istanbul' Six-Shooter Opteron

Ballmer: No Microsoft Phone, But WinMo 7 Coming

Microsoft Working on Windows 7 for Netbooks

Microsoft Announces SP2 RC for Vista, Server 2008

Asus' Mammoth 18.4" W90 Laptop Now Available

Windows Beating Linux Netbooks
It ought to be something of a watershed moment for Linux, right? The scalable OS was finally given its due, being sold right alongside Windows as a configurable option on the wildly popular mini notebooks. Something happened along the way though--something, which, when you think about it, isn't all that surprising. People stuck with Windows. In a big way

- Microsoft Reveals New Windows 7 Changes February 26 –
Seagate.com Outlet Sale: Hard drives from $30 + $8 s&h

Seagate.com knocks up to 62% off a selection of internal and external hard drives in its Outlet Center. Shipping starts at $7.99, but orders of $150 or more ship for free. Sale ends March 2. The deals:
Seagate ST3160023A-RK 160GB IDE 3.5" Internal for $25.99
Seagate ST900803FGA1E1-RK Freeagent Go 80GB USB 2.0 for $29.99
Seagate ST3300631A-RK 300GB IDE 3.5" Internal for $39.99
Seagate ST303204N1A1AS-RK 320GB Serial ATA 3.5" Internal for $39.99
Seagate ST305004FPA1E2-RK FreeAgent 500GB USB 2.0/FW800/eSATA for $64.99

The Netbook Effect: How Cheap Little Laptops Hit the Big Time

I have been thinking about getting a Netbook for some time. I like the fact they are small and easy to carry.
I also have been saying for years "How fast does our computer need to be? I can only type so fast."
On that note "Regular computers are so fast, you really can't tell the difference between 1.6 giga and 2 giga," says Andy Tung, vice president of US sales for MSI, the Taiwanese maker of the Wind netbook. "We can tell the difference between one second and two seconds, but not between 0.0001 and 0.0002 second." For most of today's computing tasks, the biggest performance drags aren't inside the machine. They're outside. Is your Wi-Fi signal strong? Is Twitter down again?
I have a Dell D600 laptop that has a 1.6Ghz processor and it does everything I need. My email is on my main computer at home, so when on the road I access it here. The same with most of the things I do. I use Firefox and use FoxMarks so all of my bookmarks are the same no matter what computer I'm on.

My laptop works very well and I can't justify just going out and buying a Netbook just because I think they are cool.

My decision is, do I want a Netbook or a smart phone? I can see that having access to the web all of the time is an advantage. With a flash drive it boots fast so you don't have to wait for 3 minutes before you can look something up.
The next question for most people is: Windows XP home or can you live with Ubuntu? There is about a $50.00 difference in price. (I'm thinking Ubuntu will work for me.)
I have just found a new Netbook online for $285 with Windows XP Home and 1 GB of RAM. It even has a web cam built in. (Acer Aspire ONE A110-1834 Atom N270 1.6GHz 1GB 16GB SSD 8.9" XP Home w/WebCam, it is from the link on our web site for Geeks.com.)
The biggest question I have is: Do I want to spend the money when my Dell works great for me?

Is a Netbook in your future?
AlaskaJoe

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 02-22-09

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 02-22-09. 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) To start off the week an article I ran across that may offer some good news on the environment. It seems the jungles takes over abandon farm lands rather quickly. As more and more people are moving to the cities in search of what they perceive as better life styles, the land they leave behind reverts very quickly. This trend is causing some environmentalists to reconsider the severity of rain forest loss. http://www.iht.com
2) Troll sent me a really nice link on black holes. Trying to comprehend the idea of a black hole is one of those exercises that leave me with a total brain drain. This site can help, but I still have trouble comprehending the concept. A very detailed site though and well organized. Thanks, Troll you really do send me some interesting stuff, I appreciate your effort and time. http://hubblesite.org
3) I saw this article with what I thought a rather sinister title “ Scientist Looks to Weaponize Ball Lightening”, I mean this sounds kind of biblical to me. I imagine Thor, or some other God hurling lightening bolts at people he does not like. I am sorry but I don’t like it. Anyway here is a link to the article http://blog.wired.com When I read it I realized my understanding of ball lightening was very limited so I Googled some found this very cool site all about ball lightening, even how to make your own, now just where did I put that liability disclaimer. Anyway do not blame me if you lay waste to the neighborhood. http://www.eskimo.com
4) This is one Joe came up with, we were sitting here talking on Skype when he found it and sent it to me. An article about a guy that thought he had found Atlantis on Google maps. Turns out to be much ado about nothing, but it was interesting to be able to load the coordinates, and within minutes be looking at what started the whole deal. Two links first one the article, the second the location on Google Maps. http://www.telegraph.co.uk ……At the map site you need to set the slide bar about mid way. http://maps.google.com/
5) Trouble finding a geek link this week, so I will post a link sent to me by a geek, thanks again Troll. This one has been in my blog folder for a while I just have not gotten around to using it yet. Goes to show you just how much you can find on the net if you look. This is a state by state, city by city listing of all the speed traps in the neighborhood. Great read for anyone you know that drives a cab, truck, or anything else with four wheels. http://www.speedtrap.org