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

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.

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

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

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.

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) Green link of the week takes me back to boy scouts. I remember some sort of a project we did making a solar oven supposedly to bake bread, if memory serves me it did not work so hot, pardon the pun. Well evidently that concept has been revised somewhat, with the Koyto box, named for the summit. This is the - "two cardboard boxes, and some paint that can save the world” Winner of the Financial times-sponsored climate change challenge contest for innovative ways to decrease human impact on the environment. The manufacturing cost of the box is only six dollars, and it can boil water, cook a casserole, bake bread, using solar, but it can also save a rain-forest. The sub-link in the article on the prize is also interesting reading. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com
2) Okay, this is my advancing technology blow your mind link for the week. At least if you are not up on metamaterials. This has been hanging around in my use for the show, maybe folder for a month or two; I just kept skipping over it because I had not taken the time to read it. I am correcting that now, if you have not heard about metamaterials do yourself a favor and read this, I believe you will be hearing a lot about this in the future, maybe under a different name, but this has unbelievable potential. http://discovermagazine.com
3) I don’t know if any of you have picked up on this, it sure was news to me. One more of those mind blowing articals, this brings a lot of thoughts to mind. It is an article about re-growing body parts. Started out with a guy in a hobby shop showing a customer why the propeller on a model plane was dangerous. He went beyond what was expected by cutting off the end of his finger. Lucky he knew someone doing limb replacement research that sent him some magic powder. Grew back his finger, evidently this is for real check it out. http://health.howstuffworks.com
4) I was tempted to save this for my opening link next week, but decided to use it here. Sent to me by Wills of show host fame, it is one more of those how we can really make a difference with small adaptations of what is available around us. I was impressed by this because of its practicability using materials available in the local area to change, or improve a simple human problem. http://www.cbsnews.com
5) Now for some geekyness, spell check did not like that, but had no suggestions so forgive me. Started off by a suggestion from Troll, who seems to find some joy in tweaking my mind, but I like that. The whole idea of cloud computing, well explained here http://www.geeks.com Thanks Troll, now for just a little something more I ran across at Stock Gumshoe, another site I like dealing with those stock offers from the stock touting crowds that show up in our email, I really like this site anyway, just a little additional reading if you are inclined http://www.stockgumshoe.com