Perfect Xmas gift: Computer Engineer Barbie

I'm not sure if this is too good to be true or too weird to be false. Yes after some 50 plus years of worrying what she's going to wear to the prom, and exclaiming how hard math is, Barbie is now a computer engineer! She comes complete with a pink laptop.

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 12-19-10

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 12-19-10. 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.

There will be no show next week 12/26/10 Merry Christmas Everyone!
We will see you all on 01/02/11

Today's App Corner

We have two apps appropriate to the holiday season from the US Government today for shipping and travel.

One is a very useful app from the US Postal Service.  It uses location services to find your nearest post office, and once you have found it, the hours and services offered there.  It also shows all the collection boxes in your area and the pick up times. You can also track a package and look up zip codes. One thing that would be nice would be a postage calculator.  Maybe in a future version.  At least they give you a link to usps.com so you could look up postage rates there.

http://www.usps.com/mobile/info.htm

The other app is from the TSA.  It falls short on the wait time feature, since it relies on users to report the wait times.  Other than that, it is a nice handy interface with a "Can I Bring" look up, and a handy travel guide.  It also includes a US Aiport status map.  So while there is room for improvement, if you fly it is nice to keep this one on the phone.

http://apps.usa.gov/tsa-app/

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) This article reminds us just how intensely complex the movement toward replacing destructive planetary processes to soften our effect on the planet can be. I like the idea of using nature to produce the basic materials we need, but at what point do we cross the danger line? Anyway the idea of ‘training bacteria’ to make our plastics from vegetation as opposed to drilling oil wells for plastics. http://green.blorge.com

2) Speaking about environmental disasters just what is up with this; seems that they are going to turn Chernobyl into a sort of Disneyland. There are just so many questions that come to mind about this, I am just going to have to wait and see, and somehow I think the idea of buying stock in the company is not going to be on my investment list. http://www.aolnews.com

3) One of the things I like about this blog I am doing is how it continues to challenge my belief systems, one of the things I have learned over the years is that just because it seems to me to be a sure thing, it isn’t necessarily so. According to this article Einstein was right even though he was convinced he was mistaken, seems you can be in two places at the same. time http://www.independent.co.uk

4) Now to muddy the waters just a little, here is an article about the scientific achievement award of the year goes to the discovery and demonstration of teleportation. Question does that mean I can stay home and transport myself to work? That would mean I can watch the game and still keep the boss happy. http://www.foxnews.com

5) Now for something techy, once again I hope I am not treading on the App Corner’s thunder, but the warning in this article is a little worrying, privacy is a thing of the past, caqn the hive mind be very far off. http://online.wsj.com