Sunday, July 19, 2009

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) Going to start with a link Joe sent me about a new way to not own your car. I suspect this may actually be the future, because I have seen the concept in Sci-Fi books and movies. However it may be quite some time before it becomes main stream due to its appeal being restricted to how, and where you live. It might have local appeal in today’s world, I wish them well. I think it would play nicely here in Las Vegas, and would be a good fit for electric vehicles, but think it would have problems in Montana. http://www.zipcar.com/
2) Well here we are in Joe’s neighborhood again; link is to an article from the Anchorage Daily News about the Alaskan blob floating off the coast. I think we will be reading more about this for the next couple of weeks. While the mystery seems to be settled as to what it is, the tests say it is a type of algae. The questions about where it came from, why it is there; still remain because it has never been seen before. The obvious connection to global warming, and climate change will need some study. Be interesting to follow the story, looking forward to the answers. http://www.adn.com
3) This is an article about Amazon, Kindel, and ethics. Sent to me by Troll no doubt to confuse my interest stated a week or two back in a link here talking about how I wanted one. Well I have been successfully confused now I am not to sure I like the idea, you know how I love a good conspiracy. I suspect there is more here than what meets the eye. Not sure I like the implications regarding invading my privacy just because they feel the need. I do very much like the irony. http://www.nytimes.com
4) This is another Joe sent me, during our morning coffee and Skype conference he was reading Daily Rotation, and says hey here is a link for you. He was absolutely right this one grabbed me, and there is more here than just the headline subject. We are talking about printing batteries, but they also mention printing flexible electronics. The batteries solve some of the problems with those. This has got me thinking I need to get back up to speed on these prototype printers. There seems to be a lot going on there, batteries, organ replacements, got to find out what is new. http://blogs.zdnet.com
5) For my geek thing this week I thought this was interesting, appears they have taught a computer to read sign language. I am having some trouble deciding what the implications of the technology will be, but they must have had some purpose in mind, other than we did it because we could. http://www.newscientist.com

Friday, July 17, 2009

Mozilla Developer News » Blog Archive » Firefox 3.5.1 update is now available for download

"As part of the Mozilla Corporation’s ongoing security and stability process, Firefox 3.5.1 is now available for Windows, Mac, and Linux users as a free download from www.firefox.com."

I just received my update to FireFox 3.5.1 Update now!

AlaskaJoe

Microsoft Retiring Support for WinXP SP2 in a Year - News and Analysis by PC Magazine

"Microsoft will retire support for Windows XP Service Pack 2 one year from 07-13-09.

Windows XP is not being retired, but support for Service Pack 2 is. It may be the case, and in fact I would guess it would be the case, that from them on you will have to have Service Pack 3 in order get support, including patches to subsequently disclosed vulnerabilities."
I think you should have updated to SP3 long ago.
AlaskaJoe

Windows Update Update Will Require You to Update - News and Analysis by PC Magazine

"If you have automatic updates set to install download updates then you will receive this update as well."
Starting in late August, Microsoft is planning an "infrastructure update" to the Windows Update and Microsoft Update services, requiring changes in the update code on users' Windows systems. As Microsoft puts it: "Updates to the services and Windows code are required from time to time to maintain and improve service quality, reliability, and operations."

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Dell's retail game not ready for windows 7 - The Inquirer

"Dell has said that PCs purchased after 29 June 2009 will be granted a free update when Microsoft's newest operating system arrives in October.

However when punters go to register their new PC purchased from third-party retailers like Best Buy and MicroCenter, the date of purchase appears much earlier than the real date."
There is a work around for this problem. read about it here.

AlaskaJoe

Sunday, July 12, 2009

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 07-12-09

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 07-12-09. 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.

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

I-Inc iF-281DPB 28" Widescreen LCD Monitor $280 at Tiger Direct
Click Here TigerDirect.com has the I-Inc iF-281DPB 28" Widescreen LCD Monitor for $280 + shipping.· 28" at 1920x1200, 500 cd/m2 brightness, 800:1 contrast ratio · 3ms response time, D-Sub / NO DVI, HDMI w/ HDCP, 1 year warranty

New: OCZ Diesel 16GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive for $23 after rebate + free shipping newegg.com again offers the OCZ Diesel 16GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive, model no. OCZUSBDSL16G, for $32.99 with free shipping. This $10 mail-in rebate (in the form of a Visa prepaid card) chops it to $22.99 ($1.43/GB). Rebate expires July 16.

AMD Athlon II X2 250 3GHz Dual-Core Socket AM3 Processor for $77 + free shipping
newegg.com offers the AMD Athlon II X2 250 3GHz Dual-Core Socket AM3 Processor, model no. ADX250OCGQBOX, for $87 with free shipping. Coupon code "AMD791" cuts it to $77. This retail-boxed 45nm CPU features two 1MB L2 caches

AMD Phenom 8750 2.4GHz Triple-Core Socket AM2+ CPU for $74.99 via code "EMCLVML33"
AMD Phenom 9150E 1.8GHz Quad-Core Socket AM2+ CPU for $79 via code "EMCLVML32"
Pentium Dual-Core 2.5GHz CPU, motherboard, 4GB RAM for $120 after rebates + $9 s&h
newegg.com offers the retail-boxed Intel Pentium Dual-Core Wolfdale E5200 2.5GHz Socket 775 Processor together with the ECS Intel G31 Socket 775 Micro ATX Motherboard, model no. G31T-M7, and OCZ 4GB PC2-6400 Desktop Memory Kit with two 2GB DIMMs, model no. OCZ2N800SR4GK, for $119.97 via the directions below. With $8.64 for shipping, . The 65-watt CPU features a 2MB L2 cache. The motherboard features one PCI Express x16 slot, one PCI Express x1 slot, two PCI slots, 6-channel audio, Ethernet, four Serial ATA connectors, and more. Deal ends July 15.

New: Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-8500 Desktop RAM Kit for $40 after rebate + free shipping
newegg.com offers the Corsair XMS2 4GB PC2-8500 DDR2-1066 240-Pin Dual Channel Desktop RAM Kit with two 2GB DIMMs, model no. TWIN2X4096-8500C5C-G, for $54.99 with free shipping This $15 mail-in rebate knocks it to $39.99

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) I do not remember the last time I was this excited about the possibilities of one of my green links. This is nothing short of revolutionary; the potential for this is nothing short of staggering. The article says it is a paradigm shift comparable to the shift from main frame computers of the eighties to the best present day laptops. And, I have to whole heartily agree. We are talking about advancement in batteries capable of running your house, storing power from any off grid source, wind, and solar, geothermal, temperature fluctuation, tidal, whatever. Capable of recycling over 3,600 times, or once a day for ten years, at a cost of about $2,000 dollars. We are talking about replacing a smart grid technology with no grid, and saving money doing it, you just got to check this out, can you say stock investment this could be really big. http://www.investorvillage.com
2) This is another link I thought to have some serious interest, there seems to be more and more movement into touch screen technology. Even the name has a sort of oxymoron sound when you consider that in order to use it you need to use sight. If you cannot see the screen visually it is almost useless. Well it seems the people at Carnegie Mellon are working on creating a sort of Braille touch screen. This may have some real advantages over the current type of screens, for people across the board. When going to the link be sure to check out the video link there very interesting http://www.crunchgear.com
3) I touched on this last week just as a point of interest when we were talking about search engines, from the comments I guess several people looked into it during the show and were impressed. Because of that, I decided to put up a link for anyone that may have missed it. This is a new search engine that is really cool, aimed at the tech, and math people, but I even with my low pay grade have found t very useful. http://www.wolframalpha.com/
4) I was sort of surprised to hear Joe say he had not heard of this, as I found it on Daily Rotation, and I know he is there daily. Anyway when I ran across it I thought it was kind of interesting from a computer tech show aspect, while I did not follow a lot of what they were talking about, I liked the format. A couple of guys on video talking tech stuff, keeping it short. but when it comes to computer tech my attention span is short, but with links on the side if you wanted more information on one of the topics. http://channel9.msdn.com/
5) For my geek link on a rather geek oriented week I am using this for YouTube fans who may not know about it. Seems if you want to change a low quality video to a high quality video on YouTube you just have to ad &fmt=18 to the end of the url. There are several other tricks dealing with YouTube on this link bottom of page under related links.http://www.mydigitallife.info

Friday, July 10, 2009

Learn How to Type Accurate and Fast Online, For Free

"Have you been meaning to learn how to type, but never seem to get around actually starting the lessons? Wish you could bang out dozens of words per minute, but don’t want to shell out for typing software? Well for those of you who were not lucky enough to spend a few hours per week under the expert guidance of Mavis Beacon during your high school years, TypingWeb is here to fill the gab."

This sounds like something I know some people this could help :)

AlaskaJoe

Smartphoniacs: Addicts of the Information Age

Its penetration in the U.S. is estimated at 18%, and it seems that everywhere you turn, people are using their smart phones in new ways and in new places. Samsung recently estimated that it expects 500 million global smart-phone users by 2012. Actual phone calls are becoming extinct compared with handheld texts and email messages -- whoever thought people would prefer typing to talking? But the evidence appears to say they do.

Do you check your smart phone all of the time in inappropriate places?

Where is this all going? I would rather talk than type to someone.

AlaskaJoe

Three ‘Critical' Fixes For Patch Tuesday - Computing News - Digital Trends

"Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday is rolling around again next week, and the company has announced they have three fixes, all deemed critical."

Remember this coming Tuesday is Update Tuesday, so do your Windows Updates!

AlaskaJoe

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Drifting towards Linux

Because of the way I see Windows heading, more expensive and needing more and more hardware. I've found myself more interested in Linux. I don't have very powerful computers. My best is a Semperon 3300+.  Right now, I dual boot 2 boxes and have 3 Linux only. I've tried many distro's. Fedora, Madriva, and Slackware and many other less known ones. They were OK but, updating some was a bear. Others just wouldn't do what I needed. I keep comming back to Ubuntu. It's one CD and so far does what I need, more or less easily. I especially like the online upgrades. I've got Ubuntu 9.04 on various hardware. From a 10 year old power PC imac. To the Semperon 3300+.  I'm slowly learning to do what I need. The most important is sharing a printer and files over a LAN. I find myself using Linux on my main computer most of the time. True, I do have to jump through a few more hoops to do some things, like I make the occacional video CD, but I can usally get what I need. 

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Microsoft warns of hole in Video ActiveX control

Microsoft on Monday warned of a vulnerability in its Video ActiveX Control in XP and Server 2003 that could allow an attacker to take control of a PC if the user visits a malicious Web site

Sunday, July 05, 2009

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 07-05-09

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 07-05-09. 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.

10 Open Source Twitter Clients - And Counting...

19 Desktop Apps for Twitter Compared posted by Earl

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz CPU $170 at Newegg
Click Here Newegg has the AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor for $190 - $20 coupon code EMCLTPL82 [Exp 7/6] = $170 with free shipping. Covered by a 3-year warranty

OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-8500 Desktop RAM Kit for $35 after rebate + free shipping newegg.com offers the OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4GB PC2-8500 DDR2-1066 240-Pin Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit with two 2GB DIMMs, model no. OCZ2F10664GK, for $34.99 via the directions below. With free shipping, that's the lowest total price we could find by $32, although it was $11 less in February (since expired). Deal ends July 10. To get this deal:
Click here and add it to your cart for $49.99
Apply coupon code "MEM7156" to cut it to $44.99
This $10 mail-in rebate cuts it further to $34.99

GIGABYTE Radeon HD 4650 1GB PCIe Video Card for $50 after rebate + free shipping
newegg.com offers the GIGABYTE Radeon HD 4650 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 2.0 Video Card, model no. GV-R465OC-1GI, for $59.99. Rhis $10 mail-in rebate cuts it to $49.99. With free shipping, that's the lowest total price we could find by $17. This RoHS-compliant card features DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 2.1 support, 650MHz core clock speed, one HDMI output, and one dual-link DVI output. Rebate ends July 31.

iRobot Roomba 535 Robotic Vacuum for $170 + free shipping
Buy.com offers the iRobot Roomba 535 Robotic Vacuum for $169.99 with free shipping. It's the lowest total price we could find by $64, although it was $15 less during a Woot in May. The Roomba 535-01 features a charger, one virtual wall lighthouse, replacement filter, and more.

Irobot Roomba with Virtual 4210 Walls - Remanufactured (Mfr# ROOMBAVWRM) » only $116.99 (Was: $149.00) at Buy.com

2-Pack Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB 32MB Drive $200 at Dell Click Here Still available. Dell has the 2-Pack Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive for $270 - $70 off coupon code 47DGX1L4SS?JS2 [Exp 7/8, 1000] = $200 with free shipping

New: Hanns-G 25" Widescreen LCD Display with HDMI for $200 + free shipping
Ending today, newegg.com offers the Hanns-G 24.6" Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. HH-251HPB, for $199.99. With free shipping, that's $20 under our mention from four days ago and the lowest total price we've seen. It features built-in speakers, a 1920x1080 native resolution, 2ms response time, 800:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m² brightness, and HDMI and VGA inputs.
Posted 8 hr 2 min ago More 24-Inch LCD Or Larger Newegg Coupons

New: Samsung 23" Widescreen 1080p LCD Display for $162 + free shipping
Dell Small Business offers the Samsung 23" 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. 2333SW, for $279.99. Add it to your cart and the price drops to $179.99. Coupon code "22X6DLMFK6K92G" slices it to $161.99. With free shipping, it's $17 under our mention from two days ago and the lowest total price we could find. Sales tax is added where applicable. It features a 1920x1080 (1080p) native resolution, 5ms response time, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m² brightness, and DVI and VGA inputs. Coupon ends July 8.

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) Two links here to start, the first one I believe I used a while back, but I am not sure a video on air cars. I wanted to catch up and see if anything new was going on. This is a very interesting concept the information in the second half about the guy in Australia really caught me about no friction, that means no oil, anyway check it out here, http://www.brasschecktv.com The company site for MDI is here http://www.mdi.lu these guy’s have got it going on, wonder if we will be able to get them in the U.S. in this century.
2) I was, and still am very interested in the proposed space elevator, well looks like the may have some serious competition. What has been the biggest problem with the elevator are materials that are still a few years away. These guys may be able to pull it off in the next ten years, using existing materials. Very interesting check out the article here http://blogs.zdnet.com
3) This is one I believe Earl got me started with a while back, one of those things that point out how the web is changing the world. I have always liked books; have quite a few floating around, but nothing like what is available here. Information on over 25 million and counting, with free online full text for well over a million, nice. http://openlibrary.org/
4) This is one of those head shakers, you know the ones, you hear what they said, but have no reference to comprehend how it could be possible. I read the article title and was immediately thinking Yeah Right, or as Michael Angelo used to say “Please, permit me to doubt.” They are talking about using invisibility cloak research (a link here a few weeks ago) to make buildings invisible to earth quakes. If they can pull this off I will definitely be impressed http://www.newscientist.com
5) Okay most of you have probably already seen this, but for those that might have missed it, I thought I would use it here, some suggestions to create your own personal bucket list, for geeks that is. http://www.dailycupoftech.com

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Windows 7 to RTM on July 13, 2009?

According to GeekSmack, Microsoft will announce that Windows 7 has hit the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) milestone on July 13. Unsurprisingly, the July 13 date coincides with the kickoff of the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference,

Microsoft Bing Dings Google, Searches Twitter Tweets

Microsoft adds real-time search capabilities to its Bing search engine as it seeks to knock Google from its search perch. Now users can use Bing to find the latest Twitter tweets from celebrities and other persons of note, including high-tech journalists. The move comes as startups CrowdEye, Collecta and others are propagating the Web with real-time search

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Some Vista users say they're getting the Ultimate shaft | Beyond Binary - CNET News

"Microsoft promised that by purchasing the pricey Ultimate edition of Vista users would get all kinds of extras.

However, for many, those extras turned out to be little more than a few screensavers and a poker game, prompting some significant grousing."

In my looking around the web I found Costco is taking orders for Windows 7 for Windows® 7 Professional Upgrade for $97.99 and Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade $47.99.
You have until July 11 to Pre-Order your copy of Windows 7.

I like Windows 7 much better than Vista. I have HAD Vista Ultimate.

AlaskaJoe

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

FireFox 3.5 available Tuesday with massive speed gain.

Firefox 3.5 has plenty of new features that make it worth the upgrade, but the real reason we love it so much is the massive speed gain.

Pirate Bay Bought Out Suddenly Respects Copyrights

Swedish software firm buys The Pirate Bay for £4.7m
Global Gaming Factory X buys file-sharing site The Pirate Bay, promising that copyright holders will get paid

Monday, June 29, 2009

Thoughts on Windows 7 SKUs

It is rare that I link directly to Microsoft and even more rare that I link to a product page, but I thought it was fitting in writing this piece about Windows 7. Beyond that I have some really nice things to say about what MS did this time around.

Let me start with my take on the many Windows 7 SKUs. There are really only three that non-enterprise, US upgrading customers will ever need to think about. They are called Windows 7 Home Premium; Windows 7 Professional; and Windows 7 Ultimate. Each boxed copy includes both 32 and 64 bit DVDs, unlike Vista which only included both 32 and 64 bit with Ultimate.

One of the best sites out there that describes what features each of these SKUs includes is this page at Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows. What you will notice is, that unlike Vista, each SKU is more comprehensive. Higher tier SKUs of these three include all of the features of the lower tiered SKUs. In Vista, for example, Business (Professional) included a fax utility, Home Premium included the Media Center, and only Ultimate included both. In Windows 7 both Home Premium and Professional (Business), includes both fax and Windows Media Center.

The biggest feature that Windows 7 Professional offers over Home Premium is XP Mode. While Professional includes some other nice features, to me XP Mode is the dealmaker. Ultimate offers very little extra for the vast majority of non-enterprise users over Professional, but if you just have to have Bitlocker, Ultimate is the SKU you want.

It is important that users have this information now because the pre-order deal where you can get Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade for $49.99 and Windows 7 Professional Upgrade for $99.99 will end July 11 in the US, or "until supplies last". My personal opinion about the "until supplies last" is that they will last until July 11; but I may be wrong.

I've ordered 2 copies of Windows 7 Professional for our Windows XP desktops, where we will need to have the option of XP Mode, and 1 copy of Home Premium for my laptop where I don't need that function. Had this pre-order special not occured, I would only be upgrading my laptop which currently runs Vista. By selling me $250 worth of upgrades as opposed to $120 worth, I see this as a win for me and a win for Microsoft (even when including their cost to produce three packages as opposed to one). I have no doubt that MS's net profit from me and others like me will be greater than it would have been without this offer.

Of course all our needs vary, so look at the comparison charts, and if you know you want Windows 7 go for it (you can still test drive it by downloading the release candidate now). This special pre-order upgrade pricing is a great opportunity if either Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional will meet your needs. For the vast majority of us, I believe that one of these two SKUs will do what we need and want it to do.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 06-28-09

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 06-28-09. 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.

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

Dell G2410 24" Full HD LED Widescreen LCD $188 at Dell Business
Click Here Dell Business has the Dell G2410 24" Full HD LED-Backlit Widescreen Flat Panel LCD Monitor for $209 - 10% coupon code TJJSS8$J2MNJ0P [Exp 7/1] = $188 with free shipping. · 1920 x 1080, Ambient Light Sensor, PowerNap, and Dynamic Dimming· Ultra efficient power supply unit, 1000:1 Contrast Ratio, 3-Year Warranty
http://bensbargains.net/deal/105360/

New: Dell E2209W 22" Widescreen LCD Display for $143 + free shipping
Dell Small Business offers its Dell E2209W 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor for $159. Apply coupon code "TJJSS8$J2MNJ0P" to drop it to $143.10. With free shipping, resolution of 1680x1050, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m² brightness, and both DVI-D with HDCP and VGA

New: ASUS 24" 1080p Widescreen LCD Display with HDMI for $180 + free shipping
newegg.com offers the ASUS 23.6" 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. VH242H, for $179.99 with free shipping. ZipZoomfly.com resolution of 1920x1080 (1080p), integrated speakers, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m² brightness, 5ms response time, one HDMI input, and both DVI and VGA inputs.

New: Hitachi 500GB Serial ATA 3Gbps Internal Hard Drive for $45 after rebate + free shipping
newegg.com offers the OEM Hitachi Deskstar T7K500 500GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Serial ATA Internal Hard Drive, model no. HDP725050GLA360, for $54.99 with free shipping. This $10 mail-in rebate cuts it to $44.99 ($0.09/GB)., factory-sealed unit. It features a 16MB cache and runs at 7200 rpm. Rebate expires June 30.

Nextar X3i-03 Portable GPS w/ Text-to-Speech SAVE $70.00 FREE BUDGET SHIPPING Buy.com price: $69.99 List price: $139.99

Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive - OEM $89.99 Your Price: $79.99 With Promo Code
EMCLTNS34

Two Seagate 1.5TB SATA 3Gbps Internal Hard Drives for $200 + free shipping Dell Home offers two Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Internal Hard Drives, model no. ST31500341AS, for $269.99 with free shipping. Apply coupon code "QSRDBGRSGP7MFG" to chop them to $199.99 ($0.07/GB). 7200 rpm and feature a 32MB cache

Refurbished Linksys Wireless-N USB Network Adapter for $20 + free shipping eCOST.com via eBay DailyDeal offers the refurbished Linksys Wireless-N USB Network Adapter, model no. WUSB300N, for $19.99. With free shipping

Home Style Outdoor Cordless Rechargeable Bug Zapper for $20 + free shipping Buy.com offers the Home Style Outdoor Living Cordless Rechargeable Bug Zapper, model no. 72043, for $19.99 with free shipping. generates 2,200 volts of electricity and features a rechargeable battery and AC adapter

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) Okay here we go again; to start off the week I had something catch my eye about airplanes. Seems there is an outfit in Switzerland getting ready to fly a solar powered plane around the world, using not a single ounce of fuel. When one considers the Wright Brothers first sustained flight was in 1903, then just 21 year’s later the first circumnavigation of the planet, another twenty years we had jets. Considering the Sunseeker 2 just made news flying over the Alps on April 20th this year, link here http://www.treehugger.com and now another project is already planning a circumnavigation, looks like speedy progress to me. http://hosted.ap.org
2) This is something coming on the market that invokes a lot of innovation, and for me produced a lot of weird thoughts in my mind. Not sure what to think about it, on some levels sounds like a great idea, but then I think about the military applications, second generations, pets, well just not sure. I will let you decide we are talking about robotic furniture with a taste for flesh it eats pests like insects, mice, and not sure what else, then digests the critters and uses them as bio-fuel to power themselves, http://blogs.zdnet.com
3) Here is one that surprised me a little, and also caused me some deeper contemplation of what intelligence is, at least when related to numbers and basic math. It would appear some animals have a basic awareness of numbers, and some math. They just do not have language to discuss what it means limiting their ability to use it in a meaningful way. http://www.newscientist.com
4) It has been awhile since I used anything relating to UFO’s, I got caught up in the crop circle thing again last week, and I see them as related in some way. When I ran across this site I thought I would use it as it seems pretty good for keeping up with what is current. http://www.hyper.net
5) For my geek link of the week, something I hope will prove to be wrong, I think this was sent to me by Troll, but it has been in the folder for a couple of weeks, so I am not sure, if so thanks. Some things just seem to follow patterns I don’t like and this may be one. The article predicts the internet will be free for less than five years. Somehow sounds par for the course, but I hope they are wrong, http://blogs.zdnet.com

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Jackson dies, almost takes Internet with him - CNN.com

Jackson dies, almost takes Internet with him

* Story Highlights
* Michael Jackson's death sees Twitter, TMZ, news sites struggle to cope with traffic
* AOL's instant messenger service, Jackson fan sites also hit
* CNN reports fivefold increase in users, traffic
* Web fuels false rumors alongside news of Jackson's death"

Who would have though one person could bring the internet down?

AlaskaJoe

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Wills on assignment social networking

Got my first tweet back from Marie @ fox's Good Day LA with in a few mins of sending it to her about a item on the show kinda cool to get a response in real time while the show is on the air have had trouble with sending /and finding how to send a message to a person I'm following updating what im doing seemd stright forward so i am going to spend more time on social networking ie my space, facebook, twitter. if you have any questions, comments, hints/clues, or suggestions you can contact me by email at wills@oncomputers.info or twitter me at http://twitter.com/ke6sop p.s. let me know if you have any ideas for other things i can check out

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Courtesy of Microsoft: Pick up an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3G S with a 35% discount from AT&T

Bing, a search engine no one uses, is trying to lure users by offering cash incentives. One of those incentives is a 35% discount at the AT&T (NYSE: T) Online Store, which means you can get a new iPhone 3G S for as low as $130!
If you are waiting for the new iphone 3gs here is a deal for you!

AlaskaJoe

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 06-21-09

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 06-21-09. 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 first offering something that covers several of my favorite subjects; green cars, fuel solutions, and a conspiracy. I first ran into this a while back, may have even used it here, a car in Japan that runs on water, ready for production. I have actually seen several of these on the internet, usually involving Browns Gas. The first link is for a Reuters video about the car, the conspiracy revolves around the sudden closing of the business, there have been several of these with mysterious endings like the inventor suddenly dying. When I went to YouTube for the video I found two that had been removed before I found this one. http://www.reuters.com Second link to a short story about the possible conspiracy, I found several other stories hypnotizing on the conspiracy, but I am having trouble finding them again, Google is your friend. http://www.greenoptimistic.com
2) This link was sent to me by Joe last week, and may either prove or disprove the conspiracy referred to previously. A car to hit the market soon with the equivalent of 360 mpg. If the plant closes due to a mysterious explosion, fire, death of the inventor or whatever, we just may be on to something. This really sounds like a promising concept although they do not go into a great deal of detail about the fuel system, there may be a need for more Googling. http://www.tgdaily.com
3) Now for some thing a little closer to center zone. I’m talking about time travel it is becoming more and more a subject of interest in the world of physics, there is actually quite a bit of research going on. The posted video link even mentions one of the theories I adhere to, I first heard it mentioned by Terrance McKenna in a discussion about Time Wave Zero, when ask “If time travel is possible, where are all of the time travelers?” He gave the answer I like; "You cannot go back in time before the invention of the first time machine". Terrance went on to say “It will be obvious when the first time machine is invented, because they will instantly be everywhere, because of people going back to visit the day of its inception.” Many theorize that will be in December 2012, and cause the end of the universe as we know it. http://www.youtube.com Dr. Ron Mallet makes a great Google search, even in Wikipedia.
4) This is one of those things that make me kind of wish I was much younger, because it indicates the potential of technology for the next 50-100 years. These people are quite serious, because they are actually spending money today, it makes you believe they are serious. They are building a space hotel, among several other projects. When we get private money into leaving the planet, it will happen; government was great for doing the research and development, proving the concept. But, private industry making big bucks, that is what will bring it to the common people. That is unless we change our priorities, or invent time machines, and then we can just go to the future and bring back all the blueprints. This is a good site to start a Google surfing trip. http://www.spaceislandgroup.com
5) For the Geek Link of the week I have to thank Troll for pointing out once again just how at risk I am, when it comes to using my computer. A very informative article about the most dangerous things to search for on the internet. For someone who likes to search as much as I do this is a must read, that does not mean I will recognize a problem, at least I will be more aware that I may be in a bad neighborhood, and look over my shoulder a little more often. http://blogs.zdnet.com

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

WESTERN DIGITAL Caviar® Green WD10EADS 1TB SATA II 7200 RPM 32MB Buffer Hard Drive Bulk $72 Rebate is in ad Expires June 20


TRENDnet TEW-432BRP Wireless G Broadband Router with lots of setup options at Buy/com $15 at BUY com.
Trednet wifi router Gets good reviews at Amazon: \

Logitech Digital Precision PC Gaming Headset $13 at Buy.com
Click Here Buy.com has the refurbished Logitech Digital Precision PC Gaming Headset for $13 + $0 shipping = $13 shipped

Winegard Outdoor HDTV Antenna for $32 + free shipping
Buy.com again offers the Winegard HD-1080 Outdoor HDTV Antenna for $31.99. With free shipping, that's the lowest total price we could find by $9. This bow-tie antenna receives UHF, VHF, and local HDTV broadcasts.

New: Dell 22" 1080p Widescreen LCD Display for $139 + free shipping Dell Home offers the Dell S2209W 21.5" 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. N764H, for $199 with free shipping. Apply coupon code "C3Q7GBDZZR5GMH" to drop it to $139. 1920x1080 (1080p) native resolution, 5ms response time, 1,000:DVI-D (with HDCP) and VGA inputs. Coupon expires June 25.

New: Dell S2309W 23" 1080p Widescreen LCD Display for $159 + free shipping Dell Home offers the Dell S2309W 23" 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. F906G, for $239 with free shipping. Apply coupon code "337B?PT55MDH0X" to drop it to $159. 1920x1080 (1080p), 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 5 ms response time, DVI-D (with HDCP) and VGA inputs. Coupon expires June 25.


AMD Athlon II X2 250 3.0GHz 65W Dual-Core Processor $87 at Newegg Click Here Newegg has the AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor for $87 with free shipping. sports a 2x1MB L2 cache, 65W thermal power, virtualization technology and 64-bit support. Heatsink and Fan included.

2-Pack Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB 32MB Drive $200 at Dell Click Here Dell Home has the 2-Pack Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive for $270 - $70 off coupon code QSRDBGRSGP7MFG [Exp 6/30, 1000] = $200 with free shipping. Features a rotational speed of 7200RPM and 32MB Cache. Here's Seagate's site pimping this drive. [

Hitachi 0A38016 1TB SATA Hard Drive $67 at Newegg
Click Here Newegg has the Hitachi 0A38016 1TB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive for $75 - 10% off with coupon code EMCHDD10A = $67 with free shipping. Features up to 43% idle power savings compared with previous generation products

Hitachi Deskstar P7K500 500GB SATA Drive $45 at Newegg
Click Here Newegg has the Hitachi Deskstar P7K500 0A35415 500GB SATA 7200 RPM 16MB Buffer Hard Drive Bulk for $50 - $5 coupon code EMCHDD10A [Exp 6/24] = $45 with free shipping. a choice of parallel ATA or serial ATA interface.

BlackBerry Storm 9530 Cell Phone $49.99 with Contract
Touch screen display that depresses slightly so you can feel the motion and it clicks when released. Supports single-touch, multi-touch and gestures. Cut and paste included.
Better Camera with higher resolution 3.2MP including video/auto focus/flash. BlackBerry still gets the nod for enterprise email integration with more flexibility and a proven track record.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

More Windows 7 Upgrade Coupon Details

Vendors and sellers have recently spilled the beans in regards to individual plans. Although Windows 7 doesn't officially hit the market until October 22, the program--set to kick off on June 26-- is to stimulate potential customers into purchasing a new PC before the Windows 7 launch ...Earl

New Bing Search Engine Raising Fears at Google

Sergey Brin Google co-founder is, according to sources inside the tech behemoth, leading the team of search-engine specialists in an effort to determine how Bing's crucial search algorithm differs from Google's. MICROSOFT'S 'DECISION ENGINE' DECIDEDLY RACY WITH VIDEOS ...Earl

Sunday, June 14, 2009

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 06-14-09

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 06-14-09. 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) Going to start the week off with this http://i.gizmodo.com an article sent to me a while back. Reminded me of the “Back to the Future” movie when he stuffed the banana peels into the car engine. I very much like the idea of using trash directly to power a car. Soon we may have our own private energy converter to run something, the car, refrigerator, or maybe just a few lights.
2) This is one of those things I kept wondering how long it would be before they became popular again. Meaning the Zeppelin a tourist company in San Fransisco is doing the revival. While it sounds a little pricey in the article, I would think popularity would bring down the price if they caught on. I like the idea, I would rather see them over the Grand Canyon than helicopters, and Vegas much quieter. I say bring them back http://news.cnet.com
3) This article in New Scientist was pretty interesting, the title “Seven things that don’t make sense about gravity” pretty much says it all. That bit about the more we learn the less we know keeps dogging the research physicists. But, it is okay I enjoy watching the show, I just wish I spoke the language a little better. http://www.newscientist.com
4) There was quite a bit of talk about radio on the last few shows, so when I ran across this it seemed to be a fit here. I personally had not heard of low power FM, but with the current changes in the air waves, there may be some more opportunities for local community oriented radio. http://www.prometheusradio.org/
5) For my geek orirented link of the week I thought the dissection of a worm might be interesting, that would be the conflicker worm. Interesting article here on the origin, inner workings, and general information. http://www.newscientist.com

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student 3 User SAVE $60.96 FREE BUDGET SHIPPING Buy.com price: $88.99 ( List price: $149.95

ASUS Eee PC 701SD Celeron 900MHz 7" Netbook for $150 + free shipping, more ZipZoomfly.com offers the ASUS Eee PC 701SD Intel Celeron 900MHz 7" Widescreen Netbook in White (pictured), model no. EEEPC701SD-WHI006L, or Black, model no. EEEPC701SD-BLK008L, for $149.99 with free shipping. Linux OS

Dell Home offers the Dell S2409W 24" 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor for $229. Apply coupon code "HT6G73V?WFV7L5" to drop it to $199 with free shipping. Although it was briefly $11 less during a 1-day deal back in March, it's still among the lowest total prices we've seen for a Dell 24" LCD. Sales tax is added where applicable. It features a native resolution of 1920x1080 (1080p), 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m² brightness, one HDMI input, and DVI-D and VGA inputs. Deal ends June 18 at 7 am

Borders: Free 12-oz. Seattle's Best Coffee Borders offers a 12-oz. Beverage from Seattle's Best Coffee for free via this printable coupon. It's tied as the best such offer we've seen from Borders. Coupon expires June 18

Desktop RAM Roundup: OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB for $40 after rebate + free shipping, more newegg.com offers the OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 240-Pin Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit (pictured) with two 2GB DIMMs, model no. OCZ2RPR800C44GK, for $59.99 with free shipping. This $20 mail-in rebate Features a built-in heat spreader and 4-4-4-15 latencies. Deal expires June 17

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz Processor for $206 + free shipping SuperBiiz.com offers the OEM Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz Socket 775 Quad-Core Processor, model no. AT80569PJ073N, for $225.99 with free shipping. Coupon code "CPUOMG20" chops it to $205.99 This quad-core processor features a 12MB L2 cache, 1333MHz frontside bus, heatsink, and fan.

ASUS 24" 1080p Widescreen LCD Display ZipZoomfly.com offers the ASUS 23.6" 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. VH242H, for $194.99 with free shipping. Apply coupon code "DAD15" to cut it to $179.99


Western Digital 1TB SATA Internal Hard Drive for $85 after rebate + free shipping ZipZoomfly.com offers the Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive, model no. WD1001FALS, for $104.99 with free shipping. Coupon code "ZZFCDNO" cuts it to $99.99. Plus, this $15 mail-in rebate chops it further to $84.99 ($0.08/GB). It runs at 7200 rpm and features a 32MB cache. Rebate ends June 30.


WEEKEND:: Western Digital "Green" 1TB SATA 3Gbps Hard Drive for $75 + free shipping ZipZoomfly.com offers the OEM Western Digital Caviar GP 1TB Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive, model no. WD10EADS, for $94.99 with free shipping. Coupon code "ZZFCD"

ViewSonic VX2233wm Black 21.5" 5ms Widescreen Full HD 1080P 16:9 LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 18000:1(1000:1) Built in Speakers - $170

Friday, June 12, 2009

Input Director Controls Multiple Windows Machines with One Keyboard and Mouse :: the How-To Geek

"The problem is having two or more PC's and having to go back and forth between workstation. Input Director solves the problem by allowing you to control multiple Windows systems with only one keyboard and mouse on the Master PC."

This is like using a KVM (Keyboard, Video, & Mouse) switch, just free and less wires!

AlaskaJoe

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Microsoft to close the till on Microsoft Money | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

Microsoft decided that there was no longer a market for them to sell MS Money.

What a shame.

I guess I will have to look at Quicken when my current Money Plus expires in November.

Does anyone else use a financial software to keep track of their bills, registers, etc?

Analysts give early thumbs up to Windows 7 :: Hack In The Box :: Keeping Knowledge Free

"With its formal release still months away, Windows 7 is already being given the thumbs-up by industry analysts."
I like Windows 7 and are looking forward to going to it. I'm running the 64 bit version and the only thing that I can't get to work is my 32 bit web cam.

AlaskaJoe

Adobe fixes critical flaws in Reader, Acrobat - ZDNet.co.uk

"Adobe has released patches for 13 holes in its popular Reader and Acrobat software products, some of them critical."

I guess this means its safe to use Adobe Reader again, If you using an older version make sure to upgrade it for free.

AlaskaJoe

Microsoft takes aim at rogue antivirus program - ZDNet.co.uk

"Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool was updated this week to detect a generic type of fake antivirus program known as Win32/InternetAntivirus."

This is another case of fake Anti-Virus. that just wants your money and credit card info (and other things) It also looks for user names and passwords to any FTP program you use to upload a web site to a web server.

Do Your Microsoft Updates!

AlaskaJoe

Sunday, June 07, 2009

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 06-07-09

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 06-07-09. 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) Starting off here I just had to wonder if what I was reading here was not written in early April, because it sure seemed like a joke to me. Countries are considering giving carbon credits for nuclear power. At the up coming summit in Copenhagen, the idea being to leverage the cost of construction down by 50%, making it easier to build them in the third world. If you read the article, and want more input, the comments are very informative. Seems to me to it would still be much more cost effective going with solar, wind, and tide. http://www.newscientist.com
2) Time to bring up something a little more center zone. I found this fascinating especially when you fully consider the implications that may be derived from this research. This is about an extremely rare phenomena. A woman has generated an imaginary limb that she can see, and even scratch an itch with it. They have proven both sensation, movement, and visual activity perceived in her brain scans, in the correct and corresponding locations, and at the correct intensity. http://www.swissinfo.ch
3) This was sent to me by Joe a couple of weeks ago. It appears that agriculture is starting to get turned over to robots, seems like crossing one of those scary lines on the side walk to me. But, then how did Huxley put it “It’s a Brave New World.”. Sorry I just seem to be having a case of generation lag lately. It seems a logical path to follow. But, let me predict some troubled battles politically. http://www.newscientist.com
4) Joe asked me to look into the new search engine “Bing” a new soldier in the search engine war. They are trying to slice up a pretty big pie, so I am sure they at Microsoft are giving it their best effort. I wish them well hope we can get some relief. It is getting so cluttered searching. I tried several subject searches, trying to stay with subjects I often look for. I counted how many sites on the first page I recognized; there was a fairly large difference. On the Google search I recognized most of the sites, as having been there. On Bing same wording I only recognized a few sites as having been there. I think in the beginning using both may be use the best way to go. Review article here http://www.ranithebrainy.com
5) Along the same line as the last link, I ran across this one a couple of weeks ago, my sister told me about it so I looked it up. When it comes to search engine news and, advancements that look interesting to me, this takes it. Looking for possible Google killers, if this can perform as described in the article, then this looks to me to be Google’s main nemesis. This sounds like a format that would be most friendly to me. http://chattahbox.com/

Saturday, June 06, 2009

How the Unknown Digital TV Transition Could Screw You

As cable companies move toward their own digital transition, your tricked-out home theater setup could lose favorite TV channels and functionality

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

Brand-Name LCD HDTVs Get Cheaper
No one expects the top-shelf brands to come down in price faster than the value brands.

Samsung 2333SW 23" Widescreen Black Flat Panel LCD Monitor - Only $161.99 Use this CODE:
VBGH?K188CBWMC Dell Small Business

ASUS 24" 1080p Widescreen LCD Display with HDMI for $180 + free shipping ZipZoomfly.com offers the ASUS 23.6" 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. VH242H, for $194.99 free shipping. Applying coupon code "DAD15" makes $179.99. Resolution of 1920x1080 (1080p), integrated speakers, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m² brightness, 5ms response HDMI DVI VGA

Hitachi 1TB SATA 3Gbps Internal HDD ZipZoomfly.com offers the OEM Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.B 1TB Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive, model no. 0A38016, for $74.99 with free shipping. Coupon code "ZZFHT805" cuts it to $69.99 ($0.07/GB).

Buy.com has the Cavalry 2TB eSATA & USB 2.0 2 Bay External Hard Drive (CADA002SA2) for a low $179.99 after rebate. Free Shipping. 2TB capacity with built-in raid controller (raid 0,1, 0+1), mirrored, and hard drive swappable. $20 rebate Exp 6/21/09

Dell Home has the Dell Inspiron 15n Intel Dual Core T4200 15.6" Notebook Computer for $334.00. $29.00 Shipping. Tax in most.
5.8lbs; 15.6" 1366x768; Intel Dual Core T4200 @ 2.0GHz; 2GB RAM; 160GB HDD; 802.11b/g; DVD burner; Ubuntu (Linux); 4-cell battery; 1yr warranty CLICK HERE (1) Select Processor - Intel Dual Core T4200 @ 2.0GHz (+$35) (2) Click on Review tab at top (3) Click on Add To Shopping Cart The Windows OS IS NOT offered on this system.


Lots of good deals at the Fry's stores (walk-in) this weekend.


Thursday, June 04, 2009

Defragment Disk | Smart Defrag | Free Disk Defragmenter Download

"Smart Defrag
The Most Efficient Free Defragmenter"
I am using this to drfrag Windows 7, I also used it for Vista. The best part is it's FREE.
Designed for Windows 7, Vista™, XP, 2000, and Windows Server Editions (32bit and 64bit)

AlaskaJoe

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Lifehacker - Lifehacker Pack 2009: Our List of Essential Free Windows Downloads - Lifehacker Pack 2009

This is an interesting web site, I looked just for the fun of it. To my surprise I use most of the programs it recommends.

AlaskaJoe

Monday, June 01, 2009

Windows Vista SP2: Readers Report Big Increases in Free Disk Space - PC World

"Windows Vista Service Pack 2 went final earlier this week, with numerous fixes and tweaks to improve performance, bolster security, and squash bugs. But some PC World readers are seeing another welcome change to SP2: a lot more free disk space."
Everyone should upgrade and install Vista's Service pack 2, this is just another benefit.

AlaskaJoe

Sunday, May 31, 2009

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 05-31-09

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 05-31-09. 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.
The link to the web site on the video editing Greg Jetter and Buzz talked about in the third hour are at AlaskaJoe.com/video

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

New: Dell S2309W 23" 1080p Widescreen LCD Display for $169 + free shipping
Dell Home offers the Dell S2309W 23" 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. F906G, for $169 with free shipping. That's a $20 drop since our mention from three weeks ago, although it was slightly less in April. Sales tax is added where applicable. Features include a native resolution


Altec Lansing BXR1120 2-piece Speaker System w/ iPod/MP3 Player Cradle, 6W RMS, Black $14

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) Okay this seems just a little weird, even to me. Link one from the Gregg Zone if I can find one is usually green, and a car, or power source. So this week I start off with a Hummer? Oh no Mr. Bill, well it is a 100 mpg electric hybrid hummer. When I first saw this I looked at several links that kind of put it down, but I thought where there is smoke and all. This is a possible keeper, I need to keep an eye on this company, when you go to the link be sure to watch the video, I was impressed with the potential of their product. After all I do not care if you want to drive a motor home to the 7-11 to buy beer, if it gets 100 mpg that’s okay with me. http://www.physorg.com
2) Another green car link, well maybe not so green but defiantly different Seems the Termite has landed. This is about a wood burning car the article I found is here http://www.sunjournal.com/ this caught my curiosity because I remember quite a while ago the news following a wood burning car cross country, but they were pulling a trailer and using a chemical reaction to create the wood gas. I have been trying to find something on that for quite a while now. If you have any info please contact me. This is the termite main page about their journey http://blog.safehandling.com/
3) This is for the news junkies, of which I am one I just found this, and I kind of like the format. Called a News Map you just move your cursor around for the headline, click on it and it will take you to the story, want to change the map just click on the subject links at the bottom. This is really just a different format for looking at the news but I have to admit I like it. http://newsmap.jp/
4) This is one sent to me from Troll, I am afraid I do not have much to say about it now, as I keep checking it out after dark, and looking at a black box. Due to the timing of the show I am sure I will be looking at it during my segment. I will offer more on it then. It is a Bald Eagle web cam, comments coming tomorrow. http://www.nwf.org
5) Okay this is about as geeky as I get, I am not sure I am ready for this, I may request the planet stop and let me off. It is common knowledge how I feel about cell phones, and GPS they are in the same folder labeled save for next reincarnation not this time around. Now I read about cell phone enhanced reality, I am sorry when life turns into a museum tour complete with head phones telling me what I am looking at, well it is just too much. But, because this is just me doing what I do for your enjoyment, if you have not seen this check it out. Point your phone at an object, and get a history and total run down on it, http://www.newscientist.com

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Microsoft Update Quietly Installs "Dangerous" Firefox Extension

This update adds to Firefox one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities present in all versions of Internet Explorer: the ability for Web sites to easily and quietly install software on your PC." Perhaps a bit over dramatic, but most Firefox for Windows users are anti-Internet Explorer, and would take umbrage at Redmond monkeying with their browser in any way.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 05-24-09

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 05-24-09. 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) Okay, back to starting off with my favorite subject green cars. I was watching Jay Leno earlier in the week when Jay mentioned the new Aperta car. I have always liked clicking around his site anyway so I thought I would take a look at it. This is an extremely interesting car, looks like the future to me; even if it does not fly I sure would like one. The link goes directly to the video on the car, short commercial 30 sec. but worth the wait. http://www.jaylenosgarage.com
2) I think it was Troll that got me started on this, usually I would say thank you, and this time I am not so sure. Warning if you are a half hour either side of eating dinner, you might want to wait before opening the page, photos are not exactly easy on the eye. This is the official site of the Montauk Monster, these keep popping up in the news, from Texas to Long Island New York. I have not settled on an opinion yet, but if Big Foot, Yeti, Nessy, etc. why not. Seems to be more proof on this than those. Anyway, an interesting read, albeit with some mighty ugly pictures. http://www.montauk-monster.com/
3) The fields of science, religion, and metaphysics seem to be blending more and more these days. Science seems to come closer and closer to answering the question, though I still think it is the understanding of what the question is that more precisely defines the quest. This is a link to an article in Discovery Magazine with the title, “Is Quantum Mechanics Controlling Your Thoughts?” Quite an interesting article gets into some rather interesting areas. Some of the things going on these days are just stunning, I am so happy to have the opportunity to live in this time of enlightenment. http://discovermagazine.com
4) I am sorry if I am getting in a little deep this week when it comes to the big questions, but when I found this I just had to pass it on. The concept of human consciousness has been one of my biggest interests as long as I can remember. The knowledge that every atom in my body has been replaced many, many times over my life time without any notice of the process in my conscious thought, just makes me want to know where in/or out of the body does my awareness of self reside. This has to be the most extensive site on the net for perusing this subject over five thousand free on line papers, not pages full papers. Fantastic if you are into learning about who you really are check this out http://consc.net/online/
5) Geek link for the week, Google is switching to tricycles for their street view mapping. In some areas that are just not right for the vans, if it was not human powered, I could see myself enjoying this job. Just touring around the countryside in the open air, this would have to be on the coolest job list. http://www.autoblog.com

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

Free subscription to NASA Tech Briefs Magazine TradePub.com, get a free subscription to NASA Tech Briefs Magazine in exchange for information about you and your company. NASA Tech Briefs Magazine has exclusive reports of innovations devloped by NASA

Plantronics Explorer 222 Bluetooth Headset for $14 + free shipping New Ad Sunday Morning Buy.com offers the Plantronics Explorer 222 Bluetooth Headset, model no. PLAN222, for $13.99 with free shipping. It's the lowest total price we could find by $8, This 0.5-oz. headset features up to six hours of talk time, 200 hours of standby, and an AC charger.

USB 2.0 to IDE / Serial ATA Converter Cable for $12 + free shipping
eForCity.com via Buy.com offers this USB 2.0 to IDE / Serial ATA Converter Cable, model no. PCABUSBX0017, for $11.99 with free shipping. 2.5" or 3.5" IDE or SATA hard drive into a USB hard drive.

New: Westinghouse 26" Widescreen LCD Display from $200 + $15 s&h, Costco offers its members the Westinghouse 25.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor (pictured), model no. L2610NW-SP, for $199.99 plus $14.99 for shipping. (Non-members pay $10 more.) 1920x1200 native resolution, 5ms response time, 3,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, HDMI and VGA inputs.

TWO Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB Internal SATA Hard Drive (2-Pack) $199.99 Free Shipping, Dell Home has the Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB 7200RPM/32MB ST31500341AS (2-Pack) for a low $199.99 after Coupon Code: P0HD43$HB$DLDR (Exp 5/26, 1500 uses). Free Shipping.

D-Link DES-1105 5-Port 10/100 Ethernet Switch $4.99AR Free Shipping, Newegg has the D-Link DES-1105 5-Port 10/100 Ethernet Switch for $4.99 after rebate. Free Shipping. Tax in CA, NJ, TN, PR.
$10 rebate Exp 6/30/09

New: D-Link DPH-50U Skype USB Phone Adapter for $5 after rebate + free shipping Frys offers the D-Link DPH-50U Skype USB Phone Adapter Plug any standard phone into the adapter and connect it to your computer to make Skype calls. Not compatible with 64-bit versions of Windows Vista. Rebate ends June 30.

CircuitCity.com has been relaunched as a shell site powered by Systemax,

In Store Fry's Deals
FREE USB to 2.5" IDE drive adaptor Free after rebate

Lawyer: RIAA must pay back all $100M it has collected

Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson is active in a case, where Nesson and a former student demand the RIAA pay back all $100 million it has collected in settlement money over the years.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

New bill wants fiber conduit built into every road project

Here's a great idea. Lay conduit for fiber when the road is torn up anyway. This still won't solve the so-called last mile problem, however if this idea were adopted on a more local level it could help.

Where is Vista SP2?

The title says it all. Where is it? When will we see it? Does anybody out there really care? Hey, "Earth to Redmond"...

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Windows 7 RC's 'free' reign to end with auto-shutdowns Starting March 1st

Users must buy the OS by March 1, 2010 or face no-warning reboots

Verizon Expands 7Mbps DSL Availability to 9.7 million households in 21 States and DC

Verizon announced this morning, May 20th, that they've continued to expand availability of their 7Mbps DSL service. According to the telco, by July, 9.7 million households in parts of 21 states and the District of Columbia will be able to order the faster DSL service -- quite a jump from the 400,000 or so users back in December of 2007.

Transformers USB flash drive is ready to ravage your files, bring carnage to your desktop

Prices have been dropping on USB drives so at $42.99 for 2 GB it is pretty pricey. But it is a cool as it is pricey. So for those who need to relive their childhood, or who simply like this awesome cat, here is a USB drive to reckon with.

Web attack that poisons Google results gets worse

Another attack that makes safe sites unsafe. Once again the advice to keep your system updated and use a good anti-virus, is still good.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 05-17-09

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 05-17-09. 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.

Windows 7 RC 32 bit gets its first bug, and it is sigificant

The first documented bug in the Windows 7 Release Candidate (build 7100) is a doozy. Microsoft provided details of a problem that affects the 32-bit (x86) English-language version of Windows 7 build 7100: a problem in which the installer incorrectly sets access control lists (ACLs) on the root of the system drive.

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) Okay right off I am going to use my green spot to bring up an old worldwide improvement that the advent of the computer promised us years ago. But, seemed to miss the mark. Supposedly there would be a major reduction in paper usage due to e-paper, well that sounded good; unfortunately along with computer advancement came printer advancement. Now I ran across this announcement yesterday and I think the future they promised may be emerging at last. I would like to have one of these if they can get the price down http://www.amazon.com This is an article on whats coming to improve them with color http://www.newscientist.com
2) That old question about us being alone in the universe may have an answer very soon now. Seems the new telescopes coming out will have the ability to spot exo-planets by looking at the atmosphere and detecting traces of air breathing life, This should offer an easy method to map out a few places to go when we burnout the Earth, if we are still around, and providing we also find a way to get there. A interesting new technology though, article here http://www.sott.net
3) In the event you thought the happenings in the Bermuda Triangle are just something out of the past, and put to rest due to weather anomalies, this is a serious site with some interesting reading. They keep up with the latest news on the subject, along with explanations of past events. http://www.bermuda-triangle.org/
4) The advancement of technology verses the size and scope of the world population may cause some interesting questions regarding the evolution of man, and ethics. The question of our splitting into different lines of the evolutionary tree at an increased rate due to the have-have not aspect of our society. Who gets the new medical treatments is already an issue, just look at the difference between us and most third world countries. Now enter the abilities to increase brain power with new technology and we may see a new area of separation in our own country with even greater implications. Very interesting article here http://www.newscientist.com
5) For my geek link this week I am going to pose the hypothesis that the next world war, if we have one, and providing we are not in it at the moment. Will be fought entirely by geeks. Look at what is going on in Afghanistan right now, the air attacks being flown right now are piloted by people here in Las Vegas. They drop a bunch of bombs on targets that were determined by surveillance of the countryside, all from here. Then stop for a buffet on their way home, every thing is done remotely. This article is not about that, but helps make my point we do not need tanks, and AK-47’s anymore. We need geeks sitting in little dark rooms looking at monitors, using computers to keep us safe from the other guys sitting at their computers. http://news.cnet.com

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals


Samsung Spinpoint 1TB SATA 16MB Cache Drive $75 at NewEgg.com Click Here
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Westinghouse M2401 24in Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD Monitor with 3.5in Digital Photo Frame $199.99, BestBuy has the Westinghouse 24" Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD Monitor with 3.5" Digital Photo Frame for a low $199.99. Free In-Store Pickup. 1920x1200 in 16:9 format; 5ms; 1000:1; 300nits; DVI w/HDCP & VGA;

Magellan Maestro 4200 Portable GPS System $93 at Buy.com Click Here
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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

EU slaps a record fine on Intel

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.

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".

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.

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