Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

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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.

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"...

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.

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
NewEgg.com has the Samsung Spinpoint F1 HD102UJ 1TB SATA 7200 RPM 16MB Buffer Hard Drive OEM for $75 with free shipping. Covered by a 3-year warranty. Average latency of 4.17ms, average seek time of 8.9ms.

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
Buy.com has the refurbished Magellan Maestro 4200 Portable GPS System with 4.3" Wide Touch Screen for $93 + $0 shipping = $93 shipped.

IOGEAR GCS14 4-Port MiniView Compact KVM Switch Kit w/Cables - Retai Price: $29.99 Free Shipping at Newegg
With Promo Code
EMCLSMS27

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.

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.

Baby monitors killing urban Wi-Fi

Here's a story from the UK. If you are having trouble with your WiFi, read this.

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

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

New: ASUS 24" 1080p Widescreen LCD Display with HDMI for $190 + free shipping Today Sunday only
newegg.com offers the ASUS 23.6" 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. VH242H, for $189.99 with free shipping. ZipZoomfly.com charges the same. Resolution is 1920x1080 (1080p), integrated speakers, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m² brightness, 5ms response time, HDMI input, DVI and VGA inputs.

SanDisk 4GB Cruzer Micro USB 2.0 Flash Drive for $8 + free shipping
Meritline.com offers the retractable SanDisk 4GB Cruzer Micro USB 2.0 Flash Drive, model no. SDCZ6-4096-A11, for $10.95 plus free shipping. Add coupon code "MLC122433A" to your cart to slice it to $7.95

D-Link 802.11n Wireless 4-Port Router with Laptop Adapter for $40 + free shipping
Back at newegg.com is the D-Link DIR-615 802.11n Wireless 4-Port Router together with the D-Link DWA-642 RangeBooster N CardBus Notebook Adapter for $39.99 plus free shipping. (Scroll down to "Combo Deals" to find the bundle.)

MyFax free: Send up to 2 faxes per day for free
MyFax.com allows you to send up to two faxes per day for free through its MyFax Free service. Faxes will be sent within minutes of accepting a confirmation email. Documents must not exceed a file size of 10MB or 10 pages in length