Sun ODF Plug in 1.0 for Microsoft Office Available Now as a Free Download

Sun has their converter for Microsoft Office that translates Open Document Format (ODF) docs (text, spreadsheet, database and presentations) to Microsoft formats. This one is the one you want. Microsoft's own is clumsy and unreliable. (Not that one would expect them to pour their hearts into the effort.) So for now, this is the one you want. I've tried it and it works well enough and transparently.

Jack

Live Earth on MSN: The Concerts For A Climate In Crisis

unfortunately, and expectedly, it works better in IE. But the talent level is amazing, I've seen Genesis, Linkin Park, some blonde chick... [snicker]. Check it out (If you aren't broadband impaired, sorry)
--MissM

Live Earth on MSN: The Concerts For A Climate In Crisis

Its also on Bravo Channel, if that's available. NBC will have a prime time special too, I believe. "Check your local listings."

How Vista Lets Microsoft Lock Users In

This is Cory Doctorow's take in Vista's capability for "lock-in" of customer's information. Writing in Information Week, he takes a very dim view of our future.

Jack

Boing Boing: Laptop typewriter mod

I can't imagine any more appropriate combination of geek for at least one person, who reads this blog. ;)
Xeni Jardin blogged about this very unique laptop mod:
Wow, what a work of art. Writer Mary Robinette Kowal modded her laptop so that the keyboard would resemble keys on an old-fashioned portable typewriter.

Boing Boing: Laptop typewriter mod
Would one be able to resist trying to smack the return thingy (lol, I have no idea what that's called). Oh I wonder if its one of those smackable"Motion Sensing," hackable apple laptops??
--MissM

Microsoft July updates

To quote the blog post:

Next Tuesday, we’re currently planning to release six security bulletins:

· Three Microsoft Security Bulletins affecting Microsoft Windows with a Maximum Severity rating of Critical. These updates will require a restart and will be detectable using the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer.

· Two Microsoft Security Bulletins affecting Microsoft Office with a Maximum Severity rating of Critical. These updates will not require a restart and will be detectable using the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer.

· One Microsoft Security Bulletin affecting Microsoft .NET Framework with a Maximum Severity rating of Critical. This update will require a restart and will be detectable using the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer.

Additional details about the bulletins and the affected versions can be found in the Advance Notification posted on the web.



We are also planning to release an update to the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Too.

Finally, we are planning to release four high-priority non-security updates on Microsoft Update and one on Windows Update.

The complete post is here.

--MissM

AMD posts blatantly deceptive benchmarks on Barcelona

George Ou never has seemed one to shoot off his mouth. I've always found him to be considered and fair. So for him to so directly confront AMD is indicative of how strongly he feels AMD's actions are wrong.

Jack

Forget about the WGA! 20+ Windows Vista Features and Services Harvest User Data for Microsoft - From your machine!

More and more, Vista seems like a plague inflicted on the world's computing public. When I interact with Vista, it certainly seems that way to me and I wonder how users put up with it. They do, though, and usually without much thought at all. What that means is that Vista is here to stay.

Here's another compendium of woes for users of Vista. Don't read this directly before or after a meal. It's that strong.

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 07-01-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 07-01-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

Rival malware gangs wage turf war

Well, here's one that will keep you up at night. The bad guys are fighting over who gets to infect your computer. Too bad this sort of thing doesn't divert them from their "work". Unfortunately, it doesn't. Be afraid.

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 07-01-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 07-01-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

The Gregg Zone !!

1) I’m starting off this week with something I ran across because of a conversation with Riley. I was asking his opinion on the WiFi radios, after our talk I was looking into them on the net and ran across this site. It is meant for use with the WiFi radio but works using the computer instead. There are over 6000 radio stations world wide, and more than 20,000 streams. I only listened to the radio for a while; I find it interesting to hear news, and political opinion from out side of the country. While not all countries have radio in English a surprising number do. For instance if I had time right now I would be listening to the London radio stations, as they just found the two bomb rigged cars found, and the Irish airport incident just happened. Any way here is the link. https://www.reciva.com

2) Here is a link to Michael Moore’s movie “Sicko” the complete movie, just in case anyone is interested. As of the time of writing this I have not watched it, but I intend to later in the week if I get a chance. http://www.opposingdigits.com

Alan Kay: The PC Must Be Revamped!

Alan Kay has won a Turing Prize and (obviously) has spent a lot of time thinking about personal computers. He considers the PC as we know it to not have lived up to it's potential. In this essay from February of this year, he explains how and why.

I find this sort of thing fascinating and hope you do as well.

Enjoy,
Jack

Proof that Al Gore Really Did Invent the Internet

Enjoy,
Jack

Name that parallel processing machine 100X faster than current PCs -- seriously

The contest is not the story, nor is the fact that someone tied a boat-load of processors together. The news is the new software that ties it all together. Evidently, real progress has been made.

This is the sort of stuff that excites me (which leads my wife to say I need to get out more). I'm trying to understand the nuts and bolts of the advance, but I have to admit that this really is rocket science and I'm not up to grasping it all. Not by a long shot!

The big deal is that if this advance makes it to "real life" computing on our desktops we could see performance that would have been reserved for mainframes or small clusters a decade ago, or less. Just the thought of that gets me salivating like Pavlov's dogs.

Jack

Donations to Help Keep Seti Alive

I know many of us here participate in SETI@HOME. They need money. If you can spare $10 please donate. I have.

Parachute formation video

This is too kewl. An amazing production. [h/t Dvorak for the link]
--MissM

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 06-24-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 06-24-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

Kudos to Dell

Earlier this year, I bought a refurb computer from Dell. The boys needed to be upgraded from 98, not to mention other system updates (those darn games need great video). Its a nice system, Intel Dual Core, 2GB RAM, DVD+R, DVD-R/W, 256MB Video RAM, for less than $600 as I recall. Before we went on vacation,
the power blinked off, during a storm, and when the power came back on the Dell gave me a BSOD. Restarting didn't fix it, and I didn't have time to look at it before vacation. [time lapse music here]
Booted the Dell, to see if the computer elves had done their magic, but alas, no joy. The error message on the BSOD said "Unmountable_boot_volume." Next boot, I hit F12 and selected HD Diagnostics, and once the sector read errors started, all blocks subsequent failed, with an IRQ timeout message. I went to Dell's support site, and selected the chat support option (since I tried to search for the error message and only received BIOS doesn't detect my hard drive fixes). A new window opened and I was connected with a Dell Support Agent (Shirish). I passed on the same info as above, and the Agent told me that the hard drive had failed and they would send another. I told them that I was comfortable installing it myself. I passed on the serial number of the drive, my address was confirmed. Shirish asked if there was anything other issues and I told her that I would like the installation discs shipped also. The reply "No problem." Shirish was very pleasant to chat with, and within 5 minutes of the window opening, I had a very satifactory resolution to my problem. I confirmed I would get email status reports and closed the window. Next day, DHL delivered my hard drive! I expected it after the weekend, at best, but it arrived the next day. Today, I received a follow up call from Dell, and told them how pleased I was at the speedy service.
I myself have blogged about Dell's various forays into an online presence, both their successes and stumbles (often in the same post). Oops, looks like Jack has blogged about Dell more. :)
Kudos to Dell!!

Analysis: DRM may be why Microsoft flip-flopped on Vista virtualization

This ComputerWorld story is plausible enough, though you might have to put on your tinfoil hat to get through it. Still, I have my doubts. Please; tell me what you think; jackAToncomputers.info

Jack

Links from the Gregg Zone!

1) To start off the week, this is a quick link for a colorgenics test, kind of interesting it gives you a personality reading based on your color preferences. Like a horoscope, not sure where I stand on either of those issues, I had my horoscope done a while ago, and was very impressed with the results.
http://www.i-am-bored.com/

2) Just in case you missed it I thought I would put up a link to the largest pyramid found on earth in Bosnia? That’s right, check it out, when you get to the link click on the arrow on the right it will take you to the next page where there are a couple of videos, and links. http://www.bosnianpyramid.com/ It sure surprised me, I ran across this a while back, if you want more on it just google, there has been quite a lot written on it.

3) This is a link to a blog Jack sent me about colonizing other planets. I have not had a chance to read it as I write this, but will check it out in the morning. http://www.antipope.org