Feel lucky you are part of the new Millenium

"Released in 1981 by the Osborne Computer Corporation, the Osborne 1 is considered to be the first true portable computer - it closes-up for protection, and has a carrying handle. It even has an optional battery pack, so it doesn't have to plugged into the 110VAC outlet for power.

While quite revolutionary, the Osborne does have its limitations. For example, the screen is only 5" (diagonal) in size, and can't display more than 52 characters per line of text. To compensate, you can actually scroll the screen display back and forth with the cursor keys to show lines of text up to 128 characters wide.

The Osborne was designed with transportation in mind - it had to be rugged and able to survive being moved about. That's one reason that the screen is so small - a larger and heavier screen would be more susceptable to damage.

The two pockets beneath the floppy drives work great for floppy disk storage, although the Osborne modem also fits perfectly in the the left pocket and plugs into the front-mounted "modem" port.

Designed as a true portable computer system - it can be considered airline carry-on luggage, and it will fit under the passenger seat of any commercial airliner."

Some knucklehead called this "the first laptop", when clearly, it's not. You're not going to be putting something like this on your lap. Ever. It's the first portable computer, plain and simple. Considering the Osborne 1 back in 1981 cost $2000 (US), you should NEVER complain about the prices of computers or any other technology for that matter. I found that quite a few people that own one of these are proud to say that they still work. :o

Water changes "color" according to temperature

"Remove the top of a spigot, create a small-scale canyon, add backlighting and you've got ambient water fittings. That's what Germany's Hansa is doing with Hansacanyon, by adding LEDs that change color as a function of water temperature so you can see when it's hot or cold. Also included; precise temperature control, for sinks, baths and showers."

This is one of those kick-yourself-in-the-shin ideas. Why the heck didn't someone think of this sooner? Absolutely brilliant.

hansa.de

Catholic Principal bans blogging

"When students post their faces, personal diaries and gossip on Web sites like Myspace.com and Xanga.com, it is not simply harmless teen fun, according to one Sussex County Catholic school principal.

It's an open invitation to predators and an activity that Pope John XIII Regional High School in Sparta will no longer tolerate, the Rev. Kieran McHugh told a packed assembly of 900 high school students two weeks ago.

Effective immediately, and over student complaints, the teens were told to dismantle their Myspace.com accounts or similar sites with personal profiles and blogs. Defy the order and face suspension, students were told."

Wait a second; explain to me how the school would know if you were blogging or not from your own home? It's one thing to block access from a school's network (they can do what they want, really) but another thing entirely to be governing what sites you visit in the comfort of your own chair?

What's next? "I'm sorry to inform the student body that from now on you will be forced to sleep fully clothed."??!

*smacks forehead*

The Mazda Sassou

"Designed for "net-savvy youngsters", the new concept hatchback, Mazda Sassou, ditches the traditional cylinder lock key system in favor of USB flash drives. In addition to starting the engine, the flash drives can be used to transfer driving directions for long trips along with the latest songs for the day to the Sassou's internal hard drive."

Not only is the platform nice looking but the design ideas are well implemented, too. Do yourself a favor and check out the video.

Nano owners sue Apple

"Lawsuit alleges music player’s screen scratches easily, rendering it unreadable.
October 20, 2005

Consumers angry about what they say is the iPod nano screen’s tendency to scratch easily have filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple Computer, saying they want their money back plus a share of the company’s profits on the music player’s sales."

Alright. What the hell is wrong with people? Why is this country so sue happy, hm? Just like that whack-job woman who sued McDonald's for 2.7 million dollars because she was adding cream and sugar to her coffee in the drive thru while holding the cup between her legs.

WHAT?!?!

And what about that stupid woman that tried to sue Wendy's because she claimed she found a severed finger in her chili? Get a job instead of trying to weasel money out of big businesses.

About the Nano article - where do these people get off wanting a "share of the company's profits on the music player's sales"? So, can I sue my truck manufacturer because I scratched it? Oh, and since I scratched it because I'm an idiot, please give me a fully loaded Tahoe.

Dolts.

CBS to distribute shows via iTunes

"CBS will distribute its free podcasts, from "60 Minutes" to the long-running soap "Guiding Light," on Apple's iTunes Music Store, CBS Digital President Larry Kramer said Monday. The extensive suite of CBS podcasts includes news, entertainment, and sports programming on television, radio, and CBS Digital media sites including CBS.com, CBSNews.com, UPN.com and CBS SportsLine.com. The content can now be accessed from the iTunes Podcast Directory, as well as CBS Digital media sites, and will be highlighted in customized iTunes pages promoting the full offering of CBS podcasts for each respective CBS Digital Media property."

You don't have iTunes you say?! Blasphemy. Get it here.

The World's smallest Linux computer

GEEK time!! Yes folks, it's the smallest Linux computer on this planet called Earth. Thoughtfully named the Picotux 100, it's just barely larger than the size of an RJ-45 jack. Like most motorist's brains, it is indeed miniscule.



Here are this bad boy's specs:

Technical Specs

Processor: 32-bit ARM 7 Netsilicon NS7520
Processor Clock: 55 MHz
Flash Memory: 2 MB
RAM: 8 MB SDRAM
Ethernet: 10/100 Mbit, HD and FD, auto sensing
Serial (TTL): Up to 230.400 bps
General Input/Output Pins(TTL): 5, can be used as Handshake
LED for Ethernet: 2; green (programmable) and yellow (Carrier)

Supply Voltage: 3,3 Volt +- 5%
Supply Current: 250 mA

Operating System: uClinux 2.4.27 Big Endian (native)
Shell: Busybox 1.0 and others
File Systems: CRAMFS, JFFS2, NFS
Applications: Webserver, Telnet
Size of the Linux Systems in Flash: 720 KB and more
Protected Bootloader for Update over Network: 64 KB Code

Development System: GNU Tool chain
Compiler GCC 3.4.4 for C/C++ and Fortran
Binutils 2.15
Library: uClibc 0.9.26

Dimensions:
Height: 19 mm
Width: 19 mm
Deep: 36 mm
Package: Shielded by metal
Weight: ca.18 g
Ambient Temperature: -40°C to 85°C

Sure, you won't be playing games on it, but it's very impressive nonetheless. Ok, I'm off my geek box now. You may go back to your regularly scheduled programming.

The new iPod

Yes, I am a couple of days late. I almost didn't want to post about them simply because there is a sea of other places to get that information. But, the geek in me simply cannot at least post a tidbit on the newest iPod in Apple's lineup.

For the same price ($299 US) as last year's 20GB offering, you get:

• a smaller form factor
  
• more storage; now at 30GB
  
• and top that off with video playback
  

Amazing price for such features. If i had bought last year's iPod, I wouldn't be a happy camper right about now. Here are a couple of pics to drool over. Oh, and did I mention you can get it in black now?





You can check out a short video review of it here. It will give you some reference as to how small this new iPod really is.

Jared from Subway

How long is Subway going to hang on to this guy? I mean, it's great that he lost a gazillion pounds and can finally fit through a door frame, but he sure is milking Subway for what it's worth. I can't stand the guy. I'm not too sure if I can put a finger on it, but I'd say that when he gets that smirk on his face when he's trying to hide his teeth - ugh, I just want to throw fried chicken at him.



"The last time I had sex? With another person?"





"I'm telling you...it's baby spinach - look again"

Come on Subway, dump the dead weight (Ed:do you see what I did there?). Even Snuggle fabric softener's pink Teddy Bear mascot gives Jared a run for the money.

Microsoft and Yahoo to link Instant Message networks

By Nate Mook, BetaNews
October 11, 2005, 8:07 PM

"Microsoft and Yahoo are set to announce on Wednesday a blockbuster interoperability deal that will reshape the landscape of the fragmented instant messaging market. The companies will connect their IM networks so users on each can communicate with one another using text and voice chat free of charge."

A million years late but better than never, right? Wrong. Those of you that don't know about the convenience of Trillian or Gaim need to take a look at both of those great instant messenger alternatives.

Both support your MSN, Yahoo, AOL, and even ICQ accounts - all in ONE application. Trillian has more features than Gaim, but "weighs in" more; not as much as the bloated offerings of MSN or Yahoo though (not sure how much of a monstrosity the AOL messenger is). Here are a couple of screenshots of both applications:

Trillian



Gaim




Try both of these if you haven't yet. Both are free, but Trillian has a Pro version that REALLY adds some nice extra features if you're so inclined.

Until next time: lol, roflmao, bbiab, ttyl, kthx.

$100 Laptop!?

"A research project at the MIT Media Lab has a plan for getting $100 laptops in the hands of millions of people around the world. One notable feature is a hand crank for providing power in places where electricity is undependable or unavailable."

Some of the cool features:

• Will run an undetermined (at the time of this article) Linux operating system
  
• Built-in WiFi
  
• Four usb ports
  
• 12" screen that can be switched from full color to black and white for easy reading in direct sunlight
  
• 500MHz processor with 1GB of RAM
  

Created for children in developing countries? I want one!

"While the initial goal of the project is to work with governments, Negroponte said MIT is considering licensing the design or giving it to a third-party company to build commercial versions of the PC. "Those might be available for $200, and $20 or $30 will come back to us to make the kids' laptops. We're still working on that," he said."

I'd certainly buy one for $200. You can read the entire article here.

Man-made diamonds challenging Debeer's monopoly

"BOSTON - In the back room of an unmarked brown building in a run-down strip mall, eight machines, each the size of a bass drum, are making diamonds.

That's right -— making diamonds. Real ones, all but indistinguishable from the stones formed by a billion or so years' worth of intense pressure, later to be sold at Tiffany's."



Very interesting read. I ran across an article two years ago in Wired magazine that spoke of another company called Gemesis that also is in the business of making home-grown diamonds. That article, which is a great read, is here.

Now, don't go all nutty saying "OMGAH! you like diamonds??!!?". Well, yeah, but not for aesthetic reasons. It's the hardest substance known to man therefore allowing it to withstand tremendous amounts of heat without damage to it - technically it can handle extremely high thermal conductivity.

What this means is that today's silicon based microprocessors could one day be replaced with a diamond "core" allowing for some truly insane speeds that today's microchips would literally liquify under the same conditions. For comparison, today's microchips can run as much as around 93.3C/200F. Diamond based chips could handle MUCH more than that while providing speeds that we can only dream of at this point.

Move over ladies; diamonds will soon become a geek's best friend.

Google and Sun Microsystems taking on Microsoft?

"MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Sun Microsystems and Google announced a multiyear partnership Tuesday to help spread and develop each other's software, a deal that includes OpenOffice.org, Java and OpenSolaris from Sun, and Google's Toolbar.

The software the companies are working on all directly compete with Microsoft--for example, Java provides an alternative programming foundation to Windows and Microsoft's .Net, and OpenOffice competes directly with Microsoft Office. The Google Toolbar, meanwhile, leads to Google's services and not those Microsoft is trying to promote through MSN."

Alrighty then. I'm all for this collaboration, but perhaps the vision of handling word-processing, email, and other applications solely online doesn't sit well with me. I'm not concerned with the privacy factor of it because, really, if you want to get down to it, NOTHING is private over the internet. Perhaps that's for a later discussion, but for now we'll stay....on....topic.

Right then - handling most of your applications online is a little shaky. If you think about it, you would be depending on their servers to NOT crash in the middle of a, for example, online version of Power Point. Some might argue that "hey, you're doing this anyway from your own PC - who says that it wouldn't crash in the middle of a presentation?". From a corporate standpoint, your local IT guy can just replace the PC in question in a matter of minutes. "Hah, but the Power Point presentation is on the local drive! I got you!!!!!!111", you say. If the only copy you had was on the local drive and not on a network drive, then you're a retard and shouldn't be presenting anything other than a boxen of donuts every morning.


On the other hand, I just like the fact that this can be good competition for Microsoft since Sun's Open Office is completely free and a great alternative to Microsoft Office at home or a small business.

Since Google's been gearing to roll out an ad supported but free Wifi in select cities, they are really taking on a whole new look other than the usual "yeah, just google it".

So there seems that this is mostly a good move, although the outcome of this announcement was a let down because of no mention of an operating system.

All hail Google! (or not)