8.31.2006

Faces

If you want a social networking site that is primarily focused on sharing mutimedia, then Faces.com is a cool site to check out.

[via TechCrunch]

Talkr

What is Talkr?
"Talkr provides a service that allows you to listen to your favorite text-only news sources rather than read them. If you can point us to an RSS or Atom feed (a machine-readable version of your favorite blog or news source) we will convert that feed from text to speech."
- Talkr

[via DownloadSquad]

8.30.2006

BrackenWood

"Nobody knows how Brackenwood and her inhabitants came to be. It is clear that the abundance of nature could support many, but civilized inhabitants are very few. Those few take so little from nature and give so much that they may be likened to greenkeepers. For this reason Brackenwood flourishes, virtually untouched, unrestrained and dominated by no one."
- BrackenWood World Overview

[via Digg]

Optimizing Virtual Memory

How does virtual memory work? HowStuffWorks has a good article on it, but then how do I optimize virtual memory settings, so that I am getting the best bang for my buck? Well I did some Googling and the best article I could find was from Microsoft called "How to set performance options in Windows XP."

Variable Star

So if you haven't heard of Robert A Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988), then you are not a true geek and/or don't like science fiction. Robert Heinlein had an outline for a book called Variable Star and science fiction author Spider Robinson has completed that book with permission from the Heinlein estate. It is due out September 19, 2006.



[via SlashDot]

8.29.2006

Bush Pig

Good living or two broken legs? You be the judge. Skateboarding on steroids!

"More fun than you can stand!"
- BushPigUSA

[via CraigsList]

Spreeder

Speed reading is a learned skill. Speeder.com can help ya learn to read faster. Paste your text from some online article and away you go. It even has a browser plugin to make the text copying easier into the Speeder GUI.

"By increasing the reading speed, subvocalization can't keep up and eventually goes away. The key here is that we don't need to subvocalize to process information, as much as we may think we do."
- Spreeder.com

[via DownloadSquad]

Battery Eater Pro

Want to know how good or bad your laptop battery is? Battery Eater can give ya a good idea under stressful battery conditions.

[via DownloadSquad]

Canadian Prices for Windows Vista

ZDNet has some Canadian prices for Windows Vista that were accidentally...

FULL versions (all prices Canadian)
Windows Vista Ultimate $499
Windows XP Professional w/SP2 $429
Windows Vista Business $379
Windows Vista Home Premium $299
Windows Vista Home Basic $259
Windows XP Home w/SP2 $259
UPGRADE versions (all prices Canadian)
Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade $299
Windows XP Professional w/SP2 Upgrade $259
Windows Vista Business Upgrade $249
Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade $199
Windows Vista Home Basic Upgrade $129
Windows XP Home w/SP2 Upgrade $129

[via CrunchGear]

8.28.2006

Windows Live Hotspot Locator

Recently there was Live Drive and now Microsoft has come out with Live Hotspot Locator.

Live and let live is what I always say.

[via DownloadSquad]

Appliance of the Future

Can't seem to cook that microwave butter popcorn to it's optimal abundance or you constantly burn part of it? Well SmartHome has a new microwave with 4000 UPCs programmed in, will learn new UPCs and all you have to do is scan the barcode and the microwave will properly cook the food for you.

[via CrunchGear]

Field & Stream 2006 Awards

If you are looking for rugged outdoor equipment that is tried and true, then Field & Stream has an article for you. The article focuses on 4 main categories...hunting gear, travel gear, fishing gear and the gear hall of fame.

[via Digg]

Yoda Backpack

Are you brave enough to wear extreme geek gear aka the Yoda backpack?

[via Digg]

8.27.2006

Wheelchair Skateboarding

You've got to admire these guys. I don't even have the courage to skate a skate park with a regular skateboard. They are out there shredding it in wheelchairs.

[via Digg]

Dirty Arse Computer Prevention

Have you ever had a computer this dirty? Well I have a cool solution, but you will need to do some maintenance.

  1. Blow the case clean with a can of air.
  2. Put a dust wipe over any intake fans and/or vents.
  3. Replace the dust wipes once a week.
  4. Blow the dusty case clean every six months.

We have two labs and two cats, so I know what a dirty computer looks like and this simple solution keeps my desktops pretty clean.

[via CrunchGear]

BitTorrent HowTo's

"Here’s a roundup of some of the how-to articles that appeared on torrentfreak over the past few months."
- TorrentFreak.com

[via Digg]

L.O.S.T. ... Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

So it's time to start getting prepared for season 3 of L.O.S.T. and I came across a video on YouTube that has 53 video fragments that make up a 4.5 minute video about the DHARMA experiment. I also perused by a site called HansoExposed.com that looks very intriguing. Overview my two previous posts...Geographical Study of LOST and LOST Answers to get caught up.

"The new season premieres on Wednesday, October 4 @ 9/8c."
- ABC

[via Digg]

8.25.2006

Orangutan and Kitty Co-exist

You've got to see it to believe it!

[via Digg]

Interpreting Codec Errors

Sometimes I get codec errors and I don't even have an opinion on how to fix it other than to try to Google the answer. NetForBeginners has a great article on what those codec errors mean and how to fix them.

[via LifeHacker]

The bump just ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bumping

Engadget's new column Lockdown, by Marc Weber Tobias, features an article on bump keys and how they work.

"Noted security expert Marc Weber Tobias contributes a new column, The Lockdown, exposing the shoddy security you may depend on."
- Engadget

Microsoft Live Drive

A couple months ago, I posted about PC World's Online Data Storage Reviews and it seems that Microsoft is now geeting into the game with a product called Live Drive. This will be one more online service provided within the Windows Live program.

[via c|net]

Altoid Tin Survival Kit

In case you get caught in the wild facing a "Survivor" moment and want to be prepared, then Field & Stream's Survival Altoid tin will allow you to be prepared.

[via Digg]

8.24.2006

Engadget Update on XBOX360 Peripherals

Of course this is subject to change from Microsoft...

"The Live Vision camera will launch September 19th in the US and October 6th in Europe, either "alone" (for $39, which includes one month of Live Gold service, a headset, and Uno and TotemBal;) or bundled in the Video Chat Gold Kit (for $79, which includes 1 year of Live Gold service, headset, Uno, TotemBall, Robotron, and 200 Microsoft points); the Wireless Racing Wheel will go for $149 and comes bundled with a force-feedback edition of PGR3 when released in November; the Wireless Headset will launch at $59, also in November; the Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows will go for $20 in late December..."
- Engadget

iTunes - Minimize to the Toolbar

I did not know this, but now I do and so do you.

[via Digg]

8.23.2006

Pen Again

Who writes out things anymore? Most papers and journals are done with a keyboard. It is still a cool looking pen, but I write mostly in pencil. Looks as if it could double as a two prong self-defense mechanism.

"Normal pens are not designed around the human hand and can cause discomfort in the fingers, develop sore muscles in the hand, and pinch nerves in the wrist."
- PenAgain.com

[via CrunchGear]

Vote for the Best of the Web

Business Week Online has opened its polls for Best of the Web Voting. Do you have a favorite web site?...then add them to the contest. This is where I found cool sites like LifeHacker, Engadget and DownloadSquad from previous years.

[via Digg]

8.22.2006

What's all the hub-bub about Web 2.0?

O'Reilly has a good write up of what the Web 2.0 revitalization is all about and when and where it started.

"Well, in the simplest terms it's the phrase being applied to 'the second coming' of the internet. Dot-com investors are partying like it's 1999 and a number of pioneering online services are very much keeping that party exciting, getting everybody talking about the internet once more and its increasing relevance to our lives."
- Networks.Silicon.com

[via Digg]

YOU - The Passenger

The TSA has launched a new site design which should make it easier for users to figure out what the hey-hey is going on...like the TSA layered security for airplanes.

[via DownloadSquad]

ATARI Play

ATARI Play has Battleship® , Boggle® , Monopoly®, Scrabble®, Sorry!® and Yahtzee® to play online for FREE. These game titles just gave me a flashback from way back.

[via Digg]

Tactile 12000

Throw that party of the year by mixing your own music. Ladies love a funky groove that they can really bug out to.

"The Tactile12000 is a 3-D, interactive simulation of a DJ setup - two turntables and a mixer. You can crossfade, backspin, and speed up and slow down music, including full-length WAVE and MP3 songs, on your computer. It is a cross-platform application for both Windows and Macintosh. You can use it to mix like a DJ or let it mix your MP3 playlist automatically."
- Tactile12000.com

[via LifeHacker]

I keep forgetting my Ginkgo Biloba...

"The Pill Mate is a smart timer that automatically reminds you to take your pills on schedule, alerting you audibly and visually once, twice, three times or four times a day, with an LED indicating which interval is up. Use this single countdown timer to remember all of your pills, and you'll never again miss a dose."
- SmartHome.com

[via CrunchGear]

Got Mad Skillz Yo

Do you have technical skills that change with technology or are you hanging onto COBOL? StevePavlina.com has 10 tips to help improve technical skills.

[via LifeHacker]

Pulic Safety with Public Internet

One should always proceed with caution when surfing on a public internet access network. This is especially true if the wireless access point does not have security.

[via Digg]

Cool HP Commercials

I recently bought a HP DVZ8000Z with an AMD chip and it's dabomb-diggity. I have no complaints. I think HP has had cool commecrcials with the printers and picture frames and now they have taken it to the next level promoting pavilion notebooks and multimedia. UrbanEola has compiled a collection of HP's new commercials that are competing with the Apple Mac commercials.

8.21.2006

Tools for Visualizing Data

I use ChartDirector, chartFX, enterprise architect and Microsoft Visio to diagram and display data, models and charts of all types. Vitaly Friedman's Notebook has some nifty tool suggestions.

[via DownloadSquad]

The Leonardo da Vinci of Data

I have had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Edward Tufte. He truly is amazing at displaying data in a clear and concise design.

[via SlashDot]

Starbucks and McDonalds Global Map

Cool maps of Starbucks and McDonald's global presence.

[via Digg]

Know how to park?

We all know 'em, those people that can't drive- can't park. They're always in front of you, taking your spot, or parking over the line. Enjoy this little addictive game.

8.20.2006

There is a time and place for lemons.

LifeHacker has a blog entry about how to not buy a used car that is a lemon. I agree with the items listed, but there are some sites that can inform and/or guarantee against lemons. Protect yourself from used car salespersons.

Typical Interview Questions

The top 50 common interview questions are listed for your convenience. Go in with answers and solutions...sell, sell, sell.

[via Digg]

Browser = Personality Type

Does the browser you use reflect your personality type? Things that make you go "HMMM."

[via Digg]

The Dow Jones College-Football Success Index

How successful is a college based upon the number of alumni who are playing or have played in the NFL?

[via Digg]

Comparison of File Recovery Tools

Ever lost a file, deleted the wrong file or had a HD fail? ExtremeTech.com reviews some tools to recover those items.

[via Digg]

Software Development Gone Wrong

Software development is a good thang. It is why I have a job as well, but the linked pic is a pefect depiction of what happens when projects are not managed well.

[via Digg]

8.18.2006

LOST Answers

Answers to the LOST TV series?...I'll believe it when I see it. This show is pretty freakin intense.

[via Digg]

BestBuy's HW Support

I hope this service is better than the Geek Squad's service.

"The idea is, if you can't make it to the store to get your questions answered, you can use AskABlueShirt.com. In anticipation of going back to school, AskABlueShirt.com is hosting three chats so people can Q&A with a Blue Shirt on such a wide array of topics as laptops, software, digital cameras, cell phones, PDAs, anything. The chats are scheduled for:

Sunday August 27th from 8 - 8:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday August 29th from 9 - 9:30 p.m. ET
Thursday August 31st from 1 - 1:30 p.m. ET"
- The Gadgeteer

[via The-Gadgeteer]

The Perfect Golf Swing

I just started playing Pitch and Putt once a week to work into the game of golf. I enjoy it and try to perfect my golf swing whenever possible, but FUN is the key word cause my scores really suck.

[via Digg]

Get Rich or Die Trying

LifeHack.org provides 20 resources for entrepreneurs.

[via Digg]

Site Graph

View your website as a graph or just waste time out of your day. The pic is of this site.

[via DownloadSquad]

8.17.2006

Traineo

"Motivation, Support and Accountability are the keys to achieving a weight loss and fitness goal. Our mission is to create the most effective weight loss and fitness community on the web by combining the latest software technology with sound information and services from the world’s leading health and fitness experts. traineo is the culmination of over three years of development, testing and focus group studies in partnership with leading experts in weight loss, health, sports and fitness."
- Traineo

[via Digg]