StarOffice Enterprise Tools are flawed but helpful

StarOffice Enterprise Tools are flawed but helpful: "If you're investigating Sun's StarOffice as a replacement for Microsoft Office, you'll need to address the conversion question. While StarOffice can read Microsoft Office documents pretty well, the two products' macro languages are incompatible. Sun's StarOffice Enterprise Tools aim to help. The Professional Analysis Wizard and the Macro Migration Wizard are bundled at no extra charge as part of an enterprise license of SO (though you can't download them from the Web). Whether they can help you depends on how many Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets, and presentations you need to convert -- and don't expect miracles."

Google Working on Desktop Linux

Google Working on Desktop Linux: "paulmac84 writes 'The Register reports that Google is working on a version of Ubuntu, known internally as Goobuntu. Google has confirmed it is working on a desktop linux project, but declined to supply further details, including what the project is for. Is Google about to release this as an alternative to Windows?'"

Napster To Be Acquired by Google?

Napster To Be Acquired by Google?: "YesSir writes 'The New York Post claims that Google is considering an alliance or possibly an acquisition of Napster. Rather then starting their own, Google could jump start their music service with the help of Napster. Napster's share price soared more than 30 percent as a result of the report that they are in discussions with Google.' From the article: ' The company in January told Reuters that it was not on the block. 'The company is not looking to be sold, the management is not looking to step out. It's simply not true,' a Napster spokesman said on Jan. 23. Last week, Napster, founded by college student Shawn Fanning and was once synonymous with the pirating of music, laid off 10 managers.' More information available from C|Net."

Google to acquire Napster?

Google to acquire Napster?: "Filed under: Portable Audio

The New York Post (read: one of our very best sources for tech news) is claiming to have the exclusive scoop on Google’s anticipated foray into digital music. Citing “sources within the music industry,” the Post says that Google is “considering an extensive alliance” with the possibility of an “outright acquisition” of once-renegade Napster. Not that this would come as a surprise given the recent launch of Google’s Video download service and Napster’s struggle to turn a profit off its 500k or so subscribers. One thing’s for sure, Napster stands a better chance of success snuggled up to the likes of Google than they ever did with those mad CD burnin' folks over at Roxio… that was just like, so Y2K.

Google Toolbar v.4

Google Toolbar v.4: "SpecialSauce writes 'Google's gone and released v.4 Beta of their toolbar. Updates include: customizable buttons, smart search box, a bookmark feature that's tied to the users google.com account, and a send to SMS/Blogger/gmail button.' Doesn't look like the mac version is updated yet, although the shared bookmarks thing creates unholy lust in my heart. Now if only it would allow you to search multiple search engines like Firefox's built in search."

Honda Accord ADAS auto-pilot system takes the reins

Honda Accord ADAS auto-pilot system takes the reins: "Filed under: Transportation
We've heard of radar assisted cruise control, that has certain luxury cars running at set speeds on the highway, but slows them down or speeds them up when they get too close to a car in front or behind. Well now Honda UK is taking it to another level with their Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) that not only regulates your speed, but manages the turning, allowing you a full auto-pilot system for your Accord when you're out on the freeway. The Adaptive Cruise Control is your regular radar variety, but the Lane Keep Assist System keeps you headed in the right direction by using a camera on the rear-view mirror to watch the white lines and turn accordingly. Honda was quick to point out that their system isn't exactly set up for you to take a nap, since the ADAS system will beep every 10 seconds to make sure you're paying attention, requiring you to touch the steering wheel to inform the car you're still in charge, but we're sure someone is going manage an accident and an ensuing lawsuit or three out of this 'convenience'.

Australian lifeguards may get swimmer-detecting cams

Australian lifeguards may get swimmer-detecting cams: "Filed under: Digital Cameras, Misc. Gadgets
Researchers at Australia's Griffith University are working to modify low-resolution webcams to detect swimmers and notify lifeguards of potentially dangerous situations. Right now, the black-and-white cameras are able to detect people with 85% accuracy, according to the developer. The next step is to improve that accuracy through enhanced pattern recognition and to add motion detection so that the cameras can track swimmers who stray into unsafe areas. The developer hopes to have a beach-ready version within two years and insists that, despite the fact that the cams will be aimed at crowds of scantily clad beachgoers, there are no privacy issues, as the resolution will be too low to identify individuals.

Verizon rolls out VZ Navigator service (on one phone)

Verizon rolls out VZ Navigator service (on one phone): "Filed under: Cellphones, GPS
Verizon has finally joined CDMA rival SprintNextel in offering a cell-based navigation service, albeit on only one phone. VZ Navigator is a $9.99-per-month/$2.99-a-day audible turn-by-turn direction service, map generator, and points-of-interest 'database' that was rolled out concurrently with the new Motorola V325 clamshell, currently the only model that is VZ-enabled. Now it seems that Cingular and our old favorite T-Mobile are the only wireless carriers not even offering a token GPS service- not that it really matters to us, as we only sport Bluetooth-enabled smartphones that can add BT or SDIO receivers on a whim.

How to dual-boot XP on an Intel Mac (in theory)

How to dual-boot XP on an Intel Mac (in theory): "Filed under: Desktops
The method for dual-booting XP on an Intel Mac posted to Neosmart isn't exactly the most straightforward means we've ever seen of getting an operating system on a machine, but then again neither was shoehorning those OS X dev builds on a PC. Does it work? We can't yet say ourselves, but if anyone wants to go give it a shot and holla back, we'd love to hear if this will get XP running on that new Core Duo iMac of yours.

With MRI lie detectors your brain gives you away

With MRI lie detectors your brain gives you away: "Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Being able to act calm and collected when telling a whopper of a lie may not be enough to get defendants off in the near future, if a number of entrepreneurs have their way. Several developers are now exploring the use of brain scans using MRI machines as lie detectors. And unlike polygraphs, which rely on emotional indicators that can be masked, the MRI hones in on the source of the lie, in the brain itself. The machine can track the flow of blood into certain areas of the brain, indicating increased activity consistent with lying. One company, Cephos Corp., is being advised by former O.J. Simpson lawyer Robert Shapiro, who says, 'I'd use it tomorrow in virtually every criminal and civil case on my desk.' So far, however, the reliability of the tests has yet to be proven, and they haven't been used in any court proceeding. And bioethicists worry about the potential of the new technology to 'change ... our ability ... to invade what has been the last untouchable sanctuary, the contents of your own mind,' in the words of Hank Greely of the Stanford Center for Law and the Biosciences. That's okay with us; we've got nothing to hide. But, just the same, let's test the machines on someone else's head, first. Okay?

Bill Gates Defends Google's Censorship In China

Bill Gates Defends Google's Censorship In China: "worb writes 'At the World Economic Forum today, Bill Gates defended Google's actions in China and told delegates that the internet 'is contributing to Chinese political engagement' as 'access to the outside world is preventing more censorship'. There was no reason for technology companies not to do business in China, he argued.'"

Best Buy Working Towards Ending Mail-in Rebates

Best Buy Working Towards Ending Mail-in Rebates: "chibbie writes 'Best Buy is finally working towards ending mail-in rebates by 2007. Rebates will still be around, but you will be able to file them online, and receive your check much quicker. I guess this means Best Buy doesn't hate their customers after all.'"

Steve Jobs: Redefining The CEO

Steve Jobs: Redefining The CEO: "conq writes 'BusinessWeek has a nice piece on how Steve Jobs is redefining the job of being a CEO. From the story: 'Just over a decade ago, Steve Jobs was considered washed-up, a has-been whose singular achievement was co-founding Apple Computer back in the 1970s. Now, given the astounding success of Apple and Pixar, he's setting a new bar for how to manage a Digital Age corporation.''"

The Future of Speech Technologies

The Future of Speech Technologies: "prostoalex writes 'PC Magazine is running an interview with two of the research leaders in IBM's speech recognition group, Dr. David Nahamoo, manager of Human Language Technologies, and Dr. Roberto Sicconi, manager of Multimodal Conversational Solutions. They mainly discuss the status quo of speech technologies, which prototypes exist in IBM Labs today, and where the industry is headed.' From the article: 'There has to be a good reason to use speech, maybe you're hands are full [like in the case of driving a car]. ... Speech has to be important enough to justify the adoption. I'd like to go back to one of your original questions. You were saying, 'What's wrong with speech recognition today?' One of the things I see missing is feedback. In most cases, conversations are one-way. When you talk to a device, it's like talking to a 1 or 2 year old child. He can't tell you what's wrong, and you just wait for the time when he can tell you what he wants or what he needs.'"

Court Rules Burning Porn = Making Porn

Court Rules Burning Porn = Making Porn: "An anonymous reader writes 'An appeals court has upheld the prosecution of a Michigan man who was charged with production of child pornography after downloading and burning pornographic pictures from the Internet. The pictures were created by a Russian website that the man was not affiliated with in any form. From the court decision (PDF): 'After reviewing the dictionary definition of the word make, the circuit court stated that the bottom line was that, following the mechanical and technical act of burning images onto the CD-Rs, something new was created or made that did not previously exist.' Is this simply a court's overreaction to a scumbag pedophile? And how does this affect the lawsuits by the BSA, RIAA, and MPAA?'"

Challenger Tragedy - In Depth, and Deeply Felt

Challenger Tragedy - In Depth, and Deeply Felt: "Patchw0rk F0g writes 'On this, the anniversary of the Challenger disaster, Jay Barbree has a moving and in-depth piece on this international disaster.' From the article: 'During several earlier shuttle missions, disaster did everything it could to crawl into the shuttle launch system and turn it into tumbling flaming wreckage. The primary O-rings on those flights suffered severe erosion from superheated gases, sometimes accompanied by lesser erosion. And the erosion had occurred after launch temperatures much higher than on this freezing Florida day -- 53 degrees was the lowest launch-time temperature up to that time. The booster engineers felt helpless. For months, they had been studying the O-ring seal problem. They knew a disaster was coming, but no one stepped forward and said, 'Stop this train until it's fixed.''"

Trade in your worn-out gun for a shiny new computer

Trade in your worn-out gun for a shiny new computer: Filed under: Desktops, Laptops This is the sweetest deal we've seen in a long time: authorities in one of Mexico City's sixteen districts are putting a new twist on the old guns-for-cash program by offering one of 150 new computers to people who trade in any type of firearm. The computers were donated to the city by a charitable foundation, which probably didn't know that there are better ways of acquiring guns than this transparent laundering scheme. There were several humorous outros that we could have used for this post (something involving Internet hunting, perhaps), but lets go with: It's super that there will be 150 less guns in Mexico City (out of 200? 2000? 2,000,000?), but we're not looking forward to the first reports out of Mexico of someone tragically killed while trying to fend off an attacker with his/her Dell.[Via PhysOrg Weblog]

Amazon.com bringing video downloads in April?

Amazon.com bringing video downloads in April?: Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Video
It looks like Amazon.com is getting ready to jump into the video download biz, but with their own 'sell more stuff' flair. The word is that they're after those plentiful DVD dollars, hoping to nab some impulse buyers with a few possible scenarios, including a free stream of a movie with a hard copy purchase, or a try before you buy option for a one time stream that acts as a credit towards a DVD purchase. However they do it, they've got a bit of heft to throw around, and they're already rumored to have two major studios signed up as content partners, with a projected launch of April. Doesn't sound like Amazon.com plans to step on Apple's TV offerings -- except, of course, for shows made available on DVD -- and they're steering clear of Google's Charlie Rose/MacGyver market domination, but hopefully they'll clear a path for those and other providers to get us more of the DVD good stuff in a timely fashion.

Virtual Vonage Phone Numbers let you set up lines in Western Europe

Virtual Vonage Phone Numbers let you set up lines in Western Europe: Filed under: Handhelds, Wireless
Look out world, because our foreign coverage is about to get slightly better thanks to Vonage's new Virtual Vonage Phone Numbers, which will allow our peeps in Western Europe to holla at us for the price of a local call. You heard that right, if we used Vonage we would be able to set up 1.888.ENGADGET-style numbers in Austria, France, Ireland, Italy, and Spain (what, no Germany? Netherlands? Luxembourg?) and get more tips and also add some more flavor to the voicemail podcasts. Sadly, we use Skype, landlines and cellular telephones (also with Skype) and not Vonage, so it seems that for now our overseas coverage will have to remain just heavy-to-annoying. Virtual Vonage, available in the US, Canada, and the UK, costs ten bucks-a-month in addition to regular Vonage fees.

Lenovo to produce Olympic ThinkPads

Lenovo to produce Olympic ThinkPads: Filed under: Laptops

We're not sure how many people are so into the Olympics that they're going to rush out and buy a commemorative laptop that features the Olympic logo on the case, but we assume there are at least 500, since that's how may Olympic laptops Lenovo is making. Available starting January 31 in limited editions of 250 each, the Olympic versions of the Z60M and Z60T will have features that are basically the same as their non-Olympic versions, other than those rings on the case. Pricing is set at under $2,000, so we suspect they'll have no trouble selling these, and we'll see at least a few on eBay before the Games are even over. We'd like to think that IBM never would have sullied the ThinkPad brand with cheesy tie-ins like this, but given the company's 40-year relationship with the Games, we suspect that Big Blue would be perfectly fine with the new ThinkPads. (And, of course, it's the perfect companion for the Kodak Olympic camera.)

NJIT implements SmartCampus people-tracking program

NJIT implements SmartCampus people-tracking program: After our kids finish their super-safe education in the Freehold Borough School District, we think we'll keep them in New Jersey where we'll still be able to keep an unhealthy eye on them thanks to the New Jersey Institute of Technology's pilot program for tracking students and faculty on campus. Limited initially to only 100 participants, the ultimate goal of the SmartCampus project is to eventually allow everyone to see exactly where everyone else is at any given time (hmm, can't really forsee any socially awkward situations arising out of this omnipotence). The NJIT system, organized and run by Dr. Constantine Manikopoulos and other members of the campus community from various disciplines, requires users to carry around tracking devices, as opposed to a similar system at MIT which seems to rely on users' laptops for locating them (but maybe not- can anyone from these two schools clear this up?). Luckily the SmartCampus gear allows users to turn 'invisible' whenever they want, so would-be stalkers will have to leave their notebooks at home and continue trailing their victims the old-fashioned way.

Microsoft's on track to portable gaming and media hardware?

Microsoft's on track to portable gaming and media hardware?: Filed under: Gaming

Just about everyone and their mother (including Jobs) has called it or called for it by now: Microsoft. MP3 player. Portable gaming device. When's it gonna happen? Well, BusinessWeek apparently has it on authority that Microsoft's sick of all the supposed 'iPod killers' that are failing in their assassination attempts, and that they're matters into their own hands. So how would theirs theoretically differentiate from the rest of the pack? Says Peter Moore, 'It can't just be our version of the iPod,' and BizWeek states that 'in addition to playing music and videos, a Microsoft device would include games.' We'll cede the possibility that Microsoft may be working on Gizmondo-like portable gaming and media device -- vague though it may be -- but honestly, what would a story like this be without the grandiloquent Sim Wong Hoo, CEO of Creative, making his standard-issue self-aggrandizing statement? Says Hoo, were Microsoft to build their own hardware in addition to their own portable software platform, their hardware partners would branch off and 'what [they were] trying to build will collapse.' Uh, yeah.

[Via Joystiq]

Sony killed AIBO and QRIO?

Sony killed AIBO and QRIO?: Filed under: Robots

Well wouldn't you know it, not even a day after receiving what's possibly the biggest validation of robotic companions since Petster saved little Timmy from a burning barn back in '86, it looks like news is surfacing that in Sony's Q305 fiscal reports they have intentions and supposedly already ceased developing AIBO and QRIO, Engadget's most beloved of all canine and humanoid robots, respectively. At the risk of sounding terribly insensitive, somehow the prospect of AIBO and QRIO dying actually makes us more heartsick than the news of the 10,000 some-odd jobs Stringer cut reorganizing the electronics giant. Sony, say it ain't so, say it ain't so!

P.S. -When Sony America wakes up this morning we'll be placing some calls.

IBM Strives For 'Superhuman' Speech Tech

IBM Strives For 'Superhuman' Speech Tech: "robyn217 writes 'IBM unveiled new speech recognition technology today that can comprehend the nuances of spoken English, translate it on the fly, and even create on-the-fly subtitles for foreign-language television programs. One of the projects perpetually monitors Arabic television stations, dynamically transcribing and translating any words spoken into English subtitles. Videos can then be viewed via a web browser, with all transcriptions indexed and searchable.' "

California residents must recycle dead gadgets

California residents must recycle dead gadgets: "Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
If you live in California, don't even think of tossing that obsolete cellphone, dead laptop or archaic printer into the trash. New state laws that go into effect next month require that all electronic waste be recycled, rather than dumped in the trash and shipped to landfills. (Of course, you can always do what we do, and preserve every gadget you've ever owned in a personal museum in the basement.) In 2003, according to the state, 515,000 tons of electronics were dumped into California landfills; 44% of the waste (by volume) consisted of CRTs and TV sets; the rest, we assume, consisted of first generation iPods with dead batteries. California's laws are designed to stem the spread of mercury and other toxins; the environmental rules have been in effect for businesses for four years, but are now being extended to consumers as well."

Disney to buy Pixar for $7.4 billion

Disney to buy Pixar for $7.4 billion: "The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday it is buying longtime partner Pixar Animation Studios Inc. for $7.4 billion in a deal that could restore Disney’s clout in animation while vaulting Pixar CEO Steve Jobs into a powerful role at the media conglomerate."

Netflix 4Q Profit Exceeds Expectations (AP)

Netflix 4Q Profit Exceeds Expectations (AP): "AP - Netflix Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit rose by nearly sevenfold as the rapidly growing online DVD rental service continued to sign up thousands of new subscribers won over by the convenience of having movies delivered to their homes for a flat fee."

iPod May Become Next Fair-Use Battleground

iPod May Become Next Fair-Use Battleground: "jaredmauch writes 'USA Today is reporting on a trend of selling iPods on eBay which are preloaded with music and movies. This raises interesting questions about the legality of the files, including those that offer seemingly legitimate services of transcoding DVDs for the iPod video (while selling you the DVD disc as well).' An example from the article: 'A 60-gigabyte video iPod loaded with 11,800 songs, with a starting bid of $799. The iPod alone would cost about $400. 'I don't see how it's different than selling a used CD,' seller Steve Brinn, a Cincinnati pediatrician, wrote in an e-mail to USA TODAY. 'If the music industry asked me not to do it, I just wouldn't do it.''"

Dell Strikes Deal For High-Speed Wireless

Dell Strikes Deal For High-Speed Wireless: "Jason Jardine wrote to mention a C|Net article describing a new Dell deal with Vodafone to provide high-speed wireless access. From the article: 'Dell said Tuesday that it plans to embed Vodafone's High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) technology into laptops built to order and sold in Europe. The technology will be backwards compatible with earlier 3G, or third-generation, wireless technologies including UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), the company said.'"

Google Execs Happy With $1 Salaries

Google Execs Happy With $1 Salaries: "DarkClown writes 'ZDNet is on the one hand reporting that Google execs will keep their $1 salaries again this year, and on the other hand is reporting that the executives cashed in more than $160 million worth of stock last month.' From the stock article: 'Since the search giant went public in August 2004, Brin has sold about 6.5 million shares at a market value of $1.68 billion. Page has sold about 5.8 million shares at a market value of $1.4 billion, according to calculations from Thomson Financial. Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, who was brought in to run the company before it went public, has sold more than 2.1 million shares, worth more than $502 million.' They could be getting a multi-million dollar salary *and* the stock money. Good faith efforts go a long way in my book. "

Starbucks asks: coffee, tea or MP3?

Starbucks asks: coffee, tea or MP3?: "Filed under: Portable Audio

In the near future, if all goes according to plan, you may be able to load your MP3 player while waiting in line for a double half-caf soy latte. Starbucks, which already sells CDs in most of its stores, and which has experimented with CD-burning kiosks, plans to set up what the company calls 'device fill-up' terminals in its stores. The company says it is in discussions with several companies about developing the service. While it's too early to speculate about whose software or DRM the service will use, it's worth noting that the Starbucks CD-burning kiosks are powered by HP hardware and Microsoft software, and the two companies (which happen to be neighbors of a sort) have also collaborated on wireless services in the past."

Swissbit bumps their knives to 2GB

Swissbit bumps their knives to 2GB: "Filed under: Peripherals

We've run these Swissbit Swiss Army Knife drives by you before, along with their snazzed up 'Prestige' counterparts and s.beat MP3 playing friends, but Swissbit is bumping their original version up to 2GB, and the geek factor on these units is still alive and well. They're including the usual scissors, knife, nail file, and screw driver on the rubyRED and retroALOX versions, while the rubyRED version -- which is looking a tad chubby these days -- also adds a ballpoint pen and an LED light for extra geek cred. You can even pop out the drive part for flying, since the TSA isn't so hot on knives these days, or just make a run for it at the security gate and see how far you get."

Ameriquest to pay $325 mln in lending settlement (Reuters)

Ameriquest to pay $325 mln in lending settlement (Reuters): "Reuters - Ameriquest Mortgage Co. said on Monday it agreed to pay $325 million in the second largest U.S. consumer lending settlement to clear up claims that its lending practices abused customers in 49 U.S. states."

34 Design Flaws in 20 Days of Intel Core Duo

34 Design Flaws in 20 Days of Intel Core Duo: "Pray_4_Mojo writes 'Geek.com is reporting that Intel's errata (bug) documentation shows that the Intel Core Duo chip has 34 known issues found in the 20 days since the launch of the iMac Core Duo. (you can read the list) with only plans to fix one of them. While bugs in hardware is nothing new (the P4 has 64 known issues, at this time Intel does not plan to fix a single one) this marks one of the first times that Intel released a processor with known bugs, and some of the bugs are of higher severity than in the past. Also alarming is the rate the flaws have been found, at one and half per day since the launch of the iMac Core Duo.'"

When Data Goes Missing Will You Even Know?

When Data Goes Missing Will You Even Know?: "Lam1969 writes 'Jack Gold says IT shops may have a huge problem on their hands, and probably don't know even know about it. The problem is USB flash drives, which he predicts will probably reach 10 GB in capacity in three years, and the lack of policies to guide use of them by employees. From the article: 'With more and more employees using flash drives, smart phones with Secure Digital memory cards, portable hard drives, etc., the likelihood of companies actually knowing about all instances of data loss is declining rapidly. And as a result, the possibility of companies breaking laws, whether for data-loss disclosure or regulatory compliance, is growing dramatically.' Gold predicts 'at least one publicized major case of unencrypted data loss from a portable device' in the next year, which will result in many companies banning these kinds of devices.' "

How to Do What You Love

How to Do What You Love: "fnord_ix writes 'Paul Graham has another interesting essay talking about How to Do What You Love. He talks about the lies that adults tell kids about what work is, and how work is equal to pain.' From the article: 'I'm not saying we should let little kids do whatever they want. They may have to be made to work on certain things. But if we make kids work on dull stuff, it might be wise to tell them that tediousness is not the defining quality of work, and indeed that the reason they have to work on dull stuff now is so they can work on more interesting stuff later. '"

My desktop OS: Fedora Core 3

My desktop OS: Fedora Core 3: "Half a year ago, I was in a point in my professional life where I wanted to start over with a completely different developer environment. My Windows XP-based PC simply worked too slowly. Antivirus software, disk fragmentation, network settings, and an ever-growing registry were eating up the performance. As a Java developer, I had about a million small files installed on my computer, and the antivirus software had a hard time. I decided to install Linux on my brand new ThinkPad T43P laptop. Having been a Red Hat fan for many years, the obvious free alternative was Fedora, so I installed Fedora Core 3. Today, with Linux, I have more control over my development environment than I did with Microsoft Windows."

DNA frees prisoner after 24 years

DNA frees prisoner after 24 years: "Alan Crotzer stepped into the warm sunlight outside the courthouse Monday and raised his arms to the sky, celebrating his freedom after more than 24 years behind bars for crimes he didn’t commit. “Thank God for this day,” he said."

How to undervolt your laptop for longer, cooler performance

How to undervolt your laptop for longer, cooler performance: "Filed under: Laptops
Most of the PC hacks that you come across are usually in the realm of overclocking or case modding, so it's nice to find an easily-implemented, software-based performance tweak once in awhile that delivers some real results. Well NordicHardware has an article that describes just such a procedure, where Fredrik Andersson steps you through the process of undervolting your laptop. Although as Andresson points out, the terminology is not an accurate reflection of the adjustment being performed, undervolting refers to stepping down the voltage that your CPU requires by several fractions of a volt. The end result of the tweaks that NH guides you through is up to ten minutes more running time and several degrees less heat dispersion, all without effecting the notebook's performance. As with all of the helpful hints that we pass along, this modification is done at your own risk (i.e. don't come crying to us if you break your lappie)."

NJ elementary schools implement iris-scanning building access

NJ elementary schools implement iris-scanning building access: "Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Right after we finish this post, we're immediately withdrawing our kids from their snobby Manhattan private schools in favor of some even better options- in New Jersey (Pause. Hold for laughter.). While attending one of three innovative elementary schools in the Freehold Borough School District won't necessarily make our little angels shoo-ins for the Ivy League, we'll sure feel better during the day knowing that they're being protected by the schools' new 242-point-comparison iris-scanning doors. Using a $369,000 federal grant, the district hired Eyemetrics Identity Solutions to implement hardware by LG and HP and software by IrisAccess and Newton Security that together form a system which only allows building access to so-called white-listed individuals. Each student is allowed to green-light four people, which puts a cap on the number of folks that have access to a given building, and also serves to prepare youngsters for the cut-throat social politics of high school. "

The Future of e-Commerce and e-Information?

The Future of e-Commerce and e-Information?: "An anonymous reader writes 'The Washington Post has an interesting article on what they label 'The Coming Tug of War Over the Internet. From the article: 'Do you prefer to search for information online with Google or Yahoo? What about bargain shopping -- do you go to Amazon or eBay? Many of us make these kinds of decisions several times a day, based on who knows what -- maybe you don't like bidding, or maybe Google's clean white search page suits you better than Yahoo's colorful clutter. But the nation's largest telephone companies have a new business plan, and if it comes to pass you may one day discover that Yahoo suddenly responds much faster to your inquiries, overriding your affinity for Google. Or that Amazon's Web site seems sluggish compared with eBay's.'' Seems like the idea of the 2-tier internet is really catching on with the market-droids."

FBI Says Computer Crime Costs Billions Every Year

FBI Says Computer Crime Costs Billions Every Year: "JamesAlfaro wrote to mention a C|Net article putting a pricetag on computer crime. From the article: 'The FBI calculated the price tag by extrapolating results from a survey of 2,066 organizations. The survey, released Thursday, found that 1,324 respondents, or 64 percent, suffered a financial loss from computer security incidents over a 12-month period. The average cost per company was more than $24,000, with the total cost reaching $32 million for those surveyed. Often survey results can be skewed, because poll respondents are more likely to answer when they have experienced a problem. So, when extrapolating the survey results to estimate the national cost, the FBI reduced the estimated number of affected organizations from 64 percent to a more conservative 20 percent. '"

Bush launching aggressive defense of eavesdropping (Reuters)

Bush launching aggressive defense of eavesdropping (Reuters): "Reuters - The White House is launching an aggressive effort to defend a domestic eavesdropping program prior to congressional hearings that are to delve into whether President George W. Bush overstepped his authority."

At least 52 dead as bus plunges into gorge in Indian Kashmir (AFP)

At least 52 dead as bus plunges into gorge in Indian Kashmir (AFP): "AFP - At least 52 people were killed when an overcrowded bus skidded off a slippery mountain road and plunged into a gorge in Indian Kashmir."

Panasonic exiting analog TV business

Panasonic exiting analog TV business: "Filed under: HDTV

This may not be as a big a deal as Konica Minolta completely exiting the camera business, but Matsushita Electric (aka Panasonic) has apparently decided that it's ready to completely transition its TV business to digital, and has decided to get out of the analog TV space this year. What makes the timing particularly interesting is the fact that Panasonic still has a somewhat thriving analog business; according to reports, 30% of the company's TV sales in its home market are analog. However, margins are likely much lower on those sets than on digital ones, and it looks like Panny has decided to call it quits before that percentage declines even further. (Besides, if you had to choose between making old-school CRTs and 103-inch plasmas, which would you pick?)"

Use your cellphone as a movie ticket

Use your cellphone as a movie ticket: "Filed under: Cellphones
A movie theater in a suburb of America's technology capital has begun trial-running a payment method that allows customers to not only purchase tickets from their cellphones but actually present an on-screen barcode to the tickettaker. The Emagine Entertainment theater in suburban Detroit is the first US theater to implement pay-by-cell technology from Mobile Box Office, which is currently restricted to Internet-enabled phones with color screens. Moviegoers need only go to the MBO site, buy a ticket, wait for a text message with a link back to MBO, and follow the link to a webpage with a unique barcode representing the purchase. Emagine has installed scanners that read the barcode off of the phone's screen and grant access to the theater. Unfortunately, just like with Nokia's kidnapphone, this system seem contingent on being able to get a signal in the vicinity of the theater, so members of the T-MOB will need to continue purchasing their tickets the old-fashioned way. [Via Yahoo! News]"

What is the Intel Switch Costing Apple?

What is the Intel Switch Costing Apple?: "SenseOfHumor writes 'A Business Week article says that it costs Apple $898 for an Intel iMac before loading it with software and packaging. From the article: 'But for Apple, the switch to Intel chips is less about saving money in the short term, and more about hitching its wagon to Intel's longer-term product road maps, particularly in the area of notebooks. IBM's chips are power-hungry and generate a lot of heat, and therefore not suitable to notebook computers.''"

U.S. Government Wants Google Search Records

U.S. Government Wants Google Search Records: "JimBridgerBowl writes 'According to the San Jose Mercury News, The Bush administration wants access to Google's huge database of search queries submitted by users to track how often pornography is returned in results. This information would be used for Bush's appeal of the 2004 COPA law, targeted to prevent access to pornography by children. The law was struck down because it would have restricted adults access to legal pornography. Google is promising to fight the release of this information.' From the article: 'The Supreme Court invited the government to either come up with a less drastic version of the law or go to trial to prove that the statute does not violate the First Amendment and is the only viable way to combat child porn. As a result, government lawyers said in court papers they are developing a defense of the 1998 law based on the argument that it is far more effective than software filters in protecting children from porn.'"

Measuring wrinkles, sun damage with software

Measuring wrinkles, sun damage with software: "New technology promises to help people protect their skin from further sun damage, and to help guard against cancer."

'Brokeback Mountain' Wins 4 Golden Globes (AP)

'Brokeback Mountain' Wins 4 Golden Globes (AP): "AP - 'Brokeback Mountain' is moseying along the Academy Awards trail, its four Golden Globe wins — best drama among them — positioning the cowboy love story for Oscar glory."

Korea to introduce household bots to watch the kids, clean and order pizza

Korea to introduce household bots to watch the kids, clean and order pizza: "Filed under: Robots South Korea's Ministry of Information and Communications hopes to introduce a series of internet-connected household robots this October. The bots, according to the Ministry, will be able to perform such household tasks as cleaning, monitoring homes, reading to children, and ordering pizza via the Internet. The Korean government also plans to roll out robocops that can pursue suspects, and multi-legged or wheeled combat bots within the next five years. The bots will receive most of their commands via a wireless Internet connection, keeping costs down to as little as $1,000, and allowing a malevolent AI or evil scientist to completely take over the nation's network of robots at will. "

Corel debuts revamped WordPerfect Office software (Reuters)

Corel debuts revamped WordPerfect Office software (Reuters): "Reuters - Corel Corp. launched a new version of its budget WordPerfect Office software package on Tuesday, with the Canadian software maker saying it is a cheaper alternative to Microsoft Corp.'s Office software."

Stop the presses: Novell likes OpenDocument

Stop the presses: Novell likes OpenDocument: "Blog: In case there was any doubt Novell supported the OpenDocument format (ODF), the Waltham, Mass.-based software company put..."

A List Apart: Articles: Web 3.0

I can bet that a very good percentage of Internet users doesn't know what Web 2.0 is. This is a really intersting article explaing what is Web 3.0.

Read more at www.alistapart.com/arti...

50 Fun Things To Do With Your iPod (kottke.org)

This website has a list of 50 fun things to do with your iPod. This is very interesting list to do.

Read more at www.kottke.org/plus/50-...

NBC 4 - News - Sprint Refuses To Reveal Location Of Cell Phone In Carjacked SUV

Did anyone hear about the stupidity of a Sprint employee who wouldn't reveal location of cell phone? I wonder how tiny is that person's brain is. Someone's baby is stolen and you want them to fill out some forms or pay $25 fee for a subpoena.

Read more at www.nbc4.tv/news/600133...

IVR Cheat Sheet(tm) by Paul English

If you ever want to get out of the hell of IVR (Interactive Voice Response), this is the guide to heaven. This website has 288 companies as of Jan 3 and steps to avoid IVR and talk to a human.Just as an example, CitiCard dial 800-967-8500 and then dial 0,0,0,0,0.

Read more at www.paulenglish.com/ivr...

Fat Man Walking

This is an amazing story about Steve Vaught from Ohio who is trying to lose weight. Its started as just wanted to lose weight but became more of an inspiring story. He is going to walk from San Diego to NYC.

Steve also has an Guestbook where everyone can sign it and write some comments about it.

Read more at www.thefatmanwalking.co...

Thunderbird 1.5 -- Reclaim your inbox

Mozilla foundation has just updated its email application, Thunderbird 1.5 , with improvements to updates, security, RSS, and podcasting.

Read more at www.mozilla.com/thunder...

BBC NEWS | Magazine | 100 things we didn't know this time last year

BBC News is running an article about "100 things we didn't know this time last year". Some are very interesting. My favorites are

6. WD-40 dissolves cocaine
11. One in 10 Europeans is allegedly conceived in an Ikea bed.
16. The London borough of Westminster has an average of 20 pieces of chewing gum for every square metre of pavement.
19. The = sign was invented by 16th Century Welsh mathematician Robert Recorde, who was fed up with writing "is equal to" in his equations.
23. In America it's possible to subpoena a dog.
27. Only in France and California are under 18s banned from using sunbeds.
32. "Restaurant" is the most mis-spelled word in search engines.
36. The average employee spends 14 working days a year on personal e-mails, phone calls and web browsing.
73. One in six children think that broccoli is a baby tree.
78. One in 18 people has a third nipple.
94. Bill Gates does not have an iPod.

Read more at news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/mag...