Friday, December 30, 2005

Amazon: Ballpark Hot Dog Rotisserie and Bun Warmer

Amazon.com: Ballpark Hot Dog Rotisserie and Bun Warmer - Red: Kitchen Housewares

I think I may know who this is targetted at, probably the same people who have already have one of these :-P

B0006N1O88.01-A23NLORBGXOLEO._SCLZZZZZZZ_

  • Make baseball stadium style rotisserie grilled hotdogs
  • Stainless steel spikes warm up buns or baguettes
  • Non-stick, easy to clean cooking surface
  • Detachable oil tray for quick clean up
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Thursday, December 29, 2005

Nalgene: Grip-n-Gulp

NALGENE: Grip-n-Gulp

Nalgene_Kids_Bottle_Grip-n-Gulp

We’ve taken on Everest. Now we’re ready for toddlers!
Nalgene containers have stood up to some of the worlds most extreme conditions. Small potatoes compared to small children. The new Nalgene Grip'n Gulp™ is tough enough to survive being thrown form a moving minivan, spill proof enough to compel parents to blame the rug stains on the dog, and odor proof enough to allow leftover milk to go undetected under the couch for months. Most importantly, its a great way for little kids to reach new heights.
  • Side indents are easy for tiny hands to grasp
  • Rubberized lid and smooth plastic mouthpiece make drinking comfortable
  • Superior threading on cup and lid is engineered to prevent spills
  • Durable Polycarbonate resists odors, stains, and residue
  • Cup, lid, and removable sipper valve are all top rack dishwasher safe
  • Lid loop can be clipped to backpack, diaper bag, or stroller
  • Twelve-ounce cup is compatible with OTG, ATB, and wide-mouth closures

infoSync World: Palm Treo 700w confirmed for January launch


Palm Treo 700w confirmed for January launch - infoSync World

palm_treo_700w_p00

Introduced this September, Palm has confirmed that its much-anticipated Treo 700w communicator is scheduled to launch in January 2006. The device, which is the handheld maker's first to feature the Windows Mobile platform, will debut exclusively on the Verizon Wireless network with support for EV-DO connectivity in a form factor closely resembling the company's existing Treo 650 communicator.

Powered by an Intel processor, the as-of-yet unnamed Treo will be joining the 600 and 650 models, both currently carried by Verizon Wireless. Although Palm has still to provide further specifications concerning the device, the company will attempt to diversify the product from competing Windows Mobile 5.0 products through additional software.

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SPCR: Thermalright HR-01 CPU Heatsink

Thermalright HR-01 CPU Heatsink :: SilentPCReview.com

tower

Thermalright has delivered a very competitive heatsink in the HR-01. Performance is neck-and-neck with the Scythe Ninja, and that's saying something. Yes, there are nuances to the comparison between the two, but when it comes down to it, the two perform very similarly. That means that Thermalright is back at the top of the quiet high-performance heap — it seems they never fade for long.

We were pleased to report that installing the High-Riser was a breeze: It's easier to install than the Ninja, and a huge improvement over Thermalright's own XP-120. The High-Riser has one of the most elegant clips we've seen, similar to that used by Shuttle in some of their SFF systems.

Of course, there are always a few bones to pick, mostly related to compatibility. At the moment, the only processors supported out of the box are AMD. Intel's current processors are not yet supported at all, as there are no mounting options available for Socket 775. Older socket 478 processors require the purchase of a separate clip. Still, the lack of Intel support isn't as big a problem. Passive cooling is simply not an option for most of Intel's chips because they run so hot, and the performance (and silencing) markets are currently dominated by AMD anyway.

There are some other potential issues:

  1. Not all motherboards have the CPU socket oriented in the same direction, so there may be a few situations where the heatsink cannot be mounted in the correct orientation. This hurts compatibility.
  2. The height of the heatsink may prove to be an issue in a smaller case.
  3. The cantilever effect is strong, so shipping with the HS on is not recommended.
  4. There is currently no standard way to attach a fan to the High-Riser, but cable ties or solid-core wire will both work well.

All of these are relatively minor issues, however. What counts most is performance, and the High-Riser delivers. If you're looking to build a high-end quiet system, the only other serious contender among tower heatsinks is the Scythe Ninja.

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The Gadgeteer: Gomadic Charger Cables with Tip Exchange Technology

The Gadgeteer - Gomadic Charger Cables with Tip Exchange Technology

Right around the corner from my office is a closet which acts as the receptacle for all of the gadgets' boxes and accessories currently being used in our household - well, the ones that will fit, anyway. Inside this closet sits a large cardboard box which holds nothing but power cords, adapters, odd cables and vehicle chargers for PDAs, digital music players, mobile phones, and other devices that we may or may not still own and which we may or may not still be using. I have to clean the box out at least every two years, otherwise the cables will begin to spill over and chaos will rule.

You know what? It really strikes me as a complete waste of money that almost every time I change PDA's I have to also get new travel or vehicle cables to go along with the device. I mean, these cables are all essentially the same. Well, with the exception of their tips, of course.

That's why I was so interested when I was given the opportunity to review Gomadic's Charger Cables with Tip Exchange Technology. I was intrigued by the idea that the same power cable which charges my PPC-6700 could also charge my iPAQ 4700 as well as my iPod. I was especially impressed by the idea that the same cable could also power almost every current or future portable device. Suddenly, I can see an end to the need for the box in my closet. This is a good thing!

Gomadic sells what they call their Essential Power Kit, which includes both their Rapid Car Charger and Rapid Wall Charger as well as two tips for the same device. I was sent a kit that included two mini USB tips to use with my PPC-6700, and I was also sent tips which would fit my iPod and iPAQ 4700. Additional tips for many devices may be ordered at the same time as the initial order, or later on as the owner acquires new devices. All it takes is the swapping out of a simple plug-in tip...

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Attackers Exploit New Zero-Day Windows Bug


InformationWeek | Windows Security | Attackers Exploit New Zero-Day Windows Bug | December 28, 2005

A new unpatched vulnerability in Microsoft Windows and an in-the-wild exploit appeared Wednesday as security firms raised their alarms to Critical. The bug is in Windows' rendering of Windows Metafile (WMF) images, a component that's been patched three times in the last two years, most recently in November by the bulletin MS05-053. The newest flaw, however, is different enough from November's that fully-patched Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 machines can be compromised. "This exploit is doing something a bit different," said Shane Coursen, a senior technical analyst with Moscow-based Kaspersky Labs. "It looks like it affects the same DLL as MS05-053, but it's not overflowing the buffer." According to Microsoft's MS05-053 bulletin, the November vulnerability was in an unchecked buffer. Microsoft would only acknowledge that it's looking into the problem, the usual response from the Redmond, Wash.-based developer to news of zero-day exploits of its software.

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Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Engadget: Microsoft/IDSA Design Competition highlights

Engadget:

Because visors are already too cool

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In case you hadn’t heard, Microsoft and the Industrial Designers of America (IDSA) recently held a competition in which the challenge was to “rethink the Windows-based PC experience and the role it plays in people’s lives.” Contestants were asked to “envision how form factor influences the digital lifestyle” in four categories: personal productivity, entertainment, communication & mobility, and living & lifestyle. There will be be two $50,000 prizes awarded (one judged by Bill G. himself) along with a $25,000 prize based on public voting, with the winners to be announced at CES 2006. The designs submitted range from the practical to the fanciful to the completely untenable, and serve as a glimpse into a possible future for consumer electronics as well as a cheap way for Microsoft to outsource their design department. The device pictured above, called the “Bookshelf,” is certain to be a favorite of Judge Gates’, as it incorporates heavy digital rights management from the get-go by storing content on rather large square cartridges that would be sold by digital service providers. We couldn’t say why consumers would buy a product that’s constantly expanding in size using proprietary media, but hey, that’s half the fun of these concepts. Read on to see some of the highlights from the contest and then

Nikon Coolpix P2 Digital Camera Review

Nikon Coolpix P2 Digital Camera Review:

As far as wireless concerned, Nikon did not skimp on features. The camera integrates an 802.11 b/g compliant radio. In the case of 802.11g you can connect at rates up to 54 Mbps (though actual throughput will always be lower). From a security standpoint, the user can select from None, WEP, and TKIP (WPA). WEP is the original security added to the 802.11 standard. The key is static and can be easily broken. TKIP takes things a step further by changing the key dynamically with each packet of data that is sent making eavesdropping and packet insertions very difficult.

The camera also supports multiple wireless profiles. The profiles allow the user to specify SSID, encryption type, and so on. So, you can have one profile for home, another for work, and third from neighborhood Starbucks. Unfortunately, these profiles must be created on a PC and transferred to the camera. This poses a bit of a challenge if you come across a Wi-Fi that you want to use and hadn't planned on using.

Once the wireless profiles were set up on the camera (by using the Wireless Setup Utility and connecting the camera via USB to the computer), things moved along quite nicely. To use the wireless, you must first move the dial to the blue wireless icon and then choose your profile. If it's a non-printing profile, you can choose from several modes. A useful Easy Transfer mode compares images on the camera to images that have already been transferred to the computer and only transfers the images that are new. I used the Shoot & Transfer mode which immediately transfers an image, after capture, to the computer, and displays it within the Nikon Picture Project software. (This would make a great party mode). Also, you can choose to transfer all images or only marked images with other transfer modes. The wireless was effective, but I was kind of disappointed that I can't use the wireless to "shoot & transfer" if I want to use other shooting modes. Once you change the mode dial, the wireless radio is disabled. I assume that Nikon did this to preserve battery power. For example, if you want to use "P" mode, you just have to settle to use a transfer mode after you're done shooting several images.

Seagate says to buy Maxtor for $1.9 bln in stock

Latest News and Financial Information | Reuters.com:

NEW YORK, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Seagate Technology (STX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said it would buy rival computer disk-drive maker Maxtor Corp. (MXO.N: Quote, Profile, Research) for $1.9 billion in stock.

Under terms of the deal, which is expected to be completed in the second half of 2006, Maxtor shareholders will receive 0.37 shares of Seagate common stock for each Maxtor share they own. Seagate shareholders will own about 84 percent and Maxtor shareholders will own about 16 percent of the new combined company.

The combination is expected to add 10 to 20 percent to Seagate's cash earnings per share after the first full year of joint operations, Seagate said in a release.

Seagate said its executive management team will continue to serve in their current roles and the combined company will retain the Seagate name.

The new iPod Zepto: Inconceivably Small.

McSweeney's Internet Tendency: The iPod Zepto: Inconceivably Small.:

Congratulations on purchasing your new iPod Zepto.

Capable of holding 12 million songs and only one-tenth the size of the head of a needle, the iPod Zepto is a revolution in sound. Once filled with music, the iPod Zepto will play for over 68 years without playing the same song twice.

Enclosed with your iPod Zepto are a USB 4.0 cable, an iTunes 12.1 starter disk, earphones, and a high-magnification lens. (An optional follicle-mounting strap is available.)

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

CRTC extends benefits of number portability to wireless consumers on a timely basis

CRTC extends benefits of number portability to wireless consumers on a timely basis:

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today issued a decision requiring all Canadian wireless telephone companies to implement wireless number portability (WNP) by March 14, 2007, in most of Canada. Today's decision follows a public notice issued on September 16, 2005, in which the Commission invited comments on several issues related to the implementation of WNP.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Spectec SDW-821 SDIO WLAN 802.11g

SDW-821
 General:
Network Standard Support IEEE 802.11b/g
Network Architectures Infrastructure, Ad-Hoc
Data Rates < 802.11g: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps
< 802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps
Modulation Techniques BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, CCK, OFDM, DSSS
Security 40~128 bit WEP, TKIP, WPA, AES
Receiver Sensitivity < 802.11g: 73~91 dBm
< 802.11b: 89~97 dBm
Power Consumption < Receive: 180 mA avg (54Mbps)
< Listen: 150 mA
< Sleep: 1.35 mA
Supply Voltage I/O: 3.0 - 3.6 VDC
Operating Temperature 0.C to +70.C; <95% humidity
Host Interface SDIO
OS Support Microsoft Windows CE.net 4.X~5.X
Package 38.3 x 24 x 2.1 mm
Certification FCC Part 15, CE
  *All specifications are subject to change without prior notice.

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Humor (Abby Rode)

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Humor (Abby Rode):

Claim: A 'Dear Abby' advice column was pulled because it included a letter taken from an episode of The Simpsons.

Status: True.

Origins: One attribute we here at snopes.com have in common with advice columnists is that we both receive a fair amount of rather bizarre mail — most of it sent in earnest, but some of it sent by pranksters trying to see if they can trick someone into publishing their bits of inventive fiction. We probably have a bit of an advantage over the advice columnists in that the false and the apocryphal are as much our stock in trade as the true and genuine — we deal with the kinds of things people believe to be true; whether or not folkloric tales are actually true is usually irrelevant. Columnists, on the other hand, generally prefer not to be doling out advice to readers seeking answers to phony, contrived problems.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Soundproofing Floors Phase 1: The Underside of the Floor (CMHC Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation)

Soundproofing Floors Phase 1: The Underside of the Floor (CMHC Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation):

Sound transmission between floors is acommon problem in multiple-unit dwellings. To find effective and economical ways of resolving this problem, CMHC initiated aresearch project on the sound isolation provided by floor/ceiling assemblies in wood construction.The first phase of this study, described here, investigated the acoustical performance of different materials incorporated in the underside of floor/ceiling assemblies. These included sound absorptive materials in the floor cavity, as well as ceiling finishes and installation methods. The results of these tests are presented in the following table, which contains diagrams of the assemblies tested and their detailed composition, Sound Transmission Class (STC) ratings and Impact Insulation Class (JIC) ratings. The higher the STC andJIC rating, the better.

eBay Guides - XM vs. Sirius Satellite Radio -- Which One Do You Buy

eBay Guides - XM vs. Sirius Satellite Radio -- Which One Do You Buy:

I've been an XM Radio subscriber for almost 2 years, I've got one in both of my cars. Recently, I had to rent a car for a couple weeks, and the car came with Sirius Radio...while they're both excellent products, I noticed a few differences and thought I'd share my thoughts with folks who were shopping for a satellite radio for a holiday present or an upgrade to their own car or home stereo system.

I'm sold on satellite radio. I have a 40 minute commute each way to work over a mountain range, and reception for AM/FM radio is mediocre. Regular radio stations have a very limited variety of choices -- I love sports programming and a variety of music programs, but on regular radio I just don't stations that fit what I'm interested in. So when I got a new car 2 years ago, I took it straight to the local car stereo shop and had them install a new radio with XM radio.

Brian Goldfarb's Blog : CSS Property Window Add-in For VS2005 Released!

Brian Goldfarb's Blog : CSS Property Window Add-in For VS2005 Released!:

This has been a small side project that the team has been working on for a LONG time to try and provide even richer support for CSS inside of Visual Studio 2005 and it is now finally avaialble as a VSIP plugin -- If you are doing any work with standards based design or working with CSS I highly encourage you to grab this download. Please note, since it is a VSIP plug-in it will only work with Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition and higher (or more simply put: it won't work with Visual Web Developer Express, just the Visual Studio Products)

Friday, December 09, 2005

Times Online: Cow-tipping myth hasn't got a leg to stand on

Times Online: Cow-tipping myth hasn't got a leg to stand on

Times Online: Cow-tipping myth hasn't got a leg to stand on

IT IS the kind of story you hear from a friend of a friend — how, after a long night in a rural hostelry and at a loss for entertainment in the countryside, they head out into a nearby field.

There, according to the second-hand accounts, they sneak up on an unsuspecting cow and turn the poor animal hoof over udder.

But now, much to the relief of dairy herds, the sport of cow-tipping has been debunked as an urban, or perhaps rural, myth by scientists at a Canadian university.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Google Transit

Google Transit

Google helps you find a bus route, only testing in Portland, Oregon right now.

Deflexion - Strategy boardgame that uses lasers

Laser strategy board game:

Reminds me of this game called
reflection.
reflections game

deflexion

This is a really original idea for a game IMO. It’s called Deflexion and is a board game unlike any other that I’ve seen.

Like all the best games the rules are very simple and quick to learn but will take an age to master. The aim of the game is to be the first player to shoot your opponents pharaoh with your grade II laser but as you can’t move or aim your laser you need to do a bit laser dancing and bouncing.

In the Deflexion game, each player has an assortment of djeds, pyramids and obelisks. These pieces either reflect the laser beam or block it (or both depending on which side is hit). If a piece blocks the beam it is classed as destroyed and removed from the board. Each player takes it in turn to move or rotate one of their pieces, after their move they can fire their laser to see what it now hits.

So the aim of the game is to position your pieces in such a way that when your laser is fired it is bounced (well reflected) around and ends up vaporizing you opponent’s pharaoh. Whilst you’re positioning your pieces your opponent will be doing the same so you need to think defence as well as offence. It’s also possible to vaporize your own pharaoh and pieces if you don’t watch what you’re doing.

You can find further info and instructions on the Deflexion site.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

TiVo Community - HDTV TiVo is on its way

Need more reasons to stay with TiVo - TiVo Community:

This is old news now, but it's hasn't made its rounds enough.

There's a dual tuner HD box coming next year that will work with both cable and ATSC.

Or, if you have Comcast cable, there's a version of TiVo coming that will work on the 6412 dual tuner HD cable platform.

Both are dual tuner HD, and both are planned to be out next year. Dan's right - CES is typically where you'd hear more info/details.

Cheers, Pony

Is Your Child A Computer Hacker?

Is Your Child A Computer Hacker?:

As an enlightened, modern parent, I try to be as involved as possible in the lives of my six children. I encourage them to join team sports. I attend their teen parties with them to ensure no drinking or alcohol is on the premises. I keep a fatherly eye on the CDs they listen to and the shows they watch, the company they keep and the books they read. You could say I'm a model parent. My children have never failed to make me proud, and I can say without the slightest embellishment that I have the finest family in the USA.

Two years ago, my wife Carol and I decided that our children's education would not be complete without some grounding in modern computers. To this end, we bought our children a brand new Compaq to learn with. The kids had a lot of fun using the handful of application programs we'd bought, such as Adobe's Photoshop and Microsoft's Word, and my wife and I were pleased that our gift was received so well. Our son Peter was most entranced by the device, and became quite a pro at surfing the net. When Peter began to spend whole days on the machine, I became concerned, but Carol advised me to calm down, and that it was only a passing phase. I was content to bow to her experience as a mother, until our youngest daughter, Cindy, charged into the living room one night to blurt out: "Peter is a computer hacker!"

....

To this end, I have decided to publish the top ten signs that your son is a hacker. I advise any parents to read this list carefully and if their son matches the profile, they should take action. A smart parent will first try to reason with their son, before resorting to groundings, or even spanking. I pride myself that I have never had to spank a child, and I hope this guide will help other parents to put a halt to their son's misbehaviour before a spanking becomes necessary.

This link has been brought to you by the good people at www.darreninouye.com.

Electronic House § SoundMatters' SubStage 100 Subwoofer

Electronic House § SoundMatters' SubStage 100 Subwoofer:

SoundMatters' SubStage 100 Subwoofer

SoundMatters' new SubStage 100 subwoofer utilizes an industrial design that is highlighted by the sub's thin footprint, which is intended to complement today's flat-panel televisions. The sub's enclosure measures 8 inches x 16.7 inches x 4.05 inches, and it incorporates proprietary subwoofer technologies that aid the subwoofer in reproducing low frequencies to 35Hz. The sub's power comes from a 100-watt Class D amplifier, and the amp drives a 6-inch woofer and two 6-inch x 6-inch 'moving walls.' The subs can be daisy-chained to create higher energy output, and they can be placed along a wall or bass board for added boundary reenforcement.

Neopoleon.com: Comic: 720p vs. 1080i - The Great HD TV Debate EXPLAINED and SOLVED

Neopoleon.com: Comic: 720p vs. 1080i - The Great HD TV Debate EXPLAINED and SOLVED

This is just the intro, there are some really funny cartoon sketches that explain the general difference between the two.

And I love this line, ""are you pickin' up what I'm puttin' down

I bought an HD TV a few months ago, and it’s made my life very complicated. With my old piece of crap TV, I just plugged it in, turned it on, and watched 90210 reruns until I was sated. Now I have to screw with component cables, industry standards, and manuals that are so thick you’d think Tolstoy had written them (that is, in Korean which was then translated to English by an Eskimo with a Korean/English decoder wheel that he found in a box of cereal (and, yes, Tolstoy was fluent in Korean, and he did write technical manuals, and you’re wrong if you say I’m wrong, and, anyway, he’s dead now so it’s not like you can ask him)).

What I’ve learned is that I’m not ready for the 21st century. I miss rotary telephones, movies like ET, and Tab. I’m about as at home here in these modern times as Jesus Christ would be in Las Vegas (actually, Jesus might fit in pretty well in Vegas, but you know what I mean).

The biggest issue so far arrived along with my Xbox 360. In case you aren’t familiar with the 720p vs. 1080i issue, there are two main resolutions at which HD TV is currently meant to operate, and the 360 supports both of them. The point of contention is over which is better. Some people say 720p, and others say 1080i. 720p, they say, is better for motion, while 1080i is better for looking at photographs.

If the argument ended there, then my decision would be made. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. If you just do a little internettin’, you’ll find debates all over the place, mostly conducted by nine year olds who got hold of the password to mummy’s AOL account and regurgitated the arguments they’d read elsewhere.

The average discussion goes like this:

A/V Geek #1: OMG!>!>! i just got a hd tv for my burthday nd i need 2 no if 720p or 1080i!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???!!!!!

[A brief interruption, if you don’t mind. I just have to stop and say that the use of more than one exclamation point side-by-side, in any context (except comics), is a sign of mental insanity, a marketing degree from the University of Phoenix Online, or both.]

A/V Geek #2: d0od read the FAq u r so st0opid omg LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A/V Geek #1: pleawse tell me i need 2 no bcuz wich one???!!

A/V Geek #2: u r a dooshbag

A/V Geek #1: whuts a dooshbag!!!?

A/V Geek #2: its u idiot ur a dooshbag

A/V Geek #1: whuts wrong w/ dooshbags???!!?

A/V Geek #2: u r dooshbag u put doosh in it and its a bag

A/V Geek #1: whuts a doosh??!!!! can u put it in a box???????? or just bags!!!!????!!?!?!

There. That should have brought you up to speed on the finer points of the debate.

To summarize, if you don’t know the difference, you’re a “dooshbag.”

While I’m fairly technical and know what it means when someone’s a “dooshbag,” I realize that some of my readers aren’t as intellectually sharp as I am, so I’ve taken it upon myself to distill the meat of the debate and present it in comic form in layman’s terms.

I hope this helps you when it’s time to make the Big Decision.

Monday, December 05, 2005

Chav - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chav - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Chav is a slang term which has been in wide use throughout the United Kingdom since 2004. It refers to a subcultural stereotype of a person with fashions such as flashy 'bling' jewelry and counterfeit designer clothes, an uneducated, impoverished background, a tendency to congregate around places such as fast-food outlets or other shopping areas and a culture of antisocial behaviour.

In the past such people have been called yobs. Response to the term has ranged from amusement to criticism that it is a new manifestation of classism.

Tech Digest: shuffle takes Chav gadget award

Tech Digest: shuffle takes Chav gadget award:

Put on your Burberry scarf and switch on your iPod Shuffle. While the iPod nano may be the king of cool, Tech Digest and Shiny Shiny's panel of the UK’s top gadget experts* have voted its budget sibling the iPod shuffle this year’s ‘Must Chav Gadget.’

The shuffle is perfect for chavs. It's cheap. It’s by a cool brand, and you can let others know you have one as it is designed to be worn round your neck. As it is white it also accessorises well with those classy gold chains Chavs wear. The sad part is that the shuffle is the worst player in the Apple range – more like some dodgy back street knock-off than the excellent other iPods. The fact it has no screen so you can’t program it or choose a track – it chooses the music for you – also saves Chav brain cells for the much more important business of, ahem, ‘pimping their rides.

airport express mod using spider strainer

airport express mod - [ bounav.free.fr ]
Airport_express3

This idea is to put the Airport Express in the middle of the parabolic kitchenware. In other words to make a kind of a passive wifi antenna enhancer. Et voila!

Friday, December 02, 2005

WonderlandChristmas.com - The Wizards of Winter video

WonderlandChristmas.com - Videos
This video has been floating around for a few weeks, it's an amazing computer controlled christmas light display.

Wizards of Winter

Carson Williams - (2004 Display) Wizards of Winter - Jingle Bells - Carson has about 16,000 lights, 88 LightORama channels. The Mega tree has 48,500, and the triangle in the middle is made up of 22 mini-trees, with 300 lights each, or 6300 total. (You may have seen this video floating around on the Internet in November 2005. I can assure you that it's real, and computer control was used to create all of the effects you see here. It is not a fake.)

GetCanon! 1.6

GetCanon! 1.6
GetCanon160

GetCanon! is a image downloader for Canon digital cameras. It's small, quick and simple. It can download images, rotate them automatically and delete them from camera. If you hate the 'designer' interface of Canon utilities and hate Windows messing with image filenames, this is the right tool for you.

GetCanon! is freeware. It includes open-source program JpegTran from Independent JPEG Group's JPEG software.

Pounding A Nail: Old Shoe or Glass Bottle?

Pounding A Nail: Old Shoe or Glass Bottle?:

Pounding A Nail: Old Shoe or Glass Bottle?

'A client has asked me to build and install a custom shelving system. I'm at the point where I need to nail it, but I'm not sure what to use to pound the nails in. Should I use an old shoe or a glass bottle?

How would you answer the question?

a) It depends. If you are looking to pound a small (20lb) nail in something like drywall, you'll find it much easier to use the bottle, especially if the shoe is dirty. However, if you are trying to drive a heavy nail into some wood, go with the shoe: the bottle with shatter in your hand.

b) There is something fundamentally wrong with the way you are building; you need to use real tools. Yes, it may involve a trip to the toolbox (or even to the hardware store), but doing it the right way is going to save a lot of time, money, and aggravation through the lifecycle of your product. You need to stop building things for money until you understand the basics of construction.

Ten Essential Tools: Visual Studio Add-Ins Every Developer Should Download Now -- MSDN Magazine, December 2005

Ten Essential Tools: Visual Studio Add-Ins Every Developer Should Download Now -- MSDN Magazine, December 2005: "ast year I wrote an article called '.NET Tools: Ten Must-Have Tools Every Developer Should Download Now' that highlighted 10 freely available tools for the Microsoft .NET Framework. This year I am again creating a list of must-have tools, but this time I'm focusing on Visual Studio add-ins as opposed to standalone tools. Visual Studio provides a rich extensibility model that developers at Microsoft and in the community have taken advantage of to provide a host of quality add-ins. Some add-ins contribute significant how-did-I-live-without-this functionality, while others just help you automate that small redundant task you constantly find yourself performing. 10 Must-Have Add-Ins TestDriven.NET GhostDoc Paster CodeKeep PInvoke.NET VSWindowManager PowerToy WSContractFirst VSMouseBindings CopySourceAsHTML Cache Visualizer Close [x] In this article, I introduce you to some of the best Visual Studio add-ins available today that can be downloaded for free. I walk through using each of the add-ins, but because I am covering so many I only have room to introduce you to the basic functionality. Each of these add-ins works with Visual Studio .NET 2003 and most of them already have versions available for Visual Studio 2005. If a Visual Studio 2005 version is not available a"

Review: RIM BlackBerry 7130e (MobileBurn)

Review: RIM BlackBerry 7130e (MobileBurn)>br/> 7130e-v_Front

Today Verizon Wireless and Research In Motion (RIM) announced the first BlackBerry device with EV-DO 3G data capabilities. Apart from the EV-DO data on CDMA networks, though, the 7130e is much like the rest of the 7100 line, such as the 7105t on T-Mobile and 7100g on Cingular. About the only significant differences we can detect versus the GSM models is a slight increase in weight, and an additional 32MB of Flash RAM.

Like the other 7100 series devices, the 7130e has a relatively normal looking candybar form factor with the unique SureType keypad. SureType works similarly to how T9 functions, but it makes use of an additional column of keys on either side of the normal numeric keypad. This means that each number key represents only 2 letters instead of 3 letters, as is the case with T9 and traditional Triple-Tap.

As a BlackBerry device, you can expect the 7130e to have great email support. And it does. Not only can you link up to 10 different email accounts to the device, but you can even use its push email system for your AOL, MSN, Hotmail, and Yahoo mail accounts.

The BlackBerry 7130e is available today from the Verizon Wireless website and will be available in Verizon and Circuit City retail outlets as of the first of December.

Motorola RAZR V3c Review - Mobiledia

Motorola RAZR V3c Review - Mobiledia
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Contrary to repackaged phones like the Pink and Blue RAZRs, the RAZR V3c has upgraded features and functions along with its new gray finish such as a 1.3-megapixel camera, MP3 player, EV-DO broadband technology for video-on-demand, and Bluetooth wireless technology; all in a familiar chemically-etched keypad and razor-thin design.

Enhancing the RAZR V3 to embrace today's technology, the RAZR V3c offers more robust multimedia with the same revolutionary design in hopes it will do in 2005 what the original did a year ago.

Design

Offering a familiar ultra-thin design, the new RAZR V3c is encased in a uniquely refined steel gray finish. Due to its 14 mm thinness, rigidity was a manufacturing concern. However, by combining aircraft-grade aluminum with a chemically-etched keypad and blue electro-luminescence panel, Motorola managed to create the RAZR V3c to be sturdy enough to withstand everyday wear and tear, while maintaining its slim profile.

Review: Samsung SPH-A900 (MobileBurn)

Review: Samsung SPH-A900 (MobileBurn)
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Sprint has launched a new competitor for the Motorola RAZR on their Power Vision service, the ultra-thin Samsung SPH-A900.

Measuring up with almost the same dimensions as the Motorola RAZR, but including such niceties as a 1.3 megapixel camera, a 262,000 color QVGA display, and EV-DO connectivity, the SPH-A900 is an interesting proposition to say the least. The SPH-A900 includes most of the features people want in this price bracket of handset, such as Bluetooth and a color external display. Furthermore, the SPH-A900 supports PictBridge photo printing, allowing the user to send photos over Bluetooth directly to a compatible printer.

The Samsung SPH-A900 is available now from Sprint for $349.99USD, or $199.99USD after rebate with a service agreement.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

ThinkGeek :: Monty Python Killer Rabbit Plush

ThinkGeek :: Monty Python Killer Rabbit Plush: monty_python_rabbit

Oh it’s just a harmless little bunny, isn’t it? How could a cute thing like that bite anyone’s head off? Well, be warned – and be afraid. Straight from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail comes this furry harbinger of doom. Cute, furry, soft, and completely deadly. Look at those teeth – they weren’t made for vegetables. No, this rabbit has an appetite for only one thing: human flesh!

This is a plush life-sized version of that famed beast of destruction. It looks like a cute little bunny, but pull open its mouth to reveal its hideously deformed teeth. And if that’s not enough, squeeze its leg (if you dare!) to start its evil red eyes flashing. Unless you happen to have a Holy Hand Grenade in your arsenal, there is only one thing left for you to do: Run Away! Run Away!

Dimensions: Approx 11' long and 7' tall (ears down)