IGN: A PS3 or Free Tacos for Life?

IGN: A PS3 or Free Tacos for Life?: "A PS3 or Free Tacos for Life? The toughest decision you will ever make. by Hilary Goldstein November 20, 2006 - Taco Bell is trying to do a good deed. The first person who agrees to give up their PlayStation 3 to Taco Bell will get the equivalent of tacos for life. Your console (should you choose to donate it) won't go to a Taco Bell manager. Instead, the Bell is giving the PS3 to the Boys & Girls Club. 'The PlayStation 3 is on every teen's holiday wish list,' said Bob Fulmer, Executive Director, Taco Bell Foundation. 'That's why we're offering one lucky individual tacos for life in exchange for giving Boys & Girls Club teens a gift that will keep them in the game.'"

From the button archives..

ThinkGeek :: USB Missile Launcher

ThinkGeek :: USB Missile Launcher:

Finally, WMD* at an affordable price

Nobody remembers who started it. Perhaps that guy from HR lobbed a wadded up piece of paper over the cube wall at you? It could have been one of those accounting dudes with the marshmallow-gun. It doesn't matter, now. You are armed.

The USB Missile Launcher is the latest desktop weapons platform that elevates your status from mere code-monkey or BOFH Sysadmin to a true Digital Dictator. Laugh maniacally while you zero in on your unsuspecting target. Rain down foam punishment upon him with a click of the mouse. Watch as, one by one, three spring-loaded missiles arc 5 to 8 feet gracefully to your quarry. Giggle girlishly at the realistic sound effects with every launch.

This launcher can pivot 180 degrees horizontally, and 45 degrees up. Controlled by the included PC software, point the missiles at your foe, and press the big red shiny delicious button on screen. FOOM.

The USB Missile Launcher stands approximately seven inches high, is gunmetal grey, with three white foam spring-loaded missiles on top. It requires 3 AA batteries, which are included. Also includes PC Software (currently Windows XP only, but there is third party software available 'out there' for Mac and Linux).

* Weapons of Much Distraction."

The Six Stages of Debugging

The Six Stages of Debugging:

Personal: The Six Stages of Debugging

So true.

   1. That can't happen.
   2. That doesn't happen on my machine.
   3. That shouldn't happen.
   4. Why does that happen?
   5. Oh, I see.
   6. How did that ever work?

Sun Open Sources Java Under GPLv2 @ JAVA DEVELOPER'S JOURNAL

Sun Open Sources Java Under GPLv2 @ JAVA DEVELOPER'S JOURNAL: "Sun Microsystems announced it is releasing its implementations of Java technology as free software under the GNU General Public License version two (GPLv2). The first pieces of source code for Sun's implementation of Java Platform Standard Edition (Java SE) are available and a buildable implementation of Java Platform Micro Edition (Java ME). In addition, Sun is adding the GPLv2 license to Java Platform Enterprise Edition (Java EE), which has been available for over a year under the Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL) through Project GlassFish."

ButtKicker Gamer - BK-GR

ButtKicker Gamer - BK-GR

"Add a level of realism to your video games with the ButtKicker Gamer. This low-frequency transducer attaches easily to almost any home or office chair with a center post, allowing you to experience powerful bass and realistic special effects through your entire body without turning up the volume. Ideal for use with headphones, the ButtKicker Gamer works with all popular game systems, and it also connects easily to iPods or other digital music players. This kit has everything required to connect your ButtKicker to your chair and your system, including a 100-watt power amplifier. "

DailyTech - Windows Media Player 11 Final for Windows XP Released

DailyTech - Windows Media Player 11 Final for Windows XP Released: "Microsoft has released the final version of Windows Media Player 11 for Windows XP. Version 11 sports a redesigned user interface and incorporates seamless integration with MTV's URGE music service. According to Microsoft, the URGE online catalog provides customers with over 2 million songs by over 110,000 artists. Microsoft is also boasting that its improved search engine in Windows Media Player 11 provides faster results than any other media player on the market"

DailyTech - Sony's New 1.98 lb Vaio G Ultra-portable

DailyTech - Sony's New 1.98 lb Vaio G Ultra-portable: "The carbon fiber-shelled Vaio G weighs in at just 1.98 pounds (without optical drive) and bucks the trend of widescreen displays that have pretty much taken over the notebook industry. Instead, the notebook uses a 12.1' XGA screen. The Vaio G features the Intel 945GMS Express can accept mobile Celeron processors or your choice of a Core Solo U1300 or U1400. As far as features go, the usual suspects are represented including 802.11g, Bluetooth, PCMCIA, multi-card reader and fingerprint reader support."

Teq Gear - WID101 - Wireless WXGA Video Receiver with DVI Output

Teq Gear - WID101 - Wireless WXGA Video Receiver with DVI Output: "The new wireless XGA receiver WID101 allows the user to receive VGA to WXGA resolution video and audio from any wireless computer via industry standard 802.11 g/a/b network protocol. Simple to install, it takes only a few minutes to link a PC with a wireless network card and the WID101 receiver to show high quality video and stereo audio on any display up to 250 ft away."

betty: What's wrong with seafoam green?

ThinkGeek :: Giant Swiss Army Knife

ThinkGeek :: Giant Swiss Army Knife: "We know what you're probably thinking about this product - isn't this something that ThinkGeek should be launching in very early April (like, say, April 1st)? Yes, we have a reputation for such things, but this knife is real and was created by Wenger to celebrate 100 years of innovation. This unique special edition knife contains all 85 tools currently produced by Wenger (Maker of the Genuine Swiss Army Knife). These 85 tools can be used in over 100 functions and it's the World's Largest Swiss Army Knife. It's not exactly going to win any awards for lightest, smallest or most efficient tool but it probably will win you the title 'King of All Gadgets'. And even though this knife is a monster, weighing almost 3 pounds, don't worry - it does have a key ring so you can carry it on a belt loop. "

Discovery Channel :: Beyond

Discovery Channel :: Beyond

zoom using the mouse scroll wheel in google maps

Just found out that the scroll wheel works in google maps. It zooms in and out where ever your cursor is. The red aiming brackets come up and in/out you go. Cool!

Inflight Power Recharger Cables

Inflight Power Recharger Cables

Inflight USB Power Unit

Includes one Inflight USB Power Unit, without a bundled device connector/cable. Plug compatible with any standard USB charging cable. The Inflight USB Power unit plugs into the passenger seat audio jack and outputs regulated power to the attached USB charging cable/connector.

Price:$34.99

If Architects Had To Work Like Web Designers

If Architects Had To Work Like Web Designers...

Dear Mr. Architect:

Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what I need, so you should use your discretion. My house should have somewhere between two and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure the plans are such that the bedrooms can be easily added or deleted. When you bring the blueprints to me, I will make the final decision of what I want. Also, bring me the cost breakdown for each configuration so that I can arbitrarily pick one.

Keep in mind that the house I ultimately choose must cost less than the one I am currently living in. Make sure, however, that you correct all the deficiencies that exist in my current house (the floor of my kitchen vibrates when I walk across it, and the walls don't have nearly enough insulation in them).

As you design, also keep in mind that I want to keep yearly maintenance costs as low as possible. This should mean the incorporation of extra-cost features like aluminum, vinyl, or composite siding. (If you choose not to specify aluminum, be prepared to explain your decision in detail.)

Please take care that modern design practices and the latest materials are used in construction of the house, as I want it to be a showplace for the most up-to-date ideas and methods. Be alerted, however, that kitchen should be designed to accommodate, among other things, my 1952 Gibson refrigerator.

To insure that you are building the correct house for our entire family, make certain that you contact each of our children, and also our in-laws. My mother-in-law will have very strong feelings about how the house should be designed, since she visits us at least once a year. Make sure that you weigh all of these options carefully and come to the right decision. I, however, retain the right to overrule any choices that you make.

Please don't bother me with small details right now. Your job is to develop the overall plans for the house: get the big picture. At this time, for example, it is not appropriate to be choosing the color of the carpet.

However, keep in mind that my wife likes blue.

Also, do not worry at this time about acquiring the resources to build the house itself. Your first priority is to develop detailed plans and specifications. Once I approve these plans, however, I would expect the house to be under roof within 48 hours.

While you are designing this house specifically for me, keep in mind that sooner or later I will have to sell it to someone else. It therefore should have appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers. Please make sure before you finalize the plans that there is a consensus of the population in my area that they like the features this house has. I advise you to run up and look at my neighbor's house he constructed last year. We like it a great deal. It has many features that we would also like in our new home, particularly the 75-foot swimming pool. With careful engineering, I believe that you can design this into our new house without impacting the final cost.

Please prepare a complete set of blueprints. It is not necessary at this time to do the real design, since they will be used only for construction bids. Be advised, however, that you will be held accountable for any increase of construction costs as a result of later design changes.

You must be thrilled to be working on as an interesting project as this! To be able to use the latest techniques and materials and to be given such freedom in your designs is something that can't happen very often. Contact me as soon as possible with your complete ideas and plans.

PS: My wife has just told me that she disagrees with many of the instructions I've given you in this letter. As architect, it is your responsibility to resolve these differences. I have tried in the past and have been unable to accomplish this. If you can't handle this responsibility, I will have to find another architect.

PPS: Perhaps what I need is not a house at all, but a travel trailer. Please advise me as soon as possible if this is the case..

Canned oxygen for worker in japan

Canned oxygen for worker in japan:

TOKYO (Reuters) - Exhausted Japanese workers in need of a pick-me-up will soon be able to get a hit of canned oxygen at their local convenience store.

Seven-Eleven Japan will start marketing the new product, "O2 Supli," at select stores in the Tokyo area later this month and expand sales nationwide in June.

"People are under a lot of stress and can't get much exercise, so they aren't getting enough oxygen," said Minoru Matsumoto, a spokesman for Seven & I Holdings Co Ltd, Seven-Eleven's parent company.

"This is especially true of people who do long hours of desk work in front of a computer. They don't breathe that deeply."

The oxygen will be sold for 600 yen ($5.50) in 3.2-liter spray cans of 95 percent pure oxygen, each of which comes with a small plastic mask attached to the top.

Users place the mask over their mouth and nose, then push a nozzle, which dispenses the oxygen for two to three seconds.

Each can contains enough oxygen for about 35 doses, in either a grapefruit or peppermint fragrance.

"The peppermint should be really good for mornings when you're tired, or when you're driving, or when you really have to concentrate," Matsumoto said.

"The grapefruit should be good before you do sports or while you're working really late."

People involved in product testing gave favorable reports, Matsumoto said, noting that he had tried it himself.

"Everyone found it extremely refreshing," he added.

Filed in: news

Ananova - Extreme accounting

Ananova - Extreme accounting:

Extreme accounting is the latest - and unlikeliest - adrenaline sport

Accountants visit challenging locations like mountain tops, seabeds, caves and rollercoasters.

And, inspired by the extreme ironing craze, they take their work with them, reports the Sun.

South African Keet Van Zyl is the sport's reigning champion.

A spokesman for the Chartered Institute of Management Accounting said: "It's a phenomenon that pushes accountants to their limits - and beyond."

Filed in: news

YouTube - Evolution of Dance

YouTube - Evolution of Dance

Funniest video I've seen this year!!!

Superheroes on the toilet postcards

Superheroes on the toilet postcards

Reflective Condom Wallet

Reflective Condom Wallet

I know just the person this would be perfect for... :-D

You and your lover are passionately making out... it's time to find the condoms... they're loose in the purse and can't find them in the low light &%$## those precious seconds are forever gone!

We think that we have a solution for this problem. It is simply a condom wallet to neatly store away your condoms. You can choose Neon colors if you need your condom wallet to be conspicuous or in a discrete condom wallet color of your choice.

The reflective condom wallet is made of quality grosgrain ribbon which has the same reflective stripe that we use in all of our safety products. This reflective stripe can be seen in low light conditions.

We decided to make the condom wallet available in two sizes: Small condom wallet for that special sexy moment or large condom wallet for the more adventurous steamy relations.

IFILM - Movies: Turkish Star Wars -

IFILM - Movies: Turkish Star Wars -:

One of the few sci-fi films to come out of Turkey, and it's a doozy. With a budget of about 50 cents (even though the the main actor can afford a Rolex), this laughably bad flick set in the 15th century sports public-transport buses in the background, stolen scenes and soundtrack songs from Star Wars, Indiana Jones and others. Lead actor Cuneyt Arkin was a heartthrob in those days, though, so some members of the audience will have something to look at while they crack up.

HL Playoff Brackets VegasInsider.com, The Leader in Sportsbook and Gaming Information - NHL Brackets, Pro Hockey Playoff Brackets

NHL Playoff Brackets VegasInsider.com, The Leader in Sportsbook and Gaming Information - NHL Brackets, Pro Hockey Playoff Brackets Filed in: NHL

Thermalright Ultra-90 K8 Aluminum Heatpipe Heatsink for AMD K8

Thermalright Ultra-90 K8 Aluminum Heatpipe Heatsink for AMD K8

Following the XP series and the HR series comes the “Ultra” from Thermalright, Inc! The Ultra-90 takes a little bit of the features from the two previous successful series. The new Ultra-90 continues the the tradition of XP’s light & easy: light in weight and even easier to install. Now you don’t even have to remove your motherboard to install the LGA775 or K8 adapter. From the HR-series, Ultra-90 takes the tower form with 3 dual heatpipes and the capacity to cool the hottest dual-core CPU currently circulating the market, capable of cooling both AMD K8 and Intel 775. As for performance…when it’s from Thermalright, you know it’s all about performance!

Filed in: hsf

The Gadgeteer - Inka Pen

The Gadgeteer - Inka Pen

So what's a non-purse carrying girl to do? We find a solution like the Inka Pen from Inka Corporation of Boulder, Colorado. Available in stainless steel or Titanium ($89.95) versions. I was sent the stainless steel version to review.

Filed in: gadget

Srinivas Sampath's Blog : NHibernate Intellisense in VS 2005

Srinivas Sampath's Blog : NHibernate Intellisense in VS 2005:

Turns out that this location is different in VS 2005. The location to place schema files to enable intellisense in VS 2005 is: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Xml\Schemas. The locations and drive letter can change depending on where you installed VS 2005, but once you put in your schema here, you get full intellisense.

Wired News: The Wikipedia FAQK

Wired News: The Wikipedia FAQK:

What is Wikipedia? Wikipedia is a new paradigm in human discourse. It's a place where anyone with a browser can go, pick a subject that interests them, and without even logging in, start an argument. In fact, Wikipedia is the largest and most comprehensive collection of arguments in human history, incorporating spats and vendettas on subjects ranging from Suleiman the Magnificent to Dan the Automator. As an unexpected side effect of being the perfect argument space, it's also a pretty good place to find information about all the characters from Battlestar: Galactica.

Filed in: blog

Sign: unattended-children

Cool .NET Tools

Cool .NET Tools:

While I haven't been blogging, my RSS reader (Omea Reader) has been building up with a bunch of flagged entries that I wanted to mention. Some cool tools that I wanted to share: * Wink - It's a freeware app that allows you to record screenshots, etc. and bundle them into a tutorial (exports to Flash) with bubbles and explanations. Via Sean McCormack * SWExplorerAutomation - It allows to create an object model for any Web application developed with HTML and DHTML. It can be easily used for the Unit Testing. It has a good “movie“ to show you how it's used. Via Roy Osherove * BlueWhaleCRM - An open source customer relationship management solution. Demo here. Via Darrell Norton. * Lithium - An open source tree diagramming control. Via Darrell Norton - who has a good list of features and screenshot. * RUnit - Which allows you to run your NUnit Tests from within a ASP.Net web app. Via The Daily Grind and Mike Gunderloy.

Filed in: .net

Amazon.com: CLR via C#, Second Edition: Explore similar items

Amazon.com: CLR via C#, Second Edition: Explore similar items:

In this new edition of Jeffrey Richter’s popular APPLIED MICROSOFT .NET FRAMEWORK PROGRAMMING, you get focused, pragmatic guidance on how to exploit the common language runtime (CLR) functionality in .NET Framework 2.0 for applications of all types—from Web Forms, Windows� Forms, and.

Filed in: book

Coollaboratory Liquid Pro Thermal Interface Material

Coollaboratory Liquid Pro Thermal Interface Material:

Cool Laboratory Liquid Pro is the first heat thermal conductive compound which truly earns this title. Cool Laboratory Liquid Pro consists of 100% liquid metal! It is liquid at ambient temperature (very cool!). CoolLaboratory has a heat transfer rate over eight times that of conventional thermal compounds.

Filed in: cooling

Man clobbered with £126 trillion phone bill | The Register

Man clobbered with �126 trillion phone bill | The Register:

Publican Jack Harding got the shock of his life when he received his monthly phone bill from BT demanding more than £616,000.

But if you think that's bad, spare a thought for Yahaya Wahab, a 63-year-old meat importer from Malaysia. He's just been sent a bill for 806 trillion Ringgit - about £126 trillion.

According to Malaysia's New Straits Times, he's been given 10 days to cough up or face legal action.

He told the paper: "If the company wants to seek legal action as mentioned in the letter, I'm ready to face it. In fact, I can't wait to face it."

Filed in: news

b3ta.com board: if 24 was real...

b3ta.com board: If 24 was real...

Filed in: fun

Ask A Ninja | You Got Questions, Ninja Got Answers.

Ask A Ninja | You Got Questions, Ninja Got Answers.:

You got questions, Ninja got answers.
Remember to send your questions to askaninja@gmail.com.

Filed in: fun

Use a firewall, go to jail, and send Bill Gates too | The Register

Use a firewall, go to jail, and send Bill Gates too | The Register:

"Your ISP is a communication service provider, so anything that concealed the origin or destination of any communication from your ISP would be illegal -- with no exceptions. "If you send or receive your email via an encrypted connection, you're in violation, because the 'To' and 'From' lines of the emails are concealed from your ISP by encryption. (The encryption conceals the destinations of outgoing messages, and the sources of incoming messages.) "Worse yet, Network Address Translation (NAT), a technology widely used for enterprise security, operates by translating the 'from' and 'to' fields of Internet packets, thereby concealing the source or destination of each packet, and hence violating these bills. Most security 'firewalls' use NAT, so if you use a firewall, you're in violation.

Filed in: stupid

Can You Bank on Wal-Mart? [Fool.com: Commentary] April 11, 2006

Can You Bank on Wal-Mart? [Fool.com: Commentary] April 11, 2006:

Wal-Mart says it wants a banking license so that it can keep all fees that it pays other banks to process its customers' credit and debit card payments "in-house." That's true, as far as it goes, and there's plenty of money to be saved there. But when the retail behemoth goes on to say "and that's all we plan to do," the statement rings as hollow as Hillary Clinton hemming and hawing over whether she will run for president. The key, you see, is for Wal-Mart to get the banking license now. Once it has it, the company will be free to change the "plan" and go into the retail banking business full-scale.

Filed in: news

Ballerina Dad: My Crazy Diabetes Fundraiser

Ballerina Dad: My Crazy Diabetes Fundraiser

SQL Server 2005: Synonyms and non-clustered index included columns

SQL Server 2005: Two Little Known Features That Matter Big! > Synonyms:

SQL Server 2005 introduces a host of new features, some well-known; some not as familiar. This article introduces you to two exciting options: synonyms and non-clustered index included columns.

Synonyms help you create aliases for your objects. They simplify the naming of remote objects as well as objects that are in another database or another schema. They can also help you create a layer of abstraction for the database objects—thus allowing you to swap the underlying objects without affecting any code that references the objects.

Non-clustered index included columns help improve query performance. This feature is totally new and (as far as I know) does not exist in other database products. It is similar to the indexed view feature of SQL Server 2000, but is much easier to plan implement and maintain.

Filed in: database

Discovery Channel :: News :: Multi-Car Elevator Moves in a Circle

Discovery Channel :: News :: Multi-Car Elevator Moves in a Circle

April 6, 2006— A new elevator system can circulate six to eight cars in a vertical loop within the same space previously reserved for just two cars.

Filed in: gadget

First Look: PC World Installs Windows XP on a 20-Inch iMac With Boot Camp - Yahoo! News

First Look: PC World Installs Windows XP on a 20-Inch iMac With Boot Camp - Yahoo! News:

It works. Impressively well. With games, even. That's our first impression of Windows XP running under Apple's Boot Camp on our 20-inch iMac. And that's more than you could say a couple of days ago about the promising-but-hacked-together WinXPonMac effort. (You can download Boot Camp here.) ADVERTISEMENT XP on a Mac is refreshing, but Microsoft's idea of an "exciting new look" feels a little last century.Eager to get our hands on a real, dual-booting Apple/Windows hybrid, we ran the Boot Camp installer on a 20-inch iMac and found the process amazingly smooth. It took about an hour. Graphics drivers--the major remaining performance hurdle under WinXPonMac--were solid and responsive under limited testing on our iMac.

Filed in: mac

Saab breathalizer immobilizer

Saab breathlizer immobilizer

Before you start the car you have to provide a breathalizer sample that is analysed by the car. If you blow over the car won't start

Whether it's design, technology or pure functionality, innovation has always been our philosophy, and the Alcokey is no exception. There's never been any doubt that we're absolutely committed to safety, but putting our hearts and souls into building the safest cars that money can buy isn't always enough.

Last year, 15% of deaths on British roads involved drivers who were over the legal limit, so we've taken it upon ourselves to try and help reduce this figure by means of the Saab Alcokey. This cutting-edge development is based on existing Saab anti-theft technology, the Alcokey comprises of a small mouthpiece in the key fob and an electronic control unit inside the car. The driver breathes into the mouthpiece and, if the breath sample contains more alcohol than the legal limit, the engine is immobilised.

A prototype of the Alcokey is currently being tested in the Saab 9-5, and once reliability and accuracy has been verified, a pocket-sized version will be produced. President and CEO of Saab, Peter Augustsson, says "we are an innovative brand and in that tradition the Alcokey concept is a very practical and efficient solution. It will help those who want to be sure they only get behind the wheel when they are fit to drive."

Filed in: car gadget

Sommelier - trailer park wine glasses

Sommelier - trailer park wine glasses

Only £25.00 each.

Sommelier by Maxim Velcovsky

Company: Qubus

A delicate glass on a stem.

Handblown in the Czech Republic.
Dia 6.5 x H.16cm.

25.00

Filed in: wine

beermapping.com � City Beer Maps

beermapping.com � City Beer Maps:

beermapping.com is a project by someone who likes knowing exactly where he is and how far he needs to go for good beer. At this point, there is only one individual working on the Beer Mapping Project. But that one person has been supported by many friendly craft beer lovers who offer suggestions for new maps and they help by beta testing each map. Use the Contact Us link if you have something to say about the Beer Mapping Project, or if you think you could help out.

Beer Mapping Project is utilizing Google’s Mapping API that is offered free for anyone who is not making a profit or charging users to use the maps that are using it. Each location is pushed through a geocoder service in order to get the latitude and longitude for the particular location. Sometimes these geocoders do not produce results that are exact. Leading to locations that are either slightly wrong, or really wrong. Because of this chance of error, please double check with the website of the location you wish to travel to. Do not take for granted that each location is mapped perfectly.

Filed in: beer

ThoughtFarmer Intranet: Wiki-inspired intranet software

ThoughtFarmer Intranet: Wiki-inspired intranet software

ThoughtFarmer is server-based software that powers intranets for medium to large-sized companies.

A ThoughtFarmer-powered intranet can be your company’s authoritative information source and an indispensable tool for discussion, collaboration and knowledge sharing.

ThoughtFarmer is a hybrid of wikis, traditional content management systems, and portals.

ThoughtFarmer is built around the wiki concept of allowing anyone to not just view pages, but to edit and create them too.

ThoughtFarmer employs structured navigation, which is a strength of traditional content management systems.

ThoughtFarmer also has powerful security controls, so viewing and editing capabilities can be selectively applied by user group. This is a strength of traditional portal software.

Filed in: intranet wiki blog server cms portal collaboration group

TOP 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT SQL SERVER

TOP 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT SQL SERVER

I love this and the comments are just as good as the article.

 

1.  SQL is too complicated!

 

When I have multiple values in my columns, like "JAN,FEB,MAR" or “15,84,22” , SQL Server just doesn't get it.  It's almost impossible to write SQL statements on tables like that!  If I can manage to get any data out at all, it ends up being a 500 line SELECT statement!!  What is up with that?   And it also takes an act of God to successfully delete a value from those lists.  Why does MS make things so complicated?

 

2. Datatype conversions!

 

What is the deal with data types?  I just use VARCHAR for everything, since that's the only way to avoid stupid error messages when I add data to my tables.  Works great, until I want to get the month of a date or add two numbers -- stupid SQL Server makes me convert() the value first.  How dumb is that?   SQL doesn't know how to add "12" and "5" -- it thinks it's "125" !!!!  To make things even worse, SQL Server gives me errors half the time saying it CAN'T convert!  Uh, you are a computer; you should be able to figure this stuff out.

 

3.  Uh .... Formatting?

 

We've all been there:  You want to right-justify a column in your SELECT -- it cannot be done without jumping through hoops!  Never mind centering, indenting, page numbers, or things like that.  Also, it is really a pain to format dates or round numbers just the way I want.  I can barely write a decent looking report using Query Analyzer, it looks like old MS-DOS text files!  Maybe it's time to move into the 21st century with some support for graphics, colors and fonts, huh Microsoft? 

 

4. Sorting?

 

Half the time my records come back OUT OF ORDER! That’s right, not sorted by anything!  It's a mess.  SQL Server should understand that things should be sorted by lastname/firstname or by date without me having to tell it!  This is supposed to be a smart computer, right?  My users really hate this, because it’s hard to find stuff on their reports.  When they complain, I just tell them, “Hey, maybe if you weren’t so cheap and we had Oracle we wouldn’t have to deal with this Microsoft ‘feature’! ” 

 

To make things even worse, when I do try to sort, SQL Server thinks that “December” comes before “January”, or that “10” is less than “2”! Uh, Mr. Gates, no wonder you never release your products on schedule, you guys have no concept of how a calendar works!

 

5.  The IN() operator never works!

 

This one drives me nuts.  Using IN (@Var) never works right!  I never get back what I want, even though @Var clearly has a nice list of ID’s in it.  And you don't even get an error message!

 

6.  Foreign Keys Constraints !

 

For some reason, in SQL you can only update or add rows to 1 table at a time!  I can do my usual FULL OUTER JOINs with 800 tables together and go nuts with SELECTs all day long, but how about providing that feature for UPDATES and INSERTS!?  Otherwise, how can I have referential integrity?   If table A needs a matching row in table B, then how the heck do I get them in there at the exact same time?  This seems pretty silly to me.  

 

7.  Primary Keys don't work!

 

This drives me nuts.  I have an identity primary key called "ID" on every table, but I still get duplicate data!   I must have 20 different entries for Vermont in my “tblStatesTable” table!  What's the point of primary keys, then?   I hope the next service release fixes this.

 

8.  S-Q-L is S-L-O-W !!!

           

What is the deal with how slow SQL is?  For example, to find all of the data for January in my table, I use

 

            WHERE LTRIM(tblTable.tblTable_colMonthList) LIKE '%JAN%'

 

Pretty standard stuff.  But it takes FOREVER!  And the column is indexed!! Hey, Micro-slow, the index is supposed to make things FASTER you know!

 

9.  Cryptic Error Messages!

 

So, I try to add data to my table and I get this back:

INSERT statement conflicted with COLUMN FOREIGN KEY constraint 'FK_Order_Details_Orders'. The conflict occurred in database 'Northwind', table 'Orders', column 'OrderID'.  The statement has been terminated.

Or I try to write a simple GROUP BY and get:

Column 'orders.OrderID' is invalid in the select list because it is not contained in either an aggregate function or the GROUP BY clause. 

Or sometimes I build some cool dynamic SQL strings, but they don't seem to work and I get:

You are not allowed to truncate the system table 'master..sysobjects'.

Hello? How about some details about what went wrong, not just cryptic mumbo-jumbo that's too long to read.  Hey, Bill Gates, how about spending some of your $$$ making sure SQL Server is bug-free and doesn't generate all these nonsense error messages!   Who has time to interpret all this crap?

 

10.  Table and Column referencing!

 

This one is crazy. OK, we have smart computers, right?  And we have things called variables, right?  We can store anything in these variables, even column and table names.  But this never works:

 

            Select @TableName.@ColumnName from @TableName

 

Makes sense to you, makes sense to me, I don't know why SQL Server cannot figure it out!  How can I get data from 'tblCustomerNumber0121' versus 'tblCustomerNumber0122', or get data for column 'Jan2005', if I cannot use variables here!?  These things must be hard-coded!?   How the heck am I supposed to write reports with user parameters when I am limited to pre-defined table and column names!?  Come on, Micro-stupid, how about some REAL programming features in T-SQL like FULL support for variables! 

 

It's also a real pain to add new data to tables.  INSERT? That never works!  INSERT can't even add a new column to my tables!  How am I supposed to add data for a new month when I don't have that column yet?  Maybe SQL Server 2005 will finally address this. 

 

Filed in: database

Gummi Stick-on CameraPhone FX Lenses (Full Selection Pack)

Gummi Stick-on CameraPhone FX Lenses (Full Selection Pack)

Create unusual and exciting picture effects with Gummi lenses – the stick-on attachments for your camera phone.

These days anyone who's anyone (and quite a few people who aren't) has a camera phone. So if you want to create something a little bit special with yours, the Gummi lens Stick-on CameraPhone FX range is the answer to your prayers. Nothing to do with the jelly bears of the same name, Gummi lenses easily attach to any camera phone with an external camera to create instant special effects, with no need to splash out on a new phone.

The Gummi Lens Full Selection Pack includes six different lenses:

• Kaleidoscope – The person or object being viewed by the camera is transformed into six images; one central image, and five rotating it. Perfect for portrait shots, party images or other close-ups when you want a really different image.
• Stretch – Rotate the outer part of the lens to distort objects by making them thinner or fatter than they actually are, ‘Hall of Mirrors' style. Ideal for comedy portraits of people or pets.
• Vignette – This lens creates a clear focus area, with the surrounding area shown in a soft focus effect. Perfect for unusual portrait or group ‘party' shots.
• Wide Angle – Create a wider field of view to photograph larger scenes; for example group shots, scenery or buildings.
• Macro – Take clear extreme close-up shots. Particularly suitable for shooting small objects, nature shots or taking pictures of detailed areas (fabrics, art etc.)
• Starburst – A unique and eye-catching effect, perfect for party shots. Designed to work in brightly lit situations, it transforms bright light into shooting star style beams.

Gummi lenses couldn't be simpler to use, detach just as easily as they attach, and are completely reusable. There's no easier way to create instant special effects with your camera phone.

Suitable for any camera phone with an external camera.

Filed in: camera

Take Charge of Desktop Integration with Java SE 6

Take Charge of Desktop Integration with Java SE 6

With the release of the Java Standard Edition 6.0 Beta, Java developers no longer need to contend with clamp-on solutions or Java Native Interface (JNI) to make their applications interact with desktop products and features. These desktop-integration features now are part of the core.

by Gautam Shah

March 15, 2006

The latest work-in-progress release of Java Standard Edition (Java SE) version 6.0 (code-named Mustang) offers a smorgasbord of improvements that will change how developers deal with security, JMX, OS files, internationalization, and desktop development in their Java applications. (Read Eric Bruno's article "Java SE 6 First Impressions: A Desktop Winner" to learn all the goodies in store.) Sun Microsystems took a very collaborative approach in developing the specification for this release and it shows. By listening to developers via JSR 270 (the umbrella Java Specification Request for the Java SE 6 release) and releasing the entire Java SE 6 source and binaries beginning in early February 2006, Sun has been able to cull quite a buffet of tantalizing new features.

techyatra.blogspot.com

Filed in: Java

Pulling the plug on standby power | Economist.com

Pulling the plug on standby power | Economist.com:

STRANGE though it seems, a typical microwave oven consumes more electricity powering its digital clock than it does heating food. For while heating food requires more than 100 times as much power as running the clock, most microwave ovens stand idle—in “standby” mode—more than 99% of the time. And they are not alone: many other devices, such as televisions, DVD players, stereos and computers also spend much of their lives in standby mode, collectively consuming a huge amount of energy. Moves are being made around the world to reduce this unnecessary power consumption, called “standby power”.

Filed in: news

'Not Quite Perfect' McDonald's Opens In Illinois Outlet Mall | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

'Not Quite Perfect' McDonald's Opens In Illinois Outlet Mall | The Onion - America's Finest News Source:

"It's true that consistency is part of what makes McDonald's the leader in the fast-food industry, but so is good value," said Brian Landers, manager of the McDonald's outlet. "When customers see the low, low prices, they're more than willing to give our Six-Piece Quarter Pounders and Fish McGriddles a try. The food's a little different at this McDonald's, but it's really very close."

Filed in: deals

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com:

He pre-charged patients 5,250 and 16,000 shekels ($1,125 and $3,430) to increase their height with a Russian-made treatment method. He told the court genitalia enlargements were not performed, despite advertisements that promised them. People who sought to become taller were suspended from the air by their arms and legs, or had their bodies stretched with weights. Others were poked with needles or given food supplements and exercises to perform at home.

Filed in: news

WP: Cookbooks follow new recipe - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com

WP: Cookbooks follow new recipe - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com:

And I thought help desk stories were funny.

At a conference last December, Stephen W. Sanger, chairman and chief executive of General Mills Inc., noted the sad state of culinary affairs and described the kind of e-mails and calls the company gets asking for cooking advice: the person who didn't have any eggs for baking and asked if a peach would do instead, for example; and the man who railed about the fire that resulted when he thought he was following instructions to grease the bottom of the pan -- the outside of the pan.

Filed in: cooking

Dynamic Favicons

Software As She’s Developed - Dynamic Favicons:

Favicons should ideally be easy to manipulate, as easy as manipulating the web page's UI. (Favicons are the little website icons you see in the address bar, browser tabs, etc.) For example, a chat app like Meebo could signal that your buddy's trying to contact you, a mail app like GMail could indicate You Have Mail!

Filed in: ajax

Userscripts.org: fav.icio.us2

Userscripts.org: fav.icio.us2:

The fav.icio.us hack adds the favicon of a site next to it’s bookmark on del.icio.us. It’s rather simplistic – it only bothers to try http://host/favicon.ico, rather than the correct method of parsing the in the header of the page itself, but that would certainly be too expensive. At present, it will remove the image if it doesn’t load, but it may be faster, rendering-wise, to replace it with an inline generic link image. Feedback appreciated. ” John Morton

Filed in: del.icio.us

Java (J2SE 5.0) and C# Comparison

Java (J2SE 5.0) and C# Comparison:

Java (J2SE 5.0) and C# Comparison This is a quick reference guide to highlight some key syntactical differences between Java and C#. This is by no means a complete overview of either language. Hope you find this useful!

Filed in: c# Java

SupersizedMeals.com - Foodstuffs of Epic Proportions

SupersizedMeals.com - Foodstuffs of Epic Proportions

Amazon.com S3 storage service available today

Amazon.com S3 storage service available today

Take a look here

This morning Amazon opened up S3, its new online storage solution for web applications, and now you can store unlimited amounts of data on Amazon servers for US$.15 per gigabyte, paid monthly. S3 was purportedly built to support both Amazon's own internal applications and the external users of the Amazon Web Services platform. That should be proper motivation to build a service that's fast and robust enough for mission critical use, yet flexible enough to support any storage task thrown at it.

Filed in: news

AlphaGrip AG-5 handheld keyboard and mouse : Page 1

AlphaGrip AG-5 handheld keyboard and mouse : Page 1

After lots of research and five revisions, the perfectionists at AlphaGrip finally decided that they had a product worthy of marketing, and they released the long awaited AG-5. Although the AG-5 looks strange and intimidating, it is a unique and highly innovative product that deserves consideration, particularly by mobile computing enthusiasts. The AG-5 interfaces with computers via a single removable USB cable. It uses a simple chord-like keyboarding model and an integrated trackball to provide complete keyboard and mouse functionality in a unique form factor that looks a bit like a console gaming controller.

Filed in: keyboard

My seven favorite myths about Outlook

My seven favorite myths about Outlook:

Anything that has wide use or notoriety eventually develops a degree of mythos attached to it. Myths, urban legends, and rumors often abound. Given that Outlook is one of the most widely used computer applications worldwide, there's no shortage of myths surrounding the product and its behavior. In this article, I'll outline seven of my favorite myths.

Filed in: outlook

TechCrunch � Flickr has some catching up to do

TechCrunch � Flickr has some catching up to do:

Kristopher Tate walked Brian Oberkirch and me through a demo of his zooomr project at a meetro party last week (Kris, who’s 17, works full time at meetro and zooomr is a side project). He launched zooomr on March 1, 2006 after working on it for only three months or so. And what he’s built is a flickr on steroids

Filed in: flickr

Getting to Done: Pimp your Mac Mini - Lifehacker

Getting to Done: Pimp your Mac Mini - Lifehacker:

To truly trick your Mini out you’ll want it hooked up to your TV. There are quite a few newer televisions that can handle the Mini’s DVI out, either directly—as mine does—or via a VGA adapter. I’ve got it hooked up to a 50” Samsung DLP with HD and it looks great.

Filed in: mac

Woman Gets Beer From Her Kitchen Faucet -- Newsday.com

Woman Gets Beer From Her Kitchen Faucet -- Newsday.com:

OSLO, Norway -- It almost seemed like a miracle to Haldis Gundersen when she turned on her kitchen faucet this weekend and found the water had turned into beer. Two flights down, employees and customers at the Big Tower Bar were horrified when water poured out of the beer taps. By an improbable feat of clumsy plumbing, someone at the bar in Kristiandsund, western Norway, had accidentally hooked the beer hoses to the water pipes for Gundersen's apartment. "We had settled down for a cozy Saturday evening, had a nice dinner, and I was just going to clean up a little," Gundersen, 50, told The Associated Press by telephone Monday. "I turned on the kitchen faucet and beer came out."

Filed in: beer

|MG| - K-Lite Codec Pack Full 2.71

|MG| - K-Lite Codec Pack Full 2.71:

K-Lite Codec Pack is a collection of codecs and related tools. Codec is short for Compressor-Decompressor. Codecs are needed for encoding and decoding (playing) audio and video. This Codec Pack is designed as a user-friendly solution for playing all your movie files. You should be able to play all the popular movie formats and even some rare formats. The K-Lite Codec Pack has a couple of major advantages compared to other codec packs: It it always very up-to-date with the latest versions of the codecs; It is very user-friendly and the installation is fully customizable, meaning that you can install only those components that you really want; It has been very well tested, so that the package doesn't contain any conflicting codecs; It is a very complete package, containing everything you need to play your movies; and has different packages. Full contains even more codecs. It also has encoding support for various formats. This package is for power users and people who do their own encodings.

Filed in: media

Wired News: The Ghost of Gaming Rip-Offs Past

Wired News: The Ghost of Gaming Rip-Offs Past:

Walking past the impressive collection of wrinkled mechanical gypsy fortunetellers and cavorting wooden barbershop quartets, I had a sudden feeling of familiarity. At first I assumed it was just a dim recollection of childhood, when I was regularly beaten by fortunetellers and barbershop quartet singers, but then I recognized it as something more: I realized that every major advance and genre in video gaming is actually a direct rip-off of these early diversions. For example:

Filed in: gaming

LILEKS (James): Institute :: Compu-Promo

LILEKS (James): Institute :: Compu-Promo - Control Data Cyber 70 Bosom-Goggler

From 1971, the Control Data Cyber 70 Bosom-Goggler, which automatically stares at the secretary’s breasts, freeing up the busy executive so he can stare at her legs.

Filed in: fun

The Greatest American Hero TV Show

The Greatest American Hero TV Show: "Ralph Hinkley, a high school teacher, is chosen by aliens to fight evil with superhuman powers via a bright red suit and an instruction manual. Unfortunately Ralph manages to lose the instructions in the middle of nowhere and he's stuck with powers he has no idea to control. Now, with the help of F.B.I. Agent Bill Maxwell and his lawyer girlfriend Pam Davidson, Ralph fights criminals and tries not to get himself killed in the process."

Hardcastle & Mccormick TV Show

Hardcastle & Mccormick TV Show: "A hard-line judge teams up with a car thief to capture theives who slip through legal loopholes, not to mention the conflicts that arise when it comes."

Product Review: Media Server/Receiver

Product Review: Media Server/Receiver:

You may have seen many UPnP/DLNA Media Server popping up every day. It's hard to find out a comprehensive list, where you may choose one. I'm going to cover most the currently available Media Server in the market. This list will grow as more Media Server will be available in the future. So, please keep visiting this page for constant updates. Media Server can be either categorized as Software based or Hardware based. Software based Media Server can be run on PC mainly on win32, linux or Mac platform. And, hardware based Media Server may run on any NAS (Network Attached Storage) or any specific hardware for delivering media future PVR. Currently, there are more software based Media Server than hardware based, but I guess that will change soon.

Filed in: media

Dada unleashes "Code M" MP3 shoes on an unsuspecting populace - Engadget

Dada unleashes "Code M" MP3 shoes on an unsuspecting populace - Engadget

I don't think ugly is a strong enough word.

We're not even sure what needs to said here. Basically what we have is some shiny "Code M" sneakers from Dada footwear that pump the tunes to the included wireless headphones or out of built-in speakers while you're busy being that baller you are. They charge via USB, sport built-in controls, and yes they are actually a pair of shoes, too. Seriously, what's not to love? Next up for Dada are more "Code M" devices such as a get-fit program for workout data, get-smart for taking your calls (with your shoe mind you -- get it? Get Smart? No? Ah, never mind.) and a whole slew of other devices to keep you in style and feeling great about your 21st Century lifestyle.

Filed in: mp3

The Modoofree Car Kit: Bluetooth handsfree clip-on rearview mirror with Parking Sensors

The Mirror Has Eyes: The Modoofree Car Kit, With Parking Sensors - Jalopnik:

apparently the ModooFree Plus BT with 4 sensors is $249 +$10 shipping at this place. That's not a bad deal considering BMW charges extra $100/sensor to have them painted to match the body color. I like the idea of having bluetooth in the rearview, that's cool.

Drivers of many large, luxury SUVs are already familiar with the beckonings of parking sensors. Get too close to a parked car, and the bastard chatters away like a sparrow caught in a basement meth lab. Now, a new, aftermarket solution offers that kind of backseat driving action on any car. It’s the Modoofree PLUS kit, which includes a Bluetooth-enabled rear-view mirror and a set of parking sensors that can be attached to a car’s bumper. Mobile phone features include a speakerphone with noise and echo-suppression filter, and a display of a caller’s number on the mirror. The display also indicates the car’s distance from obstacles, which may prevent accidents, but won’t prevent the onset of in-car buzzer madness.

Filed in: gadget

New Tivo Price Plans - No More Lifetime - TiVo Community

New Tivo Price Plans - No More Lifetime - TiVo Community:

New Bundled Offering, Flexible Pricing and Service Commitments Will Simplify Offering for Consumers

Mar 08, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVR), today announced new, simplified pricing plans that will make it easier for consumers to add TiVo to their home entertainment experience. For the first-time ever, through TiVo's direct sales channel, customers will be able to bundle together the purchase of their TiVo(R) 80-hour Series2(R) box and service at an all-in-one price, based on a one-, two-, or three-year commitment. There will be no separate price for the TiVo unit and TiVo(R) service. The specific bundle prices that will be available at www.tivo.com or by calling 1-877-BUY-TIVO are:

• The price for a TiVo box and a one-year service commitment is $19.95 a month or $224 prepaid
• The price for a TiVo box and a two-year service commitment is $18.95 a month or $369 prepaid
• The price for a TiVo box and a three-year service commitment is $16.95 a month or $469 prepaid

TiVo developed these new pricing plans after completing market research among new and existing TiVo subscribers and by conducting extensive testing of the pricing options with randomized group of consumers in the marketplace. The results of the research were overwhelmingly favorable to the bundling together of the TiVo unit and TiVo service. As is the case with subscribing to the TiVo service today, an early cancellation fee will apply if service is terminated prior to the end of the chosen period. In the case of prepaid subscriptions, no refund will be made upon early termination.

"Over the past several months, we have done extensive research on our pricing strategy and distribution model with a focus on finding the simplest and most efficient way to increase sales and drive penetration of the TiVo service among consumers," said Tom Rogers, CEO of TiVo. "After extensive testing and evaluation of various pricing and packaging approaches, we will launch a subscription option that combines the sale of the TiVo service together with the TiVo box. This is great for TiVo subscribers who will now have the ability to get TiVo service with no upfront hardware costs."

As part of the announcement, TiVo is also announcing an update to its service-only options, providing consumers that purchase a TiVo unit at a retail outlet with the option to pre-pay for one-, two-, or three-years of TiVo service. The product lifetime service option will be eliminated next week. With the ability to pre-pay for TiVo service, TiVo is standing by its efforts to deliver choice to its customers and continuing to spread the "TiVo, TV Your Way" message.

"We are committed to providing our customers a great value for their dollar and enhancing our ability to add subscribers through more flexible pricing options," said Mr. Rogers.

The changes to the pricing structure and service-only options will launch next week. The changes will not affect TiVo's current base of subscriptions.

Filed in: tivo

Play Pac-man on your iPod Nano or Video

Ipodmame brings Pac-Man to the iPod Nano and Video - Engadget:

Ipodmame

Now this is a great use of technology

Love it or hate it, you've got to admit that the iPod would certainly be a lot more fun if you could play Pac-Man on it. And now, thanks to the ipodMame project, you can. A subset of the iPodLinux project, iPodMame aims to bring the MAME game emulator to iPods, allowing owners to play classic games on their audio players. Currently, the emulator is confirmed to be able to run Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man on the nano and iPod with video. Other classic games supported by MAME are also supported, so you should be able to play Pengo and -- yes! -- Joust on your iPod.

Filed in: ipod mame games fun

Ben & Jerry's: Ice Cream Pint Lock

Pint Lock:

Pint Lock
This idea came from one of our fans! He wrote us about how he lives in mental turmoil after buying Ben & Jerry's. He was so afraid that his roommates would eat his pint...he couldn't concentrate at work! He suggested we sell our pints in stainless steel, bulletproof containers with a little padlock. While we couldn't actually do THAT, we came up with the Euphori-Lock!

Filed in: gadget

Epica Awards: Evian commercial

Epica Awards

movie

Filed in: fun

SQL Server 2005 Part 3 - High Availability and Scalability Enhancements - Failover Clustering

SQL Server 2005 Part 3 - High Availability and Scalability Enhancements - Failover Clustering:

In the previous article of this series, we started reviewing high availability and scalability enhancements in SQL Server 2005 (based on its recent Beta 2 release) by discussing database mirroring. In this article, we will continue exploring the same area of functionality, shifting our attention to failover clustering. We will also provide comparison of both features, which should help in recognizing the types of scenarios for which each of them is better suited.

Filed in: database

Ballerina Dad: My Crazy Diabetes Fundraiser

Ballerina Dad: My Crazy Diabetes Fundraiser:

If I get $500 in pledges for JDRF, I will run the Vancouver Sun Run dressed as a 500 pound ballerina! I'm raising money for the JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION, to help my little 6-year-old ballerina. My daughter, Mikaela, has had diabetes since she was 2. She gets her blood tested 6-8 times every day, and she wears an insulin pump that is attached to her body all the time. And she really likes tiaras, tutus, and pink ballet outfits.

Filed in: fundraiser running ballerina

Bike Direction LAMP with 8 tune Horn (LP3003)

Bike Direction LAMP with 8 tune Horn (LP3003)

Bicycle 7 LED Indication light +Brake light +A Pilot Light + Eight music Horn
It give you to ride bicycle more safe in the dark

-It has seven LED lights with eight pieces music horn
-It has seven very bight LED light including braking light , braking light + a pilot light & a yellow turning light .
-The horn sounds while turning
-it come with all the mounting kit
-use two AA batteries.

Filed in: gadget

LED Throwies

LED Throwies:

Intro LED Throwies Developed by the Graffiti Research Lab a division of the Eyebeam R&D OpenLab, LED Throwies are an inexpensive way to add color to any ferromagnetic surface in your neighborhood. A Throwie consists of a lithium battery, a 10mm diffused LED and a rare-earth magnet taped together. Throw it up high and in quantity to impress your friends and city officials.

Filed in: gadget

Personal Panic Button - Gizmodo

Personal Panic Button - Gizmodo

SKeeper™: Wearable Personal Communicator with Distress Alarm

A New Level of Personal Safety
SKeeper™ has taken PERS (Personal Emergency Response System) and social alarm systems, to the next level. Fitted with a "Safety Call" button and built-in cellular communicator, it can activate a warning signal when needed, enabling wearers to be immediately contacted from any caller or via a secure Web interface, PDA, smart-phone or through a remote monitoring center.

Here’s a great way to keep tabs on Gramps or that little one. It’s called the SKeeper by Tadiran LifeCare, and it’s a wearable personal communicator with distress alarm. With its easy-to-use controls, it lets its wearer immediately contact predefined telephone numbers, such as a relative or emergency services. When the alarm is triggered, the unit can also send text messages to designated e-mail addresses. It can also track location and sound an alarm if its wearer goes outside a designated neighborhood. Plus, it can be remotely programmed from the Web. No pricing yet, but the unit will start shipping in the second quarter of 2006.

Filed in: gadget safety

New Scientist Breaking News - US and Canadian skiers get smart armour

New Scientist Breaking News - US and Canadian skiers get smart armour

The resulting material exhibits a material property called "strain rate sensitivity". Under normal conditions the molecules within the material are weakly bound and can move past each with ease, making the material flexible. But the shock of sudden deformation causes the chemical bonds to strengthen and the moving molecules to lock, turning the material into a more solid, protective shield.

In laboratory testing, d3o-guards provided as much protection as most conventional protective materials, its makers claim. But Phil Green, research director at d3o Labs, says it is difficult to precisely measure the material's properties because the hardening effect only last as long as the impact itself.

However, Green believes it may be possible to alter the properties of d3o for new impact-protection and anti-trauma applications. "There are certainly opportunities to dabble with the chemistry and enhance the effect," he told New Scientist.

Another potential application may be sound-proofing. The propagation of sound waves should generate a similar strain to an impact, so it may be feasible to create a material that becomes more sound proof in response to increasing noise. "It could have some very interesting, unexplored properties," Green says.

Filed in: gadget

Telus V3c Customization Guide

Telus V3c Customization Guide

Seem editing on the v3c can allow you to change some of the programming of the phone. The currently discovered seems are listed below:

To enable the keylock on the phone, the ability to put clr and * to lock all the keys on the phone (including the outside buttons) you need to set seem 2742 offset 29 bit 1.

To enable to option to have no sound while taking pictures you need to set seem 2742 offset 005e bit 6.

You can edit the outside LCD while in use message (from Telus) by editing seem 2771 rec 1 length 30.

Filed in: v3c motorola cellular

JetBrains: ReSharper Early Access Program

Home - JetBrains.net:

JetBrains Resharper is a Visual Studio .NET add-in that brings intelligent C# code editing and coding assistance features to VS.NET. By intelligent features we mean usage search, powerful refactorings, smart type completion, using assistant and more. In brief, ReSharper truly understands C# code !

Filed in: c# programming

I, Cringely: Stupid Net Tricks - Congress Thinks It Can Force Technical Changes on the Internet, but Congress Is Wrong

I, Cringely: Stupid Net Tricks - Congress Thinks It Can Force Technical Changes on the Internet, but Congress Is Wrong

When this column began in the spring of 1997, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was a new law that had changed how communication services were provided in the United States, reflecting the new possibilities of what was then popularly called the Information Super Highway. Nine years later, Congress is now in the throes of rewriting that same law to reflect new realities and lessons learned, with the result that there is a lot of jostling for political position. Telephone and cable TV companies find themselves, this time, on the same side of the discussion, pushing Quality of Service arguments they say are necessary for their own survival. Companies like Google and Yahoo, Amazon and eBay -- companies that exist solely in cyberspace as corporate citizens of these same networks -- say that what the telcos and cable companies propose will hurt their businesses and business in general. Some techies worry that a counter-reformation of sorts is taking place that will literally destroy the Internet, taking with it some or all of the gains that people have made through broader and easier communication.

Filed in: blog

EarThumps - Griffin Technology

EarThumps - Griffin Technology

Reviews:

http://www.atpm.com/12.01/earthumps.shtml

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/01/11/review_griffin_earthumps/

http://www.akappleug.org/reviews/2006/01/22/earthumps/

EarThumps are earbuds that are designed to isolate your listening experience from outside sound by fitting comfortably inside the ears, to deliver rich, crystal clear audio.

Buying an iPod is an investment worth protecting! ...one that deserves to reach its full audio potential. Griffin EarThumps deliver clean transparent atmospheric highs, and deep bass.

EarThumps increase your iPod listening experience by an order of magnitude and come in either Status Symbol White or Undercover Black, to match the newer iPods.

Filed in: mac audio

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Food (Luther Burger)

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Food (Luther Burger)

I don't think I could put that in my mouth...

Claim: The "Luther Burger," a bacon cheeseburger served on a Krispy Kreme doughnut bun, is a real food named after R&B singer Luther Vandross.

Filed in: food

Top 10 Things All Switchers Should Know at Plastic Bugs

Top 10 Things All Switchers Should Know at Plastic Bugs:

Those Intel-based MacBook Pros and iMacs will soon be in your hands. But before you open those boxes and fire them up, there’s a few things I think you should know.

Filed in: mac

BREAKING NEWS!! Deftone brings lunch

deftone.com - a readiness of things

... 2nd time ever ...

MotoModders > Knowledge Base > Lord Farkward's somewhat 'detailed' n00b guide.

MotoModders > Knowledge Base > Lord Farkward's somewhat 'detailed' n00b guide.:

It has come to my attention that more and more people are trying to start to learn how they can mod their v3's. at the same time, i have also realised that my old n00b guide is becoming more and more outdated as it only answers 20% of the n00b questions. so now i've decided that it's time for me to make another one, a more updated one, one that would hopefully answer 90% of the n00b questions. this n00b guide will contain the following:

Filed in: Cellular Cellular|motorola

Eight Earphones to Sweeten Your Listening Pleasure | DenGuru

Eight Earphones to Sweeten Your Listening Pleasure | DenGuru

The term "earphones" covers a range of products that vary widely in appearance and in technology, so we'll narrow the field down to models that can be used on the go. Even so, there's still a wide range of diversity in that category. There are many different ways of "injecting" sound into a pair of ears; each has its advantages and disadvantages, and is better suited to a particular type of user's tastes and listening habits.

• Introduction
• Acoustic Coupling - An Essential Factor
• Isolation: Good Or Bad?
• Noise Is The Enemy
• Testing And Evaluation Methods
• AKG K26P: Bass! But Too Much?
• Koss PortaPro: Gramps Kicks Up A Fuss
• Koss The Plug: Direct Injection
• Sennheiser PX200: Quality You Can Count On
• Sennheiser PXC250: Higher Quality, Lower Noise
• Sennheiser MX500: Earbuds That Don't Hurt
• Sennheiser MX550: More Of The Same?
• Sony MDR-EX71SL: Ow!
• In Conclusion...

Filed in: headphones audio

Blogger Help : Blogger Hacks

Blogger Help : Blogger Hacks Filed in: Blogger

Ken's Meme Deflector: XBlogThis!: An Extended BlogThis! Button

Ken's Meme Deflector: XBlogThis!: An Extended BlogThis! Button:

If you keep a with Blogger, you have probably come across the BlogThis! button. It is small bit of Javascript that you can add as a button to your bookmark toolbar that generates a post from the text that you have highlighted on a page. If you run a link blog, such as the Meme Deflector, the BlogThis! button can be a huge time saver. Instead of flipping between two browser windows — one with the page that your blogging, and another with the Blogger edit page — while you copy text and links from one to another, BlogThis! generates the post in a single button click.

Technorati tags: Blogger

Amazon.com: LiteWire 20-Feet Red with Battery Pack: Kitchen & Housewares

Amazon.com: LiteWire 20-Feet Red with Battery Pack: Kitchen & Housewares

This holiday season; brighten your home, office, car, and anywhere else your imagination takes you using the latest innovation in design lighting ¿ LiteWire! LiteWire is infinitely flexible, completely portable, and very cool ¿ literally! Available in three lengths and colors, LiteWire can be used to outline windows and cabinets, spell out greetings and names, and line staircases and banisters. It can also be used to decorate indoor plants and trees. LiteWire is a remarkable product that will add a certain glow to your holiday spirit!

Amazon.com: Warmrails Kensington Towel Warmer and Drying Rack, Satin Nickel: Kitchen & Housewares

Amazon.com: Warmrails Kensington Towel Warmer and Drying Rack, Satin Nickel: Kitchen & Housewares

The Kensington is a large wall mount unit. Great for the entire family. Keeps your towels dry, warm and fresh all year long. This will help turn your ordinary bathroom into the ultimate luxury/spa experience. it is designed to run continuously 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week. It's Filatherm dry element is reliable and energy efficient, using about the same power as your average lightbulb. Great for year-round use! Really helps draw moisture away during the hot and humid months. Keeps your towels from smelling musty. Also helps eliminate mold and mildew growth. Quicker heat up time, more effective drying and no worrying about oils/liquids leaking from the unit. Great for drying delicates, hand washables, swimsuits and warming baby blankets and bedding. Product reaches optimum temperature within 30-40 minutes, but you need a good 2-3 hours for the heat to build up in the fibers of the towels. Recommend leaving towels on rack overnight before initial use. Make sure to layer your towels (do not weave throughout the bars). Remember this is a low energy device; your towels will be warm, dry and fresh for each use (towels will not be hot like coming out of a tumble dryer). Plugs into a standard 110-120V outlet. Dimensions 24 1/2"W x 6"D x 39 1/4"H. UL Listed. Basic tools required for installation.

• For Warmrails Customer Service please dial Toll Free 1-877-927-6724.
• Large wall mount unit. Great for the entire family.
• Basic tools required for installation
• Keeps towels dry, warm, and fresh. Great for drying delicates, hand washables and swimwear. Save on unnecessary laundry loads. Great for year-round use!
• 24 1/2-by-6-by-39 1/4-Inches

16 things it's taken me over 40 years to learn

Some Friday humor...

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."
3. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
5. You should not confuse your career with your life.
6. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
7. Never lick a steak knife.
8. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.
9. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.
10. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.
11. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven.
12. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.
13. A person, who is nice to you, but rude to a waiter, is not a nice person. (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.)
14. Your friends love you anyway.
15. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.
16. Thought for the day: Men are like fine wine. They start out as grapes, and it's up to the women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.

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FINAL THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2030, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them

Shunjie's blog : Where is my GetCallbackEventReference

Shunjie's blog : Where is my GetCallbackEventReference:

I was trying out ASP.NET 2.0 Client Callback functionality when I simply cannot get it to work as I cannot find the GetCallbackEventReference method under the Page class. After some searching, I realise that the method is now under ClientScript class. So now instead of having this.GetCallbackEventReference, you will use this.ClientScript.GetCallbackEventReference.

Renu-it Battery Regenerator, Aa, Aaa at Cyberguys.com

Renu-it Battery Regenerator, Aa, Aaa at Cyberguys.com

I wonder if this thing really works. It would take a whole lot of batteries about 50+ to pay this thing off. There is also the matter that it's a seen on TV product and I have a real issue with that since I'm a snob.

The ReNu-IT charger safely and reliably regenerates "dead" alkaline, titanium and rechargeable batteries. With overcharge, overheat and short-circuit protection, the ReNu-IT charger safely brings alkaline batteries back to as much as 95% of their new condition. ReNu-IT also charges standard NiCad and NiMH rechargeable AA and AAA batteries.
CyberGuys

There has never been a viable or practical solution for recycling normal household batteries, until now! The Renu-It Battery Renewer will allow you to save the environment, time and money! RenuIt brings back the life to disposable batteries up to 100 times and enhances new batteries up to 15%! Works on Alkaline, Titanium, RAM, NiCad and NiMH “AA” and “AAA” size batteries. You can even mix sizes and types as you renew up to 4 batteries at once!
SeenOnTV.com

t should be stressed that this process does not recharge the battery. Recharging the battery would mean putting something into it; that “something” is what is used to then generate the power. Renu IT does not put anything of substance into the battery; we just release the potential that is already there.
BB-Shopping.com

New, Delicious Species Discovered | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

New, Delicious Species Discovered | The Onion - America's Finest News Source: "MANAUS, BRAZIL—An international team of scientists conducting research in the Amazon River Basin announced the discovery of a formerly unknown primate species inhabiting a remote jungle area roughly 300 miles from Manaus Monday. According to scientists in Manaus, the new species, Ateles saporis, is 'an amazing biological find' and 'incredibly delectable.'"