Category: technology

Categories
technology

PC World Busts the Biggest PC Myths

PC World Logo
PC World published an article revealing the truth behind some common computer myths. Have you ever wondered:

  • If magnets will damage your data?
  • Does using a cell phone on a plane actually interferes with the navigation and communications systems of the aircraft?
  • If you don’t “eject” a USB device before unplugging it from a PC, will you really screw things up?
  • Do cookies track everything you do on the Internet?
  • What terrible things happen if you turn off your PC without shutting down Windows?
  • Does opting out of spam gets you even more spam?
  • If you don’t periodically run your laptop batteries down to zero, will you lose battery life?

Find out the answer to these questions and more as PC World exposes the myths that waste your time and money.

Categories
Google

Google and Firefox

Google adsense users can now get $1 everytime someone uses a link from their site to download the google toolbar for Firefox. Can you see what I’m saying? It’s time to upgrade to a better browser with the worlds best toolbar! See the side-bar for details.

Categories
Art technology

Youtube Video About the I/O Brush

I’ve heard a little bit about a new video streaming service called YouTube. Apparently you can host your files there and link to them via your blog. Check out this popular video that I have embedded on my page from youtube.com: (you will need the flash player plugin to see the video)

I first saw the I/O brush featured on a rocketboom clip a few weeks ago. Here is some extra information about it:

“[The] I/O Brush is a new drawing tool to explore colors, textures, and movements found in everyday materials by “picking up” and drawing with them. I/O Brush looks like a regular physical paintbrush but has a small video camera with lights and touch sensors embedded inside. Outside of the drawing canvas, the brush can pick up color, texture, and movement of a brushed surface. On the canvas, artists can draw with the special “ink” they just picked up from their immediate environment.”

More information here: http://web.media.mit.edu/~kimiko/iobrush/

Categories
technology

The $100 Laptop

In a previous post I related details of the $100 laptop.

Here is a video from Andy Carvin showing an upclose look at the $100 laptop.

MIT plans to have units ready for shipment by the end of 2006 or early 2007. Manufacturing will begin when 5 to 10 million machines have been ordered and paid for in advance.

Categories
Science technology

GEN H-4 Personal Helicopter

Since it doesn’t look like the flying cars are on their way, what about personal helicopters? $31,000 will buy you the GEN H-4, a modern marvel that can go nearly 100 kph (aprox. 60 mph). See the GEN H-4 demonstration video. (2.6MB wmv)

(via Cooltools)

Categories
Google

Google Reader

Google has launched their new web based RSS feed reader: Google Reader. This will be handy for when I want to show someone something from my RSS feed list but I’m not at home.

Categories
Google

The 1000GB Email Service

If Gmail’s 2+GB of storage isn’t enough for you, check out mailnation’s 1000 GB email service. Wow, 1000 GB! I wonder how hard it would be to back up your hard drive on their servers… but anyway, honestly for me right now, 2GB is plenty.

Categories
technology

The $100 Laptop

100 dollar laptop

A research project at the MIT Media Lab has a plan for getting $100 laptops in the hands of millions of people around the world.

The laptops will have a 500 Mhz CPU, 1 gig of RAM, run on Linux, and will be optionally powered by a hand-crank or traditional power sources.

The goal of the project is to make the low-cost PC idea a grassroots movement that will spread in popularity. Nicholas Negroponte, the co-founder of the Media Lab at MIT, said the idea is that governments will pay roughly $100 for the laptops and will distribute them for free to students.

“This is the most important thing I have ever done in my life,” Negroponte said on Wednesday during a presentation at Technology Review’s Emerging Technologies Conference at MIT. “Reception has been incredible. The idea is simple. It’s an education project, not a laptop project. If we can make education better–particularly primary and secondary schools–it will be a better world.”

(via News.com article)

Categories
Google

One Hundred Gmail Invitations

Google’s Gmail has increased the number of invitations I can give away to 100. It’s not very often that I even gave away any of the 50 I had available before. Do you want a Gmail account? Comment here.

Categories
technology

Google’s Instant Message Software

As I predicted, it looks like Google is about to release it’s own instant messenger program. Look for the announcement tomorrow. Of course I could just be jumping on the rumour bandwagon.

I predict you’ll be able to get it at http://talk.google.com/.

Update: I was right! and it’s online now.