Linux.com :: All about Linux swap space

Good article on the Linux swap partition (or file)... concept applies to Windows and Mac as well. Good for people new to PCs and want to go a bit lower than the surface.

Linux.com :: All about Linux swap space

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Linux.com :: All about Linux swap space

Good article on the Linux swap partition (or file)... concept applies to Windows and Mac as well. Good for people new to PCs and want to go a bit lower than the surface.

Linux.com :: All about Linux swap space

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Canadian songwriters propose monetizing P2P in Canada

Thinking outside the box... the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC) is proposing a monthly 5$ "tax" be imposed on every ISP subscriber in Canada for the "Right to Equitable Remuneration for Music File Sharing" -- with out motive for financial gain. To me, this is a license to pirate at a cost of 60$ a year.

It's an interesting view -- though I don't know if the Canadian (or other) record associate would go for it...

Canadian songwriters propose monetizing P2P in Canada


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Mozilla expands in China, inks agreement with Baidu

Baidu is equivalent to China's Google (good if you owned both stocks this year :-)). Looks like Mozilla had inked a sweet deal to include Baidu in Firefox's search bar...

Mozilla expands in China, inks agreement with Baidu

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Microsoft Watch - Vista - What Went Wrong with Windows Vista?

A very well written article on the top 10 challenges that Vista must face. I am particularly fond of the statement similar to: from "wow" to "whoa where's my stuff" to depict the drastic change in many UI components.

Microsoft Watch - Vista - What Went Wrong with Windows Vista?

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Windows Vista Users Hit With 'Purple Screen Of Death' -- Windows Vista -- InformationWeek

Nice -- Microsoft is getting stylish with its crash screens. Welcome to the purple screen of death!

Windows Vista Users Hit With 'Purple Screen Of Death' -- Windows Vista -- InformationWeek

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Top 10 Craziest Star Wars Tattoos - The Force in the Flesh

Pure coolness :-)

Top 10 Craziest Star Wars Tattoos - The Force in the Flesh

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5min - How to Properly Use a Kitchen Knife - Video

Want to chop like a chef? Use this technique :-)

5min - How to Properly Use a Kitchen Knife - Video

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The Fastest Way to Tie a Tie - How to Tie a Tie in less than 10 Seconds - The World's Biggest Show & Tell - life, diy

I really like these cool ways of doing common things differently. Look on Youtube or Google for the "ninja t-shirt folding". :-)

The Fastest Way to Tie a Tie - How to Tie a Tie in less than 10 Seconds - The World's Biggest Show & Tell - life, diy

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SiliconValley.com - Gibson shows new guitar with self-tuning robotics technology

I saw a video of this... pretty cool... must override for the grunge sound :-)

SiliconValley.com - Gibson shows new guitar with self-tuning robotics technology

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David Seah - Compact Calendar

For those of you that like paper-based calendars -- this is a cute one. Allows you to have a full-year small wallet-type of calendar in your pocket.

David Seah - Compact Calendar

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FileForum | Ubuntu 8.04 Alpha 1

Looks like Alpha 1 of Ubuntu 8.04 is available for test... I wouldn't put it on a production box but enjoy!

FileForum | Ubuntu

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First dot com .com ever in the world. symbolics.com cmu.edu purdue.edu rice.edu ucla.edu think.com css.gov mitre.org

Ever wonder which domains were at the forefront of the Internet wave? The wait is over :-)

First dot com .com ever in the world. symbolics.com cmu.edu purdue.edu rice.edu ucla.edu think.com css.gov mitre.org

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Microsoft wireless keyboards crypto cracked | The Register

Wow - these wireless keyboard / mouse combos are all the rage... think of all the information you can capture :-)

Microsoft wireless keyboards crypto cracked | The Register

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Canada steps up criminal background checks at border - Cleveland Metro News – The Latest Breaking News, Photos and Stories from The Plain Dealer

Ouch -- this is a bit harsh. I didn't realize that the Canadian border patrol was so strict... I've always had issues getting into the US from Canada but never the inverse... To quote Jim Carey:

"The man with the rubber glove was surprisingly gentle"

Canada steps up criminal background checks at border - Cleveland Metro News – The Latest Breaking News, Photos and Stories from The Plain Dealer

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The 10 Most Irritatingly Impossible Old-School Video Games | Cracked.com

Talk about nostalgia... Check out these old-school games... the pictures themselves bring back tons of memories (not all good). Many an hour was spent button mashing at these games or trying to time the jump or "fire" just right... makes my eyes misty really... Where are my MAME ROMS?

The 10 Most Irritatingly Impossible Old-School Video Games | Cracked.com

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Microsoft Report on IE Security Draws Mozilla Rebuttal

Mozilla's reply back to Microsoft that "IE is less vulnerable than Firefox". Frankly, it's laughable that Microsoft can publish such rubbish (I like that British word). Microsoft is notorious for 'hiding' patches / fixes and sneaking them into other updates like service packs. They hide behind their opacity and point at Mozilla's transparency as though it was a flaw... As the author states:

"It's something you'd expect from maybe an undergrad," he said. "It's very disappointing to see somebody in a senior security position come out and say that because an organization is more transparent about their bugs and fixing them, they're somehow less secure."

Microsoft Report on IE Security Draws Mozilla Rebuttal

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Tis the season for pomander balls - Slashfood

For me, nothing says the holidays like electronics... uhm I mean the smell of old traditions filling the house. No not Granddad's pull my finger tradition -- silly! The smells of food! My Grandmother often makes "pomander balls" (I didn't know WHAT they were called until I read this post :-)). Basically they are oranges with whole cloves poked into them... I tell you, this magical combination will make the house smell wonderful! Give it a shot -- start a tradition of your own!

Tis the season for pomander balls - Slashfood

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dayofbirth.co.uk

Cute site that lets you find out what happened on they day of your birthday, anniversary etc... Handy if you want to make a personalized card for a spouse, relative or friend...

dayofbirth.co.uk

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Master Your DSLR Camera, Part 2: Manual Mode and More

I suggested part 1 of this "Master your DSLR Camera" series a while back... Well, here is part 2. Many of us are self-professed amateur photographers and we've never taken courses or self-studied photography. Personally, I've done both -- I've rolled my own film and have spent my fair share of time in a real (as opposed to digital) dark room. This tutorial is a good refresher and a good overview of some of the SLR basics (digital or otherwise). Worth the Read! Get a clickin'!!!

Master Your DSLR Camera, Part 2: Manual Mode and More

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Stay At Home Servers

Microsoft is putting together a humoristic advertising campaign to promote its Windows Home Server product. Incidentally, I run this server at home and it's really nice... works very well to keep backups and for VPN over SSL access! Only 1 video here at the time of writing but I suspect there will be many more...

Stay At Home Servers

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n-blue | WL Messenger 9.0 Beta build 9.0.1407.1107

Some early screenshots of Windows Live Messenger 9... some pretty cool features slated: IM spam blocker, sign in from multiple PCs, custom sounds per contact... looking fw to it. They really need spell check and tabbed IM. Getting MessengerPlus! is fine but there's no reason not to have it IN the actual product.

n-blue | WL Messenger 9.0 Beta build 9.0.1407.1107

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BetaNews | TiVo launches in Canada, but without HD

What the Fuddleduddle (reference to Trudeau) TiVo! Canadians are not second class citizens... News flash -- the Loonie is worth more than the Greenback :-)

I guess TiVo has a surplus of non-HD PVRs and wants to dump them north of the border... hmm no thanks. Bell, Rogers and I'm certain that Shaw also provide PVR capabilities so keep your silly boxes - we don't need or want them...

BetaNews | TiVo launches in Canada, but without HD

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Monday Inspiration: User Experience Of The Future | Design Showcase, Monday Inspiration | Smashing Magazine

We've all heard of the multi-touch interface of the iPhone and Microsoft Surface. Here are some more examples of really nice looking interfaces that provide amazing End User Experiences:

Monday Inspiration: User Experience Of The Future | Design Showcase, Monday Inspiration | Smashing Magazine

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Top ten terrible tech products - Crave at CNET.co.uk

Blasts from the past such as the Apple puck mouse :-) Number 10 is Vista... ouch.

I've been posting lots of negative Vista articles here lately... Vista is a good OS -- I firmly believe it is an improvement on XP from a security perspective. The problem I have is that it is very bloated and bulky. The graphical 'improvements' are really not significant - especially when you consider the hardware required to enable the Aero Glass interface...

Top ten terrible tech products - Crave at CNET.co.uk

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Windows XP outshines Vista in benchmarking test - ZDNet UK

Wow -- this is a bit of arrogance from MSFT's side -- "The world wasn't 100 percent ready for Windows Vista". So it's the World's fault that the vastly bloated OS cripples even modern hardware...

Anyhow -- bottom line on this good article is that XP SP3 is twice as fast as Vista (with or without SP1).

Windows XP outshines Vista in benchmarking test - ZDNet UK

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mediabistro.com: FishbowlNY

BAM -- you're outta here...

Seems Emeril Lagasse has parted ways with the Food Network... I guess they couldn't pay him what the toothpaste companies were paying him. I still don't get the correlation between him and toothpaste (garlic breath maybe?)...

mediabistro.com: FishbowlNY

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Google Plans Service to Store Users' Data - WSJ.com

The topic of "GDrive" or Google Drive has been around for years. A place where users can store all (yeah right) their data in the "Google Cloud" of mass storage. There have been many companies that have tried this model in the past -- many have failed but some have survived (Xdrive).

Some clever folks have even devised a way to map unused storage from your gmail account into your Windows OS so that it appears as a separate drive. I've used this method for backups of my resume etc... and it works quite well.

The pricing model (or advertising model in this case) remains to be shared with the public but you can stand assured that Google will make something that will be free (and adequate for most) and will have an up-sell component to it (ex Picassa storage). Will it be ad-driven? That remains to be seen...

Google Plans Service to Store Users' Data - WSJ.com

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Web Traffic Snarls Sites on Black Friday

Happy Cyber Monday!

It seems that many people bucked the trend of lining up at Wal-Mart at 4AM to get a deal and decided to sip their coffees and eat left-over Turkey while shopping on-line last Friday. Black Friday seemed to have been a success at some of the brick and mortar shops as well as the online stores (like Victoria Secret - I wonder if the buyers were mostly male or female - I digress)...

It seems that today -- Cyber Monday -- will be a day where MANY people will be doing some shopping online -- nearly 1/3 of the US population in fact... and MANY will do so at work! Wait, listen, can you hear productivity declining as the clicks increase at Victoria's Secret? How do you explain that picture of the woman in panties on your screen to your boss?

Web Traffic Snarls Sites on Black Friday

"National Retail Federation on Sunday predicted that Monday will show a sharp increase, with '72 million consumers planning to shop online from home or at work tomorrow, up from 60.7 million in 2006 and 59.0 million in 2005.' The NRF survey found that 31.9 percent of adults will shop on Cyber Monday, up 17.3 percent over last year."

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Desktop Linux on the rise, Linux Foundation reports

The annual desktop Linux survey doesn't officially come out until next week but this preview is very interesting... on many fronts: The number of people who took the time to respond to the survey has doubled (to 20K), the level of confidence in the Linux environment and the biggest gripe over hardware support is no longer Wi-Fi :-) it's now printers... This last point is quite a milestone!

Great read -- looking forward to the full analysis.

Desktop Linux on the rise, Linux Foundation reports

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Skype encryption stumps German police - Yahoo! News

I found this a strange article... The German police don't seem interested in deciphering certain calls... If it was the US police, they'd be raiding Skype headquarters! Maybe it's the conspiracy theorist in me but this sounds like the setup of a honeypot... Any bad-guy reading this would naturally flock to Skype to "do their business" - I suspect the German police know how to unscramble the Skype and are looking for some "quick wins".

Skype encryption stumps German police - Yahoo! News

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Black Friday deal roundup - Engadget

Geeky tech roundup! Buy soon and buy often!

Black Friday deal roundup - Engadget

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Black Friday retail coverage -- straight from my laptop to you - BloggingStocks

Happy Black Friday! ...

Here are some deals you might be interested in while you line up at various stores today to save some moulah...

Black Friday retail coverage -- straight from my laptop to you - BloggingStocks

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» Memory test - Firefox 2.0.0.9 vs Firefox 3.0 b 1 | Hardware 2.0 | ZDNet.com

Many of us are huge fans of Firefox... One issue that has plagued us for as long as I can remember is that our precious fox likes to eat RAM. The more pages you open he more it eats (naturally) but it doesn't seem to give much back when you're done (and keep the browser open). Here's a link so some promising results for Firefox 3.0 b1:

» Memory test - Firefox 2.0.0.9 vs Firefox 3.0 b 1 | Hardware 2.0 | ZDNet.com

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YouTube could kill internet by 2010 News - PC Advisor

Good post about our growing and seemingly insatiable appetite for bandwidth. Teens and adults alike are contributing to the YouTube generation. This is obviously good for the geeks among us -- ISPs will need to increase bandwidth and capacity to give us bigger, faster and better connections (but at what cost?).

Companies such as Level 3 Communications (LVLT) should profit (for a change) over the next few years as this trend continues to manifest itself.

YouTube could kill internet by 2010 News - PC Advisor

Disclosure: Long LVLT

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Sysinternals Suite

If you're an IT geek that runs Windows -- you know about Sysinternals (if not, shame on your -- get learnin'). The tools are now available as a "suite" -- simply a ZIP that has the lot of tools in it. Pick it up -- it's amazing how much use you'll get out of it!

Sysinternals Suite

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First look at Firefox 3.0b1: fast, stable, and full of new features

As always -- Ars Technica provides a comprehensive review -- this time of Firefox 3.0 b1. I need to load this up on my Linux box -- it sounds VERY promising... I seriously don't know why people still use IE on Windows...

First look at Firefox 3.0b1: fast, stable, and full of new features

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Canadian report finds P2P might sell more CDs, CRIA sponsors objection

Goes to show how strong the lobbyists are... The government does a survey -- the industry doesn't like the results so they pull people from around the world to try and debunk it. Face it folks -- digital media is here to stay and you've got to give a little to get a little.

Canadian report finds P2P might sell more CDs, CRIA sponsors objection

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Port 25 : Technical Analysis: Recovering Data from Windows systems by using Linux

Pick up the PDF in this article -- gives a step by step to recover data from an unresponsive Windows PC (applies to any PC really).

Port 25 : Technical Analysis: Recovering Data from Windows systems by using Linux

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Catch a Glimpse of Firefox 3's Sleek, Sexy New Digs | Compiler from Wired.com

Beta 1 of Firefox 3 was released today -- it does not have the expected face lift yet. Here is a little preview of some of the aesthetics to expect in the next release of Firefox.

Catch a Glimpse of Firefox 3's Sleek, Sexy New Digs | Compiler from Wired.com

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BetaNews | Microsoft misjudges demand for new Zunes

Ooops -- MSFT thought they would sell much more flash-based Zunes... Seems the shelves are "well" stocked if you're interested.

BetaNews | Microsoft misjudges demand for new Zunes

Disclosure: I heart my iPod Touch

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Microsoft struggling to convince about Vista - Computerworld UK - The Voice of IT Management

90% of IT pros have concerns around migrating to Vista. There is always some resistance to change but this is a bit extreme!

Microsoft struggling to convince about Vista - Computerworld UK - The Voice of IT Management

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Visual Studio 2008

To all of your Windows bit pushers -- Microsoft has just released Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5. The express editions are also available.

Visual Studio 2008

Happy coding!

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Master Your DSLR Camera, Part 1: Program Mode

So you've taken the plunge and you've dropped some serious coin for a DSLR (or maybe you have a point and shoot) and want to learn more about the theory of taking good pics. This is a really good article that explains some of the features (in this case on a Nikon but the theory is the same for all cameras) available in "Program" mode. Runs through concepts on: Flash, ISO and White Balance.

I'm looking forward to the next part in this series!

Master Your DSLR Camera, Part 1: Program Mode

Get shootin'!

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How to Shoot in Direct Sunlight

11 Good tips on how to shoot when the light source is behind your subject.

How to Shoot in Direct Sunlight

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How-To: Find files on your computer with find | Debian/Ubuntu Tips & Tricks

Finding files in *nix has often been intimidating to those afraid of the CLI (Command Line Interface). This is a user-friendly view with examples on some of the basics that will get you going in exploring his powerful command.

How-To: Find files on your computer with find | Debian/Ubuntu Tips & Tricks

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Canonical to Provide Optimized Ubuntu OS Layer for VMware Virtual Appliances | Ubuntu

This is a cool offering from Canonical (commercial sponsor of Ubuntu). JeOS is a light-weight edition of Ubuntu that would be very handy to use in a virtualized ecosystem.

Canonical to Provide Optimized Ubuntu OS Layer for VMware Virtual Appliances | Ubuntu

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Microsoft Watch - Vista - IT Pros: If Not Vista, Maybe Macintosh

I'm posting this because I think the general sentiment expressed is more important that the title. I don't think corporations will drop Windows in favor of Mac (though I think the consumer could). Interesting stats in the article... take a look

Microsoft Watch - Vista - IT Pros: If Not Vista, Maybe Macintosh

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Police Charge Man in Movie Camming Crackdown | TorrentFreak

Careful if you're sipping a Double Double (slang for 2 cream & 2 sugar in a Tim Horton's coffee) in a Canadian movie theater and recording the feature ;-) Eyes might be watching!

Police Charge Man in Movie Camming Crackdown | TorrentFreak

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Download details: Vista Shutdown GDR

I use Vista for work -- if you're like me, you ABHOR waiting for a system to shutdown. I'm OK with it being slightly slower than flipping a light switch but NOT 2 minutes! This fix might help out -- I'll be installing it later today.

Download details: Vista Shutdown

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Change the default Command Prompt directory

Great tip for all of us command line junkies -- set your default start path in CMD. Technically, you can run anything with this tip... maybe even launch a script or three ;-)

Change the default Command Prompt directory

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PC World - Vista's Biggest Problem Remains Windows XP, Survey Says

XP is known -- it's relatively solid and it doesn't require 2GB Ram, boat-loads of HDD and a really good video card to give you some eye-candy. Companies have also standardized on the OS over the years... Why mess with a good thing just to say you're running Vista? Linux and Mac OSX are not Vista's competitors in the business world... It's Windows XP!

PC World - Vista's Biggest Problem Remains Windows XP, Survey Says

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Valve hardware survey shows Vista slowly gaining ground with gamers

Profile of a Gamer's PC through Valve's stats. Valve is obviously famous for their Half Life franchise... they have TONS of devoted fans with bleeding edge gear... or do they? Check out this article that runs through some of the highlights and also links to the survey itself...

Valve hardware survey shows Vista slowly gaining ground with gamers

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The Vista Death Watch - Columns by PC Magazine

Excellent article from John C. Dvorak about what he feels went wrong with Vista and how Microsoft can repair the situation -- of course the article is branded with his cranky styled humor as always :-)

The Vista Death Watch - Columns by PC Magazine

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wireless.itworld.com - Apple's new phones lead to iTypos

Having recently purchased an iPod Touch -- I can say that I agree with this article. The iPod / iPhone keyboard is nice but I find it difficult to use -- I have small tree trunks for fingers.

wireless.itworld.com - Apple's new phones lead to iTypos

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Early Adopter Download Of The Day: VMWare Beta 2.0 Adds Vista, Gutsy Gibbon Support

VMWare rocks (the product and the stock ;)). Download, try and enjoy!

Early Adopter Download Of The Day: VMWare Beta 2.0 Adds Vista, Gutsy Gibbon Support

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How to: Configuring conditional window transparency in Compiz

How to setup transparent objects in Compiz -- You can get some pretty trippy effects with this type of configuration.

How to: Configuring conditional window transparency in Compiz

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Change the Source Viewer in IE, Firefox and Opera

Have your favorite text editor (post a comment if you have anything to recommend)? Want to use it to browse web page sources? Here's a good hack to mod your fav browser to use your fav editor :-)

Change the Source Viewer in IE, Firefox and Opera

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Boeing Laser Avenger - Humvee Hunts IEDs and Bombs in Tests - Popular Mechanics

Move over H2 -- here comes something MEANER!!! Pretty cool technology...

Boeing Laser Avenger - Humvee Hunts IEDs and Bombs in Tests - Popular Mechanics

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Slashdot | Wal-Mart's $200 Linux PC Sells Out

Wal-Mart can't keep their $200 Linux machines on the shelf. Critics are giving the machine good reviews -- both from Linux noobs and l33ts alike. Ubuntu runs well on the boxes (of course) -- but don't try Vista on them...

Slashdot | Wal-Mart's $200 Linux PC Sells Out

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Slashdot | MIT Releases the Source of MULTICS, Father of UNIX

Download a piece of computing history :-)

Slashdot | MIT Releases the Source of MULTICS, Father of UNIX

"Extraordinary news for computer scientists and the Open Source community was announced over the weekend, as the source code of the MULTICS operating system (Multiplexed Information and Computing Service), the father of UNIX and all modern OSes, has finally been opened."

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Windows 7 "top feature request list" leaked to the public

Interesting little article about some of the ideas being bounced around for the successor to Vista.

Windows 7 "top feature request list" leaked to the public

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Note to self: Always use the scientific calculator

It seems that the trusty Microsoft calculator (calc) does not respect operator precedence when in standard mode... what a pain -- do like I do -- always use the scientific mode :-). PLUS -- it's geekier!

Note to self: Always use the scientific calculator

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Today @ PC World Hacker Alleges Crack of Upcoming iPod Touch Firmware

I recently picked up an iPod Touch and I <3 it! It's an amazing product! I just wish it had more applications -- especially a Notepad-type of application. I would love to be able to make a few "Notes to self" while out and about... It looks like someone has already cracked the upcoming firmware update...

Today @ PC World Hacker Alleges Crack of Upcoming iPod Touch Firmware

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Les pirates peuvent dormir tranquilles

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is throwing up its hands at Joe User music pirates... They recognize the sheer magnitude of the issue and would rather focus their energies on the larger sites / abusers -- unlike the USA where you can get a 200K$ fine for having a few illegally obtained MP3's on your PC.

Les pirates peuvent dormir tranquilles

English Translation

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Windows Vista Team Blog : TechEd IT Forum Europe, Day 1: Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack

We can expect quite a few announcements this week from the TechEd IT Forum in Barcelona Spain. Looks like MDOP (Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack) has been updated + a re-branding of Softgrid to "Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5".

Windows Vista Team Blog : TechEd IT Forum Europe, Day 1: Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack

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Chocolate pudding is easy to make - Slashfood

The fall is a great time for comfort food... Pudding is up there with stew as comfort food :-) Here's a good recipe for Chocolate pudding *yummy*

Chocolate pudding is easy to make - Slashfood

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We're only Human after all: a review of Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon: Page 1

Good overview of the new Gutsy Gibbon Ubuntu distro... I'm happily running this on my primary home PC... I've just about forgotten about Microsoft at this point...

We're only Human after all: a review of Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon

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The Associated Press: Latest Additive at Gas Pumps: Google

Google maps from your gas station? Makes sense to me -- go to the gas station to ask for directions -- why not just ask the pump :-) It's a manly excuse to get directions... "I'm not lost honey -- I'm just getting gas and looking for a place to eat".

The Associated Press: Latest Additive at Gas Pumps: Google

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BetaNews | Canada's Sympatico Admits to Net Filtering

Grrr -- ISPs can suck sometimes (they often do). It seems that dear Bell Symatico has been limiting bandwidth to P2P protocols... You might get 800++KB/s when pulling something off of download.com but if you're pulling the latest Linux distribution from bittorrent, then you might only get 30KB/s.

Another example of big brother!

BetaNews | Canada's Sympatico Admits to Net Filtering

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HP unveils Windows Home Server systems

HP uncovers their Home Server! I was on the MSFT beta for this product. It is VERY good! Easy to use and setup. I have an RTM copy and will be installing it over my current RC build that I have in production. If you don't have the stomach to setup one of these types of servers using OpenSource Software, then I would certainly recommend you pick up either an HP device or one from another OEM that has signed on with Microsoft.

HP unveils Windows Home Server systems

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Microsoft Watch - Desktop & Mobile - Android: What Are You to Google?

I don't know that I agree with Joe Wilcox on this one... It's some Google bashing for being too similar to Microsoft -- saying that Google is arrogant. I think that Google is trying to do something VERY difficult -- they are trying to sustain neck-breaking growth. How are they doing this? Well, the PC market is a few 100 million a year... the cell phone industry is a few billion a year (unit counts not dollars). Uhm, what's wrong with that?

Microsoft Watch - Desktop & Mobile - Android: What Are You to Google?

Disclosure: I own Google (GOOG) stock.
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Bink.nu | Microsoft IT numbers!

We all know that Microsoft is a big company with deep pockets... check out their IT statistics... WOW!

Bink.nu | Microsoft IT numbers!

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Ubuntu to get visual refresh with Hardy Heron

Discussions on the new look and feel for the next release of Ubuntu... I hope they keep improving on the excellent work they've done so far!

Ubuntu to get visual refresh with Hardy Heron

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BetaNews | Seagate Settles Suit Over 'Gigabyte' Definition

What's in a GB? You might be able to score some cash or maybe some backup services if you've purchased a Seagate drive in the last few years... Seagate is settling a suit over how big is a GB (decimal view or geeky view as a power of 2)

BetaNews | Seagate Settles Suit Over 'Gigabyte' Definition

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[OC]ModShop - Enable Hidden Boot Screen in Windows Vista

Enable the Vista "Aurora" boot screen instead of the stupid Windows 2000 styled Vista bootup screen.

[OC]ModShop - Enable Hidden Boot Screen in Windows Vista

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Canadian Study: Piracy Boosts CD Sales | TorrentFreak

The gist of it is that if you pull down music from the internet, you will be encouraged to buy "cool" music that other people have never heard of.

Canadian Study: Piracy Boosts CD Sales | TorrentFreak

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Make Your Linux Desktop Look Like A Mac - Mac4Lin Project Documentation | HowtoForge - Linux Howtos and Tutorials

Cool step by step walk-through on how to turn your Linux box into a Mac -- at least appearance-wise :-)

Make Your Linux Desktop Look Like A Mac - Mac4Lin Project Documentation | HowtoForge - Linux Howtos and Tutorials

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More gnashing of teeth after Microsoft update brings PCs to a standstill | The Register

I think this is the 3rd time that Microsoft does something like that (that we know of) -- this time, it's pretty bad. It seems they've forced down Windows Desktop Search on several machines - this tool then launches into mass-indexing-mode which obviously has an impact on the user's experience with their systems... OUCH!

More gnashing of teeth after Microsoft update brings PCs to a standstill | The Register

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Companies Add Concierges to Retain Staff: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Back in the good 'ole days before the tech bubble burst, there was a lot of good times and interesting perks. This is very reminiscent of those days but I think large companies might be doing things a bit more responsibly this time...

Companies Add Concierges to Retain Staff: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

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Architect Fantasy » Blog Archive » Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy) Pragmatic Visual Presentation Critique

A very well written article about some of the shortcomings in Ubuntu 7.10... for most, this are not very noticeable but for the long-term user these make sense.

Architect Fantasy » Blog Archive » Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy) Pragmatic Visual Presentation Critique

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Meet Your Future Employee

This is a fascinating article about Generation Y (born 80's to late 90's). You MUST read this if you're in IT... Really good insight into the "new way of thinking".

Meet Your Future Employee

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Wolfram 2,3 Turing Machine Research Prize: News Release

For those of you interested in Computer AI -- you might be interested in this article about the Turing machine :-)

Wolfram 2,3 Turing Machine Research Prize: News Release

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Humans not evolved for IT security - Security - www.itnews.com.au

Short article on how our brains are not setup to assess security risk... fascinating but true.

Humans not evolved for IT security - Security - www.itnews.com.au

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Rico Clusters: An Alternative to Mind Mapping - lifehack.org

I've been a long time fan of mind mapping -- "Rico Clusters" are a variation on the subject. Pretty neat stuff that will help you dump ideas on paper (real or electronic) and then process / filter the output in order to find emerging trends / ideas.

Rico Clusters: An Alternative to Mind Mapping - lifehack.org

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Official Google Blog: Free IMAP for Gmail

This was quite a talked about story today -- You'll now be able to use Thunderbird (or other email client) to access your GMail account via IMAP -- cool stuff!

Official Google Blog: Free IMAP for Gmail

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Neowin.net - Dell No Longer Supports Vista x64...and Other Rants

Poor guy's journey through Dell support... I've had a very similar and painful experience with a monitor I purchased through them last xmas. NEVER AGAIN.

Neowin.net - Dell No Longer Supports Vista x64...and Other Rants

-ZB

IPhone's Security Rivals Windows 95 (No, That's Not Good)

All apps run as root on the iPhone -- oops :-) Hacker heaven anyone? Are we back in 1990 again? Watch out!

IPhone's Security Rivals Windows 95 (No, That's Not Good)

-ZB

How to Taste Wine - wikiHow

Good step by step guide to wine tasting :-) A favorite pass time of mine...

How to Taste Wine - wikiHow

-ZB

» Mozilla banks Google bucks; Builds a portfolio | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

Mozilla (Firefox / Thuderbird etc) made 66.8M USD off of Google adds and other initiatives... wow :-) I barely get a click on this blog :-(

» Mozilla banks Google bucks; Builds a portfolio | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com:

"Mozilla gets 85 percent of its revenue from Google."

-ZB

100 Reasons You'll Be Speechless

OMG -- I laughed out loud in public when I read the title of this page. It is Microsoft marketing so I knew it wasn't a Vista-bashing-fest but that was my first reaction.... entertaining read

From Microsoft -- Vista: 100 Reasons You'll Be Speechless

-ZB

SUPERGUIDE: The Open Source Challenge. How to replace Windows completely with Ubuntu. | APC Magazine

An update to a previous article on cutting the Windows tether...

SUPERGUIDE: The Open Source Challenge. How to replace Windows completely with Ubuntu. | APC Magazine

-ZB

WARNING: device driver updates causing Vista to deactivate | APC Magazine

Really bad end user experience delivered by the Vista Activation "feature"... Change your video card, call Microsoft to allow you to keep using your legal copy of Vista :-(

WARNING: device driver updates causing Vista to deactivate | APC Magazine

-ZB

Vista versus The Gutsy Gibbon - Ubuntu 7.10 >> Mixed Signals >> Rupert Goodwins's Blog at ZDNet UK Community

Great article written by a true geek -- gives a fair assessment of his experience with many different OSes. I totally concur with what he's published... Linux goes out of its way to get out of your way -- Vista goes out of its way to impose its own will...

Vista versus The Gutsy Gibbon - Ubuntu 7.10 >> Mixed Signals >> Rupert Goodwins's Blog at ZDNet UK Community

-ZB

Microsoft finally in "full compliance" with 2004 EU antitrust ruling

Looks like MSFT might have to license some of its IP to competitors... Should be quite interesting to see how this plays out!

Microsoft finally in "full compliance" with 2004 EU antitrust ruling

-ZB

Apple - Mac OS X Leopard - Guided Tour

This video is well worth watching. It's a bit long but really showcases some of the features in the upcoming Leopard release of OS X. Looks a lot like compiz-fusion and AWN on Ubuntu :-)

Apple - Mac OS X Leopard - Guided Tour

-ZB

PC World - Vista Is Still Plagued by Incompatibilities

After 9 months -- still lots of mainstream applications are not compatible with Redmond's latest OS.

PC World - Vista Is Still Plagued by Incompatibilities

-ZB

New Microsoft software takes aims at RIM customers | Tech&Sci | Technology | Reuters.com

Microsoft readies their System Center Mobile Manager product to manage Microsoft Smartphones. Is this a gap in RIM's model?

New Microsoft software takes aims at RIM customers | Tech&Sci | Technology | Reuters.com

-ZB

BetaNews | Experimental 'Functional' Language Emerges from Microsoft Research

Interesting programing language out of Microsoft Research -- a so called F# using mathematical function-like coding to achieve multi-threaded / network-aware apps...

BetaNews | Experimental 'Functional' Language Emerges from Microsoft Research

-ZB

Would-be identity thief finds himself stumped without printer drivers

Uhm -- don't steal an ID creating system and printer then call for support when you can't get it to work... Stupid criminal -- chalk it up to another example of natural selection.

Would-be identity thief finds himself stumped without printer driver

-ZB