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I heard that it is impossible to travel back in time before the time machine was made. He must be one of those worm hole guys. They are everywhere.

NPR has a strange history of alienating people. For example, a snippet on Cory Doctorow's site boingboing from last June, then featured on TechTV's The Screensavers, told a strange story of NPR not allowing people to place an NPR link on their web site:

Examples of such "inappropriate" links include "certain kinds of commercial linking," [an NPR spokesperson] said.

"For example, if Salon.com writes a story about NPR and links to us, that would be fine," because the online magazine wouldn't be using the NPR link for its commercial benefit. "But what wouldn't be fine is if someone sets up a business to link to us and profit from that" -- for example, if someone sets up an online "radio station" whose main content was NPR's programs.

Pretty weird, huh? How exactly would anyone see any "commercial benefit" from letting their readers link to NPR? By that definition, ANYONE could be suspect of profiting from the link.

Wake up, NPR. Now Quicktime? Do you you all just hate the world?

Fact is that as a kid I don't think I would have appreciated the coolness of this. A friend of mine had one of those helicopters that flew in circles, and model rocketry stuff, and I liked it but I thought it was all part of being a kid.

Now I own a Vectron Flying Saucer and a bunch of other cool stuff, and I still play with at much as if I were a kid. But now I realized how awesome it is scientifically, and the fact that things weren't always this cool.

Somehow wanting something for thiry years makes it that much sweeter. Makes me look forward to being eighty.

-------

HOLY xor!

isn't mp3.com and all it's artists owned by universal, now? especially considering it just takes artists and then does not let them apply for termination of contract[meaning Every Artist on Mp3.com is Owned by Universal, as is all their content unless otherwise owned by a label/copyrighted/etc before applying for mp3.com/upload?]...this means I am now owned by Apple!!! on the one hand, i've always been more or less a passive apple computers fan but...OMG! ownership rights it seems of my art is transferred to an even bigger company...-~ i don't know whether this is a good thing or not [large corporate entities buying eachother isn't necessarily a good thing]...on the one hand if Apple is pro-P2P technology, and anti-RIAA enough, mabye they may have enough backbone to start pulling things in some direction other than the one things are currently going..-~ of course...or they can become the next -big-brother-.

i personally hope that this is a good thing for musicians and artists...[empowering musicians with technology == a good thing]...but i'm not yet seeing how this would work...

Universal is bought out by Apple then : further integration between technology and content companies. you become part of the "art" system, you become part of the art system. but who would have thought the company that made this system would buy me and tens of thousands of other artists worldwide through universal...it boggles my mind... obligatory beep beep beep link

Actually I meet a lot of interesting people that way. They're called customers.

The problem isn't open data, it's that we believe the data can be abused and have terrible real-world consequences.

Here are real examples from the Top 10 Police Database Abuses

Cheers, Joel

One at TechTV and another link for some low cost MoBo/Box/Power setups

I found both of these from slashdot...

I for one am never pursuaded by words like "decimating" the competition, but most non-techies love simple, sound-bite type language that makes then sound cool around the water cooler and in the board room.

Maybe the Linux community needs to move away from pure slam speech like "Windows sux" and use more words and phrases like "decimating the competition".

Microsoft does: "knife the baby", "cut off their air supply", and other verbage that relay emotions, not facts.

On December 19, 2002, Tech TV's The Screen Savers aired an episode in which Kevin Rose built a G4 in an ATX case. Most of the parts came from Mac Resq and others. It's an interesting article for anyone who wishes to tackle the project by themselves.

The segment was inspired by an aricle on MacOpz Web Site. I urge all to check it out.

Though this might end up costing a little more, there are benefits: You get to choose your own case (which must be slightly modified), and get the pleasure of building a computer that normally isn't built by anyone except Apple and the pizza box guy.

Actually, the PC case acts as a giant speaker, amplifying the sound of the fans in the PSU (And any other case fans as well). A small, normally un-noticeable imbalance on one of the fan blades would make a little noise. Screw it in tightly to your PC and it starts to make your PC shake as well.
I think a smarter solution then an external PSU would be a Quiet PSU like the Vantec VAN-520a Stealth and mount it using rubber gaskets where the screws go. If you wanted to take it a step further you could build a rubber gasket around the entire PSU itself to reduce any vibrations even more.

My PC is very quiet because of this method. I have 4 case fans + 3 PSU fans and I can't hear any of them for the most part.

Check out this article over at TechTV from The Screen Savers on how to make a Quiet PC

The Screensavers had a recent story on making a quieter machine.

:-)

Check out this link at The ScreenSavers. They had this guy come in talking all about the equipment, software, etc that he used to make 360 degree Panoramic views.

HTH

If you're willing to mutilate your systems and a spare pc tower, you can always build this to save a lot more space than a game station will. I saw it on TechTV one day, and iirc, the guy stuffed a few consoles, including all of the current ones.

Granted, I'd never do this because I love my gamecube too much and dont feel like toasting another motherboard... :|

If you're willing to mutilate your systems and a spare pc tower, you can always build this to save a lot more space than a game station will. I saw it on TechTV one day, and iirc, the guy stuffed a few consoles, including all of the current ones.

Granted, I'd never do this because I love my gamecube too much and dont feel like toasting another motherboard... :|

There are several new devices coming out that do exactly what you want, like the Panasonic DMR-E30S DVD Recorder

...to avoid having to mention that the web browser that sucks so bad is Internet Explorer.

He was quite positive about his experience on the TV show, surprisingly to me given how negative he was on the show at other times about Macs even while he was using it for the past few months. He did gripe about the speed of his iBook. My guess is if he had a faster tower, he'd have griped about the price.

Also, he erroneously states in his review that MacOS X comes with Quicken. It doesn't. His iBook does (and so does the iMac), but if you buy MacOS X retail (or a PowerBook or Power Mac) you won't get Quicken.

He didn't mention Moz or Chimera ...

Yes he did, on page 3 of the article.

With regards to the 3 main peeves:

OS X needs a fast, free Web browser that's stable. The latest beta release of Safari makes big strides in this direction.

Hey, Windows needs a fast, free Web browser that's stable too. Yes, Safari is nice. So is Mozilla. Etcetra. My point is that I sure hope that Patrick wasn't referring to MSIE.

One of the most important applications TechTV uses has no Mac version. Avid iNews basically provides the backbone of our show. Everything about the show is managed using iNews. I finally understand the feelings of Mac users in a world dominated by PCs and Windows.

Can't really comment on this one ... although doesn't Avid make their other software for the Mac platform too? I imagine if there was enough demand, they'd consider making an OS X port.

Later on, he says that the iBook is great and comes with all the software you might need, unless you need something "odd" like iNews. Well, how many Windows laptops come with "all the software you need"? At the least, most people are going to have to purchase MS Office or some equivalent. And how many come with iNews? You're going to have to buy iNews anyway, no matter what platform rocks your boat. His argument is a bit thin.

(And hey, he could always follow his own advice and use VirtualPC.)

For the money, the PowerPC processor needs to speed up or get shipped out.

Depends what you do with your computer, doesn't it? Yeah, the iBook is using a G3. Why didn't you try out a Powerbook? Or an iMac/eMac/G4 tower? And isn't Apple due to move to a new PPC chip this year anyway?

Well, TechTV's Kevin Rose has put CD-ROM sized PCs in Mac 5.25" bays, but that's not quite the easy access to the PC you're looking for.

There's also the i-Tee case from LOPE Computer Co., Ltd. DeviantPC has a review. So far, I only know of SpecialTech and Micro Direct offering them for sale, and they aren't in the US. I'd love to know where to get one this side of the pond. (Directron lists it as a future product.)

The i-Tee has been reported on Slashdot before.

As to your comment about wishing they could put a Mac and PC in the same case, well its been done by mastermind Kevin Rose of the Screensavers! He even used a Samsung SyncMaster 171MP picture-in-picture monitor and a KVM switch that allows you to see and control both on the same screen! Also check out Yoshi's Boxx, with every game sytem you can think of crammed together:

As to your comment about wishing they could put a Mac and PC in the same case, well its been done by mastermind Kevin Rose of the Screensavers! He even used a Samsung SyncMaster 171MP picture-in-picture monitor and a KVM switch that allows you to see and control both on the same screen! Also check out Yoshi's Boxx, with every game sytem you can think of crammed together:

The Monster Machine: G4/PC Hybrid on TechTV? you must be talking about this... :)

Tech TV's show The Screen Savers put a MAC and PC in the same box. It wasn't as cool as I thought it would be, but it worked.

Tech TV's show The Screen Savers put a MAC and PC in the same box. It wasn't as cool as I thought it would be, but it worked.

In other news, I had sex with a donkey.

TechTV already has Serial Experiments: Lain. I was pretty shocked when I was flipping through the channels and I saw it.

It's amazing that totally obtuse anime like Lain and Evangelion are making it to 'mainstream' cable TV now.

How about the Top 10 List of Police Database Abuses?

Cheers, Joel

HD DVD is still in a blue-laser MPEG-2 vs. red-laser MPEG-4 fight, but digital VCRs already exist and do let you record high definition programming.

It's called D-VHS. D-Theater is a standard on top of that that adds tough encryption for distribution of Wacky Jack V.'s movies so they'll be hard to back up.

The limitation of D-VHS in recording is that you're depending on a tuner to give you signals. 8VSB-broadcast-only (OTA or "over the air") tuners may never be DRM-crippled by the proposed broadcast flag, but satellite and combo HD-OTA/sat tuners are subject to nasty firmware upgrades with Digital Restrictions Managed. It's possible that even OTA-only tuners will be upgraded with MPEG private section data, but that reqires cooperation of broadcasters.

There are also OTA-only HD tuner cards for PCs. Whether there are backdoors for "upgrading" the DRM if the broadcast flag flies is left as an exercise (try SoftICE). The streams that at least one of the cards captured are not "in the clear," which gives you an idea of the mfg.'s intentions. There are no open source drivers for any of these cards working yet. The Telemann "independent developer" project for HiPix requires an NDA to get source access. Teralogic who makes the chip on that board has been bought by Oak, BTW.

whose desk consists of an old door on a set of old milk crates. Maybe someday i'll go for the 'real desk' but for now, it works.

This would be quite an upgrade, but I can't imagine sitting there all day like that.
I saw on techtv the other day a desk that had 2 flat panels that hung down in front of you. It wasn't even really a desk... just a really sweet looking computer chair thing. I can't find the link to it, but it was a whole system, and from what I remember it wasn't too expensive. Anyone else know what desk I'm talking about? I'll look for a link...

an article about it

There have been quite a few posts asking about cameras that can see through clothing. One even calling it an April's fools joke. Here is an article about Video Voyeurs from CyberCrime. If I remember correctly the infrared on the cameras work best in bright sunlight looking at tight dark clothing.

Here is the actual interview

I remember hearing that he doesn't even use a computer

A review that does not focus on the lack of English documentation (the most irrelevant thing when discussing a product that as of now, is only released in Japan) sums it up:

The Zaurus SL-C700 is an impressive PDA that departs from more traditional designs. The stellar display, mated with a comprehensive software suite, definitely impressed us and we look forward to production-level units of the C700. Pricing is estimated between $600 and $700, though that may change at the time of release.

Oh, also TechTV occasionally shows reruns.

...can this protocol get you onto the Wired without the need for a computer? Does it lock into the Schumann Resonance of Planet Earth? Have I watched too much Serial Experiments: Lain on TechTV recently?

Why do so many Apple dorks think of themselves as "alpha-geeks"?

I don't know any Apple dorks, so I can't provide any insight into that particular question. However, I can explain that my choice of "alpha-geek" was influenced by O'Reilly's attempts to explain the Mac OS X attraction.

Using BBEdit is not macho, and being attracted to shiny objects is not a sign of intellegence...

Right, because Slashdotters are sooooo macho to begin with :) Intelligent perhaps. But (couldn't resist the self-description as a "Windows dork" just for counterpoint) then again . . .

On a side note, is there any place on the net to download Super Bowl commercials?

Try here

I havent played it. But I took the 5 seconds out of my life to type 'Q*Bert clone' into google.

A bill for my services will be forwarded to your permanent address.

DVD-5 (SS/SL): 4.38 gig (4.7G) of data, over 2 hours of video

DVD-9 (SS/DL): 7.95 gig (8.5G), about 4 hours of video

DVD-10 (DS/SL): 8.75 gig (9.4G), about 4.5 hours of video

DVD-14 (DS/ML): 12.33 gig (13.24G), about 6.5 hours of video

DVD-18 (DS/DL): 15.90 gig (17G), over 8 hours of video

DVD-RAM (SS/SL): 2.40 gig (2.58G)

DVD-RAM (DS/SL): 4.80 gig (5.16G)

As you can see, we'll have to wait a bit more for a solid-state competitor to the DVD...

Cheers,
max

Is Morgan as hot as she looks on TV? No offense to Darci but why don't you social engineer some of that.

Is Morgan as hot as she looks on TV? No offense to Darci but why don't you social engineer some of that.

A quick search on Google News reveals a Register article stating that the city council of San Francisco voted last month to ban the Segway.

How far are we into January, again?

And San Francisco already has a booming bike population, AFAIK (currently dwindling, from what I hear), so it's not too much of a big deal for most of its citizens. Also keep in mind that many other states/cities actually support or allow Segways on their streets.

Amusingly enough, TechTV, the cable channel that often reviews new gadgets, is based in San Francisco. Guess they'll have to review the Segway in some studio.

What? Double jeopardy?

They already won the name fight.

I have a theory that money only helps so much when fighting legally. If both sides have a certain amount, then the side that is right is most likely to win.

Of course, this isn't true if the issue in question matters to the judge or his constituents, but I don't think most judges care much about most software companies.

Well, they just showed a shot of him. Thick black glasses, flat top, blue Star Trek : TOS shirt, no hat.

And oh, the story? I liked it... inconsequential stuff that reminded me a bit of Sterling and his Leggy Starlitz character ("Zeitgeist," anyone?).

The majority of the successful attacks on operating systems come from only a few software vulnerabilities ...

• June 2, 2000 - E-Commerce Times - 'Top 10 List' Reveals Internet Security Flaws"
• October 21, 2001 - Tech TV - FBI Releases List of Top 20 Computer Risks
• Monday, September 30, 2002 - PCWorld/Yahoo - List of Top 20 Software Flaws Due
• October 17, 2002 - SANS/FBI - The Twenty Most Critical Internet Security Vulnerabilities

If we are doing this for sound reasons (pun intended), then you should remove all fans from your computer and submerge the whole computer in hydrofluoroether . Well maybe you want to keep your floppy and CD drives out of it. And it boils at 61 degrees Celsius, so you can visually see if it is getting too hot. TechTV has a story about building a case and sticking your motherboard in it, but no reason why you couldn't do the same for the whole computer.

It would look cool in a fish tank with some fake fish and plants. Plus you could use your aquarium thermometer...

There's a fairly balanced story here if you're interested. (It was the first one I found on Google. It contains links to a number of potentially useful primary sources.) Enjoy.

Gotta love Google ;-)