Slashdot Mirror

maybe the app runs on the iPod

I was thinking the same thing, because otherwise this is not news. Sadly - and all to frequently around here lately - it looks like the later. Files are not automatically shared out the USB port anymore than they are automatically shared out the ethernet port. The program has to be run from the Windows machine, which presumably will be locked to you. The CNET artical claims you don't need keyboard access, but the consultant's website makes no such claim, frequently comparing the iPod and usb drives interchangebly.

This maverick security guru wrote a program to browse the hard drive and copy files, after you have full access - in other words, after the hard part is conveniently taken care of for you. Lucky for us he crippled the version available for download, otherwise hackers would figure out how to copy files automatically too!

I'd skip the iPod and go with one of these usb sticks. (The 1GB version is the same size.) The guards would have to dig through my wallet thoroughly to find it. With current technology it's ridiculous to think you can't hide or disguise storage devices. You need to lock down and monitor all machines with sensitive data.

Needless to say, I'm unimpressed by this security guy, as I usually am by the ones who try to raise the alarm without an actual new exploit.

If you're serious, travel to Hong Kong, Bangkok, or any other major Asian city with a lax view of copyrights.

You'll be able to start a large collection of many different styles for not very much money. And on top of that you will have traveled around and have a story for all of your watches. The story really makes the watch.

Other than that, try a
Casio Waveceptor (note, doesn't work in New England)
Fossil PDA Watch
USB Watch
YES watch
MP3 watch
Sleep Tracker Watch (too bad it is so ugly)

Tokyo Flash
Nike Watches (always something interesting)

Also, consider pocketwatches. They're rare enough that you get immediate oddball points for using one, but they're common enough that you can find interesting ones.

Yeah, but:

1. Do people who wear binary watches even go to bars?

2. Do foxy chicks ask people with binary watches what time it is? I mean, if you're wearing one of these things in a bar, you're probably also wearing a shirt off of ThinkGeek with some profound saying like "Got root?", a holster containing a graphing calculator, and maybe even this hat, things collectively known as The Foxy Chick Repellant Kit.

3. And even if all you have is the binary watch, and the chick is interested enough to ask what it is, how long will it take for her eyes to glaze over as you try to explain, at which point she walks away?

Of course, this all goes out the windows if she happens to be a geek chick, but if she is, she may already have her own binary watch, so she won't even have to ask you what time it is.

There's the selection of binary watches at ThinkGeek. I personally prefer simple classic analog timepieces, though.

That reminds me a lot of Thinkgeek's Smart Mass Thinking Putty. Any connection ?

And I want to plug a lamp into my powerbook

What's stopping you? Go right ahead!

The actual poem as it was intended...

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/generic/724a/

And for the ladies...

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/ladies/724f/

The actual poem as it was intended...

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/generic/724a/

And for the ladies...

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/ladies/724f/

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
All my base,
Are belong to you!

I don't know what to think.

A later version dedicated to Rob and Kathleen (in 2002) can be found here

You can get that in a T-Shirt these days too. Though to be a bit more geeky the colors are replaced with their hex equivalents.

>> Were you hired in an exciting or interesting way?

Casting couch and a jar of Nutella.

If you're looking for IT people though, you might swap the Nutella for Octane Energy Gel. from ThinkGeek, which "penetrates deep into the skin allowing increased circulation". Whatever that means.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/coder/5e89/

You need one.

I'm thinking they should team up with ThinkGeek and hand out shirts to all those who take advantage of this ruling - http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/frustrations/31fb /

Design for low cost: Things that must be left on must be cheap: That's my rule. Rather than keep all my systems running, I have a low draw laptop that's hooked up to a flat-screen (tested to make sure it doesn't suck power when off). I like to leave a few lights on when we're not here - they're all converted to flourescent. Anything that has to be left on must be cheap.

We've been experimenting with a Kill-a-watt watt-hour meter and have found some interesting energy wasters in the house. The most noteable... my roommate's brand new APC SmartUPS 400 consumes 11 watts whether its on or off (running the battery charger I'd guess, no wonder the batteries die so quickly). Tivo and the TV are responsible for about 800watt/hours per day... but the big killer is the 24cubic foot side by side fridge (purchased by the previous homeowner in 1992) at 2.4kWh per day. Modern fridges are significantly more efficient than even 10 year old models, new models often consume less than 1kwH per day. I am looking to replace the fridge as my next major purchases, simple payback will be 1.5 - 2 years.

Mark

My DT770 Pros have the same effect. I get ~15dB of noise reduction, which lets me enjoy the music at a level compatible with a ringing phone or a speaking coworker. The velvet ear pads are removable and washable, and are extrememly comfortable.

I also make extensive use of my C.H.I.M.P.

-dave

and when will these amazing new devices be available for purchase from ThinkGeek?

Available at http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/accessories/294 0/

ThinkGeek has its C.H.I.M.P., which is basically a convex cubicle mirror. Works well enough:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/accessories/294 0/

So they don't look like teh little rocketship diagram we have grown used to all these years.

Right when I read that, a slashdot ad for the "Power Squid" rendered right next to your comment:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/images/products/front/pow er_squid.jpg

A lot of the choices are available Here!

is BAWLS. It's fruity and delecious, for all your late nite computing needs However, in a pinch, you can't beat good old coffee, and a snack of choco-covered coffee beans.

Shigeru Miyamoto kicks both their asses.

You don't see Gates or Jobs on a tshirt, now do you?

btw, it's my bday (25 years of gaming, baby!) incase anyone wants to do some well-wishing. ;)

What brought Penny-Arcade back into a fun and encouraging resource, ever since hitting low marks around 2002, was to put a Penny-Arcade glossy sticker in my underwear. The logo is positioned right where my asshole would give grease if ever it were encouraged to let go. I recently contracted the Flu and let me tell You that it saved a lot of money in preventing stains in the underwear. After two days of unrelenting vomit, and what little food that goes through the stomach quickly leaving the bowels in an eruption remeniscent of a Boeing 747 jet engine eating a goose in flight, the Penny-Arcade logo precisely adhesed to cover the largest of ejection area; thereby effectually saving hard-earned geek-cash to buy new underwear, and encourage use of that elusive "laundry" mechanism down the street from my card-board box House.

Thankyou Penny-Arcade and their blessed Fruit Fucker of the Loom logo pirated in mass under the asscracks of viral humanity.

As far as X-mas gifts go, I received a DS for X-mas, my roommate received one, his GF received one (not from each other), and my manager received his second (he lost his first). No one I know received a PSP, or if they did, they were not impressed enough to tell anyone ;). Viva Miyamoto!

Hardly hideous, most of us are soothed by it.

I for one have long enjoyed our old green overlords.

My power supplier lends compact power usage meters for about one week (about like this (yes, they seem to have recycled the pun in the dept.-name))
Anyway, more or less coincidentally (/. has got these stories quite often, and I planned on posting about it as soon as I find the right occasion), I have got one pretty much right now. The claims you promote there, about the people with a career in environmental protection, not promoting anti-standby-mode but rather true power-off, seem false just by the existence of this article (and countless others).

So, a few bits of recorded data:
PC PSU ATX "standby": ~2W, an other model: ~7W, an external notebook PSU: ~3W
N64: ~2W (the switch is connected behind the PSU)
TV: ~2W (a very small one)
VGA CRT device: ~8W (it's got a pretty stupid switch that is more common with LCD devices)

Now, the more interesting stuff, but slightly off-topic:

PC, operational, max.: ~97W (~1.2 GHz Duron, Radeon 7200 Series)
PC, operational, max.: ~60W (~466 MHz Celeron, GeForce 2 MX 100/200)
Notebook, operational, w/ display on: ~16W (133 MHz, under "perl -e 'while(1) { }'" ~23W (same method for most other "under loads"), which I am also currently using :) (opera))
CRTs: ~55W (~17", textmode), ~45W (small TV w/ sound), ~70W (~15", older, in text-mode ~60W)
Radio alarm clock, w/ 7-segment LED displays: ~2W (sound makes not really a difference (yes, it does sound horrible))

And yes, I'm quite sure I forgot some interesting things. Also, most PCs draw much more power, because they might use a Pentium 4 CPU, more advanced graphics cards, more fans (the environment of the ~466 MHz device is ~10 degrees Celsius in winter, so the CPU-fan is deactivated by hardware (anyone got thoughts about removing the PSU fan?), and yes, the harddisk is quite "unhappy").

The device also correctly said ~40W for a 40W incandescent bulb (blecch), and I wouldn't know how to design such a device to not be able to cope with quickly changing power needs (quite old models they give out).

One more rumor I've got to eliminate: CRTs don't draw that much power while going on, only for very few seconds quite much (~225W the highest reading, and it can't be more than ~1800W), thereafter the information above applies.

I read your Email.

You could argue that cooking is prior art unless you come up with a unique way to do it like the George Foreman USB iGrill: http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/looflirpa/igrill.sh tml I bought one of these gadgets a year ago and wouldn't be without it. It's really revolutionized cooking.

I'm only recommending Thinkgeek's drive enclosure because you said cost is not an option. Where can I get thinkgeek like stuff in Canada without mad shipping costs? Anyone?

It's only a matter of time before we will be able to buy a porcelain keyboard at thinkgeek.

I worked in a casting facility a while ago where in the dirtiest (ferous dust, etc) locations we used those roll up keyboards. They work great in terms of keeping sediment from getting into the mechanisms, but unfortunately do not survive "typical" use for a normal keyboard for long. The contact points in the keys simply fail. Similar to these guys: (thinkgeek) http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/5a7f/ Scott

So, how long before they come out with a DX1 style keyboard for toilets? http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/77ba/

I could simply line the pockets of my actual wallet with foil

. . . that a commercial RFID shielded wallet will make an appearance on Thinkgeek shortly.

Think Geek has this: http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/77ba/ A keyboard where you can tile the keys however you feel like. It's for gamers but I'm sure you could make it work for your purposes.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/7657/

Hi Saint37 my name is Kristy, my girlfriend and I were surfing Slashdot and were getting all turned on! Now we are having a pillow fight! Go to hornyslashdotgirls at scammers dot com, you'll have to replace at with @ and dot with . because we are too girly to do it! Tee hee!

Hi Saint37 my name is Kristy, my girlfriend and I were surfing Slashdot and were getting all turned on! Now we are having a pillow fight! Go to hornyslashdotgirls at scammers dot com, you'll have to replace at with @ and dot with . because we are too girly to do it! Tee hee!

its 1GB swiss army knife in regular and aluminum also http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/6b3b/

Sorry to say, but your million dollar idea exists.

and they are selling on ThinkGeek of course.

Kind of like this?

I want a phone that's a phone - period! I don't want a phone that's also a (crappy) camera and a (crappy) browser and a (crappy) email client and a (crappy) pda and a (crappy) mp3 player and a (crappy) tv and a (crappy) phone.

Dude! I wish I had the Time to Mod my PC to look like that. Get some USB Gadges An old teletype case mixed with a tractor lazer printer, and a keyboard. A 32 Inch LCD screen in an Old 50s TV case, with some good speakers in it. Joysticks, some Switchs and modify a mechanical mouse with the duel steering wheel action! Dude adminstrating a Linux box with this would be a spectator sport.

Eh, ThinkGeek seems to agree with me. I'd never heard yours before, but the points the same.

"Is there any easy way to measure how much power a machine actually uses?"

Buy a Kill-a-watt from Thinkgeek.

The M stands for Marketing. MTV sells a lifestyle and they're really good at it. Come to think of it, Slashdot's parent company sells a lifestyle too.

From my experience working a crappy entry level tech support position, stuff like cube warfare can make all the difference between hating the customers you're on the phone with, and actually wanting to help them configure Outlook Express (for the 3rd time).

As I moved up in the IT world, and moved through different companies and positions the trusty Nerf Vortex guns came with me. There's always someone who appreciates a good cube shootout as much as I do, wherever I go.

If GTA trains us all to be killers
and everyone Hates Jack

why is he still walking around ?

I'm not sure where the utility in this new keyboard is, but there is already a portable "twiddler"-style keyboard that uses three rows of five keys, plus (from what I can tell) three shift keys, , and . Find it here.

"Das Keyboard" from thinkgeek has all the keys, but no lettering on them. That will force you to think.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/7727/