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I would check ebay prices (final selling prices, not mid-auction bids) because I'm surprised you don't think they'd be worth the price of shipping. My experience is that used working laptops have surprisingly high prices because many people know they just need something simple for doing schoolwork etc. I mean, look at this (then again maybe those guys are just crazy - $930!!??). Linux should run great on those laptops. P3's in particular really are not bad computers and might even have a DVD reader.

I treated myself to a brand new one -- black with a USB interface. Got it here:
http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/customizer.html
I'm clicking away right now, it's a beautiful thing.

My vote goes for the Unicomp keyboards. They're mechanical and provides a nice "click". Oh, and their built like a tank. Got mine for about $70

http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/

I paid over $100 for my keyboard and don't regret a penny of it.

http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/en104bl.html

Mmmm, knobs. Mind you, that $480 doesn't go towards any ultra-high-tolerance electronics either. Nope, $480 just for pure wholesome knobby wood.

It is getting harder and harder to find standard built pcs with ps/2; however, I always make sure I get one. No mushy rubber dome with fading sticky keys and too many buttons can ever replace my mid 80's model m space saver.

Before everyone gets excited over 3D porn, I think we should consider existing 3D technology, and how this differs.

Stereographic imagery has existed since before the creation of the camera. 3D cameras have undergone several bouts of popularity. As a child, I remember my grandfather getting out his ancient 3D camera, and my father had a 3D adapter for his regular camera. 3D lenses are now available for digital SLRs, and if you are interested in video, you can even get a box that converts 2D TV to 3D TV in realtime. (Note: CRT TV required. That aside, I've got one, and it works much better than I expected.)

Among the advantages of the system they're describing in the article we're discussing is that it actually has depth information for everything in the image, and using that, it can either be used for measurements or to pick out things in the image at specific depths. It also can be done with one lens, so the 3D image can be rotated while preserving the 3D effect. With conventional stereo imagery, you have to use 2 lenses, and if you turn the camera sideways to take the picture, you can only ever look at it sideways afterward.

In all, I think this new system sound like a great advance and I hope they'll license it cheaply so it can become widely used.

"Also note that they only seem to make keyboards with the PS/2 interface-- not USB."

I'm typing this on a USB "Model M"...

(Actually this one: http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/en104bl.html )

I managed to wreck one a few months ago by spilling a cup of tea into it. I went three weeks on a more modern squishy keyboard before I gave in and ordered a new one.

You can still buy the classic old IBM keyboards from Unicomp, which spun off from Lexmark who made the original AT keyboards when they were a division of IBM. Their store is here:

http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/

I've got a Linux 101-keyboard which places Cntl, Caps-Lock, and ESC in positions which are much more convenient, especially for using emacs. You want the type called "buckling spring", which I think actually has two springs in each key, a weak one for the initial travel, and a much stronger one at the bottom of the keypress motion that gives the classic "touch" or tactile feel. Be aware that their keyboards are seriously heavy-- you want 'em on a desk, not on your lap or anything like that. Also note that they only seem to make keyboards with the PS/2 interface-- not USB.

Well, Unicomp can sell you new keyboards that are extremely close to the old IBM keyboards.

Are you sure you don't have an OpenID? If you have a LiveJournal, you have an OpenID. If you have a Yahoo! account, you have an OpenID. If you have an AOL account, you have an OpenID.

I'm typing this on a "Space saver" with USB connector.

http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/en104bl.html

I've got one of the old IBM keyboards and can tell you the switches and feel are exactly the same though the overall build probably isn't quite so robust (the old IBMs were metal cased).

Well you're in luck-- a company bought the rights and tooling from IBM/Lexmark, and they're still cranking out brand-new Model Ms. They also sell modernized versions with USB and/or Windows keys. I'm typing on this one right now, and I'm happy to say that it feels just like the original IBM beasts.

You can get essentially the same keyboard (with some different layout options, as well) in PS/2 or USB, new, from a company called Unicomp:

Unicomp 104-key keyboard

I guess I've had a different experience-- the only thing I've seen with a USB port is a computer. I've seen cars, planes, clock radios, and a variety of consumer goods with iPod ports.

Or rather, the latest space-saver Model M with Windows keys and USB connector....

http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/en104bl.html

FTW! Mine's supposed to get here Thursday. My work machines have Model Ms (one IBM, one Lexmark) plugged in; the new one's for home use.

Or rather, the latest space-saver Model M with Windows keys and USB connector....

http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/en104bl.html

I do have to say that you really need to just use the new flat Apple keyboard in order to become any good with it.

After that, the keys on a model M (or almost anything else) just seems way too tall and the travel excessive. Not to mention noisy.

I tried one the other day, as the Focus FK-2001 I've been using at home is getting flaky (Backspace tends to get stuck, and the other day the down-arrow key quit working). The flat keys just felt wrong, and there's nowhere near enough travel.

More than that, though, I was concerned about the missing keys (Insert, PrtSc, etc.) and what would happen when using the keyboard under Linux (my Mac mini shares a desk with a Core 2 Quad box that runs Gentoo).

Besides, what's wrong with noisy? Feedback when you press a key is a Good Thing. I use IBM Model Ms at work and considered picking up another one, but the "Windows keys" are useful on a Mac (they get mapped to Open-Apple, which tends to be used frequently for keyboard shortcuts). I ended up ordering one of these earlier...same key mechanism as the Model M, but with the Windows keys added. It's also USB instead of AT, so it'll plug into my KVM without an adapter.

You know, you can still buy Model M keyboards from Unicomp. You want their "Customizer" line. The Das Keyboard is also a good option. It's a little quieter than the Model M, but still gives plenty of feedback. It's also a whole lot lighter than the Model M, which you may or may not like.

John McCarthy's original paper where Lisp is invented: Recursive Functions of Symbolic Expressions and their Computation by Machine. Paul Graham translated it into modern Common Lisp.

yes a google search shows just how hard it can be to find.

It's not like a reputable company such as CDW sells them or anything... I'm one for pulling ideas out of your ass, but come on...

Last year, I bought a used B&W G3 Tower on eBay (~$50). Added two 200GB drives into an external closure (that was something like this). Used OS X 10.4 to do software RAID. Wrote a simple shell script that runs once a day to email me if one of the drives goes bad ($> diskutil checkRAID). I back up files from my XP work laptop as well as my son's MacBook quite easily. And I can still SSH or VNC into the box when I'm not at home.

At some point when the G3 dies (I can connect the enclosure to any Mac running 10.4), I think I'll replace the G3 with a used Mac Mini - it will cut down on the electric bill and save some space, too.

--BTW, Example Linkies: (Std Disclaimer, I have no affiliation blah blah)

o PCI Card: ** (Silicon Image Sil3112ACT144 chipset) -- Should also work in Linux
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?InvtId=VP-9601&cm_mmc=googleproducts-_-Controllers/Adapters-_-SATAControllers-_-VP-9601&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=VP-9601

o eSATA -> SATA Cable
http://cooldrives.stores.yahoo.net/10satsaexca3.html

well, this may not apply to you, as you do not mention the size/number of items to index.

but, for small shops where there is no money to throw at this type of thing, try IBM OmniFind Yahoo! Edition. can't beat the price.

http://omnifind.ibm.yahoo.net/index.php

Take a look at IBM/Yahoo's free (as in beer) enterprise search box. I have had good experiences with it and especially like it's open forum (the ibm developers help out as much as they can).

http://omnifind.ibm.yahoo.net/
http://www.networkcomputing.com/channels/enterpriseapps/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=199905064&pgno=9

Ask and ye shall receive:
http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/mightymouse.html
http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/migmousblac.html
http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/en104wh.html

Can't vouch for any of these, having never tried 'em, but worth a look perhaps.

Ask and ye shall receive:
http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/mightymouse.html
http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/migmousblac.html
http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/en104wh.html

Can't vouch for any of these, having never tried 'em, but worth a look perhaps.

Ask and ye shall receive:
http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/mightymouse.html
http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/migmousblac.html
http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/en104wh.html

Can't vouch for any of these, having never tried 'em, but worth a look perhaps.

It was a hard one to find.

Seems a bit steep for such an old game, but it is quite difficult to come by. more info can be found here of course.

I have run across several good documentary DVDs and video links that are critical of the Federal Reserve. I am not an expert and I have not yet heard from experts on both sides of the issue, so I have not drawn any final conclusions on the issue. What I have heard so far is quite thought provoking and gives me great concern for our financial future. In general I am slightly uncomfortable with conspiracy theories, so I am not sure what to believe. But, in my non-expert opinion, what they say about history and economics makes sense and is probably actually true.

Here are the books, DVDs and video links on the subject that I have run across so far:

• The Money Masters DVD
• Money as Debt DVD
• Money as Debt video link
• The Money Masters DVD
• The Federal Reserve, a discourse by G. Edward Griffin

Also closely related, but written back in 1899 well before the creation of the Federal Reserve is this book:

The Coming Battle

I hope to eventually find a more balanced, unbiased, two sided discussion of the subject by experts on both sides. So far I have only heard from the conspiracy theorists, because the mainstream press has never even mentioned the subject. I try to keep my mind open to what both sides might have to say about the subject. I would also like to hear what an actual economist has to say. Any good links for an opposing view?

By the way, I have not yet actually finished looking at all those DVDs and books yet, but the ones that I have seen were quite interesting. How do I decide what to believe and what not to believe with all this conspiracy stuff, especially when the mainstream press refuses to give an opposing viewpoint or even touch the subject.

Isn't it more likely to have been a BB gun?

http://gun-sword.stores.yahoo.net/kaak47airri.html

I like helmet mounted mirrors like this or this. I've heard the "third eye" mirrors are more fragile than other designs, but their warranty service is excellent... YMMV

Regards,
Ross

My favorite earplugs for concert-going are the Alpine Musicsafe plugs. They have a decently flat attenuation curve, they're fairly low-profile (don't stick out much), and they don't completely kill the sound like safety-oriented plugs do.

There is a serious tendency towards capitalism among the well-to-do peasants. This tendency will become rampant if we in the slightest way neglect political work among the peasants during the co-operative movement and for a very long period after.

The spontaneous forces of capitalism have been steadily growing in the countryside in recent years, with new rich peasants springing up everywhere and many well-to-do middle peasants striving to become rich peasants. On the other hand, many poor peasants are still living in poverty for lack of sufficient means of production, with some in debt and others selling or renting out their land. If this tendency goes unchecked, the polarization in the countryside will inevitably be aggravated day by day. Those peasants who lose their land and those who remain in poverty will complain that we are doing nothing to save them from ruin or to help them overcome their difficulties. Nor will the well-to-do middle peasants who are heading in the capitalist direction be pleased with us, for we shall never be able to satisfy their demands unless we intend to take the capitalist road. Can the worker-peasant alliance continue to stand him in these circumstances? Obviously not! There is no solution to this problem except on a new basis. And that means to bring about, step by step, the socialist transformation of the whole of agriculture simultaneously with the gradual realization of socialist industrialization and the socialist transformation of handicrafts and capitalist industry and commerce; in other words, it means to carry out co-operation and eliminate the rich-peasant economy and the individual economy in the countryside so that all the rural people will become increasingly well off together. We maintain that this is the only way to consolidate the worker-peasant alliance.

Does this sound suspiciously similar to Yahoo!'s Hack Day last year? http://developer.yahoo.net/hackday/

Can be configured and assembled for $840 with HDMI port, Media Center remote, 1GB RAM, Vista Home Premium, internal miniPCI TV tuner, Celeron M 420 (Yonah-based), 40GB hard drive, and DVD burner.

If you don't need the HDMI port (which the Mac mini lacks), you can configure a MP945-VXR for $794 with identical specs (but without HDMI port).

Additional hard drive space should be added via external 3.5" USB or FireWire drives since notebook hard drives suck for DVR purposes.

Can be configured and assembled for $840 with HDMI port, Media Center remote, 1GB RAM, Vista Home Premium, internal miniPCI TV tuner, Celeron M 420 (Yonah-based), 40GB hard drive, and DVD burner.

If you don't need the HDMI port (which the Mac mini lacks), you can configure a MP945-VXR for $794 with identical specs (but without HDMI port).

Additional hard drive space should be added via external 3.5" USB or FireWire drives since notebook hard drives suck for DVR purposes.

I have an older (but not too old) dual G-5 Mac. Nice box, and still very relevent speed/performance-wise.

I found out last year, after purchasing 2 150GB Raptor drives, that the older G-5's don't support the newer SATA drives. You can Google on the subject for more info, but suffice it to say that Raptors & older G-5 Macs are by no means a guaranteed thing. It seems to work for some, but many find it highly unreliable. As it turns out, the Mac chipset doesn't fully support the SATA standard, and thus doesn't support some of the newer drives coming out.

After cursing Steve Jobs and his short-sighted engineers, I stopped staring at my expensive, unusable drives, and did some research, eventually opting to go the eSATA route by purchasing a 4-port Firmtek eSATA card. After all, I'm a Mac owner these days, and historically the mantra of the Mac owners is "If something doesn't work as it should, throw more money at it". And so I did. But it was a good decision to make - This card's pretty amazing, and lets me boot off my Raptors, rather than making me reply on the slower drives inside the Mac. Additionally, you can combine multiple cards to run even more drives, if needed.

I admit that the vendors don't make it easy to get up to speed on eSATA though. Too many offer competing products, with various external connectors and terms (SATA, SATA II, eSATA, external SATA). Some vendors are also selling eSATA to SATA adapters. I appreciate consumers having choices, but would rather see a vendor specialize in one area, rather than trying to sell something for every possible option, when it comes to this kinda stuff.

After settling on a eSATA adapter, I took a quick trip to Cooldrives to get a nice external case, and voila! In my situation, it's allowed me to avoid the upgrade cycle for a few more years by letting me take advantage of the latest in drives, without requiring me to upgrade to a newer, more-compatible Mac. And the performance... Let's just say that my Mac's never been faster.

I bought a Model M in 2004 and another Model M this week fro $60,
      http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/cus101usenon.h tml
IBM keyboard manufacturing went from IBM to Lexmark to Unicomp,
which now manufactures these.
These keyboards even say "Model M" on the back,
although pckeyboards.com doesn't mention "Model M".
Select the "Buckling spring" option and the "PS2 Mini-din" option.
Approaching their main website becomes difficult to identify this keyboard amongst other similar keyboards,
      http://www.pckeyboard.com/customizer.html
from which I chose the "Customizer 101" in
      http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/keyboards.html
They also have "Buckling spring" versions with 104 keys and USB connections.

This was discussed on Slashdot a couple years ago,
      http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/09/21 32257&tid=137&tid=4
and "find" "pckeyboard".

I originally bought this keyboard because, as a Linux user,
I have no need for the Microsoft buttons, which become like graffiti on the keyboard.
I like this particular Model M's lack of Microsoft icons,
its heft, and of course its buckling springs.

I bought a Model M in 2004 and another Model M this week fro $60,
      http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/cus101usenon.h tml
IBM keyboard manufacturing went from IBM to Lexmark to Unicomp,
which now manufactures these.
These keyboards even say "Model M" on the back,
although pckeyboards.com doesn't mention "Model M".
Select the "Buckling spring" option and the "PS2 Mini-din" option.
Approaching their main website becomes difficult to identify this keyboard amongst other similar keyboards,
      http://www.pckeyboard.com/customizer.html
from which I chose the "Customizer 101" in
      http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/keyboards.html
They also have "Buckling spring" versions with 104 keys and USB connections.

This was discussed on Slashdot a couple years ago,
      http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/09/21 32257&tid=137&tid=4
and "find" "pckeyboard".

I originally bought this keyboard because, as a Linux user,
I have no need for the Microsoft buttons, which become like graffiti on the keyboard.
I like this particular Model M's lack of Microsoft icons,
its heft, and of course its buckling springs.

Customizer 101

The value of OS X to Apple is clearly increasing, not decreasing. Selling it off would be stupid. The gap between Windows and OS X may have narrowed a bit with the release of Vista improving the security of the platform, but it is about to get a lot wider again with the coming release of Leopard.

Vista wasn't released, it escaped, leaving a trail of bloody offal all the way back to the Microsoft executive meeting room where they were forced (by the sheer weight of industry analyst, shareholder, and employee skepticism about their ability to deliver *anything*) to jettison many of the interesting features they were shooting for. Vista looks like Mac OS X because Microsoft realized they had to blow some smoke and lay some mirrors about or they were going to get their clock cleaned. Importantly, Vista doesn't lay the foundation for the next decade of computing that Microsoft initially bragged about, and the decade is more than half over.

Vista is clearly a release of desperation. Bill Gates had to lie about Mac security to get any attention for his comments about Vista in the pundit space. He's clearly depressed because all the pundits do these days is ask him about the Macintosh. Senior executives at Microsoft want Macintosh systems. (Senior executives that I know at a surprising number of technology companies are already running Macintosh computers at home, often at work as well, and in a few cases pondering how they can migrate their enterprise).

Compared to the steady forward march of OS X (and iPod) Vista (and Zune) and you see in Vista the software equivalent of a towel applied to a horrible wound. Microsoft's arms are off and, like the Dark Knight of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, they're hopping up and down on one leg taunting an opponent who really isn't even interested in them all that much, having more important things to do, like satisfy customers.

(By the way, You posted AC because you are a troll. Perhaps a paid troll even? Nonetheless, since you were modded up so absurdly high, it seemed a response was in order.)

Which of course leads us to the question if it's unethical to kick The Cheat.

It's actually a California based company called Metafacts. You can buy your own copy for $3600. http://metafacts.stores.yahoo.net/apmaprre.html

You are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but......

The only thing I am really sorry to see significantly cheapened is keyboards. I want the old IBM AT/RS6K, spring-loaded, clicking, cast-iron keyboards back. I'd really like one of the PC/3270 keyboards to use on my MacMini, just to get enough extra programmable keys.

The IdScan Drivers License Scanning Solution:
http://cadandgraphics.stores.yahoo.net/idscanlicen se.html?gclid=CIGBr_r62ogCFQN-VAodpWHDpA

Consider the list of features, especially those bulleted below:

"Let idScan increase productivity and reduce human error by automating the
archiving process. The bus-powered USB device is powerful yet simple to
use. Together, with its versatility, idScan offers the perfect,
comprehensive scanning solution.

-Extract both data and images
-Automatic state detection -- all 50 states!
-Automatic card detection and scanning
-Use the three technologies for verification of ID cards authenticity .
-Capture a full image of the license, or face & signature image only.
***Scan cards directly into sales automation applications or contact
management applications.
***Scan driver licenses directly into Kiosk Leads capture programs, and
other similar data gathering or surveying applications.
***Fully automated scanning process - Allows users to focus on
chain-feeding media into the scanner, while image processing and data
extraction take place automatically in the background.
-Automatic page-feed detection - Launches the scan job immediately upon
the insertion of a document into the scanner.
***Documents image and data are stored locally or exported automatically.
***!!!Extensive export capabilities: export to any other application,
email, FTP and the web
-Image auto alignment - Automatically corrects incorrect card insertion.
-Capable of scanning any photo media including paper photos, ID cards,
checks and even rigid plastic credit cards.
-Data is automatically extracted into appropriate text fields"

Actually the supreme keyswitch technology is electric capacitance such as that found on the Happy Hacking Professional keyboard from Fujitsu. The keyswitch passes between two metal plates to discharge an electic current that signals a key press. No physical contact takes place nor is necessary so you will have the longest, most consistent life and best responsiveness. This is usually backed up by a metal spring technology (such as the IBM Model M) to give tactile feedback.

If the Optimus doesn't use electic capatitance then it hardly deserves to be the "premium" keyboard. Then again I think the whole OLED thing is stupid and keycaps should be blank except for the bumps on F and J (on QWERTY). Print on keycaps is a crutch and the solution isn't to make better print! People just need to learn how to type. Computers should come with blank keycaps and an on-screen keyboard map so people don't get in the habit of looking at the keyboard and instead learn to look at the screen.

If your system still supports PS/2 and you want The Original then I advise looking into getting an older Model M from Clicky Keyboards. I got one of these for about $50. I would get a Customizer from Unicomp if my system only supported USB or I wanted to future proof myself against buying another keyboard in the future. Even then the Happy Hacking Professional is just too tempting.