James Carey's Link Blog on NewsGator Online

Links for 2008-05-15 [del.icio.us]

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Flickr Find: 11,600 horizontal pixels of heaven

Robert Palmer — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:00:00 GMT

What you're looking at is actually nine computers: five Macs, three PCs and one Linux machine. (Check out the Flickr page, to see what's what.) According to its owner, it's all driven with one keyboard and mouse, and switches seamlessly between machines. Incredible.

Thinking about the cable management for this thing makes my head hurt.

[Via Twitter]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

OLPC XO officially gets Windows XP, children of the world to be assimilated

Nilay Patel — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:02:00 GMT

Filed under: Laptops

It's been a controversial decision, but it looks like the OLPC XO has completed its transition from revolutionary education project to just another tiny Windows laptop with a useless keyboard -- albeit one with a pleasantly whimsical design. Yep, it's official: Microsoft and OLPC just put out a joint press release saying that XP-loaded XOs will be available starting in August or September. Users will get all the regular functionality of XP, but Microsoft's spent over a year developing specialized drivers for the XO's various features like e-book mode, the writing pad, and camera. (We're pretty certain that doesn't include mesh networking, but WiFi is supported.) XP is too big for the built-in 1GB flash chip, so it'll come preloaded on a 2GB SD card, leaving just about 1.5GB free total for apps and media. It seems like Microsoft is thrilled about this partnership, but it's a not going to make NickNeg's search for new vision at the top any easier. As for Sugar? You'll still be able to get it, but we have a sinking feeling about its future. Demo video after the break.

Continue reading OLPC XO officially gets Windows XP, children of the world to be assimilated

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Virtual PC 2007 SP1 now available

Virtual PC Guy — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:16:43 GMT

Download:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=28c97d22-6eb8-4a09-a7f7-f6c7a1f000b5&displaylang=en

Release notes:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9f3d3eb5-5e03-4712-999c-e96f91bdf128&displaylang=en

Details:

Virtual PC 2007 SP1 adds support for Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3 as both host and guest operating systems. It also adds support for Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition as a guest operating system.

Cheers,
Ben

More on Windows XP Service Pack 3...

muteam — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:01:00 GMT

We'd like to provide more information and address reports you may have heard about "continuous reboot loops" occurring upon the update to Windows XP SP3.

After investigation, we’ve determined this problem occurs on AMD-based machines with Windows XP images that were originally captured by an OEM on an Intel-based machine. The problem is a registry value, present on images created w/ Intel processors, that causes a driver (intelppm.sys) to load at boot. When intelppm.sys attempts to load on an AMD-based system upon the install of SP3, it causes a blue screen and the continuous reboot. We’re planning to add a filter to prevent Windows Update from offering SP3 to affected systems and are investigating a fix. Any customers affected by this issue should contact Microsoft Customer Support Services for assistance. More information is available in KB88372 and here.

On a related note, we've heard a few questions about SP3’s distribution. To clarify our earlier post, SP3 is currently available as a High Priority update on the Windows Update website. This means that if you go to WU and do an express or custom install - you should see SP3 listed. We’re planning to begin automatic distribution (via AU) of SP3 sometime in early summer.

Hope this is helpful,

-MU Team

jDome Offers Unique Experience To Gamers

Paul Lester — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:06:16 GMT

Gamers are always after that extra edge or a more immersive experience, and a recent brainwave from designer John Nillson claims to offer both.

His jDome increases the field of view of your average game to 180 degrees, offering a far more interactive experience over your average LCD screen.

Peripheral vision can only take you so far, so with the jDome you’ll get a far better view of baddies attempting to sneak up on you and the like.

It works by using a projector to send an image of the screen to the front of the dome, where it’s effectively wrapped around the edges to allow the gamer to look in and around.

Extravagant perhaps, but we think it’s one of the most innovative developments in gaming of recent years, provided it works. Best yet John reckons the product will retail for $125 to $200 provided he receives the proper funding to start mass production.

Check out the Dragon’s Den style demonstration below and work out whether or not ‘I’m out’. – Paul Lester

[jDome]

gaming jDome VR

Download FeedDemon 2.7 - Your Favorite RSS Reader Is Now Faster

Amit Agarwal — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:01:25 GMT

Newsgator has silently released a new version of FeedDemon 2.7.0.0 - the best RSS news reader for Windows.

FeedDemon v2.7 includes several performance improvements as well as bug fixes. An enhancement worth noting is in "Find Feeds" - you can now subscribe to multiple RSS feeds at the same time - see full release notes.

To grab a copy of FeedDemon 2.7, head over to Newsgator.com and click the link that says "Free Download" - the Newsgator site mentions FeedDemon 2.6 as the current version but the installer actually points to v2.7.

Download FeedDemon 2.7 - Your Favorite RSS Reader Is Now Faster - Digital Inspiration | FAQ | RSS

Apple okay with Safari 'carpet bombing' vuln for now

Team Register (webmaster@theregister.co.uk) — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:23:15 GMT

'Eh. Don't expect much from us'

Next time you get nagged to install Apple's Safari browser keep this in mind: The company's security team has dismissed research that shows a simple way miscreants can use the browser to litter an end user's machine with malicious files.…

CBS buys tech news site CNET

Thu, 15 May 2008 13:05:02 GMT

Television company CBS agrees to buy online technology news and entertainment website CNET.

London Games Festival Announced

Thu, 15 May 2008 09:45:00 GMT

Capital to sing to a digital tune this October

Skype 2.7 for Mac Update - We've made it better

Ryan — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:41:43 GMT

In the words of Ron Burgundy - I don’t know how to put this but this version of Skype is kind of a big deal. This latest release is all about those features you may not see, but make a big difference to how you use Skype on your Mac.

Download it now.

We’ve made Skype for Mac smarter in the manner it “just works” as it now supports NAT-PMP and uPnP which means Skype can now ‘talk’ to your internet connection in order to get the best connection, and thus give you the best Skype experience. The other major change we’ve made is something I’ve been looking forward to - it’s for all our friends out there in colleges and dorms the world over or for those of you that must enter a username and password to use the Internet on your Mac. With this version Skype “just works” as it supports “Authenticated Proxies” - so if Safari works for you, so should Skype.

Thanks again for your constant feedback, bug reports and support - it’s meant we’ve been able to fix a bunch of bugs and updated our non-English versions of Skype for Mac. If you wish to read the full technical release notes, check them out over at developer.skype.com.

So please go and download it now, and remember - stay classy.

Houston being overrun by electronics-killing ants

Nilay Patel — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:36:00 GMT

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We'll let you read the hed again -- nope, it's not a joke. Apparently millions of tiny swarming ants called "crazy raspberry ants" are causing quite a ruckus down in Houston after they accidentally arrived on board a cargo ship and started busily invading homes and offices, where they are attracted to electrical equipment. So far they've messed up sewage pumps, cause fire alarms to go haywire, destroyed computers, and taken out at least one gas meter -- and since they're resistant to over-the-counter ant killers and each colony has multiple queens, they're nearly impossible to kill. Worse, those that do die are used by the remaining ants as bridges over pesticide-treated areas. Yep -- that's insanely creepy. Anyone in Houston got any horror stories to share?

[Thanks, David]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Activate the floating dictionary

Caroline Merchiers — Wed, 14 May 2008 07:46:27 GMT

Here’s a useful little tip. OS X actually has a separate dictionary program, other than Dictionary.app, that will quickly give you the definition of a word without leaving the application you are currently working in. Most modern applications support this in OS X, though some older applications may not be able to take advantage of the pop up dictionary. Some of you may be aware of this little gem, and others will probably be pleasantly surprised, just as I was when I found out about it.

OS X Help wouuld like to welcome this feeds official sponsor... Web2 Delight

Read the rest of Activate the floating dictionary (163 words)

Creating a live survey for your site

Inside AdSense Team (noreply@blogger.com) — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:53:00 GMT

Have you ever wanted to poll your website visitors on their interests or ask them for feedback on your site content? Now, using a Google Docs spreadsheet, you can create a simple form, collect responses from your visitors in an online spreadsheet, and publish the results on your website -- in a few easy steps. All of the data will be kept in your secure, password-protected spreadsheet.

Here's how it works:

Create a new spreadsheet, build your survey form, and invite users to fill out the form. You can send out an email to people you'd like to fill out the survey (maybe to a mailing list you have), or generate some HTML code that allows you to embed the survey directly on your web page.

Your visitors won't need to sign in to Google Docs to fill out the form. Responses are automatically added to your spreadsheet, and you can receive notifications by email when submissions occur. You can even keep a closer eye on responses by adding the Google Docs forms gadget to your iGoogle homepage.

Finally, in your spreadsheet, you can create graphs and charts showing the results, and then publish those charts back on your site as gadgets. As the responses trickle in, the published charts will update automatically.

Check out the Google Docs Help Center for more detailed instructions on how to create your own live survey. I hope you'll be better able to get feedback from visitors to your site using this tool.

Posted by Andrew Chang - Google Docs Marketing Manager

Dell's XPS systems resurrected, WSJ is Judas

Thomas Ricker — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:32:00 GMT

Filed under: Desktops

Oops, looks like the Wall Street Journal was getting a bit of ahead of itself calling for the end of Dell's XPS lineup. While Dell will definitely "invest like crazy" in its Alienware brand, XPS systems and indeed, XPS gaming systems "will remain an important part of our gaming product portfolio." There won't be an early phase-out of the XPS brand as reported by the WSJ. So there you have it, Dell XPS, resurrected after just one day in the tomb. Michael Dell truly is a savior.

[Via c|net]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Samsung first on the block with 240Hz LCD prototype, 100% better motion, wavier hair

Richard Lawler — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:11:00 GMT

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

Samsung's ~~harder~~ ~~better~~ faster "blue phase" (not to copy Blu-ray, just named for the color observed during its development) LCD panel is the first to demonstrate image-driving speed of 240Hz, surpassing current twisted nematic, in-plane switching or vertical alignment technology. In the quest for smooth CRT-style motion Samsung follows DLP manufacturers that announced plans to cross the 240Hz barrier at CES by manufacturing a display that aligns its own layers, simplifying manufacturing and ensuring uniform brightness without the need for an overdrive circuit found in today's merely expletive-inducing 120Hz LCDs. Don't expect these to hit shelves before 2011, coming first in TVs "that require high-speed video reproduction" -- like the one you'll buy that has a much bigger number than your next door neighbor's latest HDTV. For now, the only place to see the future is this 15-inch model at the Society for Information Display 2008 show in LA May 18.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Matrox delivers Dual-Link Extio F1240 remote graphics unit

Darren Murph — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:40:00 GMT

Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals

Look, you never know when you'll be 820 feet away from your gorgeous duo of dual-link displays, audio inputs, six USB 2.0 ports and piping hot cup of joe, but Matrox is here to make sure that's never a concern you'll have to sweat. Upping the ante from last year's Extio F1220, the Dual-Link Extio F1240 now plays nice with those swank 30-inchers that are gracing your desk and extends of all the aforesaid parts some 250 meters via a single fiber-optic cable. Better still, the whole thing is fanless, and there's even a mini-Toslink audio port, VGA sockets and stereo audio in / out connectors to boot. Mum's the word on a price for the currently available unit, and just FYI, that whole transfer of coffee thing is totally not recommended.

[Via BIOS]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The German & Iraqi Villages Of England's Salisbury Plain

Wed, 14 May 2008 20:09:49 GMT

I've written before about how the British army trains on the fields around our house, flying big C-130s overhead and operates two fake villages (one "German" and one "Iraqi") for further training. Well, the troops have been busy. Flights keep going over head during the day and night, very low and very exciting. Last night, I grabbed my oldest son (since he can stay up late, you know), and we jumped into the Mini to chase down one of the planes landing nearby, plus so I could finally grab some pics of those villages. Below, some videos and still shots.

Click to continue reading...

ReadAir: Google Reader app built on Adobe AIR

Brad Linder — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Filed under: Internet, Web services, Google, web 2.0

Love Google Reader, but wish there was a desktop version of the RSS reader so you didn't have to open a web browser every time you want read your feeds? ReadAir is an Adobe AIR-based utility that lets you launch Google Reader as a standalone application. Since it's built on AIR, ReadAir runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Currently the program's default skin has an OS X look and feel, but the program will be skinnable in the future.

Overall, ReadAir does a pretty good job of making Google Reader feel like even more of a desktop application than it already does. But there's one major feature missing: keyboard shortcuts. We kept finding ourselves clicking J hoping we could view the next story without grabbing our mouse. But no dice. Future versions of ReadAir will include keyboard shortcuts and the ability to view more than 20 items per feed. And at that point it my actually be worth downloading and using ReadAir. For now it's pretty much a pretty proof of concept.

[via freshAIRapps]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Huge Collection Of RSS Icons

Jeffro — Wed, 14 May 2008 08:20:31 GMT

Malevi4 of Malevi4.wordpress.com has compiled a pretty big list of free to use RSS icons. I can’t read any of the text on the website but I can tell you this, this compilation contains a number of RSS icons I have never seen before. Behold my new favorite!

I just think that image looks awesome. At any rate, if you are looking for some high quality, free to use RSS icons, better click that link up above. The hardest part will be figuring out which ones to use!

Loving Robotic Jellyfish

Thu, 15 May 2008 01:50:09 GMT

One one level, these autonomous robotic jelly fish illuminated the mechanism by which real jellyfish swim. Two kinds have been invented: one type that swims in water and one (shown in the video) that swims in air, via a small helium bladder. The parallels in their motions -- clearly visible in the video -- feel so organic that we immediately assign them life-like adjectives.

I think we are primed to find lifelikeness in machines. E.O. Wilson calls it our biophilia -- our intense attraction to living things. As we design machines to approach the complexity of organisms and mimic their behavior (as these do), we will be very quick to include them in our love.

Isn't it strange we rush to love these bots, but not to the same degree, say, automobile fuel pumps? The pumps are no less complex or capable. These mechanical jellies tell me that when we make artificial intelligences even 1/2 as smart as a dog, we will love it to pieces.

We marvel now at the love some guys have for their cars. This will pale to the strong emotional attachment we should expect to see towards really good automatons. People will cry when they are "turned off." Not just humanoid robots, but the thousands of other organismal bots that we can and will make.

These robotic jelly fish were built by the "automating technics" company Festo, and displayed at a fair in Hannover. Here are the construction details as reported in Design News by which their graceful conduct is unleashed.

Festo uses an electric drive, geared power transmission and linkages to actuate the tentacles. Alternating tension between the two external surfaces creates a wave-like motion that propels the robots through the water or air. Fischer describes the resulting movement as “peristaltic” since the waving tentacles seem to move by something like muscle contractions.

Whether they swim or fly, these two types of jellyfish steer themselves by carefully controlled weight shifts. As Fischer explains, their bodies contain a servo-driven swash plate connected to a four-armed pendulum that changes their center of gravity. “The pendulum shifts their weight, and they move in a new direction,” he says.

(Thanks, Zander.)