Microsoft's answer to Google Earth

Subject: General Tech | March 17, 2006 - 11:47 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

It has taken a while for Microsoft to challenge Google head on, but it seems like it is coming soon.  Along with their new search engine, The Inquirer reports on their purchase of a satellite imaging company, Vexel.  There are few details as of yet, but Vexel seems to bring some interesting 3D imagery to the deal.

Happy St.

Someone put my keyboard on their game controller

Subject: General Tech | March 16, 2006 - 03:38 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

Ars Technica is playing with a very odd PC device, the AlphaGrip AG-5 handheld keyboard and mouse.  It combines both a keyboard and mouse in a device that is shaped sort of like a console gamepad.  While it takes a while to learn, they find it is actually usable, check it out.

"Although the peculiar shape and seemingly incomprehensible button placement make the device look

like a haphazard amalgamation of keyboard and gaming hardware, the layout feels relatively

natural right from the start and aft

Shannon Babb of Utah Named Top High School Scientist

Subject: General Tech | March 15, 2006 - 01:28 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 14, 2006 — Intel Corporation today awarded Shannon Babb of Highland, Utah top honors and a $100,000 scholarship in the Intel Science Talent Search.

What kind of A/V cable is that?

Subject: General Tech | March 14, 2006 - 05:42 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

If you have ever been stuck trying to figure out the plethora of A/V cables that are commonly in use today, you are not alone.  eCoustics comes to the rescue, with a handy guide describing all the common connectors you are liekly to come across, so keep it as a handy bookmark.

"Got the Home Theater system connection blues? It's always a bit frustrating to newcomers and

seasoned audio-video enthusiasts alike when you're faced with that array of input and output

connectors.

CeBIT in a day

Subject: General Tech | March 14, 2006 - 11:39 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

R & B Mods only had a day to pack in everything they could about CeBIT.  There are 9 pages of photos that cover almost every area of the show, and give you a great tour.  A warning, if you are still using dial-up, it may take you a day to see their whole tour as well.

"Everyone that has some type of computer interest knows that Cebit is one of the worlds biggest

exhibitions. I had the pleasure to go down to Hannover Germany this year to take a part of this

huge event.

IPTV, coming to the small screen near you

Subject: General Tech | March 13, 2006 - 11:57 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

Sure we have all streamed video over the net using TCP/IP, but webTV with the same technology has never seemed to catch on.  The newest incarnation is IPTV, and Ars Technica can explain how it is supposed to work, and just why the Telco's are interested in broadcasting it.

"IPTV describes a system capable of receiving and displaying a video stream encoded as a series of

Internet Protocol packets. If you've ever watched a video clip on your computer, you've used an

IPTV system in its broadest sense.

Giving an old game a new look

Subject: General Tech | March 10, 2006 - 12:11 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

It has probably been a while since you last played Quake 3, but there are still people who are.  Maybe you aren't impressed that they can only get around 15 fps, and have to turn off some of the lighting effects to get it that high, but what if they were doing it on 24 monitors?  The Inquirer links to pics of that, and a Warcraft 2 setup which shows the entire game map.

"A Bunch of techies at www.plastk.net have been playing around with a 24 monitor display wall and

managed to get a game of Quake Three runn

Intel has plans of domination for 2006

Subject: General Tech | March 10, 2006 - 11:58 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

While AMD has held the performance crown for a while now, Intel has never been out of the game.  At the IDF they revealed the core architectures they hope will regain the speed title for them.  Designtechnica has posted their views on the IDF, and what it is that they took away from it, drop by and see what you missed.

"Clearly, Intel has been in a funk lately. AMD has been hitting them so regularly that the old

Intel Bunny Men are looking more like punching bags than mascots.

Meet America's Brightest Young Scientists at the Intel Science Talent Search

Subject: General Tech | March 9, 2006 - 12:48 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

The Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) is the nation's oldest and most prestigious science competition. Take a glimpse into the future of science in America as 40 of the brightest young scientists assemble in Washington, D.C. to showcase research that examines human audio processing, which can be applied to speech recognition technology and cochlear implants; a study of mosquito-borne equine illnesses; development and optimization of a remotely piloted Micro Air Vehicle; and a new method for determining the age and mass of brown dwarf stars.

If you don't buy it, it won't come

Subject: General Tech | March 9, 2006 - 12:00 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

In an editorial on Malware, PC Mechanic hits on the real solution to spam and adware.  Those pop-ups appear because someone is hoping to make money, and if everyone stops buying from spammers and pop-up ads, they just wouldn't exist.

" "My computer is running really slowly and I'm getting tons of pop-ups." It probably wouldn't be

hyperbole to say that this is the most commonly uttered computer-related comment.

Coming Sooner Than You Think: Intel NextGeneration Enterprise Platforms

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2006 - 11:26 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, San Francisco, March 7, 2006 — Pat Gelsinger, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Digital Enterprise Group, today showed how Intel will deliver superior computing performance and energy efficiency this year while reducing the total cost of IT ownership.

Intel & Microsoft Outline Plans for Advancing Benefits of New Management and Virtualization

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2006 - 11:24 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

NTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, San Francisco, March 7, 2006 — Intel Corporation and Microsoft Corporation today outlined plans to connect computer network management technologies and also to work together to advance promising virtualization technology that will bring businesses new capabilities and cost savings.

In a move to bring unique management benefits to the broad number of users of Microsoft® Systems Management Server 2003 (SMS) for the first time, Intel plans to connect its new Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel®

Intel and Vmware Expand Collaboration to Accelerate Adoption of Virtualization

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2006 - 11:19 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, San Francisco, March 7, 2006 — Intel Corporation and VMware, Inc. today announced a broad collaboration to bring the benefits of virtualization to enterprises and new market segments. In a keynote at the Intel Developer Forum, Intel Senior Vice President Pat Gelsinger and VMware President Diane Greene announced expanded product support and a global joint marketing campaign to increase awareness and adoption of the technology.

S1 and AM2 and F, Sockets galore from AMD

Subject: General Tech | March 7, 2006 - 11:52 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

If you have no clue what the title means, the quick and dirty is, S1 (754 pins) is aimed at notebooks, AM2 (940 pins) is the new desktop socket and F (1207 pins) will be targeted at server applications.  Read a lot more about them at AnandTech.

"The Intel Developer Forum doesn't officially start until later today, but we hit the ground

running with a handful of meetings shortly after landing in San Francisco.

That's not a subwoofer ... this is a subwoofer!

Subject: General Tech | March 6, 2006 - 06:34 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

There is such a thing as a 5 foot tall subwoofer.  You might want to consider getting it before your neighbour does, or you will lose every stereo fight you get into.  If you haven't seen this monster floating around the web yet, head over to Digital Grabber to get the scoop.

"The 60-inch subwoofer absolutely has the capability to produce SPL levels well above 180 dB.

Nut'n'Honey

Subject: General Tech | March 6, 2006 - 12:04 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

Big Bruin reviews the Stealth Switch Desktop Cloaking Device.  It is a USB device with a kind of enhanced ALT-TAB, which hides that important program you were writing when someone comes snooping by and starts shoulder surfing. (Cause that's the only thing you could possibly be hiding, right?)  Read the full review to see if it can get you in even more trouble than you would be without it.

"Maybe the boss walked by as you were playing Solitaire?

Half Life 2 - mods, mods and more mods

Subject: General Tech | March 3, 2006 - 12:00 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

If you thought that Valve did a great job on the engine and physics behind Half Life 2, but got the actual game a little wrong, use the SDK and build your own.  Tech Connect Magazine has assembled over 9 of their favorite mods, so drop by and see if you need to cancel your plans for the weekend.

"Whether Half Life 2 was your favourite or most loathed game of 2004/2005, the promise for

user-created content that the Source engine and Software Development Kit deliver cannot be

Batten down your wireless hatches

Subject: General Tech | March 3, 2006 - 11:47 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged:

Securing your Wireless Network is not very hard, and with this guide from Digital Grabber, it just got even easier.  They take you through all the steps, from encrypting the signal, to changing the routers IP address slightly, to make it harder to find and get into.

"The days of buying a wireless router and just hooking it up without turning on any of the

security features are long gone. Only a fool would leave their network wide open.