A while back I would have said that I have three reasons to maintain a Windows computer.
1) iTunes;
2) a couple of games;
3) tax software.
Yes, yes, I know, these things can be done with Wine or an emulator. But really, having the relic Windows machine sitting there has simply bee easier.
Continue reading My windows box inches its way towards …. the window.
I’m going to make an argument that you should buy an Apple iPad despite widespread rumors of hardware problems and despite widespread criticisms of its design as funky and flawed.
And by “you” I mean yooz guyz who are skeptics.
Continue reading The iPad and Skeptical Computing
A couple of unrelated technology things.
Continue reading Technology Musings
Well, that is not a direct quote, but Google has admitted that the early version of Google Buzz had serious flaws related to privacy, and this may be related to Google having skipped a step with its testing process.
Huh. I was just beginning to explore Google Wave and now apparently it has already crashed on the lonely shore of Software User Indifference. But what will be the fate of Google Buzz? (Razib explores the question.)
Continue reading Is Buzz the Wave of the Future? Did Wave Buzz Off?
Robert Gentleman and Donald Nickelson have joined the board of REvolution Computing. Gentleman is co-creator of this OpenSource statistical package which is widely used by researchers. The news was released moments ago, and here is a press release from the company:
Continue reading “R” statistical company gets new and important board members
Google is great, and yes, I know all those tricks that make it greater. But I still want to use REGEX in some cases. So, I figured out a way to do that, in theory, all I need now is the code…
Continue reading Software Needed: Enhanced web search
I’ve stopped paying attention to John Stewart and that other guy what’s his name at Comedy Central because over the last month or so every single video form that source I’ve looked at produces this error:
Earlier today a pending non-provisional utility patent application assigned to Apple Computer published. This application, US Patent Application 20090265214, is titled Advertisement in Operating System, and covers exactly what the title implies; namely an operating system that is capable of displaying a variety of advertisements to users. You are likely to have heard of the first listed inventor, Steven Jobs, the CEO and co-founder of Apple Computer, Inc. While it is difficult to know the purpose and strategy behind a patent application, the attorneys at Fish & Richardson in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who drafted and filed the patent application certainly did a very good job describing just about every conceivable feature and alternative that could coincide with the displaying of advertisements to users of an operating system. …
This could never happen in the OpenSource world.
By now I assume you’ve experimented with Alpine, as a character-based email client. Well, I have another tip for you.
Continue reading Running Alpine in Function Key Mode
I don’t think I’ve poked anybody on Facebook. I was afraid. And I’m so glad I didn’t do it!
Continue reading Woman Arrested for Poking on Facebook
October 13th was the eigth birthday of the Office Suite OpenOffice.Org. This is an OpenSource office suite that will look familiar to anyone using Microsoft Office, WordPefect Office, etc. It has a word processor (Writer) that does pretty much everything Microsoft Word does, but with a more logical layout for menus and some other cool features; a spreadsheet (Calc) that is comparable to Excel and other spreadsheets; a database system (Base) which is an SQL system that can integrate seamlessly with MySQL an other high end databases; a chart making utility; a Presentation application (Impress) like PowerPoint, a vector drawing program (Draw), and so on.
It runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.
By default, the text-based email client ‘alpine’ requests a password the first time, per session, that it is requested a password from any email services it checks. For the duration of that session, it remembers the password, but forgets it if you quit alpine so you have to enter it again later. From a security point of view, that is probably a good thing, but most people do like to have their email client remember the password between sessions.
Continue reading Do you want the alpine email client to remember your passwords?
Behold the very cheap 3D scanner
And now the 3D printer:
Continue reading 3D scanning and printing
Do these look similar to you?
