Tech News

Adobe Ships Creative Suite 3

Posted on April 16, 2007 6:31 AM by Rob Williams

SAN JOSE, Calif. — April 16, 2007 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the immediate availability of the highly-anticipated Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium and Standard editions and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium and Standard editions. This revolutionary release of brand-new, tightly integrated, design and development software unites the best of Adobe and former Macromedia product innovation to provide designers and developers worldwide with a broad spectrum of creative options.

Source: Adobe Press Release

Guinness to Publish Video Game World Records Book

Posted on April 15, 2007 8:15 AM by Rob Williams

Guinness World Records already compiles many of the world’s most bizarre and amazing feats from mankind, but oddly enough, gaming achievements are currently a little lacking from the latest book of world records. That will soon change, however, as Guinness World Records will announce at the London Book Fair that it is working on a book dedicated to video game records.

As geeky as this is, it might actually be pretty cool to read.

Source: Daily Tech

Geek Squad Guy Caught Playing Peep Squad

Posted on April 15, 2007 8:07 AM by Rob Williams

On March 4th, technician Hao Kuo Chi reported to the home of Natalie Fornaciari and Sarah Vasquez. While there, he allegedly placed his cell phone in the bathroom, where it caught 22 year-old Sarah Vasquez showering. Upon exiting the shower, she discovered his cell phone placed behind the sink, with the “Record” function enabled.

Busted! How someone thought they could get away with this is beyond me. I wonder if this technique was explained in any of the official manuals?

Source: Ars Technica

Doormats: Not Just for Welcoming

Posted on April 15, 2007 7:58 AM by Rob Williams

Most of us are never going to get the chance to design the architecture and facade of our own homes or even live in exactly the home we choose. Sad as it may be to say, the lowly doormat will often stand as the first impression someone has of your home. In the interest of making that impression a good one, we’ve put together a list of doormats that won’t easily be forgotten.

Doormats don’t have to be boring. My personal favorite from this list says “Come In”, or “Go Away”, depending on which way it’s turned. Kill two birds with one stone!

Source: Product Dose

Lorne Michaels Come Out In Favour of YouTube

Posted on April 15, 2007 7:49 AM by Rob Williams

NBC employee and Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels has stated he can’t understand NBC’s position on YouTube. The interview with Michaels is especially interesting, because it was a Saturday Night Live clip of the infamous ‘Lazy Sunday’ music video that is often credited with putting YouTube on the map.

It’s good to hear that Lorne Michaels sees things like the rest of us. I admit, I watch SNL more often now since the “Lazy Sunday” clip. I am sure I am not alone.

Source: Slashdot

Microsoft Pressures Testers After Software Leak

Posted on April 15, 2007 7:35 AM by Rob Williams

Microsoft Corp. is taking tough measures to find out who leaked a Community Technology Preview (CTP) of Windows Home Server to The Hotfix.net blog after the software preview was posted on the site by a user named “Richard” soon after it was released to a small group of testers.

Microsoft seems intent on figuring out who the culprit was. Though it’s described as a “small group of testers”, there are many testers with the name Richard who were banned temporarily until they figure out the source of the leak.

Source: IT World

Blackout Threat for AUS Music Thieves

Posted on April 15, 2007 7:26 AM by Rob Williams

Fed up with falling sales, the industry – which claims Australians download more than one billion songs illegally each year – has been discussing tough new guidelines with internet service providers (ISPs) since late last year. Record labels, music publishers and other copyright holders are involved.

Who do the ARIA think they are? It’s noted that regardless of your means for internet connectivity, you will lose access entirely. If you connect via dial-up, you’ll lose your phone.

Source: News.com.au

Vista On Your Mac? Not So Fast

Posted on April 15, 2007 7:16 AM by Rob Williams

Using virtualization software such as Parallels or VMWare, Mac users can theoretically have Vista and OS X running side by side. But they can’t use the cheaper version of Vista designed for home users — at least, not if they want to abide by the terms of the End User Licence Agreement, which software owners effectively agree to when they install a product.

Who wants to run Vista on a PC, let alone a Mac??

Source: Globe and Mail

Getting High-Performance Audio from Media Center

Posted on April 14, 2007 8:06 AM by Rob Williams

Better sound can be achieved through High Quality Integrated sound processing (found built into many main system boards), which can rival the performance of most mainstream A/V products that the majority of the market would find to be a good value and offer a rewarding experience for the casual listener.

This is a short, but sweet info-packed primer for those wanting to get superb audio out of their PCs. Having a full wallet will help you out a lot here.

Source: CE Pro

Web Apps Can Never Be Desktop Replacements

Posted on April 14, 2007 7:56 AM by Rob Williams

With services like GMail that are too anxious to give us free access to e-mail storage, the offering for file storage is still fairly laughable. And that’s not even considering the sheer bandwidth that is needed to make huge file transfers. Then there is the matter of privacy. It is more than probable that a skilled, disgruntled employee of the company you trust with your data could run away with key data you entrust to sell off your personal information.

I agree wholeheartedly on the security issue. Personally, I would never trust my data online, regardless of how sensitive it is. That aside, if all of your data is stored online, what do you do if you get caught without internet access? I’d rather save the trouble and just stick to the good ole applications on my secure and reliable Windows XP installation.

Source: Mad Penguin

Samsung Launching Dual HD-DVD/Blu-ray Player

Posted on April 14, 2007 7:42 AM by Rob Williams

One of the main backers of the Blu-ray Disc format, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., plans to release an optical disc player this year that will play both Blu-ray Disc and the rival HD DVD format, it said Friday.

It’s good to see another company pushing out a dual format player, but I’m curious about the price. LGs dual player still retails for $999. At that point, you could get a PS3 for Blu-ray playback and a Toshiba HD-A20 HD-DVD player for the same price.

Source: IT World

Should Power Usage Be A Secret?

Posted on April 14, 2007 7:31 AM by Rob Williams

The governor of Oklahoma, Brad Henry, has just signed a law allowing municipal power companies to not report power usage by their largest industrial customers. Lawmakers insisted this wasn’t a “Google bill,” despite the fact that Google just disclosed that it’s considering building a data center on 800 acres of land it has purchased in Pryor, Oklahoma. But a journalist involved in the discussion of the bill acknowledged that the measure is designed to benefit data center operators.

Not only does Google buy out huge companies on a regular basis, but they can magically have new laws created in their favor. They may require a lot of power for their datacenters, but it doesn’t come close to the 10 ton jiggawatts my PCs need.

Source: Data Center Knowledge

Google Buys DoubleClick for $3.1 Billion

Posted on April 14, 2007 7:20 AM by Rob Williams

Google reached an agreement today to acquire DoubleClick, the online advertising company, from two private equity firms for $3.1 billion in cash, the companies announced, an amount that was almost double the $1.65 billion in stock that Google paid for YouTube late last year.

Is it still a surprise to hear that Google has bought a company? Not likely, but this is one massive purchase. Google already has a well established ad-network. Adding DoubleClick to their arsenal should help them achieve the domination they so obviously desire.

Source: NY Times

Should We Scrap The Internet and Start Over?

Posted on April 14, 2007 7:13 AM by Rob Williams

The idea may seem unthinkable, even absurd, but many believe a “clean slate” approach is the only way to truly address security, mobility and other challenges that have cropped up since UCLA professor Leonard Kleinrock helped supervise the first exchange of meaningless test data between two machines on Sept. 2, 1969.

Even after reading the article, it’s hard to not think “absurd”. However, this is not bound to happen for another 10 – 15 years. Even at that time, the revamped internet could coexist with the current model until it can replace it.

Source: Yahoo.com

Complete Color Matching Guide

Posted on April 14, 2007 7:03 AM by Rob Williams

“Research reveals all human beings make a subconscious judgment about a person, environment , or item within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone.”

This is an invaluable resource if you are looking to find the perfect color scheme for your project or webpage. Links to various websites are included with tutorials and interactive color scheme generators. Bookmark this one.

Source: Elogo Design

Toshiba Offers Sub-$500 1080p HD DVD Player

Posted on April 13, 2007 7:53 AM by Rob Williams

Toshiba has announced the availability of its new HD-A20 HD DVD player. The player was first shown earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and was projected to have a price tag of $599 — instead the HD DVD player will be priced at $499.

HD-DVD admirers now have a new product to contemplate. $499 is not that bad all things considered. The main downside is that it utilizes the HDMI 1.2 standard, so features like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio will be unavailable.

Source: Daily Tech

Countless White House E-Mails Deleted

Posted on April 13, 2007 7:37 AM by Rob Williams

Countless e-mails to and from many key White House staffers have been deleted — lost to history and placed out of reach of congressional subpoenas — due to a brazen violation of internal White House policy that was allowed to continue for more than six years, the White House acknowledged yesterday.

This wasn’t a normal server crash that’s usually connected to e-mail loss. Instead, this was employees complete disregard to policies. It does seem odd that the government wouldn’t be able to retrieve most of the e-mails though.

Source: Washington Post

Major Nelson talks Guitar Hero Downloads

Posted on April 13, 2007 7:26 AM by Rob Williams

You have to remember, I used to work in the broadcasting industry and in music for a long time and I know that content is not linear. It’s not like you go to iTunes, and you’re buying the same thing. There’s testing that’s involved, and there’s also licensing involved. There’s a lot of elements involved.

This folks, is why each downloadable song equates to $2 a piece. Licensing fees aside, it would still add up fairly quickly.

Source: Joystiq

Top 10 Most Influential Amiga Games

Posted on April 13, 2007 7:17 AM by Rob Williams

The heyday for Amiga games was the late ’80s and early ’90s. The computer’s custom chipset and advanced (for the time) graphics capability led to sumptuous 2-D titles in a variety of styles, and even some basic 3-D games. Here’s a look at some of the more innovative entries in the Amiga game canon.

There are many top ten lists around, but they don’t seem to get boring! Included on this list is Worms, Speedball, Syndicate and my personal favorite, Cannon Fodder.

Source: Wired

Red-Light Fines To Go To Police

Posted on April 13, 2007 7:08 AM by Rob Williams

Starting Sunday, any Dallas police officer in a marked squad car who is captured on the city’s cameras running a red light will have to pay the $75 fine if the incident doesn’t comply with state law. Firefighters who run red lights will have to pay if they’re not on an emergency run.

This is fantastic. Even in my small town, I’ve seen officers run red lights unnecessarily. Some of the police on this Dallas force are upset at this new law, however. It’s ironic that they don’t actually want to abide by the law themselves.

Source: Dallas News

Cardboard Sound Box

Posted on April 13, 2007 6:56 AM by Rob Williams

Made from 720 half square sheets of 7mm thick corrugated cardboard, stacked in 360 layers, this cavernous sound space is set within a 2.5m cube. As a space for listening to and experiencing music, the initial concept for the design developed from the architect’s ambition to create a strong spatial intensity and a distinct internal atmosphere.

This is one of the coolest boxes I’ve ever seen. It’s large enough to fit at least two people and all of the speakers. Most interesting is that it’s not held together with glue, but rather stays put under it’s own weight.

Source: The Cool Hunter

HDTV and Windex Don’t Mix

Posted on April 13, 2007 6:47 AM by Rob Williams

We know spring is here and we know you wanna keep all your gadgets nice and shiny, but you see that dark, u-shaped streak running through the bottom of this DLP TV? That’s what happened when some poor schmo sprayed Windex (or any other cleaner) directly onto his flat-panel DLP.

Windex is a bad idea. Once you see the picture in this article, I’m sure you will refrain from ever touching it again. Personally, I just use a soft damp (with water) cloth and it seems to do the trick. There are many other “solutions” listed through the link.

Source: Gizmodo

Apples Strongest Security Feature: Mighty Mouse

Posted on April 13, 2007 6:35 AM by Rob Williams

Apple has got you covered with a $49 ($69 for the wireless version) security device known as the Mighty Mouse. Using a Mighty Mouse virtually ensures your computer will be inaccessible to just about any jealous PC-using evildoer who may wish to do your Mac harm.

Mac fans can now rejoice. Purchase a Mighty Mouse and PC users will be too confused at your computer to do anything. I admit, I’d probably think of it as a bar of soap before I’d come to the realization that it’s a peripheral.

Source: Macenstein

OCZ Launches the ModXStream Power Supply Family

Posted on April 13, 2007 6:26 AM by Rob Williams

Sunnyvale, CA—April 12, 2007—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and components, today announced the ModXStream Series, a new line of power supplies designed to offer consumers a combination of OCZ’s legendary PSU architecture and an efficient modular cable management system. Available in 780W and 900W models, the high efficiency ModXStream offers the industry’s highest performing modular power supplies on the market.

Source: OCZ Press Release

Samsung Launches 200GB, 7200RPM 2.5″ Enterprise HDD

Posted on April 12, 2007 8:03 AM by Rob Williams

The new SpinPoint MP1 Series utilizes perpendicular recording to achieve a density of 100GB per platter. The MP1 Series will be available in capacities of 80GB, 120GB, 160GB and 200GB and will support cache sizes of 8MB or 16MB.

This is an impressive release, considering Seagate released a 160GB 7200 drive just a month ago. Samsungs 200GB wonder might not be great for use in laptops, however, as it’s not a mentioned use. This leads me to believe that the power consumption might a little higher than what notebooks are used to.

Source: Daily Tech

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