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Free TV on a PC
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Just when I thought I couldn’t get any more attached to my PC, media giants NBC, ABC, and AOL decide to throw in some freebies. Can’t make time to watch TV anymore? No problem. Just sit at your PC. NBC Direct allows users to download TV shows including Heroes and The Office as early as October. Each show contains embedded ads which cannot be skipped. (Of course.) They also expire seven days after the episode airs on TV, so you may not want to put it off for too long.

ABC and AOL Video have collaborated for a similar offering. You’ll be able to watch four episodes per series at a time. Shows include Ugly Betty, The Bachelor, and Desperate Housewives. Take a look at Hardocp.com.

Google Docs Offers Collaborative Presentations
Saturday, September 22, 2007
And they call it Google Presentation. With this application, several users will be able to edit (and present) a presentation simultaneously from different computers…or even from different parts of the world if that suits your fancy. The software uses a highly compatible CSS that can be viewed in all browsers. Users are free to upload images and change backgrounds. It certainly gives Microsoft PowerPoint a run for its money. Watch the show in action here.

Gartner VP Predicts Open Source Will Become the Norm
Saturday, September 22, 2007
At Gartner’s Open Source Summit in Vegas, research vice president, Mark Driver, was heard to say that at least 80% of commercial software would contain significant amounts of open source code by 2011. Driver believes that open source adoption decisions hinge upon four factors that should be viewed collectively. These include having a software that fits its purpose, having a product that’s mature enough to provide a reasonable risk/reward ratio, the status of the company’s technology adoption profile, and whether or not the deployment is mission-critical. “It’s being used by increasingly more conservative companies and for increasingly mission-critical solutions,” he said. Get a more in-depth look at the four factors and Driver’s thoughts on the industry here.

SFF SIG to Set New Standards for the Industry
Friday, September 21, 2007
So the Embedded Systems Conference in Boston laid out more than just goodies for the tech lovers. Five major companies are collaborating on a standards project for small form factors. The group will be known as the Small Form Factor Special Interest Group (SFF SIG) and they have already made plans to develop, adopt, and promote circuit board specifications and related technologies to help electronics equipment manufacturers and integrators reduce the overall size of their next-generation systems. Contributors to this global initiative include VIA Technologies, Inc., WinSystems, Inc., Samtec, Inc., Octagon Systems, Inc., and Tri-M Systems and Engineering Inc.

"Due to great strides in chip-level design, VIA continues to reduce processor, chipset, and SBC size and power dissipation in order to meet emerging requirements for new SFF systems such as battery powered devices and industrial systems," said Daniel Wu, assistant vice president, VIA Technologies, Inc. Interested? Read on here.

How to diagnose problems using event IDs
Friday, September 21, 2007
If you have used a computer for a period of time, then you have probably experienced failures, application freezes, failed installs, and general circuitry mayhem at some point or another. The typical solution may be to reboot the computer and cross your fingers, hoping for a quick resolution to the problem. Some problems cannot be solved so easily. This is where the Event Viewer inside the Windows operating system comes into play.

PC problems can be investigated by looking to the Event Viewer for what explicitly went wrong. The Event Viewer catalogs the entire communication of a PC. For instance, when you log in to your computer, the Event View captures that occurrence and states it in the log. The result is an extensive log through which users can flip through to identify possible problems and their origins. Read on.

Walk Through Memory Lane video of the week #1:
Friday, September 21, 2007

The excitement of Computex in ‘cute’ Taiwan:

In 2004 the Computex trade show was buzzing more than ever. The world’s tallest building, the Taipei 101, had just been built and was towering over the exhibition halls in Taipei’s modern Hsinyi district. The world’s second-largest computer show was in its 25th year and attracting 25 000 foreign visitors. With the fantastic, misty forests of Hsinyi’s unspoiled mountains reflected in the glass of the Taipei 101, the stage was set for a memorable meeting of the world’s most exciting technologies.

Join us in a stroll down memory lane as VIA’s Tim Brown takes a look at the excitement, fluff, grandstanding and sexy Taiwanese girls that make up the biggest computer show in vibrant Asia.

(Internet Explorer 7 loads immediately but for some reason Firefox 2 takes 10 seconds to load this video, so please be patient).

Hardware News
Friday, September 21, 2007
Virtual hide-out.net is not yet done with the Silverstone TJ series. After reviewing the TJ-06 and TJ-08, the TJ-10 gets its moment in the sun. The SST TJ10 is available in silver or black and windowed or non-windowed styles. The rather large aluminum enclosure “boasts several unique features.” Find out what they are here.

Vizo’s Luxon series of external hard drive enclosures once again meets with enthusiasm from reviewers. The Luxon 3.5" HDD External Enclosure features an IDE and SATA interface and “comes with the metal enclosure, USB adapter, enclosure stand, manual, cleaning cloth, AC adapter, screws, and small hex screwdriver. The eSATA enclosure also comes with an eSATA cable.” Watch as they take it apart and inspect it here.

Doc Overclock brings us his views on the CoolerMaster Cosmos 1000. The case appears to be easy to assemble with no tools, but the motherboard and cooling system still need a screwdriver to assist in the installation. Get the low-down at motherboards.org.

Cybercrime Surpasses Global Illegal Drug Trade
Friday, September 21, 2007
Unbelievable, but true. It’s a sign of the times when you make more money isolated behind a PC than out in public wheeling and dealing. More convenient, no doubt, but definitely more risky. Illegal activities can now take place at the push of a button. People become victims of phishing and data loss within minutes. McAfee’s new CEO, David DeWalt, has estimated that cybercrime is now a US$105 billion business. Poor law enforcement does little to deter the activity. As DeWalt puts it, “If you rob a 7-11 you'll get a much harsher punishment than if you stole millions online.” It remains to be seen who is going to step up to the plate and take control of that increasingly serious situation. Get informed here.

Gnome 2.20 out on Shelves
Friday, September 21, 2007
The new release on Gnome’s tenth anniversary has much to celebrate with numerous improvements to power management, Evince, Totem, and Tomboy. The configuration utilities have been streamlined and timing greatly improved. Described as a “global phenomenon,” the application is popular among Linux desktop users and receives global support from various developers and companies. Gimli of Slashdot.org tells us, “Users who wish to try it now can use the latest Ubuntu 7.10 live CD images, or the latest build of Foresight Linux.” Find out more here.

The Art of Zen
Friday, September 21, 2007
All right, it’s more like Zen and the art of the Project Log. Get more attention for projects with a little update to your style. Peter Dickison of bit-tech.net has laid out a clever way to create interest with your project log. The guide is interesting and witty and well worth a read even if your projects are still in the conception stage. It is designed “to aid you in turning your project log from a Vogon-poetic ordeal into a journey, or from a ‘gee, that’s nice’ five-minute gawp at some finished mod pics to something that’ll have people tuning in week after week, I’ve put together some of my thoughts and my ‘top-ten’ tips on how to put together a killer project log.” Find it here.