Archive for the 'Technology' Category

Those most likely to pirate music are between the ages of 13 and 17. That same age group shares something else in common. They can’t get a credit card on their own. Why is this important? You need a credit card to purchase music online. You can’t buy MP3s at the music store. Kids don’t want to buy CDs. I think if there were an easy way for kids to buy music online then they would do it, but only if it were easy to buy individual tracks. This won’t stop music piracy, but if they could get a song easier and faster by buying it and they already knew they liked it, then they would buy it. I think kids just want to try out music without getting burned. Everyone has bought at least one CD that you thought you would like and after trying it twice you just couldn’t stand it. Is there a solution to this problem?

Krissy and I got home last night after being away for five days house- and babysitting. When we sat down and checked the Freevo there were nine shows recorded ready to be watched! We only got through two and a half of them before Krissy fell asleep. Having things automated is great. I told Krissy “That’s what you get when you marry a computer science major!”

I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve needed to lug a computer monitor out from its usual location and sit it on the floor, plug it into the wall and a headless computer. I have a 700MHz Pentium 3 in the living room hooked up to the television working as a media hub. I also have a slower machine working as a print/scanner server and web server. Every so often something goes screwy and I can’t log into one of them over the network. I have thought time and time again that what I really need is a way to hook these boxes up to my laptop and use the keyboard, touchpad, and LCD screen to control and get feedback from the headless systems. I have thought about this but never realized that this was really possible. Well, as it turns out, it is possible!

Epiphan Systems, Inc. must have run into a lot of people with the same wish I had. Maybe they had wished they could use something similar internally, I don’t know. Whatever the reason and however they came up with the idea, here it is! The KVM2USB hooks up to a laptop’s USB port. It has three connectors on the other side: VGA, PS/2 Mouse, and PS/2 Keyboard. Now you can service any machine that is usually not controlled with a keyboard and standard display without a bulky monitor and separate keyboard and mouse. Normally you wouldn’t be able to carry all of the things you need by yourself in one trip, but now you can. Maybe some day they will have an official version that works on laptops running Linux, but you can get a binary only driver that will allow it. Take a look at the KVM2USB Technical Specifications.

This really has the potential to become the tool of choice for the system repair technician.

I’ve finally made the decision that I’m going to sell my Gamecube. The sooner the better, I figure, as far as getting money for it goes. I am saving up to buy the Wii as soon as it comes out. I will try to have enough money by then for at least one extra controller and nunchaku and at least one extra game. The way I see it that’s about $325. I am already up to $110 allocated for the Wii. Nintendo appears to have the upper hand with their next console release. The anticipation of the Wii is incredible. I’ve been evangelizing it like crazy and everyone I talk to about it seems really excited. It will be interesting to see if Nintendo can push this one into the mainstream and shake off their kiddie image.

I’m sure you’re all familiar with the normal hot air hand driers in restrooms. Now there is a new product produces by a company better known for their industrial vacuum cleaners. They have applied their sucking technology to a hand drier that really blows… but in a good way! Check out the Dyson Airblade hand drier. First of all, they filter the air to remove almost all bacteria. Then they pump it at 400 mph at your hands. It’s twice as fast as conventional hand driers and uses only one-fifth the energy. I would install one in my bathroom at home, but it looks like it’s only available for businesses for use in public restrooms. It looks like it could really take off, though.

Not just a sound effect on Teen Girl Squad, VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. Internet Protocol, or IP, is the way that information is sent over the Internet. Information is broken into short bursts called packets. These packets can then be sent to the destination through many computers across the world. The way VOIP usually works is by connecting telephones to a box that is connected to the Internet. Since many people already have high-speed Internet connections in their homes the cost of connectivity is usually zero. A regular telephone can then be used to talk at a far-reduced rate by sending the information over the Internet for most of its journey and then only getting on the regular phone lines close to the destination. For more information about VOIP, what it is, how it works, and how it can benefit you click on the VOIP link near the top of this paragraph.

I haven’t used any of the pay services yet, but I have used Skype which is similar, but is free. The free version of Skype isn’t as convenient as paid services, however.

I have a relatively complicated assignment that I’m working on for the next couple of weeks. It’s like building a large brick wall. You can’t really rush it. But it’s like a brick wall where each brick you lay has the potential to mess up the rest of the wall. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a little bit tedious at this point. It will be more interesting when it gets closer to being done and it starts to pay off.

DigitalLife is an amazing show featuring consumer electronics from companies including Nvidia, ATI, AMD, Intel, Logitech, and many many more. Experience the latest video games and the newest ways to enjoy technology. Check out Nelson Gonzalez of Alienware talking about the future of computer technology and the “better than real” immersive worlds that are just now becoming possible on the high end computer systems. To get in free just go to the ticketing page and enter the promo code INSIDER in the box provided on the page.

I would really like to be able to attend this show. I am almost as far away as you can be from New York and still be in the United States, though. If you get to go I’d love to hear about it. Leave any experiences you may have in the comments.

Digital Restrictions Management, cialis or DRM, forces people to buy the same sond over and over again or be forced to do things the way that others dictate. Click on the link to find out more!

I can’t remember how many people I’ve helped out over the years to list things on eBay. Many of these people will only list very rarely or even just one time. I have always wanted to give these people an easier way to create high-quality listings without needing to learn HTML. Now I have found an eBay listing tool that is perfect for them. It’s called List’d and it includes templates that make listings actually look good. It has free image hosting so you have an all-in-one place to put together every part of a good eBay listing. This is great for beginning users and college students who just want to get their stuff sold fast. It will even help you select an ending date for your auction to get the highest price for your stuff. Technologies like this one are making the powerful tools on the Internet accessible to everyone.