Digital: Ex Post

OSx86 Project - OSx86 in the Wild

2005-08-12T09:45:00.000-04:00

OSx86 Project - OSx86 in the Wild: "We can confirm that a torrent containing a VMware image of Tiger x86 has been leaked to a major torrent site. This virtual hard drive image has supposedly been hacked to circumvent TPM and run on non-SSE3 machines. Sources tell us that the 'author' of this torrent used the PearPC emulator to extract necessary files from an installation of the DVD that was leaked a few weeks ago. We obviously have not tested this image (and will not, due to its blatant violation of the DMCA) but we will report more on its quality as we receive word."

Serenity Now! Uncut

2005-08-10T16:34:00.000-04:00

In Focus | August/September 2005 |Serenity Now! Uncut: "An interview with Joss Whedon,
the renowned script doctor and
‘Toy Story’ scribe who created ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ – and makes his feature directorial debut with the sci-fi actioner ‘Serenity’"

Google Blog: those Freakonomics Guys

2005-08-10T16:25:00.000-04:00

Google Blog: Guest Bloggers: those Freakonomics Guys: "
We didn't know quite what to expect at Google during our visit last week. A few months ago we'd been asked to give some kind of presentation to an undetermined number of Google employees. Were we interested? Sure, we said. This was still many weeks ago. When something is that far away, you'll generally agree to it without much thought. "

Digital Rights Management and the Pricing of Digital Products

2005-08-10T15:03:00.000-04:00

Digital Rights Management and the Pricing of Digital Products: "As it becomes cheaper to copy and share digital content, vendors are turning to technical protections such as encryption. We argue that if protection is nevertheless imperfect, this transition will generally lower the prices of content relative to perfect legal enforcement. However, the effect on prices depends on whether the content providers use independent protection standards or a shared one, and if shared, on the governance of the system. "

A credible plan to take down the Internet

2005-08-09T14:41:00.000-04:00

Security Watch: A credible plan to take down the Internet - CNET reviews: "Forget the Fantastic Four. As I write, the forces of Good (the White Hats) and Evil (the Black Hats) are fighting for control of the Internet as we know it. At stake is the exploitation of flaws affecting the once-invincible Cisco router hardware, which currently carries most of the Internet's traffic on a daily basis. Once a working exploit for the Cisco IOS Shellcode is available on the Internet, it'll be only a matter of days before someone finds a way to craft it into a network worm. And then it's going to be a rough ride for everyone who uses the Internet. Unless, of course, the forces of Good prevail."

White House "Lost In Space" Scenarios

2005-08-09T13:09:00.000-04:00

White House "Lost In Space" Scenarios - August 8, 2005: "Though the July 1969 mission proved a success, President Richard Nixon's aides devised a contingency plan in case astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (and their lunar module) were somehow stranded on the moon. In the below memo, drafted two days before the Eagle landed, aide William Safire provided Nixon with a short speech to be delivered 'In Event of Moon Disaster.'"

Apple on the Brink

2005-08-09T11:49:00.000-04:00

Opinion Column by PC Magazine: Apple on the Brink: "I see the OS getting out in the wild as having the opposite effect. For one thing, it would increase interest amongst developers, which should boost overall sales. Besides, I'm completely convinced that Apple could still get the same premium for its machines that it does today. People simply like the design of Apple gear. Just look at the sales of the overpriced iPod in a market glutted with MP3 players. Why does anyone buy one? How is this ga-ga mentality different with computers?"

Deep into Sleep

2005-08-08T16:38:00.000-04:00

Deep into Sleep: "While researchers probe sleep's functions, sleep itself is becoming a lost art."

The Secret Behind the iPod's Scrollwheel

2005-08-07T00:24:00.000-04:00

MP3 Insider: The Secret Behind the iPod's Scrollwheel: "Ask any iPod user what they like the most about their device, and most will probably mention the scrollwheel. Here’s the story behind the company that makes it (hint: it’s not Apple)."

How to Be a Leader in Your Field

2005-08-04T11:16:00.000-04:00

How to Be a Leader in Your Field: "In a knowledge-intensive world of ceaseless innovation and change, I assert, every professional must be a leader. This is not a universally popular idea. Some people say, 'leadership is fine for others, but I just want a job'. I want to argue that it doesn't work that way. The skills that the leader exercises in building a critical mass of opinion around emerging issues are the same skills that every professional needs to stay employed at all. In the old days the leadership-averse could hide out in bureaucracies. But as institutions are turned inside out by technology, globalization, and rising public and client expectations of every sort, the refuges are disappearing. Every professional's job is now the front lines, and the skills of leadership must become central to everyone's conception of themselves as a professional."

Palladium Not in Apple Dev Kits

2005-08-04T09:30:00.000-04:00

OfB.biz: Open for Business - Palladium Not in Apple Dev Kits: "Commenting on earlier reports, a reliable source who requested anonymity told OfB, “While many rumors are being circulated on the web about Apple's future direction on Intel processors with DRM, the majority of them are just that - rumors.” The source, a registered Apple developer, continued, “Reality is that these boxes are production PC's in an Apple case, not DRM or TCPA protected, and none of these boxes will remain in circulation after their purpose has been served - they must be returned to Apple. "

Whose Fish?

2005-08-04T08:56:00.000-04:00

Coudal Partners: "This brainteaser, reportedly written by Einstein is difficult and Einstein said that 98% of the people in the world could not figure it out. Which percentage are you in?"

Demystifying Diet Coke(s)

2005-08-04T08:42:00.000-04:00

The Historical Present: "For those of you who have expressed confusion over the many forms of diet and sugar free cokes now available to you, I offer an explanation, because I was confused so I did the research. Thanks to Bevnet and the Coca Cola 800 customer service number for contributing supporting facts"

New York City Cheap Eats 2005

2005-08-04T08:39:00.000-04:00

New York City Cheap Eats 2005: "Presenting the city’s best new places to eat like a prince, at pauper’s prices."

What Business Can Learn from Open Source

2005-08-04T08:31:00.000-04:00

What Business Can Learn from Open Source: "Lately companies have been paying more attention to open source. Ten years ago there seemed a real danger Microsoft would extend its monopoly to servers. It seems safe to say now that open source has prevented that. A recent survey found 52% of companies are replacing Windows servers with Linux servers.

More significant, I think, is which 52% they are. At this point, anyone proposing to run Windows on servers should be prepared to explain what they know about servers that Google, Yahoo, and Amazon don't."

Apple Mighty Mouse: Hands On Review

2005-08-02T17:30:00.000-04:00

Russell Beattie Notebook - Apple Mighty Mouse: Hands On Review: "I can't believe that Apple finally made a two-button mouse! With a middle button and scroll wheel functionality no less! Cool beans! As soon as I saw the news this morning, I decided to make a quick trip down to the Palo Alto Apple Store and snag one for a quick review - it's a good thing I went early, they only received 10 of them and I bought the second to last one. With California tax, the cost was $50.96, quite a premium over the roughly $15 I paid for the black Microsoft scroll-wheel mouse it's replacing, but hey, it's a cool Apple product, right? I knew I'd be paying a premium for this stuff, and this mouse is pretty innovative."

Apple - Mighty Mouse

2005-08-02T14:07:00.000-04:00

Apple - Mighty Mouse: "Meet the mouse that reinvented the wheel. The scroll wheel, that is. At $49, Mighty Mouse features the revolutionary Scroll Ball that lets you move anywhere inside a document, without lifting a finger. And with touch-sensitive technology concealed under the seamless top shell, you get the programability of a four-button mouse in a single-button design. Click, roll, squeeze and scroll. This mouse just aced the maze."

Economists to explore world of online games

2005-08-01T17:32:00.000-04:00

Economists to explore world of online games / Researchers could assess players' response to change: "Now, some economists and social scientists say these Internet worlds could be a new type of laboratory to study economic behavior, such as how consumers respond to inflation."

Apple to add Trusted Computing to the new kernel?

2005-08-01T13:57:00.000-04:00

Boing Boing: Apple to add Trusted Computing to the new kernel?: "People working with early versions of the forthcoming Intel-based MacOS X operating system have discovered that Apple's new kernel makes use of Intel's Trusted Computing hardware. If this 'feature' appears in a commercial, shipping version of Apple's OS, they'll lose me as a customer -- I've used Apple computers since 1979 and have a Mac tattooed on my right bicep, but this is a deal-breaker."

Why I Will Never Have A Girlfriend

2005-08-01T10:31:00.000-04:00

Why I Will Never Have A Girlfriend -- nothingisreal.com: "I shall endeavour to make this proof as rigorous as the available data permits. And I should note, too, that there will be no statistical trickery involved here; I have cited all my sources and provided all relevant calculations3 in case anyone wishes to conduct their own independent review. Let's now take a look at the figures."

Birth of the Lisa

2005-08-01T10:07:00.000-04:00

Birth of the Lisa :: Braeburn :: Tracing the history of Computing: "The Lisa was first envisioned as a brand new business computer to succeed the very popular Apple II, and it was to be designed by Steve Wozniak. The project was quickly turned over to a former HP, Ken Rothmuller, director as Wozniak drifted away from Apple. A marketting specification was completed and aproved in 1979, and the planned Lisa bore little semblance to the computer that was actually released. To be sold for no more than $2,000, the Lisa was to hae a green phosphorous CRT, 16 bit processor and a high capacity floppy drive. The project was to be ready for release in 1981."

Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage Cracked!

2005-08-01T09:31:00.000-04:00

www.9Down.Com - Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage Cracked!: "This week, Microsoft started requiring users to verifiy their serial number before using Windows Update. This effort to force users to either buy XP or tell them where you got the illegal copy is called 'Windows Genuine Advantage' AKA 'WGA',Examples of popular applications covered under the Genuine Advantage program include Windows Media Player, DirectX for gaming and the new Windows anti-spyware products."

A Hacker Games the Hotel

2005-08-01T09:22:00.000-04:00

Wired News: A Hacker Games the Hotel: "A vulnerability in many hotel television infrared systems can allow a hacker to obtain guests' names and their room numbers from the billing system.

It can also let someone read the e-mail of guests who use web mail through the TV, putting business travelers at risk of corporate espionage. And it can allow an intruder to add or delete charges on a hotel guest's bill or watch pornographic films and other premium content on their hotel TV without paying for it. "

Ice lake found on the Red Planet

2005-08-01T09:17:00.000-04:00

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Ice lake found on the Red Planet: "A giant patch of frozen water has been pictured nestled within an unnamed impact crater on Mars."

Web-based job tracking, invoicing, reporting & project management software - Side Job Track

2005-07-29T10:23:00.000-04:00

Web-based job tracking, invoicing, reporting & project management software for the part-time independent contractor. - Side Job Track: "With Side Job Track you can quickly and easily select and setup default information that you can use to track your most popular services and best clients in a straightforward project-oriented manner. Get organized with Side Job Track!"