Tech Dumplings

Parallel copying - SuperCopier

2010-12-24T06:31:00.000-08:00

Supercopier in action.

If like me you engage in massive data copying sessions from time to time, this is a must have utility.

Opening multiple copy windows puts a strain on your hard drive,
and could lead to some instability issues on older systems.
Supercopier gives you the option to combine your copy streams
into a single process.

"Stable and fast
parallel copying."

You can add more items to an existing copy queue rearrange, or even remove existing items.
Perfect for all you micro-managing control freaks.

The only issue worth complaining about is that under Windows 7, Supercopier is unable to remove directories when a move directory is queued (as opposed to a normal copy directory). Hopefully this will be fixed in a future release.

Pros:

This lightweight app uses minimal resources
Saves Time
Many options for fine-tuning of behaviour (although it works just fine out of the box)

Cons:

The program is not updated regularly.
Unable to remove directories in Windows 7

Bottom Line
A must have for anyone who does more than a little bit of copying.

SuperCopier Downloads

Download Supercopier from their website.

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Antivirus Protection - Avira

2010-12-22T01:42:00.000-08:00

A good all-round security suite, I've been running Avira for over a year now after using McAfee Antivirus for ages. As far as free antivirus offerings go Avira is one of the best solutions out there, used by millions of users worldwide.

Compared to other well known free antivirus offerings such as AVG, Avira is definately a less obtrusive solution, silently protecting your system in the background.

Interface

The interface is packed with options, but is not one of the friendliest to new users.
Default settings work fine on most systems, but it would be a good idea to strengthen the protection if you frequently acquire new software and for whatever reason need to download cracks, since new viruses are often spread this way.

Resources

"Currently one of the
best free Anti Virus
options out there"

One of the selling points of this software has to be the minimal resources it needs to operate - the strain put on your CPU is always low, RAM footprint hover's around 20MB. This could be attributed to the maturity of the scan engine known as "Luke Filewalker", which has been in existence for a staggering 20 years. The force is indeed strong with this one.

Charity

The company supports charitable endeavours, with the company founder and CEO Tjark Auerbach playing an active role. An admirable campaign which I personally feel will count in the company's favor in the future.

Destroying PC viruses while helping out the community. Lex Luthor should watch his back.

Cons
Not much in the way of down-sides to Avira save for a few minor issues:

Nag screen: Version 10 of Avira added a nag screen which pops up upon completion of an update.
Interface: User interface feels clunky and outdated.
Lack of Email Scanner: Unlike Many of their competitors, Avira does not offer an email scanning service in its free version of the software.
Slows PC start up: As windows boots up, Avira may try to download updated virus definitions. This process can slow the windows start-up process to a crawl.

Bottom Line
An excellent free antivirus suite for personal use.
If you're serious about securing your high value data or need corporate level security, you should instead think about purchasing a more complete solution.

Avira Downloads

Download the free version

Download Avira updates

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South African researchers create cost effective water purifiers

2010-12-20T04:51:00.000-08:00

Polluted water is a reality for many

South Africans

Eugene Cloete of Stellenbosch University has recently invented an inexpensive water filtration system aimed at enabling impoverished communities to satisfy one of our most basic needs - clean water.

The Device
The device itself is a small sachet containing a mixture of specially developed water purification agents.
The sachets are simply placed in the neck of a bottle filled with contaminated water, and act as a filter.
Up to one litre of contaminated water can be purified by a single sachet.

Hard facts
Considering the fact that only 2.5% of the planet's water is viable for human consumption, this breakthrough could prove globally significant as the United Nations has recently made a push for the right to water to be made legally binding.

Closer to home
The decentralized water filtration solution pioneered at Stellenbosch University is sure to bring relief to an estimated 1.5 billion people in Africa who do not have access to clean and safe water and more importantly save the lives of approximately 2 million people who die annually from diseases related to unclean water.

See a demonstration of the technology from the video below:

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