I am giving away invitations to Joost, a new internet TV service. The Joost software allows you to watch streaming television shows for free. The only catch is that you have to watch a commercial every 30 minutes or so. Joost has a huge channel selection thanks to their partnerships with major TV networks such as Viacom and Warner Brothers, with programs such as music videos, sports, racing and even National Geographic documentaries (my favourite).

If you want an invite, just submit a comment to this post. Be sure to fill in the fields with your name and email address so I know where to send the invite. Your email address will not be visible by the public. I’ll try to send the invites out as soon as possible. Have fun!

If you want to read more about Joost, you can visit their website.

In this day and age, people are more health-conscious than ever before and marketers are reaping the benefits. Everywhere we look, in supermarkets and on TV, we are bombarded with products that claim to offer multitudes of health benefits. The latest crowd to jump on the bandwagon is the dairy industry with their “probiotic” yogurt, which claims to have “live probiotic cultures” that promote a healthy lifestyle. For decades, doctors and nutritionists have been telling us about the many potential benefits of the L. acidophilus and L. bifidus bacteria cultures found in regular yogurt, so what makes this new “probiotic” yogurt so much better? Well, aside from the fancy word, nada. All yogurt, unless it has been pasteurised after the manufacturing process, contains live bacteria cultures; usually one of the two mentioned before. By labeling otherwise ordinary yogurt as “probiotic”, marketers are able to fool consumers into paying more for the same product. I will concede that certain probiotic brands include both of the L. acidophilus and L. bifidus cultures instead of just one, but you could just as easily buy two brands of “ordinary” yogurt, each with one culture, and alternate between them. This would give you the same healthy effects without paying the not-so-healthy prices of ”probiotic” labels.

So should you fork over the extra cash for yogurt labeled as ”probiotic”?
I’ll leave that up to you to decide. I know I certainly won’t.

Disclaimer: The above article represents the opinion of the author and should not be taken as medical advice.

1. Steph @ 10:50 on 9.05.2006 (EDT)
2. Ender @ 18:07 on 9.05.2006 (EDT)
3. Peter @ 12:22 on 9.07.2006 (EDT)
4. Ian @ 21:36 on 9.07.2006 (EDT)
5. Omni @ 22:01 on 9.07.2006 (EDT)

The correct solution was:
IT IS IMPORTANT TO USE SOFTWARE TO PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER FROM VIRUSES, WHICH CAN CAUSE YOU TO LOSE YOUR FILES.

The original code was:
BV BS BNJXPVTFV VX LSU SXIVZTPU VX JPXVUEV DXLP EXNJLVUP IPXN ABPLSUS, ZKBEK ETF ETLSU DXL VX WXSU DXLP IBWUS.

This code is a substitution cipher.

A new code has now been posted. The first five people to solve it will be posted in the Hall of Fame.

1. Eric @ 00:51 on 8.24.2006 (EDT)
2. Steph @ 07:24 on 8.24.2006 (EDT)
3. Jon @ 11:02 on 8.24.2006 (EDT)
4. Ender @ 14:22 on 8.24.2006 (EDT)

The correct solution was:
THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPED OVER THE LAZY DOG

The original code was:
TCNMEA HKFPRZ EBOETY QRXDHD UOJOEO IWUVLG

This code was a columnar transposition cipher. To solve it, you need to arrange each block of text, one on top of the other, like so:

TCNMEA
HKFPRZ
EBOETY
QRXDHD
UOJOEO
IWUVLG

When you read down each column that is created, you get the final message, minus the spaces.

A new code has now been posted. The first five people to solve it will be posted in the Hall of Fame.

For those in search of a great digital voice recorder, the task can be very daunting, considering the wide array of features available and the many brands and models to peruse. One recorder that truly deserves to be considered is the Olympus WS-320M; it has all the bells and whistles and then some, all at a fairly reasonable (albeit not cheap) price.

The Good

The WS-320M has a huge array of features; the highlights are as follows:

• 4 recording modes (long play, standard, high quality and stereo high quality)
• Up to 277 hours of recording time in LP mode
• An excellent built-in stereo microphone
• Backlit LCD
• The ability to be used as an MP3 or WMA player with “SRS WOW” effect.

These are just a few of the WS-320M’s many great features. To see them all, visit the Olympus website.

After testing the recorder in various settings for a few days, I’ve found that it provides excellent sound quality without using an external microphone. In conference mode, the stereo omni-directional microphone was able to clearly record my voice all the way across a large room, and I was able to easily transfer the recording to my computer in WMA format using the WS-320M’s “USB Direct” connection; with the press of a button, the lower portion of the recorder detaches, turning the recorder into an ordinary USB drive (seen below).

Although the built-in speaker and microphone of the WS-320M are both of excellent quality, the recorder has two 3.5 mm jacks, allowing you to attach an external mic or headphones. Furthermore, if the built-in gigabyte of storage space isn’t enough, you can enable a special voice-activation mode which stops recording when it detects silence, and automatically starts recording only when it hears speech resume. This can help cut out those embarassing awkward silences and space-wasting pauses in conversation.

The Bad

Well… Umm… This is kind of odd, but there’s nothing to write about here. The WS-320M (in my own humble opinion) is absolutely perfect; there are no flaws and there is no room for improvement.

Final Verdict

The WS-320M is an incredible voice recorder, with a myriad of great features and no apparent flaws or shortcomings. It is not very often that a product passes my inspection with a perfect grade, but this gadget is truly deserving; Olympus has done an excellent job of designing a product that is both functional and feature-rich.

UPDATE: I have removed the poll and am now considering the results.

The steps I carried out are as follows:
-Run NetChaser from an SD card
-Start a WiFi scan
-You should begin detecting networks if any are in range and broadcasting their SSIDs
-Your WiFi module should now be properly functioning, so you can remove the card and continue using your Palm as you normally would.

Running NetChaser seems to reset Palm’s built-in WiFi module, restoring it from whatever problem it was experiencing. If these steps do not work, you can try going to “Options > Reset System WiFi…” in NetChaser.

Other Palm users have informed me that this fix works on all Palms with integrated WiFi.

(click to enlarge)

I recently received a Logitech V450 Laser Cordless Mouse for Notebooks, and was highly impressed with its design and functionality. Most notebook mice are miniscule and flimsy, making them very uncomfortable to use for any extended period of time. However, the V450 is at the top of its class; it is constructed from a sturdy plastic, features rubberized side grips, is perfectly weighted, and has the clean, smooth click that only the best mice can deliver. However, the most surprising feature of the V450 is its advertised 1 year of battery life on a pair of standard AAs, all while using Logitech’s new laser-tracking system.

By using an infrared laser instead of the standard red LED found in most optical mice, the V450 is able to provide more accurate tracking over a wide variety of surface patterns and textures, except for glass and mirrors. I tested the mouse on a wide variety of optical mouse-killing surfaces, such as gradients, high-contrast lines and glossy finishes; the V450 consistently outperformed a standard optical mouse, providing perfectly smooth movement, compared to the jumping and lagging of the other mouse.

Another feature I like about the V450 is its receiver; the receiver stows away neatly in the rear of the mouse, eliminating the possibility of losing it in your notebook case. When you remove the receiver the mouse powers on; when you replace it, the mouse powers off. You can also turn the mouse off manually using a power button on the bottom. Furthermore, unlike most wireless mice, the V450 uses a 2.4 GHz digital connection compared to the normal 27 MHz, providing a more reliable connection.

Although the V450 is slightly larger than most notebook mice, it is also far more comfortable, making it the “Rolls Royce” of its class. Full-size mice get their comfort by fitting snugly in the palm of the hand; however, notebook mice need to be small, so they can’t be made big enough to properly fill a palm. Because of their decreased size, notebook mice usually need to be controlled with the fingers only, leaving the rest of the hand suspended and cramped. However, the V450 has an incredibly well-engineered design, with side grips for the thumb and ring finger and a raised and contoured rear, allowing the mouse to rest snugly in the pad of the hand right below the fingers. This provides a grip just as comfortable as the most expensive full-size mouse. When storing the mouse in most notebook bags, the slightly larger size doesn’t cause any problems, as it is still far smaller than a normal mouse.

The only downside I’ve found so far with the V450 is that it uses Logitech’s proprietary SetPoint software, requiring you to constantly have another program running in the background in order to enjoy the mouse’s full functionality. An integrated driver would be preferable.

I took several photos of the V450. Due to the large amount of space these photos take up, if you are reading this post from the main page of The Activated Complex, you will have to click the article title or the “continue reading” link to view the pictures. (more…)

I previously wrote about the IAU’s draft update to the definition of the term “planet” which, if passed, would solidify Pluto’s long-debated status as a planet and would instroduce three other bodies as planets, Ceres, Charon and 2003 UB313. This draft has not gone through; instead, a different, more restricting definition of “planet” has been passed:

A “planet” is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit. (http://www.iau2006.org/mirror/www.iau.org/iau0603/index.html)

This new definition completely disqualifies Pluto from “planethood”, as its orbit intersects with that of Neptune, violating part (c) of the definition. However, Pluto does fall under the newly created class of “dwarf planets”; smaller bodies which do not quite meet the definition of planet, but cannot simply be ignored as “small solar-system bodies”:

A “dwarf planet” is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, (c) has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite. (http://www.iau2006.org/mirror/www.iau.org/iau0603/index.html)

The correct solution was:

IF A TREE FALLS AND NOBODY HEARS IT, DOES IT MAKE A SOUND? SOME PEOPLE SAY YES AND OTHERS SAY NO.

The original code was:

68 77 32 76 32 90 65 85 85 32 77 76 71 71 86 32 76 75 72 32 75 80 73 80 72 83 32 89 85 76 65 86 32 68 90 44 32 72 80 85 86 32 68 90 32 69 76 79 85 32 76 32 86 80 74 75 72 63 32 86 80 69 85 32 78 85 80 78 71 85 32 86 76 83 32 83 85 86 32 76 75 72 32 80 90 89 85 65 86 32 86 76 83 32 75 80 46

This code was written in the decimal equivalents of ASCII characters. Converted to ASCII, the message is:

DM L ZAUU MLGGV LKH KPIPHS YULAV DZ, HPUV DZ ELOU L VPJKH? VPEU NUPNGU VLS SUV LKH PZYUAV VLS KP.

This is a substitution cipher. Once the correct letters are substituted into the cipher, the solution will be found.

A new code has now been posted. The first five people to solve it will be posted in the Hall of Fame.

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