Fear drives "Longhorn" When Microsoft's future operating system, code named "Longhorn,'" finally does rear its head, it may be a bit more anti-social than you'd prefer. According to a story on CNET's news.com, Microsoft is building in provisions to block out all those little giggly attachy things (like iPods) that we all seem to so love. The IT side of computing has expressed a huge concern over the security risks posed by these externally attached devices so MS is giving them a way to shut them out.
This is fo cool! I'm sure it isn't obvious but I do have somewhat eclectic taste in what's cool and what isn't. This is, at least in my book. The British Library has put up 21 of William Shakespeare's works on the Internet. No, don't mean just the text. They've set out the real thing, the books themselves, 93 different versions in some cases, of the plays as they were printed during Shakespeare's lifetime --complete with all the f's used as s's. You can page through the quartos, compare them to each other, and just have a jolly good time. No, there are no USB ports. There was a time in life when all things didn't have one. Okay, I think it's a great thing! Blame me! Go Brits!
* In a humbling moment, Intel executives announced the acceleration at the Intel Developer Forum on Sept. 7, a week after AMD showed off a working version of its own multiple core processors. "We've had some fumbles," says Intel President Paul S. Otellini.
* AMD has grabbed 7% of the low-end server market, up from almost nothing two years ago.
* AMD has passed 50% of the U.S. retail store sales for desktop PCs in recent weeks.
* AMD is using new manufacturing techniques in the memory-chip market to outgun rivals both on cost and technology.
* When Intel shocked Wall Street on Sept. 3 by slashing its forecast for third-quarter sales and profit margins, the chip giant cited "lower than expected worldwide demand." But AMD says it's seeing no indication of a broad slowdown.
Here's the rub, and there always is one: AMD's projected 2004 profits are $7.35 billion. Intel earns that much in 11 days. Intel is sitting on $14 billion in cash, compared with $1.1 billion for AMD. With those ratios, anyone with half a brain will tell you that Intel could crush AMD in short order. The other rub: Even though it theoretically can, will Intel able to do so in reality? Or has the company become such an air hog (with apologies to Fram) that it's become impossible for it to react in a timely fashion?
"Rather than replace the existing infrastructure of hardware and software code, Chief Technology Officer Patrick Gelsinger called for an entirely new network to sit atop the existing Internet, one that could support new Web services, adapt to security threats, and work around sudden bursts of traffic to particular Web servers."
Oh God!
15,000 high-speed Intel (unob)tanium servers all running Windows 2005 Internet Edition with Active Directory...?
Oh God, Oh God...
"If the Net grows to 100 billion devices connected to it, our goal is to have a piece of Intel inside in every one of those hundred billion," Gelsinger said.
Nerd Alert: The Solar SCOTTeVEST This may be pushing the bounds of nerdiness to a whole new level. True, we carry so many electronics that the image you see here with gadgets in every pocket is spot on for us, but sporting solar panels on your back to re-charge them as you walk?
The horribly named SCOTTeVest is a $534.98 vest that sports solar panels on the back for charging up your electronics, once you stay out in the sun for at least two hours. I guess you could leave your vest over by a window near a sunny patch and charge things that way too, but then wouldn't an electrical outlet be easier?
The company is taking pre-orders today. If you know anyone who buys one, please contact us immediately.
(Hey, Alice.... What happens during the winter or if you work nights? --You know who.)
Hitachi's SANRISE 32 Petabyte Array What can we say? We simply live on this earth to own one of these. A cool million will get you Hitachi's new Petabyte Arrray storgae platform. The base model is only 165TBs (terabytes) but can be expaneded to a whopping 32PBs.
Can Lithium Batteries Reduce Global Warming? This one sounds nuttier than just about anything we've seen lately, but the BBC has a story on a whole new series of rechargeable lithium batteries and how they can be used to help reduce global warming. Here's the scoop:
"Professor Peter Bruce says the batteries could be used to store electricity produced by renewable energy sources such as wind power. So-called hybrid cars incorporating lithium batteries, along with petrol or diesel power, would help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, he says.
The St Andrew's University expert was talking at the BA Festival of Science. Hybrid road vehicles would help the UK meet the government's renewable energy targets for 2020, he told an Exeter audience." # Permalink
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Nokia's New 7280 Nokia announced a line of new cellphones this week hoping to kick start flagging sales. The new 7280 is definitely different, but it just doesn't grab me the way that sleek silver one in The Matrix did back when it launched, or even the fun round dial model I actually bought.
The new models all come with digital cameras built in, but Bill and I feel that cell phone cameras have jumped the shark.
Not sure how I feel about hybrids after the low gas mileage the car versions have turned in, but this is pretty cool stuff. And since I already get 80 - 100 mpg on my scoots, I can only imagine what even a crappy hybrid would do. # Permalink
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Intel Banks on Rapid Growth of WiMax Intel's Developer Forum has kicked off this week in San Francisco and WiMax and dual core processors are the two big themes to be covered this year.
Vnunet.com had the following report:"Intel has been laying out its roadmap for the widespread introduction of wireless broadband using the 802.16 standard, known as WiMax. At the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco the company showed off its first chipset with integrated WiMax, codenamed Rosedale. Samples are already with customers, and it will be offered as an option on the Centrino platform by 2006. Potentially, one WiMax base station could provide connections faster than DSL over a 30-mile radius, according to Intel." # Permalink
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Now Everyone Can Be on a Stamp Forget Elvis, Stamps.com is onto something even better, the irresistible ego-boost of putting a shot of yourself on an actual stamp.
Bill covered this news earlier (see the shot of his dog Bear a few lines below), but I couldn't resit making an Alice and Bill commorative stamp with the very easy to use stamps.com website. If you need to go postal, this is defintely worth checking out. # Permalink
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The New BlackBerry 7100t Feel the Love Dept: There's a new Blackberry making its debut with T-Mobile (damnit!) and it sports an array of new features such as a speakerphone, a larger and brighter color screen, and a dramatically revamped keyboard.
I love my Blackberry more than life itself and its incredible 7 day battery life and email handling. But it is pretty awful at Web browsing. Here's hoping the 7100 can address that issue and keep this amazing product line moving ahead as always.
Kon-tiki sails again? Well, not really. There was only one Thor Heyerdahl, only one Kon-tiki. But they're going to do it again. Not Heyerdahl. He died in 2002. This time it's a team from Norway's Environment Ministry in a similar raft but, "...it will showcase modern technology. The cabin roof will have solar panels affixed to it to generate electricity, and the raft will have satellite navigation and communications, and transmit Internet updates throughout the voyage, set to start April 28, 2005."
Oh yeah, that duplicates the hardships of the original Peru-to-Polynesia voyagers quite well. Hopefully they'll put a DVD player in it too. Wouldn't want the crew to miss any good movies while they're waiting for new e-mail....
I'm sure it isn't obvious but I do have somewhat eclectic taste in what's cool and what isn't. This is, at least in my book. The British Library has 
Great 
This may be pushing the bounds of nerdiness to a whole new level. True, we carry so many electronics that the image you see here with gadgets in every pocket is spot on for us, but sporting solar panels on your back to re-charge them as you walk?
What can we say? We simply live on this earth to own one of these. A cool million will get you Hitachi's new Petabyte Arrray storgae platform. The base model is only 165TBs (terabytes) but can be expaneded to a whopping 32PBs.
Nokia announced a line of new cellphones this week hoping to kick start flagging sales. The new 7280 is definitely different, but it just doesn't grab me the way that sleek silver one in The Matrix did back when it launched, or even the fun round dial model I actually bought.
So Google turned 6 years old this week. Happy Birthday Google! 
If you know anything about me at all you know that 
Intel's Developer Forum has kicked off this week in San Francisco and WiMax and dual core processors are the two big themes to be covered this year.
Forget Elvis, Stamps.com is onto something even better, the irresistible ego-boost of putting a shot of yourself on an actual stamp. 
Feel the Love Dept: There's a new Blackberry making its debut with T-Mobile (damnit!) and it sports an array of new features such as a speakerphone, a larger and brighter color screen, and a dramatically revamped keyboard.
Well, not really. There was only one Thor Heyerdahl, only one Kon-tiki. But they're going to do it again. Not Heyerdahl. He died in 2002. This