Bits Bytes and Bugs

2008-06-20T00:53:00.000-07:00

Yahoo Triples Domain Name Renewal

I was checking my email reading a renewal notice from Yahoo for a domain name I have registered with them that made my toenails curl: “Please note that the billing center will not reflect the new $34.95 domain-renewal price until July 1. Until that time, you will continue to see the old renewal price next to your plan.” Wow! That is triple what I am paying now! I called Yahoo to see if this is some kind of mistake. I was put on hold for TWO HOURS before I got to talk to a Representative. Basically it wasn’t a mistake the Rep said. “Didn’t you get the email we sent out?” I told him I didn’t. “Well we’ve had a problem with the emails and told everyone to check their spam folder”, he said. “So you emailed everyone to check their spam folder? That doesn’t make much sense”, I said. I asked him why is it that Yahoo is tripling the price. The higher ups told him that the cost was too much for technical help. Now my question to him was what kind of technical help does a person need who just has a domain name parked there? I asked the Rep if he thought it was just a little unethical to triple the price for a domain name? He didn’t comment. Is it unethical that your signup page still reflects the $9.95/year price? The rep then said that it does reflect the new price somewhere on the site. Well I had already checked this out and I couldn’t find it stated anywhere; I even went so far as to go through the process of getting a new domain name on the site all the way to where it asks for your credit card: nothing! So it all boils down to this: you can pay the $34.95, or go somewhere else. And I went elsewhere! My two domain names at Yahoo would have cost me $69.90! Yahoo bills credit cards automatically. Can you imagine the look on some poor soul’s face that has ten domain names or more at Yahoo when they review their credit card statement? Yikes! This isn’t the Yahoo I remember. Welcome to the dark side!

Hibernate and Standby | Windows XP Power Scheme

2007-10-18T02:06:00.000-07:00

Hibernate and Standby | Windows XP Power Scheme: "Do you know the differences between Stand By and Hibernate? These two Windows XP shutdown options often confuse people. These power saving options offer advantages, but it’s important to know the differences when creating a power scheme for notebooks or desktops."

One Man’s Blog » How I’d Hack Your Weak Passwords

2007-03-27T01:24:00.000-07:00

One Man’s Blog » How I’d Hack Your Weak Passwords: "If you invited me to try and crack your password, you know the one that you use over and over for like every web page you visit, how many guesses would it take before I got it?

Let’s see… here is my top 10 list. I can obtain most of this information much easier than you think, then I might just be able to get into your e-mail, computer, or online banking. After all, if I get into one I’ll probably get into all of them.

1. Your partner, child, or pet’s name, possibly followed by a 0 or 1 (because they’re always making you use a number, aren’t they?)
2. The last 4 digits of your social security number.
3. 123 or 1234 or 123456.
4. “password”
5. Your city, or college, football team name.
6. Date of birth - yours, your partner’s or your child’s.
7. “god”
8. “letmein”
9. “money”
10. “love”

Statistically speaking that should probably cover about 20% of you. But don’t worry. If I didn’t get it yet it will probably only take a few more minutes before I do…

Hackers, and I’m not talking about the ethical kind, have developed a whole range"

Tyan Announced Personal Supercomputer with 40 CPU Cores

2007-03-22T23:54:00.000-07:00

Tyan Announced Personal Supercomputer with 40 CPU Cores: "Tyan Announced Personal Supercomputer with 40 CPU Cores
March 22, 2007

TyanPSC T-650 QXTyan Computer Corporation announced today the immediate availability of the TyanPSC T-600 series Personal Supercomputer featuring new low-power 50-watt quad-core server processors from Intel. The TyanPSC T-650 QX can be configured with up to 40 processing cores and up to 60GB of system memory.

“With a maximum power draw of 15A the TyanPSC can be deployed in many non-traditional computation environments: starting with the office or home and extending to the ship, plane or remote outpost. With 40 processing cores available for high-performance computing there is a lot of compute power in a compact system. The system utilizes the Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor L5320. The new 50-watt quad-core processor operates at 1.86 GHz and features a unique 8 megabytes (MB) of on die cache for faster memory data communication and interfaces with a dedicated 1066 MHz front side bus. The TyanPSC allows individuals and workgroups access to computational power formerly only found in data centers,” the company announced.

With options to preload Microsoft Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 or a Linux operating system the TyanPSC T-600 series is delivered as a pre-tested cluster configuration and ready to use.

T-650 Series Features:

* 1400 Watts max, plugs into standard wall outlet
* Small form factor, portable
* Low-noise, whisper quiet operation… less than 52dB.
* Microsoft Windows Computer Cluster Server 2003
* Linux Operating System
* 40 CPU cores per system
* Up to 60 GB of RAM

The TyanPSC T-650 Series is now available for about $20,000.

Tyan"

Raytheon Develops World's First Polymorphic Computer | Military Embedded Systems

2007-03-22T00:06:00.000-07:00

Raytheon Develops World's First Polymorphic Computer | Military Embedded Systems: "Raytheon Develops World's First Polymorphic Computer
03/20/2007
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., March 20, 2007 -- The world's first computers whose architecture can adopt different forms depending on their application have been developed by Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN).

Dubbed MONARCH (Morphable Networked Micro-Architecture) and developed to address the large data volume of sensor systems as well as their signal and data processing throughput requirements, it is the most adaptable processor ever built for the Department of Defense, reducing the number of processor types required. It performs as a single system on a chip, resulting in a significant reduction of the number of processors required for computing systems, and it performs in an array of chips for teraflop throughput.

'Typically, a chip is optimally designed either for front-end signal processing or back-end control and data processing,' explained Nick Uros, vice president for the Advanced Concepts and Technology group of Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. 'The MONARCH micro-architecture is unique in its ability to reconfigure itself to optimize processing on the fly. MONARCH provides exceptional compute capacity and highly flexible data bandwidth capability with beyond state-of-the-art power efficiency, and it's fully programmable.'

In addition to the ability to adapt its architecture f"

SanDisk | OEM | Products | SanDisk SSD Solid State Drives | SanDisk SSD SATA 5000 2.5"

2007-03-20T02:06:00.000-07:00

SanDisk | OEM | Products | SanDisk SSD Solid State Drives | SanDisk SSD SATA 5000 2.5": "SanDisk SSD SATA 5000 2.5'

SanDisk SSD SATA 5000 2.5', a solid state drive with 32-gigabyte (GB)* flash memory, is a drop-in replacement for the hard disk drive. This popular form factor and Serial ATA (SATA) interface are ideal for thin and light notebooks, the largest mobile PC segment in the enterprise space.

Highly Durable
Our 5th generation SSD, SanDisk SSD SATA 5000 2.5' is based on technology that has been field-proven for over a decade in the harshest of environments. It uses NAND flash enhanced by our patented TrueFFS® flash management technology. SanDisk SSD delivers an outstanding two million hour mean time between failure (MTBF)1. This superior level results in reduced tangible costs, such as IT labor costs, while also decreasing intangible costs associated with inaccessible data.
Enhanced Performance
With no moving parts, SanDisk SSD SATA 5000 2.5' does not need to spin up into action or to seek files in the way that conventional hard disk drives do, while also eliminating the limitations of random seek performance. These characteristics, combined with SanDisk advanced flash management technology, enable SanDisk SSD to achieve performance that is approximately twice as fast as the hard disk drive2. SanDisk SSD SATA 5000 2.5' achieves a sustained read rate of 67-megabyte (MB)"

2007-03-20T02:01:00.000-07:00

Max Planck Society - Press Release: "A Single-Photon Server with Just One Atom

Physicists at Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics have succeeded in turning a Rubidium atom into a single-photon server.

Every time you switch on a light bulb, 10 to the power of 15 (a million times a billion) visible photons, the elementary particles of light, are illuminating the room in every second. If that is too many for you, light a candle. If that is still too many, and say, you just want one and not more than one photon every time you press the button, you will have to work a little harder. A team of physicists in the group of Professor Gerhard Rempe at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching near Munich, Germany, have now built a single-photon server based on a single trapped neutral atom. The high quality of the single photons and their ready availability are important for future quantum information processing experiments with single photons. In the relatively new field of quantum information processing the goal is to make use of quantum mechanics to compute certain tasks much more efficiently than with a classical computer. (Nature Physics online, March 11th, 2007)

Fig.: A single atom trapped in a cavity generates a single photon after being triggered by a laser pulse. After the sou"

2006-12-29T01:54:00.000-08:00

Download of the Day: Driver Collector (Windows)

Windows only: Freeware tool Driver Collector finds the currently installed drivers for hardware currently installed on your PC, then copies the files to a pre-defined folder.

If you've re-installed Windows before, you know how handy a tool like Driver Collector could be - whether you've long since lost your driver disks or you just don't want to go through the hassle of searching through all your install disks for the correct drivers. With tools like InstallPad for automating your software installations and Driver Collector for taking care of your hardware, re-installing Windows on your computer gets easier by the day. — Adam Pash

Driver Collector 1.2

2006-10-17T00:22:00.000-07:00

Prototype DNA computer -- MAYA-II
Computers that process information using DNA instead of silicon chips could one day lead to faster, more accurate tests for diagnosing West Nile Virus, bird flu and other diseases, according to a team of researchers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York and the University of New Mexico. To demonstrate the potential of this technology, the team developed a prototype DNA computer, named MAYA-II, that plays a complete game of tic-tac-toe. Shown in the foreground is a cell-culture plate containing pieces of DNA that code for possible 'moves.' A display screen (background) shows that the computer (red squares) has won the game against a human opponent (blue).

2006-10-13T01:37:00.000-07:00

Boosting Internet speeds without fiber-optics

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (Reuters) -- A group of technology and telecoms companies, including Spanish giant Telefonica, joined forces on Tuesday to boost the Internet speeds of copper telephone wires to almost equal that of fiber-optic cable.

"It will allow telecoms companies to provide high-bandwidth services cost-effectively ... rather than replacing all copper wires with fibre-optics up to the subscriber premises," said Zvika Weinshtock, vice president marketing for broadband access at Israeli telecoms equipment maker ECI Telecom.

The new technology, dubbed Dynamic Spectrum Management (DSM), promises speeds to rival those of fibre-optic networks, much faster than currently available on broadband -- DSL.

Telecoms operators in Europe and the United States have pledged to invest tens of billions of euros (dollars) by extending their fiber optic core network closer to homes and boost the speed of their networks.

Faster speeds are needed, because even with the latest DSL broadband technology, called VDSL2, operators struggle to offer high quality television and video-on-demand services.

2006-09-28T03:02:00.000-07:00

One phone number to rule them all
GrandCentral is a brilliant new web app that lets you consolidate all of your phone numbers into one number, meaning someone can call you on your GrandCentral phone number and all of your phones (cell phone, work phone, home phone) will ring. And then it gets interesting.

AllPeers : Share exactly what you want with exactly who you want!

2006-09-01T01:17:00.000-07:00

AllPeers : Share exactly what you want with exactly who you want!: " Share 100KB, 100MB, 100GB, it does not matter!
> Create your own sharing community.
> The best thing to happen to Firefox ...
since Firefox."

Been using it for a few days now. Seems to get the job done. I transfered a bunch of files and programs already. //bob

The Off By One Web Browser

2006-08-29T01:49:00.000-07:00

The Off By One Web Browser: "The Browser Has Landed

The Off By One Web Browser may be the world's smallest and fastest web browser with full HTML 3.2 support. It is a completely self-contained, stand-alone 1.2 MB application with no dependencies on any other browser or browser component. For Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Now, with a tabbed browsing interface.

Click here to download the Off By One Browser Setup kit or ZIP file package, posted January 2, 2006.
"

I just downloaded it and dang it is fast! No JavaScript or Flash support, which is ok with me! //bob

Photo to Sketch--Thinker Software--a tool to convert a photograph to excellent sketch

2006-08-27T00:49:00.000-07:00

Photo to Sketch--Thinker Software--a tool to convert a photograph to excellent sketch: "Convert your photos to magnificent artwork, sketch or water color, completely similar freehand.
Download it now, it's free."

2006-08-11T01:36:00.000-07:00

AM-DeadLink - Download FavIcons and detect dead links in your browser bookmarks: "AM-DeadLink

AM-DeadLink detects dead links and duplicates in your Browser Bookmarks. If a Bookmark has become unavailable you can verify it in the internal preview and delete it from your Browser. Additionally you can download FavIcons for all your Favorites and Bookmarks.

AM-Deadlink works with Internet Explorer, Opera, Mozilla and Firefox. AM-DeadLink is Freeware!

I used it on my Firefox links and found a bunch of dups and 404s... //bob

2006-08-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

Green Wifi - The Solar Wi-Fi Grid Project: "The Green WiFi Mission

Green WiFi is committed to providing solar powered access to global information and educational resources for developing nation K-12 school children striving for knowledge in a digitally divided world. There are approximately 3 billion people under the age of 15 living in developing nations. 42 percent of the developing world's population is below the age of 15. Green WiFi was founded on the principle that the welfare of our world is dependent, in large part, on providing these children with free and open access to the world's information."

2006-08-03T02:48:00.000-07:00

Reincarnating a discarded laptop with Linux: "Reincarnating a discarded laptop with Linux
by Howard Fosdick (Aug. 1, 2006)

I recently picked up an old discarded laptop... straight out of a corporate garbage bin, as a matter of fact. Could it be useful? What could it do? As an IT professional, I thought I'd find out.
You've probably read similar stories elsewhere. Many people acquire old Pentium I, II, or III era laptops and install Linux and other free software to create a useful machine. A few years ago, laptop Linux was immature and this was a challenge. Laptops have always been proprietary and less standardized than desktop PCs. Today, however, Linux features much better hardware detection and installs easily on most laptops."

2006-08-02T02:31:00.000-07:00

AleJenJes Free countdown timer: "Description:
I wrote this for my 3 kids to use while taking turns at playing games on their computer after they broke momma's kitchen timer. It is a simple countdown timer where you enter the starting time in hours, minutes & seconds and it counts down to zero.

Features:

* All settings are 'remembered' from the previous time ran.
* Choose to keep on top of other windows.
* Added a control panel, right-click timer to access it.
* Full-screen mode.
* Sticky mode docks to the edge of your screen when close to it.
* Warning sound can be played at any min/sec, or turned off.
* Pause the timer momentarily (click GO! to resume).
* Plays sounds at different events (included).
* Customizable logo in full-screen mode.
* Customizable time's-up message when time expires.
* Customizable pop-up message when time expires.
* Sounds can be changed to any other wav files.
* Shhhhh! silent mode."

2006-08-02T02:10:00.000-07:00

InformationWeek | Windows XP Management | Langa Letter: XP's No-Reformat, Nondestructive Total-Rebuild Option | June 19, 2006: "Langa Letter: XP's No-Reformat, Nondestructive Total-Rebuild Option

Fred Langa shows you how to completely rebuild, repair, or refresh an existing XP installation without losing data, and without having to reinstall user software, reformat, or otherwise destructively alter the setup.

By Fred Langa
InformationWeek

Jun 19, 2006 12:00 AM"

2006-08-02T01:56:00.000-07:00

Lifehacker, the Productivity and Software Guide: "Privacy Roundup

Your digital information says a lot about you, but you may not always want everyone to hear what it's saying. Keep your private info under lock and key with a few tips from your friendly neighborhood Lifehacker.

* How to encrypt your email
* Create your own false identity
* Clean up your digital indiscretions
* Choose (and remember) great passwords
* Securely track your passwords
* Video Clip: Google - Behind the Screen
* Share files (or not) with Google Desktop"

2006-07-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

Run Firefox in Windows 95 :: Mozilla Stuff :: JohnHaller.com: "Run Firefox in Windows 95 (and Windows 98 original release)

Much of this applies to other Mozilla applications like Thunderbird as well.

Despite installer issues, Firefox actually does work well when running under Windows 95, which is good news for people still running an operating system that Microsoft no longer supports.
Installation Instructions

There are a couple tricks to getting it to work. Here are step-by-step instructions for getting things working:

1. Update your Common Controls Library using 50comupd.exe from Microsoft
2. (Win95 Only) Apply the Winsock 2 Update for Windows 95
3. Apply the Microsoft Libraries Update for Windows 95 or for Windows 98. (You will need to reboot once this is installed)
4. Now download a standard Firefox installer.
5. Run Firefox Setup 1.5.x.x.exe and install as normal.
6. Once you get to the point where Firefox launches for the first time, an error -- 'This application has performed an illegal operation' -- will occur as Firefox attempts to start its Import functionality (which does not work in Windows 95). Just click close.
7. Reboot your PC to return your operating system to a stable state
8. Now, launch Firefox again using your Start Menu shortcut and all should be well!"

2006-07-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

Book Excerpt from PC Magazine: Extending Wired & Wireless Networks: "Extending Your Wireless and Wired Networks

You can add additional wireless devices to your wireless network to enable you to cover more area, or to give you greater bandwidth over which to communicate. You can also extend your coverage by wirelessly connecting two or more LANs. Because very few people have completely wireless networks, nearly all networks start out as wired LANs to which wireless capabilities are added. Wireless networking can extend your network to places that are either difficult or impossible to run a wire to. Wireless links can serve as bridges between two LAN islands. Given the right antennas, you can create wireless network links up to 10 miles in distance with 802.11 technology. That makes wireless technology useful for bridges across a campus, a city, a county, or anywhere else where you need a long distance or temporary link."

2006-07-09T22:32:00.000-07:00

smart boot manager floppy: "Smart Boot Manager

floppy disk This nifty little floppy bootdisk allows selecting various devices to boot from a menu, and even allows booting a CD-ROM in machines where the BIOS doesn't support it. If your BIOS supposedly supports booting from a CD-ROM, but that feature isn't working, this disk might be just what you need!"

I used it on my old Toshiba 150mhz laptop and booted CD just fine. //bob

2006-07-04T01:36:00.000-07:00

Where's My Google PC? - It's coming. It'll be great. You'll hate it. By Paul Boutin: "Where's My Google PC?
It's coming. It'll be great. You'll hate it.
By Paul Boutin
Posted Monday, July 3, 2006, at 1:13 PM ET

YouOS screenshot. Click image to expand.For a sneak peek at the future of computing, go to YouOS and click 'Try a Demo.' Your browser window turns into a desktop of its own, with sub-windows for e-mail, chat, and Web browsing. There are also links on the YouOS desktop for a sticky-notes program and a rich-text editor. But these programs aren't on your hard drive—they're running somewhere in the vast unknown Internet."

2006-06-30T03:18:00.000-07:00

How to Create Flick Animations with CSS - WebReference.com: "How to Create Flick Animations with CSS

By Stu Nicholls.
Introduction

Fed up with 'Flash'? Getting annoyed with animated gifs? Well, why not try an alternative - CSS Flick Animation.

This is a method of animation that requires some interaction with your visitors, making a visit to your web site a more enjoyable experience for them, and maybe tempting them to come back for more.

The animations normally appear as static images on the page but they will spring into life when you move your mouse across them. This can be used in many serious applications as well as just for fun.

With this article I will show you how to style a basic animation (and also an enhanced version which comprises the same animation with associated text). This could be used on an educational site to explain the various stages of the animation (such as the internal combustion engine)."

Now this is COOL! //bob

2006-06-22T23:43:00.000-07:00

PHPit - Totally PHP » Creating a “Who’s Online” script with PHP: "Creating a “Who’s Online” script with PHP
(Page 1 out of 2)
Introduction

In this tutorial I will show you how to create your own 'Who's Online' script, which is often found on message boards and other community scripts. We will first create a really simple script, and after that add a few more features like the location of each visitor. But first, let me explain how our 'Who's Online' script is going to work."

2006-06-22T03:18:00.000-07:00

Pen Drive Linux - Install, Boot and Run Live Linux on a USB Flash Pen Drive: "How to Install, Boot and Run Linux on a USB Flash Pen Drive!

Covering how to Install, Boot and Run Live Linux on a USB Flash Pen Drive. By installing Live Linux on a Memory Stick, you can now bring your operating system, favorites, e-mail, applications, personal settings and files with you to run on any computer that can boot from a USB Flash device. It's like having a mini personal computer in your pocket!"

2006-06-22T03:13:00.000-07:00

PHP Help: Creating a Membership System with PHP and MySQL: "One of the most unique and handy features of PHP and MySQL is the ability to create a user based login system for your website. With this feature your website can grow far beyond what you expected it to. Your website can become a community and it can become very interactive, therefore bringing users back to your website for more action.

2006-06-22T02:59:00.000-07:00

Techie buzz, know your technology head on - Mount box.net account in Windows Explorer: "Box.net is a online storage place which allows you to store files upto 1 GB online for free, It also has paid options for more storage space online. Using Box.net you can access your files from any computer that has an internet connection, uploading files is easy too.

Here is the simple way in which you can mount box.net as an additional network folder or drive in Windows XP "

2006-06-22T02:56:00.000-07:00

arc90 lab : tools : Unobtrusive Sidenotes: "Unobtrusive Sidenotes

Our first tool out of the arc90 lab, Unobtrusive Sidenotes is a simple mix of Javascript and CSS that makes it ridiculously easy to incorporate sidenotes into your web pages or blogs. It even includes a handy set of colors (all set in CSS and tweak-able) to create that oh-so-subtle correlation between the sidenote and the relevant text."

2006-06-22T02:18:00.000-07:00

Texts In Computer Science:
Ever wanted to read Sergey Brin and Lawrence Page's 'The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine'? Or Donald E. Knuth's 'Computer Programming as an Art'? But wait, there's more!"

2006-06-22T01:53:00.000-07:00

Box.net - Free Online File Storage, Internet File Sharing, RSS Sharing, Access Documents & Files Anywhere, Backup Data, Share Files: "Free Online Storage Access important files from any computer Share photos, and files too big for email Synchronize and backup folders Sub-accounts and RSS feeds for groups 1GB for free or 5GB for only $4.99/mo"

2006-06-16T02:01:00.000-07:00

Linux.com | A quick look at the GParted live CD: "A quick look at the GParted live CD

Thursday May 18, 2006 (02:01 PM GMT)

By: Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier

Need a way to resize NTFS partitions, mirror disk images, or otherwise muck about with disk partitions -- and don't want to use a proprietary package like Partition Magic? If so, the GNOME Partition Editor (GParted) is an excellent open source tool for the task. The GParted team released the GParted live CD version 0.2.4-2 this month, so I decided it was a good time to take GParted for a spin.
GParted handles Ext2, Ext3, FAT16, FAT32, JFS, ReiserFS, Reiser4, NTFS, XFS, and other filesystem formats. At a bare minimum, GParted can detect, read, copy, and create partitions using those file systems -- and, in some cases, can shrink, expand, and move partitions. See the features page on the GParted site for the full rundown on GParted's capabilities."

2006-05-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

PCWorld.com - 101 Fabulous Freebies

2006-04-21T02:22:00.000-07:00

FIDONET

A long long time ago when the internet was far far away there was FIDONET. It was used to send info thru modems in a relay type way but is now almost about dead, but for a few folks out there who use it. If you want a peek into what was in the begining this is a good read.

My friend Larry had a Commodore 64 with a modem and would receive a call from Australia at a prearranged time of the night, and then combine what information he had gathered from others around his "region" of the "zone" and relay the data to Australia and then on to Arizona.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidonet
fidonet.org
fidonet.us
fidonet.ro/copywrong.html(check this one out)

//bob

2006-04-20T23:21:00.000-07:00

I decided to start a blog for Bits Bytes and Bugs so that I can keep everyone who is interrested in what I am up to and new stuff that I come across. So stay tuned in! //bob