Office In A Thumb Drive

Lifehack.org, yet another of my favorite websites ever, put out an excellent article on how to turn your USB thumb drive into a mobile, primary office. 

With very little work and no money aside from the original expense of the drive itself, you can easily turn a thumb drive into your primary workspace — complete with the software and settings, reference material, and documents you uses the most.

How nice.  With the six (all good) ideas that they mention in this article, you are pretty much set.  Web pages like this are the reason that I started POW in the first place - here's a nice reference point for safekeeping.  Don't forget, many flash drives now contain simple word processors, anti-virus, and other valuable software preinstalled.

 

It's hard to believe that just a few years ago my primary computer had 4 GB.  Now you can buy a thumb drive with that much for next to nothing.  I have one, and feel like I have the whole world under my thumb.  There's your pop culture reference of the day, people. 

 

Heady times, my friends.  Read the article.

No Respect - No Respect For These Google Products At All, I'll Tell Ya

With all apologies to Rodney Dangerfield, here's a good list of a bunch of Google products that simply get no love.
 

But how many people do you think would discuss being able to set up customised RSS feeds in Google News? Or being able to download source code in Google Code? How many people would know that Google offers various possibilities for users to help improve their products?

Here are some Google services that need a lot more loving (cue Barry White music) :

Makeuseof.com.  I think that I like their website.

 

Everyone here knows that I love me some Google stuff.  Google has it's own category there on the side of the page.  Here's your chance to take a look at some of the things that I'm always writing about.

 

 

Widgets

.and boy, does Mashable have them in the article 50 Great Widgets For Your Blog.
Here's a few that I found interesting:

MyBlogLog's Recent Readers - this widget can easily be called a hit amongst blog owners; its popularity even managed to convince Yahoo into buying MyBlogLog. The widget lets you see the avatars of recent visitors to your blog, provided they're also members of MyBlogLog.

PollDaddy - PollDaddy lets you create beautiful polls in no time, and display them at your blog.

aStore - similar to AuctionAds, only for Amazon. Create a mini-store on your site and receive profit when someone buys an item through your store.

Yahoo! For Good - create a charity badge and ask for donations for a worthy cause.

A few of these I already knew about, but I'll be honest, many of them I didn't.  Of course, some of them would just clutter me up more than I'd like. 

However, don't be surprised when a couple of these show up here.  Take a look at Mashable - it's a fine website for blog owners.

Unblocking The iPhone

An article in Gizmodo on the efforts to unblock the iPhone comes with the best photoshop that I've seen all month.
First, the article:

Apparently, the amazing code wizards at the iPhone Dev Wiki have been able to partially unlock the iPhone using a new application called iASign. It won't fully unlock the iPhone for use with other companies, but the hack will allow you to use any existing Cingular/AT&T Pre-paid/MVNA SIM so you don't have to get a two-year contract with AT&T. We are now testing this, but if confirmed the benefits are great.

Then, the photoshop.






"YAHOOOOO! You're all clear, Kid. Now let's blow this thing and go home."

Phones: Soon To Be The Most Interesting Hardware Around

...and Apple gasped.  Unless this is all part of the Big Plan.

 

The head of Google in Spain and Portugal has confirmed that Google is working on a mobile phone. "Some of the time the engineers are dedicated to developing a mobile phone," Isabel Aguilera is quoted as saying on the Spanish-news Web site Noticias.com.

A Google spokeswoman in the United States released this statement when asked for comment: "Mobile is an important area for Google and we remain focused on creating applications and establishing and growing partnerships with industry leaders to develop innovative services for users worldwide. However, we have nothing further to announce."

Google stateside has repeatedly declined to comment on rumors of a Google Phone, but the smoke has been rising lately.

That's from News.com, via Reddit.

 

Can it be true? 

What does this mean? 

Will there be a battle royale between the iPhone and the GPhone? 

My first inclination is towards suspicion.

 

Yet somewhere in the distance, an almost imperceptible but unmistakable explosion can be heard, and the nature of that sound is the first salvo in the war to win the hearts and minds of first adopters and assorted technologists everywhere. 

 

Google versus Apple.

 

The lines have been drawn.

 

 

 

 

 

Surf Safely With Free Stuff

Use this information for good, not evil.

 

Marketers just love to gather information about who is surfing the web and why. They're not above tracking a user's web history to learn about their interests and buying habits, but they can only do it if you let them.

If you'd like to fight back you can learn to surf anonymously. It's easy and fun!

In other words, use Tor.  Credit this info to Computerworld , via the Consumerist.

I've used Tor.

I'll use it again.

In some cases, I don't mind websites knowing that I've been there before, and the inevitable autopopulate of my username just about everywhere, especially when I don't use Firefox.  On the other hand, there's only so much I can take.

 

Clipboard2Phone

I love the Internet, and I especially love the free, useful things that I find here.

Clipboard2Phone is a simple script that emails the contents of your clipboard to your cell phone with a key combination you define. Especially useful for sending phone numbers to your mobile - which will most likely make that number callable in one click - Clipboard2Phone comes in handy for quickly transferring any kind of information you need on the go, like a todo list, shopping list, driving directions or just a reminder to your future self.

Sometimes, I don't know what I would do without Lifehacker.   I'm pretty sure that they already know that I have a serious tech-crush on them.

Here's the link. 

and Google Said, "Let There Be Light!"

...and there was light...

 

In a speech Friday night to the Annual American Association for the Advancement of Science conference, Google co-founder Larry Page let slip with a truth we all suspected:

"We have some people at Google [who] are really trying to build artificial intelligence (AI) and to do it on a large scale…It's not as far off as people think."

Yep, you read that right, Google is trying to build real AI. The worlds most dominant online company, with the largest conglomeration of computing power the world has ever seen, is trying to build artificial intelligence, and according to Page it isn't that far away either.

Where?  901am.com.  Hat tip:  Fark.

 

Everyone, I mean, EVERYONE who has read anything about Google in the last few years, and I've made enough posts about Google for them to merit their own label, for God's sake, knew this was coming.

 

I just hope that I'm on their good side.  I think that I might be.

 

But... To Serve Man... it was a cookbook, you know.

 

 

 

Recovery

Have you ever accidentally deleted a file from the recycle bin?  God knows I have.  Most of the time it can be retrieved, but it can be a pain.

Hail Eris!  Hail Lifehacker!  Hail Recovery!

Free Windows software Restoration is a data recovery program for you PC.

Similar to previously-mentioned data recovery software, PC Inspector File Recovery, Restoration is quick and does exactly what it says. Another bonus: Restoration doesn't require installation, meaning you can add it to the list of apps for your thumb drive.

Mark this on the due to be downloaded, and, quite simply, used, even if it only works half the time.  This software is going on the list.

Casual aside, yes, I've known for several years that the recycle bin doesn't really delete your files.  Try to use this particular software for good, not evil.  I might just shred some files and try to recover them with this and see what happens.

Whoa!

Psst!  Hey kid, wanna buy a laptop?

 

The backers of the One Laptop Per Child project are looking at the possibility of selling the machine to the public.

One idea would be for customers to have to buy two laptops at once - with the second going to the developing world.

 

Says the BBC.  Word.

 

I have to say it.  This is a good idea.  I would probably get into it, seriously.

 

 

 

I Still Don't Know What Web 2.0 Means

...but it seemed like a good idea to keep this around.

 

Here you are the most interesting web 2.0 site all over the internet, please if you have more sites add them to the comments

 

Via, who?  Web 2.0 Magazine.

 

I still don't know what Web 2.0 means though.  Is that like a WebX or something?  Web to the extreme?

 

Generation Web?

 

Doesn't matter.  All that I know is that YouTube, Weblogs, Inc., Digg, Skype, and whatnot are kind of the future for the Internet.  Wise to check out the article and probably bookmark it.  I know that I'm waaaaay behind the curve on the proper use of internet tools.  If I have some time I'll try to catch up.

 

 

 

Day Of The Robot

The dawn of the Robot Age draws ever nearer.

Oh great. As if the potent, robotic cocktail of self-replication, self-awareness, and wireless power weren't bad enough, along comes Cornell University with a robot capable of not only discovering its own nature (something we can't even do) but then adapts to overcome injury. This four-legged robot starts out knowing only what parts it has, not where they are or how to use them for locomotion. It applies a scientific method of theory and experimentation to develop computer models and ultimately, a set of commands to turn its motors for that first cautious step. Even when researchers remove part of the toddling robot's leg, the little guy still figures out a way to limp forward.

Check it out! Engadget! They can still bring the goods.

Notes to self:
1. Incorporate company called Cyberdyne Systems, vigorously defend name of said organization through the legal system.
2. Develop network of contacts throughout the Western Hemisphere where, if necessary, I could hide out.
3. Find, and warn, Sarah Connor.

Actually, I wasn't about to use that overworked cliché, but it was just too much for me and I had to.

All that being aside, Cornell does it again. That's pretty interesting. The question is, can I make that robot clean my house? Will it abide by the Three Laws of Robotics? Should I be worried?

I want one.

Switched!

Well, I switched to new Blogger in beta.

 

Let me know how it went.  If things get too goofy then I will be making other changes.  Did my template change?  Are comments still working?

 

As a result of this change, you will be seeing plenty of new things, and first on my list... categories!  That's something everyone seems to want.

 

More later!

 

 

Blog From Email

I've been blogging from email for some time, but this particular app seemed quite well timed for me, especially since I have had so many problems getting that to work lately.

Software blog Download Squad gives the scoop on BlogMailr, a free tool that lets you add posts to your blog just by sending e-mails.

Glory be to Lifehacker! We love you, Gina.

Incidentally, the link to the BlogMailr is right here. Yippie!

I'd also like to add that you should expand your mind and listen to Littlefeat. I am doing that right now.

Update: The first time I posted this today failed. What timing. In other words, you need this app.
Update x2: The second time that I've posted this today failed. Arrgh.

A Good Idea That, If You Really Think About It, Will Make You Sick

Something about this just doesn't seem right.

 

An Oklahoma retired veteran and state school superintendent candidate is campaigning to have bullet-proof textbooks. Bill Crozier tested traditional textbooks to see what, if any kind of bullets a textbook would stop. The traditional textbooks were able to stop handgun bullets, but not rifle bullets. Crozier is suggesting making the covers out of Kevlar.

 

Via Gizmodo.

 

Here's an idea. 

 

Ahem.

 

Instead of worrying about making textbooks out of Kevlar, why don't we concentrate on trying to make schools safer, for God's sake?!  Is this truly what the world is coming to?  Is society really THAT DUMB?  Seriously, now!  This is not rocket science. 

 

Here's a thought: how about more security at schools INSTEAD OF Kevlar textbooks?!

 

I have a two-year old who will be attending pre-school late next year.  Should I be expecting Kevlar LEGOS, next?

 

This is actually a perfect representation of the theory of "Treating The Symptom, and Not The Problem" thinking that is so prevalent in today's society.

 

These are certainly not humanity's brightest moments ever.

 

 

 

Open Source Madness

Seriously, I'm so sorry that I forgot to mention this particular bit of info.  Want Open Source?

 

We post scads of free downloads here on Lifehacker, but today instead of pimping yet another Google product, I'd like to tip my hat to the open source developers who release innovative, useful products that make our lives that much easier every day - because it's our right, not privilege, to control our own data.

Open source roots are in the Unix operating system, but these days many "free as in speech" applications are available for Windows as well - and today I've got a list of my top 10 favorites.

None of these cost a dime to download and use, but do donate whatever and whenever you can to the projects that benefit you the most.

You know that's got to be Lifehacker.  Sigh.  I would devote some quality time reading that article, if I were you.

 

Really, I should do a plug to another long-forgotten post that I made about subjects similiar to this right here in POW - the blog.

 

But I won't.

See what I did there?

 

 

 

Science Non Fiction

The Quantum Information Age is coming.  Be ready.

 

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Beaming people in Star Trek fashion is still in the realms of science fiction but physicists in Denmark have teleported information from light to matter bringing quantum communication and computing closer to reality.

Until now scientists have teleported similar objects such as light or single atoms over short distances from one spot to another in a split second.

But Professor Eugene Polzik and his team at the Niels Bohr Institute at Copenhagen University in Denmark have made a breakthrough by using both light and matter.

"It is one step further because for the first time it involves teleportation between light and matter, two different objects. One is the carrier of information and the other one is the storage medium," Polzik explained in an interview on Wednesday.

The experiment involved for the first time a macroscopic atomic object containing thousands of billions of atoms. They also teleported the information a distance of half a meter but believe it can be extended further.

via CNN.  I know, I know, I can do better than that.

 

However, I will have you know that this is like a Code Yellow on the Geek Alert Scale.  And very, very cool as well.  Yet, I can't help but think of how our presently benevolent computer gods at  Google will eventually use this information. 

 

You can bet people with IQs well above the genius level are working on it as we speak.

 

 

 

Freeware Wonders

I honestly don't know where I found this link.  However, it's damn useful:  10 Unknown Windows Freeware Applications You Should Know About.

 

There are dozens of well known freeware applications out there. From web browsers to word processors to anti-viruses, there is freeware everywhere. Take a look at these 10 great Windows freeware applications you have probably either never heard of or never fully looked into.

 

Homeboy is using Blogger.  Good deal.  Show 'em some love.

 

 

 

The Amazing Race

AOL.

Time Warner Inc.'s (TWX) AOL unit said it will make five gigabytes of online storage available free to all Web users.

The Internet service provider and online portal said the added storage will enable users to store any type of file and will support a drag-and-drop interface between online storage and hard drive.

The storage offering will be available to any users who have an AOL or AIM screenname starting in early September.

 

Via MarketWatch.

 

Biker and perennial underdog Dick Parsons raced up the mountain.  It was Stage 17, one of the most treacherous stages of the newly-created Tour de Earth, just started in late 2006 to replace a scandalized (and far too small, in Dick's opinion) Tour de France.   His mind mulled his chances:  Ballmer, Gates, and especially Schmidt... they were all in front.  And they weren't tiring.

 

Suddenly, Dick thought seriously about just giving up.  This was a young man's game.

 

Stop that.  Dick's mind replied.  We didn't come all this way for nothing.  Before anyone cared about the World Wide Web, before Google, and when Usenet was young, we were there.  Before broadband was the way, before the Internet crash, before Amazon, and before eBay, we were there, giving away CDs by the carload.  We introduced the world to the Internet.  We showed the world that money could be made.  We have the backing of one of the largest multimedia conglomerates the world has ever seen.  And we will not go quietly, no matter what the cost.  We can do it.

 

Dick's spirits brightened, if only just a touch.

 

But just over the top of the next hill, Dick Parsons could just see the beginning of an orange and bluish hue, steadily getting brighter with every push of his tired legs, which every drip of sweat, and every drop of adrenaline.

 

The sun was rising.

 

And with that, Dick Parsons, CEO of America Online, realized something important.  Something that would enable him to continue the race.  Something that would give him hope.

 

He was getting stronger.

 

This would be a long race, indeed.

 

 

$150 My Booty

Have an idea?  Is it booze-related?  People will buy it.

 

Modern Spirits is adding all sorts of crap to their vodkas in an effort to give demanding consumers a customized tipple at an equally impressive price. At $150, you'd better be thinking long and hard which flavors you want in this booze.

Gizmodo, who I haven't linked in a bit, deserves the credit for this one.

 

Perhaps I've been working too hard.  I'm changing my life's goal.

My new goal is:

 

To have a favorable article written about me or one of my products in Gizmodo.

 

I personally think that it's an achievable goal.  I've got ideas, (I even have a product out there or two), now I have to do is sell.  Directly.  To Gizmodo.