Common Craft has been on a roll lately. Here’s there latest and it’s just as good as the rest. This time it’s about computer hardware. This is very valuable information to have even as a basic computer user so give it a watch.
Computer Hardware in Plain English
February 25, 2009
1 Comment | 
Hardware, Tech Info, Video | Tagged: Common Craft | 
Permalink
Posted by insomnic
Interview With 4Chan Creator
February 18, 2009Fimoculous has posted an interview with the creator of 4Chan. The creator, Christopher Poole (also known at “moot”), started the site 5 years ago and it has now become one of the most influential websites in the world. I’ve mentioned 4Chan before in relation to meme on the internet but it bears mentioning again the importance (and craziness) of 4Chan.
4Chan is the ultimate representation of anonymous interaction. To quote the interview:
“4chan is actually one of the most robust, complex, annoying, disgusting, illuminating, perverse, fascinating online communities ever created.”
Read the interview though and you’ll get an idea about how it was created and why it exists. It truly is an interesting phenomenon.
Leave a Comment » | 
Info, Internet | Tagged: 4chan, Christopher Poole, meme | 
Permalink
Posted by insomnic
Charter Imposes Internet Caps
February 6, 2009It looks like Charter Cable will be implementing usage caps on all its users starting Monday, February 9th. Ars Technica has confirmed what was previously a rumor and spells out some of the details.
What this means for most people is nothing because the majority of users won’t go anywhere near the cap, but for some users this may cause a problem. Normally, going over the cap would get you a warning and if you repeatedly go over the limit they’ll either shut you off or charge you extra; most likely the later. Once the caps are in place and the rules are laid out the penalties will be known.
The caps are set as 100GB for the 15mbps tier and 250GB for the next tier. Those on the 60mbps will have no cap. This might vary depending on market area because there isn’t a 60mbps option in my area. I don’t have Charter, but if I did, I’d have to go with the 2nd tier program as I routinely go over 100GB by a little bit … of course if I had the option I’d probably already be on that 60mbps plan! This is why these caps shouldn’t be too big of an issue at this time; most people who would go over the cap have already bumped up a level.
Check out the Ars Technica article and also the discussion section for details and some interesting information and opinions about these caps.
Leave a Comment » | 
Internet, Service, Tech Info | Tagged: caps, Charter, Internet | 
Permalink
Posted by insomnic
Google Latitude (Updated)
February 4, 2009Google has released a new product for their mobile suite of software called Google Latitude. It is an updated version of Google Maps that allows for location awareness to be shared with others. This can be useful for seeing when your friend is in the mall with you and then you can send them a note to meet up, a useful feature. The downside is it can also show when you are going to the strip clubs or at the ball game after calling in sick.
Here’s a quick video overview of the service:
The good thing is that you can be selective on who can see your location and you can turn it on or off as you wish. I can see a few useful functions though and hopefully it will have a few more fine tuned controls as it matures.
You can install it into an iGoogle page using this link or go to http://www.google.com/latitude from your mobile phone.
UPDATE:
Privacy settings are more advanced than I originally thought. Here is a good video about the privacy levels available:
1 Comment | Mobile, Service, Software, Tech Info, Updated, Video | Tagged: social, youtube | Permalink
Posted by insomnic
Million Dollar Machine Or Five Dollar Wrench
February 2, 2009I previously mentioned that it is easier to hack you than your computer, and a recent xkcd comic does a good job of explaining it in just two panels.
Leave a Comment » | Humor, Image | Tagged: comic, security, XKCD | Permalink
Posted by insomnic
Access Vista and Windows 7 exFAT Drives in XP
January 29, 2009Windows Vista and Windows 7 come with a new file system type called exFAT. It is an updated version of the FAT file system and carries a lot of new features and improvements – which most people won’t care about at the moment so follow the link for the gory details. That’s a good thing, but one problem is that Windows XP can’t read it!
So, if a friend of yours formats a USB stick using exFAT on Vista and copies some docs to it for you and brings it over to your XP computer you won’t be able to get the files. Well, luckily, Microsoft has released a download that will help you get around this issue. Just go to this KB955704 article and you can download and install the update.
Now you can handle exFAT formated media from your Windows XP machine.
If you are running Linux or OS X – you are out of luck. Linux and OS X users are used to this though and tend to have their own ways around these issues – but still something to keep in mind.
Leave a Comment » | PC, Tech Info, Tech Support | Tagged: exFAT, KB955704 | Permalink
Posted by insomnic
Geek Chart
January 22, 2009I’m surprised I hadn’t posted this before, but there is a Geek Chart that has been floating around for awhile. It might help you understand the development of a geek and the different types of geeks that are out and about in the world.
Geek Chart
Click the image or this link to see the full version of the chart. Perhaps a future post will detail the different types of geeks that are in the wild and how geeks and nerds are different but not mutually exclusive.
Update: Thanks to Kamikaze Joe, the source is a New York Times article.
3 Comments | Humor, Image, Info | Permalink
Posted by insomnic
Money in Plain English
January 21, 2009Yes.. it’s another installment from the Common Craft guys. This time, it’s about saving and borrowing money. It isn’t very geeky but they do such a good job as “explainers” that I can’t help sharing.
Saving Money in Plain English
Borrowing Money in Plain English
1 Comment | Info, Tips, Video | Tagged: Common Craft | Permalink
Posted by insomnic
Time Passes But People Remember
January 15, 2009I am sad to say that Patrick McGoohan and Ricardo Montalban have passed away. They will both be missed and their place in geekdom will keep their memory alive for a long, long time.
The Prisoner
Kirk vs Kahn (original)
Kirk vs Kahn (rematch)
2 Comments | Info, Movies, TV, Video | Tagged: Kahn, Patrick McGoohan, Ricardo Montalban, The Prisoner | Permalink
Posted by insomnic
Apple Updates iLife, iWork, iTunes and MacBook Pro 17-inch
January 6, 2009Today was Apple’s MacWorld Expo Keynote. This is typically where new releases and product updates are announced for Apple software and hardware.
This year, there were some interesting updates and I’ll just hit on some of the highlights.
iPhoto updated to include face recognition and geotagging as well as Flickr and Facebook direct uploading.
iMovie updated to have lots of new and more advanced editing features. Also includes “Jitter Correction” and easier user controls.
GarageBand now has a tutorial section which will help teach you how to play guitar and piano. This includes some pay lessons from artists such as Sting and Nora Jones.
iTunes store is changing and by the end of the first quarter all songs will be DRM free. This means no restrictions on the music you buy. The pricing is also changing to a 3-tier system of $.69, $.99, and $1.29. This one is cool because DRM is very icky.
iWork had lots of little updates but the big one is iWork.com site where online collaboration of documents can be done (like Google Docs).
MacBook Pro 17-inch was announced and detailed. One of the biggest advancements is an 8 hour battery life. Impressive.
So those are the basics. You can find more specific details at Apple.com.
1 Comment | Apple, Hardware, Software, Tech Info | Permalink
Posted by insomnic
