An article from the Christian Science Monitor details the exploits of an MIT scientist who is working to help greenhouse gas emissions by using algae. The idea is to use the algae in containers at the top of coal plant smokestacks as a filter. The tests so far indicate that …

Casonova, starring Heath Ledger and Sienna Miller, with a strong supporting cast including Oliver Platt, Jeremy Irons, and Lena Olin is a very enjoyable fictional tale about Giacomo Casonova and his exploits in Venice. Although I don't expect we'll be seeing any Oscar nominations for this film, it doesn't change …

So, what's an ExpressCard/34? Can I use my PCMCIA (PCCARD) cards in it? Apple's latest laptop announcement, the MacBook Pro has what is referred to as an ExpressCard/34 slot on it in the place of the usual PCCard slot. So, what is it? ExpressCard is a new standard …

Another Stevenote, another controversy about benchmarks. An commentary by Tom Yager on InfoWorld states that "Apple used multiprocessor benchmarks to skew the performance advantage." I have some issues with this. First, Apple has this time almost completely disclosed the information about their benchmarks, including compilers (IBM optimizing compilers vs. Intel …

Want to import that Access database to your Macintosh software? Wait no longer, if you're using an ODBC-capable package (like Excel or Filemaker Pro), you can now use the new ODBC for Access from Actual Technologies to do it.

Some of us know that Apple has had what it calls "Ink Services" for the Macintosh since 10.2 at least. Ink Services is handwriting recognition for graphics tablet users. Now, Apple announced today that they've updated the documentation to provide an API for customization. This is their first documentation …

Well, we stood in line for 1.5 hours and we are stuck in the overflow seating area for the Stevenote. Click through for details. iPod tuner/remote combo - small and allows you listen to FM on your iPod for $49. premier of new iTunes/iPod ad 14M iPods sold …

Karelia, the folks who brought forth the popular Watson follow-on to Apple's Sherlock, have posted a fairly interesting background piece on the Watson chronology and the lead up to their latest potential run-in with Apple, Sandvox, a web page creation tool that may compete with the as-yet-unannounced iWeb component that …

The Chronicles of Narnia:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the film adaptation of C.S. Lewis novel of the same name, is an attempt to take a classic book (and we're all sure that Disney is intending to take the whole series) and turn it into a film …

The Family Stone would have been your typical holiday family relationship film, with some amusing situations and a host of lightly-developed characters, except for the feeling that the characters in the film actually cared for each other. Unlike so many of these films that are released between November and December …

We needed a break, something light to escape with after the frenetic holidays were ebbing into some pre-New Year's relaxation, and Fun With Dick and Jane fit the bill. Thankfully short at about 90 minutes, this re-staging of the 1977 film of the same name (starring Jane Fonda and George …

Syriana is a political thriller about securing American oil interests in the Middle East. It doesn't claim to be a true story (especially since it takes place in a fictitious country) but it does have elements that will be familiar to anyone paying attention to the news in the last …

Carol and I went to see The Producers a few days ago. This version (the 2005 version, starring Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, not the 1968 version starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder) is a successful film adaptation of the musical adaptation of the film about the production of musicals …

Recently, we've seen a growing number of cars and home audio systems that are designed to work with Apple's popular iPod. However, I wasn't expecting CES to yield an entry by Wurlitzer for a full-scale CD jukebox that has a pull-out shelf with an iPod docking connector on it.

The Guardian has an interesting article about Steve Jobs' keynote style and preparation. If you're at all interested in the phenomenon that is Steve's keynote, then you should read it.

Last week was an interesting one for me. Just before the break for the holidays, Congress delivered (or failed to deliver) on three items of particular note: ANWAR drilling, the Patriot Act renewal, and Senator McCain's anti-torture provisions. To be assured, movement on each of these is not exactly what …

Apple's posted a page called Big Ideas highlighting the use of Macintosh Minis in a variety of interesting places, including automobiles, hosting centers, and a new arts venue in Scotland. Have you got a unique use for a mini? Tell Apple about it.

Better late than never. I just wanted to wish all of the readers of this site a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, or whatever you and your family celebrate and all of the best in the New Year!

A recent article in Nature looked at 42 entries about scientific concepts in both the Encyclopedia Britanica and Wikipedia and have found that the latter is almost as accurate as the former, with EB having 3 errors per article to Wikipedia's 4. Further comment is made by some information scientists …

eBay has gotten its wish in a patent dispute with MercExchange of Great Falls, VA. The online auction powerhouse's call for a hearing in front of the nine justices of the Supreme Court has been accepted (according to an article in the New York times). The case, as you may …