technology Articles


Airport Express first thoughts

We got our Airport Express boxes yesterday and I finally got a chance to turn them up this morning. So far, I've installed one (and did some network reconfiguration at the same time to increase security). The device works beautifully and has a frightening range. Right now I'm sitting in …

Online search for John/Jane Does

An interesting article today on Wired about using the internet to search for the identities of John Doe (and Jane Doe) victims. Includes a particularly in- depth discussion of one man's quest to figure out the identity of a woman killed in Kentucky in 1968.




IBM preparing dual-core G5

eWeek claims (in this article) that it is code-named Antares. IBM will likely call it the 970MP, but in the end, it's like two, two, two chips in one. Taking a page from the book of the bigger brothers to the 970, the Power4, IBM appears to be planning on …

Microsoft delays 64-bit Windows

In another of what has been a steady stream of product delays by Microsoft, CNet is reporting that the 64-bit version of Windows XP will be delayed until the first half of next year, along with 64-bit versions of Windows 2003 server and the 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows …

Apple puts iTunes on Motorola phones

Apple, creator of the iPod and iTunes has announced with Motorola that they will be supporting iTunes on Motorola's next generation of phones. With this, users will be able to play iTunes tunes (including those purchased from the iTunes Music Store) on their handsets.

Seagate ups retail drive warranty

Drive manufacturer Seagate announced that they will be offering a 5 year warranty for their disk drives sold through retail and distribution channels (not through OEM's, though, those are still the responsibility of the OEM to handle). Let the warranty escalation begin!

RealNetworks to land tunes on iPod

According to a report from PCWorld (among others), Real Networks (makers of RealPlayer) has stated that they will support downloading songs from their Rhapsody service to the iPod starting with the 10.5 beta version of their software. The trick basically is to modify their files to be in the …

Peter Gabriel on digital music

Peter Gabriel, musician and co-founder of OD2 (recently acquired by Loudeye) is interviewed by CNN on the topic of digital music. He's happy with the movement towards disintermediation and is willing to give Apple a pat on the back for pushing the industry forward.

Hi-tech "security risk" Coke can under X-Ray

Blackwater USA (a security training firm in the USA) has posted a document (PDF form) that shows X-Ray pictures of one of the cans from Coca- Cola's Unexpected Summer advertising campaign that involves a cell phone and GPS device in a Coke can. You may recall some fervor (courtesy CNN …

Fiber to the Home may yet be in the cards

Verizon (formerly Bell Atlantic, Chesapeake & Potomac, AT&T, etc.) has announced their intention to provide "FIOS" (their name for fiber to the home) this year. According to an article on ExtremeTech, this will include a rollout that will pass 1 million homes in 7 states and will provide services up …



Lindows paid off by Microsoft

Lindows has reportedly received $20M from Microsoft to settle the pending trademark case. Microsoft will receive the Lindows domain names in exchange for their cold hard cash and Lindows (pardon me, "Linspire") will continue to operate, but with the addition of money in the bank and no lawsuit from Microsoft …

KY woman thwarts FL robbery over web

WKMG in Florida has an article describing a robbery thwarted when a woman from Kentucky noticed robbers in the house of a friend in Florida by using a web cam that the Floridians left running. A call to the police followed, and the robbers were caught while trying to escape …

Tennessee to track sex offenders with GPS

Wired is reporting that Tennessee will be launching a $2.5M pilot program to track sex offenders with GPS bracelets. Authorized by Tennessee HB3182, the bill applies to people convicted after July 1, 2004 of a "violent sexual offense". Interestingly, it also provides for the offender to pay for their …

Real-time telemetry on some Tour riders

OK, this is just plain spiffy. T-Mobile is providing the GPRS data service, for the Saeco/Cannondale Pro Cycling Team to send telemetry data in real time from their bikes and riders. You can check it out on 2Peak's site (providers of the gizmo to measure the data).

iPod pushes WMA off of Audio CDs

According to an article from Wired, Apple's success with the iPod has pushed MacroVision and SunnComm (the leading producers of audio CD copy protection) to get rid of their Microsoft Windows Audio (MWA) format songs on the current crop of copy protected CDs. What's in the cards is not entirely …