Archive for October, 2008

Daylight Saving Time Ends This Weekend – Less Heart Attacks as a Result

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

ClockDaylight saving time ends in the US this weekend—turn your clocks back one hour. Also, researchers have determined that the extra hour of sleep reduces the number of heart attacks on the Monday following the switch.

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/…
(via digg)

Free Credit Report is Anything But

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

ShopperUS citizens are entitled to a free yearly credit report from the three major credit reporting agencies. The official site for this is www.AnnualCreditReport.com. Do not confuse this with www.FreeCreditReport.com, which tries its best to separate you from your money.

Link: http://consumerist.com/…

The UK Continues to Erode the Rights of its Citizens

Sunday, October 26th, 2008

GovernmentIn the UK, suspected criminals are required to provide their encryption keys to law enforcement officials, even if the unencrypted data would be incriminating. From the linked article, “In the decision, the Court stated that although there was a right to not self-incriminate, this was not absolute, and that the ‘public interest’ can supersede this right in some circumstances.” All I can say is thank God for the Bill of Rights. (Chad’s New has previously covered the UK’s use of ubiquitous surveillance cameras.)

Link: http://arstechnica.com/…

Say Hello to Windows 7

Sunday, October 26th, 2008

MicrosoftThe official name for the next version of Windows is “Windows 7”. The linked article has more information about expected features and changes.

Link: http://arstechnica.com/…

Windows XP Users: Run Windows Update Now

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008

MicrosoftMicrosoft has released an out-of-cycle update for Windows, which means the bug is a significant security threat.

Link: http://www.computerworld.com/…
(via Kim Komando)

The Milky Way

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

SpaceHere’s a beautiful picture of the Milky Way, taken from Utah.

Link: http://www.brightnightgallery.com/…
(via The Presurfer)

Making Cocaine

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

Coca LeafThe linked video shows how cocaine is made, by filming a Columbian farmer performing the process. It’s when he adds gasoline that gets to me.

Link: http://www.neatorama.com/…

The Future of Laptop Computers

Sunday, October 19th, 2008

Laptop

This paradigm could radically change the way we use computers. And it’s coming soon.

Link: http://blogs.computerworld.com/…
(via digg)

Flat-panel Television Price Drop

Saturday, October 18th, 2008

HDTVBeen waiting for the right time to switch from that clunky old analog television to a sleek, new flat-panel HDTV? According to the linked article, the upcoming holiday season may be the time to take the plunge. (Especially with the upcoming analog-to-digital switch.)

Link: http://apnews.myway.com/…
(via Kim Komando)

National Debt Clock Too Small

Friday, October 17th, 2008

MoneyIt’s Y2K all over again! The National Debt Clock no longer has enough digits to accurately display the US national debt. They’ve got a temporary workaround, but we’ll have to wait until next year for a new clock with two additional digits. (God forbid the national debt should ever reach $1 quadrillion in my lifetime…)

Link: [Video] http://www.youtube.com/…
(via digg)

Link: [Non-Video] http://ap.google.com/…

Simple Sudoku

Thursday, October 16th, 2008

MoneyI’m not a Sudoku person, but my friend Josh has suggested Simple Sudoku by Angus Johnson as a diversion from all the life’s savings being lost in the stock market.

AMD Losing to Intel

Friday, October 10th, 2008

IntelFor many years now, chip maker AMD has been the only real competitor to Intel, but more recently AMD has not been able to keep up. On Oct. 7th, AMD announced it will split into two companies, one to design chips and the other to fabricate them. Supposedly this will keep them competitive, but let’s take the move for what it really is—a desperate attempt to keep up with Intel. I hope it works.

Link #1: http://apnews.myway.com/…
(via Kim Komando)

Link #2: http://arstechnica.com/…

Link #3: http://www.nytimes.com/…
(via Slashdot)