Vista and Office 2K7 Packaging Revealed

Here is what the new packaging will look like on the shelf of your favorite software retailer:

Windows NT Powered Robotic Parking Garage

Windows NT Powered Robotic Parking Garage

This system uses AI to learn when you usually come and pick up your car so it files them according to quickness of retrieval. Powered by an off the shelf PC running, yep, Windows NT.

Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments II - The Domino Effect

The guys from EepyBird are back, with 251 bottles of Diet Coke and over 1,500 Mentos mints. In Experiment #137, they did a mint-powered version of the Bellagio fountains. This time, it's one giant Coke & Mentos chain reaction that has to be seen to be believed. Keywords: eepybird eepy bird mentos coke diet coke mentos experiment fountain soda science geyser experiments fountains geysers

Free D-Link Router

FRYS.com | D-Link

Here's a 54Mbps DLink 802.11g 4 port router for $25 with free shipping and a $25 mail in rebate. Expires 10/19/2006!

GooTube

GooTube

This is a really funny video of the potential evolution of Google and YouTube. You kind of have to follow Google a bit to get it, but for those of us that do, it's funny. Especially the Sign In options. :-)

iPods Shipped Carrying Windows Virus

Apple - Support - Small Number of Fifth Generation iPods May Be Carrying Windows Virus

This is too good. Apple confirmed that they actually shipped out iPods that had a Windows virus on them. My favorite part is that this press release includes a link to Microsoft Live OneCare Safety Scanner! :-)

Incorporate Google Calendar Into Outlook

Incorporate Google Calendar Into Outlook

I have actually done this and it works pretty well! Please note, this won't put your Outlook calendar into Google Calendar, it just brings your Google Calendar into your Outlook...

Intelligent Whiteboard

An Intelligent Whiteboard

Check out this video from MIT of a sketching whiteboard that has real world knowledge and can take what is drawn on it, interpret it, and animate it. Interesting technology.

Windows Meeting Space

Vista is supposed to have a major upgrade to NetMeeting called Windows Meeting Space. It supposedly has a more professional appearing interface. With WMS, you can have meetings with up to ten participants, where you can share your desktop or applications, connect to a network projector to view presentations, and pass notes privately to other participants. You can even distribute documents as handouts, and any participant can edit them with the changes automatically propagated to each particpant's copy (while leaving the original unchanged). Unfortunately, it can't be installed on pre-Vista operating systems, as it depends on Vista's People Near Me peer-to-peer networking functionality and uses IPv6, which is installed and enabled by default in Vista. But it's an easy, cost effective way to conduct small virtual meetings. Check out more on it here.

Worst Technologies in Q3 2006

From exploding batteries to the Amazon Unbox and iTunes 7, see a list of Cnet's worst technologies in Q3 2006.

Techy License Plates

Check out these pretty geeky license plates.

New SPAM Energy Drink

No, it doesn't taste like SPAM, it just has the same name as the Minnesota staple and the junk in your e-mail.

http://www.spam-energydrink.com/

Coke's Calorie Burning Beverage

The Coca-Cola Co. claimed this week that it will introduce a new green-tea drink that has been proven to burn, that's right BURN, calories. Now we're into beverages with negative calories. It would be nice if it tasted good, but either way you can bet it'll be expensive. It's called Enviga, and it says it's "Sparkling Green Tea." See product photo.

Google Maps for your Treo

So Treo has finally done it. You can HotSync a PRC or download an update that will allow you to use Google Mobile Maps on your Treo. It is supposedly the best interface for GMM out there. Cool things like translucent pop up balloons that don't hide the map in the background. A big improvement I'm sure over the little Java midlet on my 3125 that you have to get out a magnifying glass to read. But hey, it still works. If you're a Treo user, you're gonna want to check this out!

New Google Mac Blog

Not that I think any of my loyal readers would actually use a Mac, but if you have some poor acquaintance that does, at least they have some friends at Google. :-)

Google Mac Blog - I call it Gaclog for short. :-)

PS, Blogger.com (owned by Google) has a spell checker that doesn't recognize "Google" or "Blog". Anyone else find that completely ironic?

Iowa antitrust case vs. Microsoft Update

Things get personal when Microsoft asks a judge to disqualify the lawyer representing consumers in one of the last pending antitrust cases against Microsoft by a state. Microsoft was apparantly killing innovation. Ah the penalty for being successful.

Read more here

Free Norton Ghost Type Software

Acronis and Computer Active Magazine are giving away Acronis True Image 7 software (similar to Norton Ghost) for free. Download site may be slow as number of downloads increase, be patient. Thanks aroot

Click here to download the application

Click here and register for a serial number

If the main link is too slow, after you register for a serial number, you can use this link to get the latest version directly from Acronis (it's a full installation)

Google Buys YouTube for $1.65 Billion

A start up about a year ago with $13 million. With an M. Sold to Google for $1.65 billion. With a B. What a country we live in. :-) Yeah, I know, this post is late, sorry. :-)

Here's a message from the founders of YouTube

New LG Chocolate Flip Phone

Chocolate is now in flip format, but apparantly this British O2 reviewer isn't the biggest fan. Looks rather slim like a Razr, I think that's going to have to be the standard now. Not sure if this will hit the US, but I'd guess it will...

Newest Mac Ads

Here is your newest installment of Mac humor. :-)

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Self Pity

McAfee Knocks Microsoft

Here's a copy of the full page ad McAfee ran in the Financial Times about the effects of the inability to access the kernel in 64-bit editions of Windows Vista. Fight, fight, fight!

HP Buys Voodoo PC

In case you haven't heard, HP decided to step up and compete with the Dell/Alienware partnership by buying Voodoo PC.

Information Rings

This is just a concept, which I usually don't post about, but I thought this was a really cool idea. Basically, they are rings that store personal information, like what would be on a business card, and when two people shakehands, it puts the rings close together and they exchange their stored information. That way, you can not worry about finding their business card later or getting it all into your PC, it would be done automatically for you. I'd be interested to see the technology used to pull this off. Bluetooth?

Changing Minesweeper in Vista

Check out this story about the details involved in doing something as simple as updating the Minesweeper game in Windows Vista. :-)