Computer Information - myOddPc
Sony H50 and W300 camera hands-ons
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Oddly, it turns out the photos floating around of the
DSC-W300 really don't do the megapixel-packing slim point and shoot justice. That finish actually looks pretty good in real life, although the lens protrusion was a little puzzling. And, of course, the
DSC-H50 is a hefty, solid feeling bugger, not unlike what you'd expect from the H-series. Hit the photos below, it shouldn't be too long before the camera sites post their reviews.
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Ars Technica dishes out guide for building your own green PC
Filed under: Desktops
There's certainly no shortage of companies out there touting their own ready-made
green PCs, but if that's not your thing, the ever-helpful folks at Ars Technica have now let loose a guide for building your own. As you might expect, there's no shortage of compromises involved in this particular endeavor, although Ars has at least laid out a pair of different options to accommodate different needs, including a Green Gaming Box and an Extreme Green Box. All told, that former option will run you just over $1,000, with one of the biggest energy-saving trade-offs coming from the video card (a Radeon HD 3850) which, as we all know, is one of the biggest power hogs in any system. The Extreme Green Box, on the other hand, pushes things up past the $1,400 mark, and includes no-comprise options like a VIA C7 processor, integrated graphics and, of course, a 32GB SSD drive (which is obviously responsible for a huge chunk of that total cost). Needless to say, Ars thinks you'll have to make fewer such compromises in the not too distant future, what with things like cheaper SSD drives and VIA's low-power, high-performance
Isaiah processor on the horizon.
[Via
Slashdot]
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Stealth's rugged LPC-450PCI Little PC makes room for PCI card
Filed under: Desktops
If Stealth Computer's
LPC-450 was just a bit
too diminutive for your tastes, you'll be thrilled to know that the latest flavor has been opened up a bit to make room for a PCI card of your choosing. As was the case with the
LPC-350PCI Little PC, this iteration includes PCI expansion slot capability along with a Core 2 Duo processor and an anodized aluminum chassis that could probably be dropped from the rear of a moving truck sans issue. Additionally, you'll find Ethernet, USB (x3), FireWire, PS/2 mouse and keyboard connectors, a 160GB hard drive (or an SSD, if you choose) and an optional DVD burner to boot. Seems as if these are made to be customized, so feel free to give Stealth a ring if you're interested in claiming one as your own.
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Hack automates Guitar Hero, for times when a fake guitar isn't fake enough
Filed under: Gaming
This hack is neither cheap nor easy, but if for some reason you just have to pull off a feat of
Guitar Hero virtuosity but lack the necessary skill, the folks at SYSTM have now provided details on how to automate the controller so you never miss a note. At the heart of the hack is a so-called "show control system," which runs a hefty $210 but will let you program all the necessary strums and button presses with some seemingly not to difficult to use software. Of course, there's also the little matter of cracking open the guitar and wiring everything up, but we're guessing that won't be much of a problem for anyone actually still considering the hack. If that includes you, you can get the complete rundown in video form at the link below.
[Via
Hack n Mod, thanks Nick L]
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Spreading "1 in 5" Number Does More Harm Than Good
Regular Slashdot contributor Bennett Haselton has some opinions on child safety online and the use of fear mongering. Here are his thoughts. "The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has been running online ads for several years saying that "Each year 1 in 5 children is sexually solicited online", a statistic that has been endlessly repeated, including by vendors of blocking software and by politicians who often paraphrase it to say that 1 in 5 children "are approached by online predators". While others have quietly documented the problems with this statistic, lawmakers still bring it out every year in a push for more online regulation (preempted this year only by the topic du jour of cyberbullying), so it's time for anti-censorship organizations to start campaigning more aggressively against the misleading "1 in 5" number. That means two things: framing the debate with more accurate numbers, and holding the parties accountable for disseminating the wrong ones -- and that means naming names, including those of organizations like the NCMEC that are normally beyond reproach." Read below for the rest.
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Open US GPS Data?
tobiasly writes "I read an article today about a map error on the popular Garmin GPS devices which often leads to truckers in a particular town becoming trapped. From my own experience, every electronic map I've ever seen (Google, Mapquest, my Mio GPS) has the layout of my neighborhood completely and frustratingly wrong. A quick search turned up only one open-source mapping project, but it's for New Zealand only. Why are there no comparable projects in the U.S. or elsewhere? Obviously such a project would need a good peer-review/moderation/trust system but I'd gladly put in the time necessary to drive around town with my GPS in "tracking" mode, then upload, tag, and verify my local data. Has anyone with more technical knowledge in maps and auto-routing looked more into this? Are there technical limitations to such a project? Should the government subsidize a project to create open, free, up-to-date electronic maps? Surely there is a public benefit available from such a project."
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RIAA Expert Witness Called "Borderline Incompetent"
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "Prof. Johan Pouwelse of Delft University — one of the world's foremost experts on the science of P2P file sharing and the very same Prof. Pouwelse who stopped the RIAA's Netherlands counterpart in its tracks back in 2005 — has submitted an expert witness report characterizing the work of the RIAA's expert, Dr. Doug Jacobson, as 'borderline incompetence.' The report (PDF), filed in UMG v. Lindor, pointed out, among other things, that the steps needed to be taken in a copyright infringement investigation were not taken, that Jacobson's work lacked 'in-depth analysis' and 'proper scientific scrutiny,' that Jacobson's reports were 'factually erroneous,' and that they were contradicted by his own deposition testimony. This is the first expert witness report of which we are aware since the Free Software Foundation announced that it would be coming to the aid of RIAA defendants."
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Sun Microsystems Announces Completion of MySQL Acquisition; Paves Way for Secure, Open Source Platform to Power the Network Economy: Introduces Immediate Worldwide Availability of Enterprise Services and Complete Open Source Portfolio of MySQL Database Products
Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAVA) today announced it has completed the acquisition of MySQL AB, developer of the world's most popular open source database, for approximately $1 billion in total consideration. Sun also unveiled the immediate availability of MySQL's complete portfolio of products and enterprise services backed by its 17,000-strong global sales and services organization and its extensive international network of authorized distribution channels. Sun now provides a single, secure choice for customers and developers seeking to put MySQL into deployment on a global basis. Users can get started today with free downloads at www.sun.com/mysql/download. (PRWeb Feb 26, 2008)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/mysql/enterprise/prweb724824.htm
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Australian Internet Filter Enters Trial Phase
blake writes "News.com.au reports "The Government's plan to have internet service providers filter pornography and other internet content deemed inappropriate for children is going full-steam ahead. [...] The trial will evaluate ISP-level internet content filters in a controlled environment while filtering content inappropriate for children." It all sounds in good taste, and we are told that you will be able to opt out at any time, but will putting this filter in place simply give the powers that be the ability to block access to content for their own agendas. Censorship may be necessary, but should it be overseen by Government."
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If IP Is Property, Where Is the Property Tax?
nweaver writes "In a response to the LA Times editorial on copyright which we discussed a week ago, the paper published a response arguing: 'If Intellectual Property is actually property, why isn't it covered by a property tax?' If copyright maintenance involved paying a fee and registration, this would keep Mickey Mouse safely protected by copyright, while ensuring that works that are no longer economically relevant to the copyright holder pass into the public domain, where the residual social value can serve the real purpose of copyright: to enhance the progress of science and useful arts. Disclaimer: the author is my father."
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