It was a dark and stormy night...
If you decide to jump off the NaNoWriMo cliff with a Mac, be sure your tools do the best job possible helping you out of the hallucinatory abyss that is writing 50,000 words in a month.
- Robert Daeley [11:50:08 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Netflix Eclipsing Blockbuster
Bullish forecast from Netflix suggests that it is defeating bricks-and-mortar Blockbuster: "We had believed that there would be an inflection point. Now for the first time we have proof," he said. "We see that the tide has turned and that online rental will continue to grow for many years." Also, a TiVo/Netflix fusion rumor via Newsweek.
- Sid Steward [09:10:42 AM | Discuss (1) | Permalink]

Oracle to...yawn...buy Siebel for $3.6 Billion
Does Oracle's buying spree indicate they're out of ideas?
- John Adams [08:58:30 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Gnome 2.12 and Ubuntu Breezy Badger
Seeing Gnome 2.12 has compelled me to install it.
- Jeremy Jones [08:22:39 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Katrina: Web Matching Donors To Needs
Following my post on Jeff Jarvis' Recovery 2.0 proposal comes this story on how new charities are using the eBay model to match donors to needs.
- Spencer Critchley [07:39:28 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

My Recent Water Skiing Injury
I recently fell victim to a torn pectoral muscle tendon while water skiing. I’m going in for surgery on Thursday of this week to try and get it reattached. More on that below, but first, here is how it happened….
- David A. Chappell [07:01:12 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Context in the Web of Trust
How will context be handled in the Semantic Web's "Web of Trust"?
- Dan Zambonini [05:15:46 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

The Ultimate Digital Voice Recorder?
Cool Gadget Alert: Lots of companies have slapped microphones onto portable recorders. Here’s a high-quality mic with built-in RAM and a bunch of slick features.
- David Battino [02:59:12 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

iPod nano bag (and a bit of registration weirdness)
For those of you wondering about that cool bag for new iPod nanos purchased at Apple Stores, wonder no more. Here's a photo for you to admire :-)
- Todd Ogasawara [01:38:17 AM | Discuss (4) | Permalink]

DC School System Tries to Blame Apache on Windows
DC School CIO Barlow tries to blame a high profile failure on experimental Apache support on Windows. Sounds more like a weak attempt at CYA instead of owning up to a failed architecture. Since when did school systems start having corporate officers?
- Timothy M. O'Brien [09:45:17 PM | Discuss (4) | Permalink]

DTrace and Perl
Alan Burlison, Sun's resident Perl guru, asked a couple of leading questions recently on Perl 5 Porters. Here's how he's making DTrace Perl-aware....
- chromatic [01:50:11 PM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

iPod nano First Impressions
Is the iPod nano too small? Not for me. I really like the size, rich color display, robust sound output, and new features such as the Screen Lock. Here are my first impressions after putting it through its paces.
- Derrick Story [11:19:29 PM | Discuss (4) | Permalink]

Katrina & Recovery 2.0
Jeff Jarvis calls on netizens to convene to put together "Recovery 2.0": Use the net to do much better next time.
- Spencer Critchley, Spencer Critchley [02:53:03 PM | Discuss (2) | Permalink]

iPod na... no FireWire?!
What message is Apple trying to send by not supporting FireWire on iPod nano: "FireWire is dead" or "buy a new Mac"?
- Chris Adamson [09:51:28 AM | Discuss (11) | Permalink]

Mainstream P2P with FolderShare
FolderShare, recently recommended by Mossberg for synchronizing files across computers, appears to be a mainstream p2p application. It can also be used to share files with others or access files via browser when away. It works on Windows and Mac.
- Sid Steward [09:33:37 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Japan's Access Co. buys PalmSouce. Now what, happens to Palm OS?
Reuters reports that Japan's Access Co. is buying PalmSource. What does this mean for Palm OS (if anything)?
- Todd Ogasawara [09:04:54 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Google Talk and iChat SSL Error - 9843
I've used Google Talk with iChat since the day Google Talk was announced, but since yesterday several attempts to connect to the Google Talk server with iChat failed with the error message, "An unexpected SSL error occured. [-9843].
- Ernest E. Rothman [08:06:43 AM | Discuss (8) | Permalink]

Semantic MVC
More about mashing-up RDF/RDFS/OWL and MVC web frameworks.
- Kendall Clark [08:04:30 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

PythonUtils 0.2.1 Released
The PythonUtils package is a collection of small, useful Python utilities.
- Jeremy Jones [06:59:21 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

A hug to thugs
One feature of the iPod nano has me really excited. While its battery life, photo capabilities and size are all drool-worthy, it is the screen lock that has me really happy. Why? Because I'm paranoid, yes, but also because I think it's the beginning of something big for the iPod.
- François Joseph de Kermadec [06:57:38 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Support your local area Python User Group
Your local area Python group can be a great source of intellectual as well as social interaction.
- Jeremy Jones [08:48:58 PM | Discuss (1) | Permalink]

Not the iPhone
Was it a mistake for Apple to not release a full-blown iPhone or is there something more going on than meets the eye?
- Robert Daeley [08:17:24 PM | Discuss (5) | Permalink]

Palm LifeDrive Chronicles: Ch 6 - Screenshot Notes Instead of Text
I've found that taking screenshots of nicely formatted driving directions is much easier to read on the LifeDrive than just plain text. Here's how I've switched to .txt to .jpg.
- Derrick Story [04:49:20 PM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

How do you generate buzz?
Launching a blog is quite an endeavor, and one I am going through at this very moment. The contrast between highly successful blogs and, well, less successful ones, often has beginning authors surprised. So, how would you go about promoting your own?
- François Joseph de Kermadec [02:07:55 PM | Discuss (8) | Permalink]

Connecting a Pocket PC Database to MySQL
Reader T.S. wants to know how to get data from a database on a Pocket PC to MySQL. Here's some suggestions...
- Todd Ogasawara [09:06:34 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

What would you put in a Computer Science Curriculum?
Do you think students are currently studying the right topics in their computer science/I.T. courses? If not, what would you recommend?
- Dan Zambonini [05:51:34 AM | Discuss (43) | Permalink]

Inside the Apple Music Event at Moscone West
Would you like to see how things looked inside Moscone West for the Sept. 7 Apple Music Event? Here's a collection of photos with a splash of commentary.
- Derrick Story [04:39:13 PM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

iTunes, iPod nano, and signs for the future
Here's syncing with you, kid
- Giles Turnbull [04:09:33 PM | Discuss (9) | Permalink]

.NET Helps Katrina Victims
Microsoft uses .NET to help with the Katrina relief effort -- let's hope other companies follow suit.
- Preston Gralla [12:47:48 PM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Semantic Rails, Semantic Django: Pushing RDF into MVC
What happens when you replace SQL and RDBMSes with RDF and Triplestores?
- Kendall Clark [12:39:23 PM | Discuss (4) | Permalink]

ROKR and iPod nano
New shiny things from Apple.
- Giles Turnbull [11:48:14 AM | Discuss (3) | Permalink]

Motorola ROKR E1 iTunes Phone
Apple and Motorola announced the ROKR E1 iTunes phone today. I don't have Cingular service so I can't buy and test one. So, if you have one, let us know how it is!
- Todd Ogasawara [11:27:04 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Breaking in My New Scope
After editing Astronomy Hacks, I knew I had to get a telescope.
- Brian Jepson [07:25:15 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Who is to blame for all the software vulnerabilities?
Finally I found an online polling site and can satisfy my intense curiosity about who people consider to be responsible for all the software vulnerabilities. Vote away! :-)
- Anton Chuvakin [06:53:47 AM | Discuss (1) | Permalink]

Design For Testability
Open source development model (unlike proprietary models) is uniquely positioned to adopt design for testability to improve interoperability and quality of integration. Testers and Developers can collaborate by exploiting the benefits of source code transparency and by leveraging initiatives like Participatory Testing
- Murugan Pal [02:55:30 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

An e-mail extravaganza
E-mail signatures are an art, a science. They reveal a lot about ourselves, our company, our view of the Internet. Yet, we pay very little attention to them. What should they be and, more importantly, what is yours?
- François Joseph de Kermadec [01:44:50 AM | Discuss (2) | Permalink]

No, your website ISN'T AAA accessible!
Why achieving a AAA accessibility rating is practically impossible.
- Dan Zambonini [01:33:49 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Things Are Different Now
After the Sept. 7 announcements, we're bound to hear comments that Apple is relying too much on digital music. Well, things are different now. And in Apple's case, being different may be the key to their survival.
- Derrick Story [10:26:30 PM | Discuss (5) | Permalink]

The "Perfect" iTunes EQ Curve
Forget the tired “smiley curve” or the all-faders-on-stun settings most people use on graphic EQs. After this music fan posted his “perfect” EQ curve for iTunes, a recording engineer made it even better by turning it upside down.
- David Battino [10:24:01 PM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Writing Instructions for Installing Bookmarklets
The marvelous bookmarklet is a nifty hack, but what is the best way to 'install' a bookmarklet? Savvy users have no trouble, but the concept is foreign to most. They see the link, so they click it; oops! Platform and browser issues arise, too. Here are some discoveries I made as I debugged my own bookmarklet instructions.
- Sid Steward [07:13:53 PM | Discuss (1) | Permalink]

News from Louisiana
I just received some news from Louisiana from an old friend of mine who now lives in Baton Rouge.
- Jonathan Bruce [01:46:59 PM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Save reverse engineering: form a Coalition for Competitive Innovation
The Blizzard case shows how fragile is the legal status of reverse engineering. Reverse engineering is critical, allowing new products reach a market by making them feasible for use by the customers of established companies.
- Andy Oram [09:27:22 AM | Discuss (1) | Permalink]

The Magic of New Orleans
A not very techie plea for geeks to start displaying the geek virtues -- especially our love of the truth -- in regard to the Katrina disaster. Why did it happen? What could have been done to lessen the impact, especially on poor people? Why weren't those things done? The people of New Orleans and all Americans deserve answers to these questions.
- Kendall Clark [07:30:24 AM | Discuss (2) | Permalink]

Open Source Business Models - What Works and What Does Not?
Recent Forbes article on and the blog on SugarCRM's functionality differences between open source and pro versions raise interesting questions. If you are contemplating on a new open source venture - my recommendation is not to differentiate (functionally) between the commercial and open source versions
- Murugan Pal [03:13:32 AM | Discuss (2) | Permalink]

The Death-Defying Audio Blog
Imagine podcasting live inside a super-powered robot suit while trigger-happy tourists shoot at you. You’d probably be on this amazing site.
- David Battino [01:59:45 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Windows Media: reloaded
I know thousands of you were captivated by my battle against Windows Media Player and are anxiously awaiting to see how this heroic quest unfolds. Here is an additional tip on how to correct misbehaving DRMs on the Mac -- and these issues seem to pop up a lot!
- François Joseph de Kermadec [01:41:29 AM | Discuss (4) | Permalink]

The Code: Graphing O'Reilly Connection
Two weeks ago, I posted some interesting graphs created from O'Reilly Connection's FOAF documents. If you are interested in generating these youself, here's the code.
- Timothy M. O'Brien [06:58:05 PM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

Models Predicted Katrina Devastation
The failure of the New Orleans levees was explicitly and repeatedly predicted. But failure to assign value to the information made it useless.
- Spencer Critchley [01:55:14 PM | Discuss (4) | Permalink]

Katrina Wireless Team: Donations, Equipment and People Needed
Community wireless groups are preparing to help build communications infrastructure in the hurricane area. You can help.
- Roger Weeks [01:31:38 PM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

An exciting week for Apple fans
Apple fans everywhere are anticipating next week's announcement (Sept. 7th). What will Apple announce?
- Elisabeth Freeman [08:51:52 AM | Discuss (6) | Permalink]

Interview with Frank Jahnke
If you keep abreast of BSD news, you've probably already seen the announcement for the petition requesting CodeWeavers to port its CrossOver Office productivity tool over to *BSD operating systems.
- Dru Lavigne [06:22:22 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]

An Interview with XML
I pulled a few strings and managed to get an exclusive interview with XML, who's really hot right now.
- Dan Zambonini [02:33:56 AM | Discuss (3) | Permalink]

Hello, my name is X
Who is behind most of the services we rely on daily? Do we know? Do they tell us? It seems that, over the past years, many helpful strangers have started offering successful and reliable services on the web but, for some reason, never identify themselves. How come and, more importantly, how come we accept it?
- François Joseph de Kermadec [01:14:10 AM | Discuss (0) | Permalink]