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Diablo 3 Playable at BlizzCon

nunetherlands — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:06:35 +0000

Blizzard's action RPG sequel Diablo III will be playable for the first time on the show floor of the company's BlizzCon 08 convention, according to the event materials. The official BlizzCon program lists "Diablo III" under "open gaming," along with upcoming Blizzard titles StarCraft II and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King.

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more about "Diablo 3 Playable at BlizzCon", posted with vodpod

MiniUpdates - Daily Tech News PodCast 10-10-2008

miniupdates — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:17:47 +0000

~Please Click the link below to listen to today's Cast

<|MiniUpdates Tech News PodCast for Friday 10-10-08|>

A New Way to Recycle Batteries

Julie (Harpool) Grimes — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:34:43 +0000

"Energy Seed" Lights by Sungwoo Park

This bit of news is not directly related to computers, but it does remind us of the environmental impact of technology. This is a new concept to use old batteries to power these ultra efficient lights. You put your used batteries in the base of the light and it uses the little bit of energy left in them for power. The idea is, that if a community recycled batteries this way, maybe we could power some outdoor lighting, for all of us to enjoy.
As the article points out, this is a temporary step in the life of the battery, as it will eventually lose all power, and need to be recycled in a different way. Still, this seems like a way to use the batteries we already have for a longer period of time and it provides something we all need, which is light.
This, and other ideas, about recycling the hardware side of technology need to be encouraged. Also, the current opportunities to recycle computers, cell phones, ink cartridges, etc. need to be more aggressively promoted and made much more easily accessible to the consumer.

ubuntu

hapee — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:42:17 +0000

Opera 9.6 Launches with Cool Magazine-Style RSS

nunetherlands — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:41:38 +0000

Among the changes, the new magazine-style RSS feeds are sure to be a hit. The new feature converts any RSS feed into a magazine-like page with the articles laid out in columns, making them more accessible for casual readers to view content before subscribing or bookmarking it.

Opera remains a popular choice due to its feature-set and speed. For fans of the Opera browser, the good gets even better with the latest release, version 9.6.

Other changes include speed enhancements for faster page load times, optimized Opera Mail with a 'low bandwidth mode' to retrieve emails faster when bandwidth is limited, and expansions to Opera Link which now include custom search engines and typed history.

You can download here

All About Oxidation of Oil Products

commonwealthoil — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:28:27 +0000

What is Oxidation:

Oxidation is a form of chemical deterioration that can occur in most organic materials. This can affect petroleum products but typically they are very resistant to oxidation. Oxidation usually involves the addition of oxygen atoms to the molecular structure and can result in degradation of the petroleum product involved.

Signs of Oxidation:

Increased viscosity of the petroleum product
Formation of acrid odours
Increase in Acid Number
Formation of sludge, varnish, gums & acids

Causes of Oxidation:

Oxidation is promoted by:

The presence of catalytic metals such as copper and iron, If your oil is working as a lubricant, copper can come from gears or bearing components. If your oil is working as cutting oil and you are machining one of the yellow metals i.e. copper, brass or bronze, that can be the source of copper. Either way, fine copper particles combined with iron particles in oil will accelerate the degradation of oil(s).
Heat will also accelerate the degradation of oil and this will become significant once the heat exceeds 160°F/71°C. For every 18°F/10°C increase in temperature the rate of oxidation doubles.
Peroxides and other organic acids which are the initial products of oxidation and are themselves, oxidizing agents.
Moisture will also greatly accelerate oxidation.
Entrained air usually from poor design will also contribute.

Oxidation of a petroleum product is a chain reaction. The farther it progresses, the more rapid it becomes and if left unchecked your oil could eventually form into a gel or solid varnish type material. In a screw machine application it can degrade to a level where it renders machinery to the point of being unusable.

How Do We Measure Oxidation:

Total Acid Number (TAN) is a measure of both the weak organic and strong inorganic acids present within oil. Testing for TAN is an essential preventative maintenance tool to maintain and protect your equipment. A rise in TAN is indicative of oil oxidation due to time, operating temperatures and contamination. Monitoring Trends as well as absolute values should be used to determine TAN levels.

Prevention of Oxidation:

You should always start with a high quality product that is suitable to your application. Everyone confuses the difference between cost and price. Price is what you pay for that barrel of oil today. Cost is that price plus all of the other unseen factors such as loss of efficiency, slower machining times, poorer surface finishes, premature replenishing and ultimately catastrophic failure of equipment. These are the hidden costs that build up everyday and can sometimes be almost invisible until your machinery comes to a grinding halt. The best way to prevent oxidation is to know what is going on in your oil system.

If you want to start a regular program to ensure your lubricants are not oxidized you can do so by contacting your nearest Commonwealth Oil Distributor or by calling our Laboratory at 800-265-3698.

MiniUpdates - Daily Tech News PodCast 10-7-2008

miniupdates — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:08:07 +0000

Please Click the link below to listen to todays TechCast:

<|MiniUpdates Tech News PodCast for Tuesday 10-7-08|>

Judge Orders RealNetworks to Pull DVD Copying Software

TechDock — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:40:54 +0000

Reacting to a request for a restraining order from the entertainment industry, a federal judge has ordered RealNetworks to stop distributing their DVD copying software, RealDVD, while the courts take up the case. RealNetworks offers the product as a way for consumers to exercise their right of fair use by copying a DVD to a hard drive without breaking DVD encryption. The movie studios argue the product gives pirates a way to copy a DVD that has been rented instead of purchased.

http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081006/ap_on_hi_te/hollywood_realnetworks

Technically Correct - Technical Information from Novice to Expert: www.techcorrect.com

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MiniUpdates - Daily Tech News PodCast Monday, 10-6-2008

miniupdates — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:39:43 +0000

Please click the link below to hear today's cast:

<|MiniUpdates Tech News PodCast for Monday 10-6-08|>

Investors expect volatility as credit woes persist

jcidocha — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:57:35 +0000

- The world's financial markets face an uncertain and possibly volatile week as investors await details about how the Treasury will implement the government's financial rescue package — and watch for any further fall

The markets have switched their focus to the world economy now that the $700 billion bailout plan has become law. And there's reason for their concerns — governments across Europe are rushing to prop up failing banks. On Sunday, Germany said it would follow suit with Ireland and Greece in guaranteeing all private bank accounts.

Those steps are the latest sign that the troubles of U.S. banks, which have all but paralyzed credit markets, are affecting the financial systems of other countries. Banks' hesitation to lend to one another and to many businesses and individuals is the consequence of the bad mortgage debt that the financial rescue is supposed to sweep up. But it's still unclear how quickly financial institutions will be able to hand that debt to the U.S. government and convince the markets they are healthy again.

Wall Street looked to continue the volatility of last week when trading resumed Monday. Stock index futures declined by more than 1 percent late Sunday, pointing to a lower open. Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 176, or 1.70 percent, to 10,188. Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 19.3, or 1.74 percent, to 1,089.00, while Nasdaq 100 futures fell 20.25, or 1.37 percent, to 1,457.25.

Doug Roberts, chief investment strategist at ChannelCapitalResearch.com, said the steps taken by governments abroad are welcome because a broad response, not simply the U.S. bailout, is needed to help steady the world's financial system.

"A lot of the actions that are occurring overseas are good," he said. "What you really need now is stabilization and that really comes from the government."

Roberts said the Federal Reserve and other central banks likely will continue to move in as needed to help shore up the markets. But he thinks bringing lasting calm to credit markets and financial institutions will take longer to work out than many observers predict.

"This is much more expansive than anybody is assuming," said Roberts. "I think that this whole bailout bill is the first step in a series of steps."

Still, he said policymakers likely will try to hold off on moves like rate cuts until they determine they have little choice. The fear, he said, is that the market could be unimpressed and policymakers would have few tools left to restore investors' confidence.

"If one doesn't work what are you going to do for an encore?"

Roberts and other market watchers say it's possible that the Fed, and perhaps other central banks, could cut interest rates this week — ahead of the central bank's scheduled meeting at month's end — if the credit markets don't show signs of life. With oil prices well off their midsummer highs and indicators pointing to a slower economy, the Fed's worries about inflation are less than they had been, making it easier to justify a rate cut.

With so many unknowns, it's likely to be a choppy ride on Wall Street for some time as the Treasury Department starts flexing the new powers granted by the financial rescue, which President Bush signed into law Friday shortly after the House passed a sweetened bill on the second try.

"You're going to have a lot of volatility and we're going to get a whole lot of nowhere in the next few weeks," said Frank Ingarra, co-portfolio manager at Hennessy Funds.

Investors will be straining to see how the Treasury goes about purchasing banks' debt and what prices the unwanted assets might fetch. If the government pays too little it risks sending more banks into failure by depleting their asset bases. But paying too much could artificially strengthen banks that made bad decisions in lending and hurt taxpayers.

"I think it's a little bit more 'show me' than 'tell me' here," Ingarra said, referring to investors' desire to see proof that the debt causing the lockup in the credit markets is being absorbed.

Still, he contends the U.S. government rescue ultimately will help unclog the credit markets.

"I think the bailout is huge. It will help us and help to mitigate the recession that we're in or going to be in,"

Whatever You Do, Don't Mess Up Your Google Email

TechDock — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:26:22 +0000

It seems that if your Google email account suffers too many failed login attempts, it locks out the account. All well and good, except it seems that it's almost impossible to unlock the account if you didn't fill out the alternate security questions to determine your identity. Google offers no support beyond what you can get on the website, and does not plan to offer any, at least for free accounts. Customers who have been burned call this poor customer service; Google calls it a good security policy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/business/05digi.html

Technically Correct - Technical Information from Novice to Expert: www.techcorrect.com

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New Illinois Law Requires Computer Techs to Report Child Porn

TechDock — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:16:14 +0000

In an expansion of an existing law that requires photograph processors to report child porn, the Illinois governor signed a law this past week expanding this requirement to computer technicians working on customer PCs. This law covers technicians working in stores, as well as technicians making on-site visits. The ACLU has issued a statement raising their concerns in requiring untrained persons to make judgement calls as to what constitutes child porn.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ap-il-computertechs-chil,0,1882497.story

Technically Correct - Technical Information from Novice to Expert: www.techcorrect.com

TechDock on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TechDock

Ubuntu on EEE PC

Jason Myers — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:41:35 +0000

I recently got an Asus EEE PC 1000. And the size is wonderful, but I thought the xandros linux that shipped on it was entirely too bright and sugarcoated. I discovered ubuntu for eee pc and I've completely fell in love with this device. It's perfect for sitting the in the living room and watching tv while following the latest info in my fantasy football league. I also love taking this into meeting and using evernote to make notes. I've not used it to do web conferencing yet, but in time I will do that as well.

Cisco to Buy EMC? Would definitely change the IT landscape

Jason Myers — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:10:18 +0000

Allan makes a good point that, while unlikely, a Cisco/EMC merger would give the combined company dominance over enterprise IT -- virtualization, networking, and storage -- that would be hard to unseat.

read more | digg story

How Cisco Tried to Make Routers Sexy. . .Using Social Media

Jason Myers — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:09:56 +0000

In March this year, Cisco launched the ASR 1000 Router Series. No big deal, but for the fact that it was delivered completely via social media. This was apparently Cisco's fifth most successful campaign, and according to the company it has proved to be a turning point for the way Cisco takes products to market: "virtually, virally, and visually.

read more | digg story

How to bring back the default configuration on a Cisco devic

Jason Myers — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:09:26 +0000

Another nice Howto from linuxdynasty.org

read more | digg story

Do you have a "Stinky Mac"????

nunetherlands — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:16:08 +0000

Apple is investigating a complaint that its pre-2008 Mac Pros emit fumes from the chemical benzene. One user told Apple that he noticed a strong smell when he unpacked his Mac last year, and that 10 days later, he developed nose and throat irritation, reports the French newspaper Liberation. (A clunky English translation of the report can be found here.)

For More on this Story click Here

DeskSpace - 3D VIRTUAL DESKTOP

Shubhamoy — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:06:03 +0000

Article Taken from Shubhamoy's Blog

Hi Folks,

Today I found an amazing software named, DeskSpace from Otaku Software; it provides six desktops means you can have six different sessions at a time.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="394" caption="DeskSpace - 3D Virtual Desktop"][/caption]

Some Essential Features of DeskSpace

Expands the desktop space
Eliminates desktop clutter
Increases efficiency
Work and play on multiple desktops
Quickly switch between desktops using the mouse and keyboard

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Screen Shot - DeskSpace"][/caption]

Download DeskSpace, here