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The technology week in view: 7th April 2008

2 Comments / Networking & Internet / By /

Our server virtualisation project is moving along apace recently – we have decommissioned a number of physical servers and moved to a virtual server platform and I can happily report that virtualising takes time but it is worth it, especially as we have been seeing green recently. Mind you the reduction in power requirements from the physical servers is definitely a small step in the green direction for improving technology and the environment – not only that but the uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) last longer as their load is less – win win so far. Receiving the “call out” request in the middle of the night because the UPS has ran out is never a happy call especially when it has been a long late night trying to get the kids to bed but the phone vibrates away and duty calls. Whilst on the subject of mobile phones – mine is due for renewal (Goodbye Mobile, Hello Mobile) and I am quite keen on the Nokia N95 8GB which was talked about by the Chief Gizmateer at the back end of last year but it will take a lot to move me away from my trusty Sony Ericsson K800i. The 5MP camera on the Nokia may just swing it for me.

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Technology week in view: 31st March 2008

3 Comments / Computers / By /

It is April tomorrow and I’m still wondering where February went? Time is a precious commodity these days and keeping up to date with various interesting web sites can be a challenge in itself and I often recommend that people should look for a feed or subscribe facility on a web site and use a feed reader program such as Google Reader. If you are unsure what a feed is this explanation may help: What you need to know about feeds. This way you can get the information you are interested in, delivered to you, as and when it is written and you don’t have to keep visiting many web sites.
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Technology week in view: 25th March 2008

Networking & Internet / By /

Great Easter break? Have you eaten all of your Easter eggs yet? With two small children in the house we still have quite a few to get through but we’re back at work already and a few hours in it feels like we haven’t been away. The snow is really trying to break through at the moment and the kids promise me I am first in line for a snowball so every time they see a few flakes on go the wellies. It is also that time of year when many of our support contracts come up for renewal. One of these in particular involves a service for remotely supporting the user base and with so many solutions now on offer the question comes down to Which remote support solution to choose? Whilst supporting remote users it may be worth considering the storage space a user takes up and one in particular is storage for user ‘behind the scenes’ data which was discussed recently in Windows User Profile Considerations and talking of remote users perhaps you should consider uninterruptible power – just in case the snow takes your power lines down? If so, here are Eight tips for running a UPS.
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Beer OS – Happy St. Patrick’s Day

1 Comment / Holidays / By /

Every year on March 17, we honor Saint Patrick (circa 385–461), one of the patron saints of Ireland. Whether or not you choose to celebrate the holiday by wearing green, eating Irish foods, imbibing Irish drink (usually Guinness), or attending parades, we wish you a safe a happy holiday.

Everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day… even computer operating systems. So as you raise your glass to St. Patrick this year, try to pretend your beer was a computer operating system. It might go a little like this…

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IT Through The Decades [video]

Computers, Miscellaneous / By /

Olivia Munn, the foxy geek hostess from Attack of the Show (G4 TV) and Playboy Magazine (Feb 2007), is in a new viral YouTube video for Dell Computer called “IT Through The Decades.”

The clip helps promote Dell’s servers by poking fun at all the poor IT related decisions companies have made the past few decades (1978-2008). In the clip, Mike the IT guy suggests “new” technologies like databases and bar codes and gets made fun of by his colleagues.

Olivia doesn’t have a ton of lines but she definitely adds some sex appeal to the YouTube clip. Warning: It’s a little long (especially for a “viral” clip). Olivia fans will also probably get a kick out of seeing her dressed up in retro 70’s and 80’s outfits. You can save this clip off YouTube by following these instructions.

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Japanese Star Wars Lightsaber Desk Lamp

Gizmo of the Day, Miscellaneous / By /

Japanese Star Wars Lightsaber Desk Lamp Wicked gift for any Star Wars geek, this Star Wars Lightsaber Desk Lamp will be proudly displayed in cubes, offices and homes everywhere a SW Geek works, plays or sleeps. The desk lamp is a mini glowing desk lamps made to look like the Star Wars Lightsabers. Chose the dark side with the red Darth Vader saver or go with the goody two sandal side with a green Luke Skywalker saber.

These desk lamps are available in the US but were imported from Japan and are Officially Licensed Star Wars Collectable. No idea why they were not originally made for the US.

Is it too early to start a Christmas list?

Gimmie!

Suggested Price: $19.99

Star Wars R2-D2 Peppermill

1 Comment / Tools, DIY, Home, Office / By /

Star Wars R2-D2 Peppermill Not that you’ve noticed… but all fine restaurants on Tatooine feature R2-D2 pepper grinders. Usually after you order your salad of Dagobah greens a Wookie will come around and offer you some fresh ground pepper from one of these handy droid-based mills. Word to the wise… never refuse a Wookie.

Fortunately for you we’ve managed to pilfer a few hundred R2-D2 pepper mills from eateries all over Tatooine for your spice grinding pleasure. Simply twist R2’s head and he deposits pepper onto your food. Hey, it’s not a glamorous job for a droid… but much better than being abducted by Jawas.

Gimmie!

Suggested Price: $19.99

Thirsty Light: Know When Your Plants Need Watering

Gizmo of the Day, Home Automation, Miscellaneous / By /

Thirsty Light

People who love gardening would love this newly released gadget. It’s called the Thirsty Light, a device that tells you exactly when your plants need watering. This gadget can work two ways – you can leave it in your plant so you can just check on it anytime. When the light turns on, then your plant needs some nourishment. This is called the leave-in method. You can also use the gadget to monitor all your plants. All you have to do is to take it from one plant to another and see if it will light up or not.

The Thirty Light gadget is built with a probe that you can stick into the plant’s soil. It is equipped with sensors that can monitor the soil’s moisture level. The gadget has five levels of sensitivity. The drier your plants are, the more rapid the blinking would be. …

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CES 2008: First OLED TV to US Market: Sony’s XEL-1

1 Comment / Audio/Video, Home Theater, CES / By /

Sony’s XEL-1 What could be hotter than CES booth babes this year? The ultra-cool Sony XEL-1 LED TV! Yes, I did just do that.

This candy for your eyes is the first available LED TV in the United States and will cost early adopters a cool $2500 for an 11″ high definition screen. This new entrant into the US market signifies the beginning of the end for the old school LCDs and older school plasma that will quickly fade out of the market as additional LEDs come out at cheaper and cheaper prices. This geek’s estimate… OLEDs will outsell LCD and plasma TVs in 2011.

You want some specs on the XEL-1, well at 3mm thick it’s a bit hard to watch from the side. The OLED picture has a contrast ration of 1,000,000:1 which provide the deepest black levels on the market. If you’re green, you’ll be happy to learn that the OLED technology is 40% more efficient than traditional LCD panels and does not require the use of harmful mercury during it’s manufacturing process.

The Geeks have been following this emerging technology and are excited that it has finally come to market.

Computer World looks into the Future

Miscellaneous / By /

Look into the FutureComputer World decided to go out on a limb and throw out what they think are their top 10 trends for 2008 in Personal Technology. They believe everything gets intelligent, social, cheap, mobile and wireless. While those are some good guesses… here are their top ten predictions:

10. The year of cell phone TV – yeah, not so much in the US
9. The year of haptic feedback – good prediction but haptic feedback has been huge for years
8. The year of social everything – can that really be called a prediction?
7. The year of reading on-screen – Kindle won’t spur this but perhaps the green revolution might
6. The year of location, location, location – very good prediction – don’t buy a car with Nav built-in!
5. The year of multi-touch – early adopter next year, widespread 2009
4. The year of hyperconnectivity – I’m there baby!
3. The year of the home robot – I think this will be on next year’s list too…
2. The year of free Internet access – not if big business can stop it
1. The year of flash-based superportables – this is a niche market and will be for early adopters next year

Overall the list isn’t bad but a continuation of emerging trends over the past couple of years (haptic feedback, social everything, location, hyperconnectivity) and a few products I’m sure the editors want (flash-based superportables and home robots).

Read the entire article on Computer World.

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