Software

New Bounty to Synchronize TiVo and the Neuros OSD

Neuros OSD Our friends at DVR Upgrade have teamed up with our friends at Neuros Technology to create a couple bounties worth $3500 for the development of software for the Neuros OSD (Open Source Device). The winner of the bounty will have developed an application that allows a OSD user to record TV to both their TiVo device and a portable device such as a laptop, iPod or iPhone in MPEG-4 format which is perfect for the person on-the-go that wants to bring their favorite TV shows with them.

From DVR Upgrade:

People love TiVo for its robust program guide and related features, and people love the OSD for the portability of its recordings. So, we’ve come up with a bounty for a project that combines the best of both devices. Namely for the OSD to piggyback on the TiVo’s recording schedule and make portable MPEG-4 recordings of those shows that you choose. It’s essentially like having TiVo simultaneously record onto a portable device at the same time that its recording to its hard drive. With no file transfer or conversion, you could have all your favorite shows automatically on your laptop, iPod, iPhone, Blackberry or whatever portable device you prefer. Ultimately, this functionality would be perfect for commuters, road-warriors or anyone that spends their days on the go.

Review: Pzizz Nap and Sleep Aids

Pzizz

I had a chance recently to take Pzizz for a spin, or should I say, a nap. Pzizz is a software application (for MacOS and WIndows) that generates randomized audio files that are composed of specially designed music, with binaural beats and a ‘magic’ ingredient: an NLP-based voice track. It currently comes with 2 modules: nap (or energizer) and sleep. Pzizz claims to help you take naps that leave you feeling more refreshed than an unaided one.

Flying Toasters Screensaver Returns

Were you computing in the 90s? Then you’ll remember the flying toasters screensaver. If you missed it, then rejoice because it’s back. The folks at Uneasy Silence have released a clone of this most famous of screensavers, for both Windows and OS X users.

By the way, the whole flying toasters thing even got popular enough that you can get a Flying Toaster t-shirt and even a coffee mug! What’s crazier is that there are still copies of After Dark’s original set of screen saver programs for sale (for Win95/98/ME) and at really ridiculous prices too.

via MethodShop.

Central Home Automation Director (CHAD) Software

CHAD

Central Home Automation Director (CHAD) is a Windows-based software application that will help you control and monitor every X10 system in your home. Simply plug the accompanying TW523 interface module into a nearby power outlet and hook it up to your computer to get under way. Signals are sent to and from your computer over the power lines.

You can upload a floorplan of your home so that you can easily see at a glance what’s going on where. CHAD can help you monitor things like images from connected cameras; your electrical and electronic devices, thermostats and more. It can be configured to send you alerts via e-mail, text message, page, or cell phone that are event driven.

New Online Office Suite – Peepel

Mr. Alex writes in this week to tell us about a new online Office Suite called Peepel. “Another free web-based office suite has entered the fray where already Thinkfree, Zoho, Google Docs and Spreadsheets are already trying to stake out a claim in the nascent field of web-based office software. The new guy on is Peepel, and at first glance, we’ve got a word processor, a spreadsheet, a calculator, and reportedly additional apps, such as a maps application, is in the works. Like the other players in this field, the app loads up on both Macs and PCs.”

Inside Vista’s Entertainment Options

Does a Windows-based operating system belong in an entertainment room? That’s been a question since Microsoft introduced its Media Center Edition of Windows XP and inspired a host of media-centric PCs. These computers were designed not just for office tasks but also for watching TV, listening to music and doing other fun things we enjoy in our living space. Now, with the introduction of the company’s new Vista operating system, you may finally be able to determine whether your family room should have Windows of a different kind.
Source: TechLore

Dazzle Video Creator Platinum

Dazzle Video Creator Platinum

If you’ve got home movies that you shot back in the day on VHS or some other video format, Pinnacle Systems offers the Dazzle Video Creator Platinum, which is a USB 1.1/2.0 device (the doohickey in the image) that takes video from a camcorder, VHS or other analog video source, and converts it using hardware into MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and DivX formats.

Dazzle Platinum also comes with 2 pieces of software: InstantDVD Recorder and Pinnacle Studio QuickStart. InstantDVD Recorder allows you to transfer videos straight from tapes to DVDs, while Pinnacle Studio QuickStart software lets you easily create fully polished movies with titles, transitions, music and more, before burning to CDs and DVDs.

CES 2007: The Geeks’ Thoughts on the Bill Gates Keynote

Here’s what I thought of Gates’ keynote. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that he focused on Microsoft’s latest product, Windows Vista, but nevertheless, I was still disappointed that he wasn’t more inclusive of the industry as a whole. I did think that there were a lot of cool features in Vista, but wonder if I’m going to bother to upgrade anytime soon amid the DRM and Licensing uproars.

New Year’s Resolution #5 – Save Money: Quicken

New Year's Resolution #5 - Save Money: Quicken

The third New Year’s Resolution “the Geeks” would like you help achieve is to “save money”.

Really, this is a resolution that is achievable through watching your finances, planning a budget and sacrificing to follow that budget. There are several packages of software that can help you do just that (except for the sacrificing part!), but we like Quicken simply for the fact we’ve both used Quicken for quite a few years now and know how it works. MS Money it a similar program that probably works just as well.

New Year’s Resolution #7 – Learn Something New: Rosetta Stone

New Year's Resolution #7 - Learn Something New: Rosetta Stone

Learning something new makes the top of many people’s New Year’s Resolution lists including my own. In fact, this year I would like to learn a new language… Mandarin Chinese.

Luckily, Rosetta Stone provides an interesting way to learn a new language in that they claim you learn a new language in much the same way you learned your native language without translation or memorization. Using native speakers, real-life images, speech recognition and fully interactive software, Rosetta Stone teaches you like you learned your first language – naturally.

Scroll to Top