Netbook as a primary computer?

Netbooks are small and cheap, but can you actually work on them? Three years ago I abandoned my desktop for a 15 inch laptop, and never looked back. But transitioning to a netbook involves more sacrifice. I chose the ASUS Eee PC Seashell (1005PE-PU17-BU). I bought it mainly on the reviews (one of the best-reviewed [...]

Compare Digital Cameras with Snapsort.com

A few years ago I was planning to produce a DVD of a national martial art tournament. Naturally, I got a job at Future Shop so I could get a discount on all the video equipment I needed to buy (six video cameras, tripods, batteries, and boxes of miniDV tapes). My big problem as a [...]

Essential Apps for BlackBerry

Google Maps Great new features as of version 4.0 (April 2010) make this even more essential: Search by voice Google Buzz layer – see who’s talking near you Starred items and maps synchronized with your Google account Google Labs enabled (finally, a map scale!) Download Gmail Gmail users need this app to get access to [...]

Amazon’s Mechanical Turk for Surveys and More

Mechanical Turk is a system for crowdsourcing small tasks. And it rocks, if you don’t like doing small tasks. Amazon developed the system in 2005 to crowdsource the job of categorizing its own products, mostly CDs. It’s been open for public use (in Beta form) ever since. I’m writing about it because mTurk has remained [...]

Technological Potential of Zero-Point Radiation

The force is strong within you

Imagine a renewable energy source so dense, a cup full could vapourize all the oceans on Earth! While this idea sounds even too bold for Star Trek, it is one possible consequence of the zero-point radiation field (ZPF) [1]. The ZPF is a uniform photon flux which permeates the entire Universe, existing even in total vacuum. It is not casually detected because the ZPF exists everywhere uniformly; perceiving it would be like a fish perceiving the water it swims in. Although the existence of ZPF is widely known and accepted by most physicists, the implications of the field and its role in the universe remain a matter of speculation. Physicists have identified four technologies the ZPF may yield: tapping ZPF energy, manipulating inertia, altering gravitation, and generating forces (propulsion). All four technologies have theoretical merit, and with expanded research and scientific attention, all four will likely be achieved.

Just plant the grass

There was once an architect who built a cluster of large office buildings that was set in a central green. When construction was completed, the landscape crew asked him where he wanted the sidewalks between the buildings. “Not yet,” was the architect’s reply. “Just plant the grass solidly between the buildings.”

Sticky laptop touchpad fingers

For my first post on this shiny new site, why not tackle one of today’s most pressing problems: sticky laptop fingers. Hopefully this helps someone, somewhere. Background Touchpads used to always have that matte, Teflon-like surface to allow for easy finger-sliding action. On my HP Pavillion 6000 (great laptop in every other way), they simply [...]