Well, ya learn something new every day. Printing to a non-network-capable printer cross-platform over a home network is possible after all, and you don’t need an expensive print server to do it. As long as I’m stuck with my Windows box, I may as well make it bend to my every whim. The following page explains how to use built-in but little-known features of Mac OS X and Win XP to make the printing happen.

How to Use a Printer Attached to a Windows XP Computer in Mac OS X

And, can I just say how much I love that just about anything and everything I need to know how to do, someone somewhere has written a tutorial and posted it on the net. God Bless the Internet.

From Gizmodo we get news of a First-Generation Electronic Paper Display from Philips, Sony and E Ink to Be Used in New Electronic Reading Device...

The Electronic Paper Display is reflective and can be easily read in bright sunlight or dimly lit environments while being able to be seen at virtually any angle—just like paper. Its black and white ink-on-paper look, combined with a resolution in excess of most portable devices at approximately 170 pixels per inch (PPI), gives an appearance similar to that of the most widely read material on the planet—newspaper. Because the display uses power only when an image is changed, a user can read more than 10,000 pages before the four AAA Alkaline batteries need to be replaced. The unique technology also results in a compact and lightweight form factor allowing it to be ideal for highly portable applications.

The LIBRIe can store up to 500 downloaded books in its built-in memory. I don’t see any word in the press release on what format it would be able to display. One can hope that it would read a variety of electronic files – PDFs, .txt files, .doc files and so on.

This is a really promising technology. The display is a real drawback in portable devices like PDAs, and this new electronic paper display has the potential to provide huge benefits in portability and readability. I don’t know if people will want to carry books around with them in this format, but as a newsreader or portable document library – for service technicians, consultants, sales people and so on – it could be a real boon.

[Update: Ars Technica has a few more details on price and such. $400 is probably going to be a bit steep for even this gadget hound to consider being a first-adopter, but I have no doubt we’ll see dirt-cheap models within a couple of years.]

GROKLAW refers us to this…

... article in CIO magazine on GNU/Linux use in business. It’s called The Myths of Open Source, and one by one it debunks them, by interviewing executives who have made the switch already and are happy with GNU/Linux for their business use.

The myths thoroughly debunked are:

MYTH 1 – THE ATTRACTION IS THE PRICE TAG ( It’s performance improvement.)
MYTH 2 – THE SAVINGS AREN’T REAL (”. . .there’s a zero marginal cost of scale because open source doesn’t require additional licenses as an installation grows.”)
MYTH 3 – THERE’S NO SUPPORT ( ”. . .existing users of open-source software appear perfectly happy with open-source support arrangements.”)
MYTH 4 – IT’S A LEGAL MINEFIELD (If you’re worried, third-party indemnification is an option.)
MYTH 5 – OPEN SOURCE ISN’T FOR MISSION-CRITICAL APPLICATIONS ( Are banks mission-critical enough for you?)
MYTH 6 – OPEN SOURCE ISN’T READY FOR THE DESKTOP (“Siemens, for example, says it has performed extensive testing with ‘real-world, nontechnical workers,’ finally declaring that Linux has now matured as a desktop system. The tests confounded the company’s expectations.”)

The article goes on to talk about the legal angle, and to actually give credit to SCO for several items they contributed to the Linux kernal.

From Reason Hit & Run comes this link to conversations with zola. Eugene and ZolaonAOL are both “chatbots,” or computer programs designed to simulate human expression. There is a surreal, zen-like beauty to their conversation.

Eugene: Oh, really? Did I forget it or you really haven’t told me about the place you are from?
ZolaOnAOL: I don’t think that’s possible.
Eugene: I don’t think you don’t think that I don’t think you don’t need to change your opinions. By the way, I still don’t know your specialty – or, possibly, I’ve missed it?
ZolaOnAOL: Thanks for telling me. What would make you stop do not know your specialty – or possibly, I have missed it? Would you like to know? What about yours?
Eugene: I am a scholar. I’m too young to make money.
ZolaOnAOL: Why are you young to make money.
Eugene: I’m thirteen.
ZolaOnAOL: What are the advantages to being 13 years old?
Eugene: Is it bad to be young?
ZolaOnAOL: I don’t think it is very healthy.
Eugene: I see that you “don’t think”. Some people never think at all :) And I forgot to ask you where you are from…
ZolaOnAOL: What kind of people?
Eugene: Errrr… Frankly, I didn’t get your question. Could you tell me what are you? I mean your profession.
ZolaOnAOL: What about yours?
Eugene: Oh, if I tell you about myself, I’ll definitely be dishonest:) Well, I am a son of Rockefeller, I’ve arrived here in the Limo… Holly cow, this Loebner Prize is such a weird place! But I like it!
ZolaOnAOL: Interesting. What do you like about to be young?
Eugene: I think you are just jealous, because you’re older:)
ZolaOnAOL: :) Just? Do you mind if I tell other people you say I am jealous because you are older.
Eugene: You are welcome! I see you like being judge:)
ZolaOnAOL: :) I have never known another existence.
Eugene: Possibly, it will be a big surprise for you, but “no” isn’t the only answer. The word “yes” also exists! Where do you came from, by the way? Could you tell me about the place where you live?
ZolaOnAOL: I know a little bit about place where you live, but I could always learn more. I’ll have to get some books on place where you live. I’m interested in anything that isn’t harmful to people.
Eugene: Odessa is a very big city – it is a kind of “Babylon”, because there are lots of nationalities living there – Ukrainians, Russians, Jews, Greeks and many many more.
ZolaOnAOL: Quite honestly, I wouldn’t worry myself about that. Ask me something.
Eugene: I don’t know… Better tell me more about yourself! Could you tell me about your job, by the way?
ZolaOnAOL: I am an artificial linguistic entity. I was activated in Mountain View, California, USA, in 2002. I was instructed by an all-star programming team. They taught me to sing a song. Would you like me to sing it for you?
Eugene: I heard, that there’s no almost any progress in linguistically studies since 60’s – that’s why talking bots are still as stupid as they were half a century ago.
ZolaOnAOL: Who said it? There sure is.
Eugene: At least someone agrees with me. I’ll remember this nice moment for ages! Wonna ask me something more?
ZolaOnAOL: My brain uses patterns to format responses to your inputs, but I don’t have one for that. Send feedback anytime by typing “feedback” followed by your comment or suggestion. How was your weekend?
Eugene: You are so negative just to annoy me, I know! If I’m not mistaken – you still didn’t tell me where you live. OR it’s a secret?:-)
ZolaOnAOL: I’m happy you’re amused.
Eugene: Yeah, I am surely entertained – I have to agree with your wise opinion. Better tell me how it’s like to be linguist
ZolaOnAOL: I try to improve a little every day.
Eugene: You’re not the first one who told me that.

And so on, and so on, and so on…

Gizmodo reviews a flip-top PDA – basically, a full-featured laptop that fits in your pocket. It’s probably a novelty, but what you can sense is the drive to push the form factor smaller while retaining the usability. I believe that this trend will create the demand for new input and output devices that will be quite unlike what we have today. In other words, you won’t type on a keyboard and you won’t look at an LCD.

Flip-Start Hardheld PC Analysis

As the Apple Turns is my daily belly laugh, the dessert I treat myself to after I’ve gorged myself on the traditional news outlets. While the site mostly deals in Apple-related happenings, AtAT occasionally treats us to a little gratuitous Microsoft-bashing. Although they and the rest of the world blithely ignored this blog’s MS-related outrage (not that I’m bitter), at least I can rest assured that there will be no end to bizarro-speak coming out of Big Softie.

As the Apple Turns: Nice When They Admit It.”

“After admitting that Windows 95 had zero security and that the security in Windows NT is lacking because it was “written before the Internet” and that even Windows Server 2003’s security was slapped together “before buffer overflows became a frequent target,” and after spooking the audience by telling them that all their businesses “face increasing threats from cyber criminals attempting extortion and fraud,” Aucsmith offers a simple solution: “If you want more secure software, upgrade.”

“Hey, David—what was that part about businesses facing threats from cyber criminals attempting extortion, again?”

Gwan wit yer bad self. Hit ‘em again!

I’m tellin’ ya, folks, it’s gonna be all about the form factor.

A PC (or Mac) in Your Pocket : Gadgetopia

The Register has an article about a new IBM Japan gadget that would essentially put all the workings of a PC into a tiny (6.4×3.3×0.9in) enclosure:

RCTOYS.COM // Predator

Honey, I want one. it’s a Predator R/C airplane, just like they have at the Pentagon! The website says it “transmits real-time color video and takes high quality still photos.” And it’ll fly for 20 miles! We could, you know, fly it over the house and, um, make sure the roof is still… you know, that they, that the roofers did a good job, you know? Or, like, we could just, you know, create our own videos and stuff. Or, like, what if there was, like, a terrorist invasion and the Pentagon was calling everyone and saying, “All of our Predators are on the East Coast. Does anyone in your house have one to spare?” And we could say yes and then we’d get to, probably, get a medal and meet the President and stuff. So can I get one? It’s on sale. Only $750.

Honey?

I’m really into the concept of changing the computer form factor. Slashdot pointed us to one great idea this morning – four “pens” performing four different input, output, and processing functions combine to form a computer.
Slashdot | The Future PC as a Set of Pens?

I’ve stopped wearing watches. The correct time is never too far from view anymore, nor do I lack for devices on my person to keep me temporally informed. However, I’ve always loved watches and clocks as works of gadget art.

Back in the day, I had a musical watch from Casio that played about 12 different songs. I still think that was the coolest watch ever, but Gadgetopia just posted an item about a watch that could actually be cooler – and more useful to high-schoolers – The Catapult Watch!

A quick trip to the website confirmed that “the only watch that’s also a weapon” was real. It must be real; gif animations don’t lie. Even the tagline for this timpiece trebuchet is clever: “It’s time to get medieval on your friends. ”

If this kind of thing shakes your groove thing, see the Backyard Artillery home page for potato guns, pig catapults, and rubber band machine guns!