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Installing Ubuntu On an OLPC XO

Soulskill — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:55:00 +0000

Matt Lincoln Russell writes "Installing Ubuntu Netbook Remix on the OLPC XO is not for the faint of heart, but Drew Beckett has got the process down. This setup is pretty slow on the XO, but the good news is that Netbook Remix is a work in progress, and can be expected to get better."

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Irrigation Controller Stolen, Wirelessly Rescues Itself

kdawson — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:46:00 +0000

wooferhound sends along an amusing piece about thieves who got run over by technology and never knew what hit them. "A Rain Master Eagle-i Irrigation Controller recently stolen out of a housing development just outside of Tucson traveled nearly 80 miles before rescuing itself. The smart controller is now back in place on the wall where it was originally pinched... In this day and age, something that may look passive like an irrigation controller may not be so passive. The thieves didn't realize they were removing equipment that features 2-way wireless communications via the Internet. Three weeks later, the unexpected happened. The Maintenance Supervisor noticed a signal coming in from the stolen controller. He thought it was kind of odd that it was up and running... Whoever had stolen it had plugged it back in."

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OpenMoko In Stores On July 4

timothy — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 07:10:00 +0000

ruphus13 writes "July 4 will be day when OpenMoko's Neo FreeRunner will be available to US consumers. Being Open Source, it is modifiable down to the core. From the article: 'The FreeRunner is based on a GNU/Linux, and it will initially ship with basic software to make calls, send and receive SMS, and manage contacts. But the company is encouraging users to write and install their own applications. Software updates will add features to the phone over time, and the company said an August update will enable location-based services.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

What Is the Best Way To Disinfect Your Laptop?

timothy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:53:00 +0000

akutz writes "I've had the flu since Tuesday afternoon. My wife picked me up from work with a temperature of 103.6 and it finally broke at 98.7 around 3am this morning. Yay. The problem is that I used my laptop during my periods of feverish deliriousness, contaminating my shiny 15" MacBook Pro with the icky influenza virus. I am asking my fellow Slashdotters if they have ever sought out a good way of disinfecting their lucky laptops after an illness. Do you use soap? A light acid bath? Just get the family dog to lick it until it looks clean?"

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‘Friends’: The Film

Yahoo! Buzz Log — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:30:47 +0000

Following in the high-heeled footsteps of "Sex and the City: The Movie" comes another film that's sure to make boyfriends around the world run for cover. Prepare thyself for "Friends: The Movie." Mwa ha ha!

That's right, kids. Rumor has it that there is renewed interest in bringing the six fabulously perky and quirky New Yorkers to the big screen. You can either thank or blame "Sex and the City" for this news. The success of that franchise's recent flick reportedly inspired the cast to bring their beloved sitcom back from the dead.

According to Current, Jennifer Aniston "is believed to have dragged her heels" on the project, but has since changed her mind. Filming should start within the next 18 months. Or will it? Another blog reports that Warner Bros. denied the "Friends" movie rumor, "and there's no confirmation from anyone around town that anything is even being considered."

So, is there hope for all the haters who thought they'd seen the last of Ross, Rachel, and that stupid monkey? Maybe, but remember: When it comes to rumors, they're often denied, but usually true. Sorry.

12,000 Laptops Lost Weekly At Airports

timothy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:02:00 +0000

kthejoker writes "Apparently companies are even worse about losing our data than we suspected. From the article:'According to a study of 106 major U.S. airports and 800 business travelers published by the Ponemon Institute and Dell Computer, about 12,000 laptops are lost in airports each week. Only 30 percent of travelers ever recover the lost devices. Nearly half of the travelers say their laptops contain customer data or confidential business information.' Kinda scary ..."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Nvidia Reports Large Quantities of Defective Notebook Chips

info@technologyguide.com — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:16:07 +0000

Nvidia has found that "significant quantities" of older graphics cards that shipped in notebook PCs were defective. Nvidia says it has not determined the exact cause of the problem, but it is associated with a packaging material used with some of the chips, and the thermal design of some notebooks.

Rain Man Goes to London

Yahoo! Buzz Log — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:57:17 +0000

"Rain Man" was an Oscar-winning film about an autistic man and his self-absorbed brother getting to know each other. Now, in an acknowledgement that the theatrical community is just as starved for ideas as Hollywood, the film is being adapted for an on-stage production at London's West End.

Near as we can tell, it's not a musical. So, you needn't worry about a ballad dedicated to Judge Wapner or a rousing refrain on "excellent drivers." Phew! Here's what we do know: Entertainment Weekly reports that former "it-boy" Josh Hartnett will play Tom Cruise's role. The part of Raymond (aka Rain Man) will be tackled by Adam Godley best known for his work in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and the upcoming "X-Files" film. The curtain goes up this September.

For many, the 1988 movie with Cruise and Dustin Hoffman marked the first time they'd ever heard of autism. The disability is still very much in the news due to concerns that childhood vaccines may somehow cause autism. Could that anxiety have played a part in bringing the film to the stage? We're not sure, but terms like "autism causes," "what is autism," and "autism symptoms" continue to be big in Search.

Freeze On US Solar Plant Applications Lifted

timothy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:44:00 +0000

necro81 writes "Barely a month ago, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced a freeze on applications for solar power plants on federally managed land, pending a two-year comprehensive environmental review. After much hue and cry from the public, industry, and other parts of government, BLM has today announced that it will lift the freeze, but continue to study the possible environmental effects. To date, no solar project has yet been approved on BLM land."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Freeze On U.S. Solar Plant Applications Lifted

timothy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:44:00 +0000

Read more of this story at Slashdot.