Do It Yourself    

DIY Life

DIY Life

• Roof: Repair or Replace?

  Filed under: preventative maintenance, remodeling

  

  Your roof is wearing out - right now. Thanks to the UV radiation that bakes roof shingles until they are brittle, the summer sun takes more years out of a roof's life than any other environmental factor. If your roof is looking a little worse for wear, the summer is also a good time to think about having it repaired or replaced.

  On my national home improvement radio show, roofing ranks among the top ten most asked-about topics; of those questions, the decision to repair or replace is a frequent area of confusion.

  First, roof leaks can almost always be repaired without replacing the roof. Most roofs leak due to flashing problems, typically at an intersection of two roof components; roof and plumbing vent, roof and chimney, roof and wall, etc. An easy way to help pinpoint that leak is by strategically rinsing down each area with a hose until the offending spot is found.

  To learn more about replacing a roof, read on.

  Replacing a roof, on the other hand, is something that has to be done periodically, and is seldom done because of an obvious leak....

• Dye wool yarn with food coloring

  Filed under: kids, knitting and crochet

  
  
  
  When I was a youngster, I remember days where I was bored beyond measure. I would listen to the click-clack of my Mother's knitting needles as she would tell me stories of her youth in Germany, while I would unravel the ball of yarn for her.
  
  Most kids won't sit long enough to help with mundane tasks, but I bet you could get yours to sit still on a rainy day if you ask them to help you dye yarn with food coloring. Suse of Pea Soup has a tutorial showing off her gorgeous pictures of yarn that she dyed with the help of her 8 year old son.
  
  You'll need a box of food colors, a microwave-safe bowl, the child(ren), wool yarn, and vinegar, which helps set the dye. Adult supervision is needed when handling the hot water, so that the kiddos don't burn themselves.
  
  For more help dyeing wool and other fabric, check out

• Pasta tree makes a unique centerpiece

  Filed under: home decor, crafts, gifts

  OK, I usually don't go for the "household item" craft projects... oftentimes, they look just like what they are. The pasta necklaces? They're nothing but macaroni on a string.
  
  Better Homes and Gardens has changed my mind, though, with their pasta tree centerpiece project. This fancy little number is hip and funky, and doesn't look like old pasta at all.
  
  All you need are a few simple materials; BHG promises that the project will cost less than ten dollars.
  
  What makes it so stylish is that once you glue your pasta tree together, you spray-paint the entire thing black, then paint the separate colors, allowing the black paint to show through in the crevices.
  
  Another thing you could do is make a few of these and customize them:
  
  • one for Fall, using burnt orange, olive green, sienna, and other complimentary colors
  • a Christmas tree, with all shades of greens and reds and silvers and golds for a modern look
  ...

  • Kiddie Crafts: Paper cup creations

    Filed under: kids, Kiddie Crafts

    
    
    I know, paper cups are bad, and I am bad if I use them. What if I reuse them? Can I redeem myself just a little?
    
    If you've got paper cups kicking around, there are all sorts of ways that they can be re-purposed into cool Kiddie Crafts. Just this afternoon, I went to the pantry for some dried pasta and realized that there was only a very little bit left. I also came across some leftover party cups that I'd stashed away. What do you do with pasta and paper cups? Make maracas of course!
    
    After the break I'll tell you how, share another paper cup craft that we tried, and point you to a few more that I think pass the kiddie craft test (simple, inexpensive, fun, and easily modified for different ages).
    
    %Gallery-28394%
    
    
    
    Paper cup maracas
    Debra tells us that music is key to raising imaginative children. I agree with her 100%. Providing children with the opportunity to explore music, particularly in an experimental,...

  • Bat-Pod: a DIY job for The Dark Knight's creators

    Filed under: cars and transportation, miscellaneous, audio and video

    Batman kicks butt in his latest movie, The Dark Knight, a gloomy yet action-packed flick that scored big at the box office this weekend. A summer blockbuster has been born, to be sure. The stunningly cool vehicles used in the movie are attracting interest all on their own, especially the sleekly menacing Bat-Pod motorcycle.
    
    It turns out the bike was a bit of a DIY job on the part of the film's creators. According to an article in Popular Mechanics, the 'Pod is actually a motorcycle-ATV hybrid, all wrapped up with plumbing parts and some creative duct-work. The entire exhaust frame was custom built especially for the movie, while those massive wheels suffered blow-out after blow-out until the steering was just right. Another cool little factoid: the footrests disguise the bike's radiator.
    
    Speaking of The Dark Knight, the movie's star, Christian Bale, seems to have gotten himself into a spot of bother with the police. Read all about...

  • Five-minute flower arrangements

    Filed under: home decor, wedding, gardening and plants

    
    
    
    Leave it to Better Homes and Gardens. Somehow, they're able to inspire me without making me feel like a second-rate Martha Stewart wanna-be.
    
    Since we joined our CSA farm last year, it's been a pleasure to have new fresh flowers in the house every week. BHG has created a gallery of flower arrangements that can be done in five minutes, and that look positively stunning. Some of their winning combinations:
    
    • poppies surrounded by hosta leaves
    • geranium leaves, roses, and trailing vines
    • lavender stems and geranium leaves
    • hydrangeas with bachelor buttons
    • mounded zinneas with bleeding heart foliage
    What I really love about BHG's arrangements is that most of the blooms could be found in your own garden, or even in a wild flower field. That makes these arrangements economical, too.
    
    I've been combining wild yarrow with daylilies and daisies for a pretty display on my kitchen's center...

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

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  Gadgets

   

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  Engadget

  Engadget

  

  • Western Digital intros 2.5-inch 10,000RPM VelociRaptor HDD

    Filed under: Storage

    
    
    Western Digital has been flaunting its VelociRaptor for some time now, but the drive you've been slamming into towers is now available for low-power, high-performance blade server applications. The 2.5-inch, 10,000RPM enterprise SATA drive (WD3000BLFS) is specially designed to fit snugly within 1U and 2U rack servers, and aside from consuming 35% less power than the previous Raptor drive, this one is available with up to 300GB of capacity. You'll also find 16MB of cache and a 1.4 million mean time before failure rating, though you won't be able to procure one until later this month for an undisclosed price.
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  • Nokia and Qualcomm bury the patent hatchet, start making out

    Filed under: Cellphones

    One of the longest-running -- and certainly most fascinating -- soap operas in the entire wireless world, the seemingly endless patent drama between Nokia and Qualcomm, has finally drawn to an amicable (dare we say anti-climactic) close. After just a single day of arbitration, the two firms have basically agreed to a patent swap, allowing Nokia to use all of Qualcomm's patents and vice versa. Furthermore, Nokia is just stone-cold handing over a bunch of patents it holds related to GSM, WCDMA, and OFDMA, which presumably means companies that are currently licensing those patents can get ready to start writing those checks to Qualcomm. What's more, Espoo's dropping its anti-competition claims against Qualcomm in Europe -- but beyond that, specific terms (read: cash money) weren't disclosed beyond the typical PR pleasantries that both sides are happy with the outcome. If this means we finally have to retire our Nokia-Qualcomm starburst graphic, we're going to pout like little children, so we can only hope these two lovebirds find something else to squabble over in the not-too-distant future.

    Robot dragonfly gets outfitted with camera, plans to record uprising from every possible angle

    Filed under: Robots

    
    

    The folks at the Technical University of Delft have already done their part for the robot cause by building a dragonfly-type bot, dubbed the DelFly Micro, with a wingspan of just four inches, but they've now gone one step further and strapped a tiny camera onto it. What's more, they've also developed some image recognition software that promises to let the bot recognize objects, which could potentially let it locate individuals in a disaster area, or sneak up behind you when you least suspect it. Of course, the researchers aren't satisifed with things just yet, and they're promising to make an even smaller DelFly Nano bot that'd have a two-inch wingspan and weigh just a single gram. Until then, you can check out the current model in action in the video after the break.
    
    [Via Protein Feed]

    Continue reading Robot dragonfly gets outfitted with camera, plans to record uprising from every possible angle

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    NAO humanoid robots gets a price tag, exhaustive overview

    Filed under: Robots

    
    

    We've been keeping an eye on Aldebaran's NAO robot since before it even took its first steps, and it now looks like the little guy is finally set to try to make it on its own in the wild world of the commercial market. That word comes courtesy of an exhaustive white paper posted by Aldebaran on the arXiv website, which also includes the helpful little detail that the bot will cost interested laboratories about €10,000 (or roughly $15,600). Unfortunately, there's no indication as to exactly when the bot will be available, but those in the market for one can at least tide themselves a bit over by pouring over the details available in the PDF at the link below.
    
    [Via Slashdot]
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  • $2,000 Giant Twist Freedom DX electric bicycle gets pedaled on video

    Filed under: Transportation

    
    
    For those balking at the $2,000 price tag, you should really take a look at the competition before scrunching your nose up and walking away. That being said, two large is still a lot to drop on something that could still require at least some bodily exertion, but a recent video review over at Popular Mechanics could help you determine whether this particular bike is worth you while. The Giant Twist Freedom DX can roll up to 75 miles on a mixture of battery and human-powered pedaling, and the motor touts three different modes (Eco, Normal and Sport) to satisfy your mood / riding requirements. Nah, Ironman participants won't want anything to do with this heap, but those looking for a greener (and oftentimes quicker) way to commute in the city may find lots to love. The video, as promised, is waiting in the read link.
    
    [Via Digg]

    Continue reading $2,000 Giant Twist Freedom DX electric bicycle gets pedaled on video

    Read | 

  • Texas Memory breaks records, budgets with blisteringly fast RamSan-440 storage device

    Filed under: Storage

    
    
    Texas Memory has been around longer than most of you readers have been alive (or so we're told by our resident omniscient overlord), but it's been quite awhile since it was talked about freely in the same breath as WD, Fujitsu, Samsung, et al. Now, however, the company is making the rounds once more thanks to its "record setting" RamSan-440, which provides between 256GB and 512GB of RAM-based SSD storage, 600,000 IOPS, 4,500MB/sec random sustained external throughput and latency under 15-microseconds. The entire rig arrives in a 90-pound 4U rack-mount enclosure and claims to be "the first SSD to use RAIDed NAND flash memory modules for data backup." Chances are, you were already bracing to hear a pretty ludicrous figure when it comes to pricing, but $150,000 for the 256GB edition and $275,000 for the 512GB iteration? Please -- we'll take a Lightning GT, thanks.
    
    [Via DailyTech]
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  Automotive

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  Autoblog

  Autoblog

  

  • In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Nissan GT-R

    Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Nissan

    
    Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Nissan GT-R
    
    Nissan recently granted Autoblog four fleeting days with a red 2009 Nissan GT-R. While it seems every major automotive outlet has tested "Godzilla" on the track (including our First Drive), we chose instead to keep it on the streets to see if one of the world's most powerful and fastest accelerating cars could be domesticated by stop-and-go traffic, family errands, and carpool duty. Of course, we only stuck to that routine for a day or two... the rest of the time was spent on the famed canyon roads of Southern California. Follow the jump to read about our 100-hour experience in the Nissan GT-R and don't miss what very well may be the most beautiful gallery of high-res images we've ever published courtesy of our own Drew Phillips and all ready to become your next desktop wallpaper.
    
    

    Gallery: In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Nissan GT-R

  • Autoclub Speedway Redline Time Attack and Live Sockets Circuit Battle

    Filed under: Motorsports, Tuners, Sports/GTs

    
    Click the image above for a high-res view.
    
    The Redline Time Attack series has been growing steadily since its inception a few years ago. The events follow a format similar to the qualifying portion of a typical race -- essentially fastest time wins. Redline events have been the stage for several exciting top lap time battles, such as one between James Sofronas (of SCCA Speed World Challenge fame) piloting his GMG Porsche GT3 against XS Engineering with their R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R (of Speed's Street Tuner Challenge fame). Recently we caught up with the Redline Time Attack series at California Autoclub Speedway to see what sort of competition Southern California could stir up. On top of the normal schedule, the event featured the first Live Sockets Circuit Battle competition. Circuit Battle differed from Time Attack in that it paired two cars together for a lead and chase race over 3 laps for best average time. Hit the jump to find out some of the results and check out all the photos in the gallery below.
    
    

    Gallery:...

  • GM Europe decides to downsize future Saabs

    Filed under: GM, Saab

    
    
    The midsized sedan has been growing in all directions for decades, but soaring fuel prices have customers begging for something smaller. GM is heeding the call as it is preparing a smaller batch of next generation Saabs. The next 9-3 was originally slated to be underpinned by the Epsilon II, but in March GM decided to instead utilize the lower-medium Delta architecture. The Delta platform will also be used for the next-gen Chevy Cruze, which is slated to eventually replace the Cobalt. The end result will be a smaller, lighter, more efficient Swedish sedan.
    
    With the 9-3 shrinking, Saab will also need to down-size its planned 9-1, which was originally scheduled to be Delta-based. Speculation has Saab reaching into GM's global architecture bin to use the Gamma platform that currently underpins the Opel Corsa. The idea has legs, too, as the Swedish automaker calls the idea "imaginable." Both vehicles are said to contain small, efficient turbocharged powertrains, which is in line with what Saab already uses. We're all for smaller, more agile Saabs, and killer fuel economy wouldn't hurt either.

  • Elfin releases sketch, details on upcoming Type-5 roadster

    Filed under: Convertibles, Sports/GTs, Holden, Australia

    
    
    Think "Elfin" and you're liable to (quite aptly) conjure up images of point-eared fantasy creatures (thank you Mr. Tolkien and Jackson). But to Lotus and Caterham fans, a group as enthusiastic to its realm as hobbit geeks are to theirs, Elfin is another beast entirely. Sprightly though they are, Elfin sportscars offer some of the best power-to-weight ratios on the market. But as we reported previously, the Australian niche automaker is preparing to bust out of the confines of the Super-7 kit-car scene with an entirely new model of its own.

    Known internally as the Type 5, the new vehicle is targeted at the likes of the Lotus Elise and Ariel Atom as an open-air track-car. Power will come from the turbocharged four in the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Redline, packaged in a completely new chassis with styling penned by sister company HSV's design studio. Pricing, released along with the design sketch you see above, is pegged at AUS $65,000 (approximately $63k in today's devalued American greenbacks). That's significantly less than a supercharged Elise, but with...

  • Nissan takes fuel cell vehicle on run of the 'Ring

    Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, SUVs, Green, Nissan

    
    
    The undisputed champion of hydrogen fuel cell SUVs at the Nurburgring has been crowned: the Nissan X-Trail FCV. The winning time: 11:58. Of course, it's the winning time because it's the only time -- a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle has never ran the 'Ring before.
    
    After piloting the 120 bhp X-Trail around the world for two years, Nissan engineer Frank Eickholt, decide it was time to take it to the track. The €1.3 million X-Trail was apparently hampered by moist tarmac, so you can expect a redo at some point in the future. Just when you thought the 'Ring craze was as hot as it could get, here come the hydro-powered vehicles to... pour some water on it...
    
    [Source: ZerCustoms]

     

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  • Chrysler cutting 1,000 white collar workers

    Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Chrysler, LLC., Dodge, Jeep

    
    
    Chrysler is losing money by the truck-load, and its vehicles aren't selling, so common sense dictates that team Pentastar was going to start making cuts soon. That time is now, when Chrysler notified workers that it would be cutting 1,000 white collar workers. Chrysler spokesman David Elshoff told employees that the company would achieve its cut target through retirements, attrition, and buyouts, which means people won't be handed boxes and receive security escorts just yet. Chrysler management is making the cuts with the belief that the current economic situation here in the States isn't going to improve any time soon. A quick look at the Pentastar's car lineup shows the privately owned company would be in trouble even if the economy had a rosy outlook. No timetable was given for the white collar cutback.
    
    [Source: Detroit News]

     

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  Cool Stuff

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  Coolest Gadgets

  Playing with cool gadgets in the ongoing search for the Coolest Gadget

  

  • DNA Painting proves you’re unique

    

    Don’t be so pessimistic. Just because you’ve inherited your Mother’s big ass or your Father’s beer gut doesn’t mean your genes are destined for ruin. Our genetics are actually a lot more beautiful then our outward appearance might suggest.

    Anything that can be seen as beautiful can be seen as art.   While everyone’s DNA is made of the same base materials, the patterns and strains are nearly infinite. DNA is much more unique than a fingerprint even. It’s the uniqueness of genes which makes it such an excellent base for artistry, as proven through DNA 11’s DNA Art.

    DNA 11 takes a swab of your genetic information and transforms it into a totally unique painting. You can choose up to four different personal DNA patterns to display on your canvas, and you even get to customize the color and size of the art piece.

    The custom DNA paintings start at $390. If genes don’t float your boat, then DNA 11 even offers paintings of your lips or fingerprints, priced at $290 and $190 respectively. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not beautiful, because it’s your uniqueness that will prove otherwise.

    Product...

  • USB Healing Owl is actually pretty cute

    It’s not very often when I admit to a gadget being cute. Especially of the USB variety. I actually tend to rue the companies which take advantage of their customers through cheaply made, over-priced pieces of plastic, but if they were to stop production, I might be out of the job. USB gadgets are a hallmark for the gadget blogging industry.

    But all hate aside, this USB Healing Owl, while both made of plastic and overpriced, is actually pretty adorable. Made by Strapya World, the Owl plugs into your USB port and perches on its tree branch stump or right atop your computer’s display. But what does it actually do on the healing end of things?

    

    Not much, honestly. The USB Healing Owl opens and closes its large eyes and moves its head back and forth. That’s pretty much it. But while looking at the video, I did find myself oddly at ease while watching the bird do its thing. There’s something oddly calming about its movements.

    While it might be extremely overpriced for 2,300 yen (about $22), the...

  • iPhone Forever: Geek Coffins Lively Up Your Death

    

    No sane human seriously relishes the though of their own death. As much as we try to avoid the aging process and keep ourselves safe from life risking activities, the end is inevitable, at least until science finds the Fountain of Youth. But thinking about our own deaths is not nearly as hard to conceive when we think about the sort of festive life we can have after our last days.

    Creative Coffins is a company which designs and produces custom coffins. And even on a more serious note, they make sure that us fanboys are well taken care of. How would you like your eternal slumber to take place in an iPhone coffin? Apple not your poison? What about a Vista wallpaper-themed or Halo coffin? Creative Coffins has got you covered.

    

    OK, we’ve gotta be honest with you. These coffins aren’t “officially” listed as “products” from the Creative Coffins crew. But they shouldn’t have a problem whipping up the design for you, as they promise that they can “create almost any design from the dignified and beautiful to the quirky or humorous”.

    T3 put...

  • Google Maps now offers Walking Directions

    

    Well, isn’t this pretty nifty?! You can complain all you want about elevated gas prices, but the facts remain. You can whine until the cows come home, but none of your woes will change the price of fuel. It’s time to stop complaining and start taking action. Driving less and walking more is a way to not only save some money, but a fine way to save the environment and get some exercise as well.

    And wouldn’t you know it? Google has added a cool new feature onto their direction mapping service. Just like when you get directions by car, you enter your place of origin and your destination, but once you hit submit and get the automobile results, you’ll see a “Walking” option on the upper left pane, next to the “For car” option.

    Now as Google usually does with new services, the Walking directions option is still in beta, but while taking it for a test-run, the infrastructure and delivery seemed pretty tight. The service lists the itinerary pretty much like its car companion, though cutting out the unsafe walking roads. We don’t want to be walking through any freeways.

    All in...

  • Port-O-Pong Portable Beer Pong Table

    There’s nothing quite like having some fun and games with your mates while you’re all busy knocking a few cold ones back. After all, there is only so much gossip that floats around, you might as well get involved in some sport while you’re drinking.

    The Port-O-Pong makes playing beer pong possible no matter where you are. Simply inflate the table and you’re off to the races. With the Port-O-Pong, you can play beer pong in the pool or set it on a small table. If there’s nothing to rest it on, use the four pieces of rope to hang it from the ceiling or a tent. The tough construction means your rowdy friends won’t ruin your portable beer pong table. But, if for some reason the Port-O-Pong suffers a small puncture, two repair patches are included with your purchase.

    Two repair patches don’t sound enough, especially when there’s bound to be drunk people around who do crazy stuff when they’re no longer sober. You can pick up the Port-O-Pong for $49.95.
    [ Port-O-Pong Portable Beer Pong Table copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
    

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    Slydial for folks who don’t like to talk

    Relationships are an extremely complicated thing - there are plenty of times in your life, I’m sure about it, that all you would like to do is leave a message for someone without having to take the trouble of holding a conversation. MobileSphere empathizes with such a feeling and has recently rolled out Slydial, a free service (everyone loves something for nothing) that enables users to leave a voicemail for another person without having to risk the intended party to actually pick up and answer the phone. All you need to do is to dial 267-SLYDIAL (267-759-3425), spend some time going through a concise history of Slydial and reasons for using it, endure a short advertisement and enter the person’s phone number. When done, the Slydial service will automatically hook up to the person’s voicemail just like a regular phone call.

    so far, initial tests have shown that it works perfectly fine with the following mobile carriers - Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint Nextel, where each test took less than a couple of minutes in total. According to MobileSphere, Slydial is efficient enough to function flawlessly with all wireless phone carriers...

   

   

   

   

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  PC

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  PC Magazine: New Product Reviews

  First looks at new products from PC Magazine: lab-based test, ratings, editor and user reviews.

  

  • eMachines T5254

    The eMachines T5254 rivals the company's flagship T5246 in performance and features and costs $30 less.

    

    

  • SafeCentral

    SafeCentral's browser secures your online transactions and offers special verification for many thousands of sensitive Web sites.

    

    

  • Google Lively (beta)

    The search giant throws its cap into the 3D chat space, but its first beta falls far short of Second Life.

    

    

  • MSI Wind

    The MSI Wind may not be perfect, but it's the best deal in the UMPC market.

    

    

  • Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 6

    The latest release from PC Tools is the best software we've ever seen for inoculating your PC from malware infections.

    

    

  • Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini (250GB)

    Small, rugged, and fast, the Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini (250GB) remains a great backup solution, particularly for Windows users.

    

    

   

   

   

   

   

   

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  Slashdot news for nerds

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  Slashdot

  News for nerds, stuff that matters

  

  • Next Generation CPU Refrigerators

    Iddo Genuth writes "Researchers at Purdue University are developing a miniature refrigeration system, small enough to fit inside laptop computers. According to the researchers, the implementation of miniature refrigeration systems in computers can dramatically increase the amount of heat removed from the microchips, therefore boosting performance while simultaneously shrinking the size of computers."

    

    Read more of this story at Slashdot.

    

    

  • Attack Code Published For DNS Vulnerability

    get_Rootin writes "That didn't take long. ZDNet is reporting that HD Moore has released exploit code for Dan Kaminsky's DNS cache poisioning vulnerability into the point-and-click Metasploit attack tool. From the article: 'This exploit caches a single malicious host entry into the target nameserver. By causing the target nameserver to query for random hostnames at the target domain, the attacker can spoof a response to the target server including an answer for the query, an authority server record, and an additional record for that server, causing target nameserver to insert the additional record into the cache.' Here's our previous Slashdot coverage."

    

    Read more of this story at Slashdot.

    

    

  • Google's Knol, Expert Wiki, Goes Live

    Brian Jordan and other readers sent in word that Google has taken the wraps off Knol, its expert-written challenger to Wikipedia. (We discussed Knol when it was announced last year.) Wired has an in-depth look. Knol's distinctions from Wikipedia are that authors are identified by their real names (and verified), and that they can share in ad revenue if they choose to. The service initially features a lot of medical articles, which is interesting considering that Medipedia also launched today. This medical wiki is backed by Harvard's and Stanford's medical schools.

    

    Read more of this story at Slashdot.

    

    

  • Ubuntu Is Hyper-Active At OSCON

    ruphus13 writes "Ubuntu and Canonical have been very active at OSCON this year. They showcased a new distro, announced improvements to their code-hosting platform, and made Mark Shuttleworth available for a couple of talks and panel sessions. Quoting: 'Ubuntu Netbook Remix, a complete distribution designed to run on Atom-based Netbook PCs. The main difference that sets it apart from its big brother Hardy Heron is the Ubuntu Mobile Edition (UME) Launcher, a user interface created specifically for use on the teensy screens and keyboards of today's popular ultra-portable computers.' Canonical also announced Version 2.0 of Launchpad, their code-hosting platform. Enhancements include 'a planned API that'll allow third-party applications to authenticate, query and modify data in the massive Launchpad database, without a user needing to manually access the system via a browser.' Mark Shuttleworth went on to state that Linux's market share will grow when it has better eye-candy than Apple's."

    

    Read more of this story at Slashdot.

    

    

  • Which Open Source Video Apps Use SMP Effectively?

    ydrol writes "After building my new Core 2 Quad Q6600 PC, I was ready to unleash video conversion activity the likes of which I had not seen before. However, I was disappointed to discover that a lot of the conversion tools either don't use SMP at all, or don't balance the workload evenly across processors, or require ugly hacks to use SMP (e.g. invoking distributed encoding options). I get the impression that open source projects are a bit slow on the uptake here? Which open source video conversion apps take full native advantage of SMP? (And before you ask, no, I don't want to pick up the code and add SMP support myself, thanks.)"

    

    Read more of this story at Slashdot.

    

    

  • EC2 Vs. App Engine Vs. GoGrid Vs. AppNexus

    snydeq writes "InfoWorld's Peter Wayner delves into the ill-defined realm of 'cloud computing,' providing a deeper look at four shared services: Amazon EC2, Google App Engine, GoGrid, and AppNexus. Offering wildly divergent amounts of hand-holding at various layers in the stack, the services simplify your workload but force you into a set, 'ball-and-chain-computing' routine that you may not prefer. Sure, the services allow you to pull CPU cycles from thin air whenever you need to, but they can't solve the deepest problems that make it hard for applications to scale gracefully, Wayner writes. He describes these 'clouds' as an evolving experiment, rife with potential but 'far from clear winners over traditional shared Web hosting.' The sobering look at the trend includes a QuickTime tour of each service — EC2, App Engine, GoGrid, AppNexus (those links all .MOV)."

    

    Read more of this story at Slashdot.

    

    

   

   

   

   

   

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