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Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category

How to enable the start menu in Windows 8

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

This requires the use of regedit. Pretty straightforward though.

Originally posted at Urbin Technology.

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Bill Whittle: The Free Frontier

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

Bill Whittle on what the American Space Program should be like.

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Quote of the Day

Monday, January 31st, 2011

“To translate it into UNIX system administration terms … the post-modern, politically correct atheists were like people who had suddenly found themselves in charge of a big and unfathomably complex computer system (viz. society) with no documentation or instructions of any kind, and so whose only way to keep the thing running was to invent and enforce certain rules with a kind of neo-Puritanical rigor, because they were at a loss to deal with any deviations from what they saw as the norm. Whereas people who were wired into a church were like UNIX system administrators who, while they might not understand everything, at least had some documentation, some FAQs and How-tos and README files, providing some guidance on what to do when things got out of whack. They were, in other words, capable of displaying adaptability.” — The Cryptonomicon

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Biofuel from Coffee grounds

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Amazing stuff coffee. In addtion to it’s other amazing properties, including being good for the roses, the grounds can be used to produce biofuel.

The estimates are the coffee ground biodiesel industry could generate as much as $8,000,000 in profits annually using waste from Starbucks stores here in the United States  alone.  Ok, probably less given falling crude oil prices, but I’m still a big fan of any domestic fuel souces.

To add to the overall awesomeness of coffee, at the end of the biodiesel extraction and conversion process, the leftover grounds can be turned into fuel pellets for wood stoves and boilers.

Not only does coffee keep you moving, it can keep your car moving and heats your home!

Originally posted at Urbin Technology

Update: Crude prices have reversed the downward trend that was in place when this article was first posted (December 2008).  They are now pushing $100 a barrel and don’t show any signs of slowing down.  Starbucks brand biofuel made right here in the USA is starting to look like a good business opportunity.

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Monday Book Pick: Paradise Regained: The Regreening of Earth

Monday, January 17th, 2011

Paradise Regained: The Regreening of Earth by Les Johnson, Gregory L. Matloff and C. Bangs.

A bit of hard science for you geeks and Greenies (real greenies, not watermelons), describing on how to use resources of the solar system for terrestrial benefit. Yup, going to space is good for Mother Gaia. Move your hard industry and power production to Earth orbit and mine the resources of the Solar System.

Monday Book Pick Archive

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Monday Book Pick: Back to the Moon

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Back to the Moon by Travis S. Taylor and Les Johnson.

This near future adventure story about the return of maned space exploration, starting by returning to the Moon, was written by two actual NASA engineers, with a fistful of degrees in the hard sciences between them. Rousing good space adventure!

Monday Book Pick Archive

Latest iPad rumors

Sunday, January 9th, 2011

Get your hot iPad2 rumors here.

Some of the highlights:

  • Thinner
  • Slightly smaller
  • better speakers
  • Camera

Originally posted at Urbin Technology

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Random IT Quote of the day

Monday, December 13th, 2010

“Managing sysadmins is like leading a neighborhood gang of neurotic pumas on jet-powered hoverbikes with nasty smack habits and opposable thumbs.”

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The left’s violent war on science continues.

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

According to the LA Times, a UCLA researcher isn’t letting death threats from anti-science leftist terrorists stop him from doing his work.

After the latest incident, in which he received a letter containing razor blades and threats that his throat would be cut, J. David Jentsch says he isn’t intimidated.

“We follow you on campus,” Jentsch recalled the note reading. “One day, when you’re walking by, we’ll come up behind you, and cut your throat.”

Activists claimed the razors were tainted with AIDS, though it hasn’t been confirmed by officials. University officials have said the latest threat, confirmed by UCLA on Tuesday, is under investigation by the FBI and UCLA police.

But the 38-year-old professor has been through this before. Last year, he woke up to an orange flash and a car alarm. He ran outside to find his car had been blown up.

Twice a month, animal rights activists in ski masks gather outside his home, chanting “murder.”

These leftist terrorists disregard for science and human life is very, very chilling.

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Just a bad phone UI design

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

I had to pick up another mobile phone number, so I went looking for a basic phone to get to put it on. I called my cell provider, AT&T, and was pointed to the LG CF360. The physical design is good. It feels solid, the sliding is smooth and locks/unlocks easily. It’s got Bluetooth support and has a micro-SD slot.

The UI is an utter piece of crap, and that is an insult to crap, which can be put to good use as fertilizer.

It’s a fornicating phone, being able to access my call log would actually be useful, so what ever brain dead software “coder” working in what ever sweatshop he/she/it deserves to stay in decided to leave that functionality out.

If I ever get my Razr back from one of my kids, I’m moving the SIM card over to the Razr.

Originally posted at Urbin Technology.

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