Creative X-Fi

Creative X-Fi: A New World of Sound
After much waiting, we've finally gotten our hands on the first X-Fi sound cards. X-Fi brings with it a whole series of technological innovations that make its introduction nothing less than a watershed event in the history of sound on the PC.

Creative, unlike most of its competitors, has always included a true audio processor on its cards, as opposed to simply using a codec and putting the processing load on the CPU. That approach accounts for their superiority in games, where Creative avoids having to devote part of the available processing power to sound, but it also creates a few problems in other areas. The processors used in the Live! and Audigy cards operated natively at 48 kHz, creating some problems at 44.1 kHz and simply refusing to process higher sampling frequencies at all. With X-Fi, those problems are behind us, and operation is now possible at all usable sampling frequencies.

With X-Fi, Creative has ushered in the audio of the 21st century, and the actual listening experience - like the measurable performance - is very convincing. If sound quality is at all important to you and you want to take advantage of the most recent advances in sound reproduction, it's clearly the best choice, regardless of what your main activity is. And best of all, the price is not exorbitant: the basic card, priced at around $130, is sufficient to let you get the benefit of all the advantages we've listed without leaving a big hole in your wallet.

COREHACKERS.COM The registry is the very heart of a Windows operating system, securing the registry is a very important process network administrators should go through on each and every computer in a certain workstation. There are certain measures that Administrators can take into consideration in order to make their registry more secure, some of these measures will be discussed in this article.

Securing a Windows Workstation - Part I
Securing a Windows Workstation - Part 2

torrent Indexing Sites

migraineheartache

craftster.org

craftster.org

Craftster.org is a repository for hip, crafty, diy (do it yourself) projects.

People who have crafty urges, but who are not excited by cross stitched bunnies and crocheted toilet paper cozies, can show off their current craft projects, ask advice on future projects and get inspiration for new endeavors.

Handykey Corporation

Handykey Corporation "The Twiddler2 is a pocket-sized mouse pointer plus a full-function keyboard in a single unit that fits neatly in either right or left hand.


Twiddler was one of the first components I bought when designing my wearable computer. After six years of everyday use, I wouldn't think of using a wearable without one. The convenience and ergonomic benefits become apparent with long-term use. In fact, for the last two years, the Twiddler and my wearable computer have replaced my desktop (e.g. my PhD thesis was written with the Twiddler).

When starting the MIT Wearable Computing Project, I issued every member a Twiddler as their primary text input device. With starting another group at Georgia Tech focused on wearable computing, I've just placed an order for 10 more Twiddler 1's. We've seen typing speeds of 60 words per minute, and an undergraduate has reported speeds up to 30 words a minute with only a weekend of practice. More generally, new users can learn the alphabet in 5 minutes and can be touch typing in an hour. Though it takes time for the fingers to "loosen up" to accomodate the new motion (much like learning to play an instrument or learning how to type on a desktop), many new users are up to 10 words a minute with a weekend's worth of practice, and current non-touch typists remark that it is easier than learning the desktop QWERTY keyboard.' " Thad Starner, Professor at Georgia Tech and former MIT Media Lab.

Keyboards: "Thad prefers the Twiddler and has reached speeds of 50 wpm on it. It includes a tilt sensitive mouse and retails for around $200, which is quite reasonable for a keyboard/mouse combo. Learning the alphabet takes 5 min. (it's sequential), touch typing in an hour, and 10+ wpm over a weekend. Thad says it was uncomfortable to use at first, but over a week of use you learn how to hold it properly for your size and shape of hand. The default key layout is more optimized for speed than is first expected. The user defineable macro package pushes word rates significantly higher over letter typing (supposedly > 4000 button combinations are possible). Macro packages can be reloadable depending on the application."

Wearable Computing - Library: "Introduction to Wearable Computing "

Change Windows XP Home to Windows XP Pro

HOWTO Change Windows XP Home to Windows XP Pro : Gizmodo Alternately, buy XP Pro, or get a Mac.

yes indeed, you can’t change an installed Windows but only your Installation CD (or even a recovery CD in case the manufacturer had not left out important parts)
Here’s the detailed breakdown you asked for.

1. Copy the root directory and the i386 directory of the WindowsXP CD
to your harddisk
2. Extract the Bootsector of your WindowsXP CD
3. Change 2 Bytes in i386\Setupreg.hiv :
a) Open Regedit
b) Highlight HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
c) Menu: File -> Load Structure -> i386\Setupreg.hiv
d) Assign an arbitrary name to the imported structure e.g. “Homekey”
e) Goto HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Homekey\ControlSet001\Services\setupdd
f) edit the binary key “default” and change “01” to “00” and “02” to
“00”
g) Highlight “Homekey” and select menu: File -> unload structure
4. Burn your new XP Pro CD
5. Install WindowsXP as usual. Your XP Home Key will work.

Note: You cannot apply SP2 to such a WindowsXP Pro, so step 1.b)
might be to integrate SP2 in your Installation CD

Please check the menu-entries as I don’t owe an English copy of
XP and have to guess them.

OceanStore

OceanStore: "Global-Scale Persistent Data " OceanStore is a global persistent data store designed to scale to billions of users. It provides a consistent, highly-available, and durable storage utility atop an infrastructure comprised of untrusted servers.

Any computer can join the infrastructure, contributing storage or providing local user access in exchange for economic compensation. Users need only subscribe to a single OceanStore service provider, although they may consume storage and bandwidth from many different providers. The providers automatically buy and sell capacity and coverage among themselves, transparently to the users. The utility model thus combines the resources from federated systems to provide a quality of service higher than that achievable by any single company.

learn UNIX in 10 minutes

learn UNIX in 10 minutes: "Learn UNIX in 10 minutes"

free image retouching

PhotoFiltre is a complete image retouching program. It allows you to do simple or advanced adjustments to an image and apply a vast range of filters on it. It is simple and intuitive to use, and has an easy learning curve.

Its wide range of filters allows novice users to familiarize themselves with the world of graphics. You can find the standard adjustment functions (Brightness, contrast, dyed, saturation, gamma correction) and also artistic filters (watercolor, pastels, Indian ink, pointillism, puzzle effect). There are more than 100 filters to be discovered!

PhotoFiltre is free for a private, non commercial or educational use (including non-profit organizations).

http://www.photofiltre.com/

run programs in a sandbox

Sandboxie download: "Sandboxie allows you to run your browser, or any other program, so that all changes that result from the usage are kept in a sandbox environment, which can then be deleted later. This allows you to remove traces of your internet or PC activities, as well as reverse any changes to your Favorites, home page, registry and more. Even files that were downloaded during a sandbox session will be wiped after the sandbox is cleared.

Sandboxie: You may want to run your Web browser inside the sandbox most of the time. This way any incoming, unsolicited software (spyware, malware and the like) that you download, is trapped in the sandbox."

take along security

personalVPN Service
http://www.witopia.net/aboutpersonal.html

Tailored for the individual, personalVPN works in the background to seamlessly secure your sent and received data via an encrypted tunnel to WiTopia’s Internet gateways. Works with any and all applications including email, instant messaging, and web surfing.

WiFi hotspots aren’t the only place where your data and passwords might be compromised. Wired networks at hotels, airports, or wherever you may find yourself, are also potentially unsafe with very little security measures in place.

...a little extra security away from home.

annual fee On Sale: $39.50

HispreadVIEW 2.1

Hispread is a new Peer-2-Peer technology that provides the casual and professionnal computer user a simple way to backup any kind of data without the hassle of a full fledged backup and retrieval software linked to some expensive specific hardware. Hispread uses the power behind any LAN or Internet to securely "spread" your data among different machines, insuring both their confidentiality (no one, except you, can access the data) and their retrieval in any circumstance (such as the failure of one or more machines, one or more disk on any machines, and so on). With this technique, you don`t need to buy any kind of expensive equipment, you only optimize the one you already have. Harness the power of your LAN to backup your file in the most secure and easy manner, using cryptography, virtual RAID and GridStorage through innovative P2P technology.

Download!1.14 Mb

CNI Radio - Computer News

CNI Radio - Computer News and Information: "CNI Radio is a new and growing Internet Radio station that provides computer and computer-related shows - 24/7 - 365 days a year. A place to listen to shows about computers, and computer related issues that affect our lives, such as the Internet, software and hardware, privacy issues, computer security, as well as other computer and technology related news and information."

Free Computer Training

Intelligentedu.com: Computer Training, Education, and Tutorial Resources: "On this site you can Learn Programming for Free - how to Develop and Write Computer Programs and IT Applications. Whether you're going for technical certification or teaching yourself programming, web design, or networking, here you will find plenty of web resources. Get Free Knowledge, Information, References, and Resources about computers now by visiting the many Free Computer, Programming and IT Training Courses, Tutorials, Books, Training Guides, Tips, Articles, and How-Tos. We give you great assistance, whether you're a student learning computer programming or an IT professional. We have many resources for great Computer Training."

Open Source IP Communications

Open Source IP Communications @ LINUXWORLD MAGAZINE: "Using a voice-over-IP solution, a company can take advantage of the merged benefits of IP telephony. Rather than pay to run two separate voice and data networks, businesses can combine the two. Phone bills become markedly less because voice calls over an IP network are much less expensive compared to calls over the publicly switched telephone network (PSTN). System installation costs are less because packet telephony lets users buy off-the-shelf servers from multiple vendors, rather than proprietary Private Branch Exchanges (PBX).

VoIP offers a number of advantages over conventional enterprise phone systems. Companies can use it to cut their voice and fax costs by eliminating traditional long-distance toll charges or 800-number costs. VoIP technology can also be used to integrate voice and data networks onto one IP-based infrastructure that supports data, voice, and video. "

wide Wi-Fi

Vivato - product information: "Vivato has invented the industry's first indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi base stations. This revolutionary technology offers dramatic improvements in range and coverage. Vivato�s solution includes Base Stations which provide up to 2.5 miles of coverage outdoors as well as Micro and Pico Cells used to fill coverage gaps.

Vivato's base stations use phased-array smart antennas to create highly directed, narrow beams of transmission. A single Vivato Wi-Fi Base Station takes the place of dozens of traditional APs, minimizing deployment and maintenance costs. The result is unequaled performance and lowest total cost of ownership. Vivato technology is ideal for large-scale, wide-area deployments that including metropolitan areas, university campuses, airports, stadiums, convention centers, sea ports, and military bases."

everything related to VOIP

voip-info.org : voip-info.org: "VOIP Wiki - a reference guide to all things VOIP
This Wiki covers everything related to VOIP, software, hardware, service providers, reviews, configurations, standards, tips & tricks and everything else related to voice over IP networks, IP telephony and Internet Telephony. "

Asterisk@Home

SourceForge.net: Project Info - Asterisk@Home: "The Asterisk@Home project enables the home user to quickly set up an Asterisk PBX. A web GUI makes configuration and operation easy. We also provide an xPL (home automation) interface for easy interaction with other devices in the home."

Product Review -- Asterisk@Home (V 1.3) -- tomsnetworking
With the costs for VoIP coming down, the acceptance of personal use of Vonage et al. for home phones rising, and open source projects becoming more capable, Asterisk is at the cutting edge of a new breed of PBX-replacement products for small and medium business.

AAH provides a variety of useful features that enhance its business use. You can make a queue for putting calls on hold and also forward calls—just like a standard PBX system. System users also have web access to voicemail, which includes the ability to change preferences, manage and listen to messages. AAH can even e-mail voicemail messages to you if you like, and if you aren't at a computer, you can also access the voicemail system from a phone. There is also a "digital receptionist" that lets you direct callers using prerecorded messages.

AAH's simplistic setup makes it ideal for small or medium-sized businesses that just need something that works—with few questions asked. If you need a more sophisticated system, the standard version of Asterisk will be a better fit and can be optimized by a professional. Asterisk@Home shows that you no longer need a costly, complicated, vendor-managed product to have a full-featured and flexible PBX for home or small business use.

http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Reviews-219-ProdID-AAH.php