It All Comes Together: Laptop roundup

June 22, 2007
2 minute read

It All Comes Together: Laptop roundup – Secure your laptop with the LaptopLock“Don’t let the creep who stole your computer paw through your private files, passwords and personal information.” Turn a t-shirt into a keyboard cover“Great for saving your lappie’s screen from keyboard scratches with an old or free tee, this project requires only a bit of cutting, ironing and sewing.” Stuff We Like: Laptop CushTop“Man, there’s nothing worse than frying your thighs with a hot laptop in the middle of some very important web surfing.” DIY magnetic power connector“If you’re familiar with the MagSafe magnetic connectors on the new MacBooks, this is a DIY version for Thinkpads.” Use your laptop as a giant clock“To always end your presentation on time without glancing at your watch (a gesture that communicates to the audience that you can’t wait to finish and leave), place a laptop on the floor in front of where you’re speaking, and set it up to display a giant clock.” Make your own laptop stand“I’ve always liked the iLap laptop stands, but I’ve never been able to justify the price…” Laptop Troubleshooting Tip: Re-seat your RAM“…the moral of the story might save you a trip to the computer hospital..” Video demonstration: Fix your wine-soaked laptop“Save your laptop from the heartbreak of liquid spills.” MacGyver Tip: Silence your laptop with snipped headphones“Repurpose those old crappy earphones into a laptop silencer.” How to secure your laptop for air travelPack laptops with soft foam or bubble wrap and place laptop bags inside other luggage to protect them from rough handling and to keep them inconspicuous.” Use your cell phone as a modem“You’re stuck with the laptop in the land of no Internet, but you’ve got unlimited minutes or a great data plan on your cell phone.” [LifeHacker]

It All Comes Together: Laptop roundup –

Secure your laptop with the LaptopLock
“Don’t let the creep who stole your computer paw through your private files, passwords and personal information.”

Turn a t-shirt into a keyboard cover
“Great for saving your lappie’s screen from keyboard scratches with an old or free tee, this project requires only a bit of cutting, ironing and sewing.”

Stuff We Like: Laptop CushTop
“Man, there’s nothing worse than frying your thighs with a hot laptop in the middle of some very important web surfing.”

DIY magnetic power connector
“If you’re familiar with the MagSafe magnetic connectors on the new MacBooks, this is a DIY version for Thinkpads.”

Use your laptop as a giant clock
“To always end your presentation on time without glancing at your watch (a gesture that communicates to the audience that you can’t wait to finish and leave), place a laptop on the floor in front of where you’re speaking, and set it up to display a giant clock.”

Make your own laptop stand
“I’ve always liked the iLap laptop stands, but I’ve never been able to justify the price…”

Laptop Troubleshooting Tip: Re-seat your RAM
“…the moral of the story might save you a trip to the computer hospital..”

Video demonstration: Fix your wine-soaked laptop
“Save your laptop from the heartbreak of liquid spills.”

MacGyver Tip: Silence your laptop with snipped headphones
“Repurpose those old crappy earphones into a laptop silencer.”

How to secure your laptop for air travel
Pack laptops with soft foam or bubble wrap and place laptop bags inside other luggage to protect them from rough handling and to keep them inconspicuous.”

Use your cell phone as a modem
“You’re stuck with the laptop in the land of no Internet, but you’ve got unlimited minutes or a great data plan on your cell phone.”

[LifeHacker]

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Dell Refuses to Sell Ubuntu to Business

by
June 20, 2007

Dell has only been offering Ubuntu for over a month now. I haven't heard all that much in regards to their Support, I wonder if Microsoft is giving dell $$ to not Support Ubuntu on computers sold for Home Office/Business purposes?

Dell Refuses to Sell Ubuntu to Business - An anonymous reader writes "I had a surreal experience with Dell today. My boss asked me to order a new computer for our small, non-profit business. Wanting to support Dell in their decision to sell computers with Ubuntu installed, I decided to order one. First, I talked to a small business representative, who informed me that I could not order one of the Ubuntu-based computers through the small business department. I had to go through the "home and home office" department. I called the Home office department. I asked the representative if I could buy one of the ubuntu computers for my company. She said (and I quote), "these Dell computers are designed for personal use only, as long as you use it for personal use, you can purchase one." So I lied and said I would.... Next, I tried to buy it on our business credit card. They would have none of that. She told me that I had to buy it through a personal card. Now, as a non-profit, our business does not pay sales tax (10% in Tennessee). Had I bought it with my own card, I would have had to pay tax (~$90), which my company would not have reimbursed me for. So.....no Dell today."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.

[Slasdot]

by
October 23, 2007

MySpace is trying to drive more visitors to its site, or rather keep the visitors from leaving them for Facebook. It looks as though the games will be provided by a 3rd Party company that has private label games.

MySpace is set to launch a new casual games area on the site early next year, reports The Wall Street Journal. The games will be provided by Oberon Media, a company that specializes in developing private label gaming sites for major Internet brands including Yahoo and Microsoft.

by
June 24, 2007

Google May Close Gmail Germany Over Privacy Law - Matt writes "Google is threatening to shut down the German version of its Gmail service if the German Bundestag passes it's new Internet surveillance law. Peter Fleischer, Google's German privacy representative says the new law would be a severe blow against privacy and would go against Google's practice of also offering anonymous e-mail accounts. If the law is passed then starting 2008, any connection data concerning the internet, phone calls (With position data when cell phones are used), SMS etc. of any German citizen will be saved for 6 months, anonymizing services like Tor will be made illegal."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.

[Slasdot]

by
June 23, 2007

Blender animations help prevent crime in Britain - The Avon and Somerset Constabulary in Great Britain uses animations created with the open source tool Blender to help citizens understand how to protect their vehicles and possessions from theft.
[Linux.com]

by
June 19, 2007

This is something I saw over at Ars Technica. This is a big and ugly move for AMD, no chip fabrication and just straight up design might put them in a hard place. Intel at the moment does both, and has many fabrication production facilities. Here are some facts about AMD:

AMD has planned expansions in their production capacity. In addition to the completion of Fab 36 in Dresden (300 mm 90 nm SOI), AMD is planning to upgrade Fab 30 (adjacent to Fab 36) in Dresden from 200 mm 90 nm process SOI to a 300 mm 65 nm process SOI facility and rename it Fab 38, and open a new facility at the Luther Park Technology Campus in Stillwater, New York (likely 300 mm 32 nm process SOI production) between years 2009 to 2010. process

And here is some information about Intel:

Intel currently operates four 300-mm fabs that provide the equivalent manufacturing capacity of about eight 200-mm factories. Those factories are located in Oregon, Ireland and New Mexico. The company also has an additional 300-mm fab currently under construction in Arizona (Fab 12) scheduled to begin operations later this year, and one expansion in Ireland (Fab 24-2) scheduled to begin operations in the first quarter of next year.

It was hard to find a lot of detail about Intels Facilities. Even WikiPedia and a 4 page google search turned up nothing.

AMD considering getting out of fabrication business -

Reports are surfacing that AMD is seriously considering a move out of the chip fabrication business, focusing its efforts entirely on chip design. It would be a risky move on AMD's part, even if it would ameliorate some of the company's cash flow problems.