What if it turns out to be porn?

Researchers in Israel claim to have developed a way to decipher previously unreadable ancient texts using technology similar to that of fingerprint readers:
The program uses a pattern recognition algorithm similar to those law enforcement agencies have adopted to identify and compare fingerprints.
But in this case, the program identifies letters, words and even handwriting styles, saving [...]

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Apple and DRM

New Macbooks prevent DRM-protected movies from being played on unauthorized monitors. Has Apple taken a stupid step backwards?
Technorati tags: Apple, Macbook, DRM, HDCP

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Breaking the chains that bind us

Open Office 3.0 has been officially released. Go and download it now, and know the joys of life free from Microsoft Office and its thrice-cursed ribbons.
Technorati tags: Open Office, MS Office, office software, ribbons, open source

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Well, scratch that idea

So, I’d settled on buying the MacBook Pro. After emailing back and forth with some friends about the differences in the interface and working in a mixed WinXP/OSX environment, I decided it was worth the extra money. What finally settled it for me was remembering the increasingly invasive Microsoft “rights management” crap – I just [...]

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Quest for a new laptop: update

So, I’m still in the market for a new laptop. (The old one, affectionately named Talky Tina, is roughly ten years old – eons, in computer years.) My leading candidate had been a Dell loaded with Ubuntu, a flavor of Linux. I’d get a powerful, stable operating system, a wealth of free software (I’m a [...]

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Adieu, mon Earl

I’ve used MS-Office since before there was an “office suite,” since the days of Word 1.0a for Windows. Yep, the days when you hoped Windows 3.0 would at least boot-up before crashing. And, I’m not ashamed to admit, I liked MS-Office. The programs did just what I needed them to do, and the wide-open architecture [...]

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