How Many Words Were in Fable 2

Apparently there are 370,000 words in the Game of the Year RPG. That explains why I felt like I learned when I played it.

What could Conficker C do?

This very prolific and enigmatic virus has been waiting. Conficker C is a worm, it infects many PC's. After studying the code, experts have concluded that something is going to happen on April 1st. It may shut down a computer or cause a flood of spam, we don't know yet. Just be careful out on web, you can see more info from Symantec. Be careful out there.

Cool Gadget(?) 3/25/09: Boxed Water

Boxed Water is, well, water in a cartons, like milk or juice comes. So, this begs the question: Why get water free through a tap when you can buy it for a few bucks? Boxed water's packaging though, does have an 80% less carbon footprint then traditional plastic bottles. Also, 10% of its profits go to reforestation, and another 10% go to water relief. You can see the absurdity at boxedwaterisbetter.com

Weekly Time Waster: Music Catch 2

The first Music Catch was fun, but the sequel brings it to a whole new level. The object of Music Catch is to "catch" music notes with you mouse. You have to avoid red notes, they take away your score multiplier. Yellow notes give you a score multiplier and purple notes make your mouse a note "magnet". Well have fun playing Music Catch 2.

A Little "Note" on Commenting

There is problem with commenting with the theme I am using (almost ruined the site trying to fix it a couple of days ago...oops). So, to comment (unless you are signed in to a Google account) you must click comment in a new window to comment. So lets just put a bandaid on the problem .(aka geekspeak for political satire)

Cool Site of the Week 3/23/09: Picnik

Have you ever needed to edit a photo but you're at a friend's house or at some Marriott. Well, probably not, but Picnik is still cool. Picnik is an online photo editting tool that allows you to adjust the color of a photo, resize it, crop it, a whole ton of stuff. (and more if you fork over $25 a year) Once you upload a photo (no need to sign up for anything) you can play around with it a little. Picnik has a nice, calm, easy to use interface with lare buttons that always seem to be right where you look. It has tons of good effects (even for free users) and is good for touching up an old photo or resizing a family portrait. You can save images you edit in a variety of formats (jpeg, gif, tiff, the list goes on). You can also make collages and scrapbooks using Picnik's easy to use editor. There are even more advanced stuff I haven't covered but if you want to check them out go to Picnik.com.

The Super Nintoaster: It can't make you a snack but it can play games

This is one of the best uses of an Super Nintendo I've seen (besides turning one into a lunchbox). You can actually play games on, one side has the controller port and the other has the cartridge port. But, it can't make you toast so I guess it's only mildly cool.

GE Augmented Reality is WAY Cool

GE, as part of their effort to show they're green, and to expand their Ecomagination have released a cool little site (you need a webcam to use it though). On it, you print out a special "solar paper" (you can use any paper, so don't fret). Then you choose to have a Wind Turbine or Solar Panels. When you make your choice a window will pop up. You then allow your webcam to be used and you see the magic appear. Wait, is that a 3D wind turbine appearing from out of the paper! It also moves as I move the paper! And...well, that's why I think this site is awesome. Now, if you exscuse me I'm gonna go fool around with it for a few more hours. You can see the magic here.

Funny Pics and Vids: 3/18/09

Sorry for it being a tad late.

Cool Site of the Week 3/16/09: Iconator

You don't have to be professional graphic artist to have a good AIM icon. Iconator.com has thousands of icons, avatars, away messages, and other stuff. It has a very easy to navigate site and tons of cool user-created and site made content. To find the icon you want, just Go on the left sidebar and choose what type you want, an icon, avatar, etc. You can then choose what category you want, whether it is Animals, Cars, Movies, and a heck of a lot more. They also have generators so you can easily make your own animated (and not) icons. This is one of my favorite sites to go to "pump up my profiles" and such. You can visit it here.

iPhone fans and followers will find this story from InfoSync to be of interest, as the new version 3.0 will likely bring some new (as well as some overdue) features to the iPhone. The expected Tuesday's announcement, will be the likely chance for the always secretive Apple to announce the next version of the iPhone, most likely at some point during the summer. Your Humble Pie correspondent hopes these and other surprises are part of the announcement:



Apple will be showing off the new Apple iPhone 3.0 software later this month. Here's what we would like to see

Today, Apple issued a shot across Palm's bow. While the latter smartphone maker was planning a Web cast to tout the features of their upcoming Palm Pre, Apple announced an event later this month where iPhone OS 3.0 will be unveiled. It was an obvious way to draw attention away from Palm, so clearly the iPhone maker has Palm in its sights with the new OS upgrade.

In the couple years since it was first announced, the Apple iPhone has easily become the biggest thing in mobile devices since, well, the mobile phone. Still, its surprising that even with its advanced multi-touch interface and great third-party applications, there are many ways in which the Apple iPhone 3G still comes up short compared to even the simplest carrier feature phones. When Apple shows off the new Apple iPhone 3.0 software later this month, there are a few groundbreaking features we're hoping for, but just as much we hope that Apple finally catches up with the rest of the phone world.

Necessities

The iPhone needs MMS for picture messaging. It might shock non-iPhone users that the iPhone can't send simple picture messages. You have to send pics in an e-mail or upload them to a photo sharing site. This has gone on long enough, and we think this will be one of the key fixes for the iPhone OS. We're also hoping that the rumored tethered modem support becomes a reality. Right now, we rely on a separate dongle (with a separate AT&T account) for reliable wireless Internet on the road. We'd prefer if Apple would adopt the NDIS APIs for tethered support, as this would make the iPhone compatible with the built-in software in Windows, instead of requiring another app or iTunes for wireless data. While they're at it, why not add NDIS support to the upcoming Snow Leopard version of Mac OS X, so that we can finally take advantage of the "Internet Sharing" app on Windows Mobile phones that makes tethered modem support so easy. Both MMS and tethered modem support should be no-brainers for Apple and AT&T, as they both provide potential added revenue as users will message more and consume more data.

Apple also needs to fix the problem with applications running simultaneously. Palm's new WebOS handles this nicely, with apps running side by side in separate "cards" on the home screen. In the iPhone OS, however, its only one app at a time. Apple had previously promised some sort of background notification system. This would help apps like instant messaging clients, Facebook and other social networking apps to notify users of incoming messages or status changes. This was a promise Apple made when the last iPhone OS was released, and it's time the promise was kept.

We would like to see a new method for managing applications on the phone. If you have more than a page or two of apps on the home screen, it can be a nightmare to rearrange the icons. Then, when an app gets updated, the icon is moved again and you have to start from scratch. This is a very non-Apple way of handling apps on the iPhone. We've seen better ideas floating around the Web, but essentially Apple needs to integrate the app management and icon layout into iTunes. This should have been done from the start.

Extras

After those necessities have been dealt with, we think Apple will do what Apple does best: steal someone else's idea and make it insanely great. The Palm Pre promises integration with your Facebook, MySpace and other online contacts. We'd like to see the iPhone take this even further. We'd like to see integration paired wth de-duplication, so that our address book doesn't pile up with multiple entries for the same people. We'd also like to see Apple borrow some features from Google Voice (nee Grand Central). Google Voice offers an integrated solution for all of your phone numbers, text addresses and contact points. If Apple really wants to tackle the business world, creating a meeting place on the phone for all of our contact numbers would be a nice start. Call us on our work number, or our home, or by text, and the iPhone will figure out how to handle the incoming calls. Android will certainly have this feature soon, now that Google has announced their game plan for the Grand Central service.

Another neat trick that the Palm Pre performs is a wide-reaching search on the device. Start typing a name and the Pre will bring up contact details, messages, and lots of relevant information. Keep typing, and the Pre will search through Google, Wikipedia and other sites. Apple already has search built into their Mac OS X in the aging Spotlight search feature. It's time that this feature was updated and mobilized for the iPhone. We'd like to type a name or a search term and have the iPhone search through our documents, our e-mails, even our third-party apps on the phone. Then, make these search results available when and where we need them; during phone calls, while writing e-mails, etc.

Widgets are also hot this year, but no phone manufacturer has been able to get it right. Samsung's Omnia and other TouchWiz phones (to see our comparison of TouchWiz phones, click here) had some nice widget features, but using the widgets on the Omnia's tiny screen was a mess. We think Apple can do better. Again, Widgets are already a feature built into Mac OS X, but we think widgets on the iPhone could work more like the Dock on Apple's OS. In the Dock, apps can act as miniature widgets, giving live status updates. In the same way that an e-mail app indicates how many messages you have in its home screen icon, or the way the calendar updates with the correct date on its icon, we think that homescreen widgets could be put to work. Weather widgets could reflect current condition. Music widgets could have playback controls. All of these could take up the same space as current application icons, but could be so much more useful.

Don't hold your breath

Of course, there are a few features that we've always wanted on the iPhone, but we're not holding our breath. Before we get to those, though, we're predicting that the iPhone OS version 3.0 will not support all iPhones and iPod touch devices. We think the first generation will be left out of the loop. This is par for the course for Apple, who pulled the same stunts with classic iPods. An update would come along, and if early adopters wanted it they had to buy new products. It's not a hardware issue, its shrewd business. Almost all of the first generation iPhones have 2-year AT&T contracts that will start to expire in the summer. Those people need new phones, if they didn't buy the iPhone 3G. We think that if legacy users want the newest features, Apple is going to force them to buy a new device. Hopefully we'll still get some more life out of our current Apple iPhone 3G, at least another year, until iPhone OS 4.0.

We've been waiting for Adobe Flash support for some time, but we don't think its coming just yet. Steve Jobs has been vocal about his contempt for Flash Lite, so we're not expecting Flash Lite 3.0 support. Furthermore, Adobe is notoriously loose-lipped about their iPhone developments, so we imagine we'll hear something from Adobe about a new Flash product before we hear something from Apple. It would be great to be proven wrong, as Flash seems to be the last brick to lay in Safari Mobile's tower, but we're not holding our breath.

Finally, there have been many rumors about a Verizon Wireless iPhone, but we don't think this is going to happen just yet. It isn't easy to create a CDMA version of a GSM device. It isn't just a matter of swapping out the radios. We think AT&T's exclusivity might have another year on it, or at least last through the rest of this year. Next year, however, Verizon Wireless will start launch on its next generation LTE network. That might be a more opportune time to get on board.

Linux turns 15 today

The good ol' geeky OS Linux turns 15 today. Since its first line of code it was made to be great (and under appreciated). Here are some of the things that happened in its life: (from Gizmodo)

"

• 1987: MINIX, the more dangerous and hardcore older brother you've always idolized, was born.

• 1991: Linus Torvalds is pissed he can't access his university's UNIX servers to his liking, so he wrote the code that would become your DNA. Which I guess is better than your parents just getting blind drunk and conceiving you in their Vegas drive-through honeymoon suite.

• March 13 1994: Judging by this pretty hardcore looking log file, your version 1.0 was release on this day 15 years ago.

• 1996: You're two years old, and you already have a logo. Tux the penguin is created.

• 1998: Richard Stallman, kind of like your step dad, shaves his beard. It grows back to the same fullness the next day.

• November 2000: The first Linux-powered cellphone is announced, the IMT-2000 in Korea. It was developed by SK Telecom, Seoul National University and "PalmPalm Technology."

• 2003: IBM releases those creepy ads comparing Linux to a sponge-like kid soaking up all the world's knowledge.

• 2004: Ubuntu's first release. You're going mainstream kind of!

"

Tutorial Thursday 3/12/09: Pi Day

Instructables has put together a list of good Pi Day How-to's. Luckily, how to make a Pi Day shirt and prance around town no realizing you spelled Pi as Pie is not one of them. You can get a headache from all the math here.

What is THIS Apple?

This is the new Shuffle's control scheme. Looks more like some sort of stop light code for mole people.

Cool Gadgets 3/11/09: The New iPod Shuffle

Today Apple released the next generation of the iPod Shuffle. (skipping the press conferences and keynotes as usual) But wait, where's the click wheel? Oh! They're in the headphones. Bad idea. The controls look small and hard to manage, don't they? Apple headphones are the only ones that work on the new Shuffle now unless you can get an adapter that will be released "shortly". The new Shuffle also has a new VoiceOver feature that uses a monotone voice to tell you what song you're playing. (for some reason Mac users get a male voice and PC users get a female voice) Also, there's now Playlist support. The new VoiceOver feature will tell you what Playlist your listening to by holding the center button on the headphones. I will then read the other playlists in its robotic voice. You can choose the playlist by clicking the center button when you hear the one you want. You use a control on the top of the Shuffle to turn it off and choose the listening mode. It has 4 gig's of space on it and can (apparently) hold up to 1000 songs. You won't be using this on an old Mac 9 laptop (only runs on 10.4.11 and above). It also is amazingly small, only 1.8x0.7 inches. Also, with Apple being more Eco Friendly it has all this earth saving mumbo jumbo attached to it (it's dolphin safe, right?) I wouldn't buy one though until the headphone adapter comes out; Apple headphones have a tendency to be flimsy.

Funny Pics and Vids 3/10/09

Cool Site of the Week 3/9/09: Web Sudoku

Web Sudoku is a site where you can play Sudoku puzzles online. All you need is an internet connection to play, no credit card needed! You can select different difficulty levels, ranging from Easy to Evil. Their are billion of puzzles in their database so you will almost never play the same puzzle over again. You can also print out puzzles on the website so you can play them "offline". It has a simple, easy to use website and has many useful options to customize how you play. Their are also other sites connected to Web Sudoku. Jigsawkdoku is one of these spinoffs. If you like puzzles, you can visit it at websudoku.com

Cool Software 3/7/09: Kill

This handy piece of software does one thing. Kills applications processes. Linux users may know it as xkill, but, sorry, it's Windows only. You can get it here.

Longest Slide in The World?

Might be.

Tutorial Thurday 3/5/09: VCR Cat Feeder

The people at MAKE Magazine are complete geniuses. I would have never thought a VCR could be used for such good uses (besides watching old X Files episodes). Now, when your cat is hitting you in the head at 1 A.M. to get you to feed them, you can punt them off your bed and then they'll go downstairs and feed themselves. They most likely still will bother you just for sport though.

Maker Workshop - VCR Cat Feeder from make magazine on Vimeo.

Cool Gadget 3/5/09: Cow USB Port

This humorous little gadget acts as a grim reminder of what we do to cows (well hopefully not anymore). There is no real amazing thing about except it moo's when you insert a USB device. I might have to sit there for hours and plug in and take out usb memory sticks and giggle every time it moo's. You can snag one here.

Funny Pics and Vids 3/3/09

Microsoft's future world is better then iRobot

This is the coolest video I've seen in a while. If this is what the future holds, I want to be there to use all the awesome tech.

Cool Site of the Week 3/2/09: AstraNOS

AstraNOS is a powerful web os. A web os in a web based operating system. It means you can access your files, data, and desktop just by going to a web site. AstraNOS is basically Windows 98 mixed with a Mac dock. It has many powerful applications, a calculator, a very powerful and rich text editor. You can also add applications, and play a few games, and customize your desktop's look with AstraNOS's sleek and easy to navigate menus. If you are always on the go, or just like the idea of accessing your files from anywhere, I would highly recommend you check this out. You can check it out at astranos.org.

Malware attacks both Mac and Pc versions of Excel

There is a new Trojan horse virus is going around using Microsoft Excel files. It affects both Mac and PC versions of the software though. Named the Trojan.Mdropper.AC it hides in a .xls script file. When Excel opens, the file creates and executable, then that executable runs and allows the hacker to code basically anything he or she wants. That means almost complete control of your computer. The attack only effects the old .xls files, not the .xlsx files that are used in Vista. But, since the new Excel can open the .xls files you should still be careful, Vista users. The versions as old as 2000 are vulnerable and all Mac versions are in danger. Microsoft (of course!) has still not issued a patch to fix the vulnerability, but, hopefully it won't get too out of hand. Mac users should be especially careful since most virus blocking software is ineffective on Mac and many Mac users don't use it.

Computer Security Alert 3/1/09

You can go here to see a list of current vulnerabilities. On another note, I have been using Safari 4 for a few days now and highly recommend it. Especially if you're a Windows user.