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Technology (Apple)

Submission + - The Pixo Secret: iPods Run OS X and Always Have.

Redrum writes: Everyone thinks that Apple's iPod runs an OS called Pixo, and that the iPhone ushered in a brand epoch based on OS X. That myth has been busted: the iPod runs Apple's own Mach/BSD kernel, and Pixo is only used as a graphics layer. Daniel Eran outlines the story behind Pixo and what OS X means for Apple. It's no joke; the story was confirmed by Tim Monroe, a member of Apple's QuickTime engineering team as is easy to verify yourself: Those OS X iPods? They're Already Here! Pixo, ARM, and the Mac OS.

Feed Engadget: Lite Table brings back illuminated childhood memories (engadget.com)

Filed under: Household

While some things may take you back, the Lite Table manages to warp you way back. Upon first glance, there's absolutely no doubt where this masterpiece of a table got its inspiration, and for those who wasted hours on end moving pegs and devising new Lite Bright creations as a wee lad (or dame), any price would seem reasonable for this. Granted, this piece has been spotted before, but thanks to Jellio, what appears to be a fanboy's creation is actually available for purchase. What's it gonna take? A mere $600, a whole lot of patience, and a prime spot in the living room to show your youngsters that grown-ups can still relate.

[Via UberReview]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!


Microsoft

Warning On Office 2007 "Try-Before-You-Buy" 380

walterbyrd writes with a warning: "Microsoft is pushing Office 2007 with 'try-before-you-buy.' Please don't let your friends and relatives install Microsoft 'trial' software. When Microsoft tells you 'try-before-you-buy,' the 'buy' part is not meant to be an option. Once you 'try' a Microsoft 'upgrade' you can not easily go back, because your files will be replaced by new versions that you need the new software to read." The ChannelRegister article also notes how Microsoft's push goes against the grain of the consumer revolt against "crapware." Read on for an account of walterbyrd's experience with a previous Microsoft trial upgrade.
Power

Submission + - America's First Cellulosic Ethanol Plant (ecogeek.org)

hankmt writes: ""The state of Georgia just granted Range Fuels a permit to create the first cellulosic ethanol plant in America. HECK YES! This is very exciting...why?"

In short: First: Because cellulosic ethanol produces ethanol from cellulose, which all plants have, instead of sugar, which is only abundant in food crops. Second: Because while corn ethanol only produces 1.3 units of energy for everyone unit of energy that goes into growing the crop and converting the sugar to ethanol, cellulosic ethanol can produce as much as 16 units of energy for every one unit of energy put into the process.

The new plant will be online, producing 100 million gallons in 2008."

Security

An eBay For Hackers 60

cyberdelicat writes to let us know about a Swiss security firm called WabiSabiLabi that is causing waves with its open auction for zero-day security vulnerabilities. While WSLabi claims they will thoroughly vet both buyers and sellers of vulnerabilities, many researchers are skeptical about how effectively they can do this. The Washington Post article mentions the guy who almost opened a similar auction site several years back, to be called Zero-Bay, but pulled the plug at the last minute. SearchSecutiry notes that some security researchers are now referring to WSLabi as "zerobay" as they undermine the auction site by reproducing and publishing vulnerabilities as soon as they appear for sale.

Feed Engadget: Live shots of Venzero's mini and SLICKR DAPs (engadget.com)

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

GenerationMP3 has a hands-on with Venzero's new DAPs, the mini and SLICKR. From the pics that the GMP3 guys took, you can see that the mini really is mini -- until you see its chunky side profile, that is. The SLICKR is a little more equally proportioned, being of similar dimensions to iRiver's clix 2. In fact, the two models are probably best described as being the slightly smaller and bigger brothers of the aforementioned iRiver DAP. In other news, GMP3 found that they're constructed out of good quality plastic, although they're a bit of a let down in the graphical user interface stakes. For now the Venzeros are Germany exclusive, although there are hints of an expansion into other areas of Europe.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!


User Journal

Journal Journal: Re-Vote Likely After Diebold lost E-Vote Records

I suppose it was inevitable -- hopefully other government entities will take notice.

A vote on medical Marijuana, in Berkeley, in 2004 was defeated by 191 "Diebold votes". This was in Berkeley, California -- a focal point of anti-war and anti-administration demonstrations in the 60's and 70's -- now supposedly hardened to the point of defeating a medical dispensary law.

Programming

Any "Pretty" Code Out There? 658

andhow writes "Practically any time I hear a large software system discussed I hear "X is a #%@!in mess," or "Y is unmanageable and really should be rewritten." Some of this I know is just fresh programmers seeing their first big hunk o' code and having the natural reaction. In other cases I've heard it from main developers, so I'll take their word for it. Over time, it paints a bleak picture, and I'd be really like to know of a counterexample. Getting to know a piece of software well enough to ascertain its quality takes a long time, so I submit to the experience of the readership: what projects have you worked on which you felt had admirable code, both high-level architecture and in-the-trenches implementation? In particular I am interested in large user applications using modern C++ libraries and techniques like exception handling and RAII."

Feed Engadget: Guitar Hero III, Rock Band guitar gaming round-up (engadget.com)

Filed under: Gaming

There's been a lot of guitar gaming related news lately for some reason, starting with the spotting of a wired version of the Rock Band virtual guitar. Joystiq speculates that this could mean a cheaper guitar for the Xbox 360 version of the game, but then again they've been playing a lot of Rock Band lately so the rockin' out may be affecting their minds. The second tidbit of news comes from the ever informant FCC, which has just taken a look at the Guitar Hero III Les Paul. We've seen this particular model before a couple of times -- albeit without the black lick of paint -- so it's not a great surprise to see this hanging around at the Federal Comm' Comm'. A much bigger surprise is the fact that the FCC shots don't include blurred pictures of the approval team (and cameraman) rocking out: an FCC tester position evidently a rockstar lifestyle. You can also see hands-on with both Guitar Hero III and Rock Band over at Joystiq.

Read - Guitar Hero III guitar at FCC
Read - Wired Rock Band guitar?
Read - Wii's wireless Rock Band guitar
Read - Hands-on: Rock Band
Read - First-look : Guitar Hero III

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!


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