Free software!!!! GNU GPL whatever they call it

Ok ok we all know about open source but wouldn't it be great if there was a good list of all open source software? Well this one is pretty good. It's not amazing but it does list off most of the top used open source - firefox, thunderbird, etc. etc. - check it out at
http://www.opensourcewindows.org/

but I just checked the site a second time just there and it said

INTERNAL SERVER ERROR

An internal server error has occured!
Please try again later.

Maybe they'll fix it ..........

Christmas Acquisitions

It seems every year I spend more and more. more on everybody and more on myself. I don't mind spending money on presents for people but I keep collecting more and more gadgets that I'll never find time to use. This year, so far, I have got (for myself):


1. The Nintendo Wii
It's uber. Nuff said. Didn't do any softmods yet but just you wait.

2. A Ubiquio 401 Phone (aka Gigabyte G-Smart)
Check it out here
Nice review here

3. A Sony PSP
We all know about these little things (with similar power to the PS2 no less). As usual I had to hack it to do things like homebrew software etc.

I had Firmware version 2.6 so I used this guide - this enables me to do lots of things.

For example, pimpstreamer now allows me to stream video and audio to my PSP over Wi-fi and I can run emulators too. The whole shihbang!!!

4. Motorola HT820 Headset
Well I needed a bluetooth headset so I figured why not get a decent one? At least I can listen to my ipod with this set. or any audio source for that matter. They support A2DP (yay another acronym) - so that's me sorted. I can use them with my PC and even with my new phone. So now I can use skype all around the house wirelessly and without having to hold up a gonky receiver to my head. It's CLASS!!!!!! check it out here


I suppose this is just the beginning of a gadget addiction. But I'm sure I'll figure out a way to beat it.
;-)

Wii Cracked Open - what's inside the nintendo Wii

our friends over at Techrepublic have cracked open a Wii to see what's inside. maybe some of us will benefit from this. Check it out here.

Not Tech - but Sob!

Ok this isn't tech related at all but please check out me mate Sob on the www.balconytv.com - the direct link to his video on youtube is here

Vista Versions

Vista Starter -- Streamlined version meant for low-powered PCs in developing nations.

Vista Home Basic -- For those content to browse the web, use email, and create and edit basic documents from their PC. Includes destop search and security tools.

Vista Home Premium -- Includes everything in Basic but also includes the Aero graphical interface, Media Center functionality, and ability to connect to Xbox 360. The version most of us will own at home.

Vista Business -- The basic version for companies of all sizes with tools to help organizations manage their PCs.

Vista Enterprise -- Includes everything in the basic business version with improved encryption and BitLocker system to keep data from being read on a stolen computer.

Vista Ultimate -- All the features of Home and Business in one.




info taken from www.engadget.com
Posted Feb 27th 2006 8:26AM by Thomas Ricker
link to original post

Free video blogging

Is it called vlogging ? or vblogging? anyway I don't care.

if you want to start video blogging,
check out freevlog.org

PHP - Resize images or add text

1. You're a web designer (beginner-medium) in PHP.
2. You know your server has the GD2 image library.
3. You want to be able to
(a.) Resize images and/or create thumbnails or
(b.) Add text to image files (use custom
truetype fonts if you wish) or
(c.) Add lines to your images
4. You want to be able to do all this with basic PHP and not have to learn how to use the GD2 library.

If you answered yes to all of the above, then check out the imageeditor class, available here

They also have a directory listing script with different icons for different file types. that is available here

It's a web design company called 'Evoluted New Media' and you can see all the stuff they're giving back to the community on this page

Free Video Training (3DBuzz)

There's free video training on 3dbuzz.com for the following:

Half Life 2 Level Design
PHP + MySQL
Unreal Technology
Concept Art Design

There's quite a lot of training you can pay for on the site such as :
C++
Maya
3DS Max
XSI
Houdini
Photoshop
Lightwave
Quake III editing
Far Cry editing
and more....

There's also a very good forum for all of the systems mentioned above, and more.

Portable Windows CE emulator

Ever wanted to emulate Windows CE from a USB memory stick portably (no install, no registry entries) ?

Well now you can. This guide from furrygoat.com does exactly what it says on the tin.
You can find it here

Portable Windows on USB

Using BartPe to build a portable Windows installation to put on a CD with anti-spyware and a secure browser etc. is relatively easy. I have done this myself quite a few times and I always get decent results. Because it's a CD it's invulnerable to virus attack etc. (assuming some sort of virus doesn't get transferred from the PC which it's made from, but that's highly unlikely).

Now I just learned today that you can actually install a minimal version of Windows (as small as only 256MB) onto a USB drive and boot from that in the case of hardware failure or if you just want a secure browser for online shopping, or for whatever reason.

There's a good guide here.

Free file synchronisation (Synctoy)

Microsoft released Synctoy a while back - it's free software for synchronising files on two folders (works on XP and Vista), maybe for keeping your USB drive backed up somewhere on your PC or vice-versa. Whatever reason you need to keep files synchronised in two places, it's definitely worth a look because it's free.

you can download it
here