Need a new memory module

Constant compressing of digitally recorded TV programs has finally run me out of memory. My 512 MB TwinMOS module needs a companion. But was it a regular model or a premium series module? Damn, can’t remember.

Oh, just realized that the premium series one only does 200 Mhz so mine must be the regular one, since I’m currently running it with an Athlon XP 2600+ which only does 333 MHz in bus speed. Though I am thinking of upgrading that to something with 400 MHz capability, too.

Apple faces lawsuit over Nano displays

“Apple […] faces a lawsuit that alleges the company knew its nano portable music player was defective but still decided to press on with the product’s release last month. […]

The lawsuit, filed in San Jose, California on Wednesday, claims that the nano scratches “excessively during normal usage.” It alleges that though Apple knew the nano had design problems, it released the product and led consumers to believe it was durable — forcing them to shoulder the cost of replacing defective music players.”

Reuters via Afterdawn

Ohjelmistovirhe päästi vankeja ennenaikaiseen vapauteen

“Vankihallinnon softassa ollut ohjelmointivirhe johti 23 vangin vapautumiseen virheellisenä ajankohtana Michiganissa. Kahdeksan vankia pääsi vapauteen tapauksesta riippuen 39 päivästä jopa puoleen vuoteen liian aikaisin. Vastaavasti muutamien vankien kohdalla tiilenpäiden lukeminen päättyi liian myöhään.”

MikroPC.net via Juha

Linux-pelikonsoli rantautuu Suomeen

“Varkautelainen Xbitti aloittaa Linux-pohjaisen kannettavan pelikonsoli – mediasoittimen maahantuonnin. Xbitti lupaa tuoda eteläkorealaisen Gamepark Holdingsin valmistaman GPX2-konsolin joulumarkkinoille. […] Laite tukee muun muassa mpeg4-, xvid-, mp3- ja ogg-formaatteja.”

ITviikko via Juha

Testing freeware reminders for Windows XP

I went looking for a nice little freeware reminder app which would help me catch all those wonderful shows with my new toy. Found a few, though many of them, such as Multi-Reminders by Solway, were meant for remembering dates (such as birthdays) and not exact times.

But Week Scheduler (use of frames seems to have destroyed the usability of the anchor, but it’s down there) by Johannes Wallroth does take times, up to sixteen of them for each day. It’s pretty plain in looks, nothing fancy, which is the way I like my apps. The blinking alert pop-up is noticeable enough, though — even without the sound, which I find annoying (though not the most annoying alert ever heard). You can disable it for all alerts or none.

Though sixteen reminders per day are probably enough for me, it’s probably not the case with everyone else, so that’s a minor con — along with the fact that there’s no installer. I’ll give it four out of five stars.

Free Notes by Power Soft is a lot more colorful in its approach, beginning with the eye-hurting green dashboard Free Notes' green dashboard it opens up above your tray on startup. Luckily, you can set it to minimized on startup using the options window, and I applaud the ability to also tweak the looks of the yellow post-it note like reminder popups to my liking.

In fact, had I not been given the choice of font to replace the default Comic Sans used in the notes, I wouldn’t have stood for it. So four out of five for Free Notes too.

So which is it? For now, I’m sticking to Free Notes, but like I said, I like my apps plain, so if Free Notes’ fancier looks get in the way of usability in any way, I’m kicking it out for Week Scheduler.

Vidstone Serenity Panel

“The VIDSTONE Serenity Panel is the first personal memorial monument product of its kind. Utilizing solar-power technology and a weatherproof LCD panel it provides families the option of viewing a personalized video tribute right at their loved one’s final resting place. The VIDSTONE Serenity panel features a 5-10 minute multimedia memorial detailing the most precious memories of your loved one’s life.”

Vidstone.com via Kissapesula

Cuttermaran – Free Software for MPEG Video Slicing

“Cuttermaran is a cut program for MPEG1 or MPEG2 video streams. The streams can be cut without recalculation. The asynchronous between audio and video will be minimized. […] This program supports Mpeg1- and Mpeg2- video and Mpeg1, Mpeg2 (Layer I-III) audio, AC3 audio, DTS audio and PCM audio.”

Cuttermaran

An incredibly useful tool and what, at least to an amateur like myself, looks and feels like professional quality!

Perusopastusta GIMPin saloihin suomeksi

GIMP For Schools Project on ainakin toistaiseksi yhden innokkaan Keuruulaisen yläasteen opettajan Jaakko Joutsin oma harrasteprojekti, jonka tarkoitus on edistää ilmaisen, laadukkaan ja vapaan GIMP-kuvankäsittelyohjelman käyttöä Suomen kouluissa, ATK-opettajien keskuudessa ja kaikkien muidenkin yksityishenkilöiden parissa levittämällä siitä tietoa ja kirjoittamalla siitä aloittelijallekin sopivaa opetusmateriaalia. […]

Joutsi.com