Graphisoft ships a cheaper version of ArchiCAD -- it's ArchiCAD START Edition 2008. All that's missing, according to the press release, is the group collaboration features. Price is US$1,995. More info here. Read more →
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Graphisoft ships a cheaper version of ArchiCAD -- it's ArchiCAD START Edition 2008. All that's missing, according to the press release, is the group collaboration features. Price is US$1,995. More info here. Read more →
Posted at 09:50 AM in Computer-aided Design: NEWS | Permalink | Comments (2)
I felt compelled to sort through my massive collection of cables. Dozens and dozens of cables collected over my 25 years in computers. I came across an odd one: USB plug at one end, mini power connector at the other. Hmm.. I wondered if... I plugged it into one of my computer's USB ports, and plugged the other into a portable CD player I still have. It worked! That solved the problem of listening to CDs while not taking up the computer's CD slot for more important tasks. I'm currently listening to "By Request," sort of a greatest hits collection... Read more →
Posted at 09:25 AM in Hardware | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Or maybe I should've named this post, "Just Try and Copy This." I have Bricscad Pro running on my Vista notebook, and decided to installed Bricsad Classic on my wife's new Vista PC. All I needed to do was copy the 38MB download file from my computer to hers over the network. No can do. First time I tried, I realized I hadn't set up her computer's C: drive for sharing. Did that. Used two copies of Windows to drag the .exe file from mine to her computer again. Same error msg, about not being allowed to. Fiddled some more... Read more →
Posted at 05:37 PM in Impractical | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I knew about TTF and PostScript Type 1 fonts, but learned of another format that's actually supported natively by Windows. My youngest daughter is becoming a designer. She asked how to install a font she downloaded from an online source, such as DaFont. I told her to put it into the \Windows\Fonts folder. But she got stalled, because the download was a ZIP file. I opened the ZIP file for her, and found an OTF file. "Wha?" I wondered. A google search quickly informed me that (1) OTF files are open text fonts, and (2) are supported by Windows. Sure... Read more →
Posted at 04:48 PM in Tips | Permalink | Comments (2)
The Vista varient of Windows is able to rollback device drivers. That means that if you install an updated driver for a graphics board or whatever, and if it screws up your system, then you can ask Vista to uninstall it and use the previous version. That happened to me yesterday. HP periodically offers updated drivers and other software for my TX1120 tablet-like notebook computer. Problem is, the updates they offer are offered with no explanation. I have no idea whether the update does me any good. There was an update for the nVidia graphics board. After I gave permission... Read more →
Posted at 06:21 AM in Hardware | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
My collection of hardware was coming together: -- keyboard, check. -- keyboard drawer, check. -- 19" LCD monitor, check. -- 1TB Firewire 800 external hard drive, nope. FutureShop was advertising the LeCie drive, but did not have them in stock anywhere. "Our shipments arrive Mondays and Thursdays," the salesperson told me. But I was running into another problem: cables. Or, more accurately, lots of cables to unplug each time I wanted to make my notebook computer with me. Then I recalled seeing an port replicator for my TX1000-series notebook computer laying abandoned on a shelf at Staples in Coquitlam. It... Read more →
Posted at 02:56 AM in Hardware | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Design: Innovate, Differentiate, Communicate by Tom Peters When it comes to enthusiasm, Tom Peters is #1 in the business. "Design" is one of the Tom Peters Essentials series, a slim volume that colorfully condenses concepts from his older book, "Re-image." (The other titles in the series are Leadership, Talent, and Trends.) Designed in the bright Dorling Kindersley manner, the pages of this book explode in color, graphics, and overlaid text -- as a book about design should do. As CAD users, we appreciate design. There is functional design, where we make sure it works. As engineers, we l-o-v-e functional design... Read more →
Posted at 12:10 PM in Reviews of Books | Permalink | Comments (0)
If I was going to get me that "free" LCD monitor, I needed to get that DOS-era "German for Everyone" program running on Vista. I finally figured it out: I initially installed the software just like normal, but the first sign of trouble came when the old version of QuickTime (provided with the German CD) displayed an error message during the install, and then seemed to freeze. Running the German program showed just a black screen. I got a Vista-compatible version of QuickTime, installed that, but the German program would not work with it. I deduced that the problem was... Read more →
Posted at 02:47 AM in Hardware | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
... and it's only January, 2008. A mere 24 days into the new year, and SolidWorks knots our brains by talking about software named "2009." Lots of photos and commentary on SolidWorks 2009 at Mike Puckett's Blog: Solidworks 2009 Sneak Peak. Some of the new features are: - sliders show more or less parts of an assembly. - geometry is dimensioned automatically as it is sketched. - BOMs from 3D solids. - automatic unfolding of solids into sheetmetal. - reverse bird's eye view (heh: available for AutoCAD since the late 1980s, thanks to Artist Graphics). Let the race begin for... Read more →
Posted at 12:55 PM in Computer-aided Design: NEWS | Permalink | Comments (1)
Dassault's Web page for PLM 2.0 (the new cover name for its V6-series of CAD and adjunct software) is labeled "Teaser." And what a tease it is: Reminds me of my time growing up in northern Canada, where wry jokes like "polar bear in a snow storm" were common. Reality = Asynchronicity The grand plan for Dassault's V6-line of software is to merge the real and virtual "in an immersive lifelike experience" -- never mind that the real is already lifelike. Although, for computer-immersed people like myself, the virtual is our real world, and the real is inconvenient. "Working globally... Read more →
Posted at 06:03 AM in Media and/or Spin | Permalink | Comments (3)
I had been using FireFox with Google Mail, but today I noticed that GMail finally works with Opera. Before, I would get warnings that my favorite Web browser would not work with GMail, and then it truly wouldn't work. But now it does. So that's good. Read more →
Posted at 05:58 AM in Google | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Cadalog has a beta of an IFC plugin fore SketchUp 6. It directly imports IFC-formatted models and their BIOM data into SketchUp, such as from Revit, ArchiCAD, VectorWorks, MicroStation, and AutoCAD Architectural. The research department of Secom and Cadalog are looking for beta testers, particularly those using Revit, ArchiCAD, Microstation, or Architectural. You can download the free IFC2SKP beta from ohyeahcad.com/ifc2skp. Read more →
Posted at 11:37 AM in Free CAD Software | Permalink | Comments (1)
The team that puts on the the annual conference in Davos must be working with a marketing firm more in tune with the CAD world. This year's theme is: "The Power of Collaborative Innovation." Can't you just imagine reading that tag line in press releases from CoCreate or think3? Read more →
Posted at 10:18 AM in Travelogues | Permalink | Comments (0)
As I noted in the previous post, I gave up looking for a cordless, Bluetooth keyboard after learning that it cannot work at the same time as a Bluetooth mouse purchased separately. As I was mulling over my options, the FutureShop flyer came out, and there was the answer for much of the equipment I was looking for: -- the 1GB triple-interface LeCie hard drive was back, priced at $329. -- an Acer bundle with computer, 19" monitor, keyboard, and throw-away mouse for $429. My wife's computer needed replacing; I wanted the monitor and keyboard. It was perfect! Checking the... Read more →
Posted at 02:35 AM in Hardware | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Olympus now has a digital camera with 20x zoom, which works out to a 26 - 520mm range. Remember, though, that 20x is not as nice as it sounds, because part of the range goes down to wideangle. The reference point is 50mm: this is the normal view, no zoom, no wide angle. * Wideangle -- from 50mm to 26mm. * Zoom -- from 50mm to 520mm. Thus, the actual magnification is 10.4x (= 520 / 50). Still, that's pretty good. All those common cameras with their 3x "zooms" provide just 2x, because of the wideangle factor. Many binoculars enlarge... Read more →
Posted at 08:12 AM in General Photography | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
My newest notebook computer has Bluetooth built in, and I like it. I like using the Bluetooth mouse -- no dongle, as with other wireless mice. I like hotsyncing my Palm TX -- no cable. And so I wanted to get a Bluetooth keyboard too, but the only ones I could find were keyboard-mouse combos that cost in excess of $150. (And I didn't need a second Bluetooth mouse, after spending $60 on one already.) In my search, I stopped at a messy, independent computer dealership near the corner of Broadway and Main in Vancouver. The proprietor explained that I... Read more →
Posted at 02:23 AM in Impractical | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Company: A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea by John Micklethwait and Adrian Woolridge This is a small hardcover book that briskly took me through the history of the corporation. The idea is that investors pool their money, hire a manager to employ the money, and then enjoy the profit. The concept goes back to Babylonian times, but not until the 1700s do the British add a twist: that those who invest the money should not be liable beyond the amounts they invested. The practical outcome was that you could loose all your investment funds, but not your house.... Read more →
Posted at 12:15 PM in Reviews of Books | Permalink | Comments (1)
Two weeks ago, I wrote in upFront.eZine about Changing the Guard. The article provides a longish list of attributes that define the old and new ways to writing and marketing CAD software. A couple of items related to that article: * IMSI/Design Brings AutoCAD Viewing to Macintosh: A/CAD Viewer Available as Free Public Beta * Alibre News: Small Is the New Big (January 2008 issue). BTW, IDX is a new division of IMSI/Design that is is writing plug-ins, add-ons, and stand-alone utilities for AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, and Google SketchUp. Read more →
Posted at 01:10 AM in Computer-aided Design: NEWS | Permalink | Comments (0)
The trackpad of Apple's new portable Air computer permits these multi-finger controls: * Two-finger rotation to rotate objects. * Two-finger pinch to zoom in and out. * Three-finger navigation swipe. See the application to CAD? I wonder which CAD vendor will be first to support these -- perhaps the finger motions are native and so a VectorWorks or Archicad can use them immediately? Read more →
Posted at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
I am in the market for a keyboard. I want to turn my Tx1120 notebook computer into a workstation, and so I am slowly adding the components: -- keyboard -- keyboard drawer (purchased from IKEA) -- 19" monitor (price is down to $170 currently) -- external 1TB hard drive with Firewire 800 interface -- Firewire 800 Express/34 card (ordered through eBay) (There is no need to upgrade the internals, for it already has 2GB RAM, 4GB "ReadyBoost", and 200GB hard drive.) I need an external keyboard, because the one on the notebook computer is hard on my hands: the throw... Read more →
Posted at 12:19 PM in Hardware | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The story of Nokia closing the last cell phone manufacturing plant in Germany is fascinating to me. As a self-employed businessman operating in Western Canada, I launched and operate my business with no government subsidies -- except for one: this small business pays a lower corporate tax rate than do larger businesses. (Even that tiny assistance is seen as a distortion to the marketplace, because it could inhibit growth in small businesses should owners not want to pay the higher tax rate.) Keep that in mind when you read about the closing of this plant: -- Finland's Nokia is the... Read more →
Posted at 10:06 AM in Mergers & Acquisitions | Permalink | Comments (2)
CAD Schroer Group adds a Sheet Metal Design module to the free Personal version of MEDUSA4 2D/3D CAD software. It runs on six Linux variants -- CentOS, Fedora, Mandriva, RedHat, SuSE and Ubuntu -- as well as two varients of Windows, 2000 and XP. The Personal version has these limitations: -- different sheet file format. -- watermarked print output. -- import DXF/DWG but not export. -- no customization. Start the process here for downloading.The software is locked to your computer's MAC [media access control] address, which means it has to have a network adapter, either wired or wiresless. Read more →
Posted at 01:57 AM in Free CAD Software | Permalink | Comments (0)
Today is the annual analyst and media day that PTC holds at its headquarters near Boston. (Not attending this year is me, for I had prior commitments here at home.) This morning's press release headline reads, "PTC Introduces Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 with New...." At last year's event, PTC vowed to remove the "Wildfire" tag from future releases, because it was just the code name during the time that the software company transitioned Pro/E to a more modern CAD program. I suppose Wildfire was just too exciting to drop -- and perhaps there is a useful name-link to a successful program... Read more →
Posted at 08:58 AM in Computer-aided Design: NEWS | Permalink | Comments (3)
When I helped my mother-in-law buy her first digital camera last Christmas, I also got her the de-rigueur 2GB memory card. "How many pictures can I take," she wondered. 1,500. Her camera, a Canon SD100, also supports SDHC (secure digital high capacity) cards, which can now be purchased in 8GB capacities locally for just over $100. One of those 8GB cards would hold six thousand photographs. With the large LCD screen, I suddenly realized that her greatest worry (how to get the photos from the camera onto the computer) was rendered moot. She didn't need to deal with her computer... Read more →
Posted at 07:19 AM in General Photography | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
TurboCAD users can now employ 3Dconnexion's line of 3Dmice with the budget-priced CAD software: -- TurboSketch Studio ($99; includes SketchUp) -- TurboCAD Deluxe 14 ($149) -- TurboCAD Pro 14 ($1,295) ... can work with... -- SpaceNavigator Personal Edition ($59) -- SpaceNavigator Standard Edition ($99) -- SpaceTraveler ($199) -- SpaceExplorer ($299) -- SpacePilot ($399) Read more →
Posted at 09:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
The other day I was out looking for dual-layer DVD discs. (These are useful for backing up large amounts of data, because they hold 8.5GB each.) They are hard to find, and pricey -- about 5x the cost of regular blank DVDs. You know what else was hard to find? Blank CDs. There's stacks and stacks of DVD spindles in the stores, but not too many CDs. Which leads into Steve Jobs' keynote this morning. He showed off the new Mac Air notebook computer. One of its compromises is no CD/DVD drive. Mr Jobs says its no longer necessary, what... Read more →
Posted at 09:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Get ready for the Ribbon -- Microsoft's broken word. (When it was first being marketed by Microsoft, one of the promises of Windows was that a consistent user interface would increase productivity. And so pretty much all software these days uses toolbar, menus, keyboard shortcut, right-click menus.... By knowing where things are, you work faster. One item that broke the consistent UI rule was toolbar flyouts.) But now the Ribbon breaks the rule of consistency, and the UI we have become used to over the last 15 years. It's in SpaceClaim 2007, SolidWorks 2008, and is coming to AutoCAD (according... Read more →
Posted at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
later, I found that the VideoSpin install also killed HotSync, needed for backing up my PalmPilot. After a reboot the services were working again. VideoSpin is just like Pinnacle's Studio, with small differences -- such as the white background color, and the constant parade of ads, intermingled with tutorials. Because I am already familiar with Studio, I didn't need to spend any time learning how to use VideoSpin. Plus, I quickly found the limitations. For example, while I can set a default length for photos and transitions, but I cannot tell how to change the duration. In the end I... Read more →
Posted at 04:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Autodesk is not keen on the Open Design Alliance and its DWGdirect libraries. (The world's largest CAD company even doesn't care for ODA using DWG in the names of its products, even though ".dwg" is merely an extension for files, like ".xls" for Excel spreadsheets.) But here is one reason to cheer on the efforts of ODA: their DWG API supports more operating systems than does Autodesk's own API. This allows users on many more computers to access files saved in the worldwide standard for drawings: -- Linux X86 -- Macintosh -- IBM AIX -- HP -- SGI -- Solaris... Read more →
Posted at 01:18 AM in Computer-aided Design: NEWS | Permalink | Comments (1)
After Robert X. Cringely wrote "Why Apple Will Buy Adobe" , I saw the various linkages that made it all make sense. To me in a personal manner. At 5:12am. This morning. Very early. -- Apple has tens of billions in the bank; Adobe can be purchased for $21 billion [yahoo.com]. -- MacWorld 2008's slogan will be "There's something in the air," reports Daniel Dilger. -- Adobe's next major initiative is named AIR, "Adobe Integrated Runtime." [edutechwiki.unige.ch] -- Both company despise Microsoft for what the convicted monopolist has done to them over the years, both are headquartered in California, and... Read more →
Posted at 01:04 AM in Mergers & Acquisitions | Permalink | Comments (4)
Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Road Trip by Jim Rogers The ultimate road trip this was, as Jim Rogers and his new wife Piage drive spend three years driving through 116 countries -- as well as fly or barge, as necessary. The total would have been higher, but there were a couple of countries that would not let them in, such as Iran. And no stop in Antarctic. They were fortunate in having Mercedes-Benz custom make their vehicle for them: a bright yellow SLK built onto the chassis of the G-500 SUV. On his previous around the world trip on motorcycle,... Read more →
Posted at 01:15 PM in Reviews of Books | Permalink | Comments (0)
VideoSpin looks much like Studio (also from Pinnacle), but with a white background instead of gray. If you know Studio or MovieMaker, then VideoSpin will already be familiar to you. Being free, VideoSpin has these limitations: -- no capture from (or control of) video cameras (with the exception of some that use a hard drive); read from files mainly. -- it cannot burn DVDs; it can write only to files. -- you can bring VideoSpin files into Studio v1.08 or higher, but not from Studio to VideoSpin*. -- no tech support from Pinnacle; you help each other through a "community"... Read more →
Posted at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Australian Centre for Visual Technologies has worked out a way to generate 3D models from multiple frames in a video. The user interacts with VideoTrace by tracing the shape of the object to be modelled over one or more frames of the video. By interpreting the sketch drawn by the user in light of 3D information obtained from computer vision techniques, a small number of simple 2D interactions can be used to generate a realistic 3D model. Makes sense to me. As the video camera moves around an object, it captures the object from many viewpoints in 2D. The... Read more →
Posted at 01:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Late last year, Adobe cut the price of its Flash server software drastically by 90%. Today I learned through their PR firm, ar-edelman, that the price of Acrobat 3D 8 is also cut, but not t-h-a-t much: From US$995 to $695. Reason? "Adobe does ongoing pricing analysis of its products, and based on recent research believes the new price of Acrobat 3D will help make the product accessible to an even larger set of individuals and organizations in the manufacturing and AEC markets." Okey-dokey. CAD translation just got cheaper. Read more →
Posted at 02:06 PM in Computer-aided Design: NEWS | Permalink | Comments (4)
After Randall Newton wrote about "Chinese Citizens Rise Up in Protest Against Placement of Maglev Train", his AECnews.com weblog received 40 comments, most of them from Chinese Citizens Rising Up in Protest Against Placement of Maglev Train. A swarm of 40 comments must be a record of sorts for a CAD blog. Curiously, the same article that Randall posted to his 3D CAD News blog has 0 comments. I guess Dassault will see the light, and not permit their design software to be used for this project any longer. Not. This is an issue I've discussed before: what should CAD... Read more →
Posted at 11:01 AM in CAD Blogs | Permalink | Comments (6)
Here are my ten of my favorite shortcuts for using computer software: 1. Assign the Double-click function to the middle mouse button. 2. Double-click the title bar of an application to change the window between normal and maximized (and back again). 3. To quickly save and exit an application, click the X button at the right end of the title bar. This causes the app to (2) ask you if you want to save the file (Yes) and (2) then exit -- saving you the extra step of doing File | Save. 4. Instead of using the mouse to move... Read more →
Posted at 09:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I'm starting to investigate the drag that USB puts on computers. I first clued in when I read about the difference between external hard drives that use USB 2.0 or Firewire. USB is dreadful for external drives, because it puts the processing load on the host CPU; in contrast, FireWire offloads, and thus is more efficient. (That's one reason why FireWire drives cost a bit more.) Nearly all my external drives are FireWire. USB is fine for printers, because typically your computer's CPU has to do all the work in generating the bitmap data for the printer anyhow. But I... Read more →
Posted at 07:53 AM in Hardware | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Steve Rubel of Micro Persuasion condems the lazy blogger in The Lazysphere and the Decline of Deep Blogging. He wonders why tech blogs have devolved from "...people who used to work hard creating and spreading big ideas resorted to simply regurgitating the same old news over and over again..." It's almost like we stopped the real work of reading, thinking and writing in favor of going all herd, all the time. I think the regression to lazy blogging results from two factors: -- the need to generate content to keep the AdSense dollars flowing. No new content, fewer visitors, fewer... Read more →
Posted at 01:19 AM in CAD Blogs | Permalink | Comments (0)
The Essential Reader is is a new service of WorldCAD Access, where I review the books that I'm reading. I figure these reviews will appear about once a week, usually on Sunday afternoons. Read more →
Posted at 04:19 PM in Reviews of Books | Permalink | Comments (0)
IMSI/Design's TurboCAD Pro 14 software accepts plug-ins for extending its capabilities. Available is this impressive sounding list: -- IDX Beam Analysis Tool ($249.00) -- Architectural Design Tools ($99.95) -- Mechanical Design Tools ($99.95) -- CAM Plug-in ($299.95) -- AnimationLab 4.1 ($199.95) Makes me wonder what they'll come up with next. (A free trial of TurboCAD Pro and the IDX plug-in is downloadable from here, following registration.) Read more →
Posted at 10:46 AM in Computer-aided Design: NEWS | Permalink | Comments (0)
This headline from Larry Digna's Between the Lines... Microsoft offers to buy FAST for $1.2 billion; Likely to trigger enterprise search consolidation ...got me wondering. Will this trigger search consolidation in the CAD world? Searching CAD drawings is a tough problem; it's not just about locating text strings or database fields. The problem is trying to identify shapes of objects similar to the one being sought. Never mind similar; it can be tough for an algorithm to find ones that are identical -- given that CAD systems define entities differently from each other. OTOH, searching CAD drawings is not as... Read more →
Posted at 01:12 AM in Computer-aided Design: NEWS | Permalink | Comments (2)
SpaceClaim does it for $695 (LT) or $895 (LTX). Differences: LT -- imports STEP, IGES, DXF, DWG, BMP, JPG and PNG. -- exports DXF, DWG, XAML, STL, VRML, BMP, JPG and PNG LTX -- imports the same, as above. -- exports STEP and IGES, plus the formats listed above. Difference with SpaceClaim 2007+? Not clear from the press release, and the Web site has not yet been updated. Update SpaceClaim's pr people tell me that the LT-versions lack the following 2007+ features: -- extra export/import capabilties. -- add ons. -- support. -- APIs. Otherwise the products are the same. Read more →
Posted at 06:46 PM in Computer-aided Design: NEWS | Permalink | Comments (0)
Pinnacle Systems is offering its VideoSpin software free -- or nearly so. (I figure the software is a long-delayed reaction towards MovieMaker which Microsoft includes free with Windows XP and Vista. And it is pretty good software; I've used it myself.) The basic software is free from www.videospin.com . The download consists of two parts: (1) first a 2.3MB setup file is downloaded; which then (2) downloads the rest of the software to a folder on my computer -- 146MB worth. Install was not without its problems. It requires shutting down all apps, following which they are relaunched automatically. Following... Read more →
Posted at 09:40 AM in General Photography | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Desperate to distinguish itself from the all too me-too world of SD memory cards and their plunging prices, SanDisk has relabeled some of its SDHC cards with a "High-Definition Video" sticker. (How plunging are the prices? Our local Wal-Mart has three 2GB SD cards for $44 a pack -- $14.67 each.) The only difference on these "new" cards: the label, which shows how many hours of high-def video fit on. For example, an 8GB card holds 2 hours of HD video. But in fact, the memory cards can be used for any device that supports the SDHC format -- newer... Read more →
Posted at 07:51 AM in General Photography | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
A pair of Apple press releases from today... Apple Introduces New Mac Pro — Fastest Mac Ever Apple Introduces New Xserve—Most Powerful Apple Server Ever ...and got me wondering. Which is better: having the fastest computer? Or the most powerful one? Both boxes run on two 3.2 GHz Intel Quad-Core Xeon processors. Perhaps the difference to Apple marketing is that one is a "Mac," the other a "server." The Mac should do graphics fast; the server should process data (hard drive) requests quickly. Canon, Et Tu? In similar vein, Canon tries to make two products equally great. Which is better:... Read more →
Posted at 07:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Earlier I tried installing the latest release of Ubuntu (Gusty Gibbon) on the old Toshiba notebook computer, but the graphics didn't work right. I'm now booting the earlier release of Ubuntu v7.04 on my new HP notebook. (The earlier release, because it is the 64-bit version.) It locked up during the boot, so I tried again. But it locked up again at the same point: "Configuring Network Interfaces." No go. Now I'll try Ubuntu v7.10, the gutsy one. It got through loading all the drivers and other text-based messages. But upon switching to graphics mode, it stopped stone cold. No... Read more →
Posted at 12:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Alienware is showing off a prototype of a very wide widescreen monitor. The 'Crysis' uses OLED technology, and has a slight curve so that you can see all of it. (Update: It uses not OLED, but four, small rear projectors. Due to ship later this year for an unknown price.) Good-bye gaps between multiple monitor setups. You can see a picture of it at Engaget. If two LCD monitors take up too much space on your desk, Staples is selling a double-monitor with a single support. The Double-Sight has two 19" screens next to each other with a ho-hum resolution... Read more →
Posted at 01:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
SolidWorks Labs extends its DrawingsNow app to work with the iPhone. You upload SLDDRW (SolidWorks drawings), DWG, or DXF files to the Drawings Now site, and then email the link to whomever. The Apple cell phone and other devices can then view the drawing files. Read more →
Posted at 05:52 AM in Computer-aided Design: NEWS | Permalink | Comments (0)
Since the Fedora 8 Live CD ran too slowly on my old Toshiba notebook computer, I thought I'd try it on my new HP notebook. It has 2GB RAM, plenty of room for Fedora Live to store its cache. Whereas F2 allow me to change boot order on the Toshiba, I needed to press Esc on the HP. But, it turns out, I didn't need to do that, because the HP first attempts to boot from the CD drive. Except that it stalled partway through the boot process, giving me a blank screen with just a blinking underline cursor. I... Read more →
Posted at 12:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Using timelapse photography lets you notice things that you might not otherwise; same with slow motion photos. Casio is blowing us away by showing their new $999 super-high-speed digital camera, the EX-F1. It is capable of the following speeds: -- 1200fps at 336x96 resolution. -- 300fps at 640x480 (VGA) -- 60fps at 6 megapixels (full resolution). -- 30fps at 1080i in H.264 movie format. Engaget has photos and video here. Read more →
Posted at 05:05 PM in General Photography | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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