ThinkGeek sells a set of neat “inspirational” desktop signs This isn't an office. It's hell with fluorescent lighting:
Some other gems:
GreatNews is a free RSS reader that integrates with bloglines. Cool idea as an offline client would be great for travelling.
I tested GreatNews with my bloglines subscriptions and it works, sort of. Choose Channel, Add, Bloglines sync channel and choose the channels you want to synchronize:
GreatNews downloads all the unread items from bloglines and marks the feeds as read. This is a problem for me as all the items are removed from bloglines as a result. I cannot read some items online and some offline, I have to read all of them offline otherwise I loose items.
The issue has already been reported in the forum so I hope it is fixed before the release as GreatNews has several neat features.
Via jkOnTheRun
Nokia Sensor is a short range instant messaging system. Create your own personal pages on the phone and you are ready to scan for other Sensor users in range. Once connected you can exchange messages and share files.
The great news is that communication is free since Sensor communicates via Bluetooth without using any operator network services. It also works on the subway and other areas where there is no network coverage.
Great for long meetings and killing time on the train and subway.
Via Darla Mack
Das Keyboard would be a neat companion to my FingerWorks iGesture Pad
$80 is on the expensive side for a keyboard though, even if it has advanced features like variable force feedback.
No need for budget conscious people to panic as some black paint or stickers should do the trick.
The Cri Cri is one cool and tiny jet plane:
Built using ATM jets normally used by R/C aircrafts and drone planes.
Via [The Red Ferret Journal]
Michel Fournier will try to make the big jump from 40km this month from a balloon. He will set no less than 4 world records if all goes well:
The previous attempt in 2003 failed when the balloon broke during the launch.
Crazy? Pioneer? Both? Call Michel what you want; it is an incredible challenge and I wish him and the team the best of luck.
Google Web Accelerator configures itself as the proxy for your browser and uses the global computer network of Google to make web pages load faster.
Some are standard proxy techniques:
But there are also some interesting ones:
I recently bought some Microsoft Reader eBooks from Fictionwise. I was able to read my eBooks on my iPAQ h4150 but they bombed on my PC with the following error:
Microsoft Reader: MSReader.exe - Application Error
The instruction at "0x667194e0" referenced memory at "0x00000000". The memory could not be "written".
Fictionwise support did a great job of helping me but in the end I stumbled upon the fix myself.
The problem is the Data Execution Prevention (DEP) technology used in Service Pack 1 on Windows 2003 and SP2 on Windows XP. DEP kills programs that does something dangerous. Data Execution Prevention should display a message asking you if you want to allow the program to run anyway.
Why did not DEP display a message on my PC?
Windows collects information about programs that crash and displays a "do you want to send a report to Microsoft" dialog when you are connected to the internet. DEP uses the same system to ask you if you want to let the dangerous program run.
I change office, proxy and ip settings several times a day so I always boot without a network cable plugged in. The notification system decides that I am not connected to internet so it doesn't ask me if I want to report the problems or let me now that something is wrong. I rebooted today after uninstalling a lot of evaluation software and the notification system started telling me of all the programs that has crashed in the last month. In the end it finally showed me the "Data Execution Prevention" dialog box, asking me if it should stop "Microsoft Reader" or let it run.
How can you configure DEP on your computer?
I added Microsoft Reader to the list of exceptions and I can finally read Microsoft Reader DRM protected eBooks on my PC as well as on my Pocket PC!
What dangerous operation was Microsoft Reader performing?
I do not know what Microsoft Reader does, but it triggered DEP when it displayed this dialog box:
Text-to-Speech cannot be used with Owner-Exclusive eBooks. Do you want to continue reading this eBook without Text-to-Speech
A combination of booting without a network cable and DRM left me in the dark for the better part of a week. Then again; I have never had much luck with DRM protected eBooks
The SHIFT looks like a tricycle but changes to a bicycle when you speed up and back to a tricycle when the you slow down:
The design features a single front wheel and two slim rear wheels that are initially splayed outward to stabilize and prevent the rider from toppling over. As the rider accelerates and leans forward, the rear wheels shift inward, narrowing into a single wheel surface that essentially makes it a two-wheel venture.
It looks cool and it helps kids face the most difficult, and scary, parts of learning to bike; starting and stopping.
