Geekcast #41

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DATE : Thu, 21 Jul 2005 02:08:23 GMT
Entered in Database : 2005-07-20 22:08:23
length : 15435282
Link to the Show / Show Notes

Geekcast #41

Show Notes:

Contact info: | Feed: feeds.feedburner.com/geekcast | Website: livejournal.com/~geekcast | geekcast@gmail.com | Skype: Geekcast | 206-98-geek-1 | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |

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Items of Note:

Do those 'get things for free' websites really work? Lets find out. If you would like to help,click hereand sign up for a free trial. If I get 9 completions, I can "get a free mac mini". Lets see if this works, and I will report on the progress on future editions of the Geekcast. Anyone who helps can have their choice of a GMail or Yahoo 360 invitation.

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Tech news:

iPod halo effect converts Windows users to Mac. Needham&Co. estimates that the “iPod halo” may have attracted up to 400,000 Windows users to the Mac so far this year. In a note to clients, analyst Charles Wolf observed that Apple’s “key drivers” (iPod and the iPod halo effect) “continue to work”. He believes Apple is set for even more growth in future. Wolf wrote: “The iPod continued to lure Windows users into the Macintosh fold (in the third quarter). Mac unit shipments rose 35 percent, three times the PC market growth rate.” Mac unit shipment surged 43 percent in Apple’s second quarter. Wolf believes it’s “reasonable to conclude” that this was “driven chiefly by Windows users buying Macs”.


Google Moon Debuts. In the ever-expanding growth of Google, a new mapping service has been launched called Google Moon. In honor of the first manned Moon landing, which took place on July 20, 1969, they've added some NASA imagery to the Google Maps interface. Google has done this to commemorate the first lunar landing, which occurred on July 20, 1969. While not highly detailed, the pictures are great to see and famous landing sites are noted. Google Moon only has as much data as NASA will provide. Check it out athttp://moon.google.com


Testers get hands on Microsoft antivirus service. Selected software testers are getting a look at OneCare Live, Microsoft's subscription antivirus and anti-spyware service. Microsoft announced its plans for OneCare in May, and last month it invited people to register for the first beta release of the tools. The first testers are now being asked to download the software, a Microsoft representative said Wednesday. During the next few weeks, the beta pool will be expanded to several thousand participants. This test round, which Microsoft calls a "limited managed external beta," is the first time that people outside the company have been able to try out the product, which has already been put through its paces by employees. A broad public beta is planned in the United States later this year, Microsoft said.


Apple rumored to update the iBook line soon. According to ThinkSecret, sources have confirmed that Apple's consumer laptop will receive a long overdue refresh very soon, possibly as early as this week. Details of the updated iBook are unknown, as is a firm release date, given the fickle nature of hardware updates. Apple last revised the iBook in October 2004. Since that time, the company bumped the PowerBook G4 in February 2005, paving the way for an iBook revision that would cannibalize sales of PowerBooks less.

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How To: Create your own merchandise

When you're a small-time company but you want to publicise your store, it's tough to get merchandise made up on the cheap. Almost all companies require minimum runs and items can be pricey. Enter Zazzle.com.

Zazzle has been around for years, providing shirts, posters, cards, stamps for people to create. Just upload your graphics, design your product and purchase it. You can also add it to their store for others to purchase as well. Shirts come in all different colors and varities. The stamps are legal to use, there are no color limits to any of the items you can create and there are many design options so your creations can come out perfect. An aside, Google has recently purchased Zazzle, so things may become much more interesting soon with this site.

Along with Zazzle, you can also check out CafePress, which does similar creation for merchandise. They offer other items such as messenger bags, stickers and more.CafePress also offers book-making and CD pressing. The site is laid out well and lets you open your own store that you can link to your own website.

I highly recommend both sites and advise you check them out to see which one works better for you. There's no fee to do anything execpt actually have something made up. Check them out athttp://www.zazzle.comandhttp://www.cafepress.com

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Ask A Geek:

James asks "i have been listning to your podcast for some weeks now and i would like to know if you could help me out. i am about to purchuse a new laptop with wifi and so i want a wifi adsl modem/router so i can access the internet around the house. since i have never before bought a wifi modem, i was wondering wether you could provide some info on the subject?"

James, you are speaking of strictly a router. The modem is actually provided by your ISP. Buying a wireless router has become difficult in the past 6 months due to new variations coming out by each company. The rule of thumb is to get something that is not locked down to just one manufacturer such as 802.11b or 802.11g. Linksys, Belkin and others all have some sort of 'speed boosting' technology that usually doesn't make much of a difference. Also make sure any of the items on the router have been ratified as a standard. It is common practice to sell 'experimental' formats and if it's ratified, the company releases a firmware upgrade.

I would recommend the common Linksys router, the WRT54G. This router is almost the go-to device for people. It has easy setup and can be configured quickly. The most important thing to do, regardless of the router you buy, is to lock it down. Change the default password on the router right away. Also enable WEP or WPA, along with changing your SSID. Locking it down with MAC Address filtering is a good idea too. This will help secure your entire network.

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Hack: Run MS-Office-style applications for free, online

When you need to type a document or whip up a spreadsheet but MS Office is not on that computer, you now have a friend to the rescue.

gOffice is a browser-based online word processor and desktop publishing program. This is an online alternative to Microsoft Word and Publisher.

When using gOffice, you get a blank page to begin creating the document of your choice. There are plenty of formatting features that most people are familiar with. Once you are done typing, you go to step 2, which adds a background to the page. This is optional, as you can select a blank page. Step 3 takes your creation and formats it to Adobe PDF format document files, so you can print them with outstanding quality, and send them to anyone. You can also edit the documents you create on the site. The site is easy to use and works well. Best of all, if you're on a system that doesn't allow you to install anything and Office isn't there, this can be a handy resource to bookmark. As always, this is free for personal use, and only $1 a month for business.

Check it out athttp://www.goffice.com


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The geek's view:

This segment will return on a future episode of the Geekcast.

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