Interactive news from the web
OBrien on "Windows XP OES vs Windows XP Home Full w/ SP2"
My daughter just bought an apple "mac book" with the parallels program. She is a teacher with a lot of mac files from a previous teaching position and will be using windows at her current school. The problem is this. She will need to purchase and install a Windows Operating System. I found a program listed as Windows XP OEM for half the cost ofthe full edition (Microsoft Windows XP Home Full w/ SP2). Will either one install and work the same? Is this a difficult install? Thank you for any assistance with this issue.
Publication date: 2008-08-11
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cybersly on "Video Controller (VGA Compatible)..."
hey can anyone help me man,i run ''unknown devices'' and here is what i got,
* Windows Description - Video Controller (VGA Compatible)* Hardware ID - VEN_8086&DEV_2562&SUBSYS_25621849&REV_03* Enumerator - PCI
* Detected Chip Vender - Intel Corporation* Detected Chip Device - 82845G/GL/GE Integrated Graphics Device (B1-step)* Detected Vender - ASRock Inc* Detected Device - <unknown, id=2562>
* Device Status Flags - Detected, Present, Category Hidden, Known, Not Phantom
so?anyone help me?
Publication date: 2008-06-14
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well01 on "Cheap Jordans Cheap Nikes Cheap Nike Shox Cheap Air Max"
We wholesalel all kinds of sport shoes.Such as nike shoes,Jordan,nike air force,nike air max 2003,nike air max 2004,nike air max 360,nike air max 97,nike air max 95,nike air max plus tn,nike air max running,nike ducks,nike kobe,nike shox R4,nike shox R5 and so on.If there are anything you are interested,please contact us at once.We will offer you the best product and service as soon as we receiving your order. our website is: http www nikeshoesvogue com Best regards!
Publication date: 2008-08-21
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vidyaarun on "RE: Text messages reach record levels this year"
hi swt hrt
Publication date: 2008-09-13
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monika33 on "Excel Function HELP!!!"
Can someone help me with some functions? I have 3 mortgages with amortization schedules and interest balances on each one. There is also an option to pre pay a mortgage to save on the interest. Here is my problem: How do I make the formula to tell me what to pre pay by how much each month to get the smallest total interst on all three mortgages. I would like to have the option to put in an amount (each month will vary) and the function to let me know what to pre-pay and by how much to minimize the total interest paid from all three mortgage
Publication date: 2008-05-29
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wfepse on "RE: Fommy.com: first US mobile phone content via WAP"
Do not buy anything from Fommy.com. They will take your money and never deliver on content, phones, or anything else you might order. The advertise Better Business brand on site...check out their BBB listing and complaints. They ignore customers, advertise products they do not have and fail to send content...after they have your money. Walt Edwards, Paducah, Kentucky
Publication date: 2008-09-07
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py007 on "Antenna or wireless internet help for hp pavilion tx1120us"
HI can any one tell me how can or where can i bye a antenna for my laptop or a card to acces more internet access points farther help i am new at wireless thank you ;)
Publication date: 2008-05-29
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AladinSane on "RE: Re-live your PC gaming past at Good Old Games"
GameTap has had a ton of classic PC games, including MDK, Earthworm Jim, and Decentfor a couple years now. They also have other classic computer and console games. Sorry, most of their games are free to play and a modest subscription fee allows you to play a ton of other games as well. I'll stick with my GameTap...
Publication date: 2008-09-11
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noone_specific on "RE: World of Warcraft achievements confirmed"
Sounds too much like the little easter eggs that litter Lord of the Rings Online. There is a myriad of these achievements in the game. Some obvious, some not. Finish one "Bree REP Dungeon" and drink a poisonous potion and gain the title "The Foolish". Have someone do an emote /Scold on you 200+ times and you gain the title "The naughty". (did I mention you can only get scolded 5x a day) If you make it to level 20 without dying you gain a title The Undying.
You get the point.
Publication date: 2008-07-19
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Parking tickets being used to spread malware
Most malware infections happen from visiting a website setup to infiltrate your machine, or from e-mails sent to specific accounts. In all cases the infection happens without the direct involvement of an individual. But last week malware got the personal touch in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Cars parked in Grand Forks started getting yellow parking violation [...]
Publication date: 2009-02-05
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Steve Ballmer:
The Zune is not nearly so poor a digital audio player as its prominent embedding in the stinking, corpulent flesh of the infamous “Zune Guy” would have you believe. While the initial Zune was a solid piece of hardware betrayed by some mystifying firmware fubars, Microsoft’s plucky Zune team has plugged away at the software [...]
Publication date: 2009-03-25
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knitinr on "RE: E Ink technology used on clamshell mobile phones"
I wonder if range will even be an issue... Bluetooth while you're in the store, WiFi if you're at home/work, WiMax if you're in the city, GPRS along the highways, Satellite phones in the middle of the desert... but nothing while on an airplane :-(
Publication date: 2008-07-25
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10 best flatscreen TVs
Publication date: 2008-11-12
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Independent.ie brings out branded web browser
Website users looking to get more from their favourite news site will now be able to download a branded web browser that gives them default access to the Independent.ie's online content and functions.
Publication date: 2009-06-23
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Sony says no holiday season price cuts for PS3 this year
If you were looking to save yourselves a little green on a PlayStation 3 this holiday shopping season, I hate to burst your bubble. It seems Sony has no interest in touching the price point on the PS3 right now. So what you see priced on the shelves is what you will see come November.
Ray Maguire, [...]
Publication date: 2008-10-30
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Sony unveil new Bravia TV line-up
Regardless of the economic downturn manufacturers will continue to pump out their new ranges and Sony is no exception. They have just made available the details of their 2009 Bravia LCD TV line-up for the European market and they come with a number of new features and innovations.
One of the main features all TVs must [...]
Publication date: 2009-02-17
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SalCan on "relentless BSOD, different every time"
hm,, pretty strange. BSOD is normally some sort of memory error, but if your memory is good than I'd look at the OS. Might need a repair/reinstall like you said.
Publication date: 2008-08-22
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This is a test
This is a test document from google docs. I decided to try this procedure to see if it worked for my old MT blog install. Sure enough, it seems to. Kick ass. Sort of. You see, I'm not sure I really want to write my blog posts in Google Docs. But it's nice to know that I can do this if I want to. Anyone else tried this yet? Hmm, checking the source, it seems that there's some funky stuff getting inserted in here. I'll have to see what I can do to clean that. For some reason, paragraph <p> tags don't appear anywhere. It seems to use break <br> tags instead. That's annoying. (comments)
Publication date: 2008-07-10
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GE working on superhydrophobic materials
Sure you have heard of water-resistant and water-repellent materials before, but the folks over at GE Global Research are pushing the envelope when it comes to keeping water off our stuff. Tao Deng has posted in his research blog that their division has been working on superhydrophobic surfaces. They discovered that when water is dropped [...]
Publication date: 2008-11-22
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Capture video to your Facebook wall from your Windows Mobile device
If you love Facebook and have a Windows Mobile phone, you’re going to love what’s coming in April. According to Microsoft, there will be a Facebook app available for free that not only lets you talk with your friends and perform all of your other social networking fun, but also capture and upload video from [...]
Publication date: 2009-04-01
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ilovemygeeks on "Girls are geeks"
my number is ... 0776645765756
Publication date: 2008-06-26
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Sellers hurting from eBay changes
Publication date: 2008-06-17
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shefalisherrin on "RE: Review: HTC Diamond"
Hi,
I am facing a problem with my diamond, and I am curious if anyone else has faced this problem. When I am attending a call, I like to be able to access other features, like sms, contacts, notes, documents etc. And my husband's HTC Touch lets him do that soooo easily. But my backlight keeps going off, more than that, the touch feature gets turned off, and I have to either insert/remove the stylus, or I have to press the power button to get the control back on my screen before I can proceed. And that too lasts for barely 5-10 seconds, and I have to repeat this everytime, throughout the call... Has anyone else faced this problem, else I need to talk to my retailer about this...
Also, the speaker volume is really low isn't it? Especially compared to Nokia phones, tho the HTC touch is also soooo much better!!!
Appreciate any help on this guys...
Shefali.
Publication date: 2008-08-31
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Vigilante 8 brings an underrated gem to XBLA tomorrow
Activision’s long-promised port of the classic Vigilante 8 finally hits Xbox Live Arcade tomorrow. This game was a long-time favorite of mine back in the days when Microsoft needed a counter to Sony’s then-popular (and exclusive) Twisted Metal franchise, and I always felt this game was unfairly slept-on and never got the appreciation it deserved.
Perhaps [...]
Publication date: 2008-11-05
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Valve debuts Steam Cloud service
A functioning digital download service and the capability to backup saved games online are two of the modern PC gaming innovations brought to gamers in recent years by Valve, and there is a third on the way this week. Better yet, it debuts with the demo of the massively, desperately anticipated zombie thriller Left 4 [...]
Publication date: 2008-11-05
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Find nasty JavaScript with the Obtrusive JavaScript Checker
When reviewing websites to find areas that may be improved, one of the things I look for is whether any JavaScript has been implemented in an unobtrusive way or not.
I normally do that by turning JavaScript on and off, and viewing the source code. It can be a bit tedious. But now there is a quicker way to find obtrusive JavaScript: Robert Nyman
Publication date: 2008-11-11
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Porn software can detect sex-addicted employees
With Ireland ranking top of the list for searches of the word ‘porn’ on Google, the country’s employers will be interested in newly-developed porn-detecting software.
Publication date: 2008-11-27
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Upgraded to Movable Type 4.21
It's been almost five years since Movable Type 2.65 was released . Currently the latest version of Movable Type is 4.21. Yet version 2.65 is what I've been using to run this site up until a week or so ago.
I delayed upgrading partly because I did not feel like dealing with the unavoidable upgrade breakage, partly because MT 2.65 actually has been working pretty well for me - it does the job it's supposed to do.
Nevertheless I did not want to feel like an IE 6 holdout anymore. It was time to clean up the cruft that's been building up in my Movable Type installation over the years, take the plunge, and upgrade to Movable Type 4.21. And
Publication date: 2008-10-21
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China's Alibaba says it has expanded into Taiwan
Publication date: 2008-07-24
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Craigslist to surpass eBay in 2009? Compete and Quantcast seem to think so...
Publication date: 2008-06-26
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clarusthedogcow on "laptop without ac adapter"
I have a laptop with a bad ac connection such that it no longer can accept electricity from any adapter, so im wondering if there would be a way to run the a connection directly through the battery connector and basicly make it a computer thats always plugged in.
Publication date: 2008-08-21
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I love my pedometer
I’ve written about my Omron pedometer once before, but I wanted to mention it again because I like it so much. Recent research suggests that using a pedometer can lead to more walking and better health.
I’ve been carrying a pedometer for a little over a year now, and I’ve done almost four million steps since [...]
Publication date: 2008-07-25
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Only smart thinking will turn Brand Ireland into a digital economy leader
IN March, while the nation continued to digest more bad economic news and feel helpless as the rate of unemployment continued to accelerate, there was a break in the clouds.
Publication date: 2009-06-04
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Geek.com newsletter - June 26, 2009 - Can you trust Best Buy Apple reps?
June 19th - June 25th
Contents
1
Geek Thoughts
2
This Week on Geek
3
Geek.com Web Picks
4
Don’t Forget About This
1
Geek Thoughts — Can you trust Best Buy Apple reps?
I was recently at a Best Buy where I witnessed something that made my skin crawl.
If you haven’t been to Best Buy lately, they have an area inside of the store dedicated to [...]
Publication date: 2009-06-27
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Nintendo to expand R&D department in Japan
If you are asked for the most innovative games hardware manufacturer right now then Nintendo is likely most people’s first answer. The Wii hardware certainly has been a success, but you can also count the Nintendo DS as just as successful if not more so.
It may come as no surprise then to find Nintendo are [...]
Publication date: 2009-02-11
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Symantec warns searching for Conficker may end with infection
The worm that everyone is talking about right now is Conficker, poised to potentially cause chaos on April Fool’s Day, it is becoming quite a well known term. Its coverage and the warnings about it have led many to search for information on Conficker, but security vendor Symantec is warning that trying to find out [...]
Publication date: 2009-03-27
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Long Term Data Archiving Formats, Storage, and Architecture
I'm thinking about ways to store archival data for the long term
and wanted to solicit anyone who's been down this road for some
input, advice, warnings, etc.
Background
Essentially I'm dealing with a system where "live" and "recently
live" data is stored in a set of
replicated MySQL servers and queried
in real-time. As time goes on, however, older "expired" data is
moved to a smaller set of replicated "archive" servers that also
happen to be MySQL.
This is problematic for a few reasons, but rather than be all
negative, I'll express what I'm trying to do in the form of some
goals.
Goals
There are a few high-level things I'd like this archive to
handle based on current and future needs:
Be able to store data for the foreseeable future. That means
hundreds of millions of records and, ultimately, billions.
Fast access to a small set of records. In other words, I like
having MySQL and indexes that'll get me what I want in a hurry
without having to write a lot of code. The archive needs to be
able to handle real-time queries quickly. It does this today and
needs to continue to work.
Future-proof file/data format(s). One problem with simply using
MySQL is that there will be schema changes over time. A column may
be added or dropped or renamed. That change can't easily be
implemented retroactively on a larger data set in a big table or
whatnot. But if you don't then code needs to be willing to deal
with those changes, NULLs appearing, etc.
Fault tolerance. In other words, the data has to live in more
than once place.
Support for large scans on the data. This can be to do full-text
style searches, looking for patterns that can't easily be indexed,
computing statistics, etc.
It's worth noting that data is added to the archive on a constant
basis and it is queried regularly in a variety of ways. But there
are no delete or updates occurring. It's a write heavy system most
of the time.
Pieces of a Possible Solution
I'm not sure that a single tool or piece of infrastructure will
ever solve all the needs, but I'm thinking there may be several open
source solutions that can be put to use.
You'll notice that this involves duplicating data, but storage is
fairly cheap. And each piece is especially good at solving one or
more of our needs.
MySQL. I still believe there's a need for having a copy of the
data
either denormalized
or in a star
schema in a set of replicated MySQL instances using MyISAM. The
transactional overhead of InnoDB isn't really needed here. To keep
things manageable one might create tables per month or quarter or
year. Down the road
maybe Drizzle makes
sense?
Sphinx. I've been
experimenting with Sphinx for indexing large amounts of textual data
(with some numeric attributes) and it works remarkably well. This
would be very useful instead of building MySQL full-text
indexes or doing painful LIKE queries.
Hadoop/HDFS
and Flat
Files or a simple record structure. To facilitate fast batch
processing of large chunks of data, it'd be nice to have everything
stored in HDFS as part of a small Hadoop cluster where one can use
Hadoop Streaming to run jobs over the entire data set. But what's
good future-proof file format that's efficient? We could use
something like XML
(duh), JSON, or
even Protocol
Buffers. And it may make sense to compress the data with gzip
too. Maybe put a month's worth of data per file and compress?
Even Pig
could be handy down the road.
While it involves some data duplication, I believe these pieces
could do a good job of handling a wide variety of use cases:
real-time simple queries, full-text searching, and more intense
searching or statistical processing that can't be pre-indexed.
So what else is there to consider here? Other tools or
considerations when dealing with a growing archive of data whose
structure may grow and change over time?
I'm mostly keeping discussion of storage hardware out of this,
since it's not the piece I really deal with (a big disk is a big
disk for most of my purposes), but if you have thoughts on that,
feel free to say so. So far I'm only thinking 64bit Linux boxes
with RAID for MySQL and non-RAID for HDFS and Sphinx.
Related Posts
The Long Term Performance of InnoDB
Open Source Queueing and Messaging Systems?
Dumber is Faster with Large Data Sets (and Disk Seeks)
The Perl UTF-8 and utf8 Encoding Mess
(comments)
Publication date: 2008-09-09
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