Weekend Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 01:42 PM CET - Nov,15 2003
- Post a comment / read (5)
- Sony taunts Chinese videogame pirates - You would think that the
PS2 released in China would be packed to the gills with numerous security
measures, but - according to reports -
Sony is to release its console in the home of videogame piracy with zero
technical bars and gates. This surprising news has lead to speculation
that Sony's strategy is simply to make a quick cash-in on PS2's launch in
China (the launch is rumoured to be next month), with further reports
suggesting that the Japanese giant is banking on Chinese authorities taking
measures to tackle the pirates.
- Latest Mimail worm has new trick - The latest variant of the
computer worm
Mimail contains a new trick to harvest credit card details - a fake
security program that in fact emails the details off to the virus's creators.
The worm is aimed at users of Paypal, a popular method of internet payment
among online shoppers. Infected emails carry the subject line "YOUR PAYPAL.COM
ACCOUNT EXPIRES" and pose as a security update. The email threatens to close
the recipient's account if they do not obey the update instructions it gives.
Cleverly, the email warns readers not to send their details back by return
email. Many users now know this is insecure and that companies never request
this.
- Wireless hacking bust in Michigan -
In a rare
wireless hacking prosecution, federal officials this week accused two
Michigan men of repeatedly cracking the Lowe's chain of home improvement
stores' nationwide network from a 1995 Pontiac Grand Prix parked outside a
suburban Detroit store. Paul Timmins, 22, and Adam Botbyl, 20, were
charged Monday with penetrating and intentionally damaging a Lowe's system in
violation of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. According to an
affidavit filed by FBI agent Denise Stemen, intruders first hopped onto the
wi-fi network at the Lowe's store in Southfield, Michigan on October 25th, at
11:20 p.m, and used the store's network to access the company's central data
center at Lowe's North Carolina headquarters.
-
Al-Jazeera hacker sentenced -
U.S.
District Judge Howard Matz sentenced Racine, 24, to 1,000 hours of
community service and a $2,000 fine. Racine, also known as John Buffo, vowed
to the judge that he would never do such a thing again. Prosecutors said the
Qatar-based Arabic television broadcaster did not respond to U.S. government
inquiries about whether the hacking caused it any financial losses.
-
Five year's jail for camcorders in cinema -
Holidaymakers -
think again before bringing your camcorder into a US cinema. If your
fumbling with the battery is misconstrued as an attempt to film what's on the
screen, it could land you with a five jail term under a bill proposed by two
US Senators yesterday.
- Machine tops Kasparov in second 3D chess game - After a three-hour
battle against a computer, international chess master Garry Kasparov made a
mistake late in the game and his challenger "pounced." Kasparov's loss
in the "Man vs. Machine" series leaves the Russian-born champion at a
disadvantage after a draw in the first game:
X3D Fritz has 1.5 points, and Kasparov has a half-point, with two games
left to play.
- IBM builds new supercomputer - IBM said Friday that it has
built
a supercomputer the size of a television based on microchip technology to
be used in gaming consoles due out next year. IBM said the
supercomputer, which can perform 2 trillion calculations per second, is a
small-scale prototype of the Blue Gene/L supercomputer that it is building for
the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
- Reversible computing is 'the only way' to survive Intel's heat -
Michael Frank, an assistant professor at UF, created
a
way to re-engineer current chip designs, letting them recycle energy
typically cast off as excess heat. The idea builds on decades of work and
could well be the answer to extending Moore's Law for many years to come. By
reusing energy with the help of tiny oscillators added to a chip's circuity,
Frank hopes to make it possible for companies such as Intel and IBM to keep
coming up with more powerful products. "The long term goal of the
program is to build computing devices that go through their cycle of
operations just coasting from one cycle to the next," Frank said in an
interview. "In the long run, reversible computing is the only thing we can do
to keep pushing performance limits."
- Intel Unveils More Details About Next-Gen Processor -
When Montecito debuts in 2005, the processor will include 24 Mbytes of Level 3
cache memory, as well as two cores, each with multithreading capabilities.
Montecito's successor, Tanglewood, will feature more than two cores. This
multithread, multicore architecture enables up to 6 Mbytes of on-die cache as
well as 48 Gbps of bandwidth and a 6.4-Gbps system bus. In other words,
Montecito will be fast, with low-latency access to large data sets.
- Intel unveils 2.5GHz Mobile Celeron -
Intel extended its Mobile Celeron line to 2.5GHz yesterday. The 130nm part
is based on the same core as current Pentium 4s, but with only 256KB of L2
cache and a 400MHz effective bit rate frontside bus. It consumes up to 35W of
power.
- AMD to ship 1GHz FSB Athlon 64 FX Q1 '04 - SiS has begun
shipping its latest Athlon 64 FX chipset, the SiS755FX - a part designed to
support next year's 939-pin processors. AMD has already said it will
ship 939-pin versions of the FX next year, most recently when it updated its
public roadmap. However, it's less well known that the company plans to up the
chip's HyperTransport bus speed. The currently available FX-51's HT bus runs
at up to 1600MTps (mega-transfers per second), enough for 6.4GBps of data
throughput (3.2GBps in each direction). The SiS755FX, however, can run its FSB
at up to 2000MTps - or 8GBps.
In
other words, the future FX's will operate at 1GHz, up from today's 800MHz.
- Plastic memory promises cheap, dense storage - A conducting
plastic has been used to create
a new memory technology with the potential to store a megabit of data in a
millimetre-square device - 10 times denser than current magnetic memories. The
device should also be cheap and fast, but cannot be rewritten, so would only
be suitable for permanent storage. The device sandwiches a blob of a
conducting polymer called PEDOT and a silicon diode between two perpendicular
wires.
- Next-gen DVD riven by two competing standards - There's
division in the ranks of the DVD Forum, whose steering committee will meet in
New York next week
to vote
on a next-generation optical-disk format. Sixty companies took part in the
forum's technical working group to develop the high-definition (HD-DVD)
format, and some of them are also members of the opposing Blu-ray Disc ROM
(BD-ROM) camp. Blu-ray was developed by 10 powerful consumer electronics
companies, including Sony, Philips, Hitachi, Sharp and Samsung. All 10 are
members of the DVD Forum's steering committee.
- Painkiller And NVIDIA - Dreamcatcher Games announced that it is
working closely with NVIDIA on the anticipated horror FPS,
Painkiller. The
collaboration of the two companies will enable Painkiller to reach the highest
levels of visual quality, while maintaining a consistent level of performance
when played on PCs equipped with GeForce FX graphics processing units (GPUs),
which is the preferred GPU of Painkiller. (thanks
NVNews)
- Iomega announces Super DVD QuikTouch Video Burner - Iomega
Corporation announced the
Iomega
Super DVD QuikTouch Video Burner, an all-format USB 2.0 external drive for
Windows PCs. Featuring an integrated video capture card and one-button video
transfer to any industry standard DVD or CD format, the Iomega QuikTouch Video
Burner external drive is the easiest and most flexible option yet for
preserving video memories. Next week, Iomega will display the new Iomega Super
DVD QuikTouch Video Burner at Comdex Las Vegas 2003, November 17-19, in its
meeting space at the Venetian Hotel.
- Sony launches 0.4in thick notebook - Actually,
the PCV-P101 effectively is a notebook - just one mounted with the 1280 x
768 widescreen 17in display facing the user, LCD screen-fashion. The keyboard
is stored flat against the screen and folds down ready for use. Unlike a
typical laptop, however, the PC's internals are mounted in the screen half of
the clamshell, rather than under the keyboard. There's even an optional
battery you can fit.
- Northgate M8060 Centrino Notebook review -
Overall, this is a great laptop and is recommended to anyone who wants a
big and high quality viewable screen.
- TV/Monitor Hybrids Round-up -
PCMag gathered five of the latest models for comparison: the Dell W1700,
the Gateway 17-inch LCD TV, the Samsung 172MP, the Sharp LL-M17W1, and the
ViewSonic N1700w. All have 17-inch-diagonal panels, though only four have
wide-screen 16:9 aspect ratios. The wide-screen models are only as tall as a
standard 15-inch LCD monitor, and they have Wide-XGA resolution (1,280 by 768
pixels). The Samsung panel has a 4:3 aspect ratio and SXGA resolution
(1,280-by-1,024), so it's taller but not as wide. Note that it also has
one-third more pixels, so you can display more information when using it as a
PC monitor.
- Gigabyte GA-7VT600-1394 Motherboard review - TweakTown take a look
at the
Gigabyte GA-7VT600-1394 motherboard based on VIA's KT600 chipset.
- Power Color Radeon 9200 SE 64 MB review - While we have all heard
about the 9600 series and the 9800 series, it is more rare to hear about the
9200 series. That's why LanAddict take look at ATI's budget solution,
Power
Color's Radeon 9200 SE 64 MB edition.
- Chaintech FX5600 Ultra A-FX71 - Chaintech has been building a
reputation of quality built products, and as of late, have been adding a 'sex
appeal' to their line.
The Apogee FX 5600 Ultra follows that path with eye pleasing gold
heatsinks (yes, multiple), albeit a monster when pieced together, it is quite
sexy, especially with the clear plastic casing around the entire card. They
even used gold on the case connector.
- Gainward's Ultra 1800/XP GeForceFX 5950 Ultra -
The Gainward Ultra 1800/XP, running at Enhanced Mode speeds, is indeed an
incredibly fast graphics card, and tops the Radeon 9800/XT product in many of
our benchmarks. As has always been the case though, some games will show the
5950 Ultra right on par, or even faster compared to the Radeon 9800XT. But
there are always a few of our games in which the GeForceFX architecture
falters, and unfortunately, when it does, scores plummet. Despite its ultra
high clock rates, the Ultra 1800/XP still cannot claim to the all around
performance king, but it does give very impressive performance in a few
applications, notably Halo and Command and Conquer : Generals. Most new gaming
titles will run buttery smooth on this card regardless, for the Radeon 9800XT
is still a very attractive alternative.
- 6 mixed graphics cards comparison - The manufacturers in
this comparison are Gainward, ATi and Albatron and the cards we offer are:
All In Wonder Radeon 9600 Pro, Radeon 9600XT, GeForce FX 5600 Ultra, GeForce
FX 5700 Ultra and two different GeForce FX 5900's.
- Asetek WaterChill KT12-L30 WaterCooling Kit Review - PimpRig has
posted up a review of Asetek's new top-of-the-line watercooling kit, the
WaterChill KT12-L30 WaterCooling Kit.
- RAIDCore Unleashes SATA to Take Out SCSI -
THG put all five of the adapters, each with eight hard drives, to the
test. Is SCSI's day over? Their benchmarks speak for themselves: Start
sounding the SCSI death knell.
- Maxtor, Hitachi, Western Digital 250- GB SATA Controllers Run Riot -
They hold 250 GB, spin at 7,200 rpm, work on 8 MB of cache and are bared
on Serial ATA (SATA) technology. Despite the eyebrow raising features they all
share, the emerging breed of SATA storage devices offer individual surprises.
- Bytecc Mobile HDD Enclosure Review - Ninjalane has posted
their
review of the alu hdd enclosure from Bytecc, think of it like a thumb
drive with storage space.
- Samsung ML-2151N Laser Printer Review -
Comparing the ML-2151N with an HP equivalent, the ML comes in at about
half the cost of the HP. Not only this, but HP lists the duplexer and network
card as options! Samsung calls these features standard. One thing that
impressed me about the ML-2151N was the print quality: the text was dark and
crisp. Comparing the print quality of the Samsung to my Okidata and the HP
printer at my school, the Samsung comes out on top.
- Creative Jumps on the USB 2.0 Wagon - It's all there, or almost
all, because the external sound card formula operating from the USB port
remains restrictive for certain special uses such as games or even for
musicians.
The Audigy 2 NX should be considered as a fortunate solution, however, for
laptop users for whom it offers new possibilities. The standard uses will be
high-quality listening, recording audio sources and playing Surround Sound
movies. With its great performance and reasonable price, the device will also
please those uncomfortable with installing a standard internal card in a
desktop computer.
- U.S. Robotics Secure Storage Router Pro -
Its Secure Storage Router Pro starts with a full-featured VPN router with
both PPTP and IPsec endpoints, and lets you add file sharing and FTP
capabilities simply by plugging in an external Firewire or USB drive.
- Icemat, Steelpad 4D, & Steelpad 4S Mouse Pad Shootout -
OverclockersClub has posted
a comparison of the Steelpad 4D, Steelpad 4S, and the Icemat.
- PSone Modchip Tutorial - PSone and PSx consoles are hardly
used a main console any more, and when they are used it is more common to see
them integrated and modded into other devices, such as PCs, Cars, Vans and
household furnishings.
So now's
the time to dig out your PSone, and perhaps mod chip it and fit it into
your pc, perhaps customising it even more by enabling its use through your pc
monitor, its all up to you.
- The Hot Flashing Guide - Adrian's Rojak Pot let us know they have
posted
Hot Flashing Guide. Hot flashing is basically the same as a plain jane
BIOS flash - you use a BIOS flash utility to flash a BIOS image into the Flash
ROM. However, there is a twist to it. Hot flashing requires you to swap BIOS
chips while the system is running! That's what the word 'hot' in hot flashing
means - you swap the BIOS chip when your system is 'hot'.
- Troubleshooting File and Printer Sharing in Microsoft Windows XP -
File and printer sharing for Windows XP allows you to share the contents of
selected folders and locally attached printers with other computers on a home
and small office network. File and printer sharing must first be enabled, and
to share files you can use the Shared Documents folder, simple file sharing,
or advanced file sharing. Once a folder or printer is shared, other users on
the home network can connect to it using a variety of methods.
This article (DOC) describes how to create and connect to file and printer
shares, the most common problems with file and printer sharing, and the set of
tools used to troubleshoot file and printer sharing issues.
- CATALYST 3.9 Driver Report - Since CATALYST 3.9 is essentially
based on a derivative of CATALYST 3.8,
there's nothing new in these drivers for you. The interface and menus
remain the same, and so does the performance. Therefore, there really isn't a
compelling reason to upgrade. CATALYST 3.9 is merely more of the same
(including many of the same problems), only with a new name.
- Zoo Tycoon Card Flip Game - Looks like Microsoft is thinking about
adding a new game to the Microsoft Windows Collection. Do you have the memory
of an Elephant and the speed of a Cheetah? Then it's time to put your animal
matching skills to the test in
Zoo Tycoon Card Flip (screenshot),
a fun and entertaining card game from the makers of Zoo Tycoon.
- Half-Life 2: Windows Media Player skin - The official Windows Media
Player
skin for the highly anticipated sequel.
- WinXP Winter Fun Packs -
Download all the goodies you need to create memorable holiday gifts, plus
a few special items just for you, including screen savers, Windows Media
Player skins, and more ~
WMP9 Series Fun Pack |
Windows Movie Maker 2 Fun Pack |
Digital Photography Fun Pack
- Longhorn Transformation Pack 4.0 Refresh - Completed work - Because
of unexpected thing about releasing
Longhorn
Transformation Pack 4.0. There's some people who published Windows X's
work before he release it himself which still in testing but news goes around
so he have to release his imcomplete work. This time Windows X have done it
again with
"real" complete by solved previous bugs, tuneup installing and minor
changes about new wallpaper and more.
- Kernrate Viewer (KrView) -
KrView provides a visual representation of kernel/user mode CPU
utilization based on Kernrate output. Developers can use this tool to tune
performance of device drivers and other software during development and
testing phases.
- Knoppix V3.3-2003-11-14 -
A new
build od Knoppix is available for
download.
- jv16 PowerTools 1.4.1.246 -
Jv16 PowerTools (download
trial) provides the best solutions to maximize the performance of your PC.
You can diagnose, monitor and tune up your computer, and it's easier you would
ever believe. The program contains advanced tools for your computer, it's
really hard to even imagine the power the program can give you before trying
it yourself.
- RegSupreme 1.1.0.23 -
RegSupreme is a new generation standalone registry cleaner. It not yet
another registry cleaner wrapped to a new eye candy but a real innovation, it
reshapes the whole concept of registry cleaning.
- QuickTime Alternative 1.22 -
QuickTime Alternative (download)
will allow you to play QuickTime files (.mov, .qt and other extensions)
without having to install the official QuickTime Player. As a bonus, Internet
Explorer will play all QuickTime movies that are embedded in a webpage. You do
need a media player that is capable of playing QuickTime files.
- Real Alternative 1.11 -
Real Alternative (download)
will allow you to play RealMedia files. This way you can play RealMedia files
without having to install RealPlayer/RealOne Player. You do need a player that
is capable of playing RealMedia. The included Media Player Classic supports it
and works very well. Supported: RealAudio (.ra .rpm), RealMedia (.rm .ram
.rmvb .rpx .smi .smil), RealText (.rt), ReadPix (.rp), RealMedia embedded in
webpages. .smi and .smil files sometimes only play the first part of a clip.
- MAME v0.77 - A new version of
MAME is
available for download.
- Media Player Classic, v6.4.6.8 - The latest version of
Media Player
Classic, v6.4.6.8 does not come with a changelog (thanks
Doom9.org)
- TMPGEnc 2.521.58.169 -
This
program can convert AVI files into (S)VCD (MPEG-1/2). It will only take a
few hours to convert a whole movie.
- SecureCRT 4.1 Beta 4 -
SecureCRT
(download
beta4) gives you an encrypted SSH session with both SSH1 and SSH2 servers.
SSH security goes far beyond the basic secure logon, rerouting data or local
applications using TCP/IP ports through an encrypted channel.
- PlexWriter Premium(-U) V1.05 firmware - Plextor Europe has released
a new firmware for the Plextor Premium bringing the version number to
1.05. This firmware is valid for both the internal and the external version of
this drive.
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Updated:03:22 PM CEST Jun,21
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