Gearfuse

I’ve fooled around with most of the major operating systems and Ubuntu is easily the most adaptive. It’s just made for users to fuck around with. So projects like this are possible, if not encouraged.

This Ubuntu wizard used a script to make the computer open and close the CD drive over and over again. But for what reason, you might be asking yourself? The main drive behind this invention, much like any innovation, was laziness. He didn’t feel like rocking his baby to sleep so he let his computer do it for him. The momentum of the drive keeps the baby rocking, just make sure the drive’s motor doesn’t burn out.

Link (Thanks Eran!)

The X11 Window System, which is commonly used on Linux and sometimes on Mac OS X, has made its way to a new OS: Android. Using custom-built display drivers, hacked Debian shells, a VNC server and a T-Mobile G1, hacker Ghostwalker was able to get X11 up and running on the Android. This gives him the ability to run anything from Quake III to xeyes all on his G1 with whatever window manager he wants! KDE, Gnome and IceWM, oh my!

Incredible stuff, but not for the light of heart. If you have a G1 that’s collecting dust, spice it up and give it a try.

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Sheesh. What the fuck is this brick? I know I start my new construction job next week but I didn’t expect to be subjected to these kinds of materials. Apparently this thing can not only be used to lay down the foundation of a building, but also for open source and retro-gaming. It has an 800×480 pixel display, a bunch of retarded buttons and Linux. Sounds good enough for playing old SNES and Genesis emulators, but why not just pick up a Nintendo DS and be done with it all?

Just sayin’.
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When it comes to netbooks, a Linux operating system drops the price down significantly as opposed to it’s more pricey XP counterpart. As anyone who has ever worked in retail knows: consumers are cheap. Very cheap. It’s no surprise that when they see the price tag of a Linux-based netbook they buy it without thinking twice. They quickly find that they aren’t getting quite what they expected (Windows).

“They don’t want to spend time to learn it so they bring it back to the store. The return rate is at least four times higher for Linux netbooks than Windows XP netbooks.” said MSI’s Director of Sales Andy Tung.

As for myself, I would’ve purchased my Acer with Linux had I found one that fit my specifications. Linux boots up faster and is less prone to some of the nasty bugs on the Internet that are geared towards XP. Plus, any person who knows computers and has touched computers that run on anything other than Windows knows: Microsoft operating systems are haggard. Don’t believe me? Try Vista.

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2008 has been the year for netbook madness. Ryan ordered an Acer, my friend John got an Eee PC and now HP is coming out with a new netbook that appears to be quite the offering. The Mini 1000 features a 1.6Ghz Intel Atom CPU, either a 8.9-inch or 10.2-inch display and up to 2GB of RAM. SSD is available in a 16GB drive or you can get a 60GB HDD for more storage. You can, of course, expand your storage via a USB memory stick as well.

As far as the OS goes, you can choose an Ubuntu Linux install that HP is calling the “MIE OS.” MIE stands for Mobile Internet Experience and essentially, it presents you with a bunch of commonly used apps and tasks that looks like an HP TouchSmart PC. Not bad. XP is also available for those looking to go a little more mainstream. The XP version of the Mini 1000 is available today for $399 with 512MB of RAM and an 8GB SSD with the 8.9-inch screen. For $50 more, you can score the 10.2-inch version. Look for the Linux version in early 2009.

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It’s the holiday season and you know what that means: toys! That’s why Toys ‘R’ Us is expanding its tech side by adding Apple iPods and Asus Eee PC netbooks to its inventory. The iPods will be sold within specially designed “iPod boutique” wall displays. iPod Shuffle,  Nano and Touch will all be available come next month, but for how long is anyone’s guess.

The netbooks will be available in Linux and Windows XP versions which are priced at $269 and $299, respectively. Has your kid been bugging you lately for a laptop computer? Netbooks are the affordable solution which provide all the basic necessities of computing without the superb specs. Even better, most kids will never know the difference.

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There are few things scarier than a politician on Halloween, except for the red ring of death. Alan Penner of Goleta, California carved a ton of tech-inspired pumpkins for his front porch. A Ubuntu pumpkin and various emoticon carvings decorate his lawn, with the red ring of death being the most frightening of all.

With all the new games coming out this holiday season for the Xbox 360, the last thing any Xbox owner needs is a red ring of death. So, let’s keep the red rings on the pumpkins and off of the 360s.

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This month, a robotic staff member named Wakamaru will be coming to the Japanese clothing store Uniqlo in New York’s trendy SoHo neighborhood. Designed by Mitsubishi, the robot can express emotions, make eye contact, and it’s outfitted with facial recognition software.

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We’ve been slowly bringing you news on Dell’s mini laptop that’s been all over the ‘net. There just wasn’t that much to talk about – until now. Dell is flipping the netbook market on its head with the Inspiron Mini 9, a $399 laptop with a 1024×600 LED-backlit screen. SSD storage will be standard with 4, 8 and 16GB options. Battery life is around three hours and you even get Windows XP. Want Linux? Shed $50 off the price tag for Ubuntu.

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Tomorrow, Google will be launching the beta version of Google Chrome in more than 100 countries. Chrome is it’s new browser and while it may seem like it’s aimed at Internet Explorer or Firefox, Google is really targeting Windows. Google wants Chrome to be nothing short of a full on desktop operating system that could give Windows a run for its money. But, what about Midori?

Google is releasing the beta for Windows to kick start a broader discussion and hear from users as soon as possible. It is also hard at work whipping up versions for Mac OS X and Linux, too. When the final project is all set and ready, Google will be making Chrome’s source code publicly available rendering endless expansive possibilities. Look for its release first thing tomorrow.

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