Computerboy.com

about WiFi.Bedouin. I didn’t really understand it before – or, rather, I misunderstood it – and I think that it’s an awesome idea. There is a PDF that you can download where you can get a better idea of what it’s purpose is – and you should read it.
I can see something like this setup in a museum, with mini-access points – a limited range of maybe 20 feet or so. You show up with a PDA or some kind of palm-top computer, and you can get more info about the piece – or the artist, or anything, really.
Think about it – some of the examples given, like arranging a pickup game in a park, are interesting and would only apply people wandered parks with their laptops or PDA’s at the ready, hoping to find a Bedouin access point.
But for other uses… like on a walking tour of a city – here’s your PDA, take your time, and have fun! Along the way you’d hit access points that would give you info about some landmark, and you’d be able to interact with it to some extent. You could even do something neat like setup an access point with a camera and have a photo taken of people as they access the access point – they could even send it home to themselves when they bring the PDA back to the tour starting point!
The possibilities are endless, but just so cool!

TechKwonDo: “WiFi.Bedouin”
An interesting concept, but I don’t think it will be significant unless it happens with a lot of people in a major city…

The Microsoft homepage had this photo on it the other day. If you enlarge it, and you’re a Mac geek like I am, you’ll notice that it is not, in fact, a machine that could run any Microsoft operating system, unless you used something like Virtual PC.
Sure, they airbrushed the Apple logo off the back of the machine – but you can clearly see that the woman is enjoying the computer, which means it MUST be a Mac ;).
If anyone cares, it looks a lot like the PowerBook G3 2000 (aka PB Firewire or Pismo)….

Installing several computers on a LAN today, so I have some free time to post for once. Of course, what do I have to say now – nothing, really. But at least I posted, right?
All right, how’s this: If you have a PC, either disconnect it off the internet or MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ANTI-VIRUS software.
About three times a day, I receive email that is “from” someone and usually trying to spread yet another virus around. Being on a Mac, I don’t worry about the attachments and just throw them out – but it’s a pain in the butt, especially considering that I have to spend time downloading the files before I know that they’re not something I even care about.
Apparently some of the virii writers are getting sneakier – they’re including the virus in a password protected ZIP file, meaning that the anti-virus scanning software on the mail servers – and the stuff that you may actually have installed – won’t be able to scan the attachment, and you may be infected before you know what’s going on. Nice.

TikiMac: “Data Storage with Style”: Devil Duckie Drive
A USB “pen drive” built into a devil duck. Well, it’s actually just a rubber duckie with the pen drive up his back end, but it’s still pretty cool, right?

Drew Perry:
“iPod Battery Pack”
DIY fans, iPod fans, unite – you can now make your own iPod battery pack to extend the life of your iPod by up to 10 hours. It looks pretty straight forward, and relatively cheap – especially if you package it up right and maybe even use rechargeable batteries.

Spyware Warrior
A site with some useful info – and links – to info about the spyware that’s probably on your computer right now!
While I personal suggest Ad-Aware for my spy/ad/malicious-ware detection and removal needs, there’s other tools out there – just make sure you use it wisely and often!

Apple has a handy little utility called Backup. You can use it to back up data (duh!) to either a .Mac, a hard drive, or removable media (i.e. CD/DVD). It allows you to schedule the backups, and there are many preset selectors for common applications or data sets. Install it, click on a few buttons, and you don’t have to worry about your data.
I haven’t tried it with the CD/DVD burner yet, but so far, the .Mac side of things is slicker than… grease. Set it up and forget all about it – just the way a backup system should be.

Wireless router with 4 port switch
CompUSA is offering the above nice little toy for only $30. That’s right, $30. It’s incredible. You get a 4 port switch, which alone is $25, then a firewall AND wireless internet access – all for just $30??
I went out and bought two the other day – one for my folks, another for my in-laws. Now I have wireless almost everywhere I go, and the fun just continues….

How I PC’d an Apple G5
I got a shiny new Apple G5 for Christmas. I loved the case, but I’m no Mac user. So I….
Turns out he really just took the case from a G5 and stuck his PC stuff in there. Scary, but true…