Lately we've had some breathless reporting of the swine flu that is apparently making the rounds. Around 160 dead in Mexico and the number is rising, with around 1200 infections. Here's something you can use to put your mind at ease, or if you are in one of the marked areas, incite panic within yourself.

H1N1 Swine Flu - Google Maps
Here we see one of the many uses of Google maps. Different color markers are displayed where there are suspected, confirmed, and negative cases. Deaths from the disease are also marked. Surprisingly, there are quite a few markers displayed in Europe.

We've been lucky here in the US so far, as there have been no fatalities. Hopefully this virus will wind down quickly and the infections will be brought under control.

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Well, my old trusty HP laptop finally bit the dust. Evidently something went wrong with the on-board video and now it no longer boots into a graphical interface properly. There are artifacts displayed even while in text mode...I've never seen anything like it. Output to an external monitor contains the same artifacting.

This was the strangest thing, one minute everything is working fine. I place the laptop down and go do some laundry, have some lunch, and when I come back the thing has locked up. The power button is still responsive so I do a hard shutdown and the first thing I notice is the vertical green artifacts on the HP splash screen...not good. When in text mode there are vertical pipes (|) scattered all over the screen. Could this be memory that has gone bad? The video controller itself (nVidia 7600 Go)? I have no idea. I allowed the laptop to cool to no avail, when starting any graphical OS the mouse cursor looks fine but the rest of the screen is completely garbled and unusable.

The good thing is that large parts of the laptop are salvageable. The 17" screen should make a nice item to be placed on eBay. I haven't decided how I'm going to try selling it off just yet, but if you would like part or all of it please send me an email at mbs@techbustr.com. I will consider offers. The specs are as follows:

• Intel Core Duo (1.73GHz I believe)
• 1GB DDR2 667MHz RAM
• nVidia 7600 Go (with aforementioned issues)
• 17" glossy LCD
• The model number is dv8300
• I'll add more info later

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Microsoft is set to release the Release Candidate of Windows 7 by April 30 on their MSDN and TechNet sites and to a broader audience on May 5. If you haven't had the opportunity to use Windows 7 just yet, you don't know what you're missing. It is what Vista should have been.

The most obvious addition to this version of Windows is the new superbar. When I first saw it I wanted it GONE. Where is my quick launch toolbar? It's what I've used for years! I didn't know what I was missing until I read about it...now there's no need for any other launcher.


While it appears very similar to the OS X launcher at first glance, more functionality is readily available. All windows spawned by an application on the superbar are available by clicking and dragging up on the icon. Mouseover an icon with open windows and you'll be treated to a clickable preview popup that shows a thumbnail image of each open application window. The right click menu offers loads of extra functionality.

For a full overview of the Windows 7 superbar, check this Neowin post.

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I don't know what it is about these videos, but they may well be the funniest thing I've ever seen. I would try and pick individual ones to share as the best but all of them are absolute gems. If you are a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation you owe it to yourself to give these a view.

Some of these may not be work safe, depending on your place of employment.

TNG episode 15 - "That Jean-Luc Picard"


Here's the link to them all.

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Recently I've found out I'm not alone in my troubles in dealing with the open working environment where I am currently employed. Being in a position which requires a large amount of focused concentration, I find it extraordinarily difficult to be productive and happy with numerous distractions. Attempting to complete tasks that would normally take a few hours becomes a tedious chore, especially when it takes several minutes to get back into whatever problem you're currently trying to solve after an interruption.
I must admit, I don't understand the latest infatuation with an open working environment. Sure, the level of communication among employees rises significantly, but I would argue that the quality of that communication suffers. Bystanders hearing bits and pieces of conversations can interject immediately, and while occasionally helpful this sometimes leads to a tangent in the conversation that is completely unproductive. On top of this, the total lack of privacy and personal space make for a very sterile and stress filled workspace.

I have worked in several different environments, from a private office with servers in the closet to an almost completely open setting. I feel the most exhausted at the end of the day after fighting distractions in the open environment. While private offices are not going to be available to everyone in a company anytime soon there should be a happy medium that's not to difficult to reach. In addition, why continue with the harsh overhead lighting when everyone in the room is staring at a backlit computer screen? Wouldn't things be much more serene with desk lamps and a bit of space you could call your own?

For more information, here is an interesting article about how the design of the space you are in can affect your work and mood. Happy reading (hopefully in comfortable surroundings).

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The latest version of Ubuntu Linux is now available. The only review I've seen so far is at eweek. I did notice they now have a Netbook version, so grab that and give it a shot if you have one.

Download from Ubuntu directly.

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I've been intrigued by the iPhone ever since I bought mine. I have to admit, part of my interest in purchasing a Mac comes from my desire to begin writing applications for the device. I come from a purely web and Windows based application development background, so coding for the iPhone is going to be an interesting change of pace for me.

The biggest issue I've had in the past has been ideas for applications to develop. What would people be interested in, and could I make it worth my while? I've decided since I started this site that there is simply no way to tell without giving it a shot. I've made myself much more open to my own ideas and I believe I'm ready to begin working toward making something new.

Here's an interesting post about an app called Whiteboard Capture. It's an update from the author about how things have progressed 3 months beyond the launch of the application. Notably, the app appears to be generating a very modest but steady return which is simply fascinating to me. Develop a few high quality, useful applications and who knows!

What are some good resources for information regarding app development for the platform? How difficult overall is development for the iPhone for someone familiar with object oriented programming?

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My PC that currently acts as a server for the house is having numerous issues and will need to be replaced by something in the near future. I'm currently debating whether or not to purchase a Mac Mini as it's replacement. Currently I own a PowerBook G4 and it's the most popular computer in the house, and it would be nice to have things like photos and music stored in an easily accessible and centralized location. I run Linux Mint on my laptop as I've noted in other posts and I am perfectly happy with it. I plan on doing the occasional DVD rip to divx, burning CD's and DVD's, and heavy torrenting.

By way of comparison, here are the specs on my current PC:

• AMD 64bit 3000+ single core processor overclocked to 2.2 GHz
• 3GB RAM
• MSI K8N-Neo2 motherboard
• nVidia 6600GT AGP graphics card w/128MB
• 250GB SATA HDD
• 80GB IDE HDD
• 500GB External USB HDD

I used to be a regular gamer, playing WoW and CS:Source frequently. Now I do my gaming on my Xbox 360. A few questions:

• How difficult is it do upgrade the RAM in a Mac Mini?
• How is the performance?
• I would run XP in VMWare for those times when I absolutely had to use Windows (work, etc). How is performance?
• How is the power consumption as compared to my 450 watt PC?
• Anyone wanna push for a custom built Linux box over the Mac?

I believe that's all. I'm open to any and all suggestions.

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Most people (including myself) considered piracy to be a problem of previous ages until the capture of a US flagged ship a few days ago. As the media finally got around to researching the problems we learned that crews are unarmed for a myriad of reasons. Evidently the simplest solution is not always the most politically palatable, so we begin an interesting process. We look into finding "High-Tech" solutions to the problem.

The coolest solution so far looks to be the Mobility Denial System which is just a foam that can be sprayed basically anywhere causing a total loss of traction -- I would think of it as portable teflon. The least interesting in my opinion is the Force 80 Water Cannon. It just conjures images like this up to me:

Yep, NOT a pirate repellent to be feared. I'm sure it's effective enough, but if you're going to the trouble of shooting them with something, why not use something with more of a guarantee? These new ideas for fighting piracy to bring up an interesting point: will this lead to an ever escalating "arms-race" of sorts? Crews will implement bigger and better defences while pirates overcome and continue their business?

The strangest solution: the LRAD - Long Range Acoustic Device. Hopefully John Galt will be operating it.

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It's easy to see where the hate comes from...who hasn't received a message from someone deemed "important" only to see either part of the message itself in this font or a signature completely inundated with it. I just don't see the point in launching a movement against it.

Calm down and take things on a case by case basis. Someone sends you an email in an annoying font? Tell them! Let them know that it's a font made for children to use and it does not lighten the mood of any email they send. I will concede the point about using the font for signage and how it is in general overused, but spare the drama.

Surely we have more to do with our time than attack a font!

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