Online Learning: IBM Developerworks

Online Learning: IBM Developerworks Category: Techtoday Like most people, I love Wikipedia. I think it's the greatest reference and entertainment site on the Internet. However, I'm appalled that two of the most popular search engines, Bing and Google, always list Wikipedia entries so high in their results. This is especially disconcerting when searching for developer topics such as XML and HTML5. ...

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Windows 8 Hybrid Review from a Linux User's Perspective Part 2

The Tiles and Charms Bar Once you get used to snapping a tile down to get the options, rearranging and working with the Start tiles is actually fun. I tried to envision the KDE Netbook interface on a tablet in my mind and realized that although Linux fans like myself would love it, a casual Mac or Windows user would hate it. The Windows 8 tiles were colorful and seemed much more engaging than the iOS...

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Windows 8 Hybrid Review from a Linux User's Perspective Part 1

Windows 8 Hybrid Review from a Linux User's Perspective Category: TechToday Having enjoyed Windows 8 for months now and learned just how important the shortcut keys are in using the desktop, it was time to get my hands on a Windows 8 hybrid. So, I took it upon myself to try out the ASUS Vivo Tab - a Windows 8 tablet with a keyboard dock. Unencumbered by reviews from Windows haters, I unseated the tablet...

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Why is installing openSUSE software using Yast slow?

Category : openSUSE When using openSUSE's exceptional Yast to install software, users may feel like the software package manager takes too long to load. Moreover, clicking on Abort or Cancel really doesn't work as Yast will still attempt to connect to the software repositories (and can be very stubborn about it). Once a user runs the software manager, it can...

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The Keyboard Experience: Laptops, netbooks, tablets, and QWERTY

There was a time when people ranted about keyboards. IBM Thinkpads were once lauded for their exceptionally tactile and responsive keyboards. Gamers shelled out good, cold cash for expensive desktop gaming Logitech keyboards just to strafe opponents properly and with gusto in Doom, Duke Nukem,Descent, or even Wolfenstein. When Bluetooth came...

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Lubuntu Basics: Setting up Bluetooth Part 2

Category: Linux To send files using Bluetooth in Lubuntu: 1. Click the Bluetooth icon on the panel and click Send files to device. You can also click on the paired Bluetooth device listed (e.g. MAC-Brian in the screenshot below) and click Send files. 2. Select a file to send.  3. Select the device to receive the file. Click Send. Click Accept from...

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Lubuntu Basics: Setting up Bluetooth Part 1

Category: Linux Running a cursory examination of the default Lubuntu menu will merit no entry for any Bluetooth utilities. However, Lubuntu supports Bluetooth-equipped hardware out-of-the-box. This overview will make use of an ASUS EEEPC 1000H. For the ASUS EEEPC 1000H, pressing FN+F2 will switch on only the Wi-Fi card in Lubuntu and not the Bluetooth module. Other...

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Video podcast iO9's "We Come From the Future" ends

Video Podcast iO9 We Come From the Future podcast ends Surprisingly enough, there are very few really good video podcasts out there. New York Times, Minute Physics (my personal favorite), Dilbert, and io9 We Come From the Future, which sadly aired their last episode recently, are some of the video podcasts that are definitely worth a look. Unlike most video podcasts I follow, iO9, which was...

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Goodbye Asiator.net!

During the Internet bubble, the death of so many web sites and services was largely ignored. Communities and dedicated users weren't quite devoted to any web site quite yet in those days. Although apathy and detachment still reign on the Internet (except when it comes to fan sites about vampires and wizards), users today are more aware of their loss when a website closes down. It's the niche websites that don't...

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Internet Explorer 10 Preview: Nothing to be Embarrassed About

Internet Explorer 10 Preview - nothing to be embarrassed about In my predominantly Linux network, Google Chrome and his neat and less colorful brother, Chromium, can do no wrong. Mozilla Firefox, on the other hand, is still the default browser included with most Linux distributions so it's always around on my PCs as back-up on the rare occasion Google Chrome crashes due to an Adobe Flash foul-up....

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Reboot Mania: James Bond, Spider-Man, and Windows 8

I recently played around with a hybrid tablet/laptop with Windows 8 and a sluggish Intel Atom processor. Although I'm a proud iPad owner, I found myself wondering what I would do with the machine as a tablet, preferring instead to use it in its netbook form. In short, Windows 8 is a great desktop OS, but like iOS when I first started using it years ago, I'm not sure what to make of Windows 8 as a tablet...

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Lubuntu Basics: Language Support and Input

Category: Linux Language input and support is installed based on your selections during your initial installation of Lubuntu. You can also install additional language support and configure language input after installation. To install and setup additional languages in Lubuntu: 1. Click the LXDE menu. Select Preferences then Language Support. 2. In the Language Support window,...

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Linux on Film: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) Part 2

Piezoelectric technology and microcontroller From a plot perspective, Peter probably made use of existing equipment like the video card and Osborn supplies (more likely provided by Curt Connors) to create a piezoelectric-based shooter.  Piezoelectric actuators and sensors used in conjunction would take care of precision and the web-shooter's trigger. However, he would need a microcontroller, say one from a...

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Linux on Film: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) Part 1

Ok, for dedicated fans of the latest Spider-Man movie (me included), Sony made use of this brilliant flick to advertise their Sony Vaio Desktop and support Microsoft Bing. Our hero, Peter Parker (played by the exceptional Andrew Garfield), uses his Vaio and Bing to search for clues about Richard Parker, Oscorp, and the spider-bite. So where's Linux? To be fair, Sony provided Peter with an old-school...

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