by Kris Hammons

Adobe is making its final preparations to bring their newest project, Adobe AIR, out of public beta and into the mainstream market. Adobe AIR, which stands for Adobe Integrated Runtime, is a software development and deployment platform which allows developers to deploy internet-based applications to the desktop of any of the three major Operating Systems, Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Adobe AIR, which was formally named Apollo when announced by Adobe last March, is currently in public beta 3 and is set for a 1.0 release next month; an exact launch date has not been announced. Developers can develop Adobe AIR applications with an array of different technologies, including Adobe’s own Flash. Furthermore, if you are an avid web programmer, you can just as easily deploy your cross-platform application using just HTML and AJAX. Adobe goes into the launch month of AIR with a few large organizations already migrating to the platform. Nasdaq and the American Cancer Society are just two notable names who are backing Adobe on the AIR platform.

Mozilla looks to have its own project rolling with Mozilla Prism. Prism, built on the same concept of rich internet applications being deployed to the desktop, looks to compete head on with Adobe’s AIR. However, Mozilla looks to use the next public release of its popular web browser, Firefox 3, as a launching pad for the application environment. Similar to Adobe’s AIR, Prism will allow HTML/AJAX-based rich internet applications to be deployed across the three major desktop environments (although, the current builds of Prism only work in the Microsoft Windows version of Firefox). Mozilla has big names in its camp as well, such as Google and Facebook, who are getting on board with this project early.

While Adobe’s and Mozilla’s technologies may be similar, their approaches in development and deployment could not be more drastically different. Adobe looks to have AIR aimed at the web applications developer, a person or team of people who have developed a rich internet application and want to port it to having access to desktop functions while still keeping ties with the web backend. On the other hand, Mozilla looks to aim Prism squarely at the users. It is Mozilla’s dream not to make an entirely new runtime environment, but to allow users to ‘branch’ any of their favorite web applications into its own, separate desktop application. Mozilla plans to do this using only Firefox 3 and functionality built within it, allowing a user to take any web standards-based site or web application and make it into a standalone desktop application. In contrast, Adobe AIR requires the installation of the Adobe AIR runtime environment, similar to users needing to install Adobe Reader to view PDF documents. However, Adobe AIR developers will have the technologies and abilities to make sleek desktop applications with the use of HTML, AJAX and even Flash technologies.

With Adobe nearing a 1.0 release of AIR and Mozilla still in the early stages of Prism alongside of Firefox 3, it might appear that Adobe has a head start. This perception may just be perception, but bringing rich internet applications to the desktop looks to be the next frontier that will definitely take shape as 2008 progresses.

by Chris Adams

Laptops, phones, PDAs, and iPods; surely most of us have at least one of these devices. The amount of technology we use in our daily lives is pretty astonishing. Some people easily spend more time interacting with technology than they do with other human beings face to face. This trend has led many to argue that technology is truly an addiction and may be as harmful as drugs.

In the article, How to Tell If You Are Addicted to Technology by Clara Moskowitz of LiveScience; John O'Neill, director of addictions services for the Menninger Clinic in Houston says, "I believe that technology has benefited us greatly, but my concern is that many of us have taken it too far, and it's become a substitute for those necessary face to face conversations." Others believe we have yet to see the true long term affects of too much technology.

It is hard to for the average person to not come in contact with the technology in daily life. We are inundated at supermarkets in self check outs, at the gas pump, in our homes, and on our roads. With so much technology used by so many people could we stop if we had to?

How to Tell If You Are Addicted to Technology
By Clara Moskowitz of LiveScience
http://www.livescience.com/technology/0 ... dicts.html

There was a time when not having a Myspace account was ok. Now in today’s society if you told someone that you didn’t have an account on Myspace or Facebook they would probably turn you into a psychiatric hospital. It’s became a huge part of social networking especially for teens. This can cause problems when it comes to sex offenders and predators because you can use any name and age to create and account. The good news is there are a lot of good safety tips and precautions you and parents can use for protection if you know how to use them. Also, parents should talk to their kids about how be smart and safe online, not forbid them from going there. So here are a few safety tips when it comes to Myspace and Facebook.

Myspace: You have to look for it, but scroll to the bottom of the MySpace home page and you'll see "safety tips." There, you'll find lots of info for parents and teens about how to social network safely on MySpace. Click the "safety settings" tab and you'll find step-by-step instructions for:

• setting profiles to private so only friends and people teens choose to see their profiles are allowed to see them.

• pre-approving comments before they appear on your Myspace page. The default setting is for comments to automatically post.

• blocking a user from contacting you via your MySpace page. MySpace also advises teens to tell an adult if this happens and to click on the "Contact MySpace" to report unwanted messages.

• turn off the "online now" message status that shows everyone when you are on MySpace.

Facebook: Facebook provides so many options for privacy settings; you have to work at it. But that's not a bad thing; teens just need to believe privacy is worth spending time on. This is a good thing for parents and kids to do together. The word "privacy" is at the top right-hand corner of the Facebook home page. Click on it, and you'll be able to adjust your privacy settings as you like them.

The first thing parents and teens should know is that Facebook made a change this year that makes it possible for the profiles of Facebook members' 18 and up to appear in major search engines. Members over age 18 can opt to create a public search listing by checking a box on the privacy settings page.

Members of all ages have the ability to control the privacy settings on several features, including who can view profiles, photos, news feeds and mini feeds.

There are also separate privacy settings for photos and notes. And members can block individuals from searching for them, seeing their profiles, or contacting them on Facebook. You can also specify which people in your network can only view your limited profile.

So many of these different tips will help you become much safer when you are online. Good judgment will always be the best defense against online predators and bullying tactics.

Every year in January the biggest name in technology get together in Las Vegas and host the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) except for one: Apple, Inc. Instead MacWorld Magazine hosts the most comprehensive event for the Mac operating system (1). Over 400 exhibitors are on hand to announce and demo the latest software and gadgets for, not just Macs, but also the iPod and iPhone. Macworld Expo, as the event is commonly known as, is also the location where Apple takes the opportunity to talk about the success of last year and announce new products. Last year the iPhone debuted. This year was also interesting.

The weeks leading up to Macworld have always been filled with rumors. This year was no different. The biggest rumor floating around focused on a new ultra thin portable notebook. Several sites had their own interpretation of the rumor. CNBC’s Jim Goldman claimed, from a very reliable source, that the new laptop would have a 12” screen, solid-state storage and cost $1500 (2). Mac Rumors.com ran a report calling the new system the MacBook Air and having features that included a 13.3” screen, external DVD drive, and a trackpad that had multi-touch functionality like the iPhone (3) (4). Finally, the day before Apple’s presentation, Wired.com heard a rumor calling the system “unbelievably thin” (5). That was what people believed and this is what they got.

On January 15, 2008 Apple introduced the MacBook Air. They claim it’s “the world’s thinnest notebook” measuring .76-inches at the thickest portion (6). The new notebook has a similar 13.3 inch screen found in the MacBooks and a full-size keyboard. All the other bells and whistles are here with a built-in iSight webcam, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth connectivity, OS X 10.5 Leopard, and iLife ’08 being standard features. It what the MacBook Air lacks that makes it different from the rest of the MacBook line. The only connectors built into the system are, video out, audio out, one USB port, and power. There is no optical drive, FireWire, or even Ethernet. Apple says the MacBook Air doesn’t need these features because “[its] built for the wireless world” (7).

The MacBook Air does have some new, interesting features. The trackpad has new multi-touch technology. This allows the user to perform gestures on the trackpad to manipulate stuff on the system. For example, if you wanted to rotate a picture in iPhoto instead of going through the interface and clicking the rotate button, you can place two fingers on the trackpad and make a twist motion (8). That will cause the photo to rotate. Another MacBook Air only feature is Remote Disc. Because the system does not have an optical drive, installing software is impossible unless the vendor offers an online version. To help solve the problem the MacBook Air can use a Mac or PC’s drive. All it requires is the Remote Disc software to be installed on the donor system. Once connected and setup the MacBook Air will see the optical drive as if it were built into the system. Remote Disc would also be used to restore the system if ever needed.

Costing $1799 the MacBook Air had a fairly expensive price tag. For $700 less you can buy a MacBook, which includes a DVD drive, faster processor, faster hard drive, and more expansion/connection ports like audio in and Ethernet. For $1999 the MacBook Pro is also an alternative. It comes with all the features like the MacBook, but with a larger screen and dedicated graphics card. For the price the MacBook Air is selling at, one has to ask who the intended market is. Is the system for the travelling road warrior who needs a light, portable system? Or is the MacBook Air for the people with money to burn and show it off? That is yet to be determined because it won’t be shipping until early February. The public will have to decide where the MacBook Air fits into the Apple product line.

What do you think? Add your thoughts to the comments below.


(1) http://macworldexpo.com/press
(2) http://www.cnbc.com/id/22611204
(3) http://www.macrumors.com/2008/01/06/thin-macbook-specs/
(4) http://www.macrumors.com/2007/12/31/app ... -trackpad/
(5) http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/01/b ... acboo.html
(6) http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/01/15mbair.html
(7) http://www.apple.com/macbookair/features.html
(8) http://www.apple.com/macbookair/guidedtour/

During the CES 2008 Conference, which is produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), a great many new consumer items appeared at the show.

One such item was the Netgear Rangemax DualBand Wireless-N Router (WNDR3000). This devices has many cool features from 8 internal antennas to optimize signal strength and range to increased security features lik a "Push 'N' Connect" feature using Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) and a double firewall protection. (http://www.netgear.com/upload/product/wndr3300/enus_ds_wndr3300_14dec07.pdf)

Another item from the show were Mobile Internet Devices (MID) and Ultramobil PCs (UMPCS) from Intel. These are a new computing category for computers smaller than a laptop but larger than a smartphone. These are based on the Intel architecture and offer access anytime/anywhere. (http://www.intel.com/products/mid/ultramobile2007.htm)

If you are someone with multiple monitors you might like to try UltraMon, a utility to help unlock the full potential of multiple monitors. (http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/) And DisplayLink is making chips and software for multiple monitor setup and configuration. (http://www.displaylink.com/home.html)

And HP has released its tx2000Z series that you can "handwrite on with a batteryless, dockable/rechargeable eraser pen" or use as a tablet with its swivel display. (http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Brand&v1=HP+Pavilion&series_name=tx2000z_series)

All in all, sounds like a lot of really cool stuff on the horizon!

Ho, Ho, Ho...

Thinking about the g33k or n3rd in your life? What would be a great present for him or her?

Check out some of these cool ideas:

From thinkgeek.com:

Inanimate Character Stickers
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/cubegoodies/9866/
Really cute and at $4.99 each, a steal

Infectuously Cute Plush Microbes!
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/plush/6708/
What's a better way to say "I love you" than with the gift of infection? These are $7.99 and include such fun stuff as malaria, rabies, mange, the plague, and mad cow disease, just to name a few.

Smart Mass Thinking Putty
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/cubegoodies/5ac8/
For $9.99 you can get your fav geek the ultimate silly putty

Plush Robot Tissue Box
http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/gear/9a87/
If your honey has the winter sniffles, help them hide the kleenex box with this $14.99 gift

Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things
http://www.thinkgeek.com/books/nonfiction/7957/
Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things
http://www.thinkgeek.com/books/nonfiction/7b59/
Sneakiest Uses for Everyday Things
http://www.thinkgeek.com/books/nonfiction/9a58/
If your geek has a "creative genius" steak, these books will fascinate them for $9.99/each

Fiendish Japanese Pocket Puzzle
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/japanfan/9c83/
Choose from 9 styles and at $9.99 each these are guaranteed to perplex even the toughest geek minds

Tetrius Puzzle Game Magnets
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/cubegoodies/9928/
Is your geek also a gamer, they'll love these classic magnets for their fridge for $9.99

The Office Space Kit
http://www.thinkgeek.com/books/humor/8e6c/
And what geek doesn't love the movie "Office Space"? For $12.99 you can get your geek a kit so they can just imagine working at Initech

Chargers Chocolate Espresso Beans ($2.99/pack)
http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/candy/5f75/
Bawls Mints - High Caffeine Candy ($2.99/pack)
http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/candy/6b77/
Is your geek not wired enough? The caffeine products above will jazz them up more...watch out! Gaming and coding at 3 a.m....can be rather ugly


From jinx.com:

Some awesome t-shirts (just a sampling)...

Darth J!nx T-shirt
http://www.jinx.com/men/shirts/geek/dar ... ml?catid=3

I am not a geek T-Shirt
http://www.jinx.com/men/shirts/video_ga ... ml?catid=3

I Love my Gamer Women's Tee
http://www.jinx.com/women/shirts/video_ ... ml?catid=8

World of Warcraft Rogues Original GANKstas T-Shirt
http://www.jinx.com/world_of_warcraft/m ... l?catid=40


Have fun...

A microchip is a form of identification for your pet, such as a tattoo. Microchips make it easier to identify the animal if it is stolen or lost and they can return it to its rightful owner. Although it is not necessary to have the microchip to claim owner ship of the pet it goes hand in hand with the legal ownership. Microchips also have their pros and con’s.

But what is a microchip and how does it work? It’s a very small chip that is injected beneath your pet’s skin that stays inside its entire life. The chip is linked to the owner’s information and contact details which are kept in a database so that it can be constantly updated. If the pet is found or ends up at a shelter, it can be scanned for the number and run through the database. If it does have a chip then the owners will be contacted immediately.

There are alternatives to having your pet microchipped. You can put ID tags on your dog which is a cheap and efficient way to keep up with your pet. The downfall is that these tags can be ripped off and lost and you have to make new tags every time your personal information changes which can be hard to remember. Tattoos are the other way where a number is tattooed on your pet. Your information is kept in a data base linked to a number with your information. The down fall to this is tattoos can become less readable over time and if you really love your pet enough to keep tracking on it, why would you put it through getting a tattoo.

The best part about microchipping is it will generally only cost you $20-$30 just depending on where you have it done. The best thing to do is call up your vet and ask for details. Some animal shelters will even include it in their adoption package.

Sometimes it does no good to microchip your pet though because there are no chip scanners in the area to even locate a lost pet. This gives the owners a false sense of hope. A pet can be another member of the family and even though the pet had a microchip they are not always found. Some animal shelters don’t have scanners that pick up every microchip. Lisa Massey of Stafford, VA had a dog that was put to sleep by a shelter because their universal scanner did not pick up the Banfield chip she had put in her dog. (www.cbsnews.com)

If your pet means everything to you though, it’s not going to hurt you to spend a few extra bucks to keep up with them. I have tags and a microchip on my dog. I know that keeping her information up to date and her having that chip will greatly increase my chances of getting her back if anything was to ever happen. So if you really care about your pet then think about it!

by Tony Morrow

So you did it; pulled the trigger and bought Mac OS X 10.5 “Leopard” or a new Mac altogether. Now what? How do you use your new system? How can Leopard be made to do what you want it to do instead of what Apple says you want to do? This is where the Internet becomes a person’s best friends, several sites exist to help Mac users get the most out of their new or existing computers with tips, tricks, forums, and downloads.

Tips & Hints

MacOSXHints.com is the best place to find great tips and tricks that you may or may not know about. Everything from unknown keyboard shortcut commands to advanced system hacks are documented to allow users to personalize their Mac. Even if you are not running Leopard, MacOSXHints.com has stuff dating all the way back to 2000; the year OS X was originally released.

Help & Advice

Macrumors.com has one of the largest online communities. With a forum quickly reaching 150,000, almost all are willing to help with any question you may have regarding you new system. MacRumors also has a wiki section that allows users to add their knowledge to an online collaboration. Think of a wiki as an always updating encyclopedia.

Software & Downloads

If you are looking for new software to load onto your system or just updates for applications you already use, look no further than MacUpdate.com and VersionTracker.com. Both websites search the Internet for the latest software for Macs and consolidate the information in an easily searchable site.

News

For finding the latest info about Apple and OS X, check out AppleInsider.com and Tuaw.com. These sites cover all the news concerning Apple; from the latest iPhone hacks updates to performance shootouts between systems. AppleInsider has recently written articles named “Road to Mac.” The articles give a detailed history for many of the features found in OS X and describe how they function in Leopard.



Regardless of what you are looking for, the Internet has many resources for Mac users to personalize their computers. All it takes is a little searching.

Tips: http://www.macosxhints.com

Help: http://www.macrumors.com

Software: http://www.macupdate.com
http://www.versiontracker.com

News: http://www.appleinsider.com
http://www.tuaw.com

by Seth Johnson

Wherever there is a will there is a way. That can be said about the legacy of comics. With technology growing more advance with each passing day many things within our culture must change too, one for instance being comics. Even though comics might change from being stories published they will have a place ever evolving internet as web comics.

Web comics are not a new idea but an idea which has been growing steadily since 1986 with the earliest online comic published being T.H.E Fox. Since then web comics have changed over the years and have gained a wide range of popularity. Most of the comics that are web comics can only be seen online without being printed anywhere else. With the Internet's easy access to an audience, webcomics run the gamut from traditional cartoon strips to graphic novels and beyond.

Not all but the majority of web comics are self published to the point were anyone can make there own web comic. Rather than being confined to normal print dimensions, artists are free to spread out in any direction indefinitely with their comics. One such comic named When I Am King whose used artist used a form of scrolling, while other comic artist such as Mark Fiore with his flash-based editorial cartoons, have experimented by incorporating interactivity and animation. Many web comics appear stylistically similar to black-and-white newspaper comic strips. This gag-a-day format allows for quicker, more frequent updates, allowing an artist to build up an audience quickly. Other webcomics are presented in the same manner as traditional comic books, manga and graphic novels. These comics, come in a page form rather than a strip form and tend to focus more on story than gags.

Some web comics are reprented comics from major comic companies such as Marvel comics and DC comics. On those websites they call there comics digital comics which reprint old comics or give little previews of comics that have yet to come out on maket. The Digital comics look the same as regular comics except that it has buttons on the bottom of the page which turns the pages of the comic and makes it look like your reading a real comic. Marvel has already decided to branch thereselves out to the next genration by relasing 2, 500 reprints of old comics as digital comics on November 12, 2007 which have fans extremly exicited.

The growth of webcomics has also resulted in the growth of online communities around webcomics. There are fanbases that artists foster through the use of forums, fan sections and blogs, and many artists maintain close relationships with their fans. The artists themselves also create communities through the exchanges of emails, links, forum posts as well as art in the form of guest filler strips and cross-overs, and band together in collectives. There are also webcomic communities emerging through the general webcomic sites that cover the medium through news and articles. The webcomic community has already seen much controversy. Since the nature of a webcomic is closely tied to quality as well as popularity, flame wars can ensue if a controversy involves a particularly popular webcomic and/or its artist. Many of these controversies are caused when webcomic artists post an opinionated piece. The controversy can also be fanned by a particular webcomic's fanbase.

Web comics have intersected with many things in popculture, wether it be comics based on movies such as the Matrix or new ways to present old ideas. With technology ever evolving whose to say that comics can’t last longer than the leagcy they leave behind.

By Chris Adams

Popular computer hardware company, Nvidia, has announced some pretty nifty technology that is soon to be on the way and the strangest part is that it's open.

Yes, Nvidia's new Enthusiast System Architecture (ESA) is open in hopes that it may benefit the pc building/modding community on a larger scale and not just those who purchase Nvidia products by allowing others to use it in their computing systems. ESA will be launched as a new, open, and royalty-free standard for the real-time monitoring and control of PC power supplies, chassis, and water-cooling systems.

Though they have yet to release any information other than a PDF introducing the architecture, it looks like a promising system whether you are an avid gamer, builder, or just a typical user. To see the PDF and details of how the proposed system will function, check out

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.h ... VzaWFzdA==

It will remain to be seen how Nvidia's competitors and affiliates will react and use the system. That is if they choose to at all.