KSFO's Web Wanderer

The Links for September 30, 2006

UC Lectures on Google Video - Solinas

From the San Jose Mercery News: "In a new deal with Google Video, the University of California-Berkeley is sharing with the public, via the Internet, dozens of videotaped seminars, speeches, special events and even entire courses taught by some of the campus' leading professors."

"Easy to view and accessible to everyone, the Web site offers more than 100 introductory-level lectures in subjects such as physics, biology, chemistry, information systems and bioengineering."

"The campus already offers free videotaped course lectures and special events through a campus-based Web site (http://webcast.berkeley.edu). But that site -- which offers live and on-demand archives of lectures, including ``administrivia'' -- requires installation of the program RealPlayer."

"The Google Video project will be easier for those less technologically inclined -- including legions of older Cal alumni, nostalgic for the intellectual inspiration of faculty members, said Mogulof. The Google site is more polished than the university's Webcasts, with higher resolution and light editing."

UC Lecture Webcasts - Solinas

Here's the link to the U.C. Berkeley site, for the Real Player files.

Modern Mechanix - Solinas

Popular Mechnics, Popular Science, Modern Mechanix, Mechnics Illustrated, Science and Mechanics, Scientific American, magazines - ever read them? If so, you'll love this site. It boasts "Yesterday’s tomorrow, today."

These magazines always explained things in an interesting manner, with lots of photos. Take an article from the 40's or 50's, and it adds a whole new dimension. Here's an example:

Atomic-Pile Heat Warms Buildings (May, 1955): "From an atomic “furnace” that will need “stoking” only once in 30 years, British engineers are taking heat to warm the radiators of 80 offices. The experimental atomic pile is located at Harwell, Britain’s atomic-research station. About 180,-000 cubic feet of air per minute are used in cooling the pile, and the engineers decided this hot air could be put to work heating near-by buildings. Now the high-temperature air is passed through heat exchangers which transmit the heat to water. The heat is transferred to a secondary circuit which passes through conventional radiators in the buildings.

Here's other fun stuff:

"Most Dangerous Job? (Bullet Proof Vest Tester) (Feb, 1949)" No crash test dummies in those days. The Vest Tester was a guy wearing one.
The photo of the dental patient wearing the "gnathograph" (registers the arrangement of the teeth for making replacments) looks like a torture device.
You have to wonder about the 2 express clerks using the portable X-Ray equipment
The September, 1955 advertisement showing the kitchen of 1965 was off - way off.

I love this site. I'll be going over every page.

Check it out.

Widget Box - Solinas

From the site: "Widgetbox is an online directory of web widgets for blogs and other web pages. They work with TypePad, WordPress, Blogger, MySpace and most any other blog, sidebar or website. No plugins needed. And they're free!"

Here's one for some games:

You can create a "panel" of widgets. Here's a panel I made in under a minute, which features 2 widgets - a clock that is almost impossible to read, and a digital clock:

Edit the panel, publish it, and then install it on your page. Simple!

Some games:

Bring Fido - Solinas

From the site: "No matter where you're going, BringFido.com can help you find a pet friendly hotel for your trip. Our pet friendly lodging directory includes more than ten thousand hotels that welcome pets, in all 50 states. Use the map to browse properties and book a room at a pet friendly hotel today. Because your dog deserves a vacation too!"

San Francisco has about four dozen hotels which allow dogs. You get a listing of all of these, along with pricing. Click on a hotel - you get a detailed description, the pet policy, hotel amenities, a map, reviews by other dog owners.

You can even search and make reservations from this site.

Woof.

Free For All!

"Free For All" picks are hot, FREE items or services. It can be software, online services, you name it - but it's got to be free, with no strings attached.

Avira AntiVir - Wireman

Wireman spotted Avira Antivirus.

From Softpedia: "Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic is a comprehensive, easy to use antivirus program, designed to offer reliable virus protection to home-users only."

"Avira PersonalEdition Classic constantly and rapidly scans your computer for malicious programs (such as viruses, Trojans, backdoor programs, hoaxes, worms, dialers etc.), monitoring every action executed by the user or by the operating system and being able to react promptly when a malicious program is detected. Actions include repair, delete, block, rename and quarantine programs or files."

"Avira PersonalEdition Classic also features enhanced protection against unknown boot-sector viruses, issuing alerts for boot sectors suspicious formats. Through the permanent update of the detection engine, the protection is ensured constantly: the user can set the product to download any updates when available, thus keeping you clean and safe."

Avira offers:

Extensive Malware Recognition of viruses, Trojans, backdoor programs, worms, etc.
Automatic incremental updates of antivirus signatures, engine and entire software
Permanent virus protection, with Virus Guard real time monitoring
Install and configuration in just a couple of steps, setup to protect your PC in minutes
Virus protection against known and unknown threats, using an advanced heuristic system
Scheduler where you can set the scanner to make automatic virus scans or updates on your system
Forum and phone support, Knowledge Base with virus descriptions available on web site

"It also performs Internet updates, and daily opens a window, with an advertisement suggesting the user to purchase AntiVir PersonalEdition Premium."

Complete List of Open Source Software - Dan in Vancouver, Washington

Dan in Vancouver, Washington found this complete list of Open Source Software for Windows.

I'd been to Sourceforge MANY times to pick up particular programs. I've always wondered what else interesting was there that I might want.

This site tells you - it's a huge list of all they have. "Everything from Audio editing tools" to "X-servers".

Check it out.