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Archive for June, 2007
Updated Spb Mobile Shell
4 years ago
Spb Mobile Shell is undoubtedly one of my favourite Windows Mobile applications. The Now Screen provides a great overview of network status, battery level, time, upcoming appointments and a weather report. The ability to single-handedly find contacts and dial frequently-used numbers is extremely handy. The just-release 1.5 version is perhaps more cosmetic in nature, but there are a fair number of under-the-skin additions that have taken place.
In terms of the cosmetic, the installation program provides the choice of using the classic or professional Now Screen. Considering myself somewhat more professional than classic, the choice was easily made…
Lego on a Mars Mission
I fondly remember my collection of Space Lego models. In fact, they are still stowed safely away in a box somewhere…somewhere. In any case, the dudes from the initial collection of space vehicles and bases focused their attention on the moon – of all places. That’s so 1980′s! Nowadays, the moon is too close and too cheesy, so where to explore next? Mars, of course!
The Lego Mars Mission takes courageous minifigs to unchartered territories and encounters with glow-in-the-dark aliens…
It makes Spongebob look positively pedestrian…
Failed states
4 years ago
by manfred
in Life in South Africa
The Fund for Peace has a mission: to prevent war and alleviate the conditions that cause war. This is the fund’s fiftieth anniversary and the 2007 Failed States Index (FSI) has been released.
The picture for Africa as a whole is pretty bleak. That’s stating the obvious. Countries with the worst possible projected future exist on the continent I call home. Sudan, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Chad, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo top a list of countries that are facing serious destabilization. Most of them are already in dire straights.
South Africa ranks high up in the group facing moderate threats – the only moderate ranking on the entire African continent! We share that ranking with a number of European countries and the big daddy of them all: Yankeeland. The USA’s current adversary is the second-most highly ranked.
The better places to exist include Japan, Austria, Denmark and Australia. That’s only if Iceland and Ireland fail to appeal 
The ranking is interesting. It shows one thing: the world is in a heap of trouble.
Father’s day
4 years ago
by manfred
in Moblogging
Father’s day
Originally uploaded by MHertenberger.
My new best friend
4 years ago
by manfred
in Moblogging
My new best friend
Originally uploaded by MHertenberger.
Windows on Safari
Leopard was one of the announcements at the Apple WWDC yesterday. An interesting release is the Safari web browser for the WIndows platform, which is presently available as a download – albeit as a beta release.
I’ve been using it most of the day and am quite please with its performance, though I’m still unsure that Firefox could ever be replaced. There are simply too many plugins I’m used to.
Safari has a minimalist design and isn’t as intrusive as certain other browsers when it comes to making itself the default or insisting on importing all manner of things. In the Windows environment, it is reliant on the proxy settings that have been set within Internet Explorer. Whether by design or by accident, the proxy setting within Safari itself cannot be accessed.
Overall, Safari is really quick and looks great. Rendering is fast and the tabbed interface is certainly welcome. It does have some quirks: the paste command often doesn’t work, and I do find some lag when typing anything into a text entry field. For ordinary browsing, you may want to give it a whirl.
Apple’s Leopard to be unveiled
Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference kicks off today. At 18:00 ZA time, Steve Jobs will be unveiling some details of the new Mac OS X release, codenamed Leopard.
Many are predicting revolutionary additions, including the brand-new core animation feature that is sure to make the Mac desktop an enticing place to get some work and play done. A feature of the new operating system’s interaction with the end user includes such fun (but maybe useless) additions as blowing into a microphone attached to the Mac and having smoke blow over the screen. Let’s wait and see
Linux-based smartphone on its way
The Apple iPhone is due to be released in the USA at the end of this month. That would the release of one of the first non-Windows Mobile/Symbian/Blackberry devices with any potential marketshare.
For those of us with an interest in the open source world, there is some hope on the horizon: the Neo 1973, a Linux-based smartphone, has found a manufacturer and is to be on sale sometime in September of this year. The Neo 1973 is a first-generation device, built entirely (or as much as possible) using open source software and open source-friendly hardware components.
Though it’s not necessarily the best looking device out there, it packs a number of features and is completely open to modification. The price indicated for the Neo 1973 is around the USD 350 mark, making it an affordable choice, depending on the feature set and software support the device will enjoy.
In any case, there is little doubt that the open source community won’t wring the last bit of functionality out of the available hardware specification. It may take a generation or two, but it seems as though the penguin is on its way to a phone near you!
Via Nanobook
Via is a well-known manufacturer of computing components. Their Mini and Pico ITX motherboards are innovative, small form-factor computers suitable for home theatre or in-car PCs. Now, VIA has responded (rather quickly) to the recent release of the Palm Foleo by announcing the Via Nanobook.
The Nanobook is fairly significant, taking into account recent developments such as the UMPC and devices such as the Palm Foleo. First off, the Nanobook is a fully-fledged sub-notebook capable of running Windows XP or Vista. The device has a 7″ screen, clamshell form factor and a full QWERTY keyboard with an approximate weight of 850g. The initial model features a 1.2GHz VIA C7 CPU, VX-700 chipset, and up to 1GB of RAM. Wireless LAN, BlueTooth, 2 USB ports, DVI, and a 4-in-1card reader round out the specifications. The real clincher is the expected price. Via reckons this toy could be sold for under USD 600! Comparing that to the USD 500 Palm Foleo…there’s no comparison! The Foleo has little RAM, no real processing power and no storage.
In fact, the Nanobook is well priced and is easily able to compete with the Flybook, another mini notebook computer.
If Via isn’t kidding, this one could be a great throw-in-the-bag and take-anywhere sub notebook. If the hardware specifications are generic, it’ll run Linux, too!
Some more pictures here.
Lego art
This is the story of an attorney who dumped his career in favour of becoming a full-time Lego artist. Incredibly, he’s able to make a living from this, though he has to pay for all the bricks he needs for his rather amazing pieces.
With some of his pieces being sold at USD 10,000 and more, it’s likely he’ll keep on doing this for quite a while.
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