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Let computers figure out what you like with inSuggest

inSuggest is a new recommendation service for finding interesting items on the Web. There are two variations--one for blogs and Web sites, and another for photographs. Both take four items picked by users to whittle down the types of sites or photographs you'd be interested in.

Between the two, the Web flavor is a little more structured, requiring users to enter in the URLs of some of their favorite sites. The results can then be previewed right below the search box and be browsed eight recommendations at a time. The photo engine is a little more organic, simply … Read more

Drag 'n' drop attachments in Firefox

Think that every conceivable useful feature not included in Firefox has been created? Not likely. At least now, though, we can take attachment drag and drop off the list with Dragdropupload.

Harvesting energy from falling raindrops

Scientists at the CEA/Leti-Minatec in Grenoble, France are looking at ways to produce electricity from the vibrations caused by falling raindrops.

It's the latest step toward exploiting piezoelectric principles. In piezoelectrics, bending or otherwise deforming an object can produce power. If you take a tiny wire and bend it, for example, a negative charge gets produced on the stretched side while a positive charge gets created on the compressed side. When the pressure on the wire is relieved, an electrical current can be detected.

Using the CEA's concept, raindrops hitting a flexible surface set off the vibrations … Read more

Transferring big files with DropSend and TransferBigFiles

If you need to send files to someone and they are too large to email, there are untold numbers of web sites offering this service, both for free and commercially. However, if you need to transfer very big files, your choices are more limited. When I recently needed to transfer some files of 650MB to a client, I tried a handful of these services. Previously I wrote about free services from SendThisFile and EatLime. Here I relate my experiences with the free services from DropSend and TransferBigFiles.

All these services operate by letting you upload files to their servers, notifying the recipient that the files are ready to be downloaded and providing a link that points to the file(s). Some of the services have optional software, but installing software scares me, so I used nothing but a web browser (except in one instance).

DropSend

DropSend offers to send files up to 1 gigabyte for free (the same limit applies to their paid accounts). They allow only five file transfers per month, but also include 250MB of permanent online storage. The limit of five transfers does not apply to uploads to the permanent storage. … Read more

Restricting insecure applications

Back in August I wrote about a free security program for Windows XP called DropMyRights. It comes from a trusted source, requires no maintenance, and incurs no overhead.

DropMyRights works by front-ending an application. To use it with Internet Explorer for example, you make a shortcut to DropMyRights and modify the shortcut to include the full path to the IE executable. When DropMyRights runs, it, in turn, invokes Internet Explorer. But, as the name implies, it first lowers the "rights" for IE. Thus, even if you are logged onto Windows XP as an Administrator, IE will run with … Read more

New entry-level Xbox 360 model imminent?

Now that the long-rumored "bargain" PS3 now a reality (in Europe, anyway), how will Microsoft respond? Over the past few months, the company has refreshed the bulk of the 360 line: the $450 Elite debuted in April with a large 120GB hard drive, HDMI port, and (finally!) black color scheme; the Pro (a.k.a. "Premium") 20GB model got a $50 price cut and HDMI upgrade; and there's even a limited-run $400 Halo Edition (basically, the Pro with a military camo paint job) for $400. But what of the lowly Xbox 360 Core System? The … Read more

The real price to pay for the new PS3

For the longest time I've yearned for a desire to want to purchase a PlayStation 3. Like many other gamers, the hefty price tag and lack of blockbuster exclusive games has kept me far away from the big black box and enjoying my Wii and Xbox 360. And yes, even the lack of rumble had me second guessing a purchase.

The latest rumor-turned-reality comes from Europe and has a 40GB PS3 priced at $400 (when this deal inevitably comes stateside). Sure, there's an argument to be made that $400 is a great deal for Blu-ray player, but apparently … Read more

Making sense of the million-dollar iPhone lawsuit

When Apple announced that it was dropping the price of the iPhone by $200, some jumped for joy and immediately headed out to their nearest Apple store. For others--early adopters who had already purchased Apple's gadget--the price drop was nothing short of a slap in the face. Some were satisfied when Steve Jobs said that these loyal customers would be provided a $100 credit toward their next Apple purchase, but many felt the credit didn't suffice. One of these unhappy shoppers has filed a lawsuit against Apple to the tune of $1 million dollars.

It's unclear how the litigant, Dongmei Li, plans to justify a million dollars in damages over a $200 price drop, but Li's argument is that "the price reduction injured early purchasers like herself because they cannot resell the product for the same profit as those who bought the cell phone following the price cut," according to CNN's account. So I guess that comes out to $200 in actual losses and $999,800 in pain and suffering.

Killer Download: Get your photos on the Web for free

Digital cameras keep getting better, and as a result, just about anyone can get an extremely high-quality camera without breaking the bank. These days, you can get 7.1 megapixel cameras for less than $200. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago when a 2-megapixel camera went for twice that much, but one of the great things about technology is it always gets better--and cheaper!

If you're a serious photographer you probably like to use a full-strength image editor for color correction, filters, and other advanced features. But if you just use your camera for holidays and family events, how do you manage and display your pictures? There are a number of online sites like CNET Webshots, Flickr, and Shutterfly, which do a nice job of presenting your pictures, but if you want to keep your work local before pushing it out to the Web, want to post pics to your personal site, or want a few more customization options, a downloadable program might be your best bet.… Read more

Price cut side effect: cheaper refurbished iPhones

Today's oh-so-sweet $200 price cut on the iPhone had a nice little side effect. Those refurbished 8GB iPhones sold exclusively through Apple's special deals section that were on sale for $499 last month have been given the price cut treatment, as well, although only by $50 this time around, bringing the grand total down to $349 for an (almost) brand new iPhone. If you're looking to save $50 on an iPhone to spend on some music to fill it up using the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, this is a pretty sweet deal while supplies last. Keep … Read more