“Umpteen number of reports have been published telling people why they should consider switching to the Mac OS now that Vista has failed.” Prosenjit Bhattacharyya suggests Ubuntu as another alternative.
prosenjit23.wordpress.com
OpenOffice.org 3.0
“OpenOffice.org has an impressive feature set, a generally lucid interface, pure open-source credentials, and the decisive advantage of being absolutely free.” Edward Mendelson reviews OpenOffice.org 3.0.
www.pcmag.com
OpenOffice.org becomes an even better alternative
“If you are considering buying a commercial office suite, don’t do it until you have given OpenOffice.org a shot. That’s particularly true of the new version, which was released today.” Dwight Silverman summarises what’s new in OpenOffice.org 3.0.
blogs.chron.com
The spectral memorials that haunt our roads
“It would be unfortunate if the proliferation of ghost bikes frightened off nervous waverers, because there is quite a lot of evidence that the more cyclists there are, the safer cycling becomes. But if white bikes grab the attention of motorists, give them pause and remind them to take care, they will mark the past and help safeguard the future.” Geraldine Bedell reports on the phenomenon of the white bike reaching the UK.
www.guardian.co.uk
The roots of the crisis
“It is the intersection of several underlying trends that have brought us to this point, not a breakdown in any specific part of the financial sector.” Michael Flynn looks at the underlying reasons for the current Wall Street crisis.
www.reason.com
The Legacy
“It would have been nice to let Bush’s two terms marinate a while before invoking Herbert Hoover and James Buchanan from the cellar of worst presidents. But then—over the last two weeks—he completed the trilogy of national disasters that will be with us for a generation or more.” Timothy Egan assesses the Bush Presidency.
egan.blogs.nytimes.com
Street smarts
“The only things that will keep you alive in traffic are your skills, your awareness of your environment, and always having a tremendous respect for the danger involved.” Richard Katz outlines his approach to riding in traffic.
www.urbanvelo.org
Moment designs
“Even though they are serious competitors I try to make this feel like you are watching a local buddies video.”
Andrew Tonkery
vimeo.com
Big Band Live
New Cool Collective
Dox Records
2007
Office 2007 to gain native ODF support early next year
“Users will be able to set ODF as their default file formats under Office 2007, and Microsoft plans to continue support of the OOXML-ODF translator for those using older versions of Office.” Jacqui Cheng details Microsoft’s recent announcement to make Office 2007 compatible with OpenOffice.org.
Personally, I remain sceptical about Microsoft delivering on these promises. But genuine interoperability has to start from somewhere…
arstechnica.com
Users of Microsoft Office may also want to consider the Sun ODF Plugin for Microsoft Office as an alternative solution.
Hardy Heron makes Linux worth another look
“If you’ve flirted with the idea of switching your desktop operating system to Linux but never took the leap, the time is now.” Kevin Purdy highlights key features of the latest Ubuntu Long Term Support (LTS) release.
lifehacker.com
Voice over Internet Protocol
“Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a general term for a family of transmission technologies for delivery of voice communications over IP networks such as the Internet or other packet-switched networks.”
wikipedia.org
Overload
“The brain is like a hybrid engine, constantly switching back and forth between reasoned calculation and rapid intuition. But what determines how we will handle a particular problem in life? How do we know what part of our cognitive repertoire will be in play today?”
www.newsweek.com
Bike commuting: a better way to travel
“Nothing has enhanced my life as much as the decision to start bike commuting. I’ve stopped smoking, I don’t drink any more, and I’m always outdoors. I’m saving money, I feel all self-righteous about not polluting, and I can eat plenty without worrying about getting fat. And I arrive at just about any city destination faster than if I’d driven.” Paul Dorn enjoys his ride.
www.runmuki.com
Free your documents
“Start using ODF today. It’s the office document format of the future.”
youtube.com
Switching office suites from Microsoft Office to OpenOffice.org
“Think of this as a virtual guide, the written version of me coming over to your house on a Sunday afternoon to help get to know OpenOffice.org and figure out all the things you’re not quite sure about.” Solveig Haugland offers a virtual hand to hold.
www.fanaticattack.com
Thunderbird
Cassandra Wilson
Blue Note
2006
Cycling bookmarks
Tools & Reference Bicycle Tutor, Fiets Beraad, Sheldon Brown, Ritzelrechner,
Blogs & Magazines Amsterdamize, Bicycle Design, Bicycle Fixation, Bicycle Retailer, Bike198, Bike Hugger, Bike Radar, Bike Rumor, The Bike Show, Bike Snob NYC, Bike Sport News, Bikeboard, Bikes And The City, Copenhagen Cycle Chic, Copenhagenize, Cozy Beehive, Critical Mass London, Cycling News, Cycling WMD, Cyclocross Magazine, Dirt Rag, EcoVelo, Fat Cyclist, The Folding Society, Internet Bike Community, K-Wall, Light Bikes, MountainBike, Mountainbike Forum, Pedaliéro, Roadbike, Road.cc, Sammlung Embacher, Singletrack, SlowTwitch, Urban Velo, VeloNews, Weight Weenies,
Dealers & Distributors Action Sports, Bike Components, Bike Discount, Bike24, BikeDock, Chain Reaction, Competitive Cyclist, Dr Cannondale, Evans, Merlin, Paul Lange, Profirad, Singlespeedshop, Sid’s Bikes NYC, Toms Bike Corner, TNC-Hamburg, UK Bikes Store, Universal Cycles, Whizz-Wheels, Wiggle,
Manufacturers Aarios, Airnimal, American Classic, Assos, AX-Lightness, BBB, Bernds, Bike Friday, Bikebag, Biomega, Bionicon, Bionx, BMC, Boardman, Bontrager, Busch & Müller, Brooks, Brothers, Camelbak, Campagnolo, Cane Creek, Cannondale, Canyon, Carbon Sports, Carbon Ti, Carbonice, Casco, Cervélo, Challenge, Charge, Chrome, Cinelli, Civia, Control Tech, Colnago, Commencal, Continental, Corratec, Corsair, Crank Brothers, Chris King, Cube, Dahon, Dakine, Deda Elementi, Deuter, DiNotte, DT Swiss, Easton, Electra, Elite, Ellsworth, Endorfin, Endura, Ergon, Evoc, Exposure, Felt, Fixie Inc, Fi′zi:k, Focus, Formula, Fox, Fuji, Orange, FRM, FSA, Fulcrum, Fuji, Gary Fisher, Gear Up, Gebhardt, Genesis, Ghost, Giant, Giro, GoBike, Gore, Grammo, GT, Hayes, Hebie, HED, Hinde, The Hive, Hope, Independent Fabrication, Industry Nine, Intense, Kansi, Kinesis, KMC, Knog Koga-Miyata, Kona, Kore, Kraftstoff, KTM, Lapierre, Larry vs Harry, Lezyne, Litespeed, Look, Lumicycle, Magura, Marin, Mavic, Marzocchi, Masi, Maxxis, Merida, Miche, Michelin, Middleburn, Minoura, Moots, Moulton, Mountain Cycle, Nicolai, Niner, ODI, Orange, Orbea, Ortlieb, Pac Designs, Pace, Pacific, Park Tool, Parlee, Pearl, Phil Wood, Pletscher, Princeton Tec, Principia, Procraft, Profile Design, Profile Racing, Race Face, Rapha, Redline, Ritchey, Rocky Mountain, Rohloff, Rotor, Rotwild, Royal Purple, Salsa, Santos, Satori, Schindelhauer, Schlupf, Schmolke, Schwalbe, Scott, SDG, Selle Italia, Seven, Shimano, SIDI, Simpel, Simplon, SKS, Six Six One, Smart, Soma, SON, Specialized, Spécialités TA, Speed One, Speedway, SR Suntour, SRAM, Steppenwolf, Stevens, Storck, Strida, Stronglight, Sturmey Archer, Sugino, Sunn, Supreme, Surly, Syncros, Syntace, Tacx, Thompson, Thorn, Time, Topeak, Trek, Tr!ckstuff, Trigon, Troy Lee, Truvativ, Tune, Tyrell, USE, Van Dessel, Velocity, Velotraum, Velowerk, Veltec, Vicious Cycles, Viner, Vittoria, Vredestein, White Industries, Whyte, WTB, Winwood, Workcycles, Xlab, Yamaguchi, Yeti, Zinn, Zipp, Zonenschein,
Sheldon Brown
“If Sheldon Brown had been only an excellent bicycle mechanic, the esteem in which he was held, while great, could not have extended much beyond his native Massachusetts.” Instead, Sheldon Brown used the Internet to become the most widely read bicycle mechanic in the world. He died on February 3, 2008.
www.timesonline.co.uk
Off the record
“Record company insiders are aghast at the demise of what was their golden goose. And some of them know that they were partly responsible for killing it.” Robert Sandall looks at reasons for the decline in the value of recorded music over recent years.
www.prospect-magazine.co.uk