NerdTV

NerdTV is a new weekly online TV show from PBS.org technology columnist Robert X. Cringely. NerdTV is essentially Charlie Rose for geeks - a one-hour interview show with a single guest from the world of technology. Guests like Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy or Apple computer inventor Steve Wozniak are household names if your household is nerdy enough, but as historical figures and geniuses in their own right, they have plenty to say to ALL of us.

Dictionaraoke

I thought this site was rather clever. You know those audio samples from the online dictionaries? Dictionaraoke combines them with background music to recreate popular songs.

-- from Tricks and Trinkets 369

ethanol is finding new life

A week ago, Benjamin Kleber was spending $3.39 a gallon at a gasoline station in Maryland when he noticed an obscure decal on his minivan.

"It's this sticker about the size of a business card that's stuck on the side of the gas flap that I never really paid attention to," said Mr. Kleber, a 25-year-old electrical engineer for a government contractor. The decal said he could be using E85, a fuel cocktail that consists mostly of grain alcohol, or corn-based ethanol, with a splash of gasoline.

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Wireless Security

Some folks will tell you that it's impossible to attain an acceptable level of security on wireless networks and you should just stick with cables, inconvenience and all. Some companies and government agencies have banned wireless networking as a matter of policy. Should you just give up on wireless, too?

Ram Idle / FreeRAM

[2/18/05] My computer (HP Pavilion running Windows ME) slows down and occasionally locks up if I run too many programs on it. I suspect it's because it's using up too much memory which is not being reclaimed.

I noticed in freeware news a program called RAM Idle which is supposed to free up memory when it becomes too low. I had tried another program which didn't seem to help much. We'll see how this one goes.

[9/15/05] Windows ME still slowed down even with RAM Idle. It may not strictly be a RAM problem. But I'm now trying another one called FreeRAM XP Pro.

250 miles per gallon?

How about 500 mpg?

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Just as shade-tree mechanics made an industry out of boosting the power of automobile engines, engineers and tinkerers now modify hybrid cars to get amazing gas mileage.

While the typical showroom Toyota Prius hybrid, regarded as one of the best hybrids on the market, can get in the range of 45 miles per gallon, depending on the type of driving, modified plug-in models of the Prius have gotten three to four times better gas mileage.

The fast-growing cottage industry of modifying hybrid cars into plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) is gaining such popularity that the city of Austin, Texas, has announced plans to set aside $1 million to help people buy these new plug-in hybrids.

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George Westphal's sky-blue 1985 Nissan Sentra has braved two decades of harsh winters in Pearl River, N.Y. - and looks it. Rust spots the hood. Door hinges creak. A thick stripe of duct tape holds a cracked dashboard together.

But inside, this unassuming old car holds some hidden surprises. Behind the fuel door, where a thirsty black hole used to be, is a three-pronged plug. Pop the trunk open and eight lead-acid batteries reveal themselves, aligned neatly in two rows. Where the engine used to be are two more batteries, along with a platform of wires and electronic casings. Sit behind the wheel to find an amp meter and a battery indicator in place of fuel and oil-pressure gauges. Westphal's ex-gasoline drinker has taken on a new identity as a purely electric car - and he did the conversion himself.

With gasoline prices soaring - in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, they went well above $4 in some states this week - drivers are taking a new interest in electric cars.