SeaTools is a clever little freeware utility which will diagnose any problems with your hard drives, internal or external. It will also fix some of those problems if you are using Seagate or Maxtor disks. The software is pretty easy to use. Just select the drive you want to test (or all of them) and choose short test to get an overview of whether there are problems). If there are you can then select the long test which will attempt the fix on…
Read MoreMonthly Archives: July 2010
Open Stack – free cloud computing for everyone
Rackspace has just announced the Open Stack initiative which basically provides a free Open Source software stack for creating your own cloud environment. What does that all mean? Well if you are a public service, company or even an individual with enough computing power (i.e. enough web servers), you can now download this software suite and create your own scalable, automated cluster of virtual computers to run web applications. Without having to hand over huge sums of cash. This means that if…
Read MoreiPhone 4 – Titanic Antennagate Jedi loses Death Grip control of Reality Distortion Field
Not really Apple’s greatest moment, is it? Petulant, angry, defensive and just a tad ungracious to its adoring customers. Ah well…c’est la vie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn-YesqzvNk How not to conduct a PR campaign on a dodgy product. iSuckit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lapu7dAtQw Friends & Enemies: PC World Consumer Reports Rivals Annoyed Rubber Bands to the Rescue: Brando …and finally: Apple Design Chief Jonathan Ives gives a June interview about the importance of materials in the design of the iPhone 4. Tags: apple, iphone+4, pr
Read MoreBBC switches all news video on to Spinal format
So it appears that the experiment with pushing iPlayer maximum volumes up to a Spinal Tap tear inducing 11 worked so well that all BBC news video is now geared to that maximum. Thank goodness for quirky Brit-ness, eh? Tags: bbc+news, video, heh, spinal+tap
Read MoreFerret posts this week
Here’s a quick round-up of Red Ferret posts from the past week for those who missed them. Enjoy. LetCool 350JP Games Console – the olde schoole games machine – It’s clear that nostalgia ain’t… Self Defense Ballpoint Pen – with glow in the dark top – This Self Defense Ballpoint Pen… Lawn Stryper – give your grass the cricket pitch look every time – Lawn Stryper is a mower add-on… SD Explorer – freeware lets you manage 25 GB of…
Read MoreTwist Alarm Clock – want to stop it ringing? Do some maths…
The Twist Alarm Clock won’t shut up until you solve a maths problem. Yeah that sounds like fun at 6am on a foggy Monday morning, right? The only problem we reckon needs solving is where in the trash to drop the thing on the third morning. $52.00. Getting up can be a drag but one way to force yourself out of bed in the morning is by doing maths. At least, that’s what the makers of the Twist Alarm Clock believe! Turn…
Read MoreHAV 700D 7 Inch Headrest DVD & FM Transmitter – bringing home theater to a head restraint near you
Not content with just stuffing a flat screen LCD into a car headrest, this enterprising Chinese company has gone ahead and put a whole home theater kit into one. The HAV 700D 7 Inch Headrest DVD & FM Transmitter combines a full PAL/NTSC DVD and MP3 player with a standard mount car headrest. The disc slides in from the top (low slung sports cars need not apply) and the transmitter beams the audio to the vehicle’s stereo system. There’s an SD…
Read MoreFast Forward Powered Pedals – innovation award winner now on its way to prototype?
Congratulations to Stephen Britt whose invention the Fast Forward Powered Pedals has just won a Barclays Bank innovation award. He gets £50,000 cash to move his electrically powered bicycle pedals to prototype stage, and hopefully then on to full production. Video. The jury is still out as to whether this concept will actually work in a real world environment. You have to take the pedals off the bike to charge them, and there’s some doubt as to whether they will actually store enough power in…
Read MoreGopan Rice Bread Cooker – first rice bread cooker in the world confuses old Uncle Ben
Electronics giant Sanyo has launched the Gopan Rice Bread Cooker, which is the first bread maker which can convert ordinary grains of rice into a loaf. Apparently rice consumption has declined dramatically in Japan over the past few years, and this new device is one way they hope to correct the problem. It’s designed to be easy to use, just drop the rice in the top, and the machine will do the rest. This could be pretty useful for people…
Read MoreFace Lift Belt – the anti-wrinkle solution to an empty brain
The Face Lift Belt promises to deliver the kind of wrinkle free, alluring and totally irresistible looks we’re all so anxious to achieve. Right? Just sleep with this puppy on your head for a few nights and watch the difference. No really, this isn’t a scam. Honest. Now about that bridge you wanted… $12.90. Wear this facial belt during sleep to lift your face, cheek right from the scalp. Giving you a young wrinkle free facial and prevent them from…
Read MoreBuduControl – freeware helps you set up your own Internet Cafe
BuduControl is a freeware program designed to let you set up your own Internet Cafe operation. Just install the software on your admin PC and up to 11 other computers, set the IP addresses, allow firewall access as per the instructions and you’re good to go. The system will let you lock and unlock the clients, send a shutdown warning and it also tallies up the Net access fees from your customers in your chosen currency. It can even transfer customers from…
Read MoreExtension FM – awesome Chrome extension automatically grabs MP3 playlists from the web
Well it had to happen. The Google Chrome web browser looks like it’s just received its killer extension, the one that will drive adoption and use through the roof. ExtensionFM sits in the browser and automatically finds and grabs every MP3 file on pages you visit and drops them into an instant play library, which you can enjoy as you continue to browse. Words don’t do this extension justice folks. Just install it and visit a few MP3 music sites and…
Read MoreCookDinner – awesome recipe site does it all beautifully
CookDinner is a new recipe service from the makers of mealopedia, and boy is it tasty. The team has taken the best bits of the past effort and rolled them up into a beautiful new dish [enough with the foodie stuff already – Ed]. The site basically offers a wide range of specially selected healthy recipes, with ingredients and instructions, along with a bunch of really standout features. For instance the way it’s presented, with a beautifully clear interface and lots…
Read MoreNew Spice – the parody done good!
New Spice…a rather awesome parody of…well…Old Spice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ArIj236UHs Tags: new+spice, parody, old+spice, advertising, meme
Read MoreNetTalk Duo – VoIP Internet phone for the home
The NetTalk Duo VoIP Internet Phone device offers ‘no computer needed’ free US calling, voicemail to email, call forwarding and conferencing via your Internet connection, plus a nice little public spat with the folk from MagicJack who supply a similar but different device. Now why can’t we all just get along, eh? $69.95. * Free nationwide calling throughout the U.S. and Canada * Free calling to any other netTALK device worldwide * Ultra Low-Cost International Calling Tags: gadget, nettalk+duo, internet+phone, voip
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