While we’re pleased to see Intel Atom processors making their way into mobile PCs, we’re just as excited to see the upcoming Atom-based creations of the PC-building community. Now Trainquil PC is selling ready-to-run motherboards with a bundled 1.6GHz Atom processor and supporting up to 2GB of memory. They promise benchmarks of 3-4x those of similar VIA systems and the capability to power Vista Home Media Center “with ease.” Maybe that’s a slight hyperbole, but hey, it’s a heck of a quote. The board is $103 this June. Here are the full specs:

For some reason, Samsung SDI and German company Bundesdruckerei think that their new passport with a 700µm (tiny) polycarbonate data page, which contains an active matrix bendable 300µm (really tiny) OLED display—capable of displaying video or text regarding the passport holder—is the next thing in border security.

The only problem is that they forgot that if it’s electronic, chances are that it will be hacked, no matter what. According to Samsung SDI and Bundesdruckerei, however, their ePassport will be completely manipulation-proof. The thing is even heat-resistant, so it can be laminated to avoid access to it. The display itself won’t use any batteries: it will be activated by a reader that won’t require any contact, which will transmit electricity using induction. Jason Bournes and plastic surgeon junkies of the world, rejoice. [OLED Info]

TAKEN FROM gizmodo.co

Microsoft charged Bill $1,632 for a single Windows Vista Ultimate upgrade license. Each time Bill, an IT Manager, tried to his enter his payment details through Windows Live Marketplace he was told that Microsoft could not be contacted, and to “please try again later.” What Microsoft really meant was, “Ha! Got your money! How ’bout some more?!”

Bill ultimately entered his payment information 7 times. Each attempt cost him $233.15. Now his account is out $1,632, and Microsoft is refusing to help.

TAKEN FROM consumerist.com

The first legit shots of Windows 7, the successor to Windows Vista, were just unveiled by Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer in person at the All Things D conference. It’s the evolution of the surface table, using multitouch on the desktop. Looks like Tablet PC. I’m not impressed so far, but only because it doesn’t move that far beyond the Surface Table demos we saw last year. More photos in a bit. [All Things D]
TAKEN FROM gizmodo.com

Here’s what Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer revealed about Windows 7 at All Things Digital a few minutes ago. The biggest “feature” is the touch and multi-touch integration, which takes many of its roots from Microsoft’s Surface Table, and will be available as an interface options for other apps. Here’s some more stuff they pulled out, which we captured in photos here.

• There will be a OSX-like dock, though how OS X-like is yet to be seen.
• Multi-touch gestures in photogalleries like two-finger zoom, flicking, and panning. Think of the photo app on the Microsoft Surface table.
• Multi-touch paint program where you can draw with 10 fingers (again, think of what you’ve already seen in Surface)
• Multi-touch piano app
• In-depth mapping application that pulls from Microsoft’s Live Maps and Microsoft Virtual Earth

Looks like a LOT of the multi-touch features were culled from the Surface team, and the non-touch features look fairly similar to what’s already in Vista (based on the video above). Those apps are demo apps only, and will be revised/rewritten/reworked before the final version of Windows 7 is available. All this will be yours in about 18 months.

TAKEN FROM gizmodo.com

click above image to view 28 pics of the 2008 BMW M3 Sedan

We’ve been waiting a long time for BMW to snap out of its haze and bring us a four-door version of the venerable M3 coupe. That time has officially come. And it turns out the leaked photo from earlier today was probably from BMW itself, as even though it wasn’t included in the official batch of images released tonight, it’s the same car you’re looking at here.

On the outside, the M3 sedan gets plenty of work done to its front and rear fascias, leaving everything between the A-pillar and C-pillar intact from the base 3-Series sedan (sorry, no carbon fiber roof for the sedan). The front end is a complete carryover from the M3 coupe, with wide fenders, a dramatic front clip, bulging hood and vented quarter panels. Out back, a small lip spoiler sits atop the trunk, while M-specific quad pipes let Bimmer cognoscenti know that they’re behind something special.

Naturally, the M3 sedan benefits from BMW’s new 414 (SAE) HP 4.0L V8, allowing the 3,531-pound four-door to reach 60 MPH in 4.9 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 155 MPH. In a move that should make family-oriented speed freaks burst into tears, BMW will only be offering a six-speed manual version at launch. Although, according to previous reports, BMW’s dual-clutch M-DCT gearbox should be available at a later date. The chassis, suspension and interior also benefit from a host of upgrades, all available to read about in the press release after the jump and view in our gallery below. Look for the M3 sedan to debut in Los Angeles next month.
TAKEN FROM www.autoblog.com

Here’s a REALLY big craft project… make your own life sized Jabba the Hutt!

Behind the cut you’ll see how a few of us made a full sized Jabba out of supplies from discount and hardware stores.

The supplies were pretty basic:

• 3/4″ inside diameter semi-rigid irrigation tubing. This is the stuff you would bury in your lawn for sprinklers. This was around $30 for 50′, and we ended up using a LOT more than we thought… almost the whole role!
• 1″ thick foam padding used for mattresses. This came from a discount store (Building 19). We ended up using 5 or 6 queen sized mattress sheets. It was around $20 a sheet
• A smaller amount of 2″ and 1/2″ foam. 2″ for the lower body and 1/2″ for the features
• LOTS of hot glue. TONS of it… probably 6 big bags of the 12″ sticks from a hardware store
• The skin is “Jet Set” from Joann fabrics. Basically non shiny spandex. I think we used 20 yards of it. Yay for 1/2 off coupons!
• 3M 77 spray adhesive. This is how the skin sticks to the foam. We used 4 cans.
• Clear plastic bowls for the eyes. We painted the insides of the bowls, so the outside shiny. This is a little tricky, but I’ll get into that later.
• Paint. All sorts of stuff! The base coat was 1 gallon of ugly yellow house paint. We thinned it out a LOT (2 parts water to 1 part paint) and sprayed it onto him with a pump sprayer used for lawn chemicals. Not so good for the sprayer (or my driveway!), but it did the trick.
• Assorted lengths of PVC pipe. These are used for the arms, the tail, and whatever else seems good at the time.

OK, enough words, let’s get some pictures!

This is Jabba’s skeleton. We took the irrigation tubing and bent it into a ship’s hull type shape. It is cross braced and screwed together to hold that shape, since this type of tubing will eventually revert back to a straighter position.

The 2″ foam was screwed to the pipe all around. This makes up Jabba’s lower body. We left one side open, where the tail will join.

We made a tent like support for the head. 2 lengths of tube bent to arches and screwed together. We used a few 8″ lenghts of PVC to act as couplers between the lower frame and the upper, so that the tent supports can drop in. You can see that here:

Next is his head. We took a sheet of foam and just threw it over the head supports, then drew lines on it with a sharpie where it looked like it should be cut. We then hot glued the edges of the foam together to form the basic shape. The tail was made the same way… just take the sheet, twist and turn it til it looked good, then cut and glue.

Then a piece of foam was added in to one side to fill out the rest of the armpit area:

A quick slash with a knife, and Jabba was ready for a snack!

Mark, the main creative force behind the construction techniques and detailing, spent the evening working on feature buildup. He took the thinner foam and cut it to shape, then hot glued it where it was needed.

At this point we wanted to make sure that the skinning process was going to work so we jumped ahead to that part of things and skinned the tail:

The skin was done by coating the foam in spray adhesive then placing the fabric down on it, folding the fabric the way that Jabba’s skin is folded.

After the first round of skinning, we made the right arm. Same deal, cutting foam and hot gluing it together.

We then skinned the upper body, same way as the tail. The arms are held to the body via long strips of fabric glued to the body and the arm. The stretchy fabric lets the arms move freely.

Next came the painting. This part was fun. We went to Home Depot to get some paint. We picked up a gallon of house paint that looked like a good Jabba color. I used a chemical sprayer from my garage to layer it down. We thinned it out 2:1 water:paint, and it went on evenly and fast!

Now to the eyes. We used plastic bowls for the eyes, painting the insides. This is a confusing way to paint. Normally, if you want a red surface with a yellow line on it, you would paint the thing red, then put the yellow on top. When you are painting inside a clear surface, you put the yellow first, then the red. So it took a bit of mapping out colors to get it right.

And there they are. We made sure to get the lopsided eyes that Jabba often has.

The detail painting was done via airbrush, and really brought out his features:

The last detail was the mouth. It is really simple… a pink cloth bag sewn up and glued to the inside of his mouth, then airbrushed to tone down the colors a bit. A slit was cut in the bottom of the bag, and the tongue was glued in. The tongue is a piece of 1/2″ foam with the fabric spray glued to it The fabric wraps around and is glued together underneath. This lets you reach into the tongue from the inside to move it.

Which brings us to his big debut:

2 people inside. One working the arms and mouth, and another in the tail, working the Salacious Crumb puppet (through a slit in the tail)

TAKEN FROM community.livejournal.com

No freelancer is perfect — not me, not you, not even the best of us. We all make mistakes, all the time, and if we’re smart, we learn from them.

Some mistakes, however, are more crucial than others, and if we can correct or avoid those mistakes, we’ll survive. We’ll still make other mistakes, but they won’t hurt as much.

Let’s take a look at some of the most essential mistakes that freelancers, new and old, often make, and how to avoid them.

Missing deadlines. I wrote more on this topic in this post, but basically, your ability to put out quality work and meet deadlines is what makes your reputation. And as a freelancer, your reputation is all you have. If you miss deadlines too often, you will soon see your clients going elsewhere. How to avoid: Make deadlines one of your top two priorities (along with putting out great work), overestimate how long it will take you, break the project into smaller steps, and be accountable every step of the way.

Charging too little. New freelancers, especially, undervalue themselves and charge less than they’re worth. That’s OK if you’re just breaking into the business, and don’t have any previous work or reputation to point to. But once you’ve got some stellar work under your belt, don’t be afraid to ask what you’re worth, otherwise you are selling yourself short. And you’ll be working too much just to pay the bills. (See this article for more.) How to avoid: It’s good to find out what the market avergage is, and charge a little more. This tells clients that you’re good. A good way to do the math is to figure out how much you want to make, and how many hours you realistically plan to work. Then charge based on those numbers.

Lack of preliminary research. This is research before making your pitch, not before completing the assignment. Often a freelancer will contact a potential client and make a pitch, without really understanding the client or his needs, and without knowing how this project will add value to the client. This approach will get you very little business. How to avoid: Research the client thoroughly before making contact. The Internet is a great way to do that, of course. Know what the client does, the client’s market, what the client’s goals are (in general), and figure out how you can help the client meet those goals. How will you add value? Direct your pitch at those issues.

Choosing the wrong clients. The client-freelancer relationship is an important one, and there are many issues that can make a client the wrong client, or the right client, for you. Those include the market they’re in, they’re working style, how difficult they are, how likely they are to pay your rate, how much work they require, their ability to pay on time without hassle, and more. If you choose the wrong client, you will make less money, be unhappy, and work more. How to avoid: Select clients carefully. Again, research them, talk to other freelancers who’ve worked for them. When contacting a client, think of it as a two-way interview — they are trying to decide if you’re right for them, but you should also be trying to decide if they are right for you. Do your first assignment or three on a trial basis, to see how things work out. Every now and then, evaluate your clients to see if they’re worth the trouble.

Getting too personal. It’s good to be friendly with a client, but keep it professional. You don’t want to be best friends. You shouldn’t be too formal, either, but if you become personal, two things could happen: 1) one of you could get hurt or angry at the other based on a business decision; or 2) the client might think you’re unprofessional. Either one is bad for business. How to avoid: Start any correspondence on a formal basis, and then get friendlier depending on how the client handles communication. Don’t be afraid to be friendly, but at the same time, don’t go beyond business, and don’t cross the line into unprofessionalism.

Letting off steam. If there is a problem with a client, some freelancers have a tendency to vent their frustration — at the client. For example, if an editor decides not to run my article, I might show my frustration and displeasure in a very angry way. This is bad. It will harm your professional reputation, both with this client and with future clients. And it will lead to decreased business over time, if you continue this mistake. How to avoid: If there is a problem with a client, and you are angry or frustrated, do not communicate right away. Let your steam off some other way, through talking to a friend, through exercise, through eating a carton of ice cream. But don’t do it at your client, or anyone else in your professional world. Bite your tongue. Then, when you’ve calmed down, communicate with your client in a non-emotional, professional manner — preferably in a positive way, but clearly, so that future problems can be avoided.

Not proposing a follow-up idea. Often a freelancer will complete an assignment, and then move on to an assignment with another client. Perhaps the freelancer hopes that the assignment that he completed was so amazing, the client will be knocking down his door the next day. Unfortunately, that often doesn’t happen. If you don’t provide the basis of future business, you might not see it. How to avoid: when you complete an assignment, propose a follow-up idea for future work. If you don’t hear back, follow up.

Not having multiple income streams. Relying on one or two clients is always a bad idea. If your main client drops you, or reduces his freelancer budget, or goes out of business, you’re out of luck. And now you can’t pay your bills. How to avoid: Always have multiple income streams. You might start with one freelance client (we all do in the beginning), but don’t rely on that as your primary source of income until you’ve added more clients. And if you can get other sources of income streams (a full- or part-time job, another business, your spouse’s income, advertising on a blog, selling a product, Amway), you should work hard to do so. It will make your income much more stable and reliable.

Allowing yourself to slack. Let’s face it: some days, we don’t feel like working. And that’s fine, if we plan for that flexibility, and make up for it on other days. But too many days of slacking, and soon you aren’t getting any income. And you’re missing deadlines. Not good. How to avoid: It’s fine to give yourself flexibility, so that you can work when you feel productive, but if you have deadlines to meet, don’t let yourself slack off. Push yourself to meet the deadline, and work in bursts to motivate yourself.

Failing to be yourself. Often we take work because we need the income, but it doesn’t align with who we are. And we feel awful about it, and slowly we begin to hate ourselves. Until we no longer want to do the work. How to avoid: Seek, from the beginning, to find work that aligns with your values, that allows you to be who you are. Being fake and dishonest, to others and to yourself, gets you nowhere. Be sincere in your interactions with others, and don’t be afraid to say no to stuff that doesn’t fit who you are. Always strive to find work you love.

TAKEN FROM freelanceswitch.com

You know that feeling when you gaze into the eyes of your iPod or iPhone and imagine spending the rest of your life with that device? Who wouldn’t want to lock into a endless bond with a gadget from this man? Soon it may be a possibility with the iRing, a conceptual design that symbolizes and eternal bond and includes quite a bit of functionality.

The iRing is the brainwork of Victor Soto. It’s a fairly stylish ring with a lot of added functionality. The band acts as a touch-sensitive function strip. Swipe your finger across the band to control media playback and volume. It communicates with the iPhone or iPod via Bluetooth and even includes a cute docking cradle for when you want to take that out that cute Samsung, but not want anyone to know you are already committed.

TAKEN FROM dvice.com/archive