Technology Bytes

Allright. We’ll start out with a first-ever BarretTime tech question …slash… desperate cry for help:

Actually, Chris Fenton needs your help. After constructing a 1/10th scale, cycle accurate Cray-1 supercomputer and finding a disk with Cray software on it, he’s ready to start loading the operating system. There’s one small problem, though: no one knows how to boot the thing. Chris posted a disk image for a Cray-1/X-MP with the help of the people at archive.org. Now he’s looking to the community for help – if you think you can reverse engineer the file system, Chris will pay handsomely with a miniature model of a Cray printed on his MakerBot. So if you think you’re the man, woman or child who can reverse engineer a Cray Bootloader, surf over to hackaday.com to lend your talents. Hopefully, they’ve already tried pressing the power button…

I never thought of cutting down a Cray like that – I wonder if you could get it small enough to fit into a Unibody MacBook chassis…

I’d definitely take a CrayBook Pro down to the local coffee shop… If you’re harboring your own plans for world domination that involve sourcing some new-to-you Apple hardware, you’ll want to clear your calendar for the morning of Saturday, January 21st for the Houston Area Apple Users Group, affectionately referred to as HAAUG. The event takes place at 7008 South Rice Boulevard from nine in the morning until one in the afternoon. The event is free to attend for casual swappers, but if you plan on hauling in more gear than you can carry under an arm, you’ll want to register for a dealer table. Info on that and more is available on the HAAUG site at www.haaug.org.

If you’re carrying an Android handset, you’ve actually got a little Linux with you wherever you go. Why not take the plunge and get to know the real deal this Saturday the 14th at the first Linux Users Group bi-monthly presentation of 2012. The group gets together from two to four in the afternoon for an hour and a half presentation on something Linuxy at the HAL-PC Headquarters. All are welcome; you don’t have to be a member of HAL-PC or a Linux Guru to attend. And…some of what you will learn about Linux can be applied to your Android phone.

If you *would* like to consider joining the Houston Area League of PC Users, there are two things you need to know. One: Despite being named a League, they don’t issue uniforms; superhero, bowling or otherwise. Though that doesn’t stop you from wearing your own. And two: While they do have a monthly general meeting, the Special Interest Groups are where it’s at. Surf their SIG calendar to see when you can converse and learn about topics diverse. SIGs include Database and Graphical User Interface Design, Microsoft Server, Genealogy, Computer Investing, Robotics, and even Sybex tech, if that’s your thing. For details, directions and this month’s list of events, hit www.hal-pc.org.

If you’re familiar with the Benoni, the Modern Benoni, the Modern Benoni Classical Variation, the Modern Benoni Four Pawns Attack, and, of course, the Benoni Defense, or even if you just know every word to every They Might Be Giants song ever written, you might want to consider reliving your high school chess club days by swinging by the West Gray Cafe Express at Seven O’Clock Monday night for a game of pick-up chess at the Houston Chess Bi-Weekly Meetup. Finally, a chance to relive the Glory days without worries of wedgies or lost lunch money…
Does anyone in the studio play chess? Do you have a favorite or signature opening?

My own highly explosive opening? Pawn to C4. And boom goes the dynamite.

That’s it for your week in geek, and that’s that for BarretTime.

The first show of 2012!

Technology Bytes Podcast For January 4, 2012 [ 1:59:52 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It’s the final episode of 2011!

Technology Bytes Podcast For December 28, 2011 [ 1:59:59 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

All right. It’s that time of the season when we’re supposed to reflect upon the last year of our lives and make well thought out resolutions that will hopefully put us in a better place right in time for the end of the world.

About.com offers up what it purports to be the top ten New Year’s Resolutions. If you’re stuck for your own, feel free to borrow from theirs.

First on the list?

1) Spend more time with family and friends.

That’s right. Get them on Google Plus. Or get them into Arduino. Or get them to a Geek Gathering or Hacker Space Open House. We do have a Geek Gathering coming up on the sixth of January, so why not pick a resolution that you can knock out of the park?

The number two spot?

2) Exercise

Exercise your political muscle by sounding off against things like SOPA and other transgressions against good engineering and common sense. You can do this by emailing or calling your political representative from the comfort of your couch.

3) Lose Weight

Drop the heavy laptop and go lighter. NetBook and tablets anchor the inexpensive end with things like the MacBook air ocupying the rarified atmosphere at the top.

4) Quit Smoking

Or at least, quit smoking electronics. Learn to read the power adapters for various gadgets around the house and then make sure you’ve got the right match before connecting them to any expensive appliances. The three things you want to look for are Amps, Volts and Polarity,
which is either Center Positive or Center Negative, depending upon whether the center dot in the three dot illustration on all AC/DC power adapters is connected to the plus or the minus.

5) Enjoy Life More

I think what they’re getting at here is to earn more in-game achievements and complete more side quests. Or, if you’re not into that style of gaming, just stopping to smell the roses in Simville or even planting some in Farmville. Or fry up some bacon, then stop to smell it
while playing Angry Birds. Your options are limitless.

6) Quit Drinking

Given that our bodies are nearly 75% water, I think that this is horrid advice. If anything, you should be trying to drink about 64 ounces of water per day, though this can vary with factors such as the altitude at which you live, the relative humidity, the amount of exercise
you get, your weight and how much alcohol you regularly consume. A quick and easy calculation is to take two thirds of your weight in pounds, and drink that many ounces of water per day. Then throw in a pint or porter or a sip of Scotch for good measure.

Next on the list?

7) Get out of Debt

Since it became illegal to sell your own organs on the Internet, you’re not left with many options other than gold farming. Even Spamming doesn’t pay what it used to…

Eighth on the list is:

8) Learn Something New

This one is pretty easy. Just surf to http://www.hal-pc.org or visit http://www.txrxlabs.org and randomly pick something from their calendar. If you already know it, rinse and repeat. Or even better: All windmills turn counter-clock wise, with the exception of those in Ireland. You can scratch that one of your list, now…

9) Help Others

Since it may be construed as a little creepy for a grown man to join the Boy Scouts, you probably want to skip the organized doing of good deeds and head to Houston’s own HackerSpace instead. It is here where you can help others realize their dreams by donating talents, labor
or knowledge to fellow hackers and makers. Or it could also mean that you should run a lower level World of Warcraft player through a decent dungeon.

And lastly?

10) Get Organized

There’s no better time to organize and catalog your collections than the present. Whether you have a cube full of action figures or a library full of technical manuals, there are a number of open source programs and apps that will help you through your endeavor. At the very
least, you should go through your bags and bank in whatever online games you play. Do you really need that many brooms?

That’s it for Resolving your New Year’s Resolutions and that’s that for BarretTime.

This is the Technology Bytes interview with Alexis Ohanion, co-founder of Reddit.
Alexis called in to the show tonight to discuss The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as H.R. 3261

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as H.R. 3261, is a bill that was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on October 26, 2011, by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) and a bipartisan group of 12 initial co-sponsors. The bill expands the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods. Now before the House Judiciary Committee, it builds on the similar PRO-IP Act of 2008 and the corresponding Senate bill, the Protect IP Act.

Interview With Alexis Ohanian [ 18:52 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tonight’s show featured much light-hearted holiday banter and, of course the “song”, but also had a more serious side as we interviewed Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit about the Stop Online Piracy Act (aka SOPA) bill.

Technology Bytes Podcast For December 21, 2011 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download