Three Way News: FRISCI 1

Friday, April 07, 2006

FRISCI 1

Long time ago, I had a regular feature "Open Source Fridays" where I discussed Free and Open Source Software, along with other computer topics that caught my eye. I'm reviving and expanding that feature to FRISCI: "FRISCI is Really Interesting Science and Computer Information". All topics are go.

What better way to start? Look at the blue ring around Uranus.

Norway is moving away from Microsoft. Apple wants to give Microsoft a big hug. Boot Camp will let you run XP on your Mac. Daring Fireball is off base with this, though: "It’s a low-risk, no-lose proposition for them, and but [sic] the potential upside is huge." I've been dual booting since Red Hat 5.2. If I didn't have kids, I'd be missing a joyful part of my life, but I would never run XP again. This is good news for Mac fans, but there will not be a stampede of Windows users buying Macs.

Jambo posted about a fish with leggy fins earlier this week. God allowed Satan to put the fish fossil there to tempt secular scientists. Sadly, Jambo seems to have swallowed the hook. See you in hell, you magnificent bastard.

Scientifically speaking, the discovery and translation of the Book of Judas fascinates me. Theologically, I wonder how these texts can be viewed as divinely inspired despite the dramatic difference in theme. We'll have reaction on that score on Monday.

Maryland is going to spend $15 mllion on stem cell research. California, Connecticut, Illinois, and New Jersey already have state-funded research programs.

Might there be a Rayman 4 for the Revolution? Err, nPlay? Thankfully, that name change was a stupid April Fool's Day joke.

Like Guitar Hero? Donkey Konga? Karaoke? Sure. We all do. That's why you're gonna love my game idea -- 'Jam'. A music game you can play alone or with friends. Each player gets a separate instrument and plays from a unified musical staff. The game will be fully mod-able, so you can record your own songs into the game, polish them in an editor, then challenge your friends to play your notes. It's gonna be boss, man, I'm telling you -- totally boss!

Why should you care about video games? They make you smarter. Well, they can make you smarter. Coming soon to the DS: Brain Age. I don't know how brains work. I don't know if anyone knows how brains really work. But I believe we all spend our lives getting smarter and dumber. At least, we spend our lives building and forgetting brain skills. It's not just that I couldn't solve a basic calculus problem anymore. I write gooder when I write a lot. I add better when I add a lot. So do something with your brain -- play a video game.

There a group of talented people who make video games -- and all other kinds of software -- for fun, profit, recognition, and all the other reasons any of us do anything. Many of these projects are hosted by SourceForge.net. On April 5, the Community Choice Awards were announced. Want to edit some images in Windows? Forget Photoshop. Use The Gimp for Windows (better yet, use the Gimp for Linux and ditch Windows altogether). Want to run Windows applications in Mac OS X without rebooting? Try Darwine. Want to play Zaxxon exactly like it was in arcade? Download AdvanceMAME. In the mood for a classic adventure game? Here's scummVM (that's Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion Virtual Machine). Need to download that episode of American Idol you missed? Get a life. Or, try Azureus, a bit torrent client.

Finally, something I just installed and used for the first time today. It's the Netcraft Anti-Phishing Toolbar. Users report phishing sites, Netcraft verifies them, then alerts you if navigate somewhere phishy. Phishers are only going to get more sophisticated. Give the toolbar a try before something bad happens to you.