Paul Maunders | Web log

NVIDA have released a computing platform that fits in the palm of your hand, and is capable of playing 1080p HD movies, with 7.1 digital surround sound. The NVDIA ION boards will power Netbooks, Small Form Factor PCs, and we will no doubt see some of them integrated directly in to TV sets. Specifications Intel Atom CPU [...]

Our office currently runs standard fluorescent strip lights (1500mm T8 tubes) throughout, with over 60 bulbs across 3 floors. We are considering upgrading all the lights to LED bulbs, in order to save power and to make them compatible with an office automation system (to turn them on and off automatically). Energy savings So, how [...]

We’ve been desperate for a centralised calendar solution that can sync with all our desktop PCs and iPhones for a while now, and yesterday one of our developers, Matt, found a solution for us. It combines the following technologies: Google Calendar iCal calaboration Nuevasync iPhone MobileMe Essentially Google Calendar is used to provide a central [...]

Anyone looking for an ultra portable / mini laptop / sub notebook / netbook is now spoilt for choice. It seems that after the OLPC (one laptop per child) project announced they were aiming to build an ultraportable device for $100, every manufacturer wants a piece of the pie. Name Screen Size Weight Price ASUS [...]

We are looking to purchase some drives for a Coraid SR1521 storage appliance. Coraid maintain a list of compatible drives on their site, so it would be wise for us to stick to drives that have been tested without problems. Hard drives comparison All disks shown are 1TB SATA drives. MTBF is the Mean Time [...]

Our “hoover” is rubbish. It’s an Electrolux Vitesse Pet Lover which I bought for £70 from Tesco about 18 months ago when we moved house, but as the old saying goes if you buy cheap, you buy twice. The main problem is that it overheats after 5 minutes of use, and needs to take a [...]

Background Magnetic water conditioners are used to treat the effects of hard water. They work by creating a magnetic field that causes the calcium carbonate (limescale) that is naturally found in water to remain in solution, thus preventing it from furring up as scale inside water pipes. Science This method of water treatment is a [...]

In November last year, I saw an advert in which the British Army appeared to use an Xbox controller to fly a miniature UAV. A few people commented on my blog on whether they thought this was real or not, so I decided to find out for certain by sending a Freedom of Information Act [...]

My fiancée, Aimi, recently persuaded me to run the Bupa London 10K with her and as it’s only about 7 weeks away we are now having to train every other night. I’ve never been a particularly good runner and, if I’m honest, I find running pretty boring. However, using a GPS device I have found [...]

Steve Jobs announced a new Macbook for their laptop line up during his keynote speech at the Macworld Expo today. The Macbook Air will be the world’s thinnest notebook, but even though it’s small in size, it’s not short on features: Aluminium case Illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor to auto detect darkness 5 hour [...]