Technology: June 2008 Archives

ThinkGeek :: Wi-Fi Detector Shirt

Detachable decal on the front of the shirt shows 802.11(b) and 802.11(g) signal strength with glowing bars. (Via Conservative Intelligencer.)

The Mundaneum Museum Honors the First Concept of the World Wide Web - NYTimes.com

"In 1934, [Belgian librarian Paul] Otlet sketched out plans for a global network of computers (or "electric telescopes," as he called them) that would allow people to search and browse through millions of interlinked documents, images, audio and video files.... Although Otlet's proto-Web relied on a patchwork of analog technologies like index cards and telegraph machines, it nonetheless anticipated the hyperlinked structure of today's Web.... Otlet's vision hinged on the idea of a networked machine that joined documents using symbolic links. While that notion may seem obvious today, in 1934 it marked a conceptual breakthrough." (Via Ephemeral Isle.)

New Haven's 19th century phone book heads for auction block -- Newsday.com

1878 directory for the first commercial telephone exchange, made from carriage bolts, teapot lids, and wire. "It advised callers to speak slowly and distinctly, greet the person on the other line with 'Hulloa!' and end the conversation with 'That is All.'" (Via Ace.)

PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB drives

No installation required: The GIMP, Firefox, Thunderbird, OpenOffice.org, VLC Media Player, 7-Zip, and more: The handiest open-source PC software, set up to run from and save your data to your USB thumb drive.

"Before you hit send on that next email, perhaps you should run down this list, just to be sure." See especially item 17, item 23, item 28, and item 36. (Via Mister Snitch.)

Digital Forensics: 5 Ways to Spot a Fake Photo: Scientific American

How experts spot clones, analyze eyeballs, and decipher camera fingerprints. (Via Little Green Footballs.)