A number of anti-spam initiatives are underway using Baye’s Theorem to analyze email contents to classify incoming email and recognize spam. I’ve been using POPFile, which is a cross-platform Perl script that you train. POPFile runs as a proxy on your desktop — useful if you don’t own/control your mail server. More Thoughts and Background
It Came From Outer Space
Just a reminder — the Leonid meteor shower has officially begun, and will be going strong all weekend until it peaks sometime on Tuesday. This year is supposed to be a spectacular show, especially on the East Coast which should have the best viewing for the peak. Go to Space.com for more information on where and when to best see the Leonids.
New Software for Scooping Internet News
UNIC (Universal News Internet Collector) software is designed for the efficient online collection of the latest news that matters to you, so that you can read it offline, any time. A key feature of UNIC is that you can read the news digests on either your desktop PC or your PocketPC by creating .lit files for use with Microsoft Reader. Check it out at Softaura
[Please Note: This “news” item was posted by the developer of the software, NOT an impartial user. – The Mgt.]
Street Tech Muse Gets His Due
Jim Leftwich, a grossly underappreciated artist, big thinker and interface designer, gets a bit of his due today at Wired News. His WAY before its time CyberPort Desktop (painstakingly built, pixel by pixel, with Mac II-era SuperPaint) was one of the big inspirations for our Beyond Cyberpunk! HyperCard project. Jim got on board with BCP in a big way and continued to do bleeding edge art that blew our minds on a nearly daily basis. You can see a number of images of his CyberPort with the article.
Congrats, Jim! You deserve it (and LOTS more).
[Thanks to Jay Townsend!]
New iPaq on the Horizon
Apparently Dell‘s not the only one with a low-priced Pocket PC in the works — HP (Compaq), who had the most successful Pocket PC with their iPaq, is soon going to be releasing this little gem called the iPaq 1910. Measuring just 4.5″ x 2.8″ x 0.5″, it’ll sport a 3.5″ screen (smaller than other iPaqs) and an X-Scale processor of just 200 MHz. Expansion sleeves of the old iPaqs will not fit the new unit, and the only expansion option will be through SD/MMC card. Price is going to be around $300. More info and pics from Infosync
Bruce Sterling on Open Source
This came out in July, but it’s so wonderful it deserves a good read. Viridian Note 00325: Open Source Speech
The older Bill gets, the uglier he gets. He’s a guy riding a white horse, that turned into a runaway bronco bull, that turned into a scaly crocodile, and now, it is turning into some kind of diseased revenant. It’s like the Steed of the Nazgul, those black, flying zombie horses that explode when exposed to fresh water. That’s what Microsoft is like now. These guys, these Nazgul… They used to be kings. They were originally human beings, they had wives and children and futures, they had their own little nations to govern and manage. But then there was the One Ring – One Ring to Rule Them All. One. And they couldn’t resist. And they gave in.
Application Acelerator speeds system performance
I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t tried it… here’s my experience using Intel’s Application Accelator to achieve WinBench disk improvements of 34% on a Win 2000 box, and 19% on an XP. Done by some form of disk pre-fetch, I believe.
Check it out, it really works, and it’s a free download from Intel.
Free Sprint PCS module for Handspring
Handspring is giving away for free the Sprint PCS module for their Visor products. When combined with Sprint’s “Free and Clear” plan, you can browse the web as well as use your Visor as a cell phone. Hey, it’s no Danger Hiptop, but if you already have a Visor, and aren’t comitted to another cell provider, this could be the thing for you. These things used to be 300 bucks, now they’re yours for the $8.95 shipping!
Good Lord, Am I A Geek
I was just sitting here in my home office and realized the number of screens I have pointing my way….5.
The “Wired” of Science Mags?
Here’s an interesting pub that someone sent us a link to. It’s called SEED and it alleges to be a magazine that marries pop culture and science (exploring the influence that science is having on culture and vice versa). From the (scant) material on the site, it looks like it may be more about the POLITICS of science as it rubs up against culture, and be from a leftie perspective. Still, looks like it could be worth checking out. I will and report back.
[Thanks to John Bergin]