data

If your old iPod is gathering dust, why not use pdPod to turn it into a drum machine or a synthesizer? pdPod is an iPod version of a free, open-source application called Pure Data, used by experimental musicians with a mind for math and too much time on their hands. Installing it on an iPod isn't easy, but it sounds like a worthwhile weekend project if you're a musician with an extra iPod laying around.

To get the pdPod software up and running, you first need to load the Linux-based Podzilla iPod operating system as a foundation. Once … Read more

Just about every technology under the sun--from your cell phone to the biggest baddest core router or multi-processor server--tracks its activities by maintaining log data files. Most people rarely pay attention to this stuff, but it is a big deal when it comes to enterprise IT.

Want proof? According to ESG Research, 44 percent of large organizations (i.e., 1,000 employees or more) collect at least 1 terabyte of log file per month. Heck, 11 percent say that they capture more than 10 terabytes a month. That's a lot of logs from a lot of devices.

Just what … Read more

Voting is now closed! See the exciting conclusion of the Nonviolent Robot Tournament right here.

The nonviolent robotic cream has risen to the top. Figuratively.

All this week, Honda's Asimo and Star Trek: The Next Generation's Commander Data will be hitting the hardwood and competing for your votes. The robot with the most votes will take its place among the pantheon of greats, immortalized as the champion of all nonviolent robots.

It's been a long, crazy tournament (get the brackets here). For the round-by-round results, visit the links below. Or just click here for the championship scouting reports … Read more

CIO magazine reports something that many of us take for granted, but which little data has previously been available to support:

The open-source development process is much, much faster at fixing bugs than the proprietary-software development process. Days faster, in fact.

CIO's Esther Schindler reports:… Read more

The numbers had been showing a steady clip supporting GPLv3. So, hot, right? But Evans Data ran a survey of developers showing that support for GPLv3 is actually cold. So, which is it?

Probably both.

From the Evans Data survey:… Read more

Editors' note: This blog initially misstated the number of years of credit monitoring that TJX is offering in the proposed settlement. It is offering three years, or two additional years if the customer is already signed up for a credit monitoring service.

The TJX Companies announced on Friday a yet-to-be-finalized settlement for several class action suits resulting from various data breaches over the last few years.

TJX, which operates such discount retail chains as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls in the U.S. and Winners and HomeSense stores in Canada, is offering claimants three years of credit monitoring (or two … Read more

iForem is a new service making its debut at the DemoFall conference. Currently aimed at enterprise users, the company is set to step into the consumer space early next year. The basic premise of iForem is that users pay for storage up front, similar to purchasing actual physical media to save their files. iForem then keeps the files safe, secure, and redundant as long as you've got the proper passwords--all without a subscription.

iForem creators Stephen Pieraldi and TJ de Luna started the company as a response to some of the free online storage solutions out there that offer … Read more

Voting is now closed for this round. See the results of these battles here and vote on the championship battle here!

Get it now! Your updated, printer-friendly tournament bracket.

This is why they play the games have online robot polls.

The Final Four is set, and only one No. 1 seed is still in contention. Not only that, but fan darlings The Beer-Launching Fridge, Bender, Marvin the Paranoid Android, and Nintendo R.O.B. have been sent packing due to heart-wrenching losses in the Elite Eight. They are still champions in the hearts of many, but when it comes to … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--CORRECTION: Right now, if you buy an energy-efficient dishwasher, utilities like PG&E will give you a cash rebate.

They may do the same for energy-efficient PCs.

The Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a consortium of tech companies that is trying to get the industry and consumers to adopt energy-efficient components, has started to explore the idea of direct rebates with utilities, said Erik Teetzel, a program manager at Google during a meeting at the Intel Developer Forum taking place in San Francisco. Google and Intel are the driving forces behind Climate Savers. (correction: we spelled his name wrong. … Read more