get

U2 plays it smart with free stream, multiple packages

Somebody in the U2 camp has been paying attention to recent album releases by Nine Inch Nails, David Byrne and Brian Eno, and Paul McCartney's The Fireman project.

Like these forerunners, U2 is kicking off the promotion for its upcoming album, No Line on the Horizon, by offering the first single as a free online stream, and will offer the album in five packages at different price points--from the superfan box format with a CD, DVD, poster, and hardcover book at $66.49 (if you if you preorder from Amazon, otherwise it's close to $100) to the mere … Read more

Facts behind Microsoft's anti-Linux campaign

Back in 2002, Jim Allchin was co-president of Microsoft's Platforms and Services Division and was, in his own words, "scared" of the momentum behind Linux, as noted in an email [PDF] sent to several of his direct reports.

Why scared? Because Windows was starting to lose to Linux:

My conclusion: We are not on a path to win against Linux. We must change some things and we must do it immediately. The current white papers, etc. are too high level and they are not going to cut it.

So what did Allchin do? As court documents in the Comes vs. Microsoft antitrust suit demonstrate, and as Roy Schestowitz pointed out on his blog Sunday, Allchin started to buy facts. Lots of facts.

What facts? "Facts" about Windows alleged superiority as a preemptive kernel and asychronous I/O, facts that demonstrate that "Linux is old unix." Facts about Windows alleged security superiority over Linux. Facts that go to the heart of Red Hat and IBM's patent indemnification offerings and, frighteningly, Allchin seems to be foretelling Microsoft's later patent FUD against Linux:

We need to understand exactly the risk a customer is under if a patent lawsuit happens and Linux is challenged....There MUST be risks to customers that are being passed on. I want this understood precisely. We need to get the license from IBM given to customers and investigate.

To his credit, Allchin's e-mail constantly re-emphasizes that he's looking for facts, not tabloid marketing against Linux:… Read more

Every office needs a Darth Vader

With companies downsizing in the current economic crisis, and the lucky pool of survivors having to shoulder their absent co-workers' load and slog it out, there's never been a greater need than now to flog the whip, ah, motivate the office geeks.

Thanks to the site Geeks Are Sexy, inspiration lies close at hand. Enter the original Man in Black, who's been known to enforce inspire unquestioning obedience teamwork wherever he treads. Motivation on a poster has never looked so geekily sexy.

(Via Crave Asia)

WiiWare and Virtual Console releases for this week

This week gives Space Invaders its overdue revenge and a classic side-scrolling shooter its second date with the Virtual Console. WiiWare Space Invaders Get Even (Taito, 500 Wii points): My, how the tables have turned. In this classic remake, you'll take control of the UFOs, blasting relentlessly at the poor defenseless humans. Make use of five different attack types and then hop online to see where you stand in the rankings. Pit Crew Panic! (Hudson Entertainment, 800 Wii points): In Pit Crew Panic! you're in charge of repairing vehicles on the race track. Use your Wii remote to … Read more

OLPC's Give One, Get One program to be rekindled Nov. 17

Starting on Monday, One Laptop Per Child's XO laptop will be available through the Give One, Get One program again, this time facilitated by Amazon.com.

For $400, the nonprofit low-cost laptop program will send one XO to the purchaser and one to a school-age child in a developing country.

OLPC said in September that it wanted to revive last year's successful program, but didn't have the infrastructure to support the program alone.

Although Microsoft has started making Windows available for the OLPC, that extends only to those in developing markets like Colombia and Peru, not folks … Read more

Send your English friends a drink with Get Them In

If you're a United Kingdom dweller feeling left out of U.S.-only services like BuyYourFriendADrink.com there's light at the end of the tunnel. Launching Friday is Get Them In, a new way to buy your friends food and drink items right on Facebook which can be redeemed at various U.K. pubs and retailers.

Unlike BYFAD, Get Them In is not just centered around bars, and it works in grocery stores too. Purchases of drinks and snacks are made through Facebook using PayPal, so you've got your entire list of friends available in one place. … Read more

Cobra's 2009 detectors boast new GPS abilities

My first radar detector only had a row of green and red lights and beeped when you got close to being nailed by a radar gun--awfully quaint in comparison to all that Cobra's 2009 radar devices can do. There are six new units in the line priced from $59.95 to $339.95, but the flagship models have all the new fun-fun features.

The XRS 9960G (pictured) and the XRS R10G can be used right out of the box with a GPS locator the size of a thumbdrive that plugs into a USB port on the side of the … Read more

Developer app helps you archive Facebook pics

Facebook is one of the most popular photo hosts on the Web, but when it comes time to get your shots off the service it's also one of the worst at providing tools to do the job.

A solution called simply "Get my tagged pics" does the heavy lifting for at least some of your shots, or rather shots of you. Any pictures that are tagged with your name gets grouped together into sets of 10, which you can pull down to your hard drive as a zip file.

The system is not entirely perfect. For instance, … Read more

Featured Freeware: FlashGet

FlashGet looks and feels like a download accelerator worth paying for, which makes it all the more appealing since it's free. (But you knew that, this being the Featured Freeware and all.)

After installation, a small, dark icon with three lightly-colored triangles will appear in the upper right corner of your monitor. Until you drag it elsewhere, the FlashGet icon will live there permanently, and is always "on top" of whatever program you're using at the time. Simply drag the link you want to download onto the FlashGet icon, drop it and hit the Okay button; … Read more