BlogBuzz July 25, 2007

  • In 2009, all our analog TVs are going to be useless (unless we buy $300 conversion boxes) when all the TV stations switch to the new digital standard. The FCC is planning on auctioning off the vacated airwaves. Google says they will bid at least $4.6 billion…if the FCC agrees to their terms. The terms? Click through for the rest. Go Google!
  • The Zonbu Zonbox…. What an odd concept. It’s a $100 PC with a twist. It has 512MB of RAM, a low power processor, and 4GB of flash memory. The thing’s useless without a $15/mo subscription which nets you 50GB of encrypted hard drive space at Zonbu HQ. Basically, you’re running a linux box where all your files are stored somewhere on the other side of the web. It’s being touted as the “PC of the Future” by numerous people. Not a chance. You can’t edit video, play 3D games, rip your entire music collection, or anything that involves a lot of disk activity. Hello, do you want to wait while your files stream across the web? This is not a PC, it’s a web appliance that compliments your computer. I think it’s best used as a little web device to stick somewhere like your kitchen or garage so you can check you email, and look things up on Wikipedia easily.
  • Senate Forcing Colleges to Spy on Students: Really, monitoring peoples’ web traffic? I’m not a lawyer, but that seems a little unconstitutional to me…
  • Mashable has just compiled a list of over 400 useful resources for webmasters, designers, bloggers, and heavy computer users alike.
  • Yesterday, the 365 Main data center in San Francisco went down, taking with it several major websites including Netflix, Yelp, Craigslist, Technorati, AdBrite, LiveJournal, TypePad, USA today, and Vox. It also caused problems with the servers running Second Life. There were major power outages in the area which must have brought down the data center, despite several layers or redundant power backups.
  • Windows Vista is increasing sales of Windows XP.