So I have kids and I am constantly looking for fun, educational, entertaining, games for them to play.  I like discovering open source free applications that satisfy this most of all.

Some examples of great programs: tux paint and tux typing.

Phun is different.  Where those two programs excel in teaching kids, Phun is just fun.

It's interactive in a way that not many programs are.  It actually has the playability that feels much like an RTS.  It does what you make it do now.  You add something and the environment acts upon it.

Watch this video.

And it's a toy...except it isn't: 

Radial engine:

Gears:

It's a remarkable achievement.

One big benefit I see in Phun over the other kid applications I've found is that Phun uses an almost standard application user interface.  The user needs to navigate menus and toolbars and context menus.  The other kid apps focus on learning something or doing something.  Phun does that also, but because of its complexity the standard UI is leveraged as the simplest solution.

This is a great side benefit.  Kids get exposure to the standard UI and how applications work.  This has direct impact on any and all other applications they might encounter.

If you have kids go get this program now.  Install it, run it and watch your kids be sucked in for hours.  Heck go do it yourself.  It's really addicting.

From RFC 2606, and I quote:

There is a need for top level domain (TLD) names that can be used for creating names which, without fear of conflicts with current or future actual TLD names in the global DNS, can be used for private testing of existing DNS related code, examples in documentation, DNS related experimentation, invalid DNS names, or other similar uses.

There are four such domain names set aside that are un-claimable by anyone.  One of them is obvious: .test.com [.org, .net, etc]

But there are three more:

I've been thinking about this lately.  You see, I'm becoming a runner.  Never been before but I think you'd have to say that I'm getting there.  Which brings me to this point.  I think my "hull speed" is a 9 minute mile.

For those of you not familiar with "hull speed" it refers to a boats natural "max-speed".  Essentially the point at which you have to begin expending vastly more energy into the boat to get incremental speed increases.  For our family's Cal 40 sailboat that is approximately 6+ knots (6.5 maybe).

For me and running it appears that the 9 minute mile is about where my body likes to be.  Check out this chart.

Of course I have a chart, I'm a geek aren't I?

Anyways, the first datapoint is from February 6th.  Just coming off the long winters break and I walked half my route.  But look at the way the curve is settling down very nicely right at the 9 minute mile mark.

My goal of course is to get it much lower than that, but I anticipate having to expend a lot more energy to get there...and the energy is being expended vastly right now...at least that is the subjective opinion on the ground.

For those of you interested in this chart, go here: running log

click on the image for a larger view.

eh...so I think I might have mentioned in passing here once or twice that I'm a geek.  So don't say you haven't been warned.

Here is a PDF of a Ringworld model.  Just download, print and assemble.

Isn't this just cool.  It so deserves to be built and hung from your ceiling.  [do it, ignore your wife, she told me she digs geeks, trust me.]

Download this link and print this.

Crazy but true.

This guy Peter Rakos, created an entire rendering engine/technique in Excel.  I'm not sure it is quite up to the requirements of Halo 3, but it is still a nifty example of how versatile Excel can be.

Check out the video.

And you can download the excel files yourself and try it out.

BTW, that site is a great resource for finding wallpaper candidates.

oh and BTW I'm on a dual monitor system.

oh yeah one more thing, here is an indispensable tool for spreading an image over two screens in Vista: Display Fusion.

Well naturally if we have the International "Talk Like a Pirate Day" then obviously we need the "Annual Day of the Ninja". 

December 5th is the Day of the Ninja. Plague your co-workers with ninja-ness and wear a ninja mask to work! Got the day off? Run wild in the streets, or dress like a ninja at the mall! Just show the world that YOU ARE NINJA!

December 5 - Annual Day of the Ninja

Now go flip out and wail on guitars!!  Be Awesome!!

This is cool and actually one of the clearest explanations of what makes up the header information of the packets that are flying around the intertubes.  Gallery includes: IPv4, IPv6, TCP, UDP and ICMP.

kloonigames

Cool monthly experimental games from Petri Puhro.

Here's an interview with him.

Man it's cool.

Could we make fully functional mechanical beasts?  I mean think about it.  We just need to design a way for it to search for a power source to get energy.  A way to syphon said electricity.  The procreation thing is the hard part.

Air Ray PDF

Air_ray is a remote-controlled hybrid construction comprising
a helium-filled ballonett and a flapping-wing drive mechanism. The
ballonett is a gastight bladder of aluminium-vaporised “PET foil”
with a specific mass of 22 g/qm; it can be filled with up to 1.6 cbm
of helium. Since 1 cbm of helium generates approx.1 kg weight of
buoyant force, Air_ray’s overall mass must not exceed 1.6 kg.

Air has a density of 0.0012 kg/m3 at 20° Celsius at sea level;
by comparison, the density of water is about 1 kg/dcm3. In the
design of Air_ray, the difference in density between these two
media necessitates an extremely light construction. This enables
Air_ray to almost hover in the air by means of the buoyant force
of the helium ballonet, floating through a sea of air just as the
Manta_ray does in water.

The propulsion is effected by a flapping-wing mechanism. The
wing module, which can be moved up and down by a servo drive
unit, has a structure like that of the tail fins of many fish. This
structure consists of two alternating pressure and tension flanks
flexibly connected by ribs.

Cool

I'm not sure why they made it...except it's cool.

So I found this little trick over here --> http://www3.webng.com/redtophank/cit.html

But here it is for you:

Crazy Cool Internet Trick!
by Justin Benton

Try this crazy cool internet trick in your browser!

Go to Google images. Search whatever you want. Then copy/paste this code in your internet address bar:

javascript:R=0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI= document.images; DIL=DI.length; function A(){for(i=0; i<DIL; i++){DIS=DI[ i ].style; DIS.position='absolute'; DIS.left=Math.sin(R*x1+i*x2+x3)*x4+x5; DIS.top=Math.cos(R*y1+i*y2+y3)*y4+y5}R++}setInterval('A()',5 ); void(0)

Hit enter. Crazy, huh?

Hit refresh over and over to make it go faster. It also works on the main Google images page, as well as many other web sites if you just look around!

To see the YouTube video of this being done, simply Click here. Enjoy!

it's safe...I've checked it out.

What it does is

1. sets up an algorithm for moving pictures using cosign and sign for circular'ish positioning. 

2. Then it goes and finds all the images on the page. 

3. Then it changes their positioning to be absolute instead of just in the flow of the page. 

4. Then it makes them fly around the page.

neato.  pointless but fun.

The blog that pins me to the wall with its fine darts of nerd lightning.

If you are a geek or a nerd or afflicted with some similar...affliction, you are encouraged, nay, required to go read the Rands in Repose.

How I came this far without reading it is a mystery.  Frankly I  blame all the rest of you for not sending me a link to the blog sooner than now.  How dare you hide such witty wittiness from me.

Don't let it happen again!

recommended entries:

http://www.randsinrepose.com/archives/2007/11/11/the_nerd_handbook.html

http://www.randsinrepose.com/archives/2003/07/10/nadd.html

I've got a soft-spot for Lego contraptions.  This one is the best I've seen. 

Apparently the internet story is that this was done by some German high school students.  There appears to be a geek gap between us and the Germans.  Can we get a congressional committee to study the impact of this gap?

Some people really need to get a life.

So there are a tonne of Rube Goldberg machine videos out on the web, some quite good some mediocre.  The most famous one is the Honda commercial where every part of the car becomes part of the contraption. 

This one is exemplary.  It may not be the best...but it is dang close.

Here's the link to the eBay auction: [linky]

1994 Peterbilt 379 (top end model) Caterpillar engine (best) 400hp.  And tricked out to the nines.

Awesome!

Accessories include:

• Voice activated alarm, with the voice of Optimus Prime on lock and unlock mode.
• Dual Chrome 7 inch stacks.
• Custom interior with two tone (blue/red) flames
• and much more...

Current Bid Price is: $55,200.  That is a screaming deal!  There is 50k in chrome on that truck.

The Internet Oracle

Lookit how old this is... a .cgi extension. It's like uncovering a rock and finding a goldmine.

A sample:

The Internet Oracle has pondered your question deeply. Your question was:

> What is the biggest misconseption about anime?

And in response, thus spake the Oracle:

} That it's good.
}
} You owe the Oracle the collected works of Tintin and his many
} adventures on DVD.

Comedic gold.

How did I miss this all those years? Here's the wikipedia article: [linky]

and just so you know, you shouldn't really ask the question: "How much wood can a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood."  It's verbotten.

For those of you with a commute, this might allow you to get more done.  Although up here in the Great Northwest you might want to waterproof you desk first.

Make a foxhole radio.

I like how he tries a couple of easy ways to wind the wire but ends up doing it by hand anyways.

How difficult is it to write a compiler?

1. Read in a source file, and create a parse tree.
2. Turn the parse tree into an abstract syntax tree.
3. Turn the abstract syntax tree into object code.

Sounds easy...eh.  I think I'll write one after lunch.

But food for thought, a whole new programming language was created in the space of a few weeks on multiple platforms: LOLCode!

Based on the site: I Can Has Cheez burger

http://www.matthewmassey.com/Testing.htm

This is just plain cool.  I wanna build one.  Not that my wife would enjoy having a military level piece of high voltage death created in my garage...but a man can dream can't he.

The simple high voltage railgun was tested in May 2005. Previous to firing a current limiting resistor was placed on the railgun and the voltage across the barrel was raised to determine at what voltage flash over occurred. The pulse power supply is capable of operation at 10,000 Volts.

er...that's a lot.

Light up your ears.

..eh...I saw this at first and said to myself, "That is the most moronic thing I've ever seen."  Then I thought about it as actual turn signals for riding my bike...

Nah it's still stupid.

Now if they came in red and green to emulate the running lights like a boat...

Ok, I guess they'd still be lame.

http://lazylaces.com/56Kmodem/

heh.

Kids these days they just don't understand our pain...

heh...heh heh... ... ... ... heh

So this is me embracing my inner geek, but this looks really cool.

c-jump® Ski & Snowboard Race

A computer programming board game.  You play the game and learn how to program.  I think I'm gonna have to get this for the mini-rivets at home.

Discover fundamentals of computer programming by playing a board game! c-jump helps children to learn basics of programming languages, such as C, C++ and Java.

Brilliant. [rules]

Roller coaster chess.

Implementation of said coasting while chessing

The connection of dots of geek-humor-chess-geek-obscure-life/priority-(did I say geek)-implementation of this "humor" would be lost on a majority of the population.

I, on the other hand, find it hilarious

I've been looking for this game again: Line Rider.

I found it over at Flashpedia: [linky] Go check it out.

I'm gonna dig in there a bit to see if I can find a couple of things I've been looking for. A good "Lode Runner" flash game and this cool game from a couple of years ago that followed this guy flying up into the sky...I can't really explain it but it was pretty cool.

The closest thing we have in the tech/geek world resembling a world sport is bashing Microsoft.  There are sites dedicated to it, world-wide efforts to bring and end to its products, bias that runs deeper and stronger the geekier you get.

In a way to gain street cred in the tech world you need to hate MS.

But here is something that MS does better than practically anyone else: It knows how to support independent developers (via Sawickipedia.com).

The Sawicki references a Scobleizer post talking about how Apple is playing true to type and how this may jeopardize its long term strategies. Why? At least in part because [Apple] told developers to go pound sand.

The one piece of this pie that I'd like to add is the fact Visual Studio is the best IDE on the market and has been for a decade. They Visual Studio Group at MS has consistently produced a high quality product. The MSDN program and associated sites, Channel 9, all the team blogs...Microsoft knows how important the developer is and wants to make sure their needs are met.

We're wrong and MS is doomed

Now for a countering opinion I send you over to someone with almost the same weight as Scoble: Joel on Software - How Microsoft Lost the API War. In which he basically states that the change to .Net has removed the primary advantage that MS had which was the desktop as a programming environment.  Now that everything is migrating to the web what does it matter the underlying technology.

My opinion is that Microsoft appreciates the developer more than most of its competitors.  And in the long run this will result in continued strength in the developer community maybe not dominance anymore, but still a strong presence.

Honory mention: Vogon Poetry

For although it is not actually a weapon, it does induce pain and vomitting and in some rare cases death

10. Cohe-Wand of the Paratwa

From the book Leige Killer by Christopher Hinz. This is a great book. I read it years ago...I think I'm gonna go buy it again...The Cohe wand is used by the Paratwa, a race of super humans. It is kinda like an energy lasso. And the Paratwa can use it to DEADLY affect.

9. Flashlight Laser - Ringworld

Swiss army knife of weapons: cook dinner, fry a Kzinti, miss a Pac Protector, all in one. Louis Wu is also one of the coolest characters in Sci Fi history.

8. The cute little Cricket gun from Men in Black

Awesome contrast between the ultra-cool Will Smith and the dinky little gun...that packed a serious PUNCH!

7. Green Lanterns Ring.

What's not to like? Need a big hammer, zabamm, there you go. Need a bubble to protect your superhero friends as you zoom through the outer reaches of space after some super villain, bzzzz, not a problem, need to heat up that bag of popcorn but the microwave is AAAAALLLL the way over in the kitchen, poppity pop pop pop, done and done.

6. Thermal Detonator - Star Wars

Purely for negotiation purposes.

5. Tron Disc.

They can act as a frisbee like weapon, a shield, you can dip them in pure energy to get a hit, you can use them as a way to communicate with your user...I mean what more can a program ask for.  And when Tron throws his disc and it splits the head of Master Control's servant, Sark...man that was cool.

Money Line: [Tron] - "I'm also BETTER than you!" throw disc, kill Sark, easy.

4. Blaster

"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid." - H. Solo.

It's awefully hard to argue with Mr. Solo on this one. Although I don't want one of the ones that's used by the stormtroopers, I think the sights are off because they can't hit a damn thing.

3. Plasma Caster - Predator

Well technically anything that a predator uses should be on this list but we'll go with his shoulder mounted plasma gun. When the Predator shot the arm off of Apollo Creed...Action Jackson...Dillon...man that was cool.

2. Spetsdod - The Man Who Never Missed

Not the deadliest, not the easiest, but just plain cool. A little dart gun you wear on the back of your hand that's activated by pointing your index finger. BTW it's also from one of the best pure Sci Fi Novels of all time.

...and like Louis Wu, Emil Khadaji is just dang cool. The author, Steve Perry's Blog: [linky]

1. Lightsaber

I mean c'mon it blocks all sortsa stuff and cuts things and remember its an elegant weapon from a more civilized age. 'nuff said

And don't even talk to me about those stupid phaser guns from Star Trek. They were always overloading and the fire rate on them was slow as molasses. Although the little handheld one Kirk used on a few older episodes was sorta cool for its formfactor, it'd slip in a pocket real nicely.

Let me know what you think.  Leave a comment.

Update: Scooter over at Gadget Grid posted a great Lightsaber duel in response to the list go over and check it out: [GadgetGrid.com]

So I've seen this out there and it just appeals to my inner geek.  A binary counting machine made of wood.

So here a few other cool base two numbering system fun-ness!

Binary Finger Counting: [linky]

And what is up with that Hexidecimal (base 16) thing anyways.

How does binary relate to hexadecimal? Each digit of a hexadecimal number represents exactly four digits of a binary number. This property is due to the fact that 16 equals 2⁴. Manual conversion between binary and hexadecimal is easy: all you have to do is substitute one hex digit for every four binary digits, or vice versa. See the figure below.

While binary is easy for computers, enormous strings of ones and zeros are a bit unwieldy for people to use. However, as we saw in the preceding section, hex numbers are significantly shorter than their binary equivalents. Because of the simple interchangeability of binary and hexadecimal, humans can read digital data in hex, which preserves the underlying binary format that computers use, while presenting the information in a more human-readable format.

Read More about that here: [Hex Headquarters]

How about a Binary Clock.  Spend more time decyphering the time of day than actually doing something productive. [linky]

Ya know when you shut down Windows and it sits there for a minute and then notifies you that a program isn't responding and what do you want to do about it?

You know how irritating that is to me?

I just want to tell Windows, "I said shut down so SHUT DOWN!"

Well here's the fix. All it takes is a little registry work.

1. Click Start > Run and type regedit, then hit Enter.
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
3. In the right hand pane, change the following String values:
   
   • AutoEndTasks=1
   • HungAppTimeout=4000
   • WaitToKillAppTimeout=4000
   • WaitToKillServiceTimeout=4000

And if the value doesn't exist just right click and add a new string value of the same name.

Sweet.

More detail here and here.

So...techRivet doesn't really review gadgets all that much, it's not the raison d’être of the site.  But even we here at the vast world headquarters of techRivet.com get sucked into the hype.

For the video itself techRivet would like to send you over to one of our online partners: [Gadget Grid]

For it appears that the truth may live up to the hype and let me tell you that would be amazing.  Walt Mossberg the mavin for all gadget-dom has come out with a largely lauditory review.

The two worries about the device prior to launch were:

1. The screen-as-keyboard
2. The slower network

Walt says the keyboard is a "non-issue".  Check off one.

He then says that the slower network may be a problem as you move about outside, but inside the iPhone seemlessly picks up wifi networks.  Half-check.

But the statement that got me was this one:
"It is certainly the most beautiful and the most radical smart-phone or handheld computer I have ever tested!" - Walt Mossberg

I for one welcome our new iPhone overlords

I have believed from the day it was announced that REGARDLESS of its actual real world capabilities the iPhone was going to be a smash.  There was no way it wouldn't be.  But now it appears that Apple has done it and is poised, poised only mind you, to do to the cell phone market what it did to the mp3 player market.

It will be fascinating to see what the world of the phone will look like in 5 years.

...and no I am not participating in link whoredom, how dare you say so.

This is amazing. [The Gathering]

It has been coined as "NerdStock" [linky]

These kids come from all over Europe and even Japan to spend four days playing World of Warcraft, Counter-Strike, and Quake until they pass out in a pool of their own face-grease from exhaustion.

This might be the single largest gathering of nerds this side of the MIT campus.

If you aren't satisfied with your horrid social skills, honed to perfection by hours and hours of online game play.  Here is a perfect way to improve your girl protection factor by +4, your dorkiness by +9 and your heat exhaustion +3. [linky]

The virtual communities created by online games have provided us with a new medium for social interaction and communication. Avatar Machine is a system which replicates the aesthetics and visuals of third person gaming, allowing the user to view themselves as a virtual character in real space via a head mounted interface. The system potentially allows for a diminished sense of social responsibility, and could lead the user to demonstrate behaviors normally reserved for the gaming environment.

schweeeeeeet!