Ban has key role to play in cutting illness

“Not only do these policies achieve their aim of protecting the health of non-smokers by decreasing exposure to second-hand smoke, they also have many effects on smoking behaviour, which compound the expected health benefits.”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/06/30/ban-has-key-role-to-play-in-cutting-illness-91466-21171115/

Windows Could Use a Rush of Fresh Air

"The best solution to the multiple woes of Windows is starting over. Completely. Now."



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/technology/29digi.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=technology&adxnnlx=1214914239-B7JhvKvHUr7RHaDr7wHctw



http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/29/2342215&from=rss

Syncing: Sync and Back Up Your Data with Conduit for Linux

"Admit it—even if your desk could be the cover shot for Organized Worker Monthly, your data is all over the place. Between desktop apps, online networks, and webapp tools, it's easy to lose track of data and duplicate tasks, simply because it's not all accessible, or it takes too much of your time to keep it all synced up and together. Conduit, an in-development program for the Linux desktop, makes it simple to link your web data, desktop files, and other information all together, then synchronize them all with a single click. Follow along as we check out how Conduit works, peek at its potential, and try out a few examples (and solicit your own clever ideas)."

http://lifehacker.com/398775/sync-and-back-up-your-data-with-conduit-for-linux

Hauling Furniture By Bicycle

"... Well, that all changed last week when I received my new trailer from Bikes at Work. There are lots of different trailers out there, but I decided on this one because it is designed to carry up to 300 pounds and has an innovative hitch design. Not only that, but on their web site you can see amazing pictures of people hauling everything from fridges to sofas to lawnmowers--that's the kind of trailer I want!"



http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/who-needs-a-car-hauling-furniture-by-bicycle.php

Sumopaint

Free online image editing software





http://www.sumopaint.com/

How to Reach Age 99: 100 Essential Habits

"No matter what you do, you must know that the odds of living to age 99 are against you. While living to experience age 99 isn’t an easy task, it can be done. One huge factor that can decrease your chances dramatically is heart disease. So, our focus is on that issue. But, your risk for heart disease can be reduced drastically with small measures, and the majority of habits listed here coul help you realize your old-age potential. The reason the ‘tips’ listed below are called ‘habits’ is because they are life-changing skills that must be repeated throughout your life to realize the possibility of reaching that age 99 goal."

http://www.nursingdegreeguide.org/2008/how-to-reach-age-99-100-essential-habits/

Explore your database with Talend Open Profiler

"Open Profiler offers functions for both technical and business users. It can quickly build statistics that reflects the usability of the information within a database table. As it finds corrupt or inconsistent data, it can scrub bad information from database structures. Additionally, Open Profiler simplifies the repetitive nature of statistical analysis while reducing labor costs and errors."



http://www.linux.com/feature/140928

Tidal Power Alternative to the Severn Barrage

"The main idea, being put forth by the Severn Tidal Fence group, is rather than a full tidal barrier a line of underwater turbines would be built, with spaces between the turbine groups large enough for commercial shipping to pass, as well allowing for the migration of salmon and reducing the risk of flooding upstream by reducing high tide levels upstream from the fence. Mudflat areas used by migratory birds would also be protected."



http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/tidal-power-alternative-to-severn-barrage-touted.php

Fifth Fuel

Forbes Magazine: "ten efficiency bangs for your buck include green roofs, building orientation, but surprisingly, from a business magazine known as 'the Capitalist Tool' and owned by a right wing perennial presidential candidate, such un-American ideas as bicycles and following the speed limit."



http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/forbes-magazine-on-energy-efficiency.php

Welsh church in London is closed

"The Welsh-speaking congregation of a landmark London church designed by Sir Christopher Wren has been forced to worship elsewhere."



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7513957.stm

Export Data from Google's Services

"Google mentioned in many occasions that it doesn't want to trap users' data and some of its services have started to provide import/export options. Here are some of the ways to export your data from Google's services"

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/06/export-data-from-googles-services.html

Microblogging Via Email With Posterous

"If you’ve been toying with the notion of starting your own blog but are afraid that it’s too hard to set up and post new content, then posterous is probably just what you’ve been looking for. Posterous allows you to not only create your very first blog post just like you would send out an email, but keeps it that simple every time you want to share something new. To get started, just send an email to post@posterous.com. Type your post title in the subject line and add your post text in the body of the email. You can attach photos, MP3 files, and documents. Then hit “send” and you should immediately receive an email from posterous with a link to your new site where your email has magically turned into your very first blog post!"



http://demogirl.com/2008/06/30/microblogging-via-email-with-posterous/



http://posterous.com/

NATO: ODF is fine with us

"Adopter by adopter, person by person, country by country, organization by organization, ODF keeps winning."

http://www.sutor.com/newsite/blog-open/?p=2420

50 Firefox 3 Add-ons That Will Change the Way You Surf the Web

"Out of the box, Firefox 3 is already an incredible web browser. But when you consider all of the power tools that can be added to it, it’s even better. Check out these add-ons for Firefox 3, and you’ll take your browser to the next level."

http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2008/07/17/50-firefox-3-add-ons-that-will-change-the-way-you-surf-the-web/

California Uses More Gasoline and Diesel than China

"Truly an amazing statistic, via Wired. According to the California Energy Commission, the state with its 37 million people uses more gasoline and diesel than any other country on Earth except the US as a whole. That's more than India with its 1.1 billion people. More than China with its 1.3 billion."

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/california-more-gas-diesel-than-china-satistics.php

Interactive Linux Kernel Map

http://www.makelinux.net/kernel_map

Utah Shifts To A More Sustainable Four Day Work Week

"Around 17,000 or 20 percent of all Utah state workers will shift to a new four-day, ten-hour work schedule beginning in August as part of the state’s one-year "Working 4 Utah" pilot program to save energy and money. By shutting down 1,000 buildings statewide on Fridays, an estimated 3,000 metric tons in carbon emissions will also be cut. Admittedly, though the energy and fuel savings is not as great as telecommuting, the idea of a four-day work week is probably more appealing to reluctant employers who are willing to test more moderate, but still viable, alternatives."

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/utah_four_day_work_week.php

NASA to Attempt Historic Solar Sail Deployment

"Hold your hands out to the sun. What do you feel? Heat, of course. But there's pressure as well – though you've never noticed it, because it's so tiny. Over the area of your hands, it only comes to about a millionth of an ounce. But out in space, even a pressure as small as that can be important – for it's acting all the time, hour after hour, day after day. Unlike rocket fuel, it's free and unlimited. If we want to, we can use it; we can build sails to catch the radiation blowing from the sun."

"These words were spoken not by a NASA scientist but by a fictional character – John Merton – in Arthur C. Clarke's short story The Wind from the Sun. If all goes well, Merton's prophetic words are about to become fact. "

http://www.physorg.com/news133794632.html

Get Out of Your Own Way

"Fishing in the stream of consciousness, researchers now can detect our intentions and predict our choices before we are aware of them ourselves. The brain, they have found, appears to make up its mind 10 seconds before we become conscious of a decision -- an eternity at the speed of thought."



http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121450609076407973.html?mod=blogs

Traffic changes ‘are pulling in pedestrians’

"CONTROVERSIAL city centre traffic changes have been a resounding success with pedestrian numbers doubling in a year, according to the council.



The authority said its own research proves the new-look High Street and St Mary Street attracted 99% more people on one Saturday in May this year, compared to 12 months ago."



http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/06/28/traffic-changes-are-pulling-in-pedestrians-91466-21165251/

Vista: DOA in the Enterprise

"The year-to-year, or wave-to-wave, surveys are yet another dismal pronouncement on the state of Vista adoption among businesses. The numbers are grim, and there's not much spin I could put on them, even if I were so inclined. I'm not."

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/vista/vista_doa_in_the_enterprise.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535

More people want less responsibility in their jobs

"A recent study from the Families and Work Institute reveals that the percentage of college-educated workers who want more responsibility in their jobs has dropped in the last few years."

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/career/?p=357&tag=nl.e101

ASUS Eee PC 1000 Review Overview

"The Eee PC 1000 is a fabulous machine. It precariously straddles the line between netbook and ultraportable, but it's well equipped, well designed and great for anyone requiring a highly portable notebook."



http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/notebooks/0,1000000333,39448524,00.htm?r=1

Homeland Security Cost-Benefit Analysis

"Homeland Security Cost-Benefit Analysis

This is an excellent paper by Ohio State political science professor John Mueller. Titled 'The Quixotic Quest for Invulnerability: Assessing the Costs, Benefits, and Probabilities of Protecting the Homeland'"

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/07/homeland_securi_2.html

EU says yes to Welsh language

"Heritage Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas said: “This is another important milestone for the Welsh language and a very welcome recognition from the EU’s most powerful institution."

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/07/17/eu-says-yes-to-welsh-language-91466-21355327/

Buddha Book Club

"A spacious gathering of practitioners of Vajrayana, Anuyoga, & Atiyoga who desire to read the literature of the great spiritual masters past, present, and future."



http://buddhabookclub.ning.com/

Page2RSS - Create an RSS feed for any web page

"It is a service that helps you monitor web sites that do not publish feeds. It will check any web page for updates and deliver them to your favorite RSS aggregator."



http://page2rss.com/

Alex Brown: OOXML will be second to ODF

"I think what OOXML really represents is a mistake, but one that will force valuable change on the way standards are created and understood."

http://www.sutor.com/newsite/blog-open/?p=2412

The Periodic Table of Videos

"Tables charting the chemical elements have been around since the 19th century - but this modern version has a short video about each one."



http://www.periodicvideos.com/

Researcher Profiles and Portfolios: Use Cases of the Facebook Service and the University of Queensland Researchers Service

"Facebook offers a number of useful features that could be adapted for users in the academic environment. Facebook also offers a more 'live', real-time view of a researcher, and it provides a much more engaging and interactive experience. The UQ Researchers service, by contrast, appears both old-fashioned and extremely static, and it offers no way within its system for visitors to interact with any of its content, or with any of the researchers profiled therein. Below are some recommendations for making UQ Researchers more 'user-friendly'."

http://www.dlib.org/dlib/july08/weaver/07weaver.html

Personal Productivity: Nine helpful yet REALISTIC tips.

"Follow the “one-minute rule.” I don’t postpone any task that can be done in less than one minute. I put away my umbrella; I glance at a letter and toss it; I put the newspapers in the recycling bin; I close the cabinet door. Because the tasks are so quick, it isn’t too hard to make myself follow the rule, but it has big results."



http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2008/07/personal-produc.html

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama submits plans for �22.5m training facility

"Plans to build a £22.5 million state of the art training and performance facility at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama have been submitted to Cardiff council.



If given the go-ahead, work on the major development - which would include a 450-seat concert hall, a 160 capacity theatre, four drama rehearsal spaces, and an arcade to exhibit the work of design students - could begin as early as February next year."



http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/21283/royal-welsh-college-of-music-and-drama

ASUS Eee PC is a good option for a lightweight laptop

"With a comfortable keyboard that — while taking a little time to get used to — works quite well (certainly better than the Toshiba Libretto I had previously used as a sub-notebook), and the 1024x600 screen resolution, the Eee PC is a great little machine."

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/opensource/?p=239&tag=nl.e011

Almost confirmed: Dell E mini-notebook coming in August

"As expected, it looks like the cheapest Dell mini-notebook (which may or may not be called the Dell E) will cost just $299, making it one of the cheapest subnotebooks around."



http://www.liliputing.com/2008/07/almost-confirmed-dell-e-mini-notebook.html

Flickredit

"FlickrEdit is a Java Desktop application that allows you to display and edit your photos in a variety of ways. It also allows you to download/backup or upload your photos to and from Flickr. FlickrEdit is written in Java and it uses flickrj framework to access Flickr."



http://sunkencity.org/flickredit

Mind Maps: Boost Your Brainstorming Session with MindMeister

"Jotting a simple list is a great way to brainstorm, but when you want to visualize, organize, and untangle a deep set of ideas, you want a mind map. Web-based mind mapping tool MindMeister offers a simple interface to create mind maps collaboratively or on the go."



http://lifehacker.com/398476/boost-your-brainstorming-session-with-mindmeister

The Nokia N96

"The Nokia N96 features a large 2.8″ QVGA screen, which can display up to 16 million colours with a resolution of 249 x320. Storage comes at 16GB of internal flash memory similar to that of the iPhone, but the Nokia N96 also features a microSD, card slot for expansion. It can store up to 40 hours of video or around 12,000 songs on its built in 16GB memory, which is pretty impressive."



http://www.gadgettastic.com/2008/07/15/review-the-nokia-n96/

Nintendo Unveils ‘Motion Plus’ Wii Add-On

"Nintendo’s upcoming Wii MotionPlus accessory for the revolutionary Wii Remote controller again redefines game control, by more quickly and accurately reflecting motions in a 3-D space. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion. Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play."



http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/07/14/first-e3-surprise-nintendo-unveils-motion-plus-wii-add-on/

Commuting by bike being made easier

"EMPLOYERS in Cardiff are recommending staff commute by bike to improve health and productivity and to beat the rising cost of motoring. Cycle Training Wales is a new enterprise set up to provide the services required to encourage staff to switch."

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/06/28/commuting-by-bike-being-made-easier-91466-21164655/

Download the latest version of Skype for Linux

"Make calls from your computer – free to other people on Skype, great low rates to phones and mobiles across the world. And the sound quality is great too – keep it running all day, and it’s like you’re in the same room as the person on the other end."



http://www.skype.com/download/skype/linux/

feedmysearch -Turn google searches into usefull rss feeds

"Turn your usual Google searches into tiny rss feeds. Get instant updates whenever a new result appears significantly on Google"



http://feedmysearch.com/

Adeona: A Free, Open Source System for Helping Track and Recover Lost and Stolen Laptops

"Adeona is the first Open Source system for tracking the location of your lost or stolen laptop that does not rely on a proprietary, central service. This means that you can install Adeona on your laptop and go — there's no need to rely on a single third party. What's more, Adeona addresses a critical privacy goal different from existing commercial offerings. It is privacy-preserving. This means that no one besides the owner (or an agent of the owner's choosing) can use Adeona to track a laptop. Unlike other systems, users of Adeona can rest assured that no one can abuse the system in order to track where they use their laptop."

http://adeona.cs.washington.edu/

UK Invests Big Money In Bikes

"The Transport Minister, Ruth Kelly says 'A quarter of journeys made every day by car are less than two miles, Cycling is an alternative that could bring real health benefits to millions of adults and children, as well as helping them save money and beat congestion.'"

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/uk-invests-big-bucks-in-bikes.php

Pandora

"It is by far the most powerful handheld in the world both in terms of raw CPU power and 3D graphics capability, it will be able to handle things such as Firefox3 or Quake3 with ease."

http://openpandora.org/index.php

Write Rhymes

http://www.writerhymes.com/

Watching horses look

"You can get an idea of what horses are looking at by watching the position of their heads. Horses lower their heads to see objects in the distance. They raise their heads to see objects up close."

http://rulesofthumb.org/perma.php?ruleid=1392

Move Your Business From Windows to Linux

"If the cost of Windows is getting your small business down, consider shifting to Linux."

http://www.pcworld.com/article/147879/move_your_business_from_windows_to_linux.html

Save Our Phone Box

"They are saying they are taking all the beautiful red phone-boxes away.

Link to this web site to see if you could do something to help stop this.

www.saveourphoneboxes.plaidcymru.org/"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brynmeillion/2663600097/

Really Simple Notepad for Firefox

"Need to jot something down real quick before you forget, and don’t want to be bothered launching another web site or program to do it? The Really Simple Notepad bookmarklet is just what the forgetful web user needs."

http://www.firefoxfacts.com/2008/07/13/really-simple-notepad-for-firefox/

Rare Tom Jones recording goes under the hammer

"AS FAR as Tom Jones recordings go, this one definitely is unusual.

A rare reel-to-reel master-tape recording of Tom in 1962 made in the unlikely setting of the toilets at the YMCA in Pontypridd is about to go under the hammer at London auction house Christie’s."

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/06/28/want-to-hear-young-tom-jones-singing-in-the-toilet-you-ll-need-to-be-feeling-flush-91466-21165639/

A Student's Guide to Software Engineering Projects

"This online guide is meant for students following software engineering project courses. As I teach both software engineering theory courses and project courses, I have some idea of how hard it is for some students to apply the theory they learned before in the practical context of a team project. This is my effort to help such students."



http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~damithch/guide/

Wii: Save a Mii Character to Your Remote (Wiimote)

"Save a Mii Character to Your Remote (Wiimote)"



http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/2911/wii_save_mii_character_remote_wiimote

Abilmo Pop-up Hotel Rooms: Instant Accommodation

"Abilmo squeezes a lot of stuff into 12 Sqm, (130 SF) including a bathroom with toilet and shower, thermal and acoustic insulation, individual heating and air conditioning. It is an interesting idea- why build an entire hotel for a big event when you can just move it around?"



http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/albimo-popup-hotel.php

“Commiserations to my successor” - OOXML Strikes Again!

"The influx of P members whose only interest is the fast-tracking of ECMA 376 as ISO 29500 has led to the failure of a number of key ballots. Though P members are required to vote, 50% of our current members, and some 66% of our new members, blatantly ignore this rule despite weekly email reminders and reminders on our website. As ISO require at least 50% of P members to vote before they start to count the votes we have had to reballot standards that should have been passed and completed their publication stages at Kyoto."

http://www.theopensourcerer.com/2007/12/06/commiserations-to-my-successor-ooxml-strikes-again/

ICANN has .cheezburger

"Custom domain names - It's no longer a game of .uk, .it etc as based on countries... we will probably soon be seeing .mcdonalds and .dell. Basically anything goes, although a bit of money to back it up will help, as trademarks will get priority."

http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10008550o-2000331761b,00.htm#comment20095185

Creating DVD subtitles using Linux tools

"The overall process is simple. First, make sure you have a fast computer with lots of memory, hard disk space, and a good DVD burner, because working with video and audio is a resource-intensive process. Load your video file into a milliseconds-accurate video editor such as Cinelerra and get the time indexes for each phrase of dialogue. Enter the dialogue and the time indexes into the SRT file, then integrate the SRT file into a DVD-compliant format and burn it to disk."

http://www.linux.com/feature/139221

Life after Windows, 3 1/2 months: Deleted the Windows partition

"
* I am now completely *ix-based for work.
* The only Windows machines I have left in my house are in the attic and/or are broken.
* I feel more productive in my operating environments than ever before.
"

http://www.sutor.com/newsite/blog-open/?p=2378

Jogli - A Music Search Engine On Steroids

"Jogli gives you access to over a half a billion songs and 12 million albums which you can play for free and create playlists to listen to later."



http://demogirl.com/2008/06/27/jogli-a-music-search-engine-on-steroids/

The Highway Code - Horse riders and animals

"At night. It is safer not to ride on the road at night or in poor visibility, but if you do, make sure you wear reflective clothing and your horse has reflective bands above the fetlock joints. A light which shows white to the front and red to the rear should be fitted, with a band, to the rider’s right arm and/or leg/riding boot. If you are leading a horse at night, carry a light in your right hand, showing white to the front and red to the rear, and wear reflective clothing on both you and your horse. It is strongly recommended that a fluorescent/reflective tail guard is also worn by your horse."



http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/Horseridersandanimals/index.htm





http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_069853

Great Apes Granted ‘Human Rights’ by Spanish Parliament

"Great apes should have the right to life and freedom, according to a resolution passed in the Spanish parliament, in what could become landmark legislation to enshrine human rights for chimpanzees, gorillas, orang-utans and bonobos."



http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/great-apes-granted-human-rights-spain.php

NETGEAR Launches Open Source WGR614L Wireless-G Router

"NETGEAR launches Open Source edition of wireless-G router enabling Linux developers, geeks, hackers and enthusiasts to create Firmware for specialized applications"



http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/wgr614l-wireless-g-router.html