Midspot

I’m a Ubuntu guy at heart, but the team over at bicycle-based IT company iSupportU, my home away from MakeUseOf, includes a couple of real Mac types. As such, a recent company memo stated that music can now reach our stereo over something called “AirTunes.”First, I grumbled about the typical Apple naming scheme, then I wondered if it was possible to use such a thing from Ubuntu, then I heard my fellow Linux user ask the same question out loud.Then, and only then, did I begin Googling for more information. What I found was useful, and with typical, super-helpful Ubuntu-forumites to boot, but I think there’s a gap in the Internet here that needs to be filled. Let’s fill it then, shall we? This guide is written using Ubuntu 10.04, but may apply to other Linux distributions as well.

via How To Use Apple’s AirTunes in Ubuntu/Linux.

Complicated Mechanisms Explained in simple animations

via World Of Technology: Complicated Mechanisms Explained in simple animations.

Very cool stuff!

Formerly http://www.dearbulkmailer.com

New! Give your oppinion, send pics, etc: forums

Q: How much does this cost the recipient?

A: Junk mailers PAY about twenty cents an ounce. That means an eight pound package COSTS THEM about $25. And all of the proceeds go directly to the United States Postal Service.

Q: Can you do this with email spam?

A: Sure can! http://officeofstrategicinfluence.com/spam/

Q: Does this actually work?

A: Someone used my company’s buisness-reply from inside the magazine, and taped it to a box. That’s how I know this works

Q: What is the weight limit?

A: I’ve heard rumors that it is 13 ounces, but the box that was sent to the magazine I work for was twenty two pounds.

Q: Is this legal?

A: Just don’t send hazardous materials (ie batteries), or things considered unhealthy (ie dirty underwear). Seriously, no dirty underwear.

Q: Are you sure I can’t mail underwear?

A: Well if you do, mail me a picture. Like these: thongs

via Mail a brick to junk mailers using paid postage – Creative tips with dealing with spammers and bulk mailers.

I completely plan on doing this from now on…

Curiously, the cancer rate is 10 percent higher in the left breast than in the right. This left-side bias holds true for both men and women and it also applies to the skin cancer melanoma. Researchers Örjan Hallberg of Hallberg Independent Research in Sweden and Ollie Johansson of The Karolinska Institute in Sweden, writing in the June issue of the journal Pathophysiology, suggest a surprising explanation that not only points to a common cause for both cancers, it may change your sleeping habits.

via Guest Blog: Left-sided Cancer: Blame your bed and TV?.

This is probably embarrassingly simple to a SQL professional, and it’s been around since SQL 2005, but I only discovered it today and it made a noticeable difference to my production databases so I’m going to share it just in case it’s new to anyone else.

via Blog – Improve SQL Server performance with a simple query.

That Anthony Graber broke the law in early March is indisputable. He raced his Honda motorcycle down Interstate 95 in Maryland at 80 mph, popping a wheelie, roaring past cars and swerving across traffic lanes.

Anthony Graber was arrested for posting a video of his traffic stop on YouTube.

But it wasn’t his daredevil stunt that has the 25-year-old staff sergeant for the Maryland Air National Guard facing the possibility of 16 years in prison. For that, he was issued a speeding ticket. It was the video that Graber posted on YouTube one week later — taken with his helmet camera — of a plainclothes state trooper cutting him off and drawing a gun during the traffic stop near Baltimore.

via Videotaping Police Is Often Cause for Arrest – ABC News.

Windows/Mac/Linux: Unrevoked3 is a free download for all platform that roots the Droid Incredible and a handful of other HTC Android devices in just a few clicks.

Lots of folks may have just gotten their Droid Incredibles in the mail, but it wasnt a moment too soon: the Droid Incredible has just been rooted, and it couldnt be easier to do. Just download the Unrevoked3 tool, plug in your device and let it run Windows users will want to install the included drivers first. It will give you root permissions and install the popular ClockworkMod recovery image, after which you can install backup managers, custom ROMs, and previously blocked apps that allow you to tether, overclock, and otherwise do anything you want with your phone.

via Unrevoked3 Painlessly Roots the Droid Incredible, Other HTC Android Phones.

I’ve decided to have an “online garage sale”. Everything is local pickup only. Most everything is too awkward to ship…

Computer stuff:

Apple Grape iMac – OS9 – $25

Apple Ruby iMac – OSX, 512MB RAM, 20GB HD – $50

4″ rackmount server case – $50

17″ CRT monitor – $20

Trailers:

3/4 ton pickup box trailer – $450

Lawn and Garden:

4″ by 3″ rounded lanscaping posts ~30 left – $25 for all

Audio:

2 Rockford Fosgate 12″ car subs in custom box with crossover, RF Punch 60 “cheater” amp and cords – $150 for all

pair of jensen speakers – 12″ woofer and horn tweeter in carpeted box – $30

Household:

20 lb propane tank with old style valve – $15

L-shaped computer desk – metal – $75

You can build just about any app you can imagine with App Inventor. Often people begin by building games like WhackAMole or games that let you draw funny pictures on your friend’s faces. You can even make use of the phone’s sensors to move a ball through a maze based on tilting the phone.

But app building is not limited to simple games. You can also build apps that inform and educate. You can create a quiz app to help you and your classmates study for a test. With Android’s text-to-speech capabilities, you can even have the phone ask the questions aloud.

To use App Inventor, you do not need to be a developer. App Inventor requires NO programming knowledge. This is because instead of writing code, you visually design the way the app looks and use blocks to specify the app’s behavior.

via App Inventor for Android.