Encephalosponge » Soaking Up Life

A lot of Linux users hate the fact that most PC computer vendors only offer computers with MS Windows installed. They never plan on using Windows, and it sucks to pay $50-200 for something you don’t need or want (affectionately known as the “Windows tax”). A major reason for this is the horrendous [...]

Well here’s a way to kill two birds with one stone. I’ve been meaning to try out the new Wordpress gallery feature on my blog. I’ve also been meaning to see if my Ezonics EzCam IV (EZ-314) webcam works under Ubuntu now. Since it does (plug ‘n play), I was able to [...]

I began wondering how easy it would be to build an awesome HTPC these days. I then began to wonder about price and abilities of software. Here’s what I came up with. Would you add or change anything?

Tasks

Play DVDs
Copy full DVDs to HDD
Shrink DVDs
Burn Shrunk DVDs
Record TV
Watch recorded shows
Burn recorded TV to [...]

NetFlix announced the release of a new set-top movie player today. Previously, anyone with a NetFlix account costing $8.99 or more per month could stream unlimited full-length movies to their computer. This box will allow you to stream them directly to your TV. The box costs $99, and after that you’ve only [...]

I just ran across a very nice set of Ubuntu tutorials by psychocats. They’re very well written and are often accompanied by lots of pictures. Awesome resource!

Did you get a $600 (or more) economic stimulus check from the government? Been looking around for a new laptop for you or the family? Wouldn’t it be great to get a top quality laptop for under $600? Lenovo always has great deals on their ThinkPads, but there is a particularly good [...]

Well after years of writing, it appears that Panda Bear, M.D. is throwing in the towel on his blog. His was one of the few blogs I read regularly, and it’s one that no doubt has left an impact on my past and future as a physician. He says that he’ll be working [...]

I finally finished reading Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig a few weeks ago. With my impending exams, I decided I should wait to write a review. All-in-all this was probably one of the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read. Normally I am not a fan of non-fiction, but this book tackled [...]

Powerful music from John Lennon. Why is it that every time I hear a great song like this, the first thing that pops into my head is “why can’t stuff like this be made today?”
As soon as your born they make you feel small,
By giving you no time instead of it all,
Till the pain [...]

This is so incredibly frustrating. On one hand, I want to rub people’s faces in it. But on the other, I see a ton of people every day buying songs from iTunes, and they’re in the same boat. They just don’t think it could happen to them, or they don’t care because [...]