The Software of Space Exploration

O'Reilly's ONLamp.com Web site has an interesting (but too short) article about open source and/or free software being used in space exploration, some of which is available for personal research.

Boot Camp: Macs to run Windows XP Natively With OS 10.5

Nope, it's not a delayed April Fool's joke. Apple's really allowing Windows to boot and run natively on Intel-based Macs via a setup program called Bootcamp. Check out the beta. This is like the holy grail of Mac geekdom to me -- I get to keep my OS X for 95% of what I do, and then boot into Windows for specific, non-Mac applications. Now I just need to get that new Intel MacBook at home...

Cautions on Mac OS 10.4.6 Update

MacSlash notes that Apple has unusual cautionary instructions for installing the Mac OS X 10.4.6 update. From Apple's Web site:

• If you use iSync, you should perform a full sync with your devices before installing this update. Mac OS X 10.4.6 Update includes a later version of iSync with several improvements. For more information and before-you-install steps, see iSync 2.2: Read before updating to Mac OS X 10.4.6 or later, or before first sync.


• With the Mac OS X 10.4.6 system software update, PowerPC-based Macs will restart twice, instead of once, after the initial installation.


• You may experience unexpected results if you have third-party system software modifications installed, or if you've modified the operating system through other means. (This does not apply to normal application software installation.)


• The installation process should not be interrupted. If a power outage or other interruption occurs during installation, use the standalone installer (see below) from Apple Downloads to update.


• If issues occur during installation--for example, Software Update quits unexpectedly, please see this article.

I can't remember seeing this sort of warning before, which is all the more reason to be doubly paranoid about installing this update. I'll be watching MacInTouch for a few days to see how things shake out before running the install (but then again, that's what I usually do).

Boot Intel Macs from iPods and FireWire drives

MacOSXHints explains how you too can boot your Intel Mac from an external drive with just a few Terminal commands (and some time to copy over the boot files).

LOST: The Map

SPOILER WARNING: If you didn't see Wednesday's episode of Lost ("Lockdown") don't read on. And for the love of the Island, don't click on the link. You have been warned...

If you need to take your brain off the hook for a while on this beautiful Friday (or rather, just need to put it on a different hook) check out this annotated rendering of the map discovered in "Lockdown". For LOST addicts, it's got enough clues and red herrings to fuel a year's worth of speculations.

LEGO Lie Detector

Engadget has an article about a LEGO Lie Detector built by Michael Gasperi using a Mindstorms brick. The article explains: "Basically a set of foil-lined velcro strips attached by 9V wire to an RCX control brick, Gasperi's lie detector works on the principal that people sweat more when they're fibbing, so his device measures the skin's electrical resistance of whomever's getting grilled."

Mets Geek

They're geeks. They like the Mets. Clearly these are my kind of people.