Gadget Wisdom

Knoppix is a distribution of Linux developed by Klaus Knopper. It is designed to be booted off of a CD or DVD. There are many customized versions of Knoppix designed for various different functions. It is useful to users not only for those who wish to run their system off of read-only media, but as part of an arsenal of tools for computer diagnostics.

Damn Small Linux is an even smaller distribution based on Knoppix. It is a 50MB mini desktop designed to be booted from a Mini-CD, a USB drive, or even within Windows. There is a larger variant available that is currently around 85mb for those who wish to take advantage of certain technologies that the smaller footprint does not allow.

KnoppMyth is the Linux equivalent of Windows Media Center Edition. It is a Knoppix distribution that attempts to automate the setup and usage of the MythTV DVR package. It can be used in a variety of ways. We’ll have more about MythTV in the future.

There are numerous other variants. But a plain vanilla Knoppix CD or DVD can mount Windows drives when the Windows OS is corrupted, resize partitions, and thus is a valuable tool. The graphical tools included as well as the standard command-line Linux tools can be a lifesaver.

Recently, a Windows XP computer failed to boot. We could not, no matter how we tried, get it to boot even to Windows XP Safe Mode. We booted the system with Knoppix, backed up the data over a network, then did a wipe, reinstall, and copied the data back.

Not long ago, we gave you our basic advice on buying USB flash memory drives, also known as Jumpdrives, after the popular Lexar line. We commented we did not have enough funding to review a large selection of drives.

Then we moved on to some advice on security and data protection using these drives. We suggested you visit Portableapps.com for some applications that can run on a flash drive.

But, for those of us who don’t want to put together our own Windows-based selection of portable applications, there is U3. U3 is backed by various USB flash memory producers and is a system that “turns simple storage devices into USB smart drives.” Essentially, it combines data protection, portable applications, and password protection against a single standard several companies used.

We picked up a U3 smart drive, the SanDisk 1 GB Cruzer Micro with U3 ( SDCZ6-1024-A10, Retail Package) at our local Staples for $19.99 after a mail-in rebate. The Cruzer Micro is a U3 Smart Drive with a retractable USB connector. It has its issues. It certainly looks flimsy…although no one is going to try and run it over with a car. The retractable USB is nice, but with it being designed to go on a keychain, without a cover…the connector will likely fill up with lint and other pocket dirt.

The biggest complaint with this item for some is the U3. The U3 software can be uninstalled, turning it back into a standard USB drive…which you can then install the same portable applications on. What the U3 software does is link in built-in encyption as well as a menu launcher. The problem is that this software launches automatically and tried to reboot the computers we put it into. It also is Windows specific. Both of these can be showstoppers if you want to be mobile. The computers of your friends, as well as public terminals, don’t appreciate something that looks like malicious software.

Ultimately, for those users willing to put up with it, U3 is a nice and convenient way to run a good basic set of applications off of a USB drive with a minimum of difficulty. And you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to.

In the world of DVRs, there is obviously Tivo. Tivo is so popular, it has become a verb for the usage of a Digital Video Recorder, ie I will TIVO that program. But Tivo isn’t the only option.

The Slingbox is a device which can control your video source and give you access to it over the internet. As Crunchgear.com reports, Slingbox has launched three new models of their popular product. The Sling Media Slingbox PRO ( SB200-100 ) with a High-Definition input, widescreen support, high-quality programmable video compression, and full control of up to four sources. It will be $250 with the HD Adapter costing an extra $50.

The other two models are a bit less expensive. The Sling Media Slingbox AV ( SB240-100 ), which gives you control over a digital cable, satellite, or DVR set-top box. Or the Sling Media Slingbox Tuner ( SB220-100 ), for people with standard basic analog cable who don’t need a setup box. Both are smaller than the original Sling Media Slingbox.

If you’d rather have more control, there is always buying a computer with Windows XP Media Center Edition, which includes some DVR functionality. Unfortunately, MCE is not sold officially to consumers, only bundled with purchased systems. We prefer an open-source(and thus free) solution.

There are two popular Linux-based DVR systems. MythTV and Freevo. MythTV features basic live-tv functionality(pause, ff, rewind live), support for multiple tuner cards and simultaneous recordings, a distributed system allowing multiple machines to record and playback on the same network, video compression, commercials detection, a program guide, and multiple themes and plugins to add functions. Freevo, conversely, has a bit less, but still a good feature set, with live TV functionality of its own, along with plugins for extra functionality as well. We will be talking more about Linux-based DVRs in the future.
Of course, the simplest way to get a DVR is to rent one from your cable company…but they are hardly motivated to give you the best in DVR technology…although you won’t have to have a box separate from your cable box.

We found a fascinating item on Hackedgadgets.com, called The Remember Ring. The Remember Ring appears to be a standard ring that contains a heating element that heats 24 hours from the day you want to remember. It starts at 120 degrees and gets warmer after that point. It only lasts for ten seconds, and causes discomfort, not damage. It is charged up by the heat from your hand.

Hackers have received a bad name, mostly because of the abuse inherent in circumventing design. Hacks are innovation…the result of those who explore and experiment.

Teaching hardware tricks it wasn’t originally intended to do is a great example of that. We will be featuring new ways of using old ideas over the coming days as an introduction to this new feature.