Cola brands buzz - caffeine content compared

Science News online has a wrap up of over 70 soft drinks and their respective caffeine content. If you judge your cola by it's kick you might like to have a view. The research was conducted by Auburn University and I'm not sure whether or not recipes change from country to country but it's a an interesting comparison. Many of the brands represented are not available here but the big names are!

Yahoo! testing social network for job seekers

c|net's news.com NewsBlog has had a sneak peek at a new Yahoo! service that is being tested amongst college students. Being dubbed Kickstart, the service is a social network geared towards finding you an in with employers. The idea is to hook you up with someone within an organization who has something in common with you, say, graduated from your school, is from the same town, shares interests, etc. The features are reported to be typical amongst the social networking crowd but the focus is definitely on job finding. Sounds interesting, hope it stays the course and remains focused on employment, otherwise do we really need another social networking site?

Microsoft to buy Research in Motion?

Research in Motion (RIM), the Canadian manufacturer of the Blackberry hand held device is the rumored target of a buyout by Microsoft. The stock markets reacted to the rumors by briefly pushing RIM stock to record highs. The Globe and Mail's reportonbusiness.com has the complete story.

Another YouTube star is born - how embaracing!

This video has been viewed more than 8.6 million times! I fell sorry for the young lady, I just wish I could figure out what the heck she was trying to say? In all fairness there must be intense pressure to think on your feet like that, in front of a large audience, and on a topic for which she obviously was not prepared to comment on.



Credit: net@night

Back to School - taming the text book budget

NY Times writer Michelle Slatalla has written a great roundup on where to find used and/or cheap text books online. According to Slatalla, the average cost of new books is $700 to $1000 per year, so it's worth having a look around... particularly on a student's budget!

Unions fight for right to Facebook

The Register has a story about the opposition of labour unions in the UK to the growing trend in IT departments of blocking social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace. Brendan Barber, General Secretary of The Trades Union Congress is quoted as saying "It's unreasonable for employers to try to stop their staff from having a life outside work, just because they can't get their heads around the technology." I think perhaps he's missing the point a bit, the problem is workers crossing the line between outside life and work duties. Blocking sites is not necessarily the answer either, but having a clear Internet usage policy would go a long way to avoiding abuse.

U.S. commanders request ray-gun, for real!

Called the "Active Denial System" it's been under development for over a decade and effectively deals with unruly crowds without firing projectiles. Instead, it mounts on a vehicle such as Humvee and fires an invisible beam that gives the receiver the sensation that their skin is burning, and crowds disperse without harm. Military commanders are asking that it be deployed to Iraq but the US government is reluctant to put it into action. Military lawyers have deemed it legal for use under current conditions in Iraq but the public perception of such a device is negative, especially since all documentation regarding testing and legal reviews is classified. According to this Globe and Mail article, "The Active Denial System is a directed-energy device, although it is not a laser or a microwave. It uses a large, dish-shaped antenna and a long, V-shaped arm to send an invisible beam of waves to a target as far away as 500 yards.

With the unit mounted on the back of a vehicle, U.S. troops can operate a safe distance from rocks, Molotov cocktails and small-arms fire.

The beam penetrates the skin slightly, just enough to cause intense pain. The beam goes through clothing as well as windows, but can be blocked by thicker materials, such as metal or concrete."

Sounds like something straight out of the comic books.

"The Device" the ultimate homebrew machine

If you've got a couple of months and about $4300.00 perhaps you to can build "The Device". From Popsci.com photographer John Carnett comes the ultimate micro-brewery machine complete with taps. It's pretty incredible and worthy of envy... mmm... beeeer! Check it out.

Credit: gizmodo

Considering a wireless network?

If you are in the market for a wireless network you many wish to take a look at ars technica and their roundup of 802.11n routers. They've completed a fairly comprehensive look at 3 offerings from competing manufacturers and weigh in on the pros and cons of each device. I was a little disappointed to see that my Netgear Rangemax fared the worst in ars technica's review. Considering that I've had mine for a year or more and that it was an upgrade from 802.11b, I really have no complaints. The range is exceptional in my experience and the only problem that I've encountered is that my neighbours have all jumped on board the wireless band wagon, and the space has gotten a little crowded. Ever since I switched channels to something less busy, I have been extremely happy and the Rangemax has preformed very well. One of the knocks on the device, according to ars technica, was it's performance at close range, I have not personally encountered that as the devices I have nearest the router are all wired to it. If I'd had this review to consider when I made my purchase decision I may not have gone with Netgear, but in short I am quite satisfied at the moment.

5 simple rules to blogging your employer

I have been at this for a couple of months now and I have made a conscious decision to keep my blog and my work life separate, that is to say I don't discuss my company or its clients. It's a personal choice, and while I do work in the IT industry and some of the work we do might be relevant material, it's a line I have chosen not to cross. Many bloggers take a more personal approach to blogging and sometimes forget that they are putting things out there that their superiors or clients might not like aired in public or may take offense to. Steve Rubel has 5 short pieces of advice on how to run a corporate blog, posted at Wired's How to Wiki. A quick read and some good common sense advice.