BinaryWolf

Naked PCs

Naked PCs are personal computers sold without an Operating System (OS) installed.

Dell offers n-Series desktops and laptops that are shipped without any operating system. If you happen to buy any of these “Open Source” Dell Systems, the first thing you would want to do is install an OS in order to boot the system. (The Dell n Series desktops have a non-formatted hard drive ready for OS installation.)

This could be a good way to go for existing owners of Windows XP/Vista or even Linux fans who love Dell machines but hate shelling out that extra money for the Microsoft OS which they will probably never use.

Tags: Naked PCs, Dell n Series

Yahoo! Honorarium

I get occasional requests to complete surveys, most with no offers of compensation for my time; some with a “possibility” to win a prize. Yahoo! sent me an email today with an offer to pay me a small honorarium to complete a survey.

We want to take this opportunity to thank you for participating in the Yahoo! Publisher Network. We look forward to our ongoing relationship and providing you with new and exciting products and opportunities in the coming year. To that end, we would appreciate your input on several topics impacting online publishers and the ad networks they participate in. Please be assured your responses are strictly confidential. All data will be analyzed in aggregate without identification of individual responses.

It took only about ten minutes to answer their questions for $25.

Yahoo! gets it.
Update: Check received May 11.

Tags: Yahoo!

Vernal Equinox Today

Today, (in the USA), the Sun will cross directly over the Earth’s equator. This moment is known as the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. For the Southern Hemisphere, this is the moment of the autumnal equinox. Because the sun is positioned above the equator, day and night are about equal in length all over the world during the equinoxes. In other words, today is the first day of Spring.

Tags: vernal equinox

Leprechauns

Derived from the Gaelic luacharma’n, “pygmy”; or leith brogan “maker of one shoe”, Leprechauns are mainly found in Irish folklore.

Leprechauns are small creatures who occasionally inhabit farmhouses or wine cellars. They are seen quite often by humans and are described as merry little fellows dressed in old-fashioned clothes; emerald green frock coat, with a red cap, leather apron, and buckled shoes. They are known to aid humans and perform small labors for them. Sometimes they ask humans for supplies, for which in return they give objects which bring luck and fortune. Leprechauns are called fairy cobblers, for they make shoes for elves.

According to popular belief, a leprechaun possesses a treasure (usually a pot of gold) which a human may obtain if he succeeds in capturing one, which is extremely difficult. Even after capture, a person may not take his eyes off of him for an instant, for then he will vanish. When they finish their daily tasks, leprechauns like to have a wild drunken feast, where they can be seen riding in moonlight on the back of a dog or a sheep.

Tags: Leprechauns, Irish folklore

Buried Classic Car in Tulsa

On June 15, 1957, a brand new 1957 Plymouth Belvedere was lowered into the ground in downtown Tulsa as a part of a “time capsule” for Tulsarama 1957: a celebration of Oklahoma’s semi-centennial.

In celebration of Oklahoma’s Centennial, a historic 1957 Plymouth Belvedere will be unearthed and on display for the public at the Tulsa Convention Center on June 15, 2007 as a part of Tulsarama 2007.

Happy Pi Day!

I wrote about Pi Day last year.

Flickr Discontinuing Old Sign-in System

In a couple of days Yahoo! owned Flickr (online photo management and sharing application) will implement a policy that forces long-time users to migrate to a Yahoo! account.

I still sign in via the “Old Skool” log in page. Can I do that forever?

No. On March 15th, 2007 we’ll be discontinuing the old email-based Flickr sign in system. From that point on, everyone will have to use a Yahoo! ID to sign in to Flickr. So, you’ll need to merge your old skool Flickr account with a Yahoo! account before then - this can be a Yahoo! account you have already, or a brand new one. You can do this any time you like before March 15th, 2007 via the Merge Your Accounts page. (You’ll need to be signed in to Flickr before you start.)

It’s easy to do.