Henk van de Goor's Bloggers@large

Ok, so So I bought a nice Asus Eee PC 900 last month. After tinkering around a while with the Xandros Linux distribution that came with it, I decided to install the Eeebuntu Netbook Remix RC1 on it. It looks very nice but still I didn't feel I got what I wanted from it. So about a week ago I decided to install good old Windows XP on it. And as much as I would love to run Linux on my Eee PC I have to admit that XP is just so much easier and and offers 100% more compatibility. It runs all essential apps that I need and - most important - I can encrypt both SSD's (solid state disk) with TrueCypt, so I know for sure that there is no privacy problem if I ever lose my Eee PC or it get's stolen.

So I have installed a ton of apps on it and my precious Eee PC has become the ultimate portable tool: much like my Swiss pocketknife.

After all that, there was one thing if found my Eee PC lacked: nice, spiffy backgrounds aka wallpapers for my desktop! As I found out quickly, the usual backgrounds do not render well on the tiny 1024x600 pixel screen. A pity, because I have a ton of nice backgrounds for the PC on my web album.

Therefor I decided that I would do something back for the Eee community and spend some hours this weekend (it was raining cats and dogs anyway), resizing some of my own desktop background favorites especially for the Eee PC 900.

So if you want some nice, cool backgrounds, head over to my free Eee PC 900 desktop background library library and start downloading the goodies! As of today there are 224 backgrounds available (and growing!), like the one that comes with this article.

So enjoy!

Ps: if you like me to include some of your own home-made wallpapers, just e-mail them to me (including the information you like me to include) at: eeepc[at]vandegoor.com.

Just picked it up 30 minutes ago! Can't believe I got it already: they said that it might take 2-3 months, but here it is: my own Asus Eee PC 900 (the improved Eee PC by Asus).

Man I love gadgets... And if there is one place to satisfy your needs there is just one webaddress you need to remember: ThinkGeek: stuff for smart masses! They have been around as long as I can remember (started out pretty early) and they have the coolest gadgets around. As I wrote several times, a good gadget is basically something useless but it just has a "cool" factor that makes you want it. ThinkGeek was one of the first online stores, and now there are dozen like it where you can buy the same stuff.

So what sets ThinkGeek apart from the rest? Well, their mailings and their product descriptions! They are so much fun to read! Pure Geek poetry. Not to mention those cool "customer action shots" with nerds and geeks from all over the globe.

Like these:

Yoggie Gatekeeper Pro (Linux-based security in your pocket)
The Intertubes are ripe with evil. You can smell it. Crouching there, in the dark recesses of zeroes and ones, waiting for a fresh unpatched computer to poke its nubile head out into the word. Bang! Another poor netizen gets 'sploited, turning it into a zombie, or worse - his data is entirely compromised, and somebody's buying a new TV with your credit card… bad...

That cracks me up!

How about this one, describing the Star Wars Force FX Lightsabers:

The Jedi Negotiation Tool Available In A Galaxy Near You
This isn't a toy for your six year old cousin (he probably doesn't even know what planet Wookies live on). This is an official reproduction of real Lightsabers from Star Wars. "Real lightsabers?", you might be thinking, "Star Wars isn't real!". Tell that to the masses who dress up every day as Darth Vader and Princess Leia across the globe, tell that to the folks who build droid replicas in their garages, study Sith history, and practice their Huttese. Star Wars is very real. And these working lightsabers make that extremely apparent.
(...)
ThinkGeek is not responsible should any customers who purchase this Lightsaber turn to the dark side. Nor are we responsible should you not contain sufficient Midochlorians in your blood system to engage the force without reckless abandon.

And last, but not least:

Titanium Spork
The Spork of the Gods

Every mythic hero normally has an equally mythic weapon. Zeus had his thunderbolts. Thor had his hammer, Mjolnir. King Arthur had his Excalibur. Frodo and Bilbo had their Sting. Rhydderch Hael had his Dyrnwyn. King Kong had his bananas…you get the idea. It's time for you to join the ranks of the heroes and heroines of lore as you wield your own legendary weapon in your battle against a very powerful foe: hunger.

The Titanium Spork is ready for the challenge. Titanium is known for its great strength, corrosion resistance, and light weight, which makes this spork a valuable asset around feeding time. Imagine how much more food you could shovel in at your local buffet if you didn't have to worry about the strain of picking up a heavy fork or spoon. Your food consumption can become the stuff of legends. Even just holding the Titanium Spork in your hand, you can feel its power. It is perhaps the greatest gastronomic invention since lickable wallpaper. Hunger, beware - your end is near!

So if you need a cool gift for that ubergeek nephew or kid, just head over to ThinkGeek. I guarrantee that you will not regret it ;-)

(ps: In case you cant come up with a Bday gift, here is my ThinkGeek Wishlist

Beware: the digital "Wigger":

Regular readers of my blog know I am a sucker for gadgets. Basically most of my gadgets are cool, yet rather useless toys. This is not the case however, when it comes to my smartphones: I own a Qtec S100 and I still have an old Sony/Ericsson P800, which was the first real smartphone I ever owned. I love them because before I had them I had to walk around with both my organizer and a phone. And If I needed music, I needed to carry around my MP3 player as well. But that Qtec is already 2 years old and I was ready for something new anyway. So, when I got a call last Thursday from T-Mobile, notifying me that I was up for contract renewal, I knew I was going to get me a new toy! So here it is:
my first "unwrapping party" featuring my new smartphone: the HTC P3300 from T-Mobile (aka the MDA Compact III).

Continue reading "HTC P3300 unwrapping party ... »

This is uhm, like porn for the real gadget lovers out there: the new Samsung SPH-P9000. It is the perfect marriage between UMPC and mobile technology. And I think this could be what the UMPC has not been able to be so far. Just check it out:

Samsung SPH-P9000

I have been a Skype user ever since it came out. Go figure: my girlfriend lives in the US and even though prices for long-distance calls have dropped like crazy since we met in 1997, why pay for something that can be free? Off course using Skype had some disadvantages: you always need to leave your PC and Skype on and you always need to be near the computer, either using a headset or your microphone and speakers to talk. Now, if you go over to Skype and their store, you will see that there are alternatives in the form of real phones. Most of those have another disadvantage: they still have a cable attached to them: that is so pre-2000's.

So, being used to either using a Dect phone at home or a bluetooth headset on my mobile, I wanted a phone that is wireless. So when I was visiting my favorite electronics store yesterday (Media Markt), I came across the perfect combination of a wireless phone that is VOIP anabled and had a great pricetag of only Euro 29! So I didn't have to think long and immediately bought the Premier Noblesse Voip phone. I had it setup in under 5 minutes and now I can enjoy Skype wireless! It's brilliant. The phone even has a speaker and such attached, and since it is hooked up to one of my regular lines (I have ISDN), I can make regular calls as well.

Yup, another great gadget I can add to my list.