Dell had another wacky special that they were selling a 1500 for $499. Its base features were:

• Intel Core 2 Duo T5270 CPU
• NVIDIA 8400M GS Video
• CD/DVD Burner
• 2GB Ram
• 80GB HDD

Seemed like a good deal so I decided to replace my previous laptop and get one, while upgrading the screen to WSXGA+(1680x1050) and upping the HDD to 120GB.

VMWare versions prior to 3.5.0 has an out of date set of client tools for FreeBSD. The tools that come with version 3.5.0 install and build fine. The install script is completely incorrect and tries to copy modules in the wrong locations. This doc was created to show how to get it installed correctly. While you can run a VM without the client tools installed, you shouldn't. They let the VM talk with the host to let it reclaim memory, extra CPU cycles, etc. You're supposed to be able to use the VMWare Windows client to just initiate a tools install, but it failed every time I tried it. Instead, on the VMWare host machine, the FreeBSD iso is located at:

/vmimages/tools-isoimages/freebsd.iso

Copy that to the client VM (/root/freebsd.iso in this case) then mount the iso:

mdconfig -a -t vnode -f /root/freebsd.iso -u 0
mkdir /mnt/iso
mount -t cd9660 /dev/md0 /mnt/iso

As of December 2007, Microsoft added Xvid codec support to the Xbox 360, making it a fairly capable media streaming device. The 360 already supported Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) for streaming, but it wasn't until this update that I wanted to get it working on FreeBSD. There are many UPnP servers, but only a few that like FreeBSD:

• FUPPES - Free UPnP Entertainment Service. Supports 360, but not in ports, but compiles on FreeBSD
• gmediaserver - GNU Media Server. Development has stopped, they are looking for a new maintainer.
• Media Tomb - Available in ports, but does not support the Xbox 360.
• uShare - Fork of GNU Media Server for GeeXboX, also available in ports.

So, this narrowed it down to uShare and FUPPES. I would recommend trying both, but starting with uShare since it's MUCH easier to get running initially. FUPPES has more features, so you may wish to try that out as well.

All information on this page is found in this forum thread which has nearly 3000 posts. I did not discover any of this information, I am merely trying to keep it in one location to save you a few hours of reading.

As has been expected for a while, the Falcon (65nm CPU) Xbox 360's started to trickle into stores. At first they were only in some of the Halo Edition consoles, but they've since trickled into many of the new consoles that have HDMI ports. It has become very easy to know for sure if you have one. Simply look on the box and look for a label of 175W indicating a 175 watt power supply, as in this picture:

• If GO PLAY, GO PRO, or GO BIG are printed on the box, not a sticker, it should be a Falcon.

• Some falcons can be had in a box marked 203w. However, it is not possible to determine with 100% accuracy which model it is without opening the box and using the method in this thread to look through its vents at the heat sink to see certain characteristics.

Other information:

• Xbox versions database User contributed database to help identify Xbox models in the wild.

• Identify your DVD-Rom. According to many folks, usually the is quietest drive is BenQ.

Please visit http://rainbowdivider.com/ and tell me what I can do to improve it! Be sure to refresh it a few times to get a view that's more to your liking, of course.

• UPDATED Nov 2007 - APC PDU files were updated to work with their current V3 firmware, as they made many SNMP changes.

JFFNMS is a wonderful network management system. I've added a few interface types to it, which go in clean as of the latest release- 0.8.3. Files and data for any of my interface types will go here. The files below are a patch to jffnms 0.8.3 to add these interfaces:

• Mitsubishi Netcom - For Enterprise UPS Systems.

• APC PDU - Power Distribution Unit, AKA Power Strip w/ Ethernet and SNMP reporting.

If you follow the directory structure (engine) you get the actual files. The .db.sql file is the database changes. Other than that there are raw files to put in place.

Browse for the files right here

Finally! Valve has announced that Team Fortress 2 is coming out! It's a part of the confusingly named Half-Life 2: Episode Two.

Pyro, Engie, Sniper, Spy, HWguy, Demoman, Medic, Scout, Solja.. It looks like all of our classes are back, and are easily recognizable. despite their cartooney look. Here is a link to the full sized image with the logo.

It's also coming out for PC, 360 and PS3. It would be a dream if it's playable on the same network, even if it is steam based!

Virgin Mobile isn't bad for phone service. After comparing it to all other prepaid companies, they have the lowest rates and let you keep your number the longest between payments (90 days) compared to others (Boost, Cingular, US Cellular, etc etc).

Useful information

• Send an email to yournumber@vmobl.com for a free incoming text message. This is the main reason I got it, as it's a pager when I'm on call for work, and I never get charged.

• Send a picture to yournumber@vmpix.com to get a picture to your phone. This does cost $.25. Once you have the pic, go to Options -> Save and you then can use it for a background and such.

Links

• email info

• Thread with all sorts of info on my particular phone (Audiovox 8915 aka "Snapper")

• PC Sync info for this phone and it's original manufacturer (Curitel)

• Game exchange and info for this phone