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By JULES ALLENFeel free to browse
Mirror, mirror . . .
Previously, we've enjoyed the delight of the Fresnel lens, the kind that makes lighthouses strut their stuff. But in the wrong hands, it can do things like melt concrete. If your stomach is a little weak for such matters, there's a lower powered alternative that uses plain old mirrors. The concept is the same. Of course, as per the warnings on this page, don't try this at home.
Thinking out of the boxTearing down existing structures is a big part of the American Dream. We're still a young, brash, pragmatic nation. If something doesn't fit, we flatten the old in favor of the new. But perhaps reuse is on the rise, as this site shows. Here you'll find abandoned big box structures that have new lives as churches, libraries and even apartments. There's a local flavor, too, as two of the featured buildings are in Pinellas Park.
Warm and fuzzymalaran.com/2.0/ibook/furbook.html
This decor for one's iBook isn't limited just to Apple gear. If you've got the skill to put this simple project together, you probably can jazz up that yawner of a Dell or Sony you carry in your backpack. It's a visual, step-by-step illustration on how to (nondestructively) attach a fuzzy covering to your laptop. You'll be the hippest auditor on the block, baby. It's tons of fun and an easy project for all ages.
Pop quizI use two browsers, FireFox and Safari, and the built-in popup blockers are superb. Internet Explorer's version 7 is on the horizon and promises features like tabs as well as a popup blocker. If you're still enduring IE 6 or earlier, see how your third-party popup blocker does with the tests on this site.
History lessonMobilePCMag.com/features/2005_04/birthofnotebook.html
This short article touches on the evolution of portable computing. Just about all technology marches forward and gets smaller, lighter and cheaper as time ticks on. This list is the embodiment of this theory. I've owned seven of the computers on this list. I'd argue for the inclusion of the Outbound Mac clone notebook, Apple's eMate and the steel-encased Kaypro II.