Technically Speaking 03/01/2005

A recall, and update, a new contender, and more, this is Technically Speaking.

Microsoft is recalling power cords for their Xbox console. There has been a very small incidence of problems but in order to avoid any harm (Read: Lawsuits) they are replacing the power cords for free. It seems that there has been some scorching of carpets and a few people have gotten minor burns similar to touching an iron.

From the Xbox site:

“Microsoft is providing new power cords at no charge to replace the cords that originally came with some Xbox consoles. “

For more information on this recall and to see if you qualify for a free replacement power cord visit Xbox.com, there is an “Important Safety Notice” link on the right of the main page.

The new plugs appear not to be as easy to deal with as the straight line cords that came with the system; reports indicate that the new cord has a box at the wall plug end and a reset button. It looks like it will be a plug hog, covering a second socket with its sheer bulk.

This edition’s cool link is Google Video http://video.google.com . It is a service that allows you to search an ever increasing database of television shows for your key word. The technology uses the Closed Captioning in shows to locate the word. Once you run the search a still from the show is displayed with a short description of the show and a link. Clicking on the link takes you to a page that has all the stills from that show that the word is said, the accompanying dialog, and when in the show it occurs.

I am a big fan of the show ‘LOST’ on ABC and I typed in ‘Locke’ a character on the show and got 42 hits, not all of that character, in fact I got a hit for the show ‘Matlock’, a news show, and an Arena football show, amongst others. Google Video pulls from a great many channels, all the majors and many affiliates and some obscure ones. It is very interesting and well worth a look.

Another link from Google is a page that gives hints on how to use the search engine more effectively. The Google Cheat sheet http://www.google.com/help/cheatsheet.html is a great resource on how to use some of the more hidden tools Google has. You can use Google as a calculator, a currency converter and more. The Google local search is also very helpful. Well worth a bookmark to help make your searches more effective.


The Browser Firefox has been updated with approximately 250 bug fixes and beefed up security. You can get the update from http://www.getfirefox.com , there is a link on the top right of the page.

The makers of the Browser Firefox, and the email program Thunderbird have released an early version of their now calendar program. Sunbird is a nice standalone program that can be used to keep track of important appointments and dates in addition to providing alarms and over nice features. This is version 0.2 so it does not have all the planned features yet, but I have been using it and have had no problems. You can get Sunbird at http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/sunbird.html . Sunbird is another nice and totally free program that is very useful, give it a try.

This month Sonly releases the Playstation Portable (PSP) in the United States. The PSP is the first handheld ion many years to challenge Nintendo’s dominance over the handheld gaming platform. Nintendo came out with their new DS last fall and it has been a success so far despite having only a few good launch titles. The PSP has a large number of launch titles, a larger screen, and better graphics than the DS, but also a higher price tag. Who will win the fight? We will have to wait and see. In my opinion it does not really matter, I think there are enough gamers to make both systems successful and those, like me, that will buy both.

This edition’s question is rather simple, what handheld gaming systems do you own or have owned? The original Gameboy, Atari Lynx, Wonder Swan, Game Gear, Gameboy Color, Gameboy SP, Gameboy Advance, or Nintendo DS or perhaps even the early Mattel football games. Send your answer to mat@muw.edu . The answers to all my questions will be published in the last edition of the column this term.

In other news: Apple has realigned their iPod line of portable music players with the introduction of new capacity iPod Photo and new iPod Mini. iPod photo is now available in 30GB and 60GB sizes, the standard iPod is now only in 20GB, and the iPod Mini is available in 4GB and 6GB size, the iPod Shuffle is available in 512MB and 1GB. Prices for the iPod line are from $99 for the 512MB Mini to $449 for the 60GB Photo.

As always send your tech questions or comments to mat@muw.edu
Mark Taylor, a senior in communication, was previously an information systems trainer for the US Air Force and a technical support technician for an internet service provider. A game and consumer electronics reporter during the Dot Com boom, he now owns Fanfare Media Services in Columbus.