open source has done it again, iTALC – Intelligent Teaching And Learning with Computers is a free opensource computer lab classroom management software. and funds can be spent in obtaining other resources for learning and teaching 
was just talking abt eBooks in the 2010 trends two days’ ago, and i found this piece of video via richarson’s post:
nice? (:
nice!
Learning and playing a musical instrument is one thing, having access to one or carrying one around so that you can play it anytime anywhere is another thing, especially when the instrument you learnt is a heavy/bulky one.
Once applications live in the cloud, the key to success will be harnessing network effects so that those applications literally get better the more people use them … Today we see that applications are being driven by sensors, not just by people typing on keyboards. They are becoming platforms for collective action, not just collective intelligence. — extracted from Webcast: Web Squared page
Was scanning an article “Web Squared: Web 2.0 Five Years On” written by Tim O’Reilly and John Battelle for the recent web2.0 summit, and I was attracted by the Smule’s Ocarina application for iPhone. Perhaps I’m losing touch with some of the latest technological advancements without owning the phone myself, but it appears that music players can carry a synthesiser that can emulate their favourite musical instrument while moving. How conveneient (: (of cos here assumed you owned an iPhone). Check out the video below, AND do read O’Reilly and Battelle’s article to get a glimpse of the world we’re advancing into, if we are not already into it (:
we’re so used to laptop/notebook carrying only one screen while we need to multi-task 10-20 windows cluttered all in one screen. this intel’s FOUR-screen laptop, if ever leaves prototype for production, can very well change the way we work and learn. what opportunities would such a device present for learning and teaching? perhaps on screen for pm and online status, one screen for personal note/scribble/doodle, one screen for discussion topics, and the main screen for the (20-3) windows that’s left? (: cant wait till the day when i can get my hands on one of these 
ever had the problem of having your projector set up fail you when you most need it? or pple working past the projection and your projection’s momentarily blacked out on-screen? check out the Easy Stacking function by NEC. truly an innovation (:
best suited for IWB setup in the classroom, teacher/student will no longer block the view on the IWB!
as solid-state drives’ price dropping and getting more n more popular, some of us may be tempted to buy one for use as SSD promises performance and less heat compared to our usual HDDs. if so, you may be interested to find out more abt SSDs in this report by Nikkei Electronics Asia published early last month. even if u’re not buying one soon, this article can give u a good overview of wat SSD is all abt (:
windows 7 is micro$oft’s next release of operating system set to replace vista. according to bbc news, windows 7 is set to be released on Oct 22, 2009, and in UK, it’ll cost £79.99 for an upgrade version.
if you would like try it for free, grab the release candidate by end July 09. it’s recommended NOT to install on a system that you’re using currently using for work/play/study. i’ve tried installing it on a kohjinsha sh, and it’s running OK, except the cpu is not fast enough so you’ll need some patience for things to load. but it’s installable, runable and usable, quite surprised (:
and btw, the worldwide upgrade option programme is due to begin only on 26 June, which means those pple who bought their computers some two weeks ago at pc show missed their free upgrade chance? hmm … …
Saw this article “25 Microchips That Shook the World” by Brian R. Santo hosted on IEEE spectrum. how many of these chips affected your life? my list contains only:
1. Texas Instruments TMC0281 Speech Synthesizer (1978) – used in the featured “Speak and Read” machine. ours was the YELLOW version though.
2. Kodak KAF-1300 Image Sensor (1986) – this is the ‘great great …. grandfather/mother’ of all future CCD cameras?
3. Intel 8088 Microprocessor (1979) – if you ever used a PC (cf Mac or Apple, but the latest Macs are based on Intel processors anyway), this has to be in your list (:
4. Micronas Semiconductor MAS3507 MP3 Decoder (1997) – i dun own an iPod, but guess any portable mp3 player will require some derivation of this chip?
5. Amati Communications Overture ADSL Chip Set (1994) – if u used Singnet’s broadband, u’re on ADSL. Singnet lost me as their customer after they chose to force me to take up 24mths contract upon renewal when I can only utilise less than half of it as we’re leaving for shanghai.
6. Chips & Technologies AT Chip Set (1985) – our very first computer@home in 1991 is a 80286 and it runs on this C&T AT chipset i recall seeing when i opened up the cpu. fond memory always of that computer.
7. Toshiba NAND Flash Memory (1989) – thumbdrive, usb drive, watever u called it, it’s quite impossible this piece of technology is not part of your life today, especially if u’re reading this post 
so my count’s only SEVEN, wat’s yours? (:
If you need a FREE screen capture software, you’ll love FastStone Capture after trying it out. Version 5.3 is able to:
and save it to six difference destinations. And in the “Options”, you can specify the dot-pitch of the screen capture, the destination folder, auto-startup with windows etc.
Since the software license agreement does not disallow redistribution (see below), you may want to download a copy of it for your personal use from the local mirror. If you require some latest features, be sure to check out the latest version at FastStone.org for just an afforable sum.
If you need more info (e.g. how to unpack and use), you can visit The Portable Freeware dot com.
Please read the following terms and conditions carefully before using this software. Use of this software indicates you accept the terms of this license agreement and warranty.
1. Disclaimer of Warranty
FastStone Capture (this software) is provided “as-is” and without warranty of any kind, express, implied or otherwise, including without limitation, any warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
In no event shall the author of this software be held liable for data loss, damages, loss of profits or any other kind of loss while using or misusing this software.
2. License
FastStone Capture is provided as FREEWARE for private (non-commercial) or educational (including non-profit organization) use. In these cases, you are granted the right to use and to make an unlimited number of copies of this software.
For commercial use, it is required to register this software. Registering is an important source of support in the development of future versions.
3. Restrictions on Use
This software must not be decompiled, disassembled, reverse engineered or otherwise modified.
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read about these few Internet measurement tools via /. :
Other tools are still in development as M-Lab is “only at the beginning of its development”. The first two tools look especially interesting to me (: