Anyone who dual boots Windows and Linux knows that sharing files between the two can be a little bit of a hassle. Linux users can mount NTFS volumes but Windows users could never be able to access Linux ones so you would have to remember to copy the files over in Linux before booting into Windows, etc…

Well, there’s actually a driver now for Windows which will let you mount Linux Ext2 and Ext3 volumes without any problems. There is one catch and that is that the driver does not obey access rights so Windows has full access to the files. This could prove to be messy and make for a slight security hole.

But anyone willing to ignore that can go check out http://www.fs-driver.org/ and download the driver. Be sure to read the FAQ and understand what this will and will not give you before installing the driver.

I picked up a new Dell E207WFP 20″ LCD during the Dell Deals a while back which arrived on the 21st. It wasn’t the LCD i was expecting (was looking for the one with s-video in, portrait mode and a USB hub on it) but I’m still quite happy with the purchase. So now the 20″ and my 15″ laptop work side by side and the extra real estate is just unbelievable! But there’s one thing that takes a bit of getting used to. And that’s where programs load and accessing the Start Menu. Since I want to make sure that the laptop remains the primary monitor but use the Dell for my main use at home, it’s a little bit confusing sometimes.

UltraMon is a great utility which helps alleviate some of that pain and confusion. It allows you to add two useful buttons to the title bar of your applications so that you can easily transfer window to an adjacent monitor or fully maximize it across them. It also gives you the ability to copy the Taskbar over the monitors and have them either only show the applications on that monitor or all of them. Be sure to check out their website for a full list of features and add-ons.

While Palm’s Treo 680 came with the ability to use SD media over 4GB out of the box, previous models currently do not. But if you’ve got a Treo 700p and you’re just aching for more room for your mobile porn collection, you can apparently take the SDHC driver from the Treo 680 and copy it to the 700, do a soft reset and you’ll be cooking with fire!

So go out to those boxing day sales and buy a nice fat SD card for your Treo knowing that it will work just fine!

Don’t hold me responsible if this kills your Treo and you’re forced to do a hard reset. Back up first

Anyone who’s watched CSI or Las Vegas or something similar will have seen their miracle software where you pop in a photo and the software is able to generate a “face-print” and find that person out of a collection of photos and videos. Well, come February 2007, this might actually become a reality for the everyday user.

Swedish startup company Polar Rose has created a visual search engine using facial recognition which will allow users to find people on the net with a photo. While the software is able to train itself, part of the system will still be based on users helping to build the database by entering names and other information on people not recognized by the software already.

The software will be made available as both a browser plug-in and an application interface that can be integrated into other websites or software applications via a royalty-free API.

With just one week left to get your Holiday shopping completed, I just want to wish all of you and your families a safe and very happy holiday!

Ever since the new Intel-powered MacBooks were released into the wild, users have been eagerly awaiting a universal binary of Adobe Photoshop. Well, for all of you out there who have been (im)patiently waiting, Adobe Labs has released a beta version of CS3 for all of you to try! While at time of posting the beta hasn’t been posted (supposedly you’ll be able to find it here), Adobe announced that today (December 15th), would be the day.

Anyone interested in downloading a copy will need a valid Creative Suite 2 or Photoshop CS2 serial number to use it or else the beta will only work for you for 2 days before expiring.

MacWorld has more information about the new features and improvements Photoshop CS3 should be bringing and check out this PDF of the “What’s new in Photohop” section of an upcoming book on CS3 for photographers.

Oh yeah, and if it hasn’t quite clicked in yet. As far as I know, we Windows users get ripped off again as the beta will only be for Mac users and we’ll have to wait for a later release to give this a try…(Sorry Adobe) Maybe Adobe will prove me wrong in the morning.

Update: Okay, so I’m not sure why it’s not listed on the Adobe Labs site yet, but here’s the link to the download. You’ll need to login to get to it (bugmenot.com is your friend). In addition, there is a Windows version available as well! Yey!! The Mac version is 685MB and the Windows one is 337MB.

Everyone uses CDs and DVDs to backup their data these days. It’s cheap and readily available so why not? Well, one big issue with any backup media is the chance of data corruption over time and CD/DVDs are just a prone if not more so than other traditional methods like tape or hard drives.

Ad Terras Per Aspera has written a really informative article on what he feels is the best media to be using and why. There’s also a bit of history behind the different CD/DVD media types (DVD-R vs DVD+R) and why one is better than the other.

I’ve read a bunch of articles on this subject before but I have to say that this is the first one I’ve read that actually makes sense to me. It remains technical but is worded in very understandable way so idiots like me even know what he’s talking about This definitely changes my purchasing/burning habits!

Even though WordPress has a great themes system to make it easy for those who are less than technically inclined to make their own or whatnot, I’ve noticed that there are still a number of blogs out there where they’re still just using the default theme.

Kubrickr doesn’t quite help you in changing your theme but it does help you in replacing the big ol’ blue blob at the top of the default theme! In 3 easy steps, Kubrickr helps you find an image on Flickr, crop it to your liking to fit the header and give you the image. From there on, all you have to do is take the new header image and replace the one that’s on your blog!

I do wish that the selection process was a little more easier to use but it’s got a great interface to help you crop the photo at the end. My advice is to find the photo you want on Flickr ahead of time note the username and a few key tags before using Kubrickr.

In any case, for those who like the default theme but want to add a slight touch of personalization, to their blog should check this out and give it a try!