Technology

OK, so as you know we do a bit of traveling, mostly through places we've never been to before, and our trusty printed map isn't working very well anymore. It's a bit wrecked, the pages are falling out and the ink is fading.

So, I've decided to go cutting edge and get myself a GPS system, woohoo, but this is the catch, I don't want one of those tiny little things you stick on the dashboard, I'd actually rather buy one of the USB GPS systems that connect to the laptop, which seem cheaper than the car version anyway.

We bought a Vista powered laptop a few months ago which gets used only sporadically and would be a great use for it for when we go off with our cameras, and since I already have a backpack for it we could even take it off-road on bicycles.

I've been scouring the laptop PC GPS software programs forum over at Laptop GPS World for info, I'm happy to buy the USB GPS system online and have it shipped to me, but finding out what software to use is another matter.

Do any of my readers have any experience of using a USB GPS system, I know some of you in the US probably do, so which software is generally better for Vista. If any of you know anything about European maps, what I need is software that covers western Europe.

I'll go ask in the GPS forum as well but since so many of you live in Germany if you can recommend something I can get from MediaMarkt I'd really appreciate it, I do need good maps of Iberia and the USB dongle.

Broadband Internet is something you kinda take for granted in many parts of the world, but being relatively new to it myself, at least in the home, I am still amazed at the different speeds available and other services that come with it from your ISP.

Before we came to Europe oh so long ago, hmm, about 10 months ago, we were only on dial-up, 56 Kbs which is so painful especially when you want to upload photos to flickr, watch videos, or even just chat with family using Skype. In Germany we had ADSL with about 8 Mbs, and here in Spain we have to make do with 512 Kbs. Now that I've got broadband I doubt I could ever go back to slow dial-up, and it means we can share our connection across three laptops with no problems.

Anyway I raise the subject because I was reading about broadband in the UK, if you haven't heard the government wants to increase broadband uptake to compete into the future against other developed countries. It seems despite the relative affluence of the UK they are falling behind in the technology stakes, or so some would have you believe. I don't know where ESA would be if it weren't for British satellite designers but that's another story. Read More

I just got an email from Apple Deutschland saying OS X 10.5 Leopard will be available 26th October and inviting me to pre-order my copy. Oh believe me I'm way ahead them. I've already been in to see the guys at Gravis to place my order for the English version. If you're one of my German readers, here's a quote from the announcement.

Das wichtigste Upgrade zu Mac OS X ist in Kürze verfügbar. Mit über 300 neuen Funktionen können Sie Ihren Mac noch produktiver und mit mehr Spaß nutzen. Mac OS X Leopard - das fortschrittlichste Apple Betriebssystem - ist jetzt noch fortschrittlicher.

Read More

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organisation will be selling 25,000 of it's laptop computers to the general public in November 2007. The deal is you buy one, get one free, but the free laptop goes to a child in a developing country, all for paltry sum of US$399. I wrote about this project awhile ago. Read More