Ubuntu 10.10 multitouch support demo

Ubuntu 10.10 for netbooks and tablets: the new uTouch gesture support.

While some folks have panned the new Unity interface for netbooks in the latest release of Ubuntu Linux, there is one kind of nifty new feature included in Ubuntu 10.10 for netbooks and tablets: the new uTouch gesture support.

Unity includes a multitouch gesture library, which lets you perform actions like expanding and moving windows, launching multiple windows, and minimizing and maximizing windows. The framework supports up to 4 finger touch input.

Canonical has released a demo video showing just some of the new uTouch features included in Ubuntu 10.10′s Unity interface.

Google Apps for Education hits 10 million user milestone

Paul Darbyshire  May 28, 2010

Google is announcing at EDUCAUSE today that, four years after introducing Google Apps for Education, it now has 10 million active users at universities and K-12 schools worldwide. Active users are people within Google Apps domains who have signed on within the last 7 - 30 days and include students, staff, alumni, and even parents (in some K-12 settings), depending upon how the schools have rolled out the services.


The evolution of the Google Apps suite of cloud-based communication and collaboration tools really has been nothing short of extraordinary. Apps relatively easy to deploy ready to go live within 2 weeks.

As part of this sustained momentum, we’ve seen the number of active Google Apps for Education users double since last fall, with more than 2 million new users coming on board since May alone; not to mention the emerging growth we’re now seeing in the K-12 space.

With all of this obvious demand and utilization, why is Google giving Edu Apps away for free?

1. The more Google Apps users the company has, the more it can refine and develop features, get feedback, and otherwise improve the product that it sells in other markets.
2. Google Apps for Education doesn’t deliver ads to students (or can be limited to education-related ads). However, students accustomed to Apps will be more likely to use Gmail and consumer Apps in their personal lives, broadening Google’s advertising base.
3. Similarly, students who have come to depend upon the collaboration and easy content creation tools in Apps during college will look Premier Apps when they enter the workforce. What better way to build a generation of highly-educated users who demand cloud-based tools like those in Apps from their employers (or who incorporate them in their own businesses)?
4. The more people (whether students, staff, or parents) associate Google with the cloud and productivity, the stronger Google’s brand.

It’s a win for everybody.

Bring your Windows XP PC over to your Windows 7 PC for FREE in a few simple steps!

VMware: VMware Workstation Zealot

If you are planning to move to Windows 7, you can use these tools on your own to get the same results. Below are the simple steps I followed to make the move to Windows 7.

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

1) Download VMware Converter .

2) Install VMware Converter on the Windows PC you would like to virtualize to run in Windows 7. I recommend using the default setting.

3) Run VMware Converter after installation. Click the “Convert Machine” button in the tool bar to start the wizard.

4) Conversion Wizard Step 1: The source type should be “Powered-on Machine” and specific powered-on machine should be set to “This local machine”. Click Next.

5) Conversion Wizard Step 2: Destination type should be “VMware Workstation or Other VMware virtual machine.” The VMware Product selected should be “VMware Workstation 6.5”. Give your virtual machine a name, it can be anything, I chose “My XP PC”. Choose a location to save the virtual machine. I selected an external hard drive to make it easier to copy it to the new PC. You can save it to the new PC over the network, but for this example, I wanted to keep it simple.

6) Conversion Wizard Step 3: In the “Devices” section click “edit” and increase the memory to 512MB. This can be increased up to 1024MB if your new machine has 4 GB or more memory.

7) Conversion Wizard Step 3: In the “Networks” section click “edit”. Most people will see multiple network adapters (NICs) listed. Typically the NICs listed are wired ethernet, WiFi, and a (FireWire/iLiVnk/1394) port. Select “NAT” in the drop down list box under Connection Type next to the ethernet and WiFi network adapters. If you are unsure, select NAT for all

8) Conversion Wizard Step 4: Click “Finish”

9) Sit back and let VMware Converter do its thing. The “Status” column will let you know when its done.

10) While VMware Converter is running, return to your Windows 7 PC and download and install VMware Player.

11) Download VMware Player.(you may be prompted to enter your account information you used/created in step 1)

12) Install VMware Player on your Windows 7 PC.

13) I recommend using the default settings.

14) Once the installation is complete, you will need to restart your PC.

15) Now VMware Player is ready to go.

16) Once VMware Converter has completed the conversion process,you are ready to move your Windows XP PC to your Windows 7 laptop.

17) If you stored the virtual machines to an external hard drive as I did, you can run your Windows XP virtual machines from the external hard drive or copy the virtual machine to your new Windows 7 PC’s hard drive. I copied it to the “Documents” folder on the Windows 7 PC. With the large hard drives found on most new PCs, I recommend copying it to your new machine’s internal hard drive so you can quickly access applications and files as need. If you start to use the Windows XP virtual machines less and less, I would move it to an external hard drive to keep it as a backup in case you need it.

18) Now we are ready to run our Windows XP machines with VMware Player in Windows 7. Click the VMware Player icon to open up the program.

19) Click “Open a Virtual Machine”.

20) Find the file with the name you gave your virtual machine in step #5, select it and click “Open”.

21) Now you will see the Windows XP Machines start to boot up.

22) Once you see the Windows XP desktop in VMware Player, go to the “Virtual Machine” menu and select “Install VMware Tools”. Follow the installation prompts to install and allow it to reboot once finished.

23) Now you are ready to go! You can now access any files or run any applications from your old PC. If you would like to move a file to your Windows 7 PC, just drag the file to your Windows 7 desktop. Read the Getting Started Guide for more details on how to setup and run VMware Player.

24) I hope you found this useful. If you would like to learn more or get some additional questions answered, please visit our VMware Player community forum.

Integrated User And Radio Management In A Wireless Network Environment - Patent 7382756

Integrated User And Radio Management In A Wireless Network Environment - Patent 7382756 -

Finland - Education reform - Helsinki University

Pasi Sahlberg, of Helsinki University, in his own words, on the stunning success of teachers and students in Finland, and the secret to how they give all of its children the best education possible.

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Marvell unveils faster 802.11n chip for 450Mbps WiFi data rates

Marvell this week unveiled a new 802.11n solution that utilizes a 4x4 architecture on a single-die. Calling it a world-first, Marvell says the new Marvell Avastar 88W8764 comes with four independent transmit-receive RF chains and Tx beamforming capability. With support for three Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) spatial data streams, the 4x4 solution is capable of cranking data speeds up to 450Mbps--50 percent higher than current 300Mbps solutions.