This past Labor Day, Cyrus joined our family. This black and white kitten … in his attempt to learn about the world, is into everything. Not being a cat, I’ve found a new site which helps my curiosity streak:

• The Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog

If you still have "wonder" about the world around us, you should visit this blog. Some of my favorite sections are:

• Engineering (General)
  (and)
• Engineering Videos and Podcasts

One posting from the "video and podcast" section is Curious Cast webinar favorites; these range from Google Technology Talks to the Science Live  archive from the University of Cambridge. You may also subscribe to the entire blog, or your favorite section(s).

In a few hours I will head up north to my small cabin near the Canadian border … no computer … no TV … no phone service … no running water in the Winter. We heat by wood stove!

Given my impending departure, I thought long and hard over what the topic should be for my final posting of 2006 … Eureka … Nerd Food! Thus I challenge everyone to enter via the comments section their two favorite nerd food items.  Here is my entry:

• Hostess Twinkies
  (and)
• Diet Coke

These two items combine to give "nerd energy" during all night gaming or coding sessions. Oh, yes … here is the photo of my cabin. Happy New Year!

Over the past few months I’ve created a number of Google Co-op search engines, ranging from an Engineering Podcast Search Engine to WikiSearch. I thought folks might like to see how easy it is to create your own search engine with Google Co-op … thus:

• Google Co-Op Search Engine Screencast Tutorial

This tutorial was created with Wink. Although the audio is not quite as clear as I would like, Wink gives  a surprising amount of power for a free web recording tool. You may wish to check out my other screencast tutorials.

I just created a new search engine, Wiki Search, which indexes this content:

• Wikipedia – the open source encyclopedia
• Wiktionary – a wiki dictionary
• Wikiversity – opening minds through learning
• Wiki Books – your open source for eBooks
• Wiki How – the Mr. Fixit of wikis!
• Wiki Index – an index of wikis
• Wiki News – today’s news as posted/edited by netizens
• Wiki Quote – quotable quotes!
• Wiki Species – a directory of life!
  and
• Wiki Travel – your online travel resource

What’s a wiki? Learn from a talking computer … but definitely not Hal 2000 ! (or from Common Craft … Wikis explained in layman’s terms)

Note: Wiki Search site addition suggestions are welcome; however given the number of wikis on the web (Google it!), my focus is general reference wikis. This search index also includes my blog.

• See my entire list of Google Co-op Search Engines.

Quite often in one's travels around the web, you may wish to record or demonstrate something. CamStudio is a simple, free, recording tool. This posting provides a screencast tutorial, access to the software, and some examples:

• CamStudio
  • Web Site
  • Download Software (Source Forge.Net)
    .
• Tutorial (created with Wink)
  .

Finally, some editorial comments … CamStudio is a great tool, but given it's inability to take individual screen shots (like a digital camera) and then smooth motion paths between between mouse clicks, file size can grow VERY LARGE. You need to get things right the first time around; there is no second chance to edit and improve your content.  

Having said all of that, as a simple, cost effective (i.e. free) screencast recording tool for webcasts and tutorials … it is does the trick.