An instant message + email checking + social network status checking program Digsby was running on my computer and generated an shocking statistic.

Congratulations Digsby, you are the first program I know of that's not math/science/studio/benchmark related software to surpass the CPU/Memory usage of Firefox 3.0.1 running Gmail, Google reader and Google calendar.
How is your code constructed?

 main() {
        while(get_system_load()<1){
               generate_garbage();
               //code start
        }
 }

Non of my computers at home can handle it, so the developer must be running a 64 core 1024 bit 3.6 THz CPU with 32TB 1033GHz DDRe^π RAM.

iTest video contest has ended.
People's solutions are amazingly similar. Maybe because these are the standard way to answer?
For problem 21, I didn't even remember there was a British flag theorem and end up proving it myself. Those iTest people are really educated.
This fast talking guy is the only person posted an answer for problem #82.
Certainly. Use the number of possible edges minus edges contained in largest possible triangle-free graph. But proving the size of the largest triangle-free graphs is not easy to be done in 60 seconds.

Second math contest of this school year complete.

BitNami is the thing I was always looking for. It packages the server and the application(Drupal, Wordpress, phpBB etc.)
Well, I know how to set up Apache + PHP + MySQL... by using XAMPP. Sometimes I just want to test Redmine, but start configuring Ruby? I believe I got enough on "am I suppose to download Ruby or Rails?"
Bitnami's nice installation package equals to extremely fast set up. Almost nothing have to be done except download and install. There is no way Bitnami can be easier.
Except allow us to create our own Linux distro (online with few clicks) bundles with the choice of http (or other kind of) server (Apache or Lighttpd), choice of database, choice of script language. It dynamically creates the package and we can download them or share them. It would be even better if they work with some computer manufacture like Dell, so the package comes installed on the server.

I am a Mathematica fan, after using it for months, the TI-83 plus can rarely feel the warmth of my hand1.
During school, or at friends house2, I have to deal with the life of Mathematicaless...
SpeQ come out of no where (well.. on stumble upon) and become part of my mathematical tool set!
First of all, SpeQ calculator's interface is command line like (btw, what is Microsoft thinking? calculator showing only one line of numbers?). Input and output, easily done.

Graphing, storing variables, add comments, declare functions and save the input+output are all possible.

The best of SpeQ is it's size! The main program is only 121KB, the help file is larger than the program, now I can take it everywhere, include my Journalism class, where the computers runs win 95/98 and the main portable storage device is floppy disks.
Did I tell you it's free?

1. 1. Replace "rarely" with "never" once Mathematica are allowed for all tests
2. 2. who does math at friend's house

Technicians at BNL sucks and does not do their work right. I broke the partition table 10 days ago when trying to install Ubuntu on a disk with NTFS format. The technician took 10 days just to format the drive, install Win XP and find 50% of the missing drivers, their efficiency should get them fired.
But I'm glad the computer is back, expecially after the new install, softwares came with the Thinkpad is gone, thus the computer is blazing fast!
I have to start installing my fav programs, some of them have changed. I made a small list of the program I can not live without.

Browser:
Firefox - Easy to use
Opera - Fast

Text Editor:
was using Emeditor: Nice editor and all, only the professional version is worth to use. but not $39.99 worthy.
Notepad++: The best open source alternative I can find

HTTP Server:
was using XAMPP, I want to replace apache with something less feature and more efficient.
WLMP: Replaces apache with lighttpd

IM:
Pidgin: my No.1 choice until Instantbird release something more usable.

C++:
Ultimate++: a noob who can't setup SDL for any other IDE should stick with this one.

Media:
Music player: Foobar2000: Light weight
Movie player: The Kmplayer: Light weight
Image viewer: XnView. non-java open source developers should consider work on image viewers. All the ones out there sucks.

Archive:
7zip: Free! I stop getting cracks for WinRAR 3 years ago

Calculator:
Mathematica kicks ass. Period.

Download:
µtorrent: Light weight
emule: Huge resource site based in China

No offense, but the name "Instantbird" isn't that cool when compete with Firefox, Thunderbird and SeaMonkey, try something else ("Razorcow" sounds nice).

While I was downloading the 13MB install package for windows, I will tell you about what else I'm using for IM.
I have used Meebo, before I meet Pidgin.
Pidgin replaced Meebo because javascript is just too slow to handle 300+ contacts on all my IMs. The only fault of Pidgin is it's using some processing power, quite slow and uses GTK (optionally aspell). Of course I have nothing against GTK, but install GTK (and Aspell) just for Pidgin sounds a bit clumsy to me.
Miranda IM is another choice, it's fast, lite and efficient, but it's interface pisses me off, it's too simple and not humanly accessible.

Instantbird suppose to steal away my heart, the release of 0.1 show the basics of the frame, but it is in no way or shape for anyone to abandon what you are using now, for god's sake, there is no option to format your text yet!

I did not blur anyone on my contact list... I really don't think anyone would add people on my contacts
Reasons for looking forward to Instantbird's future include:
-XUL Technology, what firefox use
-Mozilla behinds the project