“Die elektronische Post kam mit kostenlosen Diensten in Mode. Für sie zahlen Kunden nicht in harter Währung, sondern akzeptieren Werbung und meist auch die Verwertung der aus ihren Daten gespeisten Kundenprofile.” Mittlerweile bekannt gewordene Abhörpraktiken der NSA rücken immer mehr auch Fragen nach der Sicherheit von E-Mails in den Vordergrund. Die Stiftung Warentest hat 14 Provider unter die Lupe genommen: Als Testsieger gehen Mailbox.org und Posteo hervor.
www.test.de
Tag: review
Lies, damned lies, and medical science
“I’m not sure that more than a very small percentage of medical research is ever likely to lead to major improvements in clinical outcomes.” David Freedman reports on John Ioannidis and his quest to improve the quality of medical research.
www.theatlantic.com
OpenOffice.org 3.1: the next generation
“The latest version of the open-source office suite OpenOffice.org 3.1 has just arrived, and it’s a good one. While some of the improvements are visible to the naked eye, I found that the most important changes were hidden under the hood.” Steven J Vaughan-Nichols takes the latest OpenOffice.org release for a spin.
www.computerworld.com
Carbon posts for comfort
If you are a cyclist and would like a more comfortable ride, you might want to consider switching to a seat post made from carbon fibre. At a diameter of 27.2 mm, the Easton EC90 is the most compliant seat post that I have used to date. With enough of the post exposed, it offers a much more comfortable ride. If you require a larger diameter seat post, the theoretical advantages of carbon over other materials are much less likely to be realised in practice. At a diameter of 30.9 mm or greater, I’d stick with aluminium. Use a torque wrench and carbon assembly paste.
Attitude of an Empire State Courier
“Like most cyclists, when I acquire a bicycle I will spend some time and money to ‘dial it in’. However, this bicycle was the equivalent of an unplanned pregnancy, and I was damned if I was going to spend a single red cent on my new bastard child.” Bike Snob NYC, father of the PistaDex, evaluates the Scattante Empire State Courier in terms of its associated acceptance scores.
bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com
Best cycling gloves ever?

This is a picture of my Roeckl 3104 803 MTB gloves, which I picked up towards the end of the summer. In certain ways, these really are the best cycling gloves that I have used. Feel, grip as well as comfort are outstanding. But while I am aware that light gloves such as these cannot reasonably be expected to last forever, the amount of use I got out of this pair is disappointing at best.
OpenOffice.org 3.0
“OpenOffice.org has an impressive feature set, a generally lucid interface, pure open-source credentials, and the decisive advantage of being absolutely free.” Edward Mendelson reviews OpenOffice.org 3.0.
www.pcmag.com
Hardy Heron makes Linux worth another look
“If you’ve flirted with the idea of switching your desktop operating system to Linux but never took the leap, the time is now.” Kevin Purdy highlights key features of the latest Ubuntu Long Term Support (LTS) release.
lifehacker.com
A brief look at Slackware 11.0
“Slackware is one of the oldest Linux distributions out there. And over the years, it has consistently kept pace with the changes.”
linuxhelp.blogspot.com
Ubuntu Dapper: ready for the long haul
“Overall, I’ve found Ubuntu 6.06 LTS to be a solid operating system. It’s easy to use, has a great selection of software available, and generally ‘just works’.” Joe Brockmeier reviews Ubuntu 6.06 Long Term Support.
www.linux.com
An old hacker slaps up Slackware
“Slackware is not for everyone. But it is a distribution that nearly everyone should try some day, for several reasons.” Joe Barr has used many different Linux distributions over the years. Until recently, he has never tried Slackware.
www.linux.com
My workstation OS: Slackware
“Once I tried the full distro, I never looked back.” Michael Stibane explains why he is happy using Slackware.
www.linux.com
Bicycle helmet safety institute
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association provides information on buying a helmet and fitting it properly. There also is a long list of product reviews to help with your choices.
www.helmets.org
Slackware 10: first impressions
“Above all, I am impressed by Slackware’s stability, clean layout, easy customisation, and excellent package management system.” Michael Hall gives his opinion on Slackware.
www.osnews.com