Houstonist Tech Buzz - 040807

Local tech news in a compact, digital format.

Feel Good Recycling
Techs & Trainers is a non-profit organization that recycles old computer equipment, rebuilds systems and then offers them for a nominal fee to those with special needs. You can help by donating your unwanted computers and accessories or volunteering your own specialized assistance.

HTC Blood Drive
The Houston Technology Center is having a blood drive on April 13 from 7-11am. Get out from behind that computer and bleed for a little while to help boost the blood supply. All donors will receive a t-shirt, cookies and juice. As an added bonus donors can play a 'scratch-off' ticket that could be redeemed for prizes or points redeemable at the HTC online store.

Yuri's Night
Celebrated in dozens of cities around the world, Yuri's Night is "the global celebration of human space travel, held annually on April 12. Yuri’s Night commemorates both the historic first flight of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961, as well as the launch of the first Space Shuttle (STS-1) exactly 20 years later." This year the party will be held at Pub Fiction in midtown and while there is no admission to the establishment, the event will be held in a private room and tickets are $8 presale and $10 at the door. Your entry ticket does entitles you to a raffle for a chance to win a flight on the Vomit Comet, that's right, a zero-g flight 34,000 feet above the earth!

Chronicle Tech Round Up
The Chronicle's Tech Writers had a lot to say this past week. Barrett Canon over at GeekSpeak informs us on technological Holy Wars, Jay Lee takes on those pesky DLL's, Dwight Silverman gives us the lowdown on Goog-411 a free phone based Google search function and Dr. Mac shows Apple users ways to manage photos.

ABC Tech
abc13.com has a couple of tech stories this week. The tech folks over there tell us about 911 and your cell phone and also gives us their take on the city's wi-fi plan.

The Space Pen
Here's an interesting link to a story on Paul Fisher the guy who invented the Space Pen. In 1965, Paul sent his pen to Houston Space Center and it's been on NASA flights since 1968! Good thing he didn't send it to Florida & Cape Canaveral or he may have never been mentioned on Houstonist.

That's it for the Tech Buzz. Surf safe and surf smart, Houston. Remember if you have an item you'd like covered, drop us an email or leave a comment.