IBGerm

2010 Schedule

Printable schedule All games will be broadcast live on KZMP 1540 AM (Spanish).

Dates and times are subject to change. All times Central (CT).

Today, Illinois-based Incredible Technologies announced that its popular Golden Tee Golf game found in more than 10,000 bars worldwide, will soon be integrated with Facebook .

The games already present players with the option to upload 720p screencasts of their "Great Shots" directly to YouTube. When the player makes an unusually difficult shot such as a hole in one, it can be posted to YouTube and be live within five minutes. Incredible Technologies says that more than 70,000 of these videos have been posted in the year the feature has been live.

"Since 80% of Golden Tee players are also Facebook users, IT sees opportunity in developing programs that interface with Facebook," the company said today.

So if you have the type of friends who spend hours slamming the Golden Tee trackball in sports bars on the weekends, look forward to seeing plenty of status updates about it. Oh joy!!!!!

World Cup schedule (all times Eastern)

In the world of Apple, being a Netbook is a bad, bad thing. During Apple’s keynote for the newly-announced iPad, the Netbook was called out by Steve Jobs, who said "they’re not better at laptops than anything, they’re just cheaper." The affordable, tiny and yes, often barebones Atom processor-running device we’ve come to know and love, or hate, as the Netbook is often clunky and frequently disappointing, true enough. On the other hand, the Apple iPad was promised to be a better solution for those in the market for a Netbook.

While the iPad might win out on some particular functions–video playback quality, in particular–the truth is there are a great many things Netbooks can do that an iPad just can’t. Right now, at least. And while that may not make a Netbook better than a laptop, in some instances a Netbook certainly seems better than an iPad.

• Video chat. Most Netbooks, even low-end ones, now have webcams enabling basic video chat over Skype or any other program. The iPad, however, does not. We wish the iPad had a camera and iChat, especially since it would make the tablet a unique communications device to rival the iPhone. Perhaps cost was a factor, even though most Netbooks manage the feat in a package under $500.
• Run Flash. While Steve Jobs called the iPad "the best web experience you’ve ever had," there is a big missing piece right now, and that’s the whole web. Browser-based apps and Flash-driven content are a huge element of cloud computing and of many websites, and right now it’s not even clear whether the iPad can even run Hulu or Netflix. Atom Netbooks can be slow and stuttery when playing web video, but at least they can.
• Programming. Most people aren’t programmers, or anything close to it, but most Netbooks do run on a full Windows 7 OS that can be used for programming or modification. For the friendly hackers out there, that’s a dealbreaker on the iPad.
• Upload photos from a camera. No USB ports on the iPad mean no connecting cameras or other peripherals, which can be a drag if the iPad is meant as a portable computing replacement for bloggers. Netbooks have at least 2 USB ports standard.
• Store more than 64GB of data. We expected a little more memory on the iPad. Even the most basic Netbook has a 160GB hard drive. Cloud storage can assist with data, but it’s still no replacement for onboard capacity.
• Play Facebook games. Without the aforementioned Flash, browser games aren’t really possible on the iPad. Those looking to play Farmville will have to wait for the App or just flock to a Netbook.
• Swapping batteries. Sure, the iPad is slim, attractive and very showy. But its battery is fixed, while a Netbook can not only swap its battery, but upgrade from a three to a six-cell or more.
• Install CD media (or any media other than from an App Store) With the addition of a simple USB DVD/CD-ROM drive, disc-based software can be installed on a Netbook even without an optical drive built in. Netbooks can also install files off USB drives, or via any other input method. The iPad wasn’t designed with this flexibility in mind, but it’s still nice to be able to do.
• Type on your lap. Yes, the iPad has a virtual keyboard, and even a cool keyboard dock that turns the tablet into a quasi-desktop device. But the dock can’t be used for lap typing, and the Apple demos didn’t make iPad typing seem as comfortable as pounding away on an old-fashioned hinged Netbook. For long-term writing on the go, a physical Netbook keyboard with an attached angled screen still wins.
• Upgrade. Netbooks can upgrade their RAM–albeit slightly–and with a little effort that hard drive can be swapped too. The iPad is a fixed entity, so there’s no going back once you’ve picked 16, 32 or 64GB.

Windows 7 install discs are edition-specific—if you’ve got a valid license key, you still need the right disc for installation. The ei.cfg Removal Utility, however, lets you create a new, universal installation ISO for Windows 7.

Although your Windows installation disc may say "Home Premium Edition," it still contains the other versions (such as Pro or Ultimate) on the disc—it just has a very small file called ei.cfg that tells the disc what version to install. The ei.cfg Removal Utility creates a new ISO of your install disc that ignores this file, thus letting you choose what edition you want when you start the installer.

While this tool is especially useful for computer technicians who have to install Windows a lot, it’s also nice to have for those of us that tend to lose discs often—especially in this day and age of emailed product keys. Now, if you need to reinstall Windows but can’t find your disc, you can just borrow a friend’s—even if it’s an edition that’s different than yours. You just need let the installer know which edition matches your product key (Note: Your disc still needs to be the same kernel as your key (i.e. 32 or 64-bit).

The ei.cfg Removal Utility is a free download, Windows only, and requires a Windows 7 install disc to use.

Windows 7 ISO Disc Image Utilities [via Technibble]

CanYouSeeMe.org’s open port check tool is a simple but useful web-based utility for figuring out if your ISP or firewall is blocking certain ports you need to get things done on your computer. It’s a handy way to determine if connection issues you’re having—like difficulty sending email or trouble accessing an instant messaging client—are a problem with your internet connection or the computer itself.

CanYouSeeMe.org

The pared down webapp is useful for running a quick check to see if a port you need is open. For a more robust look at your accessible ports, check out  MyPorts to get detailed information on any open port, including its state, remote IP address, and app that’s currently using it.

MyPorts is a free download, Windows only.

MyPorts [via gHacks]

Pennsylvania: College students John Wagner and Leslie Pope have been arrested and charged with theft after they declined to pay a mandatory gratuity to the Lehigh Pub after they were given poor service.

The pair had to go to the bar for drink refills, get their own cutlery and napk ins, and wait an hour for the pub to serve their wings and salad. The menu states that an 18 percent gratuity is mandatory for parties over six.

"You can’t give us terrible, terrible service and expect a tip," said Pope, who conceded in answer to a media question that if it happened again he’s "probably gonna pay the tip anyway."

A pub owner in the U.K. has been fined £8,000 (about $13,183) because someone unlawfully downloaded copyrighted material over its open Wi-Fi hotspot, according to the managing director of hotspot provider The Cloud. 

Graham Cove told CNET sister site ZDNet UK on Friday he believes the case to be the first of its kind in the U.K. However, he would not identify the pub concerned, because its owner–a pub that is a client of The Cloud’s–had not yet given their permission for the case to be publicized.

Cove would say only that the fine had been levied in a civil case, brought about by a rights holder, "sometime this summer." The Cloud’s pubco clients include Fullers, Greene King, Marsdens, Scottish & Newcastle, Mitchell & Butlers, and Punch Taverns.

The law surrounding open Wi-Fi networks and the liability of those running them is a grey area…