View the world with NASA

NASA’s free World Wind software lets you zoom from satellite altitude into any place on Earth. Data from various satellites lets you experience Earth terrain in visually rich 3D, just as if you were really there. You can visit any place in the world, from your home town to the Grand Canyon, via the Alps and the African Sahara.

The software weighs in at a hefty 180MB (and more, it downloads a lot of its image data on the fly) and is available via HTTP and BitTorrent – possibly the US Government’s first use of the controversial technology.

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Offline NT Password & Registry Editor

This Linux-based tool, available as a bootable floppy or CD image, can recover user and administrator passwords on Windows NT, 2000, XP and Server 2003 machines. It might look scary, but it greets you with a Douglas Adams-esque “DON’T PANIC” and explains that the default options are OK in most cases (i.e. just keep hitting Enter).

I’ve just tried this and it works remarkably well. It might just save you from reinstalling Windows one day. Of course, it has less legitimate uses, but if you lack good physical security, you have a lot more to worry about (people stealing your machine, for example).

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ITConversations: New ideas through your headphones

ITConversations hosts audio programmes with respected figures in the IT industry, such as security expert Bruce Schneier, Moore’s Law founder Dr Gordon Moore, Apple Computer’s Steve Wozniak and PHP developer Rasmus Lerdorf.

Visitors can contribute questions, and the shows can be streamed or downloaded in Windows Media or MP3 format. There is also podcast support, and transcripts are available for all interviews.

This is a great site for anyone studying an IT or Computing-related degree, or anyone with an interest in the field.

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