Hi,
Thought i'd just post a few things I found interesting. I know its a bit computer nerdish, but then a few of us are. Thanks to slashdot for these.
Python is one programming language (among many). and a new review of a book called 'learning python' is on slashdot.
Compiled languages This is fairly abstract, but it does look at the way a bunch of different languages compile in terms of speed. It ignores perl (a compiled just before language, similar to java's 'just in time' compilation of applets). So if you were thinking of choosing a particular language for a project, [ignore the results, but don't code in anything too slow :-) ] it really doesn't matter which you use, as the ms ones compile to 'pseudo machine code' which is then optimised in the same way. similarly the gnu compiler collection (which compiles fortran, c, c++ and probably objective c on a mac) compiles to some pseudocode, which then gets turned into binary.
On the other hand, the comment by 'bluGil' applies most of the time: "in the early 80s, many good [atari800, 1.6mhz] games ... were written in interpreted BASIC. Today I've used computers running at 2.4Ghz, and interprited languages are less respected because they are so slow now, than back then! .. Sure you can write faster code in C. You can get faster yet if you write in pure binary (.. P4 / P3 / althlon / various VIA and Transmeta CPUs with different optimal binary), if you have years to learn what makes a processor tick. In the end though, computers are fast regardless of which language you use."

Back to compilers: slightly exciting news for mac people:
IBM are making aC compiler [slashdot.org] which should make all mac software run about 30% faster;- or really fast if they recompile the operating system with it [which may take about a year or longer - booo apple]

If you like benchmarks, here is something that will benchmark your java compiler's speed. I was surprised to see that the dual 2ghz apple system in there is about half the speed of a fast pc, and only twice the speed of my 750mhz celeron. (judging by eye)

Oh and this review of one of suns latest 64bit workstations is actually quite a funny read. As we might be buying one of these or similar in the coming 6 months, it will be interesting to see whether the power supply, the hard drive or something else fails first.. I do like that it comes with a card that runs a faster pc processor for when a sun workstation just isn't up to the job.

In slightly dull 'small form factor pc' news:
shuttle zen is a slightly smaller case than the usual shuttle case / motherboard. But there's nowhere to plug in a floppy drive, and only one PCI slot.
Josh had info on a small dell system. the Dell SX270 (tiny, silent, and not rediculously expensive, yet can still hold a high speed P4) which seemed more interesting.