Not wishing to be told I piss and moan too much about problems in the tech world, every Thursday from now on I will do something positive. In what I officially call Thankful Thursday, I’ll post about some positive events that have happened in the computer world that week. They may be as simple as a spammer being put in jail, or possibly include a new product release. If it makes a positive impact on the world, chances are good you might see it here.

This week’s Thankful Thursday news is:

ICANN plans to end domain tasting. Domain tasting is used by spammers to register millions of domains. After analyzing them for traffic, they keep the ones that are profitable and drop the ones that aren’t. Because ICANN has a 5-day grace period in which a domain can be dropped for a full refund, these guys get to do this for free.

New MacBook Pros may be coming. Any Mac user would agree this is good news.

Top 10 BitTorrent Tools and Tricks. Good for us, bad for the music and movie industries.

Asus is planning a $500 “iMac killer”. Anything that makes computing easier and more affordable is a good thing. The all-in-one computer will feature a display between 19-21 inches as well as a TV tuner.

Scientists find way to reverse memory loss. Hopefully the FDA won’t forget about it.

Check back next Thursday for Thankful Thursday #2.

The old site design looked great, but was too limiting. It limited us to displaying only 3 stories on the homepage, and had some serious bugs in IE 6. The bugs were too much work to fix in a decent amount of time, so I changed the design to a new one. It looks quite a bit like the old one, but gives the site a lot more room. There shouldn’t be any bugs with it, but if you experience any problems, contact me and I’ll look into it.

As the new comes in, you should never forget the old. Here are a few of our most popular stories from ages past. These were the posts that helped make PC Fastlane what it is today.

• 10 Worst Computer Gimmicks of Recent Times
• Tips for Saving at Dell
• 10 Ways to Save Money on the Internet
• History of the Pentium 4
• Anatomy of a Digg Story

The Lego Mindstorms NXT might just be a toy, but it’s not just any toy. It’s an educational tool. The Mindstorm robot has many of the features of expensive robot models for adults, but is designed to be easily used to kids eight and up. The NXT is Lego’s newest Mindstorms model, and features many new improvements. It’s one of the few toys that I consider to be a gadget, and worth checking out by any adult.

The robot is meant to be programmed via the included software that works on both Macs and PCs. The software is designed for children, and easy to use. Included is a guide showing you how to make some of the most common robot models. However, one can easily get more complex with the programming and there are various third party programming tools out there.

Four sensors are included with the NXT:
Ultrasonic sensor: Detects distance and movement. There are many cool uses for this tool.
Light & color sensor:Detects light and color. Using this sensor, you can get the robot to distinguish between objects of different color. For instance, you could tell it to only pick up blue objects or red objects.
Push sensor:Can tell when the robot touches something.
Sound sensor: Can determine the volume and tone of sound.

The NXT is a great gift for any Lego or robot lover. Find out more about it at the link below.
LEGO Mindstorms NXT

Sometimes things in life can get hot, a bit too hot. That’s where the Xpad laptop cooler comes in. Through the use of several strategically located fans, it can cool your laptop up to 30 degrees, and the integrated heat shield can block up to 60 degrees of heat from your oh-so-special lap. With laptops getting more and more powerful every day, the heat they generate has increased greatly over the years. The Xpad can cut down on this heat, making your portable computer more comfortable to use and increasing its life span.

We don’t know how well it works, but we do know it’s only $16.95.
Xpad Non-slip Laptop Cooler & Heatshield

Running out of room in your garage? A company called Racor has come out with a new ceiling-mounted bike lift that can not only free up space in your garage, but also keep your bikes safe. The bike lift will store your bikes nice and high on ceilings up to 14 feet tall, but makes them easy to retrieve with its unique pulley system that lets you lift bikes up to 55-pounds up or down. At only 3.8 pounds, the Racor bike lift system comes fully assembled, ready for mounting. Though it only holds one bike, it is very inexpensive, available at most stores for less than $20. The bike lift is very easy to install, and comes with decent customer service.
Racor Ceiling-Mounted Bike Lift #PBH-1R

The Swivel Sweeper is a unique, battery-powered cordless sweeper that can clean up messes faster and more effectively than ordinary sweepers. Though criticized by some, it gets the job done at a great price. Running up to 45 minutes per battery charge, it has a reusable dirt tray and weighs only 2 pounds, making it easy to use and convenient.

Those who have complained about the Swivel Sweeper expect too much out of it. It is not a substitute for a vacuum, but a handy tool for cleaning up small messes. It works on just about any surface, and can get deep in corners. Use it for cleaning up crumbs, dirt, and more.

AS SEEN ON TV Cordless Swivel Sweeper

Some good alternatives to the Swivel Sweeper include the Euro-Pro Shark V1725 Quick-and-Quiet 10-Inch Cordless Sweeper and the SF-290 Floor Steam Mop and Multi-Purpose Steamer.

I received a Sonicare toothbrush as a gift a year ago. Since then, I have come to idolize it. While the brush itself is expensive and replacement heads aren’t exactly cheap, the toothbrush works wonders on your mouth. When you first use it, it feels like a chainsaw in your mouth, grinding this way and that. But after a few days you get used to the vibrating bristles in your mouth, and after the first use I immediately noticed how much cleaner my teeth felt. They felt slick and smooth, just like I’d come from the dentist.

The Sonicare is built to last. Though it’s made out of plastic, it is the sturdy and durable kind. The brush heads last a month or two, but may wear down faster depending on how you use your tooth brush. I brush often and hard, so my brush heads tend to wear down faster. I also have braces, which further contributes to the wearing of the brush head. I have dropped my Sonicare several times, and it hasn’t been damaged in the slightest. The brush can be charged via the included base station. Mine has never run out of charge before. I usually leave it on the charging station when not in use, but have used it for more than a week before without charging it.

Overall, I love my Sonicare. I would pay twice what I payed for it if I had to. It’s that good of a toothbrush. People who say it’s too expensive haven’t seen what having the cleanest teeth possible is like. You can still get by with a regular toothbrush, but the Sonicare gets the job done more efficiently and better.

There are a variety of Sonicare models out there. Click on the links below for more details.
Philips Sonicare Elite e7300 Power Toothbrush
Philips Sonicare Essence e5500 Power Toothbrush
Philips Sonicare Elite (E-Series) Replacement Brush Head, Compact (2-Pack)
Philips Sonicare Essence 5300 Power Toothbrush
Philips Sonicare UV Sanitizer

The Drill Doctor is a great tool to have around the workshop for sharpening drill bits. Instead of throwing dull drill bits away, now you can sharpen them and use them over again. The DD350X is another product in Drill Doctor’s line, and has gained acceptance among many home improvement experts. It’s built to sharpen any drill bit, and comes with a three-year warranty.  More than 2-million Drill Doctors have been sold to date.Buy it at Amazon.

The Neti Pot is a new product designed to clear nasal passages, which in turn is supposed to help fight disease. This process, known as nasal irrigation, has been found to be harmless and can even have benefits. Neti pots have been used in places like India for years, and are just starting to become popular in the United States. To use the product, you basically fill it with warm salt water, and then pour the water down your nose through your nasal passages. It’s hard for some to get used to at first, but works well at what it does.

The Neti Pot is great for relieving nasal congestion and can help prevent the colds and the flu. Though not evaluated by the FDA, the Himalayan Institute Neti Pot is growing in popularity across the United States and has even been featured on Oprah.

Neti Pots are available in many stores, as well as online. Amazon.com sells them for the lowest price from my experience. At just $13.89, it’s a great way to get through cold and flu season this winter. A starter kit is also available, but the best value lays with the Neti Pot itself.