Leo Kottke to jam at Half Shell series.  

ROSEBURG: Leo Kottke will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Nichols Band Shell in Stewart Park, Roseburg. Kottke's powerful guitar technique combined with his prolific output have drawn admiration from guitarists around the world. [News Review - News]

Comic-Con Goes Way Beyond Comics. Attendees at the mega comic book event mingle with Wonder Women, Stormtroopers and giant snake heads. Fellow fans in spandex and leather attend films and panels, pitch their wares. [Wired News: Top Stories] 

Astronomers see exploded star. A star on the brink of exploding as a spectacular supernova is observed by astronomers. [BBC News | Technology | World Edition] 

MAC 

Review: iMac Education Configuration. For the most part, the features that Apple removed from the standard iMac to make this one more affordable are good choices given the target market. For schools that can live with that potentially extra expense, the $899 iMac Education Configuration should be hard to pass up.

The $899 iMac: An educator's perspective. Should schools jump at the chance to replace their Macs with the $899 iMac Core Duo? The coordinator of education technology for Maine's Department of Education talks about what to keep in mind when considering such a purchase.

Mac Gems: A better Command-Tab. LiteSwitch X betters OS X's own application switcher in many ways.

Mac 911: Stumping the chumps. While prepping an iPhoto demo for the MacMania cruise, Christopher Breen uncovers a hidden feature in the image-editing app... and can't figure out why it's there.

TECH 

Study: Net telephony quality worsening. If you're disappointed with the quality of Internet calling, you're not alone. A new study shows it's getting worse. [CNET News.com]

Text speak changing relationships: British survey (AFP).

AFP - Mobile phone text messages are changing the way people approach romantic relationships, according to a survey published in the British newspaper The Times.

AMD to buy chip-maker ATI for $5.4B (AP).

AP - Advanced Micro Devices Inc. plans to pay $5.4 billion for top graphics chip maker ATI Technologies Inc., a bold move that could help the world's No. 2 maker of PC microprocessors match — or even exceed — the capabilities of larger rival Intel Corp.

JotSpot launches do-it-yourself Internet 'wiki' tool (AFP).

AFP - Pioneering US technology firm JotSpot launched new Internet application software for the masses hat it billed as a leap forward in the evolution of the way people share and edit websites.