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Data Backups to the Cloud

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:11:55 -0500

Cloud backups are not only more common but more simple than most people think. Gone are the days of physical media backups; now, it is easier and less expensive to backup to the cloud.

International Linux Foundation Announces Distributed Network For All Users

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:29:41 -0500

In an announcement that will likely have long term implications for users of personal computers, the International Linux Foundation today reported that it will release a version of its operating system that will include a link to a distributed network.

Finding Digital Heaven - A Windows User Switches to a Mac

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:20:38 -0500

I was an avid fan of PCs for 25 years. I was an ardent supporter of Microsoft Windows, even during the dark Me years. However, when Vista came to my desk last fall, I lost my passion for PCs. I bought one of the most capable notebooks available, spending ten times more than I did for my the eight-person 1964 Oldsmobile Jetstar 88 that I drove while I was in college. Yet, Vista ruined this fine piece of computing hardware. Yet, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and for the last two weeks, I have been in computing heaven.

Americans Use Multiple Research Sources

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 15:56:34 -0500

Americans use multiple resources when searching for specific answers. The traditional sources, libraries and librarians, are still common alternatives, even with the ubiquitous availability of internet access.

Proton-Based Network Offers Free Cellular and Internet Services

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 08:31:42 -0500

Free voice and data services will be available through an international consortium’s program that deploys a proton-based global network. The telecommunications network’s potential was confirmed last week following research using the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research, and the world’s largest particle physics laboratory.

CRM Software - Manage Customer Relationships

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 18:32:49 -0500

A general rule of thumb for businesses is to drop the bottom 10 percent of clients each year, based on the profitability of the relationships. Focusing on the most profitable clients--rather than all of old clients--will, in time, increase the business' overall profitability. One way to manage the profitability of client relationships is through the use of Customer Resource Management (CRM) software.

Using Computer Clock Skew to Crack Anonymity Networks

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 10:54:54 -0500

At the recent Chaos Communications Congress, Steven J. Murdoch, a researcher in the security group at the University of Cambridge, discussed how clock skew can be used to facilitate a digital attack against anonymity networks. Clock skew, the tendency for a computer's clock to become less precise when heated, can reduce the efficacy of anonymizers, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Tor network.

Those Aren’t Really Friends Sending You E-mail

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 00:58:57 -0500

Have you recently been receiving messages from a number of new friends? If so, you are either a good person or a one of the millions of spam victims. Experts estimate that 90% of e-mail traffic is spam, and those spammers claiming to be your friend may not really have your best interests at heart.

Podcasting in America: 2006

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:06:24 -0500

A podcast is a digital multimedia file that is distributed via the internet. Podcast listeners/viewers may download individual podcast files or subscribe to a subscription feed that automates the downloading of podcast episodes. Podcasts may be played on a personal computer; however, the inherent portability of the medium encourages use of a mobile playback device, such as a portable MP3 player.

Blogosphere Grows to 50 Million

Sun, 13 Aug 2006 18:27:09 -0500

Technorati, the recognized blog tracking service, reported that there are fifty-one million blogs were in publication as of today. This is one hundred times more blogs than were in existence when the tracking service started, three years ago.

Teleportation Takes Quantum Leap Forward

Sat, 01 Apr 2006 10:15:58 -0500

The United States Department of Defense and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence today issued a joint news release announcing a electronic urban battlefield personnel and weapons transportation system, codenamed EUBPAWT (pronounced EUW-paw). The EUBPAWT system utilizes a high-energy quantum mechanical electrical field to quantify the quantum molecular structure of living tissue, which is then spatially transported and interstitially reconstituted.

Which Author is Better: One or Many?

Sun, 12 Mar 2006 11:50:51 -0500

Wikipedia, the popular online reference source for undergraduates and consumers, worldwide, has more than 15 times the number of articles than the well-known Encyclopedia Britannica, the self-proclaimed “world’s most indispensable and reliable reference resource.”

When Software Bites, Back

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 06:54:20 -0500

McAfee's antivirus software caused problems for Microsoft Excel users, on Friday. Just as Excel users, around the world, were attempting to complete their day's work, the virus signatures, pushed to them by McAfee, caused the McAfee software to incorrectly identify the excel.exe file as being infected by the W95/CTX virus.

Google's Plan to Store Data Online Presents Security Concerns

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 10:34:42 -0500

Google, Inc. seems to hope that thousands, possibly millions, of internet users will trust their digital data to the Mountain View, California company, the same one that sings forth the anthem "Don't be evil."

Podcast 3 - Digitalis Americana: It All Started Bit by Bit

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 23:41:16 -0500

I am recording sections of the draft of my new book Digitalis Americana: How the Personal Computer Changes the Face of America.

The Internet Freeway May Become A Toll Road

Sun, 26 Feb 2006 22:38:37 -0500

There are no traffic cops on the internet. Until now, that is. If U.S. telecommunication companies have their way, we may have internet traffic cops, patrol cars, and a full police union. The traffic cops will direct the traffic, giving preferential treatment to a select few that are able to pay for the unimpeded toll lane. Those who are able to pay the toll will get faster service.

Podcast 2 - Are Web Recommendations Accurate?

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 21:13:35 -0500

Are the recommendations the Amazon.com and other e-commerce sites accurate? What happens when Wal-Mart puts its foot in its mouth by recommending "Planet of the Apes" to visitors looking for DVDs about Martin Luther King.

Podcast 1 - Windows Update, Skype, Cellular Security

Thu, 05 Jan 2006 23:55:32 -0500

Microsoft releases a security update to patch the Windows Metafile (WMF) vulnerability. Skype 2.0 is relased. Privacy for cellular telephone users receives support from U.S. courts.

Reset Your Digital Watch, Saturday Night

Tue, 27 Dec 2005 19:14:02 -0500

The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERRSS) will move time backward one second on December 31, 2005. An extra second will be added at the end of the year to to account for the slowing of the Earth's rotation. The IERRSS recognizes that our planet's pace of rotation is unpredictable, and will institute the first leap second in seven years. Normally the leap second is a nearly annual event.

First Marketable Quantum Computer Chip

Sat, 17 Dec 2005 15:20:59 -0500

University of Michigan researchers have developed the first scalable quantum computer chip using principally the same semiconductor manufacturing process as integrated semiconductor chips. The researchers have been able to trap and control a single atom within a processor chip.

Cellphone Users Beware: We Know Where You Are

Sat, 10 Dec 2005 10:23:54 -0500

Do you carry a cellphone? Do you know that your cellular service provider knows where your phone is? By extension, if you carry your phone with you, your cellular service provider knows where you are. Cellular phones can be located, accurate to within about 300 yards, whenever they are turned on. Since most cellular phone users keep their phones on and with them most of the time, it is quite probable that their ongoing whereabouts are being automatically tracked.

Ebay Boosts Sales Figures of Microsoft Xbox 360

Sun, 04 Dec 2005 13:39:50 -0500

Microsoft's Xbox 360 is going for the gold on eBay. According to eBay president and CEO, Meg Whitman, 40,000 Xbox 360 consoles have sold through the online auction site. That's 10% of the total number of units estimated to have sold in the U.S. since the product was released.

Mozilla Corporation Releases Firefox 1.5

Wed, 30 Nov 2005 11:03:13 -0500

Mozilla Corporation, not the Mozilla Foundation, has released the Firefox 1.5, the latest incarnation of the wildly-popular open-source webbrowser. Using the new Gecko 1.8 rendering engine, the new version of Firefox is faster at interpreting HTML webpages and more stable when displaying pages that are created with nonstandard code.

The Secret Life of Numbers

Sun, 27 Nov 2005 21:52:56 -0500

The Secret Life of Numbers is esoteric website that visually demonstrates the popularity of numbers between 0 and 100,000, based on the frequency that each number appears in the databases of popular search engines.

Sony CD Security Fix Leaves Users Unsecured

Tue, 15 Nov 2005 14:52:00 -0500

Sony BMG Music Entertainment attempted to protect some of its music CDs from digital piracy by automatically installing copy protection software on the computers of users who attempted to play the music CDs on their computers. The security tool is a system root kit, and it restricts copying of the music on the CD. In response to a widespread outcry from consumers and security experts, Sony BMG Music Entertainment created a downloadable patch that will disable the root kit security program; however, the patch leaves the affected computer open to anyone's downloading software to the computer.

Don't Say Anything: We Still Know Where You Are

Sun, 13 Nov 2005 10:22:00 -0500

While it is illegal to use a handheld cellular phone while driving in some states, and experts agree that holding a cellular conversation while driving is a contributing cause to driver distraction, it seems that some states may have found a way to take advantage of the popularity of road-bound cellular phones.

New York Suburb To Require Secure Wireless Networks

Sun, 06 Nov 2005 13:29:00 -0500

Westchester County, New York, a suburb of New York City, may become the first area in the country to require wireless networks to be secured. Wi-Fi hot spots, such as those found in coffee shops, book stores, and recreational areas are popular not only with average citizens, but also with crackers seeking to collect credit card data and other personal information.

Almost Two-Thirds of U.S. Homes Have An Online Computer

Fri, 28 Oct 2005 20:28:00 -0500

According to the most recent U.S. Census data, 62 million households in the United States have an Internet-connected computer. That means just over half, 55 percent of homes have relatively easy access to the net, including e-mail and web resources. This data, current as of 2003, shows a five percent increase in connected computers, compared to the 2001 data, and more than triple the 18 percent connectivity rate reported in 1997.

U.S. Broadband Market Shrinking

Sun, 25 Sep 2005 22:59:00 -0500

The Pew Internet & American Life Project reported in a paper dated September 24th, but released earlier in the week, that residential broadband adoption grew quickly in recent years; however, the speed of adoption is now slowing.

Google Print Faces Legal Challenges

Sat, 24 Sep 2005 05:26:00 -0500

The Authors Guild, Inc. has sued Google, Inc. on behalf of over 8,000 authors. The Authors Guild claims to be the nation's largest and oldest society of published authors and the leading writers' advocate for fair compensation, effective copyright protection, and free expression. Google Print's stated mission is to organize the world's information, but much of that information isn't yet online. Google Print aims to get it there by putting book content where you can find it most easily – right in your Google search results.

Simple Path to Notebook Hard Drive Upgrade

Sun, 18 Sep 2005 17:05:00 -0500

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies now has a hard drive upgrade alternative for notebook computers that is so simple, most users will be able to increase their notebook hard disk capacity and restore their operating system, applications, and data. The upgrade includes a replacement internal hard drive, a case to convert allow the existing hard drive to be used as an external USB drive, cables, tools, and step-by-step instructions.

Sprechen Sie Google?

Sun, 18 Sep 2005 12:52:00 -0500

A new worm, named P2Load.A, is in the wild. Once infected, users of Google's search engine are redirected to a spoofed site in Germany that looks just like the powerhouse search engine's main page. Spoofed search results include new, top-of-list links to advertisers who are not a member of Google's desired advertiser list.

Google That Blog

Thu, 15 Sep 2005 10:17:00 -0500

Google, Inc., the search engine (and everything else) company has released a beta version of a blog search site that offers similar features to its most-popular web search engine. The new search engine scans blogs, the popular online journals that offer both professional journalists and citizen pundits simple access to online publication. Google Blog Search should give a bit of much-wanted visibility and authority to the burgeoning blogosphere.

Massachusetts Disses Microsoft and Proprietary Data Formats

Sun, 04 Sep 2005 11:07:00 -0500

Microsoft's anger knows no bounds in the wake of an announcement from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that state offices will phase out Microsoft Office in favor of a software application suite(s) that store files in an open-document format, rather than the proprietary format currently implemented by Microsoft.

Total Cost of Ownership for Microsoft Windows Exceeds Linux

Fri, 02 Sep 2005 10:38:00 -0500

The total cost of ownership (TCO) of Microsoft Windows for network administrators is widely acknowledged to exceed that of Unix-based systems, such as Linux and Solaris. System administrators with experience in multiple operating systems often recognize that Linux is less expensive to maintain, over the lifetime of the information system.

Length of Quantum Memory Extended 100,000 Times

Sun, 21 Aug 2005 22:04:00 -0500

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) physicists have demonstrated a version of quantum computer memory that lasts longer than 10 seconds, more than 100,000 times longer than previous experiments with charged atoms (ions). These experiments pave the way for reliable quantum computers that will not be harnessed to the limitations of transistors and silicon-based hardware.

Light Speed: Turn It Down, Turn It Up

Sun, 21 Aug 2005 12:19:00 -0500

Light always travels at 186,000 miles per second (300 Million meters per second) in a vacuum. Well, almost always. A team of scientists at the Ecole Polytechnique F|AMP|eacute;d|AMP|eacute;rale de Lausanne (EPFL) has been able to control the speed of light, both decreasing and increasing it using off-the-shelf instruments under normal working conditions.

No More Pencils, No More Books, Now I've Got an iBook

Sat, 20 Aug 2005 12:24:00 -0500

Well written and accessible electronic texts are the holy grail of the digital classroom, and now, an otherwise traditional public school in Tucson, Arizona, Empire High School, has issued Apple iBooks to each of its 340 students, making the notebooks a core component of the academic environment. Students will have access to electronic text books, rather than printed texts.

GoogleNet Hotspots Coming To A City Near You

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 10:51:00 -0500

Commercial internet wi-fi hotspots are popping up in coffee shops and bookstores around the country. Most universities and many public libraries offer free wi-fi service. A quick drive though any but the most downtrodden neighborhoods yields signals from at least a small percentage of the residences. With wi-fi being as popular as it is, why is it that wi-fi infrastructure isn't as well developed as cellular telephone service? Why hasn't someone made wi-fi even more accessible?

U.S. Copyright Office Fumbles, Bit by Bit

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 08:29:00 -0500

The U.S. Copyright Office is soliciting opinions, through August 22d, about it's planned website upgrade that will require the use of Microsoft Internet Explorer, effectively banning most technically-advanced users and all Linux and open-source advocates from its service.

MBA Interns Head to India to Learn Outsourcing Firsthand

Wed, 10 Aug 2005 16:51:00 -0500

Infosys Technologies, Ltd., the Bangalore-based outsource services company featured in Thomas Freidman's book, The World is Flat, has admitted 40 interns to it's global internship program, InStep. Rather than seeking coveted corporate internships in the United States, graduate business students are finding fertile fields abroad. Learning firsthand how outsourcing works, by viewing the process from the money-making end, future business leaders also gain an opportunity to network with peers from 70 international universities; some from the U.S., Japan, Canada, Germany and France.

Google News Goes RSS and Atom

Wed, 10 Aug 2005 08:32:00 -0500

Google, the premier internet search engine is fast becoming one of the favored sources of news on the net. Now, rather than requiring users to visit the Google News website, Google is delivering information via RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and Atom formats. Using XML (Extensible Markup Language), RSS and Atom formats enable users of aggregation software, commonly called RSS readers, to select topics and receive all available articles currently in publication that are related to that topic.

IBM Skips Past Google and Microsoft

Tue, 09 Aug 2005 08:20:00 -0500

In the global search engine war, Google and Microsoft each thought that they were in a head-to-head race for the laurel wreath. But, after getting a late start, IBM may very well pass both competitors by moving the finish line.

Energy Bill May Make Americans Late

Mon, 08 Aug 2005 09:32:00 -0500

With the upcoming change to how the United States will calculate Daylight Saving Time (DST), users of digital calendars may find themselves arriving late for appointments. The Energy Policy Act of 2005, expected to be signed into law today, will cause unexpected havoc for electronic calendars, including those in PCs, handheld computers, and even personal digital recorders. Who would have thought?

Microsoft Windows Piracy Check Cracked

Sun, 07 Aug 2005 08:58:00 -0500

Microsoft Corporation requires users of it's flagship operating system, Windows XP, to verify the authenticity of their software installation before downloading patches and updates from Microsoft's website. The validation tool, called Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), can easily be cracked without much trouble. This allows users of pirated copies of Microsoft Windows to verify their installation and receive the extra bennies offered from the manufacturer.

SANS Institute Reports 422 New Security Vulnerabilities

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 23:35:00 -0500

The SANS Institute reports that 422 new vulnerabilities were discovered in the second quarter of 2005. This is an 11 percent increase over the previous quarter. The increase in the number of security vulnerabilities stems from malicious crackers changing focus from attacking operating systems to webbrowser and other connected applications, such as digital music applications.

RSS: The Up-and-Coming E-business Tool

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 13:43:00 -0500

RSS (Real Simple Syndication) is attracting the attention of Internet advertisers. Google and Yahoo Search Marketing, among others, are looking for ways to post advertisements in RSS feeds that are becoming a popular alternative to Web browsing. Long a favored tool of the tech savvy, RSS is being used by a broad audience of well-educated, and presumably affluent readers.

Quantum Computer to be Ready in Three Years

Wed, 22 Jun 2005 15:50:00 -0500

D-Wave Systems, a Vancouver-based computer engineering firm has announced it's schedule to build a working quantum computer that will be able to solve physical-simulation problems that currently aren't solvable using available processing tools. The computer is to be ready within three years. While most designs for quantum computers focus on the properties of quantum entanglement to calculate binary functions, the D-Wave system will use quantum tunneling, which enables particles to hop from one location to another without traversing the intervening space.

Google Goes Head-to-Head With PayPal

Sun, 19 Jun 2005 10:50:00 -0500

Google, the leading search engine company in search of itself has again added a new service to its eclectic portfolio. Later this year, Google plans to offer an electronic payment service that will compete directly with PayPal, owned by eBay. Services will, reportedly, include processing payments using consumer credit cards and checking accounts, the mainstay of PayPal's service.

Microsoft Urges Users to Uninstall Netscape 8 (as if that were surprising)

Fri, 27 May 2005 15:49:00 -0500

Microsoft Corp. is urging Windows XP users to uninstall the new Netscape 8 webbrowser because it can conflict with Microsoft Internet Explorer. Not surprisingly, Microsoft is claiming that the problem is with Netscape, rather than their own browser that invades the operating system like kudzu.