April 2010
36 posts
16 Productivity-Enhancing Websites →
A review of several websites and tools to help you increase your overall productivity.
Don’t talk to aliens, warns Stephen Hawking →
Esteemed scientist Stephen Hawking suggests that we should stop trying to contact extraterrestrials as it could present definite danger to the Earth.
He presents his views in a new documentary on the Discover Channel.
WatchWedding Gone Wild video from news broadcast
Md. passes bill banning use of cellphones while... →
Effective on October 1, 2010, Maryland has banned the use of mobile phones while driving unless used with a hands-free device. However, there are several initiatives underway in other states and local jurisdictions to ban the use of phones while driving entirely.
FSI Language Courses (Free) →
The US Government, through the Foreign Service Institute, has developed a number of foreign language training courses online for the diplomatic corps. They are now open to the public and are accessible through your browser.
How Social Media Can Effect Real Social and... →
Craig Newmark is the founder of craigslist. He can be found on Twitter as @craignewmark and blogs at cnewmark.com.
This is a nicely written and thoughtful treatise on how the citizenry can use social media to truly alter the social arena and their government(s).
Baseball Play of the Year →
An incredible game AND play by Brian Kownacki.
Your Mom’s Guide to Those Facebook Changes, and... →
Facebook launched some fairly impressive new features and services at its recent f8 conference, but some of them were also more than just a little scary. Since a lot of what the company talked about was introduced in either “developer speak” — involving terms like API and JSON — or involved social networking jargon such as “social graph” and “activity map,” we thought it would be handy to break it...
How to Delete Facebook Applications (and Why You... →
At the recent F8 conference, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced changes in how information on Facebook is shared and retained by third-party applications. These applications, such as Farmville, Mafia Wars, Pollster, and other add-ons will no longer be required to delete data or terminate accounts.
Take a good look at the article and heed the message. Be especially vigilant with Apps that you...
Apple Announces Headphone Replacement Program →
Having problems with your Apple headphones? You might not be alone. The company on Monday announced a replacement program for the newest revision of its iconic white earbuds, which “may fail under certain conditions,” according to the Apple Support Website.
“Scientists fear tremors at the Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl)...”
– Threat of new, larger Icelandic eruption looms - Yahoo! News
Team sets out to clear bodies from Everest's death... →
A team of Nepalese Sherpas is preparing to ascend the mountain to retrieve the bodies of fallen climbers. They also plan to clean up trash and other discarded items.
“Barely 15 percent of all construction-industry workers in the United States are...”
– Another Obama favor for unions | Washington Examiner
SkyJump Las Vegas - Jump off the Stratosphere Las... →
It seems that the Stratosphere has found a new income source — charging people $100 to jump off the building. The “ride” is a controlled freefall that limits your speed by use of cables to around 40 MPH.
Security Firm Reports Mac Malware in the Wild →
An information security firm reports finding malicious software targeting Apple OS X in the wild. The code for the exploit is also making the rounds hacker forums, leading experts to assume new variants soon. Thus far, infection rates appear to be very low.
Micro Center: Free 4GB USB Drive or SDHC →
Dealmac is reporting that retailer Microcenter is offering a free 4GB flash drive or SDHC card for sharing some e-mail preferences. It is provided through a printable coupon you need to take into your local MicroCenter retail store. You’ll need an ID to redeem, most likely.
4GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive or 4GB Secure Digital High Capacity SDHC Card for free at Micro Center.
Coupon offer ends...
Tax Day Deals and Freebies For the Taking - tax... →
One of my favorite blogs, LifeHacker, has a comprehensive list of stores and retailers offering free food and product for April 15, tax day. Here is a qucik list, but I encourage you to check out the article for more.
Free Food
Chick-Fil-A may be serving up free mini-biscuits from 6-10:30 a.m., but the corporate web site urges customer to call and check (or read the local news) to see if their...
Evil Clown Dominic Deville hired for stalking,... →
Parents hire this evil clown to “stalk” their kids as a birthday stunt. Dominic Deville’s task is to follow the child for up to a week with the intent of striking with a cake in the face when its least expected.
I wouldn’t suggest doing this after your child watches Stephen King’s “IT”.
Social Networking Profiles Sinking Your Job... →
Social networking is almost unavoidable in today’s world, but you need to be sure that your profile and content will pass muster. Recruiters and HR departments now make a regular habit of checking sites such as LinkedIn, FaceBook, MySpace, and Twitter for prospective candidates as well as researching applicants.
Ten Ways To Be Your Own Boss →
Too many people think about it but ultimately end up with ‘I can’t do that’. This short list from VC gives you 10 ideas on how you can make it happen.
Bank of America Employee Charged With Planting... →
A Bank of America employee is charged with installing malware on ATM machines that stole untold sums of money from the bank.
Carlsberg staff strike over beer ban in Denmark →
A long-time benefit for workers at the Carlsberg brewery in Denmark has been free beer, soft drinks, and water. Management recently cut-back the availability of the free beer and limited it to lunch time in the company cafeteria. This didn’t go over well with the workforce.
Hundreds of Carlsberg employees are now in the second day of a strike to protest the cut-back.
Archeologists Discover New Hominid Species →
CRADLE OF HUMANKIND, South Africa — Nine-year-old Matthew Berger dashed after his dog Tau into the high grass here one sunny morning, tripped over a log and stumbled onto a major archeological discovery. Scientists announced Thursday that he had found the bones of a new hominid species that lived almost two million years ago during the fateful, still mysterious period spanning the emergence of the...
Facebook takes steps to deal with gift card scams →
Facebook is not taking aim at the hundreds of sam pages promising gift cards for popular retailers and restaurants. These scam efforts are merely attempts to get user’s private info that is made available when someone connects to a page. What many users don’t know is that they are also exposing their friend’s information as well.
Gogo offers $35 unlimited, multi-airline Wi-Fi... →
Electronista is reporting that GoGo will be offering a monthly subscription plan that will work across airline carriers. This could represent a real savings for frequent travelers over paying per flight or segment.
Gogo operates in-air WiFi on Airtran, American, Delta, and Virgin. Some other airlines, such as Air Canada, have limited deployment of GoGo in their fleets.
Less Baggage, Big Savings to Airlines, Not to... →
Spirit Airlines announced recently that it begin charging $30 for each carry-on that won’t fit under the seat. Airlines already collected over $2 billion In luggage fees for only 9 months of 2009.
Eddie Carroll, The Voice of Jiminy Cricket Passes... →
Eddie Carroll assumed the voice role of Jiminy Cricket after Cliff Edwards passed away in 1971. He also appeared on early television shows such as the Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in the Family, and Fantasy Island as well as recurring roles on Alice and Maude.
Eddie, we’ll miss the character you brought to the small, but important character cricket.
Seats3D Shows You the View Before You Buy Tickets →
Buying tickets but worried about the view from the seats? Then check out this 3D online simulator.
Are Online Reviews Meaningless?
I was perusing the iTunes App Store for iPad-only items this morning. I thought that I could rely on some of the reviews posted over the weekend to help me make better decisions about the software. But, after looking over several of the paid apps, a startling trend emerged for me; there are a number of reviews written BEFORE the iPad released on April 3!
Some of these might be explained by the...
The iPad's charging challenge explained →
MacWorld has a terrific explanation of the charging process on the iPad and why lots of people see a “Not Charging” message. In short, many USB hubs and ports on many Windows computers simply don’t put out enough power to charge the iPad when it is awake. However, as it sleeps it is slowly charging. Like a refrigerator light, though, you can’t tell as it displays the...
Marvel Comics Announces iPad App and it will Debut... →
Joel Johnson over at Gizmodo is reporting that Marvel Comics is releasing an iPad app. The software is based on an engine from Comixology, the same that powers the iPhone app.
The app is expected to be free and come and the individual comics will be priced at $1.99. A limited number of titles will be made available free for a limited time to allow readers to “discover” the...
The War of the Worlds 1938 Radio Broadcast →
The original broadcast of Orson Wells and “The War of the Worlds”, the book by H.G. Wells (no relation). This originally aired on October 30, 1938. With America concerned about events in Europe and the Pacific, tensions were already high.
This broadcast and adaptation of Well’s original novel was done in the style of a news broadcast. It purported to be reporting on an invasion...
Potential for Hacking Implantable Medical Devices... →
The current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine has an article on Improving the Security and Privacy of Implantable Medical Devices by William H. Maisel, M.D., M.P.H., and Tadayoshi Kohno, Ph.D.
They maintain that more attention needs to be paid to the security of implantable medical devices as they are becoming more and more vulnerable to access and/or manipulation; essentially hacking....