Archive for June, 2007
Make corrections to Google Maps
Google Maps, MapQuest, and similar services are very useful for getting directions on how to drive somewhere. However, we are talking about computer-generated directions and, like anything from a computer, the results are not always optimal. Sometimes the directions go out of the way in order to include an interstate highway or do not [...]
Microsoft ends Vista family discounts
ZDNet reports:
Five months after its introduction, Microsoft is discontinuing a program that offered some Windows Vista purchasers the ability to buy additional copies of the operating system at a substantial discount.
Since Windows Vista went on sale to consumers at the end of January, U.S. and Canadian buyers of Vista Ultimate have had the option [...]
Buyer’s guide for inkjet printers
Tom’s Hardware has its latest guide to buying a color inkjet printer:
This is the first in a series of four planned buyer’s guides on consumer-oriented printers available for use with computers. This guide covers the most-popular color inkjet printers, with a special emphasis on units suitable for home or SOHO use. Upcoming guides will cover [...]
Windows Media Player plug-in for Firefox
If you use the Firefox browser, you may have had problems with Web sites that have content requiring Windows Media Player. You may have not installed the necessary plug-in or you may be having trouble with a buggy plug-in. Microsoft has released a new version of the Firefox plug-in and it can be downloaded here. [...]
Fake Microsoft Outlook security bulletin
If you use Microsoft Outlook (not Outlook Express) watch out for a fake security bulletin. ZDNet reports:
If you (or someone you know) receives an e-mail about a zero-day exploit affecting Microsoft Outlook do not, under any circumstances, click on the links embedded in the message. It’s a phishing scam folks. The Security Bulletin (MS07-0065) it [...]
Do Google Maps change our view of the world?
An article at Wired says Google Maps is changing the way we see the world. The article says that by letting millions of people add data to maps, entire regions are being remapped with much greater detail:
Whether it’s citizens appearing at local zoning-board meetings with elaborate Google Earth presentations or the Air Force using the [...]
RAID
You may have seen the computer hard drive term “RAID” and wondered what it meant or whether it was something you might want. RAID is an acronym that refers to a setup using multiple disks to make information processing faster and/or safer. A common explanation of the meaning of the term is “Redundant Array of [...]
The iPhone reviewed
Personally, I am tired of all the hype about the Apple iPhone, but since many are curious about it, I will give links to two reviews that are just out. One is a review by Walter Mossberg, who is a top expert on consumer electronics and says:
We have been testing the iPhone for two [...]
Not news
I’ve just been to the dentist and I don’t feel like writing anything weighty so here is my list of some items in the news that bore me:
Paris Hilton, in jail or out
Fred Thompson maybe thinking about running for president
The Apple iPhone
Problems in the love lives of French politicians
Constant predictions about the economy, which [...]
What’s it mean?
There are many resources on the Web for finding definitions, acronyms, and the meaning of phrases. One site that claims to have over 2 million terms, phrases and acronyms is MetaGlossary.com. Although it is not unique, I find it to be a useful resource.
Find free Web-based applications
These days a battle is shaping up between applications installed locally on your own computer and applications that are accessed on the Web. Many are predicting that installed software is doomed to be replaced by subscription software on the Web but I suspect that some combination of the two ways of using applications will prevail. [...]
