Archive for December, 2007
You will watch that Microsoft ad or else
Not content with interminably searching your computer to make sure you aren’t trying to steal from poor Bill Gates, Microsoft wants to shove ads at you whether you like it or not. Ars Technica reports that a Microsoft patent could force downloaders to view commercials:
A new patent application filed by Microsoft describes methods for “enforcing” [...]
A list of lists
It’s that time of year when everybody is making lists- the 10 best this, the 10 worst that. So I am going to join in the list-making and give a list of lists. They should give you plenty to read over the weekend.
The 15 Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2007
Microsoft in 2008: 10 Predictions
Science magazine’s [...]
Fix IE6 crashes
Are you still using Internet Explorer 6? According to various Web statistics, many Windows users have never changed to IE7 and are still using IE6. If you are one of those, the recent Microsoft updates contained a nasty surprise. IE6 started crashing when viewing certain sites. Now, Microsoft has issued a patch for the patch [...]
FTC approves DoubleClick purchase by Google
Google’s move to ratchet up its share of the advertising market took a big step forward today when the FTC approved its buy-out of DoubleClick. Microsoft has bitterly opposed the move. Google still faces opposition from Europe. Wouldn’t it be ironic if Microsoft got help from those same European courts that have been giving Microsoft [...]
Firewire to quadruple its speed
The average PC user probably isn’t very familiar with the type of external connection called “Firewire” or “1394 “. Although Firewire is extensively used on Apple products, USB is the common method for making external attachments on PCs. The one exception is video equipment, where Firewire (or on Sony products, i.Link) is common. Firewire was [...]
Google denies humans directly involved in page ranking
Well, even the New York Times makes mistakes. Yesterday, I posted about a report in the Times technology blog Bits that said that human input was part of the method used to rank individual Web pages. I also posted that Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land scoffed at the idea that Google would use human [...]
More on the human role in Google page rank
In an earlier post today, I mentioned the report that Google uses human input in its page rankings as well as its algorithms. Search Engine Land says this is old news and Google is just trying to humanize its image:
Google is clearly sensitive that they seem like some Cylon or Borg (pick your favorite [...]
Flight information from Google
Flying is no picnic and anything that can ease the plight of travelers and those who meet them during the holiday crush is welcome. Google says it’s going to help:
The holiday season is upon us, and we know that many amongst you are traveling to be with family and friends. To make sure you spend [...]
Sometimes humans are smarter than computers
Google’s proprietary algorithmic method of ranking Web sites for search is part of what made Google the success that it is. The old style directory done by human editors was slow, expensive, and inconsistent. Exactly how Google ranks pages is a company secret but it seems that human judgment still has a role. Google [...]
Holiday gift suggestion
One week until Christmas and you still need a gift for a geek? Last year I made some software suggestions. Those still hold but I am going to add some newsletters to the list.
Newsletters sent by email used to be a major source of information about technical subjects and there were many. There [...]