Archive for the ‘Internet’ Category
What Is Chrome OS?
July 8th, 2009 |What is Chrome OS?
The war between Google and Microsoft wages on. And that’s good news for consumers.
The last year of the conflict between the two computing giants has led to the release of Microsoft’s new (and quite popular) Bing search engine, as well as many innovations from Google that have varied in their levels of popularity. For my part, I don’t know where I’d be without Google News Timeline or Google’s outstanding new browser Chrome. The race for dominance on today’s web — as well as the push for top dog in the new “semantic” web — has …
What Names Are on the Alleged 2003 Steroid List?
July 2nd, 2009 |What names are on the alleged “2003 steroid list” ?
Just when you thought the steroid talk in baseball had died down.
Allegedly, part of the “list of names” of players that failed a drug test in 2003 has been leaked.
What is being called the “2003 steroid list” has been popping up on the internet, first among sports bloggers, eventually making its way into more mainstream web sources.
Before you read the list of names, it is important to remember than anyone can make a list of 103 names of baseball players. There is no verification that this is …
How Will New Facebook Policies Affect Users?
July 1st, 2009 |How will new Facebook policies affect users?
Facebook is getting ready to overhaul its users privacy options in an effort to provide transparency and to “simplify the way in which [Facebook] offers privacy to its users.” There are a few other tweaks, but the biggest change for Facebook is in user’s privacy features.
Though Faceook is preparing to alter the landscape of the site (by allowing content published on Facebook to be archived like other info on the web and therefore searchable), they say this new set of policy changes has nothing to do with the massive change planned for …
Who Is Neda Agha Soltan?
June 23rd, 2009 |Who is Neda Agha Soltan?
It seems that every revolution or military conflict has a human face. Everyone is familiar with the video or still photograph from the Vietnam conflict showing a VC soldier shooting a civilian point blank in the back of his head, or the video of a single civilian standing up to a line of tanks at Tianenmen Square. Then there is the famous “Afghan girl” whose face was on the cover of National Geographic during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. The current revolution in Iran now has its image, its video that represents all the pain …
What Is Hunch?
June 15th, 2009 |What is Hunch?
Hunch.com is another new search engine designed to meet a need that the developers feel isn’t currently met by the wide range of search options now available. What does Hunch do that the other search engines don’t?
According to the brains behind Hunch, the search engine (which has been in development for over a year) helps users search for answers based on the individual making the search. Rather than returning generic results available to anyone who asks a given question, Hunch first learns all about the user’s preferences, dislikes, and internet traffic behavior.
Hunch is launching today, …
What Are Some Government Websites to Help with Foreclosure?
June 9th, 2009 |What are some government websites that can help with foreclosure?
A recently released series of polls and statistics, from diverse entities such as Harris Polls, Freddie Mac, and MetLife Insurance, have come up with some scary numbers related to the housing crisis in America. This data indicates that one in two hundred homes are now facing foreclosure within the next six months. Take a city the size of Washington, DC, and this means that over the course of the next six months, 3,000 homes are likely to be foreclosed. More frightening details — every three months, 250,000 new families enter …
Are Jon and Kate Gosselin Already Split Up?
June 4th, 2009 |Are Jon and Kate Gosselin already already split up?
This story just won’t die.
Jon and Kate Gosselin, stars of TLC’s popular reality show “Jon and Kate Plus 8”, have reportedly been living apart for as long as 6 months, according to some sources close to the couple.
The pressure has begun to mount for the popular TV couple, enough pressure that the infamously stern and unshakeable Kate Gosselin has “cracked”, according to People magazine, and is not only expressing doubts about her marriage, but is also behaving rather strangely, including posing for papparazi in her bikini after undergoing a …
What Is the Harvard Racist Test?
June 3rd, 2009 |What is the Harvard racist test?
Apparently, I’m a little bit racist. That’s right — up until today, I thought I was a fairly even keeled guy with very little in the way of racial preference. Turns out, I’m just another George Wallace in sheep’s clothing. Thanks a lot, Harvard.
A little backstory — I’m a white male in my late 20s. I grew up as a minority — in fact, in the high school I graduated from there were maybe a half dozen other white graduates. I had no problem with this. I’ve never thought of myself as having …
What Is Google Wave?
May 28th, 2009 |What is Google Wave?
The engineers at Google have been busy the last couple of years.
First we saw the introduction of the fabulous Google News Timeline program, a useful research tool that shows off just a shred of what the new Web will be like – semantic, interactive, and above all ubiquitous and useful.
Then came news of Google Squared, a semantic search engine being developed for what is known as Web 3.0 – the new era of the internet when search engines will become, well, “smart”.
Now we have Google Wave, introduced today, Thursday May 29, 2009, at …
What Is Freecycle.org?
May 21st, 2009 |What is Freecycle.org?
The Freecycle Network is made up of nearly 5,000 member groups with over six and a half million members around the world. It is a grassroots nonprofit ecological movement made up of people who are giving and receiving free stuff right in their own communities. The purpose of freecycle.org is to encourage people to reuse things they may throw away — or as the website puts it, to “keep good stuff out of landfills”.
Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer. Membership is free.
To sign up, find your community on freecycle.org or browse through …
Why Did Google Crash on Thursday, May 14th?
May 15th, 2009 |Why did Google crash on Thursday, May 14th?
Those of us who depend heavily on Google and their related programs for our internet activity hit a brick wall on Thursday, as Google services (including search, Docs, Labs, and even Gmail) were slowed to a near standstill — and in some places stopped altogether.
Starting around 9:45 Central Standard Time on the morning of May 14, Google and all of its related services were the talk of the web. Blog posts appeared,wondering “What’s happened to Google?” In the United States, users from NYC, Chicago, Miami, and San Francisco (representing a nice …
Why Did the Miss California Pageant Director Resign?
May 14th, 2009 |Why did the Miss California Pageant director resign?
Shanna Moakler, one time Miss USA and current Miss California Pageant director, resigned Wednesday May 13, amid a whirlwind of controversy related to current Miss California Carrie Prejean. Miss Prejean made some controversial statements about gay marriage during the recent Miss USA pageant, followed by new that her statements probably led to her losing the Pageant, calls from the Religious Right that the Pageant misfired, and the apperance of several racy photos of Carrie Prejean topless and in her underwear. Controversy about the Miss USA pageant is nothing new — it seems …
What Is the Montauk Monster?
May 14th, 2009 |What is the Montauk Monster?
The Montauk Monster is the nickname given to an unidentified corpse that washed up near Montauk, New York in July, 2008. Recently, the Montauk Monster has been in the news again, as another suspected “Montauk Monster” has washed ashore and been “captured” by a couple interested in the phenomenon. The couple allegedly have the new corpse in a garbage bag in a freezer at their New York home.
The Montauk Monster defies description. The corpse appears to have characteristics from several different animals, including a short and skinny tail, long legs in proportion to the …
What Is Google Squared?
May 13th, 2009 |What is Google Squared?
There is a new frontier in the world of web searches. Gone are the days when searching giants like Google and Yahoo could depend on the use of “keyword searches” for the best and most accurate search results. The web is all abuzz with the news of new search programs in development, like Wolfram Alpha which will attempt to approach web searches in a new and different way.
The problem is data. The internet is crammed full of data that can’t be easily searched for simply through the use of “keywords”. The new frontiers in the …
What Is Visible Vote?
May 13th, 2009 |What is Visible Vote?
Visible Vote is a program that allows constituents to track their legislator’s voting record via their cell phones, Facebook pages, and other electronic interfaces. Visible Vote allows uers to access information that is normally rather difficult to find, enhancing the ‘transparency of government’ that many people feel is important in getting their government to work for them. An interesting aspect of Visible Vote is that it gives user’s the capability of “voting” on the same issues they are tracking, and even sends fax reports of constituent’s votes directly to legislators. The point of this is to …
Will Shirley Jones Pose Nude for Playboy Magazine?
May 12th, 2009 |Will Shirley Jones pose nude for Playboy magazine?
The short answer to this question is a resounding “No”. Shirley Jones never contacted Playboy magazine, and the magazine says they never contacted her about shooting a pictorial.
Rumors began to pop up all over the web last week — Shirley Jones, the 75 year old actress best known for her role as the matron of TV’s “The Partridge Family”, was planning on dropping the laundry for a Playboy photo shoot.
If Shirley Jones did appear in Playboy, she would be the oldest model in the magazine’s history by far. Runner up …
Who Is Mr. ZZee?
May 11th, 2009 |Little is known about Mr. ZZee — much more is known about his “line of work”.
Mr. ZZee (also known as Mr. Z or Mr. ZZEE) is the infamous celebrity sex tape broker responsible for myriad celebrity sex tapes and the ensuing cocktail of embarassment and publicity that follows.
It is said he is the mystery man behind several best selling celebrity sex tapes, but so far, Mr. ZZee has not disclosed his true identity — probably a good thing considering the rash of lawsuits that are no doubt waiting to be filed against him.
On Sunday night, May 10th …
What is “mygener.im”?
May 8th, 2009 |What is “mygener.im”?
It may be time to take extra precautions if you are a Facebook user. The phishing bug that made big news last week when it attacked Facebook users started to show its nasty face again on Thursday morning. The worst part about “mygener.im” is that it spreads from person to person via an otherwise tame looking Facebook message.
Facebook users have been receiving messages from friends that ask them to visit the Web site ‘mygener.im’ or ‘fbstarter.com’. The site is marked as a source of malware in many browsers and virus programs, which is fortunate. Most curious …
What Is Wolfram Alpha?
May 1st, 2009 |There’s a new search engine in town, or at least there will be. And it’s called Wolfram Alpha. Learn more about Wolfram Alpha here.
The World’s Best Places to Live in 2009
May 1st, 2009 |Looking for a new place to live? Here are some of the best places in the world to live in 2009, along with some details on each city.
Live Better University – 100 Great Advice Blogs
March 26th, 2009 |by Doug Brinlee
Sometimes we need advice, and the Internet has become the place to get it. Hundreds of blog sites are written by both experts and laymen which offer tips and opinions on any topic imaginable. Here we present 100 of the best blogs offering tips and advice on a wide range of subjects, from love to the Internet, from wine to gardening. Learn from them and live better.
Love Advice Blogs
Whether you’re a lonely single looking for a connection or a social husband/wife looking for fulfillment, a blogger somewhere offers love advice. Here are ten of our …
Who Sang That Song – And Other Popular Questions
March 2nd, 2009 |A look at some of the most popular questions that bring people to the Ask Deb website. We especially discuss Internet advertising, falling in love with a friend, and who sang that song.
