Articles


iTunes response still debated

Just when you thought it was safe to consider Apple's Apple Music service to be passe and uninteresting (based on the articles I've referenced from CNET), comes along this article from the New York Times, wherein the author thinks that Apple may be the first company to really have …

Consumer Reports puts Apple #1 in service

According to an article on Consumer Reports, Apple is a clear #1 in service of the rated computer manufacturers (including Dell, HP, IBM, Compaq, Gateway and Micron). The company's leads both in terms of system reliability and satisfaction with the various support channels. In each of the channels, Apple had …

NY Times to start charging for news alerts

An article on CNET reports that the New York Times will begin charging for its news alerts service. Existing customers (500,000 of them) have two weeks to either drop out of the service or start paying $19.95 per year. As a bonus, these users will have 90-day access …

Martha thinks Bill's house is out of date

Martha (as in Stewart, media darling turned stock suspect) makes a couple of comments about Bill (as in Gates, we all know who he is) and his house in this interview with Wired. I have to say that I find it amusing to hear her bashing him because his house …

There's something about Rummy

Love him or hate him, Donald Rumsfeld is one of the best known figures in the Bush administration. This article in Wired takes a look at "Rummy's Rules" and makes some interesting observations. Warning: potentially inflammatory political content. If you are easily offended by opposing views, don't read this link …

Is "freelance economy" doomed?

An interesting article from Wired brings up the question of whether the "freelance economy" will ever be realized. It takes information from a number of the aggregation sites, including elance and guru.com (which just announced that it will be closing its virtual doors on June 30.

iomega introduces iStorage online data storage

iomega has announced that it is making its new iStorage online data storage service available free for 30 days. The system, not unlike Apple's .Mac iDisk provides rudimentary backup, online secure storage, access from the desktop (Windows only, unlike Apple's Windows and Mac) and "WhaleMail" file transfer. Annual pricing …

Jenny, er God, I've got your number

If you ever wondered why most movie telephone numbers start with 555, then check out this article from the Whichita Eagle. It seems that the folks who did last week's Bruce Almighty avoided the convention and now people around the country are paying for it.

Music, Microsoft, Apple, and everything \[+Ed\]

An excellent, but lengthy article on CNET provides some food for thought on Apple's Apple Music service, Microsoft's future in the area, some of the sour grapes by the "we were here first but nobody talks about us" crowd, and provides an interesting chart on who the author …

Behave like Beckham

An article from BBC News reports that soccer star Beckham is going to be on UK TV pleading with fans to settle down and be nice so that they don't get England kicked out of the Euro 2004 tournament.

Australian plane attack involved wooden stakes

In a "high stakes" incident involving the serious injury of two flight attendants, a man attacked them with wooden stakes on his way to attempt to gain access to the plane's censoredpit in order to crash the vehicle. An article on BBC News states that the offender was subdued …

Video games help visual skills

An article in Nature points out that new research is indicating that playing video games looks to be helpful in training visual skills, especially those required to track a large number of objects and notice changes in complex visual fields. The actual study (available at a link at the bottom …

Deceptive internet advertiser settles case

Internet advertiser Bonzi Software settled a class- action lawsuit brought against it in Spokane, Washington. An article from CNET gives a few more details, but the settlement will require that the company stop using fake UI elements and start using the word Advertisement in their banner ads.

Novell claims ownership of UNIX

SlashDot was the first place I saw to post an article on this important issue. Looks like the folks at SCO have some backpedaling to do. Note in particular, the comments made by Novell CEO Jack Messman in his last paragraph to SCO: " We, like others, are concerned about the …


German group demands proof from SCO

A Reuters report carried by iWon states that LinuxTag (a German lobbying organization whose name means "Linux day") has requested that SCO provide specifics on their claims of infringement or retract the claims otherwise LinuxTag will take them to court in Germany. The crux of the case is that SCO …

Novell to chime in on SCO vs. Linux action

A CNET report indicates that Novell will (this morning, before the open) issue a statement regarding the ownership of UNIX patents that may have some bearing on the SCO trade secret case against IBM. It appears that Novell thinks they retained the ownership of the patents and thus the right …


Pheonix announces anti-theft BIOS

PC users are familiar with the term BIOS (standing for Basic Input/Output System), although few know exactly what it does, they do know that they need it and occasionally you are required to press F1 or some other combination to invoke it and save your computer from certain doom …

Gesture keyboards

Thanks to an article in Wired this morning, I now know about the gesture keyboards available from FingerWorks. Expect to see a review in the near future as I feel compelled to try it out. Invented by a professor from the University of Delaware, the keyboards (and keypads) allow for …