Archive for the ‘Tech’ Category
Attention to detail and credit where it’s due
Apparently some TV commentators made fools of themselves in the eyes of the geek community by not recognizing Tim Berners-Lee (who invented the hypertext transfer protocol, and with it the basis for hypertext markup language, thus the world wide web) when he appeared in the London Olympics opening ceremony. I grinned in recognition (he’s still […]
Preventing cyberstalking and breaches of privacy
We’ve been discussing cyberstalking and the abuse of private information on the web at an individual level. (hint: You want private? Don’t put it on the web!) But there’s more to it than unguarded Facebook comments and anonymous trolling. I remember I first made Jacqueline’s acquaintance here at The Paepae after I commented on the […]
There goes the whole appeal of Facebook for some personality types … well, not really
In the same way that locks are only really designed to keep out honest people, this ‘dramatic’ change to how Facebook operates will, in reality, be of minimal effect. We’ve discussed the (lack of) privacy of material posted on the world’s largest social network before. Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim, some people gotta SNOOP. […]
IDEA: Turning payphones into free Wi-fi hotspots
Read at gigaom: New York starts turning payphones into free Wi-fi hotspots Smart idea. -P
Some useful cyber citizen guidelines
It’s funny how even from people’s intended blows you can learn something valuable. A couple of years ago when I was blogging about the dubious operations of a gaggle of ‘internet marketing experts’ (cough) somebody, by a remarkable coincidence, set up a number of blogs linking my name to keywords like ‘scam’ and ‘ripoff’ (see […]
Default search engines, privacy … and trying alternatives to Google
As I’ve indicated, I’ve been steadily making my web browsing footprint lighter and checking out alternatives to Google search — which, as well as trailing us all, spectacularly broke trust with users by circumnavigating (read: disobeying) explicit instructions in preferences to ‘block third party cookies’ by ‘unfair and deceptive‘ means (see Another Google privacy FAIL […]
Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’ panorama
Following my own recent humble stumblings in time-lapse photography, here … Via Jason Kottke, this stitched together time-lapse panorama of the scene outside the window of Hitchcock’s classic film is, apparently, accurate. Wow. Follow the link on Jason’s site to the ‘how this was made’ page. Extraordinary. -P
Killer whale submarine
From Mashable, number 1 on their list of things you could buy if you won the lottery … Made me chuckle. 1. Personal Killer Whale Submarine Price: $100,000 What does it do?: If you won the lottery, why not jump into a 17-foot watercraft that resembles a killer whale? The submarine can travel underwater at […]
Hidden liability in a dotcom domain name
I did not know this: … having a .com domain name for [your] website is sufficient for [you] to be subject to US jurisdiction – which allows for nasty stuff like the US government seizing [your] website or extradition to USA to stand trial over there based on allegations alone. The bottom line: If you […]
51% of web site traffic is ‘non-human’
“Report: 51% of web site traffic is ‘non-human’ and mostly malicious By Tom Foremski | March 13, 2012, ZD Net Summary: Web site analytics packages record what real people do on a site but most web site traffic comes from other computers often with nefarious intent. Incapsula, a provider of cloud-based security for web sites, […]
Time lapse
Sunrise from my kitchen window this morning. Your browser does not support the video tag Video using iLapse app for iPhone. Thanks to Photographer Paul Le Comte @five15design
Apple looks beyond Google for maps
There’s commentary and discussion about the fact that Apples’ new iPhoto for iOS released this week utilizes mapping services that aren’t directly provided by, ahem, Google. I remember watching a Tina Fey interview/appearance at the Google complex where she was jeered by the Google-ites for mentioning in response to a question that she used ” […]
Self-awareness is a precious thing
In the spirit of writer Philip K Dick, here’s an examination of sentience … more self-aware than most bloggers? “I’m a sort of merchandise, is that right?” via Kara Swisher Allthingsd with thanks. Made me think.
iPad penetration
Whatever Apple announces for today’s (US Time) iteration of the iPad device* (and crucially, when compared to Android, the platform) the penetration of Apple’s tablet is astonishing. Presidential briefing Jan 2012: Via John Gruber * Check it out at TUAW.com: Apple announces third generation iPad starting at [US]$499 (updated)
Connected.
A nice article by Om Malik ’bout technology bringing connection. Apple is about to introduce a new iPad. Good — for I need to buy a new one. I left my old one with my mother. When visiting my folks in India, I decided to leave my Macbook Air at home — I didn’t want […]
