A Simple Way to Increase Website Traffic
July 24th, 2010
Nearly had me ROTFL. So true, especially for Facebook.
Windows Security Vulnerability
July 22nd, 2010
There’s a new security vulnerability in Windows, where your machine can be taken over by simply viewing a shortcut icon. So be very careful about untrusted USB drives, shared files, and anything you’re asked to download (files with “.lnk” and “.pif” extensions are highly suspect). Microsoft has a temporary workaround which changes all the icon images to be identical, but this may be a cure that’s worse than the problem.
Link: http://www.computerworld.com/…
(via Kim Komando)
Pork vs. Unicorn
July 19th, 2010
The news is not that ThinkGeek is selling a parody product called Canned Unicorn Meat. Nope, the news is that the National Pork Board, owner of “the other white meat” slogan, took it seriously enough to send a cease and desist letter over the phrase, “the new white meat.”
Sauna World Championships
July 18th, 2010
I can’t think of anything that would keep me in an enclosed room at 261° Fahrenheit for 12½ minutes. That’s well above the boiling point of water! Yet Timo Kaukonen did exactly that in order to win the 2007 Sauna World Championship in Finland.
Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/…
(via Neatorama)
Processing Encrypted Data Without Decrypting It
July 13th, 2010
I have no idea how this is possible, and the math is beyond me, but an IBM employee named Craig Gentry has found a way to add and multiply encrypted data without first decrypting it. It’s called “fully homomorphic encryption.”
Link: http://www.technologyreview.com/…
(via Slashdot)
More Web Fonts
July 12th, 2010As any web designer will tell you, the current state of web fonts is deplorable. Google is coming to the rescue, however, with 18 free fonts and an API to make them work correctly.
Link: http://arstechnica.com/…
Geeky Interview Questions
July 12th, 2010
TechRepublic recommends 10 interview questions to help assess the true geekiness of a job applicant. For me, the answer to question #8 is that real programmers write self-modifying code.
Apple’s Third Co-founder
July 8th, 2010
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak had a third partner when they first started Apple Computer. His name is Ron Wayne. And like the fifth Beatle, he left too early to get any of the benefits. The linked article gives specifics.
Link: http://www.mercurynews.com/…
(via Kim Komando)
The Muppets Do IBM Sales
July 6th, 2010
Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets, did some training and internal promotional films for IBM in the 1960s. These are great!
Link: http://technologizer.com/…
(via Slashdot)
The Security Risk Posed By a Photocopier
July 6th, 2010Many photocopiers use hard drives to store scanned images of the originals. And many people don’t think about wiping that hard drive before selling, trading, or ending the lease on the copier. Which leaves a gold mine of personal and intellectual property information for those who do think about these things.
Link: http://arstechnica.com/…
LifeLock Doesn’t Work As Well As Advertised
July 2nd, 2010We’ve all heard the advertisements for LifeLock, where CEO Todd Davis freely gives out his Social Security number because he’s so confident that LifeLock’s service will protect him. Kudos to whoever came up with the idea for such an innovative marketing campaign, but the reality is that Davis’ identity has been successfully stolen 13 times since the ads began airing.
Link: http://www.wired.com/…
(via Kim Komando)
Why Expensive HDMI Cables Don’t Make Sense
July 2nd, 2010
In the older, analog world of video, any degradation in the signal due to cheap cabling would cause a corresponding degradation in the picture. So super-high-quality, gold plated, and hideously expensive cables made a certain amount of sense. But in the digital world, you can have a severe amount of signal degradation without any loss in picture quality. The $6.00 cable really is just as good as the $250.00 cable. In fact, you may see more degradation from your cable or satellite provider than you’ll ever get from cabling.
Link: http://lifehacker.com/…
