Archive for February, 2008
Friday, February 29th, 2008
When it says fibby fibby fibby on the label label label
(This originally appeared in Infoworld's Notes From the Field blog.)
by Robert X. Cringely
At first, I thought the whole lawsuit over bogus "Vista capable" labeling didn't have legs. Sure, those labels were, shall we say, 'aspirational'? But anyone who's ...
Posted in Cringley, Microsoft | No Comments »
Friday, February 29th, 2008
Since it seems to be All Baer v. WikiLinks, All the Time here at Tynan on Technology, here is the latest on the case, courtesy of CNet's man on the spot, Declan McCullough:
SAN FRANCISCO--Wikileaks may get its domain name back sooner than later.
A federal judge here has spent 90 ...
Posted in Da Web, Julius Baer + Wikileaks, Privacy | No Comments »
Friday, February 29th, 2008
It's like an itch you can't help scratching -- or at least I can't. Yesterday's press release by the Bank Julius Baer's PR minions left me with more questions than answers. So last night I shot off a few queries to the crack PR team, just to see if they ...
Posted in Da Web, Julius Baer + Wikileaks, Privacy | No Comments »
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
This just landed in my inbox. Bank Julius Baer would like to clear up some "misconceptions" regarding the WikiLeaks debacle. Here's their statement, with commentary to follow. -- D. T.
ZURICH / NEW YORK, February 28, 2008 --- Julius Baer wishes to address certain misconceptions relating to a recent court ...
Posted in Da Web, Privacy | 27 Comments »
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
This social network sees itself as a home for bikers, babes, and body art, but it's strictly for dorks and dilettantes.
(An edited version of this entry originally appeared on PCworld.com)
by Dan Tynan
eCirkit bills itself as a social network for “artists, speed- and thrill-seekers, non-conformists, [and] extremophiles [sic] of every variety.” ...
Posted in Da Web, PC World, Reviews, Things that suck | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
(A version of this story originally appeared on PCworld.com.)
by Dan Tynan
It's not what other people think of you that matters. It's what they can find out about you on the Web that will affect your ability to get a job or promotion, rent an apartment, buy a house, get ...
Posted in Da Web, Identity Theft, PC World, Privacy | No Comments »
Monday, February 25th, 2008
(This entry first appeared on Infoworld's Notes From the Field blog. What field, you might ask. Good question.)
by Robot X. Cringely
Ignorance is truth. If George Orwell were alive today and working as a marketing wonk, he'd probably have a job at Microsoft. Case in point: MS's Aussie division is offering ...
Posted in Cringley, Da Web, Google, Infoworld, Microsoft, National insecurity | No Comments »
Monday, February 25th, 2008
(Originally posted on Infoworld.com's Notes From the Field blog.)
by Robert X. (don't call me Bob) Cringely
Sergey Brin has weighed in on the whole MicroHoo fandango, and not surprisingly he's agin' it. At Google's Lunar X prize announcement last week, Brin told the Associated Press:
The Internet has evolved from open standards, ...
Posted in Cringley, Da Web, Google, Infoworld, National insecurity, Privacy | No Comments »
Saturday, February 23rd, 2008
For this year's cars, personal navigation and search services will be in the driver's seat.
(This entry originally appeared in my Gadget Freak column in the February 2008 issue of PC World. Washingtonpost.com also ran it -- and this time they managed to include my byline.)
by Dan Tynan
You may drive ...
Posted in Future Tech, Gadgets, PC World | No Comments »
Saturday, February 23rd, 2008
The Chumby is the latest in Internet appliances -- and unlike most gizmos that use this term, this one really is like an appliance. This of it as a WiFi-powered clock radio that also does photos, video, news, and games, among other things.Plug it in, activate it online, and ...
Posted in Gadgets, PC World, US Airways Magazine | 4 Comments »
Friday, February 22nd, 2008
(This quiz appears in a groovy interactive format on Infoworld's web site.)
by Dan Tynan
Between putting the squeeze on Yahoo, recalling its Vista service pack, and vowing yet again to play nicely with others, Microsoft is all over this week's quiz. Along the way we also touch on Amazon's cloudy ...
Posted in Infoworld, Quizzes | No Comments »
Friday, February 22nd, 2008
Or is that on Newsweek.com? The in/on thing gets so confusing when you go electronic.
I did an interview with Brian Braiker of Newsweek.com yesterday regarding my piece on Wikileaks and the Bank Julius Baer. He apparently saw it thanks to the many slashdotters who raised my Cringely post high enough ...
Posted in 15 minutes, Cringley, Da Web, Infoworld | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
(Originally published on Infoworld's Notes From the Field blog.)
by Robert X. Cringely
I bet you thought people banked in the Cayman Islands because they serve fruity cocktails with tiny parasols in them while you're waiting for your checks to clear. Well, you're only partly right. The other reason people keep accounts ...
Posted in Cringley, Da Web, Infoworld, Privacy | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
This pricey remote is innovative, but it's not without flaws.
(This story originally appeared on PCworld.com)
by Dan Tynan
Forget world peace or love sweet love. What the world really needs now is a simple, easy-to-program universal remote. Acoustics Research's ARRU449 Universal Wi-Fi Remote comes closer than most.
What's different about this $399 handheld ...
Posted in Gadgets, PC World, Reviews | No Comments »
Monday, February 18th, 2008
(This entry originally appeared in Infoworld's Notes From the Field blog.)
by Robert X. Cringely
This whole "shoot the spy satellite out of the sky and win a kewpie doll" story is more interesting than it first appeared.
It turns out Uncle Sam isn't particularly worried about the satellite landing in somebody's ...
Posted in Cringley, Infoworld, National insecurity | No Comments »
Sunday, February 17th, 2008
(Originally published by Robert X. Cringely on his Notes From the Field blog for Infoworld.
by Robert X. Cringely
Planning to travel out of the country? Maybe you want to think twice about bringing your laptop, your cell phone, or even that iPod. (And if you're of Asian or Middle Eastern descent, ...
Posted in Cringley, Infoworld, Privacy | No Comments »
Saturday, February 16th, 2008
VACUUM PACKED
The latest in digital devices is part room cleaner, part robotic buddy.
(This article originally appeared in the December 2007 issue of US Airways Magazine.)
by Dan Tynan
iRobot’s Roomba is more than a vacuum cleaner: It’s a cultural phenomenon. More than two million have been sold since it was introduced ...
Posted in Gadgets, Reviews, US Airways Magazine | No Comments »
Saturday, February 16th, 2008
(Here's my weekly news quiz. You can find a groovy scripted version that totes up your score at Infoworld. Here you're on your own. Answers follow after the jump.)
You Don't Know Tech: 15 February 2008
by Dan Tynan
Buying, selling, jumping, and dumping -- it's been a busy week in technology. And ...
Posted in Infoworld, Quizzes | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 15th, 2008
(Originally published by Robert X. Cringely on his Notes From the Field blog for Infoworld.)
by Robert X. Cringely
White knight, black heart. Here's a bit of chilling news: Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is apparently in talks with Yahoo on ways to save it from the clutches of Microsoft. That's a bit ...
Posted in Cringley, Infoworld, Microsoft | No Comments »
Thursday, February 14th, 2008
Have you Googled yourself lately? You may not like what you find.
(A version of this story originally appeared in the November 2007 issue of US Airways Magazine.)
by Dan Tynan
They used to call it Ego Surfing. Type your own name into a search engine and see how many matches turned up. ...
Posted in Da Web, Google, Privacy, US Airways Magazine | No Comments »
