"toys" for adult women

Here's what began this post...

--------------------------------------------------

Mac OS vs. Windows is like Pepsi vs Coke or like Sybian vs Magic Wand.

@Michael_Zelbel - I never thought of it that way, before...those comparisons deserve their own blog post

@slick - Let me know when U R done with the Sybian v Magic Wand blogpost ;-)

----------------------------------------------

(OK...he must know I'm crazy enough to do it...)

Anybody wanna jump-in...er...weigh-in on this? Being a dude, I only know what I've read and heard. I assume it's "different strokes for different folks"...if you will.

Although, if you're shopping for a gift for her this holiday season, this could be some helpful information...

Michael Jackson auction

Personal property of Michael Jackson will be auctioned...

The six box set catalogue is in a hard box cover:
a limited edition catalogue box set, signed and numbered by Michael Jackson, will be available for $500 plus shipping and handling...
a set priced at $100 per set, plus shipping and handling, is available...
juliensauctions.com, (310) 836-1818.

Beginning February 15th, 2009, bidders will be able to place proxy bids, and register for the auction...Registration is required to bid in this live auction [can be done in person at the Beverly Hilton, by visiting their Register page before the sale, or by calling (310) 816-1818].

There are four ways to bid in this sale:
* Place bids in the room by attending the auction in person
* Bid over the telephone through an auction house representative, who sits in the room and conveys the bid to the auctioneer
* Enter Absentee bids. Absentee bid forms are printed in the back of each catalogue, and are also available by calling Julien's Auctions or online at www.juliensauctions.com
* Proxy and live interactive bidding prior to and during the auction is available online through Auction Network

Julien's Auctions will host a 7 day museum quality exhibition at 9900 Wilshire adjacent to The Beverly Hilton...
Exhibition Schedule:
Tuesday, April 14th – Monday, April 20th
Open to the Public (10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Daily)

Auction Schedule:
Tuesday, April 21st – Saturday, April 25th
Auctions Begin at 9:00 a.m. Daily
at 9900 Wilshire adjacent to
The Beverly Hilton
in Beverly Hills, California

Auction Inquiries:
Julien's Auctions
P.O. Box 691789
West Hollywood, California 90069

Phone: 310-836-1818 • Fax: 310-827-2125

Live newscast mishap upsets producer

(I've worked for jerks like this in radio, and have prayed they get caught as well...)

News channel producer goes nuts when his audio to another reporter isn't working.

read more | digg story

Wally Kniaz, of TechtalkRadio.com, has passed

We did have fun...we had more to do together...

Obituary

GEN is Looking for a Few Good Women!

read more | digg story

iPhone use increases by low income segment

...iPhone owners...the strongest growth in users is coming from those earning less than the median household income...iPhone adoption rose among those earning between $25,000 and $75,000 per year..."one actually realizes cost savings when the device is used in lieu of multiple digital devices and services, transforming the iPhone from a luxury item to a practical communication and entertainment tool”...
“lower-income mobile subscribers are increasingly turning to their mobile devices to access the Internet, e-mail and their music collections...Smartphones, and the iPhone in particular, are appealing to a new demographic and satisfying demand for a single device for communication and entertainment...”

(I don't own one, yet...and Christmas is coming...just sayin'...)

Queen of Cartridges

Queen of Cartridges, originally uploaded by Veronica Belmont.

Veronica, on the throne...so to speak.

Smart Blogger test

For this post, I'm using a portable version of Smart Blogger...we'll see how it looks. It seems very basic...not bad. I'm looking for a reason to use it over Blogger's web interface...and, for the moment, I can't seem to find one.

Tucson, Oct. 30, tech forum

Thursday, October 30, from 5 to 7:30 PM, there will be an Arizona Technology Council’s Technology Town Forum with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D) and Senator Tim Bee (R)...the two candidates running for the US House of Representatives in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. The event will include time for questions from the audience, and is free to pre-registered attendees.

Pima Community College’s District Office
4905 E. Broadway Blvd.
Community Board Room #C105
Phone: 520-829-3440

WoW Addict has 36 Accounts. . .and Raids by Himself

It costs $5711 in subscription costs per year, with 36 accounts on the 6 month pay schedule...11 computers in use...

read more | digg story

searching the Internet increases brain function

(This reminds me of when I was a child and sent to get a book, or to the library, to "look it up"...)

"..computer-savvy middle-aged and older adults, searching the Internet triggers key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning. The findings demonstrate that Web search activity may help stimulate and possibly improve brain function."

His book is availble in e-book format...

read more | digg story

Official: Jail slaying could not have been prevented

A man in jail, awaiting trial, may have been murdered because (according to the investigative report prepared by the sheriff's office) he refused to beat up another inmate...

"After reviewing this incident, we are confident this homicide could not have been prevented," said the county's chief of detention..."It was never in full view of the officer."Sheriff's officials acknowledged that the measures in place at the jail aren't sufficient to prevent inmates from killing each other...

read more | digg story

fact checking the last presidential debate

What they said versus what is true...

read more | digg story

Airport 'X-ray art' courts TSA trouble - Network World

Take a metal plate, stencil and cut out a message -- words or an image -- place the plate at the bottom of your carry-on bag, and watch what happens as the TSA employee operating the airport X-ray machine notices . . . or doesn't notice.(If someone would give some of these to me to use when I travel, I would...)

read more | digg story

AVG flags ZoneAlarm as malware

Grisoft, the makers of AVG antivirus, have released a new update addressing a false positive...

read more | digg story

Bottled Water Quality: 10 Major Brands, 38 Pollutants

Unlike tap water, where consumers are provided with test results every year, the bottled water industry does not disclose the results of any contaminant testing that it conducts...EWG's study has revealed that bottled water can contain complex mixtures of industrial chemicals never tested for safety, and may be no cleaner than tap water...

read more | digg story

Add Copy To and Move To to Windows Explorer

In Microsoft Windows XP, the right-click context menu in Windows Explorer contains an entry for the Send To command but not for Copy To or Move To. Adding Copy To and Move To functionality to the Windows Explorer right-click menu starts with the finding the key in the Windows Registry file. (Be sure to back up the Registry file before you begin.)

read more | digg story

WiFi is no longer a viable secure connection

Global Secure Systems has said that a Russian's firm's use of the latest NVidia graphics cards to accelerate WiFi ‘password recovery' times by up to an astonishing 10,000 percent.

read more | digg story

(Norton) User Access Control (replacement) - Windows Vista

The User Account Control tool has been designed to replace the Vista UAC...any application launched by an administrator is running with a filtered, standard user access token. When the administrator attempts to perform a task, the UAC prompts the user to approve the action...many users find the UAC security clearance and prompting process annoying.

read more | digg story

YouTube/Will.i.am Launch In My Name, Effort to End Poverty

(Deadline November 1)...Upload your own video telling world leaders why they need to eradicate extreme poverty and achieve the UN's Millennium Goals!...

read more | digg story

New dads can get postpartum depression, too

...a male version of postpartum depression..."They can't stand to be around their baby...they can't stand the smell or the sound of their child screaming"...sadness, a sense of worthlessness and a loss of interest in sex or hobbies. A rocky relationship with a spouse, a sick or colicky baby, anxiety about becoming a father and a history of depression can also contribute to the condition. Men are also more likely to hide their depression from loved ones..."If a man doesn't get effective treatment for his depression, it could have damaging, long-term consequences for himself, his marriage, his career and his child"...Financial responsibilities also can fuel pressure...

(Been there...many times...)

read more | digg story

Oldies Become Classic Hits, And Motown Goes MIA

"...Motown...isn't mass-appeal enough..."Shared with Flock - The Social Web Browserhttp://flock.com

read more | digg story

MobaTalk test

MobaTalk Multimedia Messaging | Video

City-owned fiber network a go as judge tosses telco lawsuit

A judge has dismissed a telco's entire lawsuit against a Minnesota community that decided to build its own fiber-to-the-home network.

The argument by the company (Bridgewater Telephone Co., also known as TDS Telecom) was dismissed...the city has the authority to use the money for public services, such as a high-speed network. The city used revenue bonds to finance its project. Revenue bonds are traditionally used by communities to pay for public infrastructure or community improvements...if the projects are considered a convenience for the public. They are sold to investors after being approved by voters in a referendum.

(If your "public utility" won't upgrade, do it without them!)

read more | digg story

U.S. Eavesdropping on Americans

Despite pledges by President George W. Bush and American intelligence officials to the contrary, hundreds of US citizens overseas have been eavesdropped on as they called friends and family back home, according to two former military intercept operators who worked at the giant National Security Agency (NSA) center in Fort Gordon, Georgia...

read more | digg story

Homeland Security's Space-Based [Domestic] Spying Goes Live

...more flexible, have greater resolution...ultra high-resolution photographs to within a meter of their "target," can also track the heat signatures generated by people inside a building...

read more | digg story

Phoenix metro newspaper cutting back to 4 days and 4 cities

The East Valley Tribune...the newspaper will withdraw coverage and distribution from Scottsdale and Tempe to concentrate on Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert and Queen Creek...The print edition probably will appear on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays...

read more | digg story

Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders

(now on The Movie Channel Extra)...the film shows how the modern financial industry really works...and tells us why the poor are getting poorer while the rich keep getting richer...the bare necessities, not Prada shoes, are killing American families...Maxed Out examines an industry that thrives on making people fail, then pursues them relentlessly to death's door...90 percent of credit reports—those forms that now determine whether we get a job, a home and insurance—have errors on them, yet the credit bureaus aren't doing anything to correct the situation...the credit bureaus keep a special "V.I.P." list of prominent citizens whose reports are specially cleaned up...The rich get richer and the poor get poorer...

read more | digg story

Some facts adrift in veep debate

Republican Sarah Palin, and Democrat Joe Biden, in the vice presidential debate Thursday...

read more | digg story

‘Fakeproof’ microchipped identification can be cloned in minutes

New microchipped passports designed to be foolproof against identity theft can be cloned and manipulated in minutes and accepted as genuine by the computer software recommended for use at international airports...

read more | digg story

homeless, disabled vietnam vet beaten and robbed

He's homeless and crippled...was beaten by a robber...he sleeps behind a bank branch on a blanket...he served in the Marines...he's been homeless for about four years...

A veteran of the U.S. should never be homeless.

read more | digg story

Gap Casting Call contest for babies and kids

...through October 22...child must be younger than 11 at the time of entry...

read more | digg story

Help NPR Fact-Check Tonight's Debate on Twitter

As you watch the debate, we invite you to be on the lookout for any questionable claims made by Sen. Biden or Gov. Palin. If you can track down the original source and help verify if it's accurate, you can then get it to NPR by posting it to Twitter with the tag #factcheck included in your tweet.

read more | digg story

Get FBI Files

"...it's free! (Well, except for the cost of a postage stamp)..."

read more | digg story

(To generate the letters you need to send to the FBI to get a copy of your own FBI file: http://www.getmyfbifile.com)

trade-in/recycle elecrtronics at no cost

"...With the Toshiba Free Electronic Program you can recycle your old electronics regardless of the brand and at no cost to you. We also provide a trade in option should you want to trade in your used products for cash...."

read more | digg story

15 years for man (playing a video game) who killed baby

...a near-maximum sentence of 15 years in prison...was charged with first-degree murder, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter..."I'm sorry I lost my patience"...he was playing a video game when the baby began crying...he shook the baby, and returned to his video game...--------------------------------------------------When you are responsible for a child, they need your total attention. Have no distractions, and engage in nothing that could frustrate or enrage you.

read more | digg story

About the Mac and iTunes Accessibility

"...iTunes is nearly entirely accessible with VoiceOver...One limitation at present is the ability to purchase entire albums from the iTunes store..."

read more | digg story

use a USB flash drive to lock and protect your computer

"...you’ll have to insert this USB device when asked, and then only you can login to your account..."(MAKE A SPARE/BACKUP!!!...)

read more | digg story

156 (Windows XP) Run Commands

The shortcut to RUN command is “Windows Key + R“...

read more | digg story

Opinion : Why 401(k) retirement plans really don�t work

"...Retirement programs are income machines designed to support people...The investments contained in a pension plan are designed to produce income...Existing 401(k) participants should contribute enough to get the matching contribution, and start a personal tax-free income account with whatever disposable income is left..."

read more | digg story

Redesign Cities From Scratch

"...cities have been designed around cars. Why not design a car around a city?..."

read more | digg story

(Tucson's) dive bars

...laid-back attitude...a microcosmic community...they began in London's 19th century...(I LOVE them...especially if they have free wi-fi...)

read more | digg story

Get The Entire TechCrunch50 Conference On BitTorrent

"...You can download around 25 hours of live footage - the entire three day conference...Each file is about 5 GB..."

read more | digg story

Security flaw in Yahoo mail exposes plain text authentication

...the new Yahoo! desktop program (Zimbra) transmits authentication information (usernames & passwords) in plain text...

read more | digg story

Evil League of Evil is recruiting, Seeking New Evil......

(Relating to Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog...)"The best applicants, as determined by the League or its designated agents, will be included on a special DVD commemorating our most recent member..."

read more | digg story

McCain Runs Web Ads Claiming to Win Debate - Before Debate!

...John McCain has apparently already won it -- if you believe a web ad in the online edition of the Wall Street Journal this morning.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/images/26Sep_Friday_WSJ.JPG

read more | digg story

Track your bandwidth usage for free!

Free software that will help you track your bandwidth for the PC and Mac

read more | digg story

Complaints after digital TV test

The largest number of calls to the FCC from Wilmington were from viewers of...WECT-TV. That station's analog broadcast covers far more ground than its digital signal...It's not certain what — if anything — the FCC or broadcasters can do for these viewers, short of recommending that they buy a bigger antenna.

read more | digg story

How to build a UHF HDTV Antenna....CHEAP!

If you don't want to spend upwards of 70 bucks, build this bowtie style antenna in about an hour...hitting 88 to 99 signal strength on all channels with NO DROPOUTS AT ALL!!!

read more | digg story

A Worker Shortage in the Nuclear Industry

"We need to start to attracting people and training today for the new crowd we'll need in the future..."

read more | digg story

Best Healthy Places to Retire: Green Valley, Arizona

...25 miles south of Tucson, Ariz...75-mph speed limit...halfway to the Mexican border..mostly age restricted (home must have an occupant 55 or older and no long-term occupants 18 or younger)...a local volunteer group checks on homes left empty by vacationers or snowbirds...

read more | digg story

Add image thumbnails to folders in Windows Explorer

One caveat for the resource-sensitive - turning on the thumbnail feature will increase the amount of resources being used by the operating system. Those little thumbnails take up space on the hard drive and in memory when they are being displayed. Depending on your system, the available resources, and the number of images involved, you can quickly bog down your PC if you are not careful. This is why many users will be interested in this tip for the opposite reason - they want to know how to turn off thumbnail creation in Windows.

read more | digg story

How CBS Got Digital Religion

Exhibit A of CBS' newfound enthusiasm for the Web is of course the $1.8 billion purchase of CNET Networks, which closed in June...

(When I've had discussions with management of media companies about strengthening their online services and content, they gave blank stares due to their "tunnel vision". Some never hear and see the train until they get run over...)

read more | digg story

Microsoft Image Composite Editor

...panoramic image stitcher. You shoot a set of overlapping photographs of a scene from a single location, and Image Composite Editor creates a high-resolution panorama incorporating all your images at full resolution. Then save your stitched panorama in a wide variety of formats...

read more | digg story

the 4 eddresses in the "I'm A PC" commercials

The people are real:[sean@windows.com] Microsoft Engineer - Sean Siler,[feng@windows.com] Software Development Engineer - Feng,[bill@windows.com] Bill (Gates),and [uche@windows.com] Engineer and Scientist - Uche Adegbite...

read more | digg story

Simple Multi-File Management

...to manage several files simultaneously...to select many files, use checkboxes in Windows Vista Explorer (instead of needing to hold the CTRL-key and selcting files)...

read more | digg story

KRLA sued over content - Glendale News Press

Man alleges that the radio station’s shows serve the Republican Party, not the public.

In exchange for obtaining a valuable license to operate a broadcast station using the public airwaves, each radio and television licensee is required by law to operate its station in the “public interest, convenience and necessity.” This means that it must air programming that is responsive to the needs and problems of its local community of license. - http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/public_and_broadcasting.html

read more | digg story

What can nominees do for economy?

Roland Martin talks to Jessica Yellin about what the presidential candidates can do once in office. (Two major differences that, to me, seem to be clearly defined...)

read more | digg story

Alex Witt: The next Mrs. Robinson?

...Alex Witt sings in a pop girl band, The Mrs. Robinsons. It seems like the name of the band may be inspiring some guilty thoughts…(Well, here's to you, Miss Witt...)

read more | digg story

a lap dance for a lawyer to lower her legal fees

The lawyer arranged to have a female client perform nude dances for him in exchange for credit on her legal fees...

read more | digg story

Amazing 3-Ply toilet paper to revolutionize wiping poop

Quilted Northern Ultra Plush should be available on Monday, marketed to women 45 and older...new tissue for your tuckus...

read more | digg story

Supreme Court Strikes Down State's Anti-Spam Law

The Virginia Supreme Court invalidated the state's "anti-spam" law, designed to prevent the sending of masses of unwanted e-mail, by saying the law broadly violated the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, in particular anonymous speech.

read more | digg story

defense to get source code of intoxication breath tester

Pima County Superior Court Judge Deborah Bernini has ruled that defendants have the right to cross-examine and confront their accusers...and ordered CMI, the company that holds the “source code” for the Intoxilyzer 8000 (used by the Tucson and University of Arizona police departments), to share the code with attorney James Nesci...The Intoxilyzer 8000 has never been tested on a human in Arizona...It’s only been tested on simulators.Six other states have been battling CMI over the source code -- Minnesota, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Tennessee and New Jersey.

read more | digg story

Hackers break into LHC computer network

So, not only is there a theory that a black hole could end it all for us...but it's also "crackable"? We might not make it to October 21st...

read more | digg story

Ask a Ninja Presents The Ninja Handbook

It's available in ebook format, also...

How to create and name your very own lethal ninja clan...The proper weapon to use when fighting a vampire pumpkin...Why clowns and robots are so dangerous on the Internet..Easy-to-follow charts showing when to slice and when to stab...How to execute such ultradeadly kicks as the Driving Miss Daisy...Why pretty much every ninja movie ever made sucks...

read more | digg story

Google Chrome Releases

Google Chrome version 0.2.149.29 was released on 5 September 2008, and all users are being automatically updated...This is a security and bug fix update...

read more | digg story

Google Chrome vulnerable to carpet-bombing flaw

A ZDNET Blog

read more | digg story

read Chrome's fine print

...Google reserves the right to automatically update and install Chrome...Google says it has a right to display some of your content, in conjunction with promoting its services...Don't be surprised to see more ads...

read more | digg story

Prius can get 100 miles per gallon

I believe the car manufacturers don't WANT to help us; we need to do it ourselves...

read more | digg story

Bitlocker has a vulnerability

"...The password checking routine of Microsoft Bitlocker fails to sanitize the BIOS keyboard buffer after reading passwords, resulting in plain text password leakage to unprivileged local users...This vulnerability is fixed in Microsoft Windows Vista (SP1)..."

read more | digg story

Mythbusters Gagged: RFID Hacking Story Killed by corporation

Credit card companies successfully nixed a Mythbusters segment exposing RFID's security flaws, according to Arbiter of Truth and Mythbusters co-host, Adam Savage.

read more | digg story

the Flash/Firefox bug

(As usual, I have been thinking: "Maybe it's me...")

...Flash videos don't play for certain Firefox 3 users on Windows XP or Vista, when using the current Flash player version 9...Both Mozilla and Adobe have been aware of the issue since late May, but as yet no solution has been found...One workaround solution is to install the Flash 10 player, which is still in beta...Flash 9 works just fine in Internet Explorer.

read more | digg story

Music Decline to Accelerate in 2008 With Retailer Cutbacks

...In a worst-case scenario...Retailers stock less music, so consumers have less to choose from, and then buy even less, causing retailers to stock even less. Repeat...

read more | digg story

FAA's Antiquated IT System's Crash Delays Flights

"...something was corrupted in a file, and that brought [the] system down in Atlanta"...the company that custom-built the mainframes for the FAA has been out of business for 20 years...The system itself is called NADIN (National Aerospace Data Interchange Network). It was designed by North American Philips for the FAA in the early 1980s...

read more | digg story

drugs found in well

...at the Marana well......pharmaceuticals were found in Colorado River water in Lake Mead...The Marana well is a quarter-mile from the Santa Cruz River, a point that collects much of the region's water, including the wastewater from the nearby Ina Road wastewater plant and from the Roger Road plant farther down the river...

read more | digg story

TweetSnap | Personalised Twitter images and banners

(Twitter offers their own version at http://twitter.com/badges, but...) "...we'll give you the code to put it on your blog, website, forum signature, MySpace, whatever!...When you update, it updates, so you can always keep people in the loop. It'll always show your last update*, even if Twitter's down..."

read more | digg story

defamation suit against blogger dropped

Tucson Greyhound Park has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed against the owner of the blog End Tucson Greyhound Racing.

She said the track never contacted her before the suit...per the story, she "likely has little recourse in collecting attorney’s fees"...

----------------------------------------------

I know how she feels.

In Tucson I was once arrested, and charged with carrying a concealed weapon. In order to prove I was not carrying a weapon concealed (without a permit) I had to hire, and pay for, my attorney. The attorney representing the city stated that if I allowed them to keep my weapon, all charges would be dropped. When the case was decided in my favor, I could not legally seek to have the city pay for my expenses.

Damned if you do...

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Virus Infects Space Station Laptops (Again)

Viruses intended to steal passwords and send them to a remote server infected laptops in the International Space Station in July, NASA confirmed Tuesday.

read more | digg story

Baby Boomers and Women Take on Video Gaming

...women and older adults...are the new driving force behind the success of the video games industry...38 percent of U.S. gamers are women and the average player is 35 years old...The average purchaser of video games is 39 years old...men between 18 and 45 still represent 37 percent of the game playing market...

read more | digg story

Bursting the Vista sales bubble

...Windows Sentinel tracking data shows that 35 percent of mainly enterprise-class users "downgrade" their Vista systems to XP...

read more | digg story

first print, then radio, now TV

For ages 10 to 14 who use the Internet, the computer is a bigger draw than the TV set...72 percent of the children online belonged to a social networking site (usually MySpace)...

And now, for the first time, the median age for the over-air broadcast television networks is outside of the 18-49 demo (that most advertisers target).

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Widgetbox...widget directory and gallery

...easy to use tools to build, distribute, and track your own web widgets. You don't even need to know any code. Turn your blog into a widget or create a Facebook app...find the widgets you want...search our widgets by category, keyword, tag, developer, and rating...sites including MySpace, Facebook, Blogger, and more...take it to your webpage...

read more | digg story

Have Optimus Prime Call You!

Send a personalized message to your friend from Optimus Prime!

read more | digg story

internet service could cost by usage, and slowed for "excessive use"

This could have consequences not just for consumers - who would have to learn to watch how much data their Internet use entails - but also for companies that hope to make the Internet a conduit for movies and other content that comes in huge files.

read more | digg story

Southwest Airlines (video) blogging contest

Southwest Airlines is hosting a competition to find thenext Blog-o-spondent for the Company's blog, Nuts About Southwest...All Online Entries must be received by 11:59:59 PM ET on August 31...The winner will be provided with air transportationand hotel accommodations for each assignment and will be outfitted with new equipment...The winner will be provided with air transportation and hotel accommodations for each assignment and will be outfitted with a new video camera, laptop, and editing software...

read more | digg story

comfy workspace/place

Inside Tucson Business had this picture of corporate offices for University Physicians Healthcare...that reminded me of how the building and work areas when I worked for Microsoft (in Tucson). It brought back some fond memories...the look of this work area makes me want to apply to UPH...

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Brooklyn Pizza uses a Smart car for delivery

...hopes to have Brooklyn Pizza be 100 percent solar at some point...also has his entrepreneurial eye on the possibility of starting a wind farm...

read more | digg story

Radio Trying to Do More With Less

Radio is struggling more than ever with a dated image and that’s also taking a toll. Fewer young folks are attracted to it as a career choice...many CE openings...are going unfilled...Outsourcing may be a solution for some tasks but it steals away a bit of the station’s soul...Listeners aren’t stupid. They know who’s real and who’s Memorex...

read more | digg story

acne treatment device

"...Zeno is a hand-held battery-operated device designed with a tip that heats to a pre-set temperature...designed for direct contact with a blemish on the skin...the tip will transfer heat into the follicle...The level of heat does not cause skin damage...Zeno is for people with mild to moderate inflammatory acne. If in doubt, ask your doctor..."

read more | digg story

Eddie Murphy's "Meet Dave" Flops

(Oh...that's what happened to this movie...)Eddie Murphy's "Meet Dave" has officially topped Box Office Mojo's list of Wide Releases That Lost the Most Theaters in Their Third Weekends..."Most of the time, theaters are obligated to show a movie for two weeks"..."Meet Dave" was dropped by 2,523 theaters during is third weekend, a 77 percent drop...

read more | digg story

win a walk-on role on Mad Men

Mad Men is an AMC Original TV series...The person who submits the best one-minute or less video audition will win a trip to L.A. and a walk-on role in a future Mad Men episode.Entries accepted...through August...

read more | digg story

Microsoft revives Ultimate Steal deal

Microsoft is once again offering their Ultimate Steal deal for currently enrolled college students: Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 (Access, Accounting Express, Excel, Infopath, Groove, OneNote, Outlook, Powerpoint, Publisher, Word) for $59.95. Also, on Sept. 8th, they will be offering Visio Pro for $55.95 and Vista Ultimate Upgrade for $64.95.(My birthday is coming up...I'm just sayin'...)

read more | digg story

Court: Passengers can challenge no-fly list

...would-be passengers can ask a judge and jury to decide whether their inclusion on the list violates their rights...

read more | digg story

ABC News: Sex: Myths, Lies and Straight Talk

It's a "four year itch", and size does matter...

read more | digg story

IamFreeTonight.com

"Find a Date TONIGHT!..." (The name of the website intrigued me...)

read more | digg story

radio continues to stagnate and decline

"What are radio leaders doing to change direction?...Not much...There is a notable sense of denial...The classic CEO reply is [that] radio is not bleeding as badly as newspapers...too little investment in radio's product and people..."

read more | digg story

Alienware Area-51 m9750 Laptop Review

It won't run Crysis, though...

read more | digg story

passwords cannot be demanded (for now)

A federal magistrate has ruled that one cannot be forced to surrender a password...it would be unconstitutional...

read more | digg story

Warning Label Generator

Eleven different templates...at least fifty-four different icons are available...six (short) lines of text...saves as a JPG file...

read more | digg story

Pandora Nears Its 'Last Stand'

Pandora is one of the nation's most popular Web radio services...

read more | digg story

Verizon Wireless Ranks Highest in Wireless Customer Care

Verizon Wireless ranks highest in wireless customer care performance with an index score of 103, followed by Alltel (102), T-Mobile (100) and AT&T (97). Specifically, customers report that Verizon Wireless performs particularly well in resolving problems in one contact.

read more | digg story

it's a real magazine

I wanna make a joke about the cover pic ("club", "drive-her", etcetera) but I don't think I need to...

software to erase hard drives

Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") deletes the contents of any hard disk that it can detect.

(DBAN cannot be started from within Microsoft Windows.) It can be installed to a USB flash device, and...if the computer supports it...computers can boot to it. You will need at least a 2 GB drive...

A DBAN CD-R disc can be created from an ISO file.

read more | digg story

credit/debit card info stolen by fake terminals

Machines used to read credit and debit cards, and input PINs, were replaced in stores...card information, and PIN numbers, were copied...and funds were taken from accounts. Security is so bad terminals can be replaced and no one catches it???!!! Can you sue the stores?...

read more | digg story

LHC Rap

Watch the girl at 2 minutes into the video...she dances too good: she hasn't spent all of her time in class...

read more | digg story

Free Online PDF viewer - PdfMeNot.com

You can use the tools to embed documents on your site or upload them for viewing...

read more | digg story

FREE Anytime Collaboration and Live Conferencing

"With Vyew you can give a presentation to a hundred people online or post a document you've been working on for review by your colleagues at their convenience...Browser-based...No downloads necessary, start sessions from any web browser on any computer...Collaborate from any computer with a web browser at anytime..."

read more | digg story

Sprint PCS Mail coming to an end!!!

December 31...there are instructions on how to migrate to Gmail, Yahoo!, Live, and AOL...

read more | digg story

Compatibility Test for your Website/Blog in 75 Browsers

This great website will test how your website looks in 75 different browsers out there.

read more | digg story

"Packin' The K!"

It won a Pwnie award...

read more | digg story

"The Greatest American Hero" shirts

I found this at http://www.slingshottshirts.com/detail.aspx?ID=614 and http://www.teesnthings.com/thegreatestamericanherot-shirt.aspx

By the way, I wear a large...

Blogged with the Flock Browser

It's Our Web: Free Speech TV Community

Freespeech TV is in the process of building a social networking and video sharing community that is non-profit, non-commercial, and built on an open-source software platform called Drupal...

read more | digg story

StarBurn for CD/DVD/HD-DVD/Blu-ray

"StarBurn is a powerful tool for grabbing, burning and mastering CD, DVD, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD media. StarBurn supports all types of optical storage media (including CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, Dual layer DVD-R & DVD+R, BD-R/RE, HD-DVD-R/RW and DVD-RAM) as well as a wide variety of burning hardware."

There is a free version at http://www.rocketdivision.com/starburn.html

Navajos Could Lose (Have Lost!) Net Access

A large swath of the sprawling Navajo Nation could lose access to the Internet today, in a dispute that threatens services from personal e-mail to police radio communications on the 27,000-square-mile reservation.

read more | digg story

Travelers' Laptops May Be Detained At Border

Federal agents may take a traveler's laptop computer or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed.

read more | digg story

linux media player

Banshee 1.2 has been released Play your music and videos. Stay entertained and up to date with podcasts and video podcasts. Discover new music with Last.fm radio. Sync your iPod and other devices. New for 1.2 is an equalizer, support for internet radio, music recommendations...

read more | digg story

stylus for iPhone and iPod Touch

It has a soft tip designed to keep the glass surface of your iPhone or iPod Touch scratch-free and smudge-free...it has a clip that hugs the contours of the iPhone, and also works with the iPod touch...all orders are shipping with a clip designed to precisely fit the iPhone 3G. The original clip will also be included...

read more | digg story

Cop Knocked Down Bicyclist & Blatantly Lies in Arrest Report

...New York cop...claiming that the bicyclist drove his bicycle directly into him, knocking the cop to the ground and causing "lacerations"...

read more | digg story

Felicia Day (and the under the table) Twitters

Felicia Day twitters during the Dr. Horrible panel at 2008 Comic-Con.

read more | digg story

last words at execution: "the governor...lost my vote"

Christopher Scott Emmett, 36: “Tell my family and friends I love them, tell the governor he just lost my vote...Y’all hurry this along, I’m dying to get out of here.”

read more | digg story

US TV watching by age groups

A65+, Traditional TV...A55-64, Using the Internet...A25-34, Watching Timeshifted...A18-24, Watching Video on Internet...T12-17, Mobile Video Subscribers

read more | digg story

I'm a nerd!

Well...I scored better than half in Nerd, earning me the title of: Pure Nerd.

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

send scheduled messages with Sendible

Send messages a the time of your choosing...Email, MySpace, Facebook, SMS, and Twitter...

read more | digg story

Force Gmail to Always Use Secure Connection

...a standard feature of your Gmail account: a secure https connection per default...

read more | digg story

review your employer

Write a anonymous review of a place you've worked...

read more | digg story

AOL Increasing Dial-Up Fees

Subscribers who are willing to give up phone support can keep the lower rate, but they must notify the company to opt out of a $2 monthly increase.

read more | digg story

XDrive, AOL Pictures, MyMobile, And Bluestring folding

TechCrunch is reporting that an e-mail message was sent to AOL staff announcing "...Bluestring, Xdrive and AOL Pictures will be sunset..."Take a look at Windows Live SkyDrive, http://skydrive.live.com

read more | digg story

Coworking New Way To Network

The idea is to have a place where the self-employed or telecommuter can go to either share work space or just be around other people...but with a little more formality than a coffee shop.

read more | digg story

Marc Chase on WGN's 'Movie Underground'

Marc Chase, president of Tribune Interactive, will play Smilin' Dick Nixon, the night watchman who's supposedly responsible for protecting the Fortress of Television Innovation from mediocre TV, on "Movie Underground"...

read more | digg story

Apple pushes MobileMe surprise to XP,Vista via iTunes update

Stopbadware.org, an anti-malware advocacy group founded by Google Inc., Lenovo Group Ltd. and Sun Microsystems Inc., notified Apple it would soon issue a "badware" alert for Software Update because of the tactics.

read more | digg story

more than plasma TVs, salespersons had been recommending LCD TVs

J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Despite Respective Advantages of Both Types of Technology, Retail Electronics Salespersons Recommend LCD TVs Far More Frequently than Plasma TVs

"...plasma technology...offers a number of unique advantages, not the least of which is that inch for inch, plasma sets cost less than LCD sets...plasma TVs also display deeper blacks and show fast-moving objects better."

...the high proportion of recommendations of LCD sets is primarily due to retail salespersons' lack of knowledge regarding recent improvements in plasma technology...

...LCD sets weigh less, use less energy, and produce less heat than plasma sets...

...television shoppers are likely to encounter very different levels of service and expertise, depending on the type of retailer:

a big-box electronics retailer (such as Best Buy or Circuit City): perform well in providing customer service, but product knowledge tends to be less consistent among individual salespersons...

a specialty television retailer (such as Ken Crane's, MyerEmco): provide more comprehensive and accurate answers to shoppers' questions...

a mass merchant (such as Target or Wal-Mart): often unable to provide answers to basic technical questions or make definitive product recommendations at a commensurate level, compared with other retail outlets...

Slydial Lets You Go Straight To Voicemail

When you don't want to speak to the person you're calling, this service will put your call directly to voicemail...

read more | digg story

Help build dead simple tablet PC!

...Simple tablet for browsing the web. Allmost all open source, with Linux and Firefox sugar. And it could be under 300 bucks...(C'mon, folks! This is LONG overdue...if you can contribute to the goal, get it there...)

read more | digg story

FBI Fights Testing For False DNA Matches

A discovery leads to questions about whether the odds of people sharing genetic profiles are sometimes higher than portrayed...the FBI has sought to block such inquiry.

read more | digg story

E3 not 2 good

...After drawing 60,000 people two years ago, it was downsized to about 4,000 people last year and moved from its usual home at the Los Angeles Convention Center to a handful of hotels in Santa Monica. This year, it returned to the convention center, but the feel was still small, maybe 5,000 attendees...president of Ubisoft North America: "...it's like a pipe-fitters show in the basement"...bring back retailers, who have abandoned the show...

read more | digg story

Did E3 Just Gasp Its Last Breath?(Slashdot)

Sex Is Not as Private as You Expect

...states have laws that creep right into the bedroom...

read more | digg story

Things You Might Not Know About Your Credit Card

Unsigned Cards Are Not Valid And Merchants Can And Will Refuse Them...The Maximum Liability For Unauthorized Use Of A Credit Card Is $50 According To Federal Law...Merchants Cannot Require A Minimum Transaction Amount...Merchants Cannot Charge A Surcharge For Using A Credit Card...Merchants Are Not Allowed To Make You Give Up Your Right To A Chargeback...Merchants Are Not Allowed To Place A Hold For The Estimated Tip

read more | digg story

78% Are Burned Out at Work

Downsized staffs paired with increased workloads may be causing a rise in stress levels around the workplace. According to a CareerBuilder.com survey of more than 7,600 workers nationwide, 78 percent reported feeling burned out at work...

read more | digg story

(I've been seeking employment, but found nothing that I've wanted to rush to...lots of reasons: low pay, unreasonable expectations, etcetera. I have been more passionate about past jobs where I washed dishes than what seems to be available.)

autism a stage in evolution?

...a result of environmental effects on children, or whether this is nature experimenting with us to take us to the next stage of evolution...

read more | digg story

Spider-Man the Broadway Musical Open Casting Call

OPEN SINGERS/ACTORS CALL FOR SPIDER-MAN, A NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL...

LOOKING FOR:

Peter Parker: male, 16-20’s, great Rock voice, can be nerdy with understated sex appeal, good sense of humor

Mary Jane: female, 16-20’s, beautiful girl next door, strong pop/rock singing voice

Principal Woman: female, 25-35 years old, Amazing Rock vocals, think Sinead O’Connor with a Middle Eastern /Bulgarian/Greek/ twist. Foreign, world music types are great, foreign accents are great! All ethnicities.

JULY 28, 2008
10:00am-5pm
THE KNITTING FACTORY, 74 LEONARD STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10013

read more | digg story

Keyboard Cheat Sheets To Download

7 quick cheat sheets for Windows, Mac, Google, and Firefox...Download and print...

read more | digg story

Promotion? No Thanks

"...if men and women spent more than 75 per cent of each day on the job using their strongest skills and engaged on their favorite tasks, basically doing exactly what they wanted to do...They’d produce great results..."

This hit home for me, big time. The last job I had I never applied for...after reading the posting, I decided I was not the best candidate, and it was not enticing: I did not own a car, and I felt they were asking too much from one person for the amount of duties that were expected to be performed . I was asked if I would consider the position, and I said "yes"...but, explained why I did not apply for it. I had interviews, which I expected would take me out of consideration. I was offered the job, and took it...and found that it was a mismatch. I suspect I was offered the position because they had no one else to fill the hole...

read more | digg story

Weezer performs with fans

Now, THAT'S giving back!

iPhones can send SMS for free via AIM

...you can send SMS messages from your iPhone for free...

read more | digg story

Finding the name behind the GMail address

...a vulnerability...it is possible to expose the full name of the user who registered a GMail account...due to the strong tie-ins between GMail and all of Google’s other services, such as Google Calendar, Blogger, and Google Code AND the strong desire for Google Apps to be able to share data with people. This isn’t the first time...

read more | digg story

Set Up Push Email, Contacts, and Calendar on iPhone free!

...roll up your sleeves...you can set up push email and wireless contact and calendar syncing using the free Microsoft Exchange service Mail2Web.

read more | digg story

Is the iPhone Killing Terrestrial Radio?

An article indicating that the iPhone is the latest competitor to radio...

read more | digg story

FDIC, Insurance Limits, and Their Lists

Most back accounts are protected to $100,000...http://www.fdic.gov/deposit/deposits/insuringdeposits/

read more | digg story

"Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog"

(Set aside 14 minutes for this...I think it's worth it.)Joss Whedon's "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" starting Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day, and Nathan Fillion is live...see the 1st episode free!

read more | digg story

Life on an Indian Reservation (30 Days, on FX)

Morgan Spurlock spent 30 days on the Navajo Reservation...check the network's Web site for re-run dates and times (iPod owners can download the episode for about $1.99 on iTunes).[We, the U.S., seem to never do right by these people...]

read more | digg story

hosting porn on some servers can bring obscenity charges

(Deciding where you host your content depends on the content...)A pornographer was convicted by a Tampa, Florida federal jury on obscenity charges...even though he lives and works entirely in California...the web hosting provider that hosts his websites has servers in Tampa...lawyers tried to move for dismissal, arguing that he had no idea his web host stored a portion of his content on Tampa servers...

read more | digg story

Man suing church because god made him fall down.

A man feeling "the force of the spirit" falls down and is not caught (like the other times he has fallen), hurts himself, and is suing the church.

(Maybe he had also fallen from grace...)

read more | digg story

"FISA Amendments Act" passes Senate

The Senate has approved a bill granting immunity to telecom companies that helped listen in unlawfully on Americans.

read more | digg story

NSA copies and retains ALL internet traffic

One man uncovers the NSA at an ATT building, that includes a "Secret" room. The LA Times killed the story when they had a chance to uncover this illegal practice...

read more digg story

The National Security Agency, by diverting data, violates Fourth Amendment protections against search and seizure without probable cause. Of the major telecom companies, only Qwest is known to have rejected government requests for access to data...

Best Buy is selling Ubuntu Linux

The boxed version of Ubuntu retails for $19.99 and comes with free online support for sixty days. There is also a quick start guide that comes with the package...for Mac and PC...

read more | digg story

Bush Committed a Felony With Wiretaps

...the President is bound by FISA...FISA limits the power of the executive branch to conduct such activities and it limits the executive branch’s authority to assert the state secrets privilege in response to challenges to the legality of its foreign intelligence surveillance activities...when Bush contravened the FISA law by authoring warrantless wiretaps through the National Security Agency, he broke the law...the President committed a felony...Bush has acknowledged that he reauthorized his illegal wiretapping program “more than 30 times since the September the 11th attacks.”

read more | digg story

Kucinich to bring single article of impeachment Thursday

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) is sticking to his drive to impeach President Bush. After bringing 35 articles of impeachment to the floor last month, Kucinich will return this week with a single article accusing Bush of misleading the nation into war.

read more | digg story

How Artists Escape the Major Labels Thru “Re-performance"

When an artist signs with a major record label, the contract will typically include a provision granting the label with the rights to the performance. The label also will retain rights for a number of years after the termination of the contract. Now artists have discovered they can re-perform the old hits and keep the profit.

read more | digg story

free speech rights don't always extend online

At the moment I'm writing this post, I cannot access baywords.com. If it continues to exist, I intend to move all of my (blog) content to it...
"Because of the need of freedom of speech and secure hosting facility of the words being said...Many blogs are being shut down for uncomfortable thoughts and ideas. We will not do that. Our goal is to protect freedom of speech and your thoughts. As long as you don’t break any Swedish laws in your blog, we will defend it."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First Amendment protections generally do not extend to private property in the physical world...

Network Solutions LLC decided to suspend a Web hosting account that Dutch filmmaker Geert Wilders was using to promote a movie that criticizes the Quran — before the movie was even posted and without the company finding any actual violation of its rules.

Service providers say unhappy customers can always go elsewhere...

Star Trek: The Experience Closing in Vegas

I've never wanted to go to Disneyland, or Hawaii, anywhere like that: I wanna go here and spend all my money on stuff! Another dream dies...

read more | digg story

Approximately 800 vulnerabilities discovered in antivirus products

"...outlining the increasing number of critical vulnerabilities found in competing antivirus products, the IT/Security consulting firm n.runs AG claims to have discovered approximately 800 vulnerabilities within antivirus products based on exploiting a standard malware scanning process known as “parsing”..."

read more | digg story

"Former TV stars arrested in meth lab..."

(Now THAT'S comedy...)

read more | digg story

AZ Daily Star editor outs a source

An editor of the Arizona Daily Star said he "never promised anyone anonymity"...(Because of his actions, I can't blame anyone for not giving information to formerly trusted members of the media.)

read more | digg story

Anti-terrorist Segway drill in Shangdong, China

Members of China's armed police demonstrate a rapid deployment during an anti-terrorist drill...

read more | digg story

owner of Charlie’s Comic Books/Tucson nominated for a Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award

Charlie Harris, owner of Charlie’s Comic Books (5445 E. 22nd St.), was nominated for a Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award, to be bestowed during Comic-Con International...The retailer award honors a store owner who supports “the comics art medium both in the community and within the industry at large”...he can’t tear himself away from his business long enough to attend the ceremony in San Diego on July 25.

read more | digg story

Viacom demands YouTube share IP addresses

"...Unless you’ve been extra careful to only watch non-copyrighted videos on YouTube, Viacom could sue you...even worse: they could actually win..."

read more | digg story

Official Website for "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog"

...starring Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day, and Nathan Fillion...See the teaser, join the groups, spread the word...July 15th, see the 1st episode free!

read more | digg story

free RoboForm password manager

software automatically remembers your passwords, logs you into websites, fills long web forms, and more...Encrypts your passwords...defeats Keyloggers...Generates random passwords to help protect your identity...Portable: RoboForm2Go runs from a USB flash drive...PDA-friendly: Sync your passwords to Pocket PC and Palm...

read more | digg story

Man Cleared Of Child Porn Charges, DIA Stands By Decision To Fire Him

Man given a computer by employer...man returns computer to employer...computer found to have child porn...man fired...man battles to clear his name...

read more | digg story

TV viewers' average age hits 50 years old

Some might say it's true that, "Only old people watch TV..."

read more | digg story

Rhapsody Embraces MP3 Music Files Without Copy Restrictions

eMusic has 320 kbps files...Napster and Rhapsody have 256 kbps files

read more | digg story

"Playing to Win: Inside the Video Game Industry"

July 14 and July 22...http://www.cnbc.com/id/24482267

read more | digg story

Windows XP available to 2009

But, not in retail stores...

Online retailers (like Newegg.com) will continue selling Windows XP as standalone, OEM software after June 30...

After June 30, users who wish to purchase XP pre-installed as part of a PC will be required to purchase either Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate and "downgrade" to Windows XP Professional, allowing Dell or another OEM to install XP for the price of Vista...

...both system builders and OEMs also have the option of purchasing Windows XP through Microsoft authorized distributors through January 31, 2009....

OEM copies often come with restrictions and limited support options; the OEM copies of Vista required the purchaser to provide technical support for the owner of the PC on which it was installed. However, retailers like Newegg cannot sell PCs with XP preinstalled, just like any other OEM. As long as a user states that he is a system builder and agrees to hold to the terms of the license, he or she may buy an OEM copy of Windows XP after the June 30 cutoff.

"...System Builders (sometimes referred to as "local OEMs"), may continue to purchase Windows XP through Authorized Distributors through January 31, 2009..."

--------------------------------------------

"...The architectural changes that improved security and resilience in Windows Vista led to compatibility issues with existing hardware and applications..."

"...we are refining the kernel architecture and componentization model introduced in Windows Vista...they will not impact the user experience or reduce application or hardware compatibility."

(Based on past history, how can he say that with a straight face?... - S!ick)

read more | digg story

Simple Ways to Super Charge Your Brain

I assume naps are good for you, as well...

read more | digg story

DNS records hijacked by Turkish hacking group

The ICANN and IANA websites were defaced by a Turkish group called "NetDevilz". ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers. These include domain names, as well as the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is responsible for the global coordination of the DNS Root, IP addressing, and other Internet protocol resources.Their domains were redirecting to a hosting space where the defacers left the following message:"You think that you control the domains but you don't! Everybody knows wrong. We control the domains including ICANN! Don't you believe us?"

read more | digg story

An Epic E-mail Rant by Bill Gates

...even the Microsoft co-founder isn't immune to the frustrations of everyday computer users..."

read more | digg story

MPAA Understanding of 'Making Available' in the P2P Context

"You don't have to prove actual distribution. You need to prove there's works in the share folder, and that is distribution," said Joseph Geisman, MPAA's chief intellectual property attorney, as he described the so-called "making available" concept.

read more | digg story

radio stations need REAL music directors

Buzz Out Loud 753: "RIAA killed the radio star" was about the RIAA seeking money from radio stations for playing music...

If I were a radio station that could not afford to pay, I wouldn't. Hire a music director to obtain music from those who will allow it to be aired for free. There's LOTS of better music available than that which is distributed by major record labels. You'll lose the gripings from the record companies representatives, and gain the ears of your community.

In my career, before corporate edicts and computers, I listened to ENTIRE ALBUMS to decide what to play. Incoming music was shared amongst the staff for their opinions and recommendations. We had jock meetings, and "listener panels". We, humans, mixed records together so that the change from one song to another was an art (instead of computers assembling songs based on programmed marks in the files and programs). It was a lot of work, and the final product showed the care put into the choices and selections...as well as in the on-air atmosphere.

Music is not the only prized content we, as broadcasters, have to deliver to listeners. If you can only keep listeners by playing music, pay the ("protection") money to the RIAA.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Buh-bye, Boost

July 1, Virgin Mobile USA will launch a new $79.99 per month unlimited prepaid plan.

I noticed they also have a "pay as you go with roll forward" plan: "As long as you buy another Minute Pack within 30 days, any unused minutes will roll forward for the next 30 days (up to 5000 minutes). If you don’t purchase another Minute Pack within 30 days, your unused minutes will expire at the end of the 30 days." For $20 per month, you get 200 minutes with additional calls at $.10 per minute."

To that, you can add unlimted text and messaging ("pix, email, and IM") for $20 per month.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Technology: It's Where the Jobs Are (MAYBE!!!...)

(Be sure to read the comments in this story, and the ones at http://www.betanews.com/article/Students_now_avoiding_IT_degrees_despite_good_job_prospects/1214245739)

"A new survey shows growth across the country, with higher-than-average pay. And...the number of tech grads falling..."

read more | digg story

Why I still prefer Internet Explorer

"...you would be mad not to test your HTML / CSS / Javascript creation in each and every one...Open standards are good and important...until every browser somehow manages to interpret a massive and complicated standard specification in the exact same way, there is no such thing as perfect consistency...IE is getting it right."

read more | digg story

New controversy for Imus?

"...Imus will explain to his audience what he meant Tuesday morning on his radio show..."

Folks are trying to spin this one, taking what he said and meant...and attempting to use it against him.

read more | digg story

The Myth of Multitasking

There's a time and place to, and not to, do it. It's not that I can't (as some believe)...it's that I won't.

read more | digg story

Hell's Kitchen Game

There's an uncensored version, but it might be available only for a limited time...http://www.playhk.com/

read more | digg story

"five-word speeches" from the 12th Annual Webby Awards

Some went beyond...

read more | digg story

Medal of Honor Music Used in McCain Campaign Ad

Composer is an Obama supporter...

read more | digg story

"Yes We Can Song" Video Awarded Emmy

"...the 'Yes We Can Song' was honored with the first-ever Emmy Award for Best New Approaches in Daytime Entertainment...the video has become a viral phenomenon on the Internet..."

The internet is AWESOME! (First time in my life I've ever used that description...)

read more | digg story

The Pwnie Awards

"...nominate all great bugs, lame vendors, amazing research and more..."

read more | digg story

What Is Web 2.0

This article is an attempt to clarify "Web 2.0"...

read more | digg story

How to take a nap and the benefits of napping

An article from The Boston Globe about napping and how to make it more beneficial...(I've done it...it's great to do...it has helped me accomplish more than others. Do it...it's good for you.)

read more | digg story

dropped Wi-Fi signals on Vista laptops

Vista users are noticing notebook Wi-Fi connection drops without warning, at differing frequencies...

(I noticed it happening after I upgraded an OEM version to a retail version of Ultimate.)

read more | digg story

Vista's big problem: 92 percent of developers ignoring it

...one in 10 software developers writing applications for Windows Vista this year. Eight percent...49 percent of developers writing applications for XP...

read more | digg story

Viacom: It’s Not Copyright Infringement When We Do it to You

Viacom runs a clip on TV without permission. The creator takes his clip from TV to post on YouTube. Viacom issues a cease and desist letter to YouTube claiming that they own the clip...

read more | digg story

new website for fathers to be a better dad: Odadeo

Make pledges about things that will make you a better dad...Keep track of when you keep them. Learn from other dads...Share tips, links and recommendations...Find answers by asking questions. Keep in touch with what your kids are doing with mini status updates that multiple people can update via web or SMS. Share your kids' stuff with privacy options.

read more | digg story

The Science Of Sleep

...disasters involve poor judgments and slowed reactions at a time when people were basically tired and made not complicated mistakes. Simple ones. And that is the hallmark of sleep deprivation...people who are chronically sleep deprived...often have no sense of their limitations......sleep-deprived volunteers often have mood swings: they get short-tempered, then become almost giddy, sometimes within seconds...people who had a good night of sleep, the control group, they showed a nice, modest, controlled response in their emotional centers of the brain......lack of sleep may be contributing to the epidemic of obesity...several large-scale studies from all over the world have reported a link between short sleep times and obesity, as well as heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. ...diabetes may be a disease of sleep deprivation......high schoolers are amongst the most sleep deprived individuals in our society, because they have an enormous sleep need - nine to ten hours...most of us need seven and a half to eight hours of sleep every night......naps can help. And brand new research is showing that long naps, including REM sleep, can even improve emotional outlook, making people less sensitive to negative experiences and more receptive to positive ones...

read more | digg story

XploreTech (rugged) tablet PC

I've been looking forward to Tablet PCs since the Apple Newton (I've never owned one...yet). As soon as I could, I purchased one.

I own a Toshiba Portege 3503 Tablet PC. It's a very poor example of a Tablet PC:
I'm always in fear of scratching the screen...
and it's response to pen activity has always left MUCH to be desired.

I've always wanted to use Windows Journal on a regular basis. It's "...a basic note-taking accessory that was created specifically for the Tablet PC. You can use it to capture handwritten notes and drawings, convert handwritten notes to text, import graphics files, and share notes with others...export as MHTML files, which others can view with Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.0 or later, or by exporting them as TIFF images for viewing with a viewer that is installed by default on Microsoft Windows 98 or later."

The Sticky Notes accessory (think Post-It Notes) allows you to "...write and store short notes...You can place sticky notes directly on your desktop or in any OLE-enabled program, such as Word, to add electronic comments or reminders to your documents."

==================================

Xplore Technologies allowed us to review their iX104C3.

THEY GOT IT RIGHT! It has a 10.4” screen that I don't fear using...I'm not afraid I might scratch it with the pen.

It comes with 512 MB RAM (and can expand to 1 GB).
40GB and 80GB hard drives are available.

Wireless options include wLAN, wWAN, PAN (Bluetooth) and GPS.

There is a fingerprint reader on the unit. I did not need that functionality, so I disabled it.

I assume the PCMCIA bay is optional, because I was unable to find a port on the unit I used.

Being a Tablet PC, there is character and handwriting recognition...and an on-screen keyboard.

Two USB 2.0 ports
A microphone and Headset jack
LAN (RJ-45) 10/100/1000 Mbit port
A 15 pin D-SUB connector for external VGA monitor
Optional Bluetooth/56K modem combo module
Remote SIM socket for eGPRS (which I assume is optional because I was unable to locate it on the unit I had.)

On the front are 6 customizable function buttons:
application buttons with primary and secondary functions...
a power on/Suspend/Resume button...
and a reset button.

Battery life is to be up to 3.5 hours, with a recharge time of 2.5 hours (to get to a 90% charge).

---------------------------------

The iX104C3 PLUS model can be provided with 40GB, 80GB, and 120GB hard disk drives.

--------------------------------

The stylus pen is tethered to the undersized of the tablet. I don't remember at exactly which corner it was tethered to, but...

I prefer to use the tablet in a horizontal position. Being right-handed, I needed it to be tethered at the top-right corner of the unit.

When I held the tablet vertically, I needed it to be tethered at the lower-right corner.

--------------------------------

I felt I needed to reset the digitizer at least once a day.

---------------------------------

I wish the model I used had an adjustable cam...

==========================================================

You can watch Andy's Tech Tuesday segment about the XploreTech Pen Tablet at http://www.techtalkradio.com/koldtv/koldtv.htm and http://www.techtalkradio.com/podcast/kold06032008.mp4

His webpost is at http://techtalkradio.com/reviews/xploretech.html

==============================================================

As an alternative consideration, take a look at the Aiptek My Note Premium Digital Notepad Tablet. I have not had an opportunity to use it, but would love to and am considering purchasing one.