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Anyone working with computers and the Internet for any time bumps up against the Law of Unintended Consequences. Geekdom is full of examples. However, we seldom think of it as applying to moral decisions — particularly moral decisions involving tutoring seniors in computer …continue reading
Have you ever done anything embarrassing for money? Trading in time for working at a job you hate probably doesn’t count (we’ve all done that); I’m talking about something a little more… freelance. I knew this kid in seventh grade, for instance, who would eat …continue reading
The new year is always the perfect time to start over; out with the old, and in with the new. Millions across the world are making plans to lose weight, start new routines, and end bad habits. Just because you happen to be addicted to …continue reading
To iPhone or to Android? That is the question. That’s been the question for the last couple of years, and with webOS out and BlackBerry taking a way backseat in the smartphone race, it appears that this will remain the question for new smartphone buyers …continue reading
Recently, LockerGnome community member Björn Lundgren asked Chris Pirillo what the best noise cancelling headphones are within the 100-400 Euro price range. (Björn actually asked which ones were “extra nice,” but we’ll just go ahead tell you which ones are the best.) In …continue reading
Gadgets such as the Kindle and Nook have changed the way we think about books to a great degree. It’s been said that less and less people are reading books as the result of the content-rich environment we live in courtesy of sites like YouTube …continue reading
We’ve been through a roller coaster of a year; everything and anything that could have happened in the tech world did. We lost a very influential leader and companies are having it out for one another all over the place. Big tech news is happening …continue reading
Steampunk is one of the more popular artistic themes currently being applied to modern home offices. The mixture of technology, science, and vintage antiquities makes steampunk all the more appealing to many geeks.
Steampunk itself is a popular genre of science-fiction commonly referred to as …continue reading
This week, most high school and college students are enjoying a much-deserved break before the next semester (or quarter) begins. If you have a new iPhone this year, you may not realize the plethora of apps that can actually help you study better — and …continue reading
If the answer to the above question is “no,” why would you let your children surf the Internet unsupervised? In other words, your job as a parent is a full-time job and means being involved with your children to the point of protecting them from …continue reading
I, like most people, like to think of the work that I do on my computer as pretty important to me. As a result, losing that work, be it a thousand lines of fresh source code, new graphics that took my art-inept self hours to …continue reading
Selling you old electronics is a great way to fund your next gadget purchase, build up a savings account, or simply make some extra money when you need it most. Electronics are notorious for dropping in value in a relatively short amount of time. This …continue reading
It is hard to admit that our middle daughter and her husband were the ones to introduce us to our first real experience with a Blu-ray player. I, in turn, introduced them to the Redbox service, which they continue to enjoy. The first movie I …continue reading
I’ll be the first to admit I’m a little late to the e-book game. As an analyst of social media, gadgets, and other emerging technology, I seem to find little time to actually sit down and use what I write about. Like other early Gen …continue reading
LinkedIn is the largest social network of professionals, now boasting more than 135 million members in over 200 countries and territories. If you have signed up for LinkedIn but rarely use it, or haven’t even signed up yet, consider using LinkedIn more regularly as one …continue reading
Pawn shops have been around in one form or another for the past 3,000 years. They offer services similar to those of modern banking institutions including loans, consignments, and storage. A pawn broker has to wear several different hats including merchant, loan officer, banker, and …continue reading
Google Chrome has grown quickly in 2011, both the browser in popularity and its expansive app store, which features both apps and extensions to bring further functionality and usability to the light and fast browser. Having used Google Chrome since its infant stages, I’ve watched …continue reading
One cannot deny that the computer is one of the greatest man-made inventions, or that it has altered the course of human existence on the planet Earth. So, while the first computer set us on a path that would ultimately change all facets of our …continue reading
Did you know that your PC (Windows, Linux, or OS X) can help in the search for extra-terrestrial life? As long as your processor and/or GPU is free to crunch large chunks data at some point during the day, you can participate in one of …continue reading
Do you work from home, or manage a team that primarily works from home? While avoiding office politics and a rush-hour commute is a dream for almost anyone, managing a remote team can be a challenge. It is important that your team feels like a …continue reading
Podcasting can be a lot of fun, but at the end of the day, you don’t want to pour your life savings into it to do what you love. Podcasts, even ones with small audiences, can pay for themselves through advertising. Advertisers pay for you …continue reading
Were you one of the thousands of people who received an iPhone for Christmas — or bought one the day after with a gift card? If you have a new iPhone, there are over 500,000 apps in the iTunes App Store to choose from, which …continue reading
NASA has accomplished a lot since its founding 53 years ago in July of 1958. In addition to sending humans to the Moon, NASA has also been behind some of the biggest technological breakthroughs of our time. Many of these advances can be found in …continue reading
Is LEGO just for boys? Not anymore, hopes the company, which has just announced that beginning on January 1, 2012, LEGO will be offering a new line of its toys to children in the US aimed at just girls. This line of bricks and miniature …continue reading
We’re pretty well on into the 21st century, and while we don’t live in domed cities on Mars or have personal jetpacks to propel us to work every day (yet!), we do have portable, personal computers galore. Like our favorite pair of shoes, it’s hard …continue reading
Android and iOS have been compared to one-another with each new OS update and hardware release for the past two years. Undoubtedly, the two have traded blows in terms of new features and unique updates, but each operating system ultimately brings its own blend of …continue reading
What are the pros and cons of installing a custom ROM on your Android device?
It can be hard to resist the temptation to root your Android device and install a custom ROM, even at the risk of voiding your warranty and bricking your device. …continue reading
As an Android developer, I frequently check up on the latest reviews that people have left on my application. I do this because I want to make sure my app runs without issues for people. The reviews also might present an idea for a new …continue reading
Since this will be my last post on the decisions blog for 2011, I fell into a reflective mood and looked back over the postings of the whole year. We have covered a lot of material: some light-hearted and some serious. One post that caught …continue reading
Yesterday, the latest OASIS catalog came with a huge variety of courses designed for, and mostly presented by, seniors. Being human, I quickly scanned through it to find the listing for the new course I will present starting in February. This should be a fun …continue reading
