Author: Harold J. Johnson
Is It Safe to Share Your Android?
Privacy. It’s such a potent concept, provoking some level of discomfort when mentioned in just about any context. For many of us, the term is defined as a right for every citizen to have; for others the term is more negotiable, particularly as it relates to national security concerns. Within the context of personal computing, [...]
Revisiting iVisit – Conference Calling Like We Did Last Decade
A bit over a decade ago I began toying around with my first webcam, a product called iBOT distributed by the now-defunct company Orange Micro. iBOT was a cute little translucent-gray and blue FireWire camera shaped like an eyeball and mounted on a foot-shaped pedestal. I’d impulsively purchased the little guy after spotting him at [...]
How Real Are Internet Relationships?
Somewhere in the back of my mind, wherever the unconscious gears of the subconscious grind away, I’m fairly certain my brain is monitoring the quality of my relationships. I know this because there are periods of time every day when I am actively working to improve my relationships. For example, one of the first things [...]
Toward a More Accessible Future
I’ve long lived with a minor disability that at times makes it difficult for me to function as others do. I’m referring to the palsy I mentioned in a recent article. I refer to it as “palsy” in the dictionary sense of the term; I exhibit tremors nearly constantly, though I’ve no idea where these [...]
When You Share Your World, the World Shares You
Christopher Hills has something to share: “I recently made a video called One Switch. One Head. The World. This has inspired me to make some videos on how I interact with my computer and the Internet.” At first glance that may not sound like much; plenty of people make videos about technology and post them [...]
Computers Are People Too
It doesn’t matter how much of a tech guru you are; sometimes a computer will frustrate you so much that you will want to throw that computer out a window. You may then want to take a different route outdoors yourself to where that computer landed and proceed to take a sledgehammer to the parts [...]
Why Linux Can’t “Sell” on the Desktop
Last week while having a conversation with one of my fellow Gnomies, I found myself in a rare condition: I discovered that I was unable to answer a technology-related question with conviction. I’m not saying I have all the answers; every day I am confronted with questions either I or someone else asks me about [...]
Is Google Greedy?
Once in a while I hear the dreaded question no small business owner would want to hear asked about their own business: Is Google getting greedy? Though a few individuals may adopt Gordon Gekko’s oft-misquoted creed “Greed is good” (which I have again misquoted here), most enterprises would prefer to be perceived as less greedy [...]
Why Wait for Windows Phone 8? WP7 Phones You Can Buy Today
Even with all the rumors about Microsoft testing Windows Phone 8 (WP8) with various CPUs and smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung hoping to demonstrate WP8 phones by the end of the year, there’s a good chance we won’t see many (or any) WP8 devices this year. If you’re not an early adopter, you’ll probably sit [...]
What to Do Before You Use That New PC
There’s a time for work and there’s a time for play, particularly when you are getting paid. Last Friday I combined both occasions into one for my end-of-the-work-week article — it was a special occasion, after all, and I thought a look at Second Life might provide a welcome relief from the reality of our [...]
