Every weekday, our guide to the Web takes care of business, tackling tech topics that really matter to everybody. From topic definitions to topical rants, Dan Gray\’s pieces inform as much as they entertain.
Have you ever wanted to run a background check on someone? Perhaps an odd neighbor, new suitor, or potential babysitter? Running a background check isn’t tough these days. Thanks to the magic of the Internet, you can dig up that dirt with a handful of clicks. If something just doesn’t seem right, you don’t have […]
Enterprise instant messaging has killer app potential. Faster than a phone call, more personal than an email, business instant messaging can be hard to resist. But it hasn’t been a slam dunk (and it can’t leap a tall building in a single bound). Although IM spread like wildfire through the Internet, it took ages for […]
Need to round up a gift at the very last minute? Nothing beats an online gift certificate for ease and speed. When you purchase a gift certificate online, you don’t have to drive to the mall, find a parking space, and spend countless hours searching for something that won’t hit the mark anyway. An online […]
I’ve always been fond of Thanksgiving. Ah the fine tradition of the get together, with the requisite over-eating, drinking, endless football on TV, and (most importantly) tryptophan-induced dozing on the couch. It’s time to bring a new geeky tradition to this most traditional holiday. In the spirit of sharing, I’m going to suggest that you […]
Have you ever worked in a place that lacked any workflow automation, whatsoever? I sure have. I can recall a number of businesses in my dark distant past that chose to forgo workflow automation, relying instead upon a set of strictly verbal (not to mention highly cryptic) instructions and undocumented procedures. And I vividly remember […]
In yesterday’s edition, I asked if it was really possible to earn $150 an hour filling out paid surveys. Today, I’m back to say that the great Gnomies have spoken! While every one of the responses said that it was possible to make money filling out paid surveys, not one mentioned a figure anywhere near […]
Can you really get paid to take a survey? I’m skeptical, to say the least. Like the “get paid to surf the web” phenom back in the boom, paid surveys have generated a great deal of attention among the wanna work at home crowd. Attention is one thing, but real revenues just might be something […]
Flat screen televisions are flat out scrumptious. I’ve written more than once about how I drool over those exquisite examples of high-tech telly. When I first began browsing I was terminally confused about the technology. So I dove into the topic to dredge up some of the most important differences between LCD (Liquid Crystal […]
One of my friends is thinking about using a satellite phone system
to stay in touch during an upcoming trip. He’s zeroed in on the Qualcomm Globalstar GSP-1600, but hasn’t decided if he’s going to rent the unit or buy it. This particular satellite phone is designed to provide Internet and email access with […]
I like to dream big. At the moment, I’m dreaming of a big TV. When I wander into a big box electronics store, I can’t help but be drawn to the giant HDTV televisions. Like Homer Simpson, I begin to drool over the thought … mmm … giant plasma … glllll … lushious LCD … […]
It’s very easy to spend far more than you need on web hosting. This is especially true if you are using the same web host today that you signed up with years ago. I can speak from experience on this one - I admit it - I wasted a lot of money over the years […]
GPS tracking is an inspiring technology. Of course, it can inspire hope or fear, depending on your situation. Sure, you can be found, but hey, you can be found out, too. Whether you’re a teenager or professional trucker, GPS tracking lets big daddy (or big brother) know exactly where you are at any moment. GPS […]
If you need to pack a whole lot of PCs into a small space, you’ll likely turn to rack mount servers. Rack mount computers can be found everywhere from the world of video editing suites and 3D render farms, through installations at ISPs, telecoms, and database houses. As their name implies, rack mount servers […]
I’m still looking for a quiet power supply and fans for my PC. And I’m just not sure how to go about it. Here’s the deal — I don’t own this box. It’s a Gateway P4 that I picked up on a computer lease about eighteen months ago. I’m not sure if it will void […]
Point-of-sale (POS) software and hardware have transformed the common cash register. Spurred by the PC revolution, point-of-sale systems changed the nature of the sales transaction, from the smallest mom and pop shop to the biggest mega bigbox conglomorate store. Sales data is instantaneously captured, as credit transactions are authorized and inventory levels are updated. As […]
Computer recycling continues to be a vital topic. Over the years, I’ve seen my computers become obsolete with disturbing frequency. With operating system and applications increasingly hungry for resources, planned obsolescence is the name of the game. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to worry about computer recycling … we’d simply upgrade the components […]
I easily save hundreds of dollars a year by banking online. But it’s not just about the money. It’s about the quality of life.
I hate to stand around waiting for a teller. I can’t deal with bankers’ hours.
Online banking lets me get my stuff done quickly and easily, at any hour of the day, on […]
I’m going to take a break from the standard Technobabble articles today to urge you to get out and vote this Tuesday, November 2nd. Now I’m not going to get political on you … I won’t (really) start ranting and raving about the two-party thing. After all, on my local sample voting machine ballot here […]