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.
This brave new world of digital music just can’t be beat, daddy-o. I used to dream of having my own antique jukebox and for years, collected 45 RPM singles, waiting for that magic day. But as much as I’d still love to have a vintage Rockola, Seeburg, or maybe even a Wurlitzer, I’m really not […]
How satisfied are you with your current Internet Service Provider (ISP)? Would you be more likely to recommend them to a friend or to an enemy? If you’re still on dial-up, do you get busy signals or have other problems connecting? Do you get disconnected without rhyme or reason? Does your ISP crawl like molasses? […]
Rumor has it, you can save a considerable amount of money by shopping for auto insurance online. When I penned a short piece last summer about getting a great deal on your next auto insurance policy, my research was done in the real world–with an insurance agent, over hot dogs and hamburgers at a backyard […]
Exactly what is a Virtual Call Center?
Well … no … it’s not what you get when you hook up the Matrix to a predictive dialer.Virtual call centers are largely in-bound in function. They’re a means to assemble a team of knowledge workers across real world boundaries–whether that’s across the corporate campus, the country, or the […]
I caught a tiny bit of flak from fringes of the gnomeosphere back in December when I wrote that Blockbuster takes me for an idiot. Well, gee … I guess I’m not alone. The Attorney General of the great State of New Jersey is going after Blockbuster for their “fraudulent and deceptive” advertising …
This week’s piece on ink jet cartridges struck a chord. It seems that our universal love/hate relationship with the ink jet printer carries some heavy financial baggage. A couple of printing tips from the Gnomeosphere can help ease that pain in the wallet.
Hands numb? Intense pain in your wrists? Would you know Carpal Tunnel Syndrome if you saw, er, felt it?
I’ve unplugged my ink jet printer, quite possibly for good. I finally got sick and tired of paying out the nose for those expensive ink jet printer cartridges.
You won’t see much in the way of true variety when you’re browsing the scanner aisle at the big box store. Oh sure, you’ll see all the usual brands … but what you won’t see are the specialized scanners …
Now I’m not putting down the big boxes. They stock what they can sell. There just […]
Web hosting is often a mysterious endeavor for the uninitiated. The learning curve can be steep and the process daunting. Thankfully, it doesn’t take a degree in physics to grasp the basics. But it does take some clear explanations. I fell short in that respect when I penned the piece on […]
Have you ever wanted to know when someone’s headed up your driveway? I know I do. That’s why I’m looking into a driveway alarm system. Whether it’s an invited guest or an unwanted visitor, a driveway alarm system will sound the proverbial bell long before they hit your front door …
What is Six Sigma?
When I asked that question out loud back in September, I got a handful of replies.
The best of the bunch, by far, was from Gnomie Jeff … who wrote that he could explain Six Sigma in just one sentence:
“Six Sigma is a methodology for improving profitability through reduction of process variability.”
Now, having […]
What’s the difference between an embedded reporter and an embedded system?
While the first term became firmly lodged in the modern lexicon during the early days of the war in Iraq, the only folks who understand embedded systems are true geeks.
Embedded systems are everywhere — from cars to appliances to hand-held devices.
Western Michigan University offers a […]
Looking for a great deal on a plasma television? With increasing downward pricing on plasma television prices, I see a raft of bargains just around the corner. How soon? It could start as soon as next week …
Online degrees sound great … you can get your diploma in your spare time, all without leaving your seat. But the big question looms: is that online degree worth the paper on which it’s printed? Is the educational institution offering that online degree accredited by the proper agencies? The United States Department of Education has […]