2005 August

It’s been hard to write this week. I’ve been glued to the tube, watching reports from New Orleans and the surrounding area, wishing there was something I could do to help …

GPS tracking is an inspiring technology. Of course, it can inspire hope or fear, depending on your situation …

Some crooks are smart. Some are stupid. And some are really really stupid. Submitted for your disapproval, the laptop thief who snatched a notebook computer from the most unlikely (okay, lets just say it… stupid) place you might imagine…

When I wrote that cell phone recycling makes good cents (er, sense) I meant it wholeheartedly. After all, who could argue with keeping bad stuff out of the landfills, while getting good stuff into the hands of those that need it? But while some folks are truly needy, others are sadly opportunistic (at best). Today’s […]

I love to check out oceanfront real estate. Not that I’m in the market, mind you, but it sure is fun to window shop while strolling along the shore. Around these parts, the most desirable oceanfront real estate sits on barrier islands, protected (to varying degrees) by sand dunes. But what happens after the storm […]

There’s nothing quite like getting to the end of a month only to realize that you haven’t brought in enough to cover expenses …

Have you ever had a software project that you’ve put off for months? I’m in the midst of one right now … Way back in June, I set out to do some research on an executive dashboard application. The good folks at Infommersion kindly set me up with a copy of their very cool app, […]

Mega publisher Gannett has announced its intent to unleash a new “glossy consumer technology magazine” with the underwhelming title of “USA TODAY NOW Personal Technology.” The 80-page magazine will hit newsstands in mid-October at a cover price of $4.95. The press release boasts that “a minimum of 300,000 copies will be printed.” So who’s buying?

I’m a big fan of online banking. I can’t ever see going back to those bad old days when the bank only doled out the info once a month (and at least a week late). When you bank online, you know exactly what’s in your account, what’s cleared, and what hasn’t. So when […]

What do you do when you can’t find the AC adapter for your favorite electronic gizmo? I’ve been looking for my Archos MP3 player’s charger for months now. I thought I found the charger a couple of weeks ago, but when I plugged it into the wall socket and MP3 player, nothing happened. This […]

Whether you’re about to finance a new car or apply for a home equity loan, knowing where you stand with a current credit report is a good thing. But getting ripped off for what’s billed as a free credit report? That’s a bad deal. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to the rescue …

Everybody’s talking about these insane gas prices, but is anyone actually doing something about it? Heck, yeah! Did you read the story about the electrical engineer that modded (that’s hot rodded to this old schooler) his Toyota to get a cool 80 miles per gallon? And that’s just a start …

What’s all the hubbub about Forex?

What in the world does a hot tub cover have to do with disintermediation?

I’ve bought more than a few items from Overstock.com over the years and I’ve learned the hard way. When it’s time to click the buy button, it’s best to have an Overstock coupon in hand … lest any extra savings go to waste. Overstock coupons aren’t hard to find, thankfully …

It might sound like something straight out of an episode of the Jetsons, but it’s not. So what is workflow automation all about?

The first weekend in August strikes fear in many a heart. The summer vacation clock is ticking down. But thanks to the Net, there’s still plenty of time to schedule that last minute vacation …

It’s summertime and like many families, we’ve been on the road. While we haven’t been able to take a monster road trip (yet), we’ve taken plenty of day trips to the beach. Needless to say, we’ve burned more than our fair share of gas. We were sitting at the pump this weekend, when I came […]

When online support software works the way it should, it can be a great thing for the company and the customer … . But when online support software doesn’t work, watch out …

Freakonomics is at the top of my summer reading list. With the lofty subtitle “A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything,” you might expect a wild trip into the inner workings of secret societies and business cabals. But what you get is something else, indeed …