Windows
TextAloud
The idea of a talking computer came into existence long before the PC was ever born. Yet science-fiction aside, the reality is that most people’s PCs don’t actually speak to them at all. We speak to them, whether through voice recognition or desperation, but it’s a one-way thing.
Alphabet Soup
I’m sure most of us are familiar with that ever-popular snake game. It seems to be a staple on cell phones and other mobile devices. The concept of moving around and collecting items while at the same time avoiding the walls and your growing tail is a simple concept, but it proves to be very [...]
Dog Breed Info Center
Man’s best friend is a beloved companion of a huge number of people. No, I’m not talking about money; I’m talking about dogs. These animals can really prove to be a true friend to many, and they are oftentimes more spoiled than an individual’s children. If the desire for a slobbering mammal (aren’t you already [...]
How Can I Record Streaming Video? (Follow-Up)
As you may remember, I recently talked about a couple of software options that will record streaming video in the Windows Media format. Instead of just giving one perspective on the matter, I asked the audience of Gnomies to tell me what tools they use to preserve streaming video. Many of you wrote in, and [...]
Access Denied
Scenario: You have just reinstalled Windows XP Pro on your Boot partition. After everything is up and running, you go to open a text file on your data partition and get an error: Access Denied. How can this happen? Why can you not open your file anymore? I get this question more than most on [...]
Defibrillators on Amazon? Shocking!
I clicked over to Amazon this morning and saw something featured on the front page that I never would have expected in a thousand years: a home defibrillator. I guess the defibrillator shouldn’t have struck me as being odd, as the big A has become the store that wants to sell everything to everyone. Why [...]
Google Takes on Satellite Imagery
In a slightly unexpected move, Google announced that it had acquired satellite mapping firm Keyhole. Keyhole’s exciting and innovative technology allows users to “…fly from space to your home town. Visit exotic locales such as Maui, Tokyo, Rome and Paris. Satellite imagery makes it real. Explore restaurants, hotels, parks and schools. Think magic carpet ride,” [...]
Top Four ISPs Wrap Lawsuit Noose Around Spammers' Necks
EarthLink, AOL, MSN, and Yahoo! all filed lawsuits today against spammers in California, Virginia, and Washington. While it is unclear whether the timing was coordinated, who the heck cares? Good on ya, Aunty says! EarthLink’s lawsuit, filed under CAN-SPAM, is against “the Mortgage Lead Spammers” and “the Drug Spammers.” (Don’t you just love it?)
Qwik-Fix Pro and The Saga of the Not Really Free Software
This seems like a very good time to lay out the situation vis-a-vis PivX and their product Qwik-Fix Pro Home edition. Let me say right now that my “beef” (as one of the principals in this matter put it) is not necessarily with PivX or with eWeek, who published the review that got ME involved [...]
