tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127284972024-03-05T04:32:49.299-08:00tech tips and meanderings....random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at least according to Lev Gonick =)Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-11745051589824036172011-07-09T07:49:00.000-07:002011-07-09T07:49:00.867-07:00some people are bloggers...and some are not.<div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-53298999506665884832010-07-13T08:33:00.000-07:002010-07-13T20:47:45.714-07:00State of the Internet 2010<div>It's been a long time.... This is a thought-provoking gap filler.</div><p align="center"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Did you know?</span></span></strong></div><br /><object width="400" height="300"><br /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9641036&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9641036&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><br />JESS3 designed and animated this for a lecture at AIGA Baltimore in Feb 2010<div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-3533604696569488642009-01-26T19:42:00.001-08:002009-01-26T19:42:04.325-08:002008 Latest Edition - Did You Know 3.0 - From Meeting in Rome this Year<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/jpEnFwiqdx8' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/jpEnFwiqdx8'/></object></p><p>Interesting video</p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-79685287205817621082008-11-24T13:18:00.000-08:002008-11-24T13:35:38.906-08:00VMware Fusion 2.0.1 - Tools update solution<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGb_bDZWcym8dWzuvnT2cV8zDu5fuLME7Y9n-EAKgGjpxev9W592KMXlMaVlIxMNW9BIW2OYLjn7nDicir7ggu29zirlbgNDoA722o1_7HHiNsOuI8EOU9b9Rbm0EyTY-Mtag/s1600-h/vmware.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGb_bDZWcym8dWzuvnT2cV8zDu5fuLME7Y9n-EAKgGjpxev9W592KMXlMaVlIxMNW9BIW2OYLjn7nDicir7ggu29zirlbgNDoA722o1_7HHiNsOuI8EOU9b9Rbm0EyTY-Mtag/s320/vmware.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272340052185879586" border="0" /></a>After updating VMware Fusion 2.o to 2.o.1, I got a message that the VMware tools needed to be updated. I logged into the Win XP pro admin account on my virtual machine. Nope.... For some reason, to update this version of VMware Tools, you have to<br />- login in the Guest Account (I had to turn it on)<br />- select "Update VMware Tools" from the Virtual Machine drop down menu (other approaches to updating, i.e., form the VMware Tools Properties option don't seem to work)<br />- authorize the update by entering your <span style="font-style: italic;">admin</span> username and password into a dialog box that will open<br />Then the VMware tools will update.<br />This is odd - perhaps only for those more used to Mac OS logic. Maybe posting here will save someone else a little time.<br /><br />More update info:<br /><a href="http://www.vmware.com/download/fusion/">http://www.vmware.com/download/fusion/</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-43438253456566521642007-10-25T19:57:00.000-07:002007-10-25T20:25:05.405-07:00making Mac iChat video work with an AIM account<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlInS3Uvx5NzmYAHT9Tko70gebqbGJlJ1sKSiEL2hYGAsNm07i4H6Ix_WUwVggnnlMaprCX-aMzzWvZa9wiH82TPx8UxSs7p9L6ZbTwIQaJIqKm75UgIUv2Pt5HQWv1hpT3Yih/s1600-h/ichatvideo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlInS3Uvx5NzmYAHT9Tko70gebqbGJlJ1sKSiEL2hYGAsNm07i4H6Ix_WUwVggnnlMaprCX-aMzzWvZa9wiH82TPx8UxSs7p9L6ZbTwIQaJIqKm75UgIUv2Pt5HQWv1hpT3Yih/s320/ichatvideo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125478845291168658" border="0" /></a>After months of frustration, Yahoo technical and I figured out how to video conference using:<br /><ul><li>Mac OS X 10.4.10 (Tiger)</li><li>iChat (3.1.8)</li><li>our AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) Account</li></ul>For reasons we don't understand, the default AIM server setting doesn't work.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">the fix that worked for us</span><br /><ol><li>Open iChat preferences and click on the Accounts tab<br /></li><li>Select your AIM account</li><li>Click on Server settings</li><li>Change the default port (5190) to Port: 1080 (at the top - no need for a proxy server)<br /></li><li>Restart iChat</li></ol>[This also works for .Mac accounts - free or paid. Change the default port from 5060 to 1080.]<br /><br />Yes, we have Apple's firewall on, and a Netgear router firewall in action.<div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-49093558583045970722007-10-01T17:44:00.000-07:002007-10-01T23:32:44.269-07:00solution for Photoshop CS3 crash / freeze problem<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDU95Zzm4hoazHprKn6X4mTzn3AE-G7B0MH4ja41SGvc4lcinGIMJz-iF2a7QmXyZMCklwVlx8wJsEKK6PY9sZdiKBvM6dHVUdJIfBXHpVnQG7hYu9LArhG_6RGdiy6s5iEnXI/s1600-h/pscs3.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDU95Zzm4hoazHprKn6X4mTzn3AE-G7B0MH4ja41SGvc4lcinGIMJz-iF2a7QmXyZMCklwVlx8wJsEKK6PY9sZdiKBvM6dHVUdJIfBXHpVnQG7hYu9LArhG_6RGdiy6s5iEnXI/s320/pscs3.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116539627257011346" border="0" /></a>After I did the last round of software updates to Adobe's Creative Suite 3 Web Premium edition, PhotoShop CS3 Extended cease to act like the PhotoShop program I have used for years. This is on a MacBook 2 GHz Intel Core Due with 2 GB RAM.<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">symptoms</span></span></span><br /><ol><li>Try to open an image file and PhotoShop crashes</li><li>Try to save a new file and PhotoShop crashes<br /></li><li>Try to save an image opened in PhotoShop from Bridge and PhotoShop crashes</li></ol><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >self help</span><br /><br />After verifying the the disk permission did not need to be repaired and that the hard drive itself was fine, I reinstalled (repaired) PhotoShop CS3 and updated it. Same symptoms. And updating produced this error message:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Updating cannot be applied to a product. Adobe Version Cue Client 3.1 failed to install. Reinstall the product and try again."<br /></span>Reinstalling PhotoShop AND Version Cue produced the same error message and PhotoShop crashes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Adobe tech support</span><br /><ul><li>The first call to Adobe's Saturday tech support was useless. I will forgo the details here.</li><li>A search through Adobe's Knowledge base lead to a <span style="font-style: italic;">ten-page</span> 8/10/07 Technote on "<span style="font-size:100%;">Troubleshoot system errors or freezes in Photoshop CS3 on Mac OS." After going through the beginning and some intermediate trouble-shooting steps, I stopped at #17 (Optimize hard disks) after reading Adobe's disclaimer about not supporting third party disk utilities. I haven't found a disk utility beyond Apple's Disk Utility that I trust.... I finished my need-it-tomorrow photo editing and printing using Apple iPhoto '08 and decided to worry about PhotoShop on Monday. (iPhoto's a decent program, especially in a pinch.)<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">The second call to Adobe's tech support on Monday was also fruitless. I waited for 20 minutes in the "long cue" to talk to Christopher who suggest that there might be a software conflict. He recommended that I try turn on the computer in Safe Boot mode (hold the shift key while turning the computer on) to eliminate software conflicts. And if that didn't work, create a new admin account and try a safe boot again, opening PhotoShop in the new admin account. I asked for a case number to avoid the long wait should I need to call back.</span></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >solution</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;">The third call to Adobe's tech support on Monday was a bit frustrating, but did solve the problem. The frustration: my case number disappeared into the ether, so I had the long wait again, after an Adobe customer service rep verified my Adobe username and PhotoShop registration; he also provided my Adobe Customer Number - a good thing to know when you call Adobe's tech support.<br /></span></li><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;">I repeated everything to Joel who solved the problem and patiently answered all of my questions. He recognized this as a Version Cue issue and directed me to:<br />Hard Drive > Library > Applications Support > Adobe > Abobe Version Cue CS3 > Client<br />and had me move the 3.1.0 directory to my desktop.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">I rebooted out of safe mode (no Internet connection to run an update) and updated the entire suit using Adobe Updater5 in the computer's Utilities folder. (Updater 4 was still there but we ignored it; Joel did not want me to remove it.)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">While all the software was updated yet again, we talked about Version Cue long enough for me to realize that I did not need it. We also talked about plan C... or D? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Uninstalling</span> the suite. Using Adobe's powerful clean up script, which sounded a little scary... We discussed the best way to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">uninstall</span> the software - from the disk, not the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">uninstall</span> utility, though I'm not sure why.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Thankfully, although there was an ambiguous error message, Version Cue seemed to update successfully.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Joel mentioned there was a doc on Adobe's site that dealt with this very issue: KB402521. Unfortunately, my</span> "search of <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Entire Site</strong> for <strong style="font-weight: normal;">KB402521</strong> did not match any documents." So I thought it best to blog this solution so it can be found.<br /></li></ul></ul><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">PhotoShop</span> seems to work now. I opened, edited, and printed an image successfully. I haven't verified all of the other programs yet, but I'm hopeful that they will work as expected. When I have some time, I plan to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">uninstall</span> Version Cue.<div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-78906342694592834052007-09-20T08:22:00.000-07:002007-09-21T20:53:14.549-07:00Water? Apple bluetooth headset washes wellApple's Bluetooth headset is my first wireless headset. Its compact design makes it barely visible. No flashing lights and ear hook look. I only wear the headset when driving or sitting at my desk and need two hands for my keyboard. When I'm out, I often drop it into a shirt pocket between car rides.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6mTdwm7zqIsYK7bZwuN8vfZV3hheOGd8sCLyM3ca1Xlxhib8iEwEwwix8FyqhMEG8FIdYhyphenhyphenrYOsEJYeIIVkstYWNea0cyNajVEr-0ZK7-TOGNSf6DNKHUV3oopzR9P2pQHsC/s1600-h/bluetoothheadset.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6mTdwm7zqIsYK7bZwuN8vfZV3hheOGd8sCLyM3ca1Xlxhib8iEwEwwix8FyqhMEG8FIdYhyphenhyphenrYOsEJYeIIVkstYWNea0cyNajVEr-0ZK7-TOGNSf6DNKHUV3oopzR9P2pQHsC/s320/bluetoothheadset.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112323701620841138" border="0" /></a>Two days ago I got home, changed, and threw some clothes in the washer–including the shirt I wore during the day. When the wash was almost done, I realized that the headset was still in my shirt pocket, in the washing machine. When the load was done, Apple's little bluetooth headset lay at the bottom of the washing machine, clean as a whistle so to speak.<br /><br />At first, the headset was unresponsive. I let the headset dry out for a day and a half. Then put it in Apple's Dual Dock charger. My iPhone recognized the headset and charged it up. Works fine. Relief.... Ah, technology.<div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-22793540404880121672007-09-06T05:40:00.000-07:002007-09-06T02:42:06.005-07:00Steve Jobs 2007 grad address @ Stanford<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/60cDHb-tvMA" name="movie"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/60cDHb-tvMA" height="350" width="425"></embed></object></p><p>Great speech in the perfect medium - a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">YouTube</span> video viewed by more than a million people in less than 4 months, easily embedded into this free Google blog.<br /></p><p>Clearly, Steve Jobs is a key player in the development of our contemporary digital society. Now you listen to and learn from the three insightful stories he shared in his 2007 graduation address at "one of the finest universities in the world" <span style="font-style: italic;">on demand</span>, 24/7/365.</p>Ah, technology....<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-579029439743740002007-07-31T12:15:00.000-07:002007-07-31T12:02:48.722-07:00for Sprint, breaking up is hard to doMy Sprint <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sanyo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">SCP</span>-7300 cell phone sat on my desk going in and out of roaming on its own – without even being moved. Reception was better on my old <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Sanyo</span> cell, but its screen melted down about 6 months before my Sprint contract ended.<br /><br />Although the old <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Sanyo</span> was the <span style="font-style: italic;">only</span> Sprint phone I used in 5 years, when it broke I discovered that I would have to extend my Sprint contract for another 2 years to take advantage of the "free phone" offered with my most recent contract. Why? Because I didn't get my free phone during the first 3 months of the latest contract, one that I slipped into in order to change my rate plan. This explains why there are so many functioning used cell phones on eBay....<br /><br />Because Sprint reception is so spotty in my office, home, and community - moving in and out of roaming by going to a different room or crossing the street - I bought the used 7300 on eBay and waited out the months until mid-July 2007, the end of my Sprint contract.<br /><br />Which carrier to choose? Many local friends and business associates praise Verizon's service, so, initially, I planned to switch to Verizon.<br /><br />Then the iPhone publicity started. And AT&T's website suggests excellent or good mobile service in my area. A week before my Sprint contract expired, and a week after the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">iPhone's</span> debut, I bought an iPhone at cost in an Apple store without standing on a long line and after trying the phone to see if it lived up to the hype. My iPhone remained unopened until one day after my Sprint contract expired.<br /><br />The iPhone <span style="font-weight: bold;">exceeds</span> my expectations - from the initial setup to ease of use to features I never thought I would need but now use and love. Reception is great; I get 4 or 5 bars around my office, home, and community. The iPhone feels so much like an elegant mini computer that I wonder if I will even lug along a laptop when I travel. I could go on praising the iPhone, but that's not what this post is about.<br /><br />A few days ago, I received my final Sprint bill - for <span style="font-style: italic;">15 cents</span> for 1 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">SMS</span> text message. : / I used to pay my Sprint bills online. Sprint let me <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">login</span> to my old account and see the advertising, but I discovered that I was no longer authorized to pay my bill online. Okay....<br /><br />I tried calling the customer service number on my Sprint bill. I couldn't connect to a human Sprint representative until I revealed my old Sprint phone number. I finally got put on hold, with a message saying that there was a 20-minute wait. Okay...<br /><br />I put the call on speaker phone and got back to work. For a while, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">muzak</span> played and there was an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">occasional</span> apology for placing a valued customer on hold. Eventually, the muzak and apologies stopped. One hour and 38 minutes later I realized that while I had not been disconnected, Sprint billing did not want to talk to me. So I hung up...<br /><br />Rather than spend a lot of time figuring out how to talk to a human being at Sprint to see if I can transfer 15 cents from my checking account over the phone (or if they might waive the fee? Unlikely!), I decided to spend less time writing this post, and write a check to Sprint for 15 cents and mail it to Sprint with a 41-cent stamp.<br /><br />I'd hate to have my credit ruined because I defaulted on my final Sprint bill....<div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-87759450032222581182007-05-17T08:00:00.000-07:002007-10-01T23:37:09.911-07:00candidate embraces web 2.0 technologies<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/3FV7XU-TLMU" name="movie"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/3FV7XU-TLMU" height="350" width="425"></embed></object></p><p>A real 21st-century candidate hits the campaign trail. It's refreshing to see a presidential candidate using Web 2.0 technology so well - a blog, YouTube videos, MySpace and FaceBook profiles, and Flickr photos!<br /></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgM4WDwGMSFNW0wanrrV1pWFANw3L05w3IuTdhdDd71Uz1urBVMuRKJQmVWePehs6c3JX-A1QzBpCPb18WO2-1IoFXrywiNTaQqvzueufxrTN0nHW_xyR3sdt6TmapDDfEaLbN/s1600-h/hillary_icon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgM4WDwGMSFNW0wanrrV1pWFANw3L05w3IuTdhdDd71Uz1urBVMuRKJQmVWePehs6c3JX-A1QzBpCPb18WO2-1IoFXrywiNTaQqvzueufxrTN0nHW_xyR3sdt6TmapDDfEaLbN/s200/hillary_icon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065565149599224802" border="0" /></a>In this video, Hillary Clinton asks supporters to vote on a campaign song. Interesting.... Check her site (link below). U2, the Temptations, Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, Jesus Jones, KT Tunstall, Smash Mouth, the Staple Singers.... Great songs – so it's not an easy choice. Rest assured, there are many other video on more <span style="font-style: italic;">substantive</span> issues.<br /></p><a href="http://www.hillaryclinton.com/">HillaryClinton.com</a><br /><p><a href="http://www.hillaryclinton.com/action/spotlight/?sc=8">HC campaign song choices</a></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-62303925403531555712007-04-24T20:52:00.001-07:002007-04-24T21:14:42.147-07:00Middle Ages Tech Support<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/LRBIVRwvUeE" name="movie"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/LRBIVRwvUeE" height="350" width="425"></embed></object></p><p>During the Middle Ages, the printed book was the new, confusing technology. I guess that some things never change....</p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-66944948564726038572007-04-19T19:15:00.000-07:002007-04-19T20:19:55.601-07:00what's in a domain name?<span style="font-size:100%;">Get your domain name while you can buy it at a reasonable cost, if at all. This article explores current domain name speculation and cybersquatting.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Domain Name System shows signs of stress from financial maneuverings</span><span style="font-style: italic;">: Cybersquatting, speculation hurt trademark owners and sow confusion online<br />by Patrick Thibodeau </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >April 16, 2007 -(Computerworld)- Cybersquatting — the practice of registering Internet domain names that poach well-known trademarks — is profitable for just about everybody involved. Money is made off of registration fees and advertising, and even the regulator of the Domain Name System gets a piece of the action. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">But it’s not so lucrative for corporate officials like Lynn Goodendorf, who heads global privacy at InterContinental Hotels Group PLC. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Windsor, England-based company owns seven hotel chains, including Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza, with more than 3,700 properties worldwide. Each day, Goodendorf gets about 100 e-mail alerts concerning potential trademark infringements from three different domain monitoring services. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" > Goodendorf said that in most of those cases, she doesn’t know the identities of the potentially infringing domain holders. Their registrations often are private, and when identifying information is available, it may be inaccurate. Subpoenas are sometimes needed to uncover the identities of individuals, she said. </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" > Defensive measures, such as registering domain names that cybersquatters might target, can help, but only to a point. “We have tried to register common misspellings or to have letters transposed,” Goodendorf said. But it’s impossible to anticipate every name combination, she added, citing the cybersquatting site </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style="font-style: italic;">capitolholidayinn.com</i></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" > as an example. </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><b style="font-style: italic;">Speculators Rule</b></span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" > As Goodendorf’s experiences illustrate, the Domain Name System is showing signs of being out of control. Speculators now use automated software systems to re-register large batches of expired domain names. They’re also helped by a loophole in the registration process that lets domains be tested for their potential profitability as pay-per-click advertising sites during a free five-day “tasting” period.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" class="style1" ><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"></div></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" class="style1" ><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">How Internet Domains Are Used<br /><br /></div></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >49% are "parked" on other Web sites, such as pay-per-click ad portals.</span><hr style="font-style: italic; height: 3px;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >31% have been developed as functional Web sites by their owners.</span><hr style="font-style: italic; height: 3px;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >5% are used to manage affiliate marketing and advertising services.</span><hr style="font-style: italic; height: 3px;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >5% are set up to redirect traffic to other Web sites.</span><hr style="font-style: italic; height: 3px;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >10% are used for unspecified “other” purposes.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Read the whole story on <span style="font-style: italic;">Computerworld</span></span> <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=289466"><span style="font-weight: bold;">here</span></a>.</blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-22757684690976737172007-04-14T13:41:00.001-07:002007-04-14T13:50:09.205-07:00how to paint the Mona Lisa with MS Paint<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/uk2sPl_Z7ZU" name="movie"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/uk2sPl_Z7ZU" height="350" width="425"></embed></object></p><p>This YouTube video has gotten lots of attention. I'm not a big fan of MS Paint.... Clearly EclecticAsylumArt takes the software to the limit here and demonstrates the software's power – and the artist's talent.<br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-91893967027562222132007-04-10T07:54:00.000-07:002007-04-10T13:07:49.883-07:00desktop email vs. browser emailLately I've had clients and friends who've been forced by a "corporate merger" to use slooooooowwwww browser email. One switched to Outlook Express, Microsoft's free desktop email client; another got a faster gMail browser account.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Windows</span> users looking for a "simple yet powerful email client" may find more<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBU8jn-n1S06uJGkM7xzKUPOnHJdaYYsQch97ixVD1DiO1awhrZUoiWNfF0LONsmmFRKQEGPjZNc9zgzFFyylCgl2ozop3H7cSrBE72HbmuZuIJQH_Rx7BkLQLnuDXWB7DaNn/s1600-h/thunderbird.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBU8jn-n1S06uJGkM7xzKUPOnHJdaYYsQch97ixVD1DiO1awhrZUoiWNfF0LONsmmFRKQEGPjZNc9zgzFFyylCgl2ozop3H7cSrBE72HbmuZuIJQH_Rx7BkLQLnuDXWB7DaNn/s200/thunderbird.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051885138628599170" border="0" /></a> than relief with Mozilla's free Thunderbird 2 desktop email software. Mozilla is the company that developed the great Firefox browser software. While I've had no problems using Mac Mail 2.1 to read 1 business account, 2 academic accounts, 2 personal accounts, and My.Mac account, I may check out the new version of Thunderbird for Macs. (Yes, email consolidation is on the horizon too....)<br /><br />Here's an informative piece posted on <span style="font-style: italic;">Slashdot</span> by Zonk earlier today regarding <span style="font-style: italic;">Why Desktop Email Still Trumps Webmail</span>. p3net writes <div class="intro"><i><blockquote></blockquote></i></div><blockquote><div class="intro"><i>"Shortly before the release of Thunderbird 2.0 RC1, Wired held an interesting interview with Scott MacGregor, the lead developer of Thunderbird. He presents some views as to why desktop email clients still triumph, even in this</i><i> much-dominated web age. 'Some users want to have their data local for privacy and control. Furthermore, you can integrate data from different applications on the desktop in ways that you can't do with web-based solutions, unless you stick to web solutions from a single provider. For example, you can use your Outlook address book with Thunderbird. We'd like to continue to expand the kinds of data you can share between Thunderbird and other apps (both web and desktop applications).'"</i> </div></blockquote><ul><li>Read more: <a href="http://www.wired.com/software/coolapps/news/2007/04/thunderbirdqa_0409">Mozilla: Why Desktop Email Crucifies the Browser</a> by Scott Gilberston, <span style="font-style: italic;">Wired</span>, 04.09.07.<br /></li><li><a href="http://www.mozilla.org/">Mozilla website</a> for <a href="http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/">Firefox</a> (web browser) and Thunderbird email client. At this point, you have to decide whether you want the <a href="http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/">stable</a> Thunderbird 1.5 or a Thunderbird 2 <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/news.html#p429">Release Candidate.</a></li><li><span>Original</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Slashdot</span> article (above) - <a href="http://slashdot.org/articles/07/04/10/1631211.shtml"><span>Why Desktop Email Still Trumps Webmail</span></a></li></ul><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-28579984359594660192007-03-28T08:35:00.000-07:002007-11-05T12:57:21.730-08:00send business email like a pro<p>More and more people rely on email for inexpensive, convenient business communication. Here are some standard email practices that will help you to present you and your business in a professional way in electronic communications. </p> <h3>professional practices</h3><ol><li>People should be able to recognize your <strong>email username</strong> as belonging to you. Otherwise your message may be deleted without being read. The easiest approach is to use your real name as your username for business email. First names are fine if your email address refers to your business, for example, susan @ doctorgeek.biz </li><br /> <li>Write a <strong>subject line</strong> that clearly describes the content of your message. </li><br /> <li>Have a professional-looking <strong>email address</strong>. Whether or not you have a business website, get a business email address and use it only for business communication.<br /> <ol><br /> <li>For professional looking business email, it's best to use an email services that does not insert their own advertisement at the bottom of YOUR message.</li><br /> <li>You can buy a custom business email address (email @yourbusiness.com) <em>without</em> a website. If you follow that route, be certain to check what your domain (yourbusiness.com) looks like.... it may have advertising. </li><br /> <li>For not that much more money than a custom business email address, you can have a simple, informative one-page website that gives web visitors a good idea about you and your business – for example <a href="http://aaroncole-realtor.com/" target="_blank">Aaron Cole's realtor site</a>.</li> </ol> </li><br /> <li>Use an <strong>email signature</strong> (<em>sig</em>) at the bottom of your message so people know who you are and how to contact you. </li><br /><br /><ol><li>Your sign-off/signature should include your full name, title, company, and business telephone number. </li><br /> <li>Although your email address is on your message, some people believe that your email address should be in your signature too. </li><br /> <li>You may include a fax or cell phone number, website address, Skype username, instant message username and/or company tag line - if valuable to your your business communications.</li><br /> <li>Your snail mail (conventional postal service) address should be included when needed. In a signature, your entire address can be on one line, with comma separators for example:<br />your street address, suite number, city, state, zip code</li><br /> <li>Show restraint with the size of your signature - it should be smaller than most messages that you send! </li><br /> <li>Set your email program to automatically include your signature on all outgoing business email. You may want to have more than one signature option, for example a short signature for people at your company and a longer one for "outsiders". </li> </ol><br /> <li><strong>Reply to email in a timely manner</strong>, generally within 1 to 2 business days.<br /> <ol><br /> <li>If it will take longer, send a timely reply acknowledging the message and indicate when you will be able to respond more fully.</li><br /> <li>When away for an extended period of time (for a vacation, conference, illness, etc. where you will have limited or no access to email), set up an auto responder on your business email account. </li> </ol> </li><br /> <li> Use a separate email account for <strong>personal email</strong>. Good bets are free email services like Yahoo <a href="http://www.yahoomail.com/" target="_blank">Mail</a> or Google's <a href="http://gmail.google.com/">gMail</a> or your commercial Internet Service Provider.</li> </ol> <h3>email don'ts</h3><ol><li>For your business email account, never use a high level <strong>spam blocker</strong> that only permits messages from email addresses in your address book. A new client will probably not be in your address book.</li><br /> <li>Many people view <strong>spam</strong> - unsolicited email sent to large groups of people - as a nuisance.<br /> <ol><br /> <li>If you send business messages to a large group of people, include information at the bottom of your message about how to be removed from your mailings. This is good practice even if people sign up to receive email from you. </li><br /> <li>Distinguish between networking and spamming with publicly available contact information. It's probably networking to send an infrequent message to members of YOUR chamber of commerce; if you do, use the BCC (blind carbon copy) feature of your email, not the CC (carbon copy) feature - unless there is some reason that you would want one of your chamber buddies to "reply to all." </li> </ol> </li><br /> <li>Try not to use <strong>all capital letters</strong> in your subject line and message UNLESS IT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. All caps are like shouting. If you have a critical message for one person, the telephone is more effective and reliable than email. For a group message, one word in caps is often effective.</li><br /> <li>Avoid sending <strong>large <em>unsolicited</em> attachments</strong>, for example a large PDF. It is best not to send any unsolicited attachments. To send large <em>solicited</em> attachments, consider using a free trustworthy service like <a href="http://dropload.com/" target="_blank">dropload.com</a>.</li><br /> <li><strong>Sometimes email is not the best form of communication</strong> because the medium can be perceived as offensive (i.e., impolite, discourteous, bad-mannered and disrespectful). Official replies to a serious letter, proposal, or application received in regular mail should be sent through "snail" mail, on letterhead paper. Obviously, this is particular true for sensitive and/or distressing messages. (Thanks to K.M. @ UCLA for pointing this out.)</li> </ol><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-65060741317760078852007-03-22T19:35:00.000-07:002007-03-22T23:28:59.654-07:00Intego's Virus Barrier rewriting permissions?Good Macintosh <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">maintenance</span> includes repairing disk permissions with Apple's disk utility software after installing or updating software, including system updates.<br /><br />A few weeks ago I noticed that every time I repaired my ol' G5's disk permissions there seemed to be a set of permissions that needed to be repaired again and again: the activity monitor, keychain access, and ODBC administrator. Disk utility could repair the permissions, but the repair only lasted until the system re-booted.<br /><br />I consulted with my #1 Mac tech support guru, a technical yahoo who admittedly dislikes anti-virus software. After examining the problem and the activity monitor, the guru suggested that we remove the Intego Virus Barrier x4 software and see what happens.<br /><br />Once the latest version of Virus Barrier software was removed, the problem disappeared: the disk permissions stayed repaired.<br /><br />I'd been using Intego's Virus Barrier x4 software for months without this or really any problem. It <span style="font-style: italic;">appears</span> that after the latest (March '07) update, Virus Barrier x4 kept changing permissions in the root directory of my Mac.<br /><br />Here's the disk utility disk permission repair report that kept returning until Virus Barrier x4 was removed:<br /><blockquote>Group differs on ./Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app/Contents/Resources/pmTool, should be 80, group is 0<br />Owner and group corrected on ./Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app/Contents/Resources/pmTool<br />Permissions corrected on ./Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app/Contents/Resources/pmTool<br />Group differs on ./Applications/Utilities/Keychain Access.app/Contents/Resources/kcproxy, should be 80, group is 0<br />Owner and group corrected on ./Applications/Utilities/Keychain Access.app/Contents/Resources/kcproxy<br />Permissions corrected on ./Applications/Utilities/Keychain Access.app/Contents/Resources/kcproxy<br />Group differs on ./Applications/Utilities/ODBC Administrator.app/Contents/Resources/iodbcadmintool, should be 80, group is 0<br />Owner and group corrected on ./Applications/Utilities/ODBC Administrator.app/Contents/Resources/iodbcadmintool<br />Permissions corrected on ./Applications/Utilities/ODBC Administrator.app/Contents/Resources/iodbcadmintool</blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-64055610522479632702007-03-19T19:10:00.001-07:002007-10-01T23:37:54.120-07:00the machine is us/ing us<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/NLlGopyXT_g" name="movie"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/NLlGopyXT_g" height="350" width="425"></embed></object></p><p>This is the final version of what may be the clearest and most thought-provoking explanation of Web 2.0 to date. Watch it and explore the second generation of web-based services that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users. Michael Wesch, Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Kansas State University created the video.</p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-80410723176731264872007-03-17T15:20:00.000-07:002007-04-14T13:52:12.533-07:00Tungsten T5 updater v.1.1Last weekend I wrote about restoring my T5's ability to hold a charge. And ended by saying that I would look for updates. I needed to wait several days to cool down from the frustration of attempting to install an update for the T5 released by Palm in 2005.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJ06F4dZwA4_WWGYwTDRb5Cx_E9fzyONmFbDNgQmg8B32PBW9loZ1RQt8-xaoSwuJlNcyKI00Vbq-x7DKjIWr7NNyrHBQIjHtnGK5uivrgP3D1zU1E6V4dpDhtE5zIuF_MHI_/s1600-h/T05.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJ06F4dZwA4_WWGYwTDRb5Cx_E9fzyONmFbDNgQmg8B32PBW9loZ1RQt8-xaoSwuJlNcyKI00Vbq-x7DKjIWr7NNyrHBQIjHtnGK5uivrgP3D1zU1E6V4dpDhtE5zIuF_MHI_/s200/T05.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043032323361977090" border="0" /></a>The "easy" way to install the update requires 16.7 MB free space on the Palm. My Palm had 43 MB free space but I kept getting an error message that there was not enough free space. Evidently not an unusual problem with this updater based on a web search.<br /><br />So I tried Plan B - Palm's alternate method for devices with less than 16.7 MB free space. This method involves a hard reset that erases everything on the Palm. The alternate method worked until the very end when the installer requested that the Palm be plugged into the charger. An odd request.... The Palm didn't come with a charger. After trying to get this method to work a few more times, I gave up.<br /><br />Though the updater still on Palm's site, I decided not to update the T-5. Palm admitted that there were problems with the 1.1 updater. Evidently they're still working on fixing it.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/tungstent5/tungstent5update.html">v1.1 updater from Palm</a><br /><a href="http://forums.palmone.com/rss/message?board.id=support_downloads&message.id=1197">Palm forum about the problem</a><br /><a href="http://www.bluenomad.com/bbvfs/prod_bbvfs_details.html">BackupBuddy</a> - if you want to try the updater, back up first. Backing up is a good idea in any event.<div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-29469015322201650752007-03-11T23:31:00.000-07:002007-03-22T23:27:28.102-07:00Palm Pilot batteries and hard resetTry a hard reset on your Palm Pilot if the battery does not hold a (full) charge.<br /><br />Last week I was away for 6 days with my Tungsten T5 running off its battery. Had my appointments, contacts, an alarm clock (World Clock) and played Suduku once a day. No problem -- returned home with a 50% battery charge.<br /><br />Plugged the Palm into my computer and power strip when I got home to charge it up. Synchronized the Palm with the desktop without a problem. Then I downloaded the Daylight Savings Time Update for Palm OS. I didn't read down on the directions about resetting your device... at least the first time.<br /><br />Later the Palm alerted me that the battery was dangerously low and should be plugged in to charge. It was plugged in - to my computer and power strip. Then I tried charging the Palm on the outlet in the bathroom – without any success.<br /><br />I bought the extended 2 year warranty; it ended in January 2007. No comment. Not really relevant.<br /><br />I called Palm tech support for help. I asked if there was anything I could try to get the battery to hold a charge. Sorry, no. Steve told me that it would cost $199 to replace the battery, and for that money I might want to buy a new Palm. Palm would give me 20% off the price of a Z22 ($99 USD), E2 ($199USD), T|X ($229 USD) or LifeDrive ($399 USD) from the Palm site. Steve gave me as special upgrade code.<br /><br />Before replacing the T5, I had to do some troubleshooting on my own.<br /><ul><li>A <span style="font-weight: bold;">Soft Reset</span> brought the Palm back to life. Excellent! But the battery would only charge 50%. Not satisfactory.<br /></li><li>I had synced the Palm with my desktop, so decided to try a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hard Reset</span>. Erased everything and went back to the factory default settings. Synchronizing bought everything back to the Palm just like it had been. And the battery is now charged 100%.</li></ul>Now that the battery is fully charged, I applied the DST updater. Seems fine.<br /><br />Tomorrow I'll check to see if there are any other updates needed.<br /><br />Resetting your device in a variety of ways:<br /><a href="http://www.palm.com/cgi-bin/cso_kbURL.cgi?ID=887">http://www.palm.com/cgi-bin/cso_kbURL.cgi?ID=887</a><br />Palm DST updater:<br /><a href="http://www.palm.com/cgi-bin/cso_kbURL.cgi?ID=887">http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/dst_palmos.html</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-60427219716939587902007-03-11T23:03:00.001-07:002007-10-01T23:38:26.901-07:00shift happens: globalization & the information age<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/ljbI-363A2Q" name="movie"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/ljbI-363A2Q" height="350" width="425"></embed></object></p>Interesting statistics.... The last part about computers computationally equivalent to the human brain seems quite speculative. At this point, researchers don't understand much about how the brain works. And as my favorite technical Yahoo pointed out, being able to compare/store numbers quickly (all a computer really does) doesn't equal coming up with something original.<br /><p>Thanks to my new friend Richard for taking this movie as a reminder that "beneath and hidden from the facts, there is meaning that touches us in ways that demand we spin a new form of cloth around our ideas and ideals."</p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-24483970862804472952007-02-26T20:41:00.000-08:002007-10-01T23:36:08.517-07:00net research beats movie viewing in Oscar poolThe annual academy awards broadcast is the ONLY television show that I watch regularly. Months can go by before I turn on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">tv</span> to watch anything else. Usually when the machine is on it's to watch a movie on DVD.<br /><br />I used to go to the movies a lot. So when the Academy Awards rolled around I knew most of the nominees before the finalists were announced and had plenty of time to see the few contenders that I'd missed during the year. I haven't been to the theaters as much in the past few years. Last year I did a frantic catch-up to see all the best picture nominees and most of the films with nominated actors.<br /><br />Prior to the 2007 Awards broadcast, I saw only 3 nominated films , 2 on the big screen: <span style="font-style: italic;">The Devil Wears <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Prada</span></span> (I listened to the book on CD in my car and was curious to see the Hollywood translation),<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">An Inconvenient Truth</span> (interest in global warming), and <span style="font-style: italic;">Maestro</span> (on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">YouTube</span> the day before the Awards show).<br /><br />This year I wasn't driven to catch up on the award contenders. The day before the Awards show, a printable Oscar ballot for a local Oscar party inspired an experiment to answer 2 questions:<br /><ol><li>Would I still love watching the Academy Awards show if I had virtually no appreciation of the contenders?</li><li>How would I fare in the Oscar party ballot challenge if I spent an hour or two reading web articles and predictions as the basis for my ballot choices?</li></ol>I discovered that the Academy Awards glitz and energy is entertaining regardless of the nominees (and winners). Host Ellen DeGeneres continued the tradition of imbuing the event with laughter . The special movies and awards, live music and dance stood up beautifully on their own. My favorite moments: Ellen offering her screenplay to Martin Scorsese and Meryl <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Streep</span> tranforming spontaneously into Miranda. Our local Oscar party was just as much fun as before. And the Academy Awards is <span>still</span> my favorite television show!<br /><br />How effective was the web research? I picked 17 winners out of the 24 on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">oscar</span>.com ballot: best picture, directing, leading actor and actress, supporting actress, documentary feature and short, live action short, original song, sound editing and mixing, original and adapted screenplay, art direction, visual effects, costume design, and makeup. There were those surprises....<br /><br />The rest? I changed supporting actor based on a hopeful web piece that went against the stats. I picked <span style="font-style: italic;">Maestro</span> despite what I'd read about <span style="font-style: italic;">The Danish Poet</span> because it was the only short that I saw and I adored the film<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">'s</span> ending. And I went against my gut on my favorite of the 5 nominated songs, "I Need to Wake Up," because of web research.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglZmRFD72CHPHq3Add1SjzLbKqsKSRBLj6V19sezTgkiee6aPt0IQDgkqLQOaI9dw7hknL5IuRtI0B5O8GPUsVQfAuY_ysKYImqoHxBkCzI0270b4z9vukylahb60hQ1QLq6p/s1600-h/oscar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglZmRFD72CHPHq3Add1SjzLbKqsKSRBLj6V19sezTgkiee6aPt0IQDgkqLQOaI9dw7hknL5IuRtI0B5O8GPUsVQfAuY_ysKYImqoHxBkCzI0270b4z9vukylahb60hQ1QLq6p/s200/oscar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035741003410431154" border="0" /></a>Much to my surprise, I came home with the party's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Oscarette</span> for the year, the only one to pick more than 15 Award winners correctly. In this case, going with your gut about films you've seen wasn't as good an Oscar predictor as web research. Based on excerpts shown at the Awards and the comments at the party, I'd like to watch some of the nominated films. Others probably not.<br /><br />Like the Academy Awards show, the party ballot is not competitive. The fun is attending–the Awards and the party. Web research doesn't come close to the enjoyment of watching good movies. So next year I'll watch more movies on the big screen before the Awards are handed out!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.oscars.org/79academyawards/nomswins.html">2007 Academy Award Winners</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-43558550012672447642007-02-25T12:56:00.000-08:002007-02-25T13:14:48.591-08:002007 0scar predictions<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.oscar.com/"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImgbkPZvTOe35EFmC2rbFWFc5JqwfNeJP3edn1srVqK7XPf2P20ZAyWONyIXvdy3qCrRgu-hiU9-LVaHX-Md982wJxg0cskha99Sh4kmrQJ7lZvVUsXkCt6Yunthz2zHz1OM-/s200/nominees.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035581922116754578" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />A few hours prior to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">award's</span> ceremony, here are my predictions:<br /><ul><li>Best Picture - The Departed</li><li>Directing - The Departed</li><li>Leading Actress - Helen <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Mirren</span>, The Queen</li><li>Supporting Actress - Jennifer Hudson, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Dreamgirls</span></li><li>Leading Actor - Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland<br /></li><li>Supporting Actor - Eddie Murphy, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Dreamgirls</span></li><li>Animated Feature - Cars</li><li>Art Direction - Pan's Labyrinth</li><li>Cinematography - Children of Men</li><li>Costume Design - Marie Antoinette</li><li>Documentary Feature - An Inconvenient Truth</li><li>Documentary Short - The Blood of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Yingzhou</span> District</li><li>Film Editing - Babel</li><li>Foreign Language Film - Pan's Labyrinth</li><li>Makeup - Pan's Labyrinth</li><li>Original Score - The Queen</li><li>Original Song - "Listen," <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Dreamgirls</span></li><li>Short Film, Animated - Maestro</li><li>Short Film, Live Action - West Bank Story</li><li>Sound Editing - Letters from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Iwo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Jima</span></li><li>Sound Mixing - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Dreamgirls</span></li><li>Visual Effects - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest</li><li>Screenplay, Adapted - The Departed</li><li>Screenplay, Original - Little Miss Sunshine</li></ul>More soon on the reason for this post.<div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-15700442979417623872007-02-22T22:17:00.001-08:002007-04-14T13:53:05.156-07:00web 2.0 ... the machine is us/ing us<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/6gmP4nk0EOE" name="movie"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/6gmP4nk0EOE" height="350" width="425"></embed></object></p><p>This wonderful video inspired me to revive this blog. Enjoy!</p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12728497.post-1117689963018514072005-06-01T08:11:00.000-07:002007-04-14T14:02:48.121-07:00using public computers abroad - beware!On a recent trip to China, I was reminded of the precautions one should take when checking online accounts that require usernames and passwords on a public computer.<br /><br />In the middle of a two-week trip to China, I decided to send email to some family and friends from Hongzhou, a beautiful resort town south of Shanghai. My 4-star hotel's Business Center had one Dell Computer for hotel guests. The computer's browsers were Chinese versions of FireFox and Internet Explorer, with the browser names written in English beneath the desktop icon. I selected FireFox, under the impression that it is "more secure" the IE. Earthlink's email was down for maintenance, so I could not use my personal email account.<br /><br />I went to my university account, typed in my username and password, sent off two email messages, and closed FireFox. Then I opened up Yahoo Messenger to see if any of my buddies were online, then closed Yahoo Messenger when I realized I had forgotten to send a good friend a message. I re-opened FireFox and went to my university webmail login page. Much to my surprise, my username and password were already there. I clicked on the login button and got into my account again. Anyone could have gotten into my account.<br /><br />I was upset. The university does not have a little checkbox to "remember my email login on this computer." And, as far as I remember, I did not click "yes" if/when FireFox asked me if I wanted its Password Manager to remember the login and enter it automatically the next time I returned to the site. (If I did, the pop-up was in Chinese and clicked naively.) The address menu pull-down arrow listed my university webmail page - and all the web pages that other hotel guests had visited recently. One could go to any of these pages, and the username and password were filled in automatically.<br /><br />All of FireFox's menu's were in Chinese, so I could not figure out how to go into FireFox's preferences and clear the saved passwords and history, nor uncheck the "Remember Passwords" box. The person running the Business Center did not understand my concern and called for help. Eventually, a more technically savvy gentlemen from the hotel cleared the saved passwords and history - and the saved form information. He seemed to understand the problem clearly - and how to fix it. I re-opened the browser, went to my university webmail account, and my username and password were gone.<br /><br />I was somewhat relieved, certainly glad that I had not visited my online banking account to move funds around. After returning home, I changed my university password. Any public computer can have a <a href="http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci962518,00.html" target="_blank">keystroke logger</a> that collects keystrokes (the keys you type) and saves it as text.<br /><br />RECOMMENDATIONS<br /><br />* If you want to communicate with friends and family while on vacation, send postcards or buy a pre-paid phone card and call them.<br />* If you want to send email from a public computer while on vacation, set up a free account for the trip. <a href="http://mail.yahoo.com/" target="_blank">Yahoo! Mail</a> or <a href="http://gmail.google.com/gmail/help/about.html" target="_blank">GMail from Google</a><a href="http://join.msn.com/?page=hotmail/plans&pgmarket=en-us&ST=1&xAPID=1983&DI=1402" target="_blank"></a> are good choices. You can send email from this account by using the service's web-based login page, and check replies and change your password when you return home.<br />* If you are on vacation, read your email when you get home. Enjoy your vacation from technology.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">* For business traveling that requires email, bring your own laptop. Make sure the laptop's firewall is working properly, and that your operating system, antivirus and spyware detection programs are up-to-date before you leave.<img src="http://feministgeek.com/community/blog/china1.jpg" /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">from DoctorGeek's tech tips and meanderings - random thoughts from someone who's been "earning her bread on the Net since before the beginning of time," at http://doctorgeek.blogspot.com</div>Susan K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16186618355909187546noreply@blogger.com0