Column from PC Magazine: Media Bias and Technology Reporting
I laughed when I read Windoze guru John C. Dvorak complaining that 90 percent of technology writers use Mac computers.
John, there is a REASON why 90 percent of those experts refuse to use the Microsoft operating system.
I just signed with Bluehost and have been very impressed. US$6.95 a month for hosting up to 6 domains.
I bought those domain names (including RickMcCharles.com) through Yahoo.com which had a sale price of US$4.95 a year. I bragged the price could not drop any lower.
It did. Yahoo later offered domain names for US$2.95!
This is almost FREE — my pricepoint! If interested for yourself, check the sites below:
I switched to this fill-in-the-blank template as it is quicker and easier to post from any web browser.
My old, original blog is still linked in the right hand collumn on the index page.
This blog software is called WordPress
During a lull I clicked on Podcasts in my itunes software. I had only a vague idea what they were.
The most popular podcast that day — TWIT (This Week in Technology) — updated me on what is hot in technology. The broadcast was taped live from Noonan’s Bar & Grill in Larkspur, CA.
Content? Is Skype worth $2.6 billion? Can Microsoft beat Adobe? And more.
Podcasts are cool. And they are here to stay. Like downloading feature radio broadcasts.
Check out TWIT at This Week in Technology
Rockin’ hectored me into finally trying Skype, the much hyped VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol).
Cool! It works, though far better with headphones.
Free long distance phone calls for anyone who downloads the also free Skype software. You PAY to call a non-Skype phone number.
Same week Skype was bought by Ebay for 2.6 billion! Skype has 54 million subscribers — 54,000,001 after I joined
Now Ebay owns an online phone company as well as an online bank (PayPal).
Google is building their own VOIP.
<a href=”http://www.skype.com/helloagain.html” SKYPE – the whole world can talk for free>
Google.com, by far.
The two biggest challengers in 2005 are MSN & Yahoo — but compare the search results pages for any subject you know well. It is obvious that Google is far ahead.
If you need specialized searching, check Phil’s Search Engine.
I have used MSN’s hotmail for years. But is Google’s Gmail better?
Not quite yet, IMHO. But I have a Gmail address and can get you one. If you want to try it, email me.
I finally started checking a blog regularly, the official Google blog. I am facinated with the don’t be evil company out to change the world. It reminds me of Apple computer, but I like Google even better.
The world wide web is still taking baby steps. It has a long way to go. People can still ignore the web and email today — not so in the future.
Check this innovative site: Baby Name Wizard. Very cool.
(Spelling? I am switching from e-mail to email from e-mail.)
A good businessman I know does not use email much, mainly relying on phone & face-to-face contact. His day is a series of meetings.
Face to face commitments are stronger. Communication is much more subtle and sophisticated.
All true.
Email is a fast, cheap, easy — but ultimately inferior to human contact.
Where is email most useful? Group mailing lists. It is the best way to keep large numbers of people in the loop.
Or addicted to email?
I am.
Americans of all ages can’t go very long without the Internet—in fact, they prefer the Internet over everything else, including their friends and one of nature’s most primal instincts. The world’s fourth-largest advertising agency, JWT, made the findings in a survey of 1,011 American adults, and discovered that the Internet has become such an integral part of our lives that some of us are willing to make major sacrifices for it.
Survey respondents were asked how long they could go without an Internet connection and still feel “OK.” 15 percent of the group admitted to being weak-willed and said that they would only be able to last a day or less without feeling isolated and disconnected from the world. Another 21 percent didn’t do much better, saying they could only go a couple of days, with 19 percent saying they could go “a few days.” Only about 18 percent of the group said that they could go a week or more without being connected, according to the results seen by Ars Technica.
… read more: “Not tonight, honey, I’m on the Internet”
Rick McCharles 