March 2013
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“There are lots of things I want that I can’t have because I lack the resources...”
– Peter Cohen, co-producer of The Loop
February 2013
3 posts
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Sony introduces PlayStation 4, doesn’t actually... →
Thanks to The Next Web for the great headline.
Sony held a big media event today in New York and told a captive audience very little about PlayStation 4.
It’s very exciting! Stay tuned! Details to follow!
This story has some information.
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“Since OS X Lion, Macs have shipped without Java installed, and as an added...”
– comment from Apple via The Loop
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R.I.P. Posterous
Farewell to Posterous, the free online blogging tool that was acquired by Twitter in March of 2012. Sachin Agarwal, Posterous founder and CEO, says goodbye in this blog post.
I used Posterous for a while, and admired their focus on simple blog posts sent via email. I switched to Tumblr in 2011, and explained the change here.
January 2013
7 posts
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“Well, BlackBerry’s Hail Mary pass, its bet-the-farm phone, is finally here. It’s...”
– David Pogue
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Zed One Oh
BlackBerry announced two new phones today: the Z10 and the Q10. The Z10 has a large touch screen with on-screen keyboard; the Q10 has a smaller touch screen and a “real” physical keyboard. These new devices are the first to use the QNX-based BlackBerry 10 software.
Things that make you say “hmmm”: the Q10 gets its name from the built-in QWERTY keyboard, but why is the...
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The end of Research In Motion
Today’s BlackBerry product launch included some unexpected news: the company formerly known as Research In Motion will now be officially known as “BlackBerry” instead of “RIM”.
Grand & Toy stock surged on the news that thousands of RIM BlackBerry employees may need to replace their stationery and business cards. Industry analysts, meanwhile, are now wondering if...
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BlackBerry 10
The official introduction of BlackBerry 10 is less than one hour away. Press and partners are gathered outside the auditorium at The Carlu hotel in Toronto, drinking coffee and buzzing with anticipation.
The keynote address starts at 10:00 Eastern. This will be followed by several rounds of demos and Q&A sessions, plus interview opportunities for media.
Everyone I know who has seen...
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“RIM executives are having trouble texting today because their fingers are...”
– Mike Nabuurs, Funny 820
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December 2012
5 posts
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Watch
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Watch
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WatchMerry Christmas from Sandy, Lori, Alex, Kate, Toby, and Tess!
Google Santa Tracker →
How many sleeps until Christmas?
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“I used to believe that time was the most important thing I have, but I’ve come...”
– Adam Brault
November 2012
3 posts
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Predicting the U.S. Election - Microsoft Research →
This is an interesting piece about David Rothschild, an economist at Microsoft Research New York City.
“The great thing is that David is providing predictions in real time,” he says. “You can see these reactions within minutes. After Rick Perry made his ‘oops’ mistake in that GOP debate, you could literally watch the predictions crash in almost real time.”
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Online purchases and pre-paid credit cards
I just heard Metro Morning business commentator say he’s afraid to use his credit card for online purchases. I understand the argument, but there are solutions.
We use the BMO Prepaid Travel Mastercard for online purchases. It works like a gift card: you transfer money to the card, then that balance is the only money you can spend from it.
This card provides no access to your other...
October 2012
10 posts
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“The Surface is partially for Microsoft’s world of denial: the world in which...”
– Marco Arment, creator of Instapaper, describes his hands-on encounter with the new Microsoft Surface tablet.
I agree that people who love the iPad are not going to warm to Microsoft Surface with Windows RT. And vice versa.
This might be a good place to link to Trollem Ipsum - a handy tool that...
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Windows 8 launches today →
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Apple game development (or not) →
This is a good read. In particular, I think he’s spot on about Game Center, Apple’s match-making system for online multi-player games. Game Center lacks features and polish at least partly because Apple has not released any games that demonstrate the value of Game Center.
Perhaps coincidentally, this week marks the first time that I have used Game Center regularly, thanks to a great...
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Letterpress - word game →
This looks good: Letterpress
Find words, steal tiles, color the board! Letterpress is a fresh new word game for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Play with your friends using Game Center! The perfect blend of fun and strategy. Download it for free on the App Store.
Update: I’m hooked. Letterpress is a very good game.
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iPad mini and more
News from today’s Apple Event:
- Apple Introduces iPad mini
- All-New iMac Features Stunning Design, Brilliant Display & Faster Performance
- Apple Introduces 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display
The iPad mini was expected, and the smaller MacBook Pro was no big surprise, but the redesigned iMac came out of nowhere.
You can watch a video replay of the event here.
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September 2012
2 posts
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WatchThis video is a demonstration of the motion-sensing capability of Leap by Leap Motion. Full story at The Verge.
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Type faster on iPhone using shortcuts →
August 2012
5 posts
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“We’re obviously in the middle of two awkward transitions: toward all-Retina...”
– Retina MacBook Pro review as a Mac Pro owner – Marco.org
Once you’ve experienced a laptop with a solid state drive that starts up quickly and wakes from sleep instantly, it’s painful to go back to the sluggishness of a normal hard drive. Likewise, once you’ve worked with the new...
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History of the Floppy Disk →
The floppy disk seems so simple now, but it changed everything… Up until the late 1970s, most software applications for tasks such as word processing and accounting were written by the personal computer owners themselves. But thanks to the floppy, companies could write programs, put them on the disks, and sell them through the mail or in stores. ‘It made it possible to have a...
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Write a letter
I would like to receive more letters and postcards. It’s fun to open the mailbox and find something other than bills and advertising. It’s even more fun when it’s a personal letter, or a postcard from a friend.
When did we stop sending personal messages by post? Yes, it’s faster and more efficient to send some messages by text (or Twitter or Facebook or blog) but...
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WorldWideWeb anniversary
On August 20, 1991, Tim Berners-Lee announced the availability of something called WorldWideWeb - “a hypertext browser/editor which allows one to read information from local files and remote servers.”
This project is experimental and of course comes without any warranty whatsoever. However, it could start a revolution in information access. We are currently using WWW for user...
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July 2012
7 posts
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“In general, the internet promises certain things, but rarely delivers them. It...”
– Doug TenNapel: Don’t Blog, Do. (Get outside and enjoy your summer!)
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choose a new password
Employee: My password has expired. Can you reset it?
Help Desk: Just a moment. I'll generate a new password for your account.
Employee: Can't you just re-use the one I have now? It's Summer1.
Help Desk: Security policy requires that you change it. Also, the new password should be more secure than Summer1.
Employee: How about Summer2?
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Have you got "the virus"?
Click this link to see if your computer is infected with DNS Changer.
You’re probably okay. Approximately four million computers were infected, and most of those have been cleaned already. Fewer than 9,000 of the 300,000 computers still infected are in Canada.
Starting today, computers infected with DNS Changer will be unable to look up the location of Internet domain names. Read this...
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Controlling robots with your mind →
And so it begins. Real life avatars are on the way.
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'Trojan' extorts money with fake legal threat →
Neither the RCMP nor CSIS will demand payment to unfreeze your computer, even if you have pornography on your computer.
If you get this warning on the screen, you have malware, and you need to have your computer cleaned by a professional. Better yet, trade in your PC for a computer that can’t be infected with Windows malware.
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Higgs Boson explained by cartoon →
In light of today’s Higgs boson announcement here’s some particle physics in plain language.
June 2012
3 posts
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Cheddar - Tasks made simple →
This looks great. Simple, easy To Do lists on the web, with automatic, instant synchronization with iPhone and/or iPad using free apps. Check it out.
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Surface by Microsoft →
Kudos to Microsoft for what appears to be a bold move. Microsoft Surface, announced tonight, is a new class of handheld computer that’s mostly touch screen, but with a removable cover that doubles as an ultra-thin keyboard. It’s a Windows 8 tablet with a side order of laptop.
Ship date? Not today. The devices will feature Windows 8, which is expected around October.
Price? Not...
May 2012
4 posts
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Adobe's $199 security fix →
Security Bulletin for Adobe Photoshop
First, the bad news: a security flaw in Adobe Photoshop for Windows and Macintosh might allow an attacker to take control of your computer.
Now, the good news: Adobe is aware of the problem, and has released a software update that plugs the hole.
Unfortunately, the software update is Adobe Photoshop CS6, the latest paid version of the software. If you...
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floppy disk = Save, and other anachronisms →
The author makes a good point: why do we still use the floppy disk to represent saving a document?
On the other hand, I resent the implication that anyone who remembers floppy disks is old. (Middle-aged, maybe, but not old.)
Gadget vending machine experience →
Briefly: buyer beware.
As I swiped my credit card, I noticed a message: “If you need assistance, please see a Store Representative.” That seemed curious given that I wasn’t in a store and I saw no representatives or anyone else in the vicinity. But I didn’t need assistance, so I continued on.
