Category Archives: digital

Which Author is Better: One or Many?

Wikipedia, the popular online reference source for undergraduates and consumers, worldwide, has more than 15 times the number of articles than the well-known Encyclopedia Britannica, the self-proclaimed “world’s most indispensable and reliable reference resource.”

 
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When Software Bites, Back

McAfee’s antivirus software caused problems for Microsoft Excel users, on Friday. Just as Excel users, around the world, were attempting to complete their day’s work, the virus signatures, pushed to them by McAfee, caused the McAfee software to incorrectly identify the excel.exe file as being infected by the W95/CTX virus.

 
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Google’s Plan to Store Data Online Presents Security Concerns

Google, Inc. seems to hope that thousands, possibly millions, of internet users will trust their digital data to the Mountain View, California company, the same one that sings forth the anthem “Don’t be evil.”

 
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Digitalis Americana – 5. Creating Efficiency

“A stitch in time saves nine.” –Benjamin Franklin

 
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Digitalis Americana – 4. Technological Effects: Behavior & Attitudes

How technology affects us, so do we behave.

 
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Digitalis Americana – 3. Evaluation of Technology and Interface Design

Before taking action, one must know what needs to be done.

 
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Digitalis Americana – 2. How Will the PC Affect the Face of America?

Growth is a slow, constant process, punctuated by short periods of extraordinary change.

 
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The Internet Freeway May Become A Toll Road

There are no traffic cops on the internet. Until now, that is. If U.S. telecommunication companies have their way, we may have internet traffic cops, patrol cars, and a full police union. The traffic cops will direct the traffic, giving preferential treatment to a select few that are able to pay for the unimpeded toll lane. Those who are able to pay the toll will get faster service.

 
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Digitalis Americana – 1. How It All Started

I am writing a new book, the working title of which is Digitalis Americana: How the Personal Computer Changes the Face of America.

As I transfer my book from my writer’s notebook to my digital notebook, I will post sections to this blog; I look forward to your constructive feedback in the comments section of each post.

 
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First Marketable Quantum Computer Chip

University of Michigan researchers have developed the first scalable quantum computer chip using principally the same semiconductor manufacturing process as integrated semiconductor chips. The researchers have been able to trap and control a single atom within a processor chip.

 
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Mozilla Corporation Releases Firefox 1.5

Mozilla Corporation, not the Mozilla Foundation, has released the Firefox 1.5, the latest incarnation of the wildly-popular open-source webbrowser. Using the new Gecko 1.8 rendering engine, the new version of Firefox is faster at interpreting HTML webpages and more stable when displaying pages that are created with nonstandard code.

 
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Sony CD Security Fix Leaves Users Unsecured

Sony BMG Music Entertainment attempted to protect some of its music CDs from digital piracy by automatically installing copy protection software on the computers of users who attempted to play the music CDs on their computers. The security tool is a system root kit, and it restricts copying of the music on the CD. In response to a widespread outcry from consumers and security experts, Sony BMG Music Entertainment created a downloadable patch that will disable the root kit security program; however, the patch leaves the affected computer open to anyone’s downloading software to the computer.

 
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Don’t Say Anything: We Still Know Where You Are

While it is illegal to use a handheld cellular phone while driving in some states, and experts agree that holding a cellular conversation while driving is a contributing cause to driver distraction, it seems that some states may have found a way to take advantage of the popularity of road-bound cellular phones.

 
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New York Suburb To Require Secure Wireless Networks

Westchester County, New York, a suburb of New York City, may become the first area in the country to require wireless networks to be secured. Wi-Fi hot spots, such as those found in coffee shops, book stores, and recreational areas are popular not only with average citizens, but also with crackers seeking to collect credit card data and other personal information.

 
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Almost Two-Thirds of U.S. Homes Have An Online Computer

According to the most recent U.S. Census data, 62 million households in the United States have an Internet-connected computer. That means just over half, 55 percent of homes have relatively easy access to the net, including e-mail and web resources. This data, current as of 2003, shows a five percent increase in connected computers, compared to the 2001 data, and more than triple the 18 percent connectivity rate reported in 1997.

 
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Wi-Fi on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

My family is vacationing on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and wi-fi internet access is still a bit sparse in the golfing mecca. Although our resort promises to have a wi-fi network installed in the next few days, it will be too late for us (until next year, that is!). In the mean time, I’ve stopped by my favorite wireless hotspot, the Internet Café & Sundries shop in Coligny Plaza, the de facto downtown of the island.

 
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U.S. Broadband Market Shrinking

The Pew Internet & American Life Project reported in a paper dated September 24th, but released earlier in the week, that residential broadband adoption grew quickly in recent years; however, the speed of adoption is now slowing.

 
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Google Print Faces Legal Challenges

The Authors Guild, Inc. has sued Google, Inc. on behalf of over 8,000 authors. The Authors Guild claims to be the nation’s largest and oldest society of published authors and the leading writers’ advocate for fair compensation, effective copyright protection, and free expression. Google Print’s stated mission is to organize the world’s information, but much of that information isn’t yet online. Google Print aims to get it there by putting book content where you can find it most easily – right in your Google search results.

 
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Simple Path to Notebook Hard Drive Upgrade

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies now has a hard drive upgrade alternative for notebook computers that is so simple, most users will be able to increase their notebook hard disk capacity and restore their operating system, applications, and data. The upgrade includes a replacement internal hard drive, a case to convert allow the existing hard drive to be used as an external USB drive, cables, tools, and step-by-step instructions.

 
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Sprechen Sie Google?

A new worm, named P2Load.A, is in the wild. Once infected, users of Google’s search engine are redirected to a spoofed site in Germany that looks just like the powerhouse search engine’s main page. Spoofed search results include new, top-of-list links to advertisers who are not a member of Google’s desired advertiser list.

 
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