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Technology

<em>Genghis</em>'s pic

Who Hijacked Yahoo Mail?

This morning, I emailed everyone I know to try to sell them Viagra. Ex-bosses, ex-friends, ex-random-people-that-I-met-once-in-a-cafe, and ex-girlfriends (who really don't want to hear from me, let alone buy Viagra from me).

Sorry.

I didn't mean to. In fact, I don't remember doing it. But the incriminating evidence is sitting in my Yahoo "Sent Mail" folder. Six emails sent collectively to everyone in my contacts list between 10:09 and 10:10 am. All hocking Viagra.

How could this have happened? After several hours of research and several more hours of head scratching, not including a quick lunch break, three bathroom trips (#1, #1, #2), and half-an-hour to figure out how to change my email password, I've narrowed it down to five possibilities: [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

Google has harshed humanity's Buzz

When Google Buzz came out, I wanted to be on the cutting edge of this fabulous new technology. I allowed them to opt me in immediately, even though I had no clue what Google Buzz is I opt-in’d too or why.

Personally, I liked the idea that the six people who read my blog would now have six different ways to find my new posts: Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Orkut, Digg & Buzz. I would now be able to much more effectively carpet-bomb them with myself. [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

The Apple iPad: A hand-held genocide machine

While society has many ills, few threaten it as much as Apple’s release of the iPad*. This computer-esque piece of modern technology not only threatens society, but the entire planet, as well. In a world where swift communication is king, the iPad promises to take it to an new, exciting, and deadly plateau. [Read more]

<em>Deadman</em>'s pic

Amazon caves to Macmillan

Just read that Amazon has decided to give in to publisher Macmillan's demand that the online bookseller sell its books under an agency model for the price the publisher sets (which for the new books that make up most of the market will be 30-50 percent higher than the $10 Amazon currently charges). [Read more]

<em>Larry Jankens</em>'s pic

Apple's iPad: Jesus Machine or PopeMobile?

Unless you’ve been living under an analog rock, you know Apple released the biggest surprise everyone knew about: the iPad.  Dubbed “The Jesus Machine” (http://www.buzznews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=102...) by some industry analysts (analysts whose hyperbole machine is broken), this product is supposed to resurrect the dying print media. [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

The myth of Marco Rubio and GOP dominance of Twitter

When Barack Obama began his more-or-less Keynesian approach to fixing a U.S. economy that was terribly broken by Milton Friedman`s rehashed laissez faire approach, two strange things happened amongst Republicans. First, Republicans began crowing about how they dominated social media web sites like Twitter - a meme primarily put out by Republicans. Second, every Republican in a state position immediately thrust themselves into the national political picture. [Read more]

<em>Genghis</em>'s pic

Moon Water: What's it Good For?

In yesterday's NYT, NASA-affiliated scientist William S. Marshall, wondered why no one seems to care about NASA's discovery of water on the moon.

Almost as surprising as NASA’s announcement is the lack of attention it has received. Thirty years ago, a development like this would have been heralded as one of humanity’s greatest discoveries.

Marshall hypothesized that astronomers were disappointed because they couldn't see the impact plume and that the rest of us were too distracted by problems on Earth.

Marshall should stick to astrophysics. [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

Will Obama give $1.4 million Nobel Prize to GOP so they can afford Web site?

When President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, many noted that it came with a $1.4 million prize. What would Obama do with it? Well, while a variety of charities will likely get the money, it’s apparent that the GOP could use some of the money so that they and Michael Steele can have a $1.4-million Web presence:

The recent relaunch of GOP.com featured a miniature animated Michael Steele begging for money and an appropriation of the ghost of Jackie Robinson and was the most comically awful thing in the history of the internet. The cost: $1.4 million. [Read more]

<em>William K. Wolfrum</em>'s pic

Everything bought since 2001 recalled; everyone's personal data lost

WASHINGTON — In a press conference by the nation’s business leaders and a smattering of government officials, it was announced that everything bought over the past seven years has been immediately recalled, and that all personal information held by all businesses had been lost.

“If we can just get everyone to form an orderly line outside of every store they’ve purchased things from, that would just be great,” said a government official. [Read more]

<em>Nebton</em>'s pic

Quantum Corner: Introduction

I'm hoping to start a fairly regular set of postings on Quantum Mechanics and/or other weird science that fascinates me. However, if there's no interest (after all, it's outside the normal scope of all things dagblog), I'll drop it. With that in mind, I thought I'd start with an overview of Quantum Mechanics, talk about how it's really weird, and give my interpretation of it, all without delving into math or jargon. Well, I'll try to at least save any such delving for the comments section.

For those who find QM confusing, I offer up these quotes:

Those who are not shocked when they first come across quantum theory cannot possibly have understood it. - Niels Bohr [Read more]

<em>Deadman</em>'s pic

Is the US Postal Service obsolete? And what does it mean for health care?

So apparently, the U.S. Postal Service is in a peck of trouble. Despite raising postage fees numerous times during the past couple of years, the USPS announced earlier this week that it had lost $2.4 billion between April and June and would be $7 billion in debt by the end of September.

Are you kidding me? $2.4 billion in losses in 3 months?? Are you sure the USPS isn't making cars or selling subprime mortgages?

I know the economy is tough, and more and more people are communicating digitally nowadays, but there's no excuse for this kind of performance. FedEx and UPS are still making money, after all. [Read more]

<em>Genghis</em>'s pic

Yahoo, Microsoft, and Home Page Upgrades: Smalls Steps to Oblivion

Call me a loyal customer. Yahoo has been my home page for a decade, which is about two thirds of the life of the web itself. Whenever I bought a new computer or installed a new browser, I dutifully found my way through the preferences to set my default page to good old Yahoo. In the old days, back when people still prepended "World Wide" to "Web," I preferred Yahoo because the home page loaded quickly and offered a great directory that neatly sliced the contents of the entire web into a handy taxonomy. "Drilling down" to the right category was usually easier than sifting through pages of crap delivered by the antediluvian search engines of the day. [Read more]

<em>acanuck</em>'s pic

We have liftoff. Now look up

We finally have liftoff. Congratulations, NASA, sixth time's the charm.

Now we wait for the shuttle to catch up and dock with the International Space Station, which should happen around midday Friday. Here'a site that lets you follow the choreographed dance between the two vehicles in more-or-less real time:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/tracking/

Once the two spacecraft are docked together for their 16-day rendezvous, they should make a spectacular sight from Earth. [Read more]

<em>Deadman</em>'s pic

MOLFT: Episode 2 (Cell phone taxes, fees and surcharges)

I'll get back to the regularly scheduled My One Favorite Things soon enough, but right now I got a bone to pick with my cell phone company, T-Mobile.

I mostly have positive vibes toward T-Mobile as their customer service has been very helpful and their network seems to have continually improved in New York City, but I'm annoyed with the numerous 'surcharges' the company tacks on to my monthly bill.

T-Mobile probably isn't alone here, but I think it's a crime that these charges - which earn the dubious award of being My One Least Favorite Thing of the week - now add up to more than $10 a month, approximately 21% of the cost of my plan. [Read more]

<em>Genghis</em>'s pic

Google vs Microsoft: Attack of the Chrome

The NYT reports that Google is planning the most direct challenge to Microsoft to date: an operating system.

The software, called the Google Chrome Operating System, is initially intended for use in the tiny, low-cost portable computers known as netbooks, which have been selling quickly even as demand for other PCs has plummeted. Google said it believed the software would also be able to power full-size PCs. [Read more]

<em>acanuck</em>'s pic

Virtual world government weighs bailing out virtual bank to avert virtual economic meltdown

I don't actually know how the folks who manage Eve Online plan to deal with this, except that they've booted the virtual fraudster out of the game.

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/07/03/science-online-bank-heist.html

The scary part is that he successfully traded the "interstellar kredits" he stole for real-life money. Only $5,000 or so -- but still! If what you stole doesn't really exist, can you be accused of committing a crime in the real world? Especially when the virtual world permits and even encourages illegal activities? Suppose you libel a fellow player in an interactive game. Does he or she have recourse in a real-world court? [Read more]

<em>Larry Jankens</em>'s pic

Lame or Awesome: MLK Autotuned

 

Is this incredibly lame or amazingly awesome? 

 

<em>Deadman</em>'s pic

iPhone 3.0: Apple's First Law of Inertia

I've always sucked at making decisions. Leave where we're having lunch up to me and we'll likely be having dinner there.

If there's one thing about modern life I cannot stand, it's the plethora of options we have. Sure the freedoms we now enjoy are terrific, the new opportunities exciting, the potential adventures limitless, but instead I like to focus on all the bad choices we can now make.

Lately, my indecisiveness is getting worse. And if I had to place blame on a particular culprit (and I must as implicating my own neuroses is not an option), I think Apple has had a lot to do with it.

It's just the way they relentlessly make great products and then have no problem making those products obsolete - and dramatically cheaper - in a matter of months. [Read more]

<em>Deadman</em>'s pic

MOFT: Episode 16 (PokerStars)

You've seen a lot less of me on dagblog lately, and while I'd love to put all of the blame for my absence on my Beyonce and the wedding plans which have been set in hot and heavy motion (It's mostly painful, stressful stuff, but registering at Target was hella fun - come to Papa, Wii!!), but there is a much bigger badder beast than Mrs. All-Consuming Wedding at work here - and its name is PokerStars. [Read more]

<em>Deadman</em>'s pic

Why Facebook will be a HUGE business...

Late last year one of my predictions for 2009 was that Facebook would go public, sparking a mini-rally in the markets. Yet a lot of what I read about in the press lately is all about their struggles - having trouble raising money at the valuation they want, having trouble hiring the workers they want, having trouble generating significant ad revenue.

To which I say, bullshit. [Read more]

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