Computer Culture

It’s been a while, and I’m glad to be back

2012-05-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

I just checked my Linked-In account, and for some strange reason I clicked on my blog link. OMG, my last blog was in 2009! Where did the time go? It seems like yesterday when I decided to write this blog…but yesterday, was three years ago.

So here I go again. I like to think I’ve learned a lot in those three years…and maybe just maybe I’ll get it right this time.

3D Television in the Works.

2009-12-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

Just the other day I was doing a little Christmas shopping at Wal-Mart, and I was happy to see the cost of LCD and Plasma TVs are almost in my comfort zone. Maybe I’ll get a nice HD TV in the near future…or maybe I’ll wait….

It looks like 3D TV is on the way! I can’t wait to see what 3D TV looks like. I was “wowed” when I first saw HD TV, so 3D TV should be great.

Unfortunately, you still have to wear those 3D glasses. I have a hard time finding the remote…imagine looking for those glasses. The good news is technology to view 3D without wearing glasses is already in progress.

Keep your eye out for Sony and Panasonic 3D TVs.

Books, we don’t need no stinking books!

2009-10-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

Say it ain’t so…is this the beginning of the end of books? I hope not, but Amazon.com’s Kindle 2, and Barnes & Nobles’s new Nook e-book reader (scheduled to debut late 09) is making book lovers (maybe better to say avid readers) take notice.

Watching the evolution of e-book readers has been interesting. The improvement from Kindle 1 to Kindle 2 has been well received. However, Barnes & Noble’s e-book reader called Nook will make e-book readers more appealing.

First of all the Nook will feature 2 stacked color displays. The top display will be for reading, and the smaller bottom touch screen will be for searching. The best feature is the Nooks ability for users to share e-books (for 14 days at a time). E-book sharing can happen between Nook, iPhone, iPod touch, and other smart phones. The Nook will also play music, audio books, and pod casts. The nook will also have Wi-Fi and AT&T wireless connectivity. The Nook also has a Micro SD expansion slot where you can add a 16 GB card increasing your personal library to 17,500 e-books.

I personally never really considered e-book readers as a legitimate replacement for books, but after learning more about the Nook, I will be taking a closer look at the device. However, I still have some concerns.

First of all the price tag of $250.00 is a lot, especially if the Nook is not durable. The Nook would have to be able to take a trip down a flight of stairs into a pool of water and survive for me to be convinced it’s durable enough. Alright I know that’s asking a lot, but you get the point, I need to know the Nook can handle average bumps and bruises. My other concern, about the Nook, is will I love it enough that it will not end up in a drawer with all my other rejected gadgets…I just don’t know.

Personally my e-book reader has to be as valuable to me as my I-pod. I never leave the house without my i-Pod. I would never consider buying another MP3 player. When my i-Pod breaks, I will just go out and buy another i-Pod. Can the Nook or any e-book reader make me feel the way I feel about my i-pod?

The good thing about the Nook is Barnes & Nobles will have the Nook available for use in their retail stores. So people like me who are on the fence can experience the device and make a decision.

Google’s Promise to deliver simplicity in Chrome OS

2009-10-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

Google makes the bold promise that all “Web-based applications will automatically work.” Sounds great, but it won’t be as easy.

Digging deeper into the problem of a Web-centric OS begs the question, how will Chrome OS handle the chore of managing hardware resources? Although Chrome has simplified the way applications are accessed, the real issue is how will Chrome OS bridge the gap between Web software and device hardware? Another problem Chrome OS will need to overcome is working with legacy applications.

The hardware issue could be solved by Google working closely with vendors, and developing “official support “ for their OS. As for Legacy applications, and standalone applications the answer is unclear.

I personally believe that Chrome OS will be awesome on net-books, and laptops, but may not fare as well on desktops.

Does Microsoft need to worry about Google’s Chrome Operating System?

2009-10-09T13:04:00.000-07:00

The short answer is no. It’s my opinion that Microsoft will most likely benefit from Google’s new OS. Most of Microsoft’s advances have been driven by its competition. Take a look back at the browser wars. Internet Explorer had enjoyed a virtual Internet browser monopoly. After Microsoft’s attempt to block Netscape from being installed on Windows failed, other Web browsers began to emerge…specifically Mozilla’s Firefox. Firefox introduced some cool plug-ins, and the convenient tabbed browsing experience. To compete with Mozilla, Microsoft started to make improvements to Internet Explorer…this is the Microsoft way. The bottom line is Internet Explorer improved enough to be considered “as good” as Firefox.

Need more proof? Look at how Microsoft has responded to Apple’s competitive advantage regarding security. Apple is just known to have better security against virus, and spyware attacks, while Windows is well…Windows. In response, Microsoft beefed up its security by adding a security console, which has a built in Firewall, and provides automatic security updates. Vista improved on the concept by adding malware protection to the security suite. Internet Explorer 8 added a phising filter.

Microsoft’s reputation of being an imitator instead of an innovator is one of the reasons people dislike Microsoft. However, Microsoft’s strategy to incorporate the competitions innovations could work well against Google’s Chrome OS.

Google is making the case that cloud computing will be the way everyone will access applications. In other words, the Web will become the platform for almost every application. Based on the popularity of cloud computing in public and private sectors, Google has a valid point.

The question on my mind is what can Google offer that Microsoft can’t? If Chrome’s emphasis is to develop a web optimized operating system, Microsoft’s response will be to simply beef up Windows so that it too will be more optimized for the web.

One scenario Microsoft would hate to see would be a hugely successful Chrome OS that creates a revolution…a revolution that cannot be stopped by mere imitation. Think of how the I-pod has revolutionized the MP3 player...now wouldn’t it be awesome if Google could pull off an OS revolution?

Computing in the Clouds

2009-09-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

I was watching an old episode of Star Trek on late night Cable…another bout of insomnia. This particular episode was about advanced aliens who lived in the clouds. Have you seen this episode? I started to think about clouds and then cloud computing, and thought maybe I should write a basic blog about cloud computing.

So you’ve probably heard the term cloud computing, and thought cool, this cloud computing must be superior to regular computing. Well cloud computing is really just a cool name for computer sharing.

Think of a data center with thousands of servers available. Cloud computing allows businesses to purchase a portion of that computing power from the data center to run their applications over the Internet.

An example of a cloud application would be Google docs. You can get a Google account and have access to Google docs (among others). With Google docs you can create presentations, spreadsheets, and text documents without downloading and installing any software on your personal computer…very cool. So as an end user, cloud computing means that if you have an Internet connection, and a web browser, you can have access to applications without the hassle of downloading and installing software. Google docs is free, but some applications may require a fee.

Cloud computing, big deal, so I don’t need to install software. I guess you’ve never had a hard drive crash, and had to re-load all your applications. The biggest pain I guess isn’t loading the applications, but finding the disks and locating the software key. What about that application you wish you had access to on any computer you touch? Cloud computing fits the bill, any computer with an Internet connection will get you to your cloud application (unless the application is blocked in the firewall). Some cloud applications allow for collaboration with others. You can share your Google docs with your business partners.

Some cloud applications may be dangerous because you may be putting confidential information in the cloud. Consider a financial cloud application that you use to track personal finances. A cloud data breach will compromise your personal information. Keep in mind what information you are putting in the cloud, and make sure that whatever you do, leave your personal information on your personal computer.

Overall cloud computing is a great idea, but it does have some disadvantages. If there is a data breach, any information in the cloud will be compromised. Working in the cloud takes longer, and quite often the cloud application features are limited in scope. A locally installed word processor will have many more features than a cloud word processor. You need to have access to the Internet to get to your application. Lose your Internet connection, or the cloud site is down and you won’t be able to work until the problem is fixed.

Depending on your workload, and your computing style, you can easily leverage cloud applications to increase your efficiency.

Getting security under your thumb

2009-09-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

I sure love thumb drives. My buddy just handed me a thumb drive with a couple of movies on it…sweet. I just plug the drive in and watch my movies from the thumb drive. Almost everybody owns a thumb drive, and on those thumb drives we keep all kinds of information…some information may be more sensitive than a movie or music.

Consider someone who needs to import, or store customer data onto a drive. Depending on the customer and the sensitivity of the data, a simple password might do the trick. But if you’re paranoid like me, you might want to take your security to the next level…encryption.

There are plenty of programs that will encrypt your thumb drive, but we’re talking about taking thumb drive encryption to another level. Enter the Kingston’s Data Traveler Vault and Data Traveler Vault –Privacy series thumb drives. Kingston installs advance encryption onto the thumb drive as software and in the thumb drive hardware…which makes it extremely difficult to hack.

The Kingston Data Traveler is password protected. The password is entered when you plug in the drive, and click on the DTFaultLock Format console. The Console allows you to change passwords as well. When the password is entered and confirmed you can read and write data to a “private” area or a “public” area. The private area is encrypted, while the public area is not. The Kingston Data Traveler Vault – Privacy edition only has a privacy area. Decryption happens after the password is confirmed.

The Data Traveler Vault uses AES-256 (Advanced Encryption Standard, 256-bit) encryption. AES encryption requires the same exact key must be used to encrypt and decrypt the data, otherwise the data remains unreadable. After 10 failed login attempts, the drive is locked down. Locking the drive down after 10 attempts will prohibit the use password guessing programs.

Another benefit of the Kingston drive is that it works on both Windows and Mac. Linux is not yet supported.

The Kingston Data Traveler Vault is between $200 and $220 for the 8-GB drive. If protecting your data is extremely important, and your data cannot fall into the wrong hands, then this is the device for you.

Adding a second monitor is easier, and cheaper than you think

2009-09-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

If you spend a lot of time on your computer, you should consider adding a second monitor. Adding a second monitor makes sense if you have the space, and the money. This upgrade will immediately boost your productivity, and enhance the entertainment value of your computer. Imagine browsing the web on one screen, and checking e-mail on the other screen…and not having to constantly minimize and maximize applications. I like having my Sling Player deliver TV on one screen, while “working” on the other screen; yes you can work and watch TV at the same time. You’ll marvel at how much having two or more monitors can better organize your computing life.

A quick search on the Internet shows how inexpensive LCD monitors have become. I’ve found decent 19” monitors between $110 and $150! The second part of the puzzle is purchasing a dual head video card. A decent dual head video card will run between $70 and $150. Upgrading to a second monitor will cost between $180 and $300…not too bad.

You’ve purchased your 2^nd monitor and a dual head video card, now what? Installing the new card is simple, and can be done in 30 min. The hardest part of the upgrade is disconnecting you computer and figuring out how to open the case. I found a pretty good set of basic instructions to do the upgrade yourself… http://computershopper.com/lcd-monitors/howto/how-to-add-a-second-monitor

However, this is such an easy install you can easily get your computer buddy to do it for pizza and cold beer.

What the Heck is PC Virtualization?

2009-09-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

Computer virtualization…sounds pretty cool. Want to sound like a computer guru, try throwing “desktop virtualization” around in a conversation, and watch the eyes glaze over. But seriously, what’s the deal with desktop virtualization, and why should you consider using it?

The easiest way to explain desktop virtualization is to think of a computer inside of another computer. I guess a synonym for virtualization would be emulation. You are emulating another computer on your physical computer.

First you have your physical computer on your desk, with all kinds of software installed on it. Now you download and install some desktop virtualization software like Microsoft Virtual PC (free), or VMware workstation (30 day free trial) on to your physical computer. After installing your desktop virtualization software, you’ll launch the virtualization software, and create a new virtual computer.

To create your new Virtual machine, you’ll need to define some virtual hardware specifications (easier than it sounds), install a real operating system (just like you would on a physical computer). After installing an operating system on this virtual machine, you can now run this new virtual machine inside of your physical computer. The virtual machine boots just like a physical computer would, and thus you would log on the same way. The best part about virtualization is the virtual machine is totally separate or encapsulated from the physical computer. Therefore, whatever happens on the virtual machine stays on the virtual machine!

So what are some of the benefits of desktop virtualization? In other words, what are the benefits of being able to use different operating systems on the same computer?

If you’re a software developer, the advantages are obvious. As a software developer, you can easily test your applications on different operating system platforms. Without Virtualization, a software developer would require several physical computers to test his/her applications. So virtualization saves money and time for software developers.

You can use desktop virtualization for training. Want to learn Linux, create a Linux virtual machine and get busy. Need to train a new employee? Create a virtual machine with all the applications installed and train your employee in the virtual machine’s environment.

Tired of your spouse, child, or guest installing silly software on your computer or messing up your settings? Create a virtual machine for each computer user. Create a user account for each user, and then install a virtual machine for each user. You can set it up so that when the user logs on to the physical computer, the virtual machine launches in full screen mode, making the virtual machine somewhat transparent to the user. The user can do whatever he/she wants to the virtual machine, without damaging the physical machine’s software. Remember whatever happens on the virtual machine, stays on the virtual machine. If the user “breaks” the virtual machine, simply delete the broken virtual machine, and restore the original copy of that virtual machine.

I forgot to mention that each virtual machine you make creates a set of files on your physical hard drive. Therefore when you create a virtual machine you can save those virtual machine files and easily restore those files when a virtual machine breaks.

Finally, you can use virtual machines to safely browse the Internet. You can work on your physical computer, and when you need to browse the Internet, launch your virtual machine. If you download a virus, spyware or something nasty, the bad stuff is on the virtual machine, not your physical computer. You can set up your virtual machine not to save any changes made to it. Therefore the next time you launch your virtual machine, it will be restored to its original configuration…no more virus!

Virtual machines are easy to use, powerful, and have great uses in business as well as in the home. Download Microsoft’s Virtual PC and have fun.

Google Chrome My New Browser of Choice

2009-09-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

Google Chrome 2.0 is the browser I use almost exclusively. I like Chrome because of its sleek, minimalist design; no tool bars stacked up with all kinds of buttons, title bars, or other clutter. With Chrome I had a no difficulty finding things because there are only a few buttons to click on. The configuration options are so simple that its hard to screw things up. I like simple...but I like fast even better, and chrome is fast.

As you would expect, searching is an integral part of Chrome; and Google has added some clever features to make searching easier. Chrome goes beyond Internet Explorer and Firefox by allowing you to search your history page titles as well as your historical page content. The default search engine for Chrome is Google. However, you can choose from a list of other search engines, or you can manually add your own search engine. Type 'google crab cakes' to search for crab cakes on Google. The same syntax works for Yahoo, Ask, Live Search, and other sites that are already recognized by Google or that you add to Chrome's collection of search engines.

Chrome uses multiple tabs and each tab runs their own distinct process; if one tab crashes or hangs (for instance, due to a plug-in gone wild), it won't cause the other tabs to blow up. If Chrome crashes altogether you can configure it to restore your most recent session.

Chrome's really good for browsing, but it's also being turned into a platform through which Google intends to deliver more of its OS-neutral Web applications -- Gmail, Docs, and so on. Chrome's design blurs the gap between desktop and so-called "cloud computing." At the touch of a button, Chrome lets you make a desktop, Start menu, or QuickLaunch shortcut to any Web page or Web application, blurring the line between what's online and what's inside your PC. This is another reason why I like Chrome, I use all the Google stuff, so its very easy for me to add shortcuts to my online Google apps.

Some of Chrome's best features are those aimed at developers: its JavaScript engine, and especially its object inspector for Web pages. The object inspector is really cool, you can manually inject properties into any element on a page and not only see, but interact directly with the results. Chrome also has a task manger that shows you which tabbed websites are using the most resources: when browsing is slow, you can pinpoint the memory hogs and shut down that web page, or the other pages you are not actively viewing.

To me Chrome is fast, sleek, and is a innovative browser with flexibility...what more can you ask for?

The future is here...kinda.

2009-08-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I was a big fan of cartoons and science fiction. I wanted a flying car like George Jetson, a communicator like captain Kirk, and a jet pack that would allow me to fly to school. I was wondering if any of these things were available now….I guess the flip phone would be the Star trek communicator I already have, and that’s been out for years ;)

Terrafugia calls its flying car the “roadable aircraft.” This car can switch to an airplane in 30 seconds. Got to have one? Cough up $200,000 and it’s all yours. It’s a start, but you can’t just fly on the go. I want to take off from my street. However, you’ll save money renting hangar space because you can drive your plane home from the airport.

What about a helicopter car? Now a helicopter makes obvious sense...Just take-off from wherever you are. Unfortunately, I did not find anything promising on the helicopter car, but I did find a cool Japanese personal helicopter (Gen H-4) for about $32,000. It looks dangerous as hell.

That personal helicopter looks scary, but what about a jet pack? A New Zealand company called Martin Jetpack makes a really cool looking jet pack. It seems more stable than the Japanese personal helicopter, but scary none the less. I don’t know what they cost, but Martin Jetpack will take personal orders in 2010.

What’s going on with the famous Dick Tracy watch phone? Looks like LG is planning the release of a watch phone (GD910) in the United Kingdom in August 2009! From what I’ve read the phone will cost something in the $1200 dollar range, with a separate monthly contract fee.

In addition to being able to make standard and video calls, the GD910 can also make text messages and goes completely wireless with a Bluetooth headset. The GD910 also sends email and uses voice commands to access features. It even has a MP3 player. I wonder if LG worked out the whole RF radio wave and cancer thing.

It looks like future is now, but not for me because I can't afford any of this cools stuff.

Is Windows 7 a winner?

2009-08-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

For several months I’ve been playing with the Windows 7 beta, and quite honestly, I like Windows 7 better than XP. Yes XP is like an old pair of comfortable shoes that just feels great. However Windows 7 will make you want to trade up.

Microsoft’s goal with Windows 7 was performance, performance, performance. That’s really a no brainer! Which begs the question what happened with Vista…I aint gonna go there. Windows 7 needed to be as fast as XP, with all the best features of Vista. Windows 7 needed to run on less powerful hardware, and have better driver support. The bottom line is Windows 7 is what vista should have been.

The first thing I noticed about Windows 7 is that it was extremely easy to install. The best part was that after the install…everything worked! Sounds silly doesn’t it? If you had the painful experience of installing Vista…then you know not to take for granted that the installed operating system will work on acceptable hardware.

I love the new Windows 7 user interface…ok it seems to be a rip-off from Mac Expose, but who cares; I couldn’t afford a Mac anyway. The user interface makes every open window transparent except the window with focus. Now finding what you’re looking for is much easier. The task of maximizing and minimizing windows to find stuff is gone. Now you just let the windows exist as they are; which allows you to juggle them easier. I my opinion this kind of user interface is better suited for real multi-tasking. The old ways of Alt + Tabing or maximizing/minimizing windows to find stuff is obsolete with Windows 7.

Windows 7 is less intrusive than Vista. O.K. we know Microsoft’s intent is to provide a more secure environment, but working with Vista was like working with a nagging, micro-managing boss hunched over your shoulder! Well Windows 7 is still watching, but it does not interfere nearly as much.

The Windows 7 search features are more logical and faster. If you’re like me and have a boat load of music files, you will enjoy being able to easily search for music by artist, genre, or album…yes! Windows 7 also has some nice file previews. However the media player still sucks.

The Windows 7 networking has more to be desired. It’s a little easier to connect to a wireless network, but the whole networking and sharing stuff is really not very intuitive. I think it should be a much easier to share stuff on your own network with friendly computers. That’s what the home networking concept is supposed to be about. However it’s not as easy as it should be.

Explorer 8 is weak. O.K. Explorer 8 is better than Explorer 7, but you’ll still be downloading Firefox, Opera or Chrome.

Windows 7 is clearly better than Vista, and is has a more efficient user interface than XP. I honestly think Microsoft has done a very good job with Windows 7. I just wish Microsoft released Windows 7 instead of Vista.

8 Ways to Avoid Viruses and Spyware

2009-08-24T11:17:00.001-07:00

It’s a dangerous world out there on the Internet. There are all kinds of nasty viruses lurking, waiting to infect your computer and cause you all kinds of problems. So, how bad is it out there?
Google Research suggests that one in every 10 Web sites is infected with "drive-by" malware. In June 2009, the Windows Secrets e-newsletter reported that such seemingly safe Web sites as Coldwell Banker.com, Variety.com, and even Tennis.com were exposing Internet Explorer visitors to the Gumblar exploit, which threatens to compromise visitors' systems in order to propagate.
To have a fighting chance against these nasty viruses, and spyware threats, we have to stay informed and be proactive. Here are some practical guidelines you can follow to minimize the risk of computer infection.
1: Install quality antivirus
So you think your free antivirus program (such as those included with an Internet service provider's bundled service offering), is sufficient to protect your computer from a virus or spyware infection? The truth is free antivirus programs typically don't provide adequate protection from the ever-growing list of threats. Instead purchase a commercial grade antivirus program and then deploy enhanced features like automatic updates, (thereby providing timely protection against fast-emerging vulnerabilities) and custom scans.

2: Install real-time anti-spyware protection

Hybrid antivirus programs with integrated spyware protection will not provide sufficient protection from adware and spyware. The same thing applies to using a free anti-spyware application along with an antivirus utility. Both cases fail to deliver adequate protection from the skyrocketing number of spyware threats.
The problem is most free anti-spyware programs is that they don't provide real-time or active protection from adware, Trojan, and other spyware infections. Many free programs can detect spyware threats once they've infected your computer. However, professional (or fully paid and licensed) anti-spyware programs can prevent infections and fully remove infections already present. So purchase the fully licensed versions of anti-spyware software.

3: Keep anti-malware applications current

In early 2009, antivirus provider AVG released statistics revealing that a lot of serious computer threats are secretive and fast-moving. Many of these infections are short-lived, but they're estimated to infect as many as 100,000 to 300,000 new Web sites a day. Those threats are spreading with alarming speed; thanks to the popularity of such social media sites as Twitter, Facebook, and My Space.
The problem is antivirus and anti-spyware programs require regular updates. Without these critical updates, anti-malware programs are unable to protect PCs from the latest threats.
So keep your antivirus and anti-spyware applications up to date. Take the necessary precautions to prevent license expiration; thereby ensuring that your anti-malware programs stay current and continue providing protection against the most recent threats.

4: Perform daily scans

Sometimes, virus and spyware threats escape your antivirus’ protective engines and infect your computer. The large volume of new threats makes it possible for a sneaky virus to slip past your security software. In other cases, we may inadvertently configure our anti-malware software to allow a virus or spyware program to run.
The best thing to do is to enable a daily scan of your computer's entire hard drive. By doing this you’re adding another layer of protection. These daily scans can be invaluable in detecting, isolating, and removing infections that escape your security software's defense.

5: Disable autorun

I know autorun is convenient, but many viruses work by attaching themselves to a drive and automatically installing themselves on to any other media connected to the system. As a result, connecting any network drive, external hard disk, or even a thumb drive to your computer can cause the automatic spreading of a virus.
You can disable the Windows autorun feature by following Microsoft's recommendations, which differ by operating system. Microsoft Knowledge Base articles 967715 and 967940 are frequently referenced for this purpose.

6: Disable image previews in Outlook

We all know that spam and junk mail can contain nasty viruses. However, some email threats are embedded in the graphics of e-mails. When you have the Outlook preview enabled, that virus hiding in the graphic is launched. Prevent automatic infections by disabling image previews in Outlook.
By default, newer versions of Microsoft Outlook do not automatically display images. But if you or another user has changed the default security settings, you can switch them back (using Outlook 2007) by going to Tools | Trust Center, highlighting the Automatic Download option, and selecting Don't Download Pictures Automatically In HTML E-Mail Messages Or RSS.

7: Don't click on email links or attachments

We’ve heard this a thousand times: Don't click on email links or attachments. Yet we almost always forget to heed this simple warning.
Sometimes we get distracted, become trustful of friends, or colleagues we know, or simply get fooled by a crafty email messages. Be wary of links and attachments included within email messages, regardless of the source. Simply clicking on an email link or attachment can, within minutes, corrupt Windows, infect other machines, and destroy critical data.
Never click on email attachments without first scanning them for viruses. As for clicking on links, we should access web sites by opening a browser and manually navigating to the web site in question.

8: Surf smart

Many popular web browsers have plug-ins that help protect against drive-by infections, phishing attacks (in which pages purport to serve one function when in fact they try to steal personal, financial, or other sensitive information), and "link protection," in which Web links are checked against databases of known-bad pages.
You should ensure these protective features are enabled in your web browser. The only exception is if the plug-in interferes with normal Web browsing. The same is true for automatic pop-up blockers included in Internet Explorer 8, Google's toolbar, and other popular browser toolbars.
You should never enter your account, personal, financial, or other sensitive information on any Web page at that you haven’t manually arrived at. You should instead open a Web browser, enter the address of the page you need to go to, and then enter your information. The Internet scammer sends us a hyperlink and we assume the link will direct us to the proper web site. Hyperlinks contained within an e-mail message often redirect us to fraudulent, fake, or unauthorized Web sites. By entering Web addresses manually, we can ensure that we are going to the real web site.
The Internet will always have malicious viruses, and other threats. Using these guidelines will go a long way toward protecting your computer from those Internet threats.

Web Slang, lingo, and acronyms used in chat rooms, Instant Messages, and Text Messaging

2009-08-24T11:11:00.001-07:00

Probably my least favorite aspect of computer culture is the dreaded web slang and acronyms. Although some of the slang I really like; my favorite being WTF. I actually use that one in conversations.
Here is the List:

AAK	Alive And Kicking
AAR	At Any Rate
AAS	Alive And Smiling
ADN	Any Day Now
AFAIK	As Far As I Know
AFK	Away From the Keyboard
AFN	that's All For Now
AOTA	All Of The Above
a/s/l or asl	Age/Sex/Location - (used to ask a chatter their personal information)
AV	Avatar - Graphical representation (a picture) often used in chat rooms to depict a person that is in the room and chatting.
b4	Before
BAK	Back At Keyboard (I'm back)
BBL	Be Back Later
BBS	Be Back Soon
BCNU	I'll Be Seeing You.
b/f	Boyfriend (also shown as bf, B/F, or BF)
BEG	Big Evil Grin
BFN	Bye For Now
BMA	Bite My A** (became popular with the Simpson's cartoon show)
boot	To get kicked out of a chat room, or have to restart the computer because you couldn't talk in the chat room anymore.
BR	Best Regards
BRB	Be Right Back
BRH	Be Right Here
BSEG	Big S**t Eatin Grin
BTA	But Then Again....
BTW	By The Way
btw	BeTWeen you and me ...
chat room	A web page where people gather using software that allows them to talk to one another in real time.
CRS	Can't Remember S**t
CU	See You - also posted as cya
CUS	Can't Understand S**t (stuff)
CNP	Continued in Next Post (seen more on message boards than chat)
CP	Chat Post
CUL8R	See You Later
CUOL	See You On Line
CYA	See Ya
dd, ds, dh	Darling or Dear: Dear Son, Dear Daughter, or Dear Husband. Usually exchanged in family chats.
DDSOS	Different Day, Same Old S**t
DEGT	Don't Even Go There (I don't want to talk about it)
DIKU	Do I Know You?
DIS	Did I Say
D/L, DL, d/l, dl	Downloading, or Download it.
EG	Evil Grin
EM	E-Mail
EMA	E-mail Address (example: ?ema or ema? = what is your email address)
EOT	End Of Thread (meaning end of discussion)
ez or EZ	easy (one of the really old ones)
F2F	Face To Face
FAQ	Frequently Asked Question
FISH	First In Still Here (someone who is on line TOO much)
FITB	Fill In The Blanks
flame	to insult someone. Used when a person asks a stupid question, or says something rude to irritate the users of a chat room or message board.
FOCL	Falling Off Chair - Laughing
forum	What todays message boards are called. Often using php as defining language to quickly write 'real time' messages and replies to a web site (or page)
FTS	F* This S*
fu	f*** you (If you can't figure this one out, you shouldn't be on line)
FUBAR	"Fouled" Up Beyond All Repair / Recognition
FUD	Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt
FWIW	For What It's Worth
FYI	For Your Information
GA	Go Ahead
GAL	Get A Life
gest	Gesture ... a small multimedia file played over the internet, usually expressing an emotion or comment.
g/f	Girlfriend (also shown as gf, G/F, or GF)
GFN	Gone For Now
GGOH	Gotta Get Outta Here
GMTA	Great Minds Think Alike
GR	Gotta Run
GR&D	Grinning, Running, and Ducking.
GTR	Got To Run
GTRM	Going To Read Mail (leaving chat room to check email)
H&K	Hugs and Kisses
hack	person who breaks into software, or disrupts a chat room.
HAGD	Have A Good Day
HAGO	Have A Good One
Halsoft	Name of a company that purchased the brand of Chat that Excite offered, now a pay as you go service.
HB	Hurry Back
Hosts	Refers to the people that are running the chat room, they usually have the ability to kick a person off due to rude behavior.
HTH	Hope That Helps
huggles	Hugs
IAC	In Any Case
IB	I'm Back
IC	I See
IDN	I Don't kNow
IDK	I Don't Know
IDTS	I Don't Think So
IANAL	I'm Am Not A Lawyer (expect an uninformed opinion)
IC	I See
ICQ	I Seek You. A computer program used to communicate instantly over the Internet.
ILU or ILY	I Love You
IM	Instant Message
IMHO	In My Humble Opinion (or In My Honest Opinion)
IMO	In My Opinion
IOH	I'm Out of Here
IOW	In Other Words
IRL	In Real Life
IYO	In Your Opinion
JAS	Just A Second
JIC	Just In Case
JK	Just Kidding
JMO	Just My Opinion
JW	Just Wondering
k, K, or kk	O. K.
KIT	Keep In Touch
L8R	Later (an early one, kind of outdated with current 'young geeks')
LMAO	Laughing My Ass Off
LFFAO	Laughing My F***(freaking) Ass Off
LOL	Laughing Out Loud
LTNS	Long Time No See
LTS	Laughing To ones Self
LY	I Love Ya.
LYL	Love You Lots
Message Board.	A web page where people write comments, and those comments are than added to that web-page for others to view. Used to carry on conversation, request information, and relay messages.
MUG	Refers to a new user of that chat program, goes back to Excite VP days when the AV (or icon) that represented someone new was a picture of a coffee mug.
NE1	Anyone
newbie	refers to a person who is new to an area or technology. Also seen as nube, nooby, nubie, nb, etc.
NFW	No Feasible (or F***ing) Way
NIMBY	Not In My Back Yard
nm, or NM	Never Mind
NP, np	No Problem
NRN	1. No Response Necessary 2. Not Right Now
NT	No Thanks
OBTW	Oh, By The Way.
OIC	Oh, I See
OF	Old Fart, someone who has been around for a while.
OJ or OK	Only Joking or Only Kidding
OL	the Old Lady
OM	the Old Man
OMG	Oh My Gosh (although it's usually used with the Lords name in place of "gosh")
OT	Off Topic
oth or OTH	Off The Hook: Something is really popular, or hot. Very exciting.
otr or OTR	Off The Rack: Saying that something is outside the ordinary.
OTE	Over The Edge (beyond common sense or beyond good taste)
OTOH	On The Other Hand ...
OTOMH	Off the Top of My Head ...
OTW	On The Way ... I've sent a file to you, it's "On the way"
P911	My parents are in the room. P=Parents, and 911=emergency, in other words either drop the subject, or watch the language.
PANS	Pretty Awesome New Stuff (often referring to computer technology)
PCMCIA	Personal Computer Memory Cards International Association
PCMCIA	People Can't Master Computer Industry Acronyms (slang)
PEBCAK	Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard
peeps	People. example: "There sure are a lot of peeps in this room" - meaning a lot of people are in the chat room.
peep this	Hey, listen to this, I've got some interesting news.
PITA	Pain In The Ass
PLZ	Please
PMJI	Pardon Me for Jumping In (when you enter into a new conversation)
poof	when someone leaves a chat room, often seen as poof as in boy he poofed in a hurry.
POTS	Plain Old Telephone Service
POS	Parents are looking Over my Shoulder.
POTS	Parents Over The Shoulder - (My parents are watching, I can't really talk)
PPL	People
QT	Cutie
RFC	Request For Comments (used more in newsgroups, a page or pages that supply technical information)
rl or RL	Real Life (as opposed to being online)
r m or RM	Ready Made: pre-existing
ROFL	Rolling On Floor, Laughing
ROTF	Rolling On The Floor (laughing is implied)
ROTFLMAO	Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Ass Off
ROTFLMFAO	Rolling On The Floor Laughing F(***ing) My Ass Off
RSN	Real Soon Now
r/t	Real Time (also: RT, or rt)
RTFM	Read The "Flippin" Manual (response to beginner question on net, chat, newsgroups, etc.)
RU	aRe yoU?
SEG	Shit Eating Grin
SH	Same Here
SMS	Short Message Service (more cell phones and pagers than chat rooms and the Internet)
SN	Screen Name. The name or moniker selected by person in an IM or chat program. ex: My "SN" in vp was "-lone.wolf"
SNAFU	Situation Normal, All "Fouled" Up
SO	Significant Other
SOL	Shit Out Of Luck
SOS	Same Old S**t (stuff)
SOTA	State Of The Art (latest technology)
SPST	Same Place, Same Time
SSDD	Same S**t, Different Day
STR8	Straight (can refer to sex, or DSTR8 as in Damn Straight)
STW	Search The Web
SY	Sincerely Yours
SYL	See You Later
TAFN	That's All For Now
TC	Take Care
TFH	Thread From Hell (a topic or discussion that won't stop - esp. newsgroups)
TGIF	Thank Goodness It's Friday
THX	Thanks!
TIA	Thanks In Advance
TM	Text Message (often refers to communications with text over cell phones)
TMI	Too Much Info. (information)
TNT	'Til Next Time
TPS	That's Pretty Stupid
TPTB	The Powers That Be (can sometimes refer to the people that are running the chat room or server)
TRDMF	Tears Running Down My Face: Can be with either laughter, or due to saddness.
TS	Tough S**t
TSFY	Tough S**t For You
TTFN	Ta-Ta For Now
TTTT	These Things Take Time
TTYL	Talk To You Later
TY	Thank You
TYT	Take Your Time
TYVM	Thank You Very Much
VPPH	Virtual Places Page Host
US	You Suck
usa or USA	Until Sides Ache: Usually used with one of the laughter acronyms such as "lolusa" Laughing Out Loud Until my Sides Ache. I've also heard that some folks substitute ush for "Until Sides Hurt". rotflolush = rolling on the floor, laughing out loud, until my sides hurt.
UV	Unpleasant Visual
UW	yoU're Welcome
UY	Up Yours
vp or VP	Virtual Places: A brand of chat offered by Excite in the late 90s and early 2000.
WB	Welcome Back (you say this when someone returns to a chat room)
WC	WelCome
WEG	Wicked Evil Grin
WEU	What's Eating You?
WFM	Works For Me
WIIFM	What's In It For Me?
WTG	Way To Go
WTF	What The F**K
WT?	What The ...? or Who the ...?
WTGP?	Want To Go Private? (move to a private chat room)
WWJD	What Would Jesus Do?
YAA	Yet Another Acronym
YBS	You'll Be Sorry
YL	Young Lady
YM	Young Man
YMMV	Your Mileage May Vary
YR	Yea, Right. (sarcastic)
ys	You Stinker
YVW	You're Very Welcome
YW	You're Welcome

Driving While on the Cell Phone

2009-08-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

On the drive to work today I watched a car quickly swerve into and out of the next lane. I took a quick look at the driver as I passed, and sure enough he was on his cell phone. Of course this scenario happens countless times per day. I wondered how many accidents occur because of cell phone usage.

A quick search on Google, (not while I was driving) and a few extra minutes to sort out the information yielded some interesting statistics. Harvard researchers estimate about one in 20 U.S. traffic accidents involve a driver talking on a cell phone. “We calculate that around 2,600 people die each year as a result of this use of the technology," said researcher Joshua Cohen of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis. Another 330,000 are believed injured.

The Harvard researchers calculated the costs associated with accidents caused by cell phones, such as medical bills and loss of life. The costs added up to an estimated $43 billion a year.
So what’s the solution? We aren’t going to give up our cell phones. Cell phones offer benefits such as security and peace of mind for instant communication, increased productivity, privacy and quicker crime and accident reporting. All of these are undeniable benefits of cell phones.

The current trend is to create laws to limit, or even ban cell phone usage. New York State banned handheld cell phone use by drivers in June 2001. Six other states have some regulation of in-vehicle use of cell phones, ranging from a one-hand-on-the-steering-wheel rule to prohibiting school bus drivers from using a phone. There is already a push to ban cell phone use altogether.

In my opinion legislation is the wrong approach…it’s not practical in my view. I believe technology is the answer to this problem; and this technology is available now!

Lane Departure Warning Systems: This is some cool stuff! Basically you have cameras on your car, an onboard computer loaded with image recognition software. When your vehicle drifts, the system creates an audible warning, or a distinctive rumble.

Forward collision warning: This system uses radar to warn to the driver when his vehicle is too close to another vehicle.

Blind spot warning: Radar and computer algorithms alert the driver when another vehicle is the blind spot. The system is activated when the turn signal is engaged.

The obvious question is will this new technology become mandatory in new vehicles? According to The Detroit News, it might be. The Motown daily says that government officials are pondering whether or not they should require new vehicles to be fitted with lane-departure warning systems and automatic braking systems that trigger upon warning of an impending accident.

Both systems are currently available only in a very small percentage of new passenger cars – primarily luxury vehicles. According to the Detroit News report, safety experts believe that the systems "show significant promise" in their ability to reduce traffic accident-related fatalities and injuries.

My opinion is if a particular technology can save lives, and is reliable then it should be available. I feel that it is inevitable that this kind technology will become widely available…even if the government does not get involved. Anti-lock braking, side curtain air-bags, are some examples of technology that started out available on luxury vehicle, which eventually became options or standard on most vehicles. I see the same thing happening with lane departure warning systems, and collision warning systems…it’s just a matter of time.

HELLO World

2009-08-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

So what is Computer Culture about? I envision this blog to be all things computers! Why limit this thing. I really wanted to do this blog because of how addicted to Face Book I’ve become….and I still don’t know why? I wake up, and check FB. Sometimes at work, I’ll peak at FB. I started thinking WTF; I need to get a life.

It occurred to me that FB, and all these social websites are just another aspect of our culture…like music, fashion or slang. Some of this blog will be about computers, technology, gadgets…I love gadgets, and anything that I find interesting, and hopefully some of this stuff will be interesting to others that read along.

I texted my buddy, and asked him if he was in FB, he replied…”I’m incognito, I don’t do social websites.” I started thinking about the privacy issues related to participating in FB…and thought who freakin cares? Then I thought what the heck is he into? Of course only an idiot would publish their home address or something personal that could get him hurt, ripped off or worse. So what is the big deal?

I embrace this computer culture.