Category Archives: Technology

I still haven’t been to the movies — over two years later

Posted on 8/19/2008 by dave

I can’t remember the last movie I saw in a theater, but thanks to the miracle of blogging, I don’t have to: it was The Da Vinci Code. That was the movie that put me over the edge. The “pre-theater … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Technology | 7 Comments

That’s it, I’m officially old

Posted on 7/11/2008 by dave

In 1977, at age 10 (!) my stepbrother and I waited for hours in line at the one theater in Seattle that was showing Star Wars. I’m still a little shocked to realize my mom let me go downtown by … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 2 Comments

Why are there fewer interactive ads? Maybe just because they suck.

Posted on 5/19/2008 by dave

The New York Times has an article about how the Internet advertising industry is looking to place fewer fancy interactive ads. Hmmm… I wonder why that is. The article has a lot of theories: “The new advertisers are more cautious … Continue reading →

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Why Linux isn’t popular

Posted on 2/18/2008 by dave

This guy seems to think the reason Linux isn’t popular is because it is free. Since people can get Linux for free, they don’t value it as much as Windows (or Mac OS X). I have a different reason. Linux … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 21 Comments

An iDisk tip for Mac users

Posted on 11/14/2006 by dave

If you’re like me, you like your Mac because it “just works.” But what happens when it doesn’t “just work”? Admit it, it happens to you. Take just this morning: I needed to download a file from my iDisk. Already … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 1 Comment

Cognitive Daily: Was the move to ScienceBlogs worth it?

Posted on 11/3/2006 by dave

It’s been almost a year since Cognitive Daily moved from its original spot at cognitivedaily.com to its current location on ScienceBlogs. So, was it worth it? On the one hand, we do get to say we’re “professional bloggers,” and we’re … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Technology | 2 Comments

Site Stats

Posted on 10/25/2006 by dave

I’ve noticed lately that the stats my ISP provides for Word Munger don’t really change from day to day. Even on days I don’t post, the stats are practically the same as days with one or more posts (According to … Continue reading →

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What the iPod for books needs to be

Posted on 10/5/2006 by dave

If:book has always been pretty hard on ebook readers. Ben Vershbow’s recent analysis of the Sony Reader is no exception. In many ways, Ben’s analysis is right on target. Ebooks need to be more than just electronic versions of print … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 3 Comments

Are the new “energy saver” lights misleading us?

Posted on 8/10/2006 by dave

In the interests of doing my small part to prevent global warming, I’ve been attempting to replace all the incandescent lights in my house with compact fluorescents. The new versions are quite attractive, looking only slightly different from incandescents. But … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Technology | 81 Comments

iWork $30 surcharge

Posted on 5/24/2006 by dave

I just bought the iWork family pack — not a bad deal — just $99 for the whole household. However, I was frustrated to learn about the $30 surcharge. You see iWork requires Quicktime 7 to install. I’ve already paid … Continue reading →

Posted in InstaMunger, Technology | 2 Comments

My secret is out!

Posted on 5/23/2006 by dave

Like many workers, I spend a good portion of my day surfing the Web. Unlike many workers, I don’t have a boss, so my boss can’t monitor my web surfing activity. Businesses, naturally, are worried about employees surfing on company … Continue reading →

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Why hasn’t this issue gotten more traction?

Posted on 5/22/2006 by dave

I just read the first really decent explanation of Net Neutrality But even this article, well-written as it is, doesn’t really express how dire the situation is. I think part of the problem is the term itself: “net neutrality” sounds … Continue reading →

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More new office woes

Posted on 5/1/2006 by dave

I’m back from a weekend at the beach. Myrtle beach, that is. I’d never been before, and I still feel like I haven’t. We stayed a little off the beaten path, in a run down hotel at the edge of … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Technology | 1 Comment

Do cell phones ruin families?

Posted on 4/25/2006 by dave

Rachel over at Alas, a Blog has a post about a study which found that cell phones harm family relationships. Cell phone calls apparently make their lives so complex that the stress overwhelms them. I couldn’t find the study itself … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 2 Comments

Happy birthday, Word Munger!

Posted on 4/19/2006 by dave

Hard to believe, isn’t it? Word Munger is now two years old. Just a year ago, Word Munger took his first baby steps. Now he’s toddling around so quick, you can hardly keep up with him. You might think he … Continue reading →

Posted in Contraception and abortion, General, InstaMunger, Moby Blook, Technology | 5 Comments

Vision-based micro flying machines

Posted on 4/12/2006 by dave

Amazing tiny remote-controlled airplane. Check out the video: It’s now being developed into an autonomous flying machine. They’ve already achieved 5 minutes of autonomous flight in a 20-foot-square room. edit: oops! Main link doesn’t work — you have to click … Continue reading →

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Even for Wikipedia, any publicity is good publicity

Posted on 4/4/2006 by dave

WaPo has an article on Web traffic trends; nothing new if you’ve been paying attention. But one item that caught my eye was the final paragraph: Joining MySpace on the fast track was Wikipedia, the open encyclopedia that anyone can … Continue reading →

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Google Paranoia

Posted on 3/14/2006 by dave

I’ve been arguing for a while that Google is one of the good guys. It’s getting less and less easy to make that case. They’re supporting Chinese government censorship, they’re slurping up internet startups, and they’re acting more “microsofty” every … Continue reading →

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Blogging stats gone wrong

Posted on 2/24/2006 by dave

Grumpy Old Bookman has an interesting post about the significance of blogs. He summarizes some stats from a Financial Times article: Most blogs have very few readers. Only two blogs get over 1 million readers a day, the 100th most … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 10 Comments

What’s up with the $100 laptop?

Posted on 2/2/2006 by dave

That’s what’s up. After being proposed at last year’s World Economic Forum and debuted last November, what’s up now is not much at all, and I have to wonder why. There’s plenty of money being tossed at the project: $2 … Continue reading →

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