Funny facebook video

This funny facebook video is bound to hit home with even the newest facbookie. Enjoy! http://www.wallstrip.com/2007/12/17/12-17-07-facebook/

Now stop wasting time, and start watching.

Open Source Saves Money

If you're still tied to the world of M$, and are searching for a reason to break the chains of propriety software, how about saving money! According to an article by engadget, the Netherlands is expecting to save millions of dollars each year by switching to open source. The Netherlands government unanimously approved the change, which will take place in April of 2008.

Opening Christmas Gifts

This Christmas when you are fighting with that plastic packaging that even a dog can't chew through, all to free you new prized possession. Alright, you just want to play with the damn toy! Lifehacker.com has a handy tip that may allow you to loose the plastic wrap and start playing a whole lot sooner, and not to mention save your hands from a trip to the ER.

Christmast Gift Ideas

Alright, I know I said I did not want any gifts for Christmas this year, but if you are feeling inspired to buy me something, I'll take one of these. Please contact me for shipping information!

Holy Wii

According to engadget, Nintendo is producing 1.8 million Wiis per
month, and they still think there might be a shortage this holiday
season. For Christmas this year, I want 1 share of Nintendo: it will
be worth more than the Wii in the long run, and I assume it's easier
to get than the Wii is.

Your future health

Tech Crunch has an interesting brief about a new start-up called 23andme. The company will start selling DNA analysis, allowing you to see what health issues are likely to be in you future base on you DNA.

The good I see in this technology is it may allow us to prevent certain health issues we're at high risk of attracting. However, is there a downside? How can insurance companies use this information? Would you want an analysis of your DNA?

You can read the Tech Crunch article here
www.google.com/reader/m/view/?i=4217947493988525249&c=CLKp74rw448C&n=1

Shocking News

Slashdot states the Australian Army is using technology to energize the troops. You can read the short article from Slashdot here.

Want to save money on your car insurance?

An article from Techdirt explains how insurance companies are offering their clients discounts on car insurance, if you're willing to allow your driving habits to be monitored! Personally, I don't think it will be too long before auto manufactures start including GPS monitoring systems in new vehicles, which will allow real-time monitoring online, thereby giving parents the ability to monitor their child's driving habits and whereabouts. Although, allowing your spouse to know your whereabouts may end poker night with the boys!

Teaching the Techno-kid

The Technology Evangelist has an interesting video and article about teaching in today's technical world. I've been thinking a lot lately about how we are educating today's youth. Are we using outdated techniques, ways that served their purpose of years past? Is it punishment to force a child, one who's mind is hyper-active and constantly seeking stimulation, to sit through a hour class with the teacher using a chalk board as an aid? Should we change our ways of teaching so they relate to today's youth? What are your thoughts?

How life has changed

Around one year ago I would have never thought to visit a web site about environmentally friendly diapers, yes diapers. As I was in my Google Reader browsing some of the blogs I'm subscribed to, I was intrigued by a blog titled, "Easy Ways to Live Grener". It just so happens I've been thinking a lot about diapers, and before you tell me to seek mental help, understand my "thinking" is due to tossing 8 diapers in the trash each day. According to "Easy Ways to Live Greener", there is a environmentally friendly diaper you can flush, or compost. What a great idea! You can watch a demonstration by click here, then click on watch.

Car of the future

Slashdot has an interesting article about the new Nissan automobile. According to the article, a "birds-eye view" of what's behind you. I'm waiting for the day when you enter your vehicle, say your destination, and sit back and enjoy the ride.

Create an instant .PDF file

The LBlog has a slick tip for instantly creating a .pdf file using Linux. If you are new to Linux, I recommend you visit http://linuxbasics.org. Linuxbasics.org is a great community dedicated to helping people use Linux.

Keep your software up to date

Lifehacker.com has a useful article on an application called appsnap. According to lifehacker, appsnap allows you to keep your installed applications up to date by notifying you when new versions are released. Unfortunately, appsnap is available for Windows only, but I look forward to trying it out anyway.

Searching for a new career?

Slashdot posts that cybercrime surpasses worldwide illegal drug trade in value! I'm not sure what the qualifications are for employment, but I'm sure a criminal mindset is a must.

The polar bear

Just released is a new report showing the detrimental affects global warming is having on polar bears. I'm glad we don't have to take any of this global warming stuff serious. Maybe if we just continue to ignore the problem, it will go away on its own!

Hospitals & cell phones

If you've been to a hospital in the past few years, you undoubtedly saw the "NO CELL PHONES" signs posted throughout the hospital. If you inquired as to why you were prohibited from using your cell phone in the hospital (like I did), you were probably told because your cell phone interferes with the hospital's electronic equipment. If you are anything like me, you probably refrained from testing this theory due to the causing sever problems for the patients attached to the electronic equipment.

Today, techdirt.com reveals new research that shows using a cell phone in a hospital is not as dangerous as once thought, and using the cell phone on hospital grounds may actually be beneficial. You can read the entire (short) story here.

I wonder who conducted the study that defied the "all knowing" hospital?

Is it real?

I stumbled upon this picture and found myself asking, is this real? I studied the picture for a period of time and did not any discrepancies. Post your opinion: is it real?

Staying Green

While I'm not sure this qualifies as a tech story, I have to imagine a lot of technology was used to create this home. www.treehugger.com has a story about someone in the Netherlands who converted a water tower into their residence - now that is recycling!

Recycle your water

Speaking of saving the planet, check out this short article and video clip from lifehacker.com. While the video certainly brings recycling to a new level, I'm not sure it will catch on real quick.

Global Warming

I saw the movie, An Inconvenient Truth the other night. While this movie does not have the latest in special effects, I found myself asking, "are we really doing this to ourselves"? As much as I wanted to accept the movie as 100 % true, I was skeptical about how much of the "Truth" was distorted. After all, this is a movie, and movies are made to make money, right?

As I was skimming through the news headlines yesterday, I came across an article titled, "Arctic Sea Ice Shrinks to Record Low". After reading the article, I was struck with the harsh reality of An Inconvenient Truth! The facts and predictions in the movie was now appearing as headline news. While a great movie blurs the lines between cinema and reality, this is not the kind of reality any of us wants to see. Do what you can today to make a change!

Fire Fox Tips, Pownce, and We Need Girlfriends

Is Fire Fox your web browser? If not, there is another discussion that needs to take place regarding why you should be using Fire Fox. However, if you are still reading, I assume you are using Fire Fox!

The following link from lifehack.org will show you 15 tips and tricks you can use to make Fire Fox faster, and easier to use .

On another subject, I found this awesome "internet only" show called We Need Girlfriends. Last night I watched episode #8 on my ipod as I was laying in bed. CAUTION: watching We Need Girlfriends before falling asleep can cause involuntary wetting of the bed from sporadic laughter in your dreams - I'm NOT writing from experience or anything, just a word to the wise: empty your bladder before falling asleep!

While I could fill a bunch of space giving my interpretation of We Need Girlfriends, the best thing for you to do is check it out for your self at http://weneedgirlfriends.tv/

Finally, I received my Pownce invite. Pownce is the latest and greatest social networking site! Hop on over to http://www.pownce.com/ and see it for yourself. Membership to Pownce is by invitation only, and I just happen to have a few invites left. So, if you want to be my friend, and are interested in pownce, send me an e-mail.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot... Did you hear about the paper battery? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6945732.stm

Our world is changing all around us, and you found the place to stay connected, abreast, and hip with the latest gadgets and gizmos.

I want your feedback!

Troy the Tech Guy

Universal Service Fund

Have you looked at your phone bill lately? If you look at the line items, you'll notice a little charge for the Universal Service Fund. The amount charged is not a large amount, and according the the FCC's web site the Universal Service Fund was established to help the poor and children - a noble cause. However, if you are like me and actually pay attention to your phone bill, you'll notice the USF (Universal Service Fund) adds up over the course of a year, and the shocking truth is the telephone companies are required to pay the USF fee, but choose to pass the cost along to the consumer. Why you ask? The political correct answer is that each telephone company makes a business decision on how they will handle the USF fee, the blunt reality is because they can!

I encourage you to take a quick look at this article and commentary I found regarding the USF fee. The article does a nice job of explaining the details of the USF fund, and the commentary does a good job of putting the USF into perspective. Keep in mind, many of us pay the USF fee twice, once for our land line provider, and once for our cellular provider. Maybe we can deduct the amount we contribute to the USF fund from our taxes at the end of the year - a charitable contribution?

If you have a thought about the USF fund, post it in the comments.

Peace

Although the topic of peace is technically not a tech topic, I did find the Tips For Keeping the Peace on the internet at http://lifehacker.com. My thoughts for adding this is that we can all use a little more peace, and a little less conflict in our lives.

Keep the peace,

Troy the Tech Guy

Linux on the move

After Dell started selling machines with Linux installed, it was only a matter of time before other big computer manufactures followed Dell's lead. According to Reuters, Lenovo, the world's # 3 PC maker will start selling laptop computers with Linux later this year! Say hello to a new world of FREE and Open Source Software.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSWNAS010720070806

Google searches cell phone industry for growth

Here is an interesting article discussing the possibility of Google creating it's own cell phone network, and providing service for FREE! No more roaming charges.


http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/213328/Report_Google_Working_on_Cellphone_to_Compete_in_Mobile_Market

How to get your computer back in shape

If your computer is slow and cluttered with programs you never use, you can get your computer back in shape by doing a fresh install of Windows. This first thing you want to do is back up your data files (pictures, word documents, music, etc). Before you actually do the back up, I recommend installing AVG anti virus and running a virus scan to make sure you're not copying a virus.

After you back up all data files, it's time to reformat the drive. Reformatting the drive removes, deletes, and destroys any and all files on the drive. The reason you want to reformat is because your system may have spyware and or a virus, and the only sure way to remove spyware and any viruses is to totally wipe the drive clean by reformatting. I use a program called Darik's Boot and Nuke to wipe my hard drive. I also found a program called Ultimate Boot CD which appears to include Darik's Boot and Nuke plus other utilities.

After you reformatted the hard drive, then you simply put your W indows XP disc in the CD ROM drive, it will ask you a few questions, then start installing. AS SOON AS THE INSTALL IS COMPLETE YOU MUST TELL WINDOWS TO CHECK FOR NEW UPDATES. More than likely, the Windows XP disc you have does not contain the many updates Microsoft released to patch security holes (i.e. Service Pack 2). After installing updates, you'll have to reboot your machine, and then tell windows to check for updates again. I recommend you continue to check for updates until Windows says there are no more updates (sometimes you have to check for updates 3-4 times before you get them all).

After you have all updates installed, the next step is to install an anti virus, I recommend AVG. Personally, I don't install a firewall because Windows XP has a built-in firewall, and I am behind a router - which is a firewall. At this point if you want to install any anti spyware program, now is the time to do so.

The final step is to copy your data files back to your desktop, and install any programs you use (i.e. MS Word, Excel, etc). Here are some of my favorite programs:

Web browser - Fire Fox
E-mail - Thunderbird
PDF viewer - Foxit
Office Package (Word processor, Spread sheet, etc) - Open Office

Money saving idea

This week's entry comes from my PDA since time is limited. I have always liked Linux because it is a secure operating system, but did you know how much money you can save by using Linux? Here is a real example from a company you may have heard of, IBM. http://slashdot.org/palm/19/07/07/31/238219_1.shtml (this is a very short read)

Some food for thought: if one company can save millions by switching to Linux, how much can our schools and government save? Maybe instead of implementing another tax increase or cutting another vital program, our government leaders should consider a FREE alternative to the cost burden , vulnerable, filled with problems (Okay, I'm a little bias) Microsoft operating system currently in place. The alternative is Linux!

Maybe a tax refund is in our future. :)

The iPhone

Yesterday, I had my first encounter with the iPhone, and now I'm trying to convince my wife the iPhone is something the whole family can enjoy! Starting out with the phone features, I was impressed at how the iPhone handles voice mail. First of all, the iPhone has a caller id-like feature for voice mails, and when you look at your list of voice mails, you can select the specific voice mail you want to hear, rather than having to listen to all previous voice mails to get to the one you really want.

I was a little skeptical about the interactive touch screen before actually trying it, and after only a few minutes I was a pro at navigating the menus and entering text.

The real star of the show was the photo application. When viewing a picture, I was able to increase the picture size (zoom in) by simply pinching my thumb and index finger together at the center of the picture, then expanding my thumb and index finger towards the corner of the screen, and wammo! the picture size instantly increased.

Finally, I was impressed with the ability of the iPhone to open .pdf and other files. Although I did not try opening a MS Word document, I read on many websites that the iPhone will open MS Word documents too! Side Note: as an alternative to MS Office, try OpenOffice - it's FREE and allows you to open and save files in the proprietary MS format.

While my review of the iPhone barely scratched the surface (this is such a cliche`, and what does it mean to "scratch the surface" anyway? Was this the way wood was refined before sandpaper was invented? Ouch, talk about slivers under your nails!) of the many great features of the iPhone, I encourage you to get your tech on and play with one today!

ooma

Could ooma be the next big thing in the telecommunications industry?

del.icio.us

It's del.icio.us! What is del.icio.us? Del.icio.us is a place for you to store all your favorite websites with the ability to access them from any location. You can think of del.icio.us as an online bookmark.

To get started, go to http://del.icio.us, click on register, and complete the simple registration form. Once registered, you'll be given the option to add the del.icio.us icon to your web browser. I added the icon to my browser tool bar, and I stay logged into del.icio.us as I surf the web. When I find i website I want to bookmark, I simply click on the del.icio.us "TAG" icon, and the website is added to my del.icio.us account. As you add websites to your account, you can easily categorize your bookmarks by "tags" - you can think of a "tag" as a main folder containing many sub-folders. For example, you might create a tag called financial, and under financial have your bank's website, the website you use for stock quotes, and another financial related website. Using this set-up, when you click on financial, you will see all the websites you tagged with the word financial, making organizing your favorite websites easy.

Another great feature of del.icio.us, beyond being able to access your bookmarks from any computer, anywhere, is del.icio.us is a social bookmarking site. A social bookmark site means you can share your bookmarks with your friends, family, and co-workers. As an example, say you find a really great website explaining the fundamentals of molecular biology or quantum physics, you want to share with your friends. Tag your site, and send your friend the link to your delicious site. You can view my del.icio.us bookmarks by clicking here. You can find out more about the many other features of del.icio.us by visiting http://del.ciio.us/help.

Enjoy your tech. Catch you next week!

Troy

Power Freaks

This week I decided to discuss the underlying "power freaks" who moderate craigslist.org. When one of my ads was "flagged for removal", I was instructed to visit help forum. Upon visting the help forum, I found the help forum was not very helpful, and moderated by "power freaks", I suppose I should define a "power freak". A "power freak" in computer terms, is a person with a considerable amount of knowledge in a particular topic or subject that uses their knowledge not to help others, but as a display of greatness and power. As an example, it was once common in the Linux community to respond to new user questions with, "Read the F***** Manual". However, as the Linux community continues to grow, more and more people are experiencing the helpful attitude that is now a monument of the Linux community: kindness towards others.

My early impressions of craigslist.org can be categorized as good vs evil: the FREE craigslist.org was combating the evil newspaper conglomerates who monopolized the classified advertising industry for years. However, upon searching for help in the craigslist's forum, I was unpleasantly surprised that craigslist allowed power freaks to run the help forums. As an example, here is the response to a question regarding why an ad was flagged for removal (not my ad),

"You don't know much about craigslist < --- > 07/02 23:11:40

You're obligated by the terms of use (that you agreed to and hopefully read) to flag inappropriate ads.

Your ad sucked worse than theirs for some reason. Aren't you curious what that reason could be? ".

I'm not sure how stating, "your ad sucked" is helpful in knowing why the ad was flagged. Imagine calling the newspaper and asking why your ad was not published, and being told it's because your ad sucks. Here is another example of an answer to the same question, "why was my add flagged for removal".

"in all cases:

suggestions for improvement to our system are extremely important & needed.

however, please don't ask for an explanation of why your individual posting was removed -- 'cause we don't have one!

thanks!"

If I understand this post, craigslist recognizes the need for suggestions to improve the site, but is not willing to improve their system by providing an explanation of why an ad was removed! Well, enough with the examples, you can read the rest if you like at http://forums.craigslist.org/?forumID=3

Although craigslist.org is a FREE service, does this mean the newer users should not receive helpful customer service? I think craigslist.org is a great service for connecting buyers and sellers, an online garage sale if you will. However, craigslist definitely needs to improve it's customer service by first and foremost removing the power freaks, and providing an adequate explanation of why an ad was removed. As a proactive measure, maybe craigslist should list the top 10 reasons why an ad is removed before allowing the user to submit an ad. Of course, if you want to find out why your ad was removed, you can always ask in the forum, but don't be surprised if your question is answered with, Read the Terms of Service! Does anyone actually read the Terms of Service?

I would love to hear your thoughts. Please send your comments to troythetechguy@gmail.com

Have a great week!

Internt music & the cat command

Happy day to you!

This week I'll introduce you to a web site where discovering new music is automatic and fun. However, you must check out this web site soon because the unjust royalty rates demanded by SoundExchange is sure to delete internet radio.

Also this week, I'll cover the Linux cat command. Now before all you anti-cat folks start to form some not so Gandhi opinions, the Linux cat command is your friend, and will help you to see files in a new way!

Internet Music

If you enjoy listening to a certain style of music, and discovering new artists, then you have to visit www.pandora.com. According to the faq (frequently asked questions) on pandora.com, "the name Pandora means 'all gifted' in Greek", and was chosen as the name of the site because, "In ancient Greek mythology, Pandora received many gifts from the Gods, including the gift of music, from Apollo. She was also, as we all know, insatiably curious."

Enough about ancient Greek mythology (side note - I love Greek salads!). So here is how pandora.com works. When you first go to pandora.com, you are asked to enter the name of your favorite artist or song. After clicking the "Create" button, a new station is created for you, playing music you'll enjoy! Upon my visit to pandora.com, I entered Dave Matthews as the artist. After a few seconds, a station called "Dave Matthews Radio" was created for me. The first song to play was a Dave Matthews' song, and I was shown a brief description of the characteristics of Dave Matthews's music. When the Dave Matthews's song was finished, next played a song by Mike Holden, an artist I never heard of until using Pandora. Pandora figured if I like Dave Matthews, I may also like Mike Holden, and Pandora was right!

Pandora.com has some neat features such as, creating up to 100 stations of customized music, the ability to vote songs "thumbs up or thumbs down" - refining your listening preferences, and hours of commercial free music. In conclusion, pandora.com is superior to conventional radio by allowing you to choose from a wide variety of music what you like best, and the ability to discover new artists and songs.

As a preface to the Linux cat command, I should probably give a little more information on Linux. Linux is no longer the operating system for 'geeks only'. Linux has evolved to the point where if you know how to use a computer running Windows, you can easily run a Linux computer. (Side note - I have a crazy fly buzzing around me as I write, so please excuse me if I have to step away for a moment).

For those of you who have never seen Linux, I encourage you to head over to www.ubuntu.com; here you will find a great overview with screen shots and a list of some of the applications that come with Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a Linux distribution. Unlink Windows where you have one choice (i.e. Windows XP or now Windows Vista), Linux offers its users a wide variety of choices, and Ubuntu is one such choice - did I mention it's FREE! Anyone who's interested in trying out Ubuntu, feel free to contact me and I'll help you.

Linux Command Line Command

cat - concatenate files and print on the standard output

Now for the command of the week, the cat command. The technical definition of the cat command is, "concatenate files and print on the standard output". What the heck does that mean? Let's say you have a file called resume.txt (.txt meaning it's a text file). If you want to see the resume, you can type [cat resume.txt] and press enter. You will now see the contents of the resume file on your screen. I included an example below for your reference.
Example
troy@emac:~$ cat resume.txt
This is my resume.

That will do it for this week. Please join me next week for another exciting web site and a new Linux command line command. Please continue to send your great links and comments to troythetechguy@gmail.com


Have a great week!

Introduction

Hello,

Welcome to the "What's New" blog for Troy the Tech Guy. My purpose is to cover new and interesting developments in the technology world, with a strong emphasis on computers, Linux, social sites, and fun stuff.

I am currently working my way through an introduction to Linux book, but I've been bogged down the past couple months on the chapter covering Vim. Each post into the blog, I will discuss a Linux command and how to use it.


Linux Command Line Command
ls - lists the contents of a directory

To use this command, open a terminal and type the command at the command prompt, and hit enter. Your screen will now display the contents of your current directory.

Example
practice@emac:~$ ls
Desktop Examples mydata.txt test.txt


I hope you will join me by sending your great links, comments, and suggestions to troythetechguy@gmail.com