» No New Updates » Posted by Vaughn
I feel bad that I haven’t updated in a while. I’ve been tied up with work, purchasing a house and planning a move. With all this on my plate, I haven’t been nearly as creative as I’d like to be. Once my life gets somewhat back to normal, I will establish a regular schedule of postings for you to enjoy.
Thanks for visiting.
» Plurk vs Twitter: No Contest » Posted by Vaughn
Like many others, I’ve been using a service called Plurk for the past several weeks. Plurk has been heavily compared to Twitter and many believe that it is a Twitter killer. Here’s my take on the service.
There are many similarities between Plurk and Twitter. They are micro-blogging sites that are limited to 140 character posts. Both are centered around communication with friends.
Here’s where things start to differ. Twitter has been around since October of 2006. Status updates can be done via the web, sms, IM as well as a number of third party applications. Twitter users created nomenclature to represent replies by using the @ sign which was later officially incorporated into Twitter. Other symbols such as the # sign and others can be used for various reasons.
While Twitter could be described as being in its adolescent stage, Plurk is virtually a toddler trying to understand what it means to walk on wobbly legs. Plurk began in May 2008. It can only be updated via the web and third party services used to update micro-blogging accounts such as Ping.fm and Hellotxt.
For me, the biggest difference between Plurk and Twitter is the ability to have conversations. On Twitter it is nearly impossible to have (not to mention follow) a conversation. You’ve got one vertical stream that scrolls as new “tweets” come in. If someone replies to a tweet, this reply gets mixed in with all the other “noise” taking place at the time and can be easily missed. There is a tracking feature and third party apps that help to alleviate this but no clear cut answer.
Plurk has introduced a horizontal timeline which, in the beginning, is really annoying. After getting used to the interface it is pretty useful. Each “plurk” is placed on the timeline for your friends to see. If they want to respond, they click on it and respond to it and a thread is created. Others can come along and read the entire thread and add their own comments. I’ve seen popular plurks receive more than 100 responses in a thread and spawn into separate threads. I’ve also seen people respond to older threads in the timeline bringing them back to life.
So what’s the verdict? Twitter or Plurk? I use them both and I think I will continue. For me, Twitter is good for networking, sharing links and giving quick updates about what you’re up to. Plurk can be used for all these things but the emphasis is on conversations. Twitter is more like blogging where you can post information and receive brief comments. On the other hand, Plurk is more like Chat Room 2.0 or the new IRC.
While there are similarities, I think Plurk was designed with another purpose in mind and was not necessarily meant to take Twitter’s crown in micro-blogging arena. I’ve heard people say that Plurk won’t “make it” because it won’t be useful for businesses. Well, maybe it’s not supposed to be. MySpace isn’t condusive for most businesses but it is extremely popular. Looks to me like Plurk was created to be fun.
» Your TV May be Obsolete » Posted by Vaughn
On February 17, 2009 the Digital TV Transition will take place where television broadcasts in the United States will no longer use analog signals to reach your television set. What exactly does this mean?
Television will solely broadcast in digital form which takes less bandwidth and be more cost effective while providing more channels at a higher quality. Consumers who have an analog television will need a separate tuner in order to accept the digital signal. If you have cable television or use a satellite dish you already have the necessary components to survive the Digital TV Transition. If you have an analog television without cable or satellite you will need to purchase a digital converter.
Some cable companies have been using this transition to spread misinformation in order to sell their services. There have been reports of cable companies telling their customers that even though they already have cable, they will need to purchase a higher tier (more than basic) in order to continue their viewing functionality. This should not be the case based on this digital transition.
If you are purchasing a new television, you’ll want to make sure that it is a digital TV capable of handling the digital over the air signal. Analog televisions are supposed to be phased out of stores but they will be available until they run out. In these cases the stores are supposed to make sure you know and understand that you are buying an analog television that will not comply with the digital transition without extra components.
If you need a digital converter the federal government will provide up to two coupons (worth $40) to use toward the purchase of digital converters.
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/index.html
Studies have shown that the majority of households are prepared for this change. Many are already enjoying their flat panel plasma and LCD digital televisions with high definition content. For a small portion, you’ve got until February 2009 so that you can continue to enjoy your favorite shows.
» The iPhone3G is no better than sliced bread. » Posted by Vaughn
I’ve already gone on record has not being an Apple Fanboy. I also don’t hate it. I’m just not drooling over the iPhone announcement like many others are. Let’s run down the new features.
1.Obviously the phone will work on AT&T’s 3G network, which is much faster than the current EDGE network with AT&T. This should make downloads and other tasks much more tolerable on the new iPhone.
2.Third-party apps will be available via the Apple store sometime in July.
3.Support for the enterprise will enable business folks to access their Microsoft Exchange email and calendar as well as additional security.
4.The current iPhone uses nearby cellphone towers to estimate your current location. GPS will be added to be more accurate by using satellites.
5.Extended Battery Life. It’s reported that there will be 5 hours of 3G talk time, 10 hours of 2G talk time, 5 hours of 3G Internet time, 6 hours of Wi-Fi Internet time, 7 hours of video playback and 24 hours of audio playback.
6.The headphone jack is now flush so that you can use regular headphones without need for an adapter.
7.Most importantly, the price will be dropped from $399 to $199.
See a more extensive feature listing here.
First of all, this is good news for Apple and Apple lovers. It is good to see this company continue to move forward. Their design is second to none and they are having a huge impact on the smart phone market.
Now for my thoughts. This iPhone is still not for me. When people talk about how great all these features are it reminds me of men who brag about how great of a husband and father they are. They say, “I’m a great husband and father. I don’t cheat on my wife, I don’t beat my kids and I have a job.” Well, as a husband and father, you’re supposed to do all of those things. You were expected to do that when you got married and had kids. You don’t necessarily deserve a pat on the back.
To me, the additional features for the new iPhone are things that I expect from a smart phone. You can dress it up in any way that you want but I’m not going to worship this “Jesus” phone. The only technical feature that I’m impressed by is the battery life. I’d love to get this type of battery life on my Blackberry. The rest isn’t news to me.
Speaking of the Blackberry, they are not sitting on the curb letting Apple pass them by. They have announced the Blackberry Bold which updates many of things that I think the Blackberry needs and also includes their coveted keyboard. Follow this with rumors of the Blackberry Thunder for those who like the idea of a fully touch screen smart phone but need the reliability and functionality of the Blackberry OS.
I’ve talked to people that are perfectly happy with their iPhone and wouldn’t trade it. That’s great! Again, I’ll admit that the iPhone is not for me for several reasons. I don’t think it’s any better than sliced bread.
» Serve Your Customer » Posted by Vaughn
I just got back from having lunch at Steak N Shake. The customer service that I received was very good. Unfortunately, experiencing good customer service now-a-days is few and far between. This waitress at Steak N Shake was very pleasant, had good eye contact and actually seemed like she cared if my experience was pleasurable or not. Her service not only made my lunch time more pleasant but also kind of brightened the rest of my day.
It’s really not hard to give good customer service but people act as if they are entitled in some way and don’t have to care about their job or the people they interact with. I’ve worked in various capacities where I’ve had internal and/or external customers. (Internal customers are people that work at the same company and depend on the skills/services that you provide. External customers are people outside of the company.) The customers don’t care if you’re having a bad day or that the customer before them was really hard to deal with. Customers want your attention at that time in order to have whatever they need done correctly and professionally. The old adage of “treat others the way you would like to be treated” applies at all times.
Usually, when we think about customer service, we think about restaurants and stores. Obviously customer service is important in these places but the idea of giving good customer service should extend far beyond these locales. For example, I use this line of thinking to also be a good customer. Sometimes this combats the fact that the person helping me had a mean customer before me or is having a bad day. Customer service is especially important to internal customers because you have to work with those people every day. You probably don’t want the reputation as the person who is hard to work with and no one likes or respects. You can also extend this further into your every day relationships by being helpful and attentive to people around you.
We all go through mood changes and have bad days. Try to remember not to take it out on the people you come into contact with. Everyone should be treated with respect. If you give respect, you’ll get respect.
» What are you sharing on the Internet? » Posted by Vaughn
I had a little down time today while generating some reports and decided to catch up on some of my RSS feeds. Near the top of my (alphabetical) list is Andy, IT Guy. He had a post about Twitter that caught my eye and asks some questions that I had myself.
He questions the willingness of people sharing information about themselves on Twitter. This is especially a problem with users who follow tens of thousands of people and do not participate in conversations. The questions he asks are, “Who are they?” “What are they listening for?”
These are very important questions that I have asked myself. Micro blogging services are really neat and help to foster communities but it is amazing what people are sharing. This gets more worrisome with services like Brightkite and Jaiku where your post includes your physical location which could be down to the address.
I hear a lot of people talk about their right to privacy and throw a fit when companies harvest information about them. While on the other hand, millions of people are giving up this information willingly through various services. Facebook got into trouble for their Beacon service that broadcasted some their user’s online purchases but people do this willingly all the time. Users announce when they buy game consoles, games, music, movies and etc. They ask for recommendations for products such as mp3 players, usb hard drives, places to eat in their area as well.
Blogging and mico blogging services are not only a marketer’s dream but could also be a criminals dream. What do you think about posts that say, “Wrapping up work early today so that I can start my two week vacation in Europe.” If I’ve been following your posts on various services for a while how hard would it be to find out where you live so that I could rob your house? How about I call the help desk at your job impersonating you and say, “I’m on vacation but I really need to get into the system and my password doesn’t seem to be working. Can you reset my password?”
There are a number of things that we open ourselves up to by innocently sharing information on the internet. The risks that I list here may be remote but there are many others that are trivial. So continue to protect yourself and think about the impact before you post.
» My Favorite Video Podcasts » Posted by Vaughn
A continuation of my last post, here is a list of my favorite video podcasts.
Loaded
Natili Del Conte is the former host of Textra that was produced for Podshow (now Mevio). Another daily podcast about technology news. The only downfall is that the video looks really bad. It’s blurry and grainy. Not sure why a company as large as CNET would not be able to produce better video. In all, Natali gives a good run down on tech news.
Larry King Podcast
Everyone knows Larry King. He has some pretty good guests on and you can watch them without having to deal with the commercials.
Linux Journal
Linux Journal has been a mainstay in the Linux community in their print magazine. I was happy when I recently found their video podcast. Shawn Powers shows us how to do various things like sceencasts and play games on Linux.
GeekBrief.TV
Cali Lewis is the host and talks about tech, consumer electronics and web 2.0. This show is nice because it is short and too the point and seems to have a wide range of topics.
Webb Alert
Morgan Webb used to work at the famed TechTV and stayed on when it became G4 on the show X-Play. I like the content of the show but the constant close up shot of Morgan is kind of weird. They do cut away to screenshots (which is nice) but always back to the talking head. It would be nice if she was behind a desk or some variable shots of her.
Diggnation
I mentioned Digg.com and this is a video podcast about some of the stories that are submitted. Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht talk about some of the top stories on Digg.com for the week while enjoying alcoholic beverages.
Tekzilla
Tekzilla provides technology news, consumer reviews, tech tips and answer viewer questions. The team of Veronica Belmont and Patrick Norton are extremely knowledgeable and have great on screen chemistry for the show.
News
You no longer have to be in front of the television to catch the five o’clock news. ABC, NBC and CBS all provide their newscasts for download. I subscribe to NBC Nightly News, NBC Today Show and CBS Evening News for my daily dose of news coverage.
I’m always looking for some new podcast to watch. If you have some suggestions, leave them in the comments.
» My Favorite Audio Podcasts » Posted by Vaughn
It’s important to stay on top of what’s happening around the world. Keeping abreast of local, national and world news helps you to be more involved. Digg is my favorite source to find out the hot topics for the day from entertainment and politics to, of course, technology.
I spend a lot of time in the car as well. Unfortunately the internet isn’t accessible from the car while driving. (I can’t wait for this technological advancement.) My brain still needs to be fed information so I load up my iPod with podcasts along with my tunes. Here I’ve listed my favorite audio podcasts in no particular order.
Buzz Out Loud (Now also provided as a video podcast.)
Daily podcast hosted by Molly Wood, Tom Merritt and Jason Howell from CNET. They run down the latest technology news and provide their somewhat witty commentary.
Real Time with Bill Maher
A while back, my wife and I decided that the extra cash for premium channels such as HBO and Showtime would be better used in an interest bearing account. Luckily I can stay up to date with the Bill Maher show with this podcast. The feed contains the actual show as well as some conversations that continue after the show.
Fresh Ubuntu
This show is new to my feed. Harlem and Peter feature news stories and information about Linux especially as it pertains to Ubuntu. Their tips and tricks are helpful and their regular “Man Page Minute” showcases Linux commands and how they are used.
The Linux Action Show
Bryan and Chris have their own unique style to present their podcasts and this helps to keep things interesting and fresh. LAS tackles Linux news as well as interviews and reviews.
PaulDotCom Security Weekly
Be prepared! This show is for the geeky hacker types out there. Definitely not for the weak minded. Paul Asadoorian and Larry Pesce are security experts that share the latest hacking news with thorough tips and reviews.
TWIT.TV
Headed by Leo Laporte, TWIT.TV is a network of Netcasts (podcasts). The shows that I listen to are This Week in Tech, Windows Weekly, Security Now and Net@Night. Now, Leo has been around for a long while and I’m beginning to feel like he’s becoming overexposed. His shows aren’t as technical and varied as I’d like but may be a good primer.
Wrestling
I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a long time wrestling fan. Since I was a child, wrestling has been a constant staple in my life. My get away from reality. While it’s not as exciting as it used to be, I still need my weekly dose. These are some podcasts that provide commentary and background info on one of my favorite pastimes.
Da Sharpshooters Wrestling Podcast
Weekly podcasts presented by three brothers on the WWE and TNA. They provide their own rants on news and story lines taking place in wrestling.
Kayfabe4Dummies
How could you go wrong with a show hosted by The Cancer? The Cancer co hosts with MRob and they give their thoughts on wrestling as well as weekly off the wall topic that may or may not have anything to do with wrestling. This show is filled with strong language and some adult content but always hilarious!
Smart Wrestling Fan
A show filled with comedy, Joe Negron and Wiggly run down the latest news in pro-wrestling from WWE, TNA and indy scene. Their sound effects and songs make this a valuable alternative to other wrestling podcasts.
Let me know in the comments below if you have any suggestions for shows that I should check out.
» The iPhone Goes Against Everything I Believe In » Posted by Vaughn
They call it the “Jesus Phone” and it’s taking the world by storm. Thousands of people waited in line for it on launch day a year ago only to find out that they could have walked into any store the next day to get the precious calling device. I won’t say anything about Apple lowing the price just two months later. (If I had bought one, I would have been seriously po’d and organized a riot at Apple stores.) The loyal Apple users just shrugged it off and said it was the price they paid to be an early adopter. Let’s get to why this device goes against everything I believe in.
1. Requires a Two Year Agreement with AT&T
I’ve been a Sprint customer for almost 10 years. I haven’t had any real issues, so I guess you can say that I’m happy with them. I had another account with Cingular (now AT&T) and while the service was all right, their customer support was very poor. Needless to say, we had a nasty breakup and I would rather not get back together.
2. Touch Screen Only
I have fat fingers. I suppose this is my parent’s fault and not Apple’s but I need actual buttons in order to type out an IM, email or SMS. Maybe I could get used to it but I think it would be hard.
3. Closed Technology
This gets to the heart of why the iPhone is against what I believe in. I believe in choice. If I buy a pair of shoes and wear them on my hands, who’s Nike to say I can’t? If I want to put red and blue shoestrings in “my” shoes, I should be able to. If I want to take the Nike swish off and put on my own logo, nobody should be able to stop me.
I used a Treo for several years and now use a Blackberry. I’ve used various conversion tools, calculators, applications to measure my health and many more. How can I get various apps on an iPhone. Currently, I would have to “Jailbrake” the iPhone which would be against the terms of service and void my warranty.
In general, this is why I migrated to Linux. I spent years hacking my way around in Windows so that I could do the things that I wanted to do. After a while, I decided that it wasn’t worth it. I had to work too hard to make something that I paid for, useful to me.
So Apple says, “We’ll let you give us money for this phone but you can only use on AT&T but not on their fast 3g. You’ll use the apps that we give you and you’ll like it. We’ll do third-party apps but that’s not something that you should concern yourself with right now.”
Now I’m sure you think I’m just an iPhone hater. The three issues that I listed are significant to me but I admit that the iPhone is a sweet piece of technology. Just as Apple did with the iPod, the iPhone can revolutionize the smart phone market. If Apple would let me use the iPhone on Sprint and use any readily available applications, I would absolutely consider laying down my had earned cash for the so-called “Jesus Phone”. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
» Friends Don’t Let Friends Get P0wned » Posted by Vaughn
Hey, can I talk to you for a second? You may want to sit down because this is kind of important.
Look, we’ve been friends for a long time and our friendship is very important to me. We’ve had a lot of good times and you’ve always been there for me when I needed you. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.
This makes what I have to say much harder. I’ve noticed that you have engaged in some behavior that may be harmful to you and I’m worried.
For example, when we went to Kinko’s to pick up your presentation for work, you used one of their computers to check your online banking account and transfer money. You’ve also used the computers in the library for online shopping. I know that it’s convenient but do you know what’s on those computers?
That’s the point! There is no way for you to know what is on these computers because they are available to anyone that wants to use (or modify) them. Do you know what a key logger is? This is a monitoring program used to spy on computer users. The program records everything typed using the keyboard. The person that installs the software retrieves the file with the recorded information and can now recreate everything that happened on that computer, including access to your online banking accounts and credit card information from your online shopping activity. This is actually a big business on the black market. Credit account information sells for a pretty good price.
Another thing is that you have a huge collection of adult oriented photos, which is great for you. I’m sure in some circles it is a respectable collection. Not my thing but you know I would never judge you. Unfortunately, the sites that you get these pictures from could be messing up your computer. I think that’s why you get all the popups and virus infections.
You should get a reliable antivirus program along with anti-spyware. These programs need to be updated regularly and run at least once a week. It would also help if you changed your browsing habits but I understand that might be too much to change all at once.
I hope you don’t take any of this the wrong way. I am just concerned about your well being. I would hate for you to become a victim of identity theft (and I’m not rebuilding your computer any more).
Here are a few things for you to think about:
- Make a strong password and change it periodically.
- Don’t log into your accounts on computers that you don’t trust or have control over.
- Use antivirus and anti-spyware.
- Only download from reputable or trusted sites.
- Switch to a browser like Firefox or Opera for more protection.
I’m glad we had this talk. By the way, what do you think about switching to Linux or getting a Mac?
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Vaughn
I'm a Christian, son, husband, father, geek and etc.
I've been into technology for about 18 years and currently specialize in network security. I want to use this blog as an outlet to discuss what is on my mind. I hope to connect with people who have similar interests. Feel free to contact me and connect with me on any of the networks seen here.
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