Culture

Blatant media piracy: Not just for south-Asian countries anymore

“The only cure for the fear of falling is to jump.” -Carl Jung Mike from Hotmail.com asks: “I know of people that download and copy songs and movies via the internet. They (and everyone else) seem to do it all of the time. Is this legal? The younger generation seems to think that since it […]

The computer world is full of acronyms, from ARP to ZAK. Supposedly simplifying complex terms, acronyms often do the opposite. Computer conversations often lead to an Overdose Of Annoying Acronyms (or OOAA). Today’s star acronym comes as a pleasant surprise, because its job truly is to make things easier for everyone involved. It’s called RSS. […]

Network neutrality a polarizing issue

Network neutrality owes a good portion of its popularity to Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). His misunderstanding of what he was talking about inadvertently brought to light a confusing but important issue. “The Internet is not something that you just dump something on. It’s not a big truck. It’s a series of tubes. And if you […]

Do you like science fiction or fantasy books? Don’t miss out.

Looking way back into the early 1980s, I remember the wonderful “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series by Douglas Adams as one of my first exposures to the world of science fiction. The books were hilarious and easy to read, and just happened to take place in a science-fictiony universe. From there, I moved on […]

The first Internet phenomenons

These Internet fads and phenomenons all have something in common: They grew in popularity very fast, and are now a part of Internet fad and pop culture. At the most, use this Web phenomenon list to reflect on how technology changes our culture and ethical values. At the least, sit back and enjoy. Make Money […]

RiffTrax: Please talk during the movie

In the not-too-distant past, television gave us a unique and successful experiment in the field of satire and intelligent humor. “Mystery Science Theater 3000” was the unwieldy yet appropriate title of a show where you watched people making fun of movies. Literally watching an entire movie with the cast of MST3K was the reason each […]

Tech presents for adults

Twas the month before Christmas, and all through the news Flew recommendations of presents to choose From clothes to food, disks both DV and C HDTV and MP3s Calendars and books, country and hip hop “Now look,” we cry. “You’ve gotta stop!” When the season becomes more work than fun If you don’t know what […]

Free language translation tools (sorry, no Klingon)

About one third of Internet websites are written in English. Running down the popularity list, we also see sites written in Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and German. You want to keep up on foreign news, but don’t know how to translate the Spanish La Nacion to English. You want to impress your new Russian coworker with notes in […]

Computer-integrated furniture is just around the corner

Sit down on a couch, and swing the monitor towards you. Open the couch arm, insert a CD, and listen to music as you browse the Web. Use this “couch-computer” to watch a DVD: A hidden projector plays video on a recessed, ceiling-mounted projection screen. Need another computer? Sit down next to a stylish end […]

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Culture

Blatant media piracy: Not just for south-Asian countries anymore

RSS readers and how they work