All Entries in the "Michael" Category
Please Don’t Screw Up HTML 5
HTML 5 is upon us, and it should change the way we deliver web content. That is, if the browser makers and web designers don’t screw it up.
OpenOffice.org vs Google Docs
Microsoft Office has ruled the world of computer productivity since the Windows 9x era. Really, how many of you are still using Corel or Lotus? I thought so.
Fun With VirtualBox
In 2002 I switched to Mac. As those of you who have been paying attention know, I was a dyed in the wool NeXT guy, and I had OPENSTEP on my primary workstation from about 1997-2002. I kept an assortment of other machines on my network running FreeBSD, Solaris, various linux distros, and the occasional [...]
5 Biggest Tech Letdowns
Buzz. Hype. It’s what surrounds the advent of every new technology that comes down the pike and is hailed as The Next Big Thing.
Is The Oracle Acquisition of Sun Cause For Worry?
If you would have asked me this question a few years ago I probably wouldn’t have given it much thought. Sun still stood for commercial unix, RISC workstations and servers, and Java. Sure, they were making feints at becoming linux-oriented, but whether it ended up being Solaris or linux, they would have been the same [...]
KDE4: The Future of the X Desktop?
Last week I pissed and moaned about the consistency of the desktop in Xwindows. Granted, it’s not as big a mess as it was a decade ago, but it still has a ways to go to being the intuitive, nicely designed experience you should demand of your desktop.
The Problem With X
I have always had a thing for operating systems, and in particular for their respective graphical user interfaces. GUIs haven’t really been around all that long in the grand scheme of things. In the last 20 years we’ve gone from fairly basic shells on top of operating systems that for all intents and purposes were [...]
Mac and PC Image Cataloging Apps
If you have a digital camera you have asked yourself this question: Is there a better way to organize and view my digital photos and movies than what I am doing now?
Are You Backing Up Your System?
How important is your computer? If you’re anything like me, it’s like an appendage. I work on it. I communicate with it. I organize my time with it. I listen to music on it. I play games on it. I watch movies on it. I store my family photos on it. I read on it. [...]
Winning The Lottery
We all know that there are a handful of blogs out there that essentially are printing their own money. The few that come to mind all share one thing in common: in addition to being set up to generate income, they all add value to the internet. No matter how well marketed, nobody’s going to [...]
The Last Bottleneck
Dual core processors are the standard. By the end of the year quad core cpus will probably have become the standard on all but budget desktops and laptops, thanks to Nehalem. Ram is relatively cheap. I have had smaller hard drives than the amount of ram I currently run in my workstation. Broadband is the [...]
Connected Internet LCD Monitor Buyer’s Guide
Tired of the 15″ monitor that came with your Dell? Maybe you’re thinking about a larger monitor, because 22″ and up monitors were too expensive when you bought the one you’re using now. LCD monitors are certainly cheaper than they’ve ever been, with 24″ models now available for less than $250.
New Workstation Tomorrow!
Tragedy struck my house about a month ago. My fifteen year old son was on my computer using Facebook, I’m in the next room watching TV.
Internet: The Second Decade
We are almost halfway into the second decade of the internet. Not a very long time at all, yet it’s pervaded our lives to an even greater extent than radio or television had before it.
Internet: The First Decade
Remember when there was no internet? It wasn’t really all that long ago. Maybe you had an acquaintance that was an early Prodigy or Compuserve user. Remember asking them what it did? Trying to figure out just what it was people did on a network, other than email?
Knowing When Enough Is Enough
Whether your internet efforts are driven by passion or greed, if you’re anything like me they can become all-consuming.
Hi, my name is Michael, and I’m an obsessive-compulsive.
One Foot In The Grave
Today is my 43rd birthday. That is 25 years into my adult life, and approximately 25 years away from my inevitable death. Other than that, it’s not much of a milestone, just 43. Still pretty young. Still kids to raise. Still ground to gain in my career.
Webmastery 101: How To Cut Fat And Build Muscle
You’ve taken great care to present your website to the internet. You tweaked and fine tuned until you were satisfied that your design and layout showcased your content in the best possible way. Are you done? Do you just sit back now, churn out content and watch the traffic grow? In a word, no.
Are You A Good Neighbor?
You’re all grown up now. You moved out of mom and dad’s basement. You have a job, presumably. You pay your taxes. You take your leisure seriously and make the most of your free time. You are a part of social networks that spans geographical, age, and class lines.
Looking Back At The Present
If you’ve been following me at all you know I like a good retrospective. Admittedly, while I endeavor not to live in the past, I do enjoy a sense of nostalgia. The years put a fresh coat of paint on the past, and we tend to remember only the good, and perhaps make it a [...]
