Green Technology: The Joy of Working for a Paperless Organization
As an employee, one typically wants to work for an organization that is both ethical and innovative. For me, that entails working for a company that is environmentally conscious and not living in the dark ages regarding work flow and technology.
ALL HAIL paperless organizations! I’ve had the opportunity to work for a green company. Not only did we save trees, but we dramatically reduced the amount of time needed to service our client’s needs to mere seconds – all the while saving money on postage. The technology is out there people, and it’s a power waiting to be wielded.
Week in Review: Gaming News
March 19, 2010 – Lots of interesting topics in the gaming world this week. I’d like to point out a few that will make you wish you were at home caressing your Xbox controller instead of being stuck at work.
- Streaming Video Games!? Love streaming your favorite movies and television shows on Netflix and Hulu? Starting on June 17th, OnLive will launch their own Netflix-like service for video games, bringing games directly to your PC, Mac or TV. The company promises to deliver the latest content, like Mass Effect 2 and Assassin’s Creed 2. The service will cost $14.95 a month, but the first 25,000 gamers to pre-register will get 3 months free.
Is that the only interesting gaming news from this week? Of course it isn’t. There was also iPhone action, Microsoft drama, dragons, war, and signs of a change in royal power.
Google China: Is an End to the Drama Near?
March 19, 2010 – According to a China Business News report released Friday, an unnamed Google employee was quoted as saying the company is likely to announce on Monday its decision regarding future operations in China. An external source identified only as an “authorized local agent” went as far as to say that they had received unofficial word that Google Corp. (GOOG) would cease operations on April 10, 2010.
The agent reportedly said they had “…received information saying that Google will leave China on April 10, but this information has not at present been confirmed by Google.” As of the writing of this article, no official information regarding the speculated departure has been posted in the Google Press Center.
Since Geek Shui Living’s posting of an article, entitled “China May Soon No Longer Be Able to ‘Google It’” on March 13, 2010, little in the way of additional information has been released either officially or unofficially, by either side. Throughout the week, speculation has continued to run rampant regarding Google’s future in China, following the hacking incident allegedly orchestrated by the Chinese government. What is certain is that some sort of decisive action will be taken by Google. For the sake of both Google and its local business partners in China, many hope that such action will be seen in the form of an announcement of a successful resolution, between the computing giant and the traditionally controlling Chinese government.
Amazon’s Kindle for Mac Sets the Stage for iPad World Domination
March 19, 2010 – A little more than a day ago, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) quietly posted a seemingly innocent piece of software, for download, on its mega-store of a website. A few hours later they posted a press release announcing the availability of this free software. As you most likely already know, it’s none other than free Kindle software for Mac computers running OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard).
“Wait,” you say, “I already saw that on 127 other websites, posted on Twitter 234 more times, and know for a fact CNN Headline News ran a clip on it once an hour yesterday.” You would be right, but the commonality in their coverage focused on the perception that the software’s release was a victory for Amazon, not Apple.
Read more…
Twitter Outage 2010: The Day the Tweets Died
March 18, 2010 – Last night, at around 11:05 PM EST, as I was literally in mid-tweet, Twitter went down. No, I’m not talking about a bad gateway, the inability to establish a secure connection, or a routine “Whale Fail.” This time, it crashed hard and with an audible, virtual thud.
The Internet: How Science Fiction Failed Us
March 18, 2010 – So here we have the second installment of ‘How Science Fiction Failed Us’, and our focus this week is on that Al Gore’s favorite piece of perjury, The Internet. We were all fed images of a future (or distant past) where you could just sit down at a computer terminal or robot or whatever and just ask whatever question you wanted and you could expect to get an answer. We all remember how Mr. Scott sat down at the Macintosh computer and said “Computer?” expectantly, only to get no response. He even went so far as to speak directly into the mouse. Poor Scotty, if he’d only traveled to 2009 and not 1989.
PayPal Version 2.0.31 Comes to the iPhone with an Added Bump
March 17, 2010 – Today, an updated version of the online payment giant PayPal’s Apple iPhone app was released. Version 2.0.31 maintains the original features of the nearly 5-star rated iTunes App Store product but adds an innovative, if not slightly odd, feature. Known as “Bump,” the feature takes a cue from the Bump App for iPhone, which allows two iPhone users to easily trade photos and contacts, as well as compare and become Facebook friends. So what use did PayPal find for this technology? Now, two iPhone users can bump to send and receive PayPal payments, via the iPhone. Though it is definitely an interesting feature, is it enough to make iPhone users want to download and use it?
Read the rest of this Geek Shui Living article on MWD Technology News, by clicking the image below.
Web Presence: The Importance of Building Your Personal Brand
March 17, 2010 – Whether you’re a long-time resident of the virtual world, or a relative new-comer, one thing is certain: you have a presence on the Internet. The question is, “Does your virtual self accurately represent your real life self?”
Unlike that can of soda from the vending machine down the hall that you purchased for your lunch break, you are not a commodity to be bought and sold on the open market; however, your skills and knowledge are. And just like there are multiple manufacturers of soda, there are plenty of people out there who have the same skills and knowledge that you do.
An Early Review of Twitterena 2 for Apple iPad and iPhone
March 16, 2010 – I have the pleasure of following @aweekes on Twitter, who has developed products such as Tweeterena for iPhone, Tweeterena Android, iBaby Photo Pro, and iHeight. His latest project is Twitterena 2 for the Apple iPad and iPhone. On March 15, 2010, a sneak peek at the application was posted on the Tweeterena website, with the disclaimer stating, “Tweeterena 2 is still in development and some features shown in the ad are not totally complete.” Take a look at the video, and then we’ll analyze what we’re seeing.
TomTom USA v1.3 for iPhone Hits App Store with Live Traffic and Local Google Search
March 15, 2010 – As promised last month at Macworld 2010, TomTom International BV made available for download, on March 13, 2010, the newest version of its popular navigation app for the iphone. Aside from the newest version of USA maps that TomTom claims includes one million more miles of U.S. roads than the competition, version 1.3 includes Real-time Live Traffic, via in-app purchase for $19.99 for 12 months of service. The service receives updates every 3 minutes of current traffic conditions in your area and automatically provides alternate and faster routes, if available.
