With notes from Twitter discussions

With notes from Twitter discussions

GoLocal Tech: Keeping Yourself Safe Online Part 1

Last week, Wired writer Matt Honan published a story that scared the yogurt out of us. His online accounts were hacked and, among other things, he lost all of pictures of his baby daughter.

GoLocal Tech: Keeping Yourself Safe Online

First of a two-part series about online safety:  GoLocal Tech: Keeping Yourself Safe Online. This week, we focus on password management.

Welcome to Babel fish

Fans of the Douglas Adams six-part trilogy Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will remember the  Babel fish. When inserted in the ear, the Babel fish allowed the recipient to understand any and all languages. Note that understanding the languages does not necessarily lead to understanding the person.

Anyway, we're on our way. Using Google Translate on my phone, I can type a phrase in English and have it return a credible spoken version of the translated phrase.

[caption id="attachment_3838" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Click on the image to hear the translation.[/caption]

 

The secret history of shipping pallets

The secret history of shipping pallets

Tom Vanderbilt's "The Single Most Important Object in the Global Economy," in Slate is an absolutely fascinating look at the role that pallets play in the modern world, starting with their origin in t...

Notes from a three-toed sloth

Dictum est in tres partes.

1. I went to two Barnes and Noble stores on the foolish mission to buy a specific book. IN both cases, I saw many, many Dummies books throughout every business section. I found lots of books that seemed serious about making a career, finding happiness, and riding the latest wave of urgency. I did not find the book I sought.
   I now have a plan. I will not go to B&N unless I don't want to buy a book. My expectations are now in order.


2. We needed a small fire in the fireplace this morning. The temperature was 50^° and in no hurry to rise beyond that point.


3. Get Human helps you reach a human being on the phone. There's no guarantee that the person will be helpful, but you can hope.
   
   FWIW, I spoke to a very helpful Verizon technical support rep last week. I was helping a friend with an Internet problem and we needed Verizon's assistance with the DSL account. We were on hold for about 10 minutes, but the call was worth it.