Weekend Grab Bag

Howdy Folks. I hope your week was ‘fair to middlin’ (as my Missourian friends say), and that you are enjoying your weekend.

I did not see any interesting tech items this past week (yes, I’m aware of Apple’s new iOS, and that there’s a new amazon phone and Samsung phone, and all the rest, but.. yawn. Same old same old).

Well, I did find this somewhat amusing: The mighty Apple has become the Android imitator

“All I can do is shake my head. Why? Samsung re-invents a wheel and gets sued. Apple does the same thing and smiles all the way to the bank.” Read more..

[ Actually, if you do a search for apple copies android, you’ll see results dating back further than iOS 5.. ]

This weekend’s Fun Video:

This weekend’s pretty picture:

Click on image to see more by this artist (reco’d)

“tropical forest” by katsrcool, courtesy of Flickr Commons

This weekend’s quotable quote:  “[In the Universe it may be that] Primitive life is very common and intelligent life is fairly rare. Some would say it has yet to occur on Earth.”  ~ Stephen Hawking

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

Back in the saddle

wrapping up another week

A few items of interest, and a funny video

Walter Lantz Studios

* Update: Facebook phone? Been there, done that, and nobody cared

“Facebook is generating buzz with the unveiling of Home, but it seems everyone has forgotten about the Facebook phone nobody wanted.” Read more.

[related: Why Facebook Home will blow Android into smithereens

“You think Google’s Android OS is hopelessly fragmented now? This is just the beginning.” Read more.. ]

* The state of malware 2013

A short slideshow that (I suspect) will open your eyes to the risks of the Internet — even if you think you’re already aware of the risks.

* CISPA: Not Just Dangerous, but Also Useless

“Civil libertarians are loudly protesting Congress’s renewed deliberations of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). The bill is intended to facilitate sharing cyberthreat information between government and the private sector to protect the nation from cyberattack.” Read more..

* The love affair with Windows 8-powered hybrids is over before it started

“Microsoft built Windows 8 around the new touch user interface, but it seems that consumers are quite attached to their keyboards and mice.” Read more..

[ And I don’t think M$ didn’t know that was going to happen. If they didn’t, they didn’t read their “feedback” during the beta. Nor ever notice how little-used the red “eraser” on ThinkPads are.. or how many people plug mice into their laptops because they hate the touchpad… ]

* Surprise?  Survey: Finance chiefs not thrilled with IT ROI

“A new CFO Research/AlixPartners survey reveals that finance leaders are not happy with their IT spending return on investment, with just 3% describing ROI as excellent. Most rated their company’s results with a C grade or lower. “The message from CFOs and other senior finance executives is loud and clear — companies are spending too much on IT, and they’re not getting the business information that they truly need,” said AlixPartners’ Meade Monge.” Read more..

[ Yes. But. It’s employed a lot of people.. ahem. ]

* Bitcoin’s Wallet Service Instawallet Hacked, suspended indefinitely

“The digital currency Bitcoin has suffered yet another hack. Bitcoin wallet site Instawallet has been taken offline after a security compromise, has suspended its service indefinitely. Instawallet didn’t say in a notice on its website how many bitcoins were stolen after hackers fraudulently accessed company database. “The Instawallet service is suspended indefinitely …” Read more…

* ITC judge rules Samsung infringed Apple’s text-selection patent

“Things have taken a nasty turn for Samsung in its worldwide battle against Apple with a new ruling from the International Trade Commission.” Read more..

Sigh. It’s almost like watching an amateur circus, or toddler talent show, isn’t it?

* A laser printer for $50?! Yup. If that interests, click here.

Friday Fun Video: You do want to double your Internet speed for free, right?

I am a little surprised he only got 6 million views with that …

Today’s quote: “What can you do against the lunatic who is more intelligent than yourself, who gives your arguments a fair hearing and then simply persists in his lunacy?” ~ George Orwell

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories. Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Hit The The Nail On The The Head

(aka “More From The I.R.S.”)

Maybe dyslexics should not write their own spam…

tax tax bank bank???

.. And, mom? Even if $6,795 a month would really, really, really help out? The last thing you want to do is respond to unsolicited email such as these. They’re scams, don’t you know?

Breaking news:The Samsung S IV will be here in February.

And I just saw a full-page ad for the brand-spanking new S III in yesterday’s S.F. Chronicle. (I liked it, actually. It compared, feature-to-feature, it and the new iPhone 5, and made my point about the Apple “reality distortion field” for me quite nicely.)

I guess Apple better start hyping the iPhone 6… (whether they actually have one in the works or not.)

Copyright 2007-2012 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Google Apple Samsung Facebook

Here we go…

It’s deja vu all over again.

* Apple wins U.S. sales injunction against Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Summary: Apple has won a preliminary injunction barring U.S. sales of Samsung’s iPad rival, the Galaxy Tab 10.1.” Read more..

* June has been a busy month with big announcements from Apple and Microsoft. Now it’s Google’s turn. Tune in to CNET and get the news as it’s announced.

CNET’s live coverage of Google’s I/O developers conference, June 27, 2012

Today, June 27 at 9:30 a.m. PT, join us for live coverage of the Google I/O developers conference. There’s no shortage of rumors leading up to the event, including a new 7-inch tablet priced to sell. Check out what other CNET members are speculating. Have some thoughts of your own? Let others hear what you are thinking.

CNET will be there to bring you the action. Our live coverage begins at 9:30 a.m. PT with a live blog.

Can’t make it to the live event? Tune in afterward to get CNET’s detailed coverage and discover what is new from Google. (click here)

Or.. not. (But, it’s “big news”!)

Some of you might need this info.. Facebook changed your e-mail address, here’s how you can change it back.

“Today, Facebook was kind enough to replace the e-mail account listed on your profile with the @Facebook.com e-mail address it provided you with awhile back. Wait, you didn’t give Facebook permission to make the change? No one did. Not cool, Facebook.” Read more..

I’m sorry, but I am LMAO.

Seriously. LMAO.

Wow. What’s next from the Zuckerbergs? (And why do they want to route all your e-correspondence through their servers? Hmm?? [*cough cough*] )

[update: (just in) This guy’s not laughing.. Welcome to the soon-to-be enormous world of Facebook email spam

Summary: “Thanks, Facebook. You just [expletive deleted] us up the [expletive deleted]. [Expletive deleted] you!” Read more…

This is so good.. I can’t resist. Here’s more.

“I am pissed off. Like most other Facebook users, I woke up recently to discover I had a Facebook email address. I don’t want a Facebook email address. Frankly, if I were King of the World, I’d boot Facebook into a giant black hole and laugh gleefully as the entire thing burned to a never-to-haunt-us again crispy hulk.

Fine, I’m mixing metaphors. But I’m pissed.

I didn’t pay all that much attention to this until I read Violet’s piece on Facebook email addresses, and then I realized what a nightmare those [profanity deleted] at Facebook are.“]

Hee, hee! LMAO!

Today’s quote: “Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.” ~ Swami Sivananda

Copyright 2007-2012 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.