Vigilante Blogging

Wired offers a sobering story about the power of blogs, or rather the tendency of political bloggers to swarm (Howard Rheingold’s word). I would call it Salem-style witch hunting crossed with good old-fashioned conspiracy nuttiness. Academic David Hailey stepped into the debate about the Texas Air National Guard memos suggesting they might have been produced … Read more

Pay Money, Scan Barcodes With Your Cellphone

ScanZoom, which allows camera phone users to scan barcodes to compare prices in stores and obtain other information and services, is now available. It will work with most camera phones, but there’s a catch: You have to pay $10 for the software, $10 for a special macro zoom lens, and another $5 or so to … Read more

Dialer Victims To Get Compensation

Further to my column a week ago (sorry, subscription only) on the dialler scam, here’s an update. I’m not sure this is the first time, but it’s a good sign: Ireland’s Eircom has pledged to reimburse consumers who unwittingly fall victim to internet fraudsters that hijack people’s computer modems and run up large telephone bills, … Read more

Nokia’s “Care” Centres

Please note that I don’t work for Nokia, this is not an official Nokia site, and although I’m flattered by all the attention this post gets, posting your problem isn’t going to help you. I’ve invited Nokia several times to offer some text that I can include here to direct users to a real Nokia … Read more