The Phone Belch

Why is it that cellphones ring louder the longer they go unanswered? The ring starts quietly, then builds up to an ear-splitting crescendo. I know what the apparent logic to this is — if the phone is right in front of the person, they don’t need it loud to be able to hear it, so … Read more

How To Collect And Access Data?

A reader wrote asking I am a writer who has tens of thousands of 3×5 note cards and no system to organize them. What I want to do is have their content available on my computer so that I can mine them as I write. Do you have a suggestion for any software that can do … Read more

The Danger Of The Mistyped URL

F-Secure Computer Virus Information Pages: Googkle: F-Secure staff has found a malicious website that utilizes a spelling error when typing the name of the popular search engine – ‘Google.com’. If a user opens a malicious website, his/her computer gets hijacked – a lot of different malware gets automatically downloaded and installed: trojan droppers, trojan downloaders, … Read more

Cutting Through The PR Dross

A hilarious Translation From PR-Speak to English of Selected Portions of Adobe’s ‘FAQ’ Regarding Their Acquisition of Macromedia by Daring Fireball, which blows a hole a mile wide in this — and all such — verbiage-laden press releases. This for example: Do you anticipate a reduction in force as a result of this transaction? When two … Read more