Weekly vlog/podcast/show/thingy?
I know there are already a zillion vlogs, podcasts, web shows, etc. focusing on tech/sci but I’m thinking about making it a zillion and one.
I’d like to do weekly YouTube videos - no more than 15 minutes in length - dealing with some aspect of tech/sci.
I want them to be original and offer content and information that most others don’t - or at least present the information in an exciting or engaging way. So I want to know:
What do YOU want to see in a good tech/sci news or how-to vlog/podcast/show?
$99 Xbox 360 Comes With Strings Attached
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Microsoft’s gimmick in offering this “deal” is much like those of cell phone service providers that offer “free” or low-priced phones. You only get the discount on the phone if you commit to a 2 year (or longer) contract. Microsoft is offering a 4GB Xbox with Kinect for $99 only if you commit to 2 years of the Xbox Live Gold service at $15 per month. And if you decide to bail before the 2 years is up, they’ll charge you $250.
At first glance $99 for an Xbox seems like a sweet deal, but gamers on a budget will want to avoid this deal. $15 per month over 24 months amounts to $360. Why not save that money and buy a next gen console when its released? Or why not buy a brand new Xbox 360 for $200? You’d still save more money over the long-run (assuming you don’t want to use the Xbox Live Gold service).
However, if you don’t plan to upgrade your console for at least 2 years and intend to use the Xbox Live Gold service during that time, this deal might be worth looking into.
Free online storage? Sign me up!
The good folks at Lifehacker - who constantly churn out tremendously useful ideas and tips to make life a bit easier - have tipped us off to a freebie Microsoft is giving to select users of their SkyDrive service.
You may be able to upgrade from 7GB of online storage to 25GB for free with just a few clicks.
From some of the comments on the post, not everyone has been able to claim the additional free storage. It seems that you had to have an active SkyDrive account with at least one file in it before a certain date in order to qualify. I, fortunately, had a single document in my SkyDrive from when I was testing OneNote over a year ago, so when I clicked on the SkyDrive link from with my Hotmail page, I saw a notice in big bold letters that I could upgrade my storage for free.
Now if only Microsoft made their SkyDrive OS X app compatible with Snow Leopard instead of limiting it to Lion, I might actually start using that instead of Dropbox.
Click the link for more info.
~D
My first YouTube video in 6 months (I know…it’s kinda sad)! I talk about my switch to a BlackBerry smartphone and show off a few of the features.
Under CISPA, "a company like Google, Facebook, Twitter, or AT&T could intercept your emails and text messages, send copies to one another and to the government, and modify those communications or prevent them from reaching their destination if it fits into their plan to stop 'cybersecurity' threats."
Use this link to register your protest with Congress.
(via carpelibertatem)
Source: hipsterlibertarian
Google Says Snooping on Wi-Fi Networks Isn't Illegal
The fallout from Google collecting private information such as email from people’s Wi-Fi networks several years ago just got worse. Google claims that it did nothing illegal by snooping on people’s private unencrypted Wi-Fi networks, including gathering emails, private passwords, and more.
The issue dates back to 2010, when it was discovered that the cars Google used to photograph streets for its Street Maps service were also gathering private data from people’s personal Wi-Fi networks — all communications sent over the network, including private email messages. Google uses the innocuous term “payload data” to describe those communications.
At first Google claimed the reports weren’t true, saying, that it “does not collect or store payload data.” Then it backed off and admitted that it collected payload data, but claimed that it wasn’t a privacy invasion because the data was “fragmented.” Finally, it admitted that the data wasn’t in fact fragmented.
Whether or not what Google did was technically “illegal” in this case, I believe it was wrong. While it is certainly important for individuals to take whatever precautions they can to secure their information, Google’s complete lack of respect for the privacy of those who had their emails, passwords, etc. copied demonstrates their priorities. Google makes money by gathering as much data as they can, whenever and however they can. Apparently they do not see you as a living, breathing human being with a right to privacy. To them you are nothing more than a source of revenue and an expendable commodity.
It makes me wonder how many other invasions of privacy Google has perpetrated that we will never know about.
On second thought… (a rant about my BlackBerry phone)
Inexplicably, I can no longer edit or add contacts to my BlackBerry Curve 8530. Every time I attempt to edit/add a contact the phone freezes completely and requires a reset, or it just does nothing.
Searching various Internet forums, the commonly accepted fix for this seems to be backing up the phone to BB Desktop, doing a complete factory reset, then restoring the backup. This is unacceptable to me. What if, after wiping the phone and starting from scratch, I finally get it reconfigured the way I want with all my preferred apps and settings, only to have this happen again?
I also saw suggestions that it might be a conflict with a recently updated app, so I’ll try deleting my most recently updated apps one by one and see if that resolves the problem. If not, I’m faced with doing the factory reset (which I may not do at all and search for a better phone instead).
I actually liked this phone, outdated and cheaply made as it was. But I do need to be able to manage contacts. That’s kinda important.
I hear the new Nokia Lumia 900 phone running Windows Phone 7 is quite good…
UPDATE: Apparently it was the Yahoo! Messenger app that was the problem. After deleting that app and restarting the phone I was able to edit and add contacts again. I’m glad I don’t have to do a factory reset, but this episode still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
~D
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