vab3log

Robo Calls and Personal Information

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:07:45 -0400

I received an automated call today from my pharmacy calling to remind me to pick up a prescription refill. The robot voice asked for personal information to verify my identity.

Huh!? People, do not give out personal information to someone who calls you. You have no way to verify they are who they say.

When my credit card company calls about a potential fraud, I politely decline the call, and then call back on the published number on the back of the card.

Same goes for email. If an email says there is an “alert” on your bank account, don’t click the links in the email. Delete the email, then open your browser (IE, Firefox, Chrome) and log in to the bank the way you always do. they usually have a prominent section for alerts and messages.

Trust, but verify. Be smart and take a few extra seconds to prevent this type of scam, called phishing, from causing you hours of trouble.

Dell: we're no longer a PC company | News | PC Pro

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:25:40 -0500

Dell: we're no longer a PC company | News | PC Pro:

Another casualty of the rise of the mobile device. Dell changes strategy.

ARTICLE: Windows 8 is about the Future

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:36:40 -0500

ARTICLE: Windows 8 is about the Future:

This article from Hal Berenson has an interesting take on Windows development of the new UI, programming model, and ARM support up to Windows 8.

The way I think people should interpret Windows 8 is that the Windows business was at the precipice, about to start a prolonged decline. Microsoft decided it was time to go big or go home.

I agree. If Windows 8 is not a big hit, then Microsoft goes the way of IBM in the early 90s. If it is a hit, we will have a very business-worthy platform with modern technology.

Google, Look Out Behind You!

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:35:44 -0500

Google, Look Out Behind You!:

TechCrunch guest author Keith Teare reports on Apple’s 1Q win and Google’s 1Q loss are due to trends in mobile. I don’t know that the title is fair, given that Apple Passed Google’s Market Cap in 2010, but the article points out another symptom of a big change. It also links to another interesting piece Smart Mobile and Thin Cloud by the same author.

First Raspberry Pi's being auctioned on Ebay

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:32:07 -0500

The inexpensive tablet market is getting some traction this year. The first ten Raspberry Pi’s are being auctioned off on ebay. Click the link and then click through to ebay to see what they are going for: http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/489

$60 Tablet from India

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:15:00 -0500

$60 Tablet from India:

A tablet designed primarily for student needs is being subsidized by the Indian government.

Read the article in Venture Beat, or go to http://www.akashtablet.com/ to pre-order the next version.

Breakfast at Sojourn (Taken with instagram)

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 10:00:37 -0500

Breakfast at Sojourn (Taken with instagram)

The Parable of RIM

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:03:18 -0500

The Parable of RIM:

A tale of the smartphone and tablet market through the lens of the falling-out-of fashion blackberry. From Horace Deidu at Asymco.com.

The rise and rise of JavaScript

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:39:15 -0500

The rise and rise of JavaScript:

Dan North offers a history of the Javascript language, and in some ways a technical history of web development in general. Thanks to jackhq for re-blogging.

The Raspberry Pi

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:28:17 -0500

The Raspberry Pi:

A charitable organisation in the UK is developing a credit-card-sized computer that will cost around $35. It should be available later this year. Plug in a keyboard, mouse, and hook it up to your television and you’re good to go!

Inside the Christmas tree. (Taken with instagram)

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 21:53:12 -0500

Inside the Christmas tree. (Taken with instagram)

Volunteering for BarCamp

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:08:00 -0400

This past weekend Charleston experienced its 3rd annual BarCamp. I had had a great time helping organize the event, and my company contributed as a sponsor.

BarCamp brings together a group of creative minds (and when I say creative, I mean it in a broad sense including technical, business, and design) who give presentations and get to know each other.

I attended an energizing presentation on personal productivity led by Ken Haigh, COO of PeopleMatter, and two excellent sessions on agile software project management by Doug Depew of SPARC and Tom Wilson of Jack Russel Software.

I was able to deliver the talk that I pitched, Customer Support for Propeller-Heads, that discusses the importance of support to the software development process, and its affect on your business.

What excites me most is the energy and entrepreneurial sprit that BarCampCHS helps foster in Charleston. To anyone who had a good experience, consider volunteering or supporting BarCampCHS next year. (Start by following BarCampCHS on twitter.) Is good for business, and good for our city.

My next door neighbor playing tuba with his Dixieland band. ...

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:03:46 -0400

My next door neighbor playing tuba with his Dixieland band. (Taken with instagram)

Stickers donated for @barcampchs by @stickermule. Thanks...

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:17:59 -0400

Stickers donated for @barcampchs by @stickermule. Thanks Sticker Mule!

Florida Storm (Taken with instagram)

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:10:14 -0400

Florida Storm (Taken with instagram)

Porch light (Taken with instagram)

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:02:44 -0400

Porch light (Taken with instagram)

Early tablet. Tandy Radio Shack Model 100. Tactile keyboard,...

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:13:23 -0400

Early tablet. Tandy Radio Shack Model 100. Tactile keyboard, instant on, standard D cells.

New Tablet Entry from Amazon

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:28:32 -0400

New Tablet Entry from Amazon

JackHQ: get-post - Simple JSON CLI

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:26:54 -0400

JackHQ: get-post - Simple JSON CLI:

jackhq:

get-post is a little nodejs project that provides two command line applications:

get and # post

This applications allow you to get json from a server or post json to a server. It is that simple.
get http://twitter.com/search.json?q=nodejs post http://echo-json.heroku.com...

The Race is on for a Cheaper Tablet

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:14:27 -0400

Technology innovations tend to come about gradually, but every now and then we get to see a defining moment or period in time. Consider what has happened since August 2011.

On Aug 9, Apple surpassed Exxon for a short time as the largest US company. The next week we learned that Google would acquire Motorola’s Handset business, giving it ownership of some of the most popular Android mobile devices. The same week HP announced that it would consider selling off its PC business and discontinue production of it’s tablet. HP lowered the prices of its tablets, and sold out so quickly it had to reconsider its decision. Finally, at the Build conference in September, Microsoft announced Windows 8, which is targeted at tablet-style devices, but intended to provide a similar user experience on phone, tables, and PCs.

Apple has once again changed the way we think about computers. The iPad bridged the gap and blurred the line between a smartphone and a personal computer. It says, “Hey, your phone is really a computer,” and at the same time says “Hey, a computer can be extremely mobile.”

In an attempt to repeat history, Microsoft has begun a push to commodotize the hardware by producing an operating system targeting tablet devices and phones. But this time, Apple is larger and more powerful. They have always sold premium products, which limited their market share, but their mobile devices have a lower price tag. Additionally, they’ve moved into earning commissions on music, books, and software (apps).

A threat to both companies (but more so to Microsoft) comes from the cloud giant Google. Google is attempting to commodotize the operating system market. If everything runs through a browser, the device doesn’t matter. And, by the way, they are producing operating systems for mobile devices, tablets, and PCs, not to mention now have control of a handset maker.

While Apple seized the biggest trend to affect computing hardware since PCs, Microsoft became the victim of its own success. (HP’s annoucement is a casualty of the declining PC market.)

Windows 8 is a real gamble. An operating system that provides a similar experience on desktops, tablets, and phones will be very welcome by enterprise developers, but it will be difficult to pull off, especially with expectatons of backward-compatibility.

The world will want a cheaper tablet. If Apple lowers prices, it will water down its profits and its brand. That leaves Microsoft and Google to battle it out. Google is in the lead with the Android market, but what Microsoft has put on the table is better for enterprise customers. So, the race is on.