And now for something a little different… Columnist Eric Jacksch recently added a large Pleco to his tank, and it needs a name. And this is your chance to give it one! The Pleco is a scavenger whose job it is to clean the tank sides and bottom. As the photos attest, he’s a tough-looking […]

I have a confession to make:  When people mention Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and other social networking sites, my thoughts often turn to security and privacy.  I also have some concerns about social media in general, including blogs, whether for business or personal use.  And I just can’t avoid thinking about how many really ugly pages […]

Eye-Fi announced today that it has developed a way for users to wirelessly upload videos from their digital camera to YouTube and their home computer. Eye-Fi’s current product (review) automatically uploads digital photos to the user’s computer or compatible photo sharing sites.  According to the company, the point-and-shoot camera is now the most commonly used device for […]

Most of us have come to rely upon the information on our hard drives.  Email, calendars, contacts, family photos, financial information, our music collections, and so much more.  So as we begin another new year, let’s take a moment to consider if our information is adequately protected. Here’s a simple test for home and small […]

SanDisk has announced that its 16 GB microSDHC and Memory Stick Micro (M2) mobile memory cards — the world’s largest-capacity removable storage cards currently available for mobile phones — are now available in Canada. Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores are the first major retail outlets in Canada to carry the 16 GB cards. […]

The VideoMate Vista U890F from Compro is an analog TV and FM radio receiver in a USB 2.0 stick form factor. It includes a flexible wire antenna, a Microsoft-certified Vista/MCE remote control, a composite/s-video input cable, and a USB extension cable for those times when plugging the approximately 3 1/2 in. stick directly into your […]

So… You’re an aspiring killer Web app developer or you’re thinking of moving some systems to the cloud? Here are some of the security issues you need to consider. Application Security To begin, you need to build security into your application just like you would if you were running it on your own hardware. Many […]

It often seems like the Internet is dominated by large merchants. However, if you look long enough, you’ll find another phenomenon: The sole proprietor who has managed to carve out his or her niche and not only survive on the Internet, but thrive. Eleven years ago, Norman Haase, a fountain pen collector, began turning his […]

If you’re feeling a bit blue as winter sets in, you’re not alone. According to Dan Adams, Research Manager at Apollo Health (now part of Philips Home Healthcare Solutions) 14 per cent of the US population experience the “winter blues” and 6 per cent suffer the more severe symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). In […]

A while back, I read about the Eye-Fi, an SD memory card with built-in 802.11 wireless networking capability. I admit being skeptical — WiFi inside an SD memory card? So I contacted the folks at Eye-Fi and they were kind enough to send over a 2 GB Eye-Fi card for me to try out. The […]

Last week I introduced the concept of cloud computing. To recap, the concept is that one can simply buy computing and storage resources as needed rather than investing in hardware and Internet connectivity. While a few companies have been talking about cloud computing, Amazon is doing it and selling it to anyone with a credit […]

Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 8.0 takes a different approach. Unlike the Adobe and Pinnacle products, this one does not walk you through a step-by-step approach. By default, it begins with six tracks (text, video overlay, video, voice, music, and sound effects), and the user interface screams ‘sophisticated video production’. Since I seldom read manuals, […]