Posted on February 27, 2010 at 1:11 pm ct
I just finished upgrading the hard drive on my laptop, going from the stock 80 GB (5400 RPM) Hitachi TravelStar to a new 160 GB (7200 RPM) Western Digital. It is absolutely making a world of difference in my laptop’s performance. I was mostly concerned about the safety of my data, but the increased speed is also a nice benefit. The only drawback is that the new drive seems to run just slightly hotter, but I can deal with that.
Next week, I think I’ll post a “Tips and Tricks” blog entry about upgrading a laptop hard drive. It really was an easy and painless process, and it’s a relatively inexpensive way to revitalize a laptop that’s a few years old.
Posted on February 26, 2010 at 1:26 pm ct
This is my first entry in my new “Tips and Tricks” category. Every so often, I will be posting my favorite technology-related advice. If you have a tech question, or if you have a favorite tip, feel free to contact me or leave a comment.
URL shortening tools have really exploded in popularity over the past few years. If you use Twitter or similar sites at all, you have more than likely encountered the use of such tools. Bit.ly and TinyURL are among the most popular URL shorteners. What these tools do is take a long Internet address and make a shorter version of it. For example, instead of posting http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/26/nvidia-optimus-equipped-asus-n61jv-x2-n71jv-x1-hit-the-us/ on their Twitter account, Engadget used the shortened version: http://bit.ly/9ul1to. URL shorteners have been around for awhile, but Twitter and other microblogging sites have accelerated their growth, because users don’t want to waste precious characters for URL’s.
Now, you may be asking, “What’s with the title of this blog entry, then? URL shorteners sound very useful!” That’s true; when used properly, there is nothing inherently wrong with these tools. I use bit.ly myself to shorten the URL’s for my blog posts when I link to them on Twitter. That being said, not everyone has the most wholesome intentions in mind, and URL shorteners can in fact be used for malicious purposes. (more…)
Posted on February 11, 2010 at 10:35 pm ct
We are a little over a month into the new decade, and I think it’s very interesting to look at where technology has taken us and where it might be going. When looking at the first decade of the new millennium, it’s amazing to think about what a leap forward technology has taken.
Think about it: in 2000, we didn’t have Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or any other social networking. The phrase “social networking” hadn’t really even entered our vernacular. Blogs hadn’t become popular yet. Cellphones were still big and bulky, and they didn’t really do much except make calls. Windows 98 was still the operating system of choice, movies were watched on VHS, music was listened to on CD’s (what’s an mp3?), and the Sony PlayStation was the dominant video game console.
Fast forward ten years, and look where we are now. HDTV’s have taken off, we switched to DVD’s (and now to Blu-Ray and digital downloads), and we can hold stacks of CD’s in our pockets. We can connect with anyone at any time, and we can browse the Internet on our phones faster than we could on dial-up connections at the turn of the century. The Internet itself has evolved in a massive way, becoming a place where people can share and collaborate instead of just looking at static content. YouTube wasn’t technologically feasible ten years ago, and now there are videos uploaded around the clock. The Internet in the last decade has given publishing power to anyone and everyone (granted, sometimes that’s not always for the best).
As we face a new decade, what awaits in the realm of technology? Flying cars are still probably not on the horizon, but here are a couple of things that I think could shape the next decade. (more…)
Posted on February 11, 2010 at 1:17 am ct
Welcome to my blog! This is going to be my home on the Web for all kinds of thoughts – from sports to technology and everything in between.
Why am I blogging? Well, after computers and technology, writing is my second interest. I’ve always enjoyed writing, and after being encouraged to blog by a few people, I decided to integrate a blog into my new website. Hopefully, this will be a great outlet for me to share my thoughts with others on a regular basis.
Comments are welcomed; if you have anything you would like me to write about, I’d love to hear it!
