Lifehacker Top 10: Top 10 Tools for a Free Online Education

"It's easy to forget these days that the internet started out as a place for academics and researchers to trade data and knowledge. Recapture the web's brain-expanding potential with these free resources for educating yourself online."

The Twitter Conference — Tapping In To the Real Time Web

On May 26th and 27th at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, we’re bringing together the top gurus in the Twitosphere to discuss all things Twitter, from understanding the business value of Twitter to exploring the what makes a great Twitter app.

Just a few of the other topics to be covered include: Utilizing Twitter data for brand monitoring and seeking Alpha * Creating compelling Web services with the Twitter APIs * Best practices: How smart organizations are utilizing Twitter * Attracting and keeping followers.

If you want to see how the whole two-day schedule works out, check out the session grid as it develops.

CNET Prizefight: Apple iTunes vs. Amazon MP3

"When Amazon launched the beta version of its DRM-free MP3 store back in 2007, many predictions were made regarding whether the online retail giant would have what it takes to take on its counterpart in the digital music space, Apple iTunes. Although Amazon MP3 has yet to reach iTunes status in terms of catalog size and overall digital media sales, the lure of the ever-compatible MP3--which shows no signs of popping up in Apple's domain--combined with the pricing deals offered on the site and consistent growth in terms of selection is set to gain Amazon some serious headway in the coming months."

Browser Showdown: IE 8 vs. Firefox

"Microsoft's newest browser promises faster page load speeds. Does IE 8 deliver? We put it to the test against the latest version of Firefox.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 is here at last--the newest entry into the ongoing browser wars. Microsoft packed a healthy number of new features into IE 8, and made security a top priority in its newest version of this venerable Web browser.

But just as important as all that is browsing speed--that is, how quickly can IE 8 render your favorite Web sites? To get an idea of how IE 8 compares, we put it to the test."

A $200 Camera for Every Need

"Budget-minded shoppers, rejoice! Not only can you get a new digital camera for $200 or less, but you can find a camera for almost anyone at that price: pocket megazooms, feature-filled cams, wide-angle shooters, fashionable designs, and waterproof models. Here's what's coming soon or already on sale."

Social Web sites face transparency questions

"Yelp.com prides itself on being a site where people can write reviews about pretty much anything and connect with similarly critical peers. Yet as the site grows, some of the businesses scrutinized on Yelp are turning the tables and griping about the company itself.

The complaints highlight an irony for Web sites that stimulate online communities and let users speak their minds. As the sites make the world more transparent, giving people the power to discuss everything from a great pizza to a bad date, the sites' own transparency is often questionable, as consumers and businesses struggle to understand how they operate."

SHOW #66 - NerdBoyTV: CustomTweets

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee demos CustomTweets, an Internet website that specializes in creating customized backgrounds for your Twitter pages. Go to their website at www.CustomTweets.com for more details.

NerdBoyTV - March 22, 2009 PC maintenance: How to clean your laptop

 

NerdBoyTV News

Presented by: Ryan Yee Host of NerdBoyTV www.NerdBoyTV.com ryanyee@comcast.net NerdBoyTV Online  Click HERE to see other links and videos at NerdBoyTV.com. Ryan Yee reviews techie gadgets on Amazon.com. Click HERE to see the latest product reviews. NerdBoyTV on YouTube     PC maintenance: How to clean your laptop 2009-03-18 00:59:00-04 "Remember the last time you washed your car? You took it to the car wash or broke out the hose and blasted off layer after layer of grime. And afterwards, you beamed at how good it looked. Heck, you might even have thought it ran better, too. But when was the last time you cleaned your laptop computer? If you can't answer that question, you're long overdue and could be headed for major performance issues. All that accumulated dust and dirt affects how your laptop runs, which in turn can strain your eyes, slow down your data processing and reduce your productivity. Not to mention all the sticky hands that may have touched it over the holidays. Take heart—it's easy to give your laptop a first-rate clean-up. With the right tools (see 'PC hygiene helpers') and a regular schedule, you can keep your multi-keyed friend purring along for years to come. Here's how to get started." For more videos and links, go to http://www.NerdBoyTV.com. Find out more Custom Web Pages on Any Topic 2009-03-18 01:01:00-04 "I use Google for almost all my searches because it's fast and generally gives great results for whatever it is I'm looking for. But I recently came across a site that offers an intriguing new way to search, called Addict-omatic (addictomatic.com). It takes any search term you throw at it and creates an attractive customizable Web page with search results organized by their source. You can bookmark your Addict-o-matic page and refer to it whenever you want to find out the latest scoop on a subject." For more videos and links, go to http://www.NerdBoyTV.com. Find out more Dell goes upscale with the $2,000 Adamo notebook 2009-03-18 11:22:00-04 "It's a curious time to target the top of the market, but Dell seems intent on taking a page from the Apple playbook, striking hard into the ultra-luxe laptop category with its new Adamo system, a svelte 13-inch notebook which starts at a cool two grand. Launching today (with shipments beginning on March 26), the laptop is now the thinnest computer on the market, just 0.65 inches thick and weighing about four pounds (somewhat heavier than its primary competitors, the MacBook Air and HP Voodoo Envy). Built with an aluminmum chassis, it's available in black or white, and comes in two configurations: a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo/2GB RAM/128GB SSD model for $1,999, and a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo/4GB RAM/128GB SSD/integrated WWAN model for $2,699. The laptop also claims a five-hour battery life, features a snazzy backlit keyboard, and an edge-to-edge, all-glass, high-def display." For more videos and links, go to http://www.NerdBoyTV.com. Find out more Gadget Maker or Service Provider? Firms Start to Overlap 2009-03-18 11:56:00-04 g "Nokia used to be just a cellphone maker. Google used to be just an Internet company. Nokia's new music and gaming phone. Nokia is taking aim at Google, Apple and others. Now Nokia wants to be an Internet company and Google, according to rampant speculation among bloggers and technology analysts, may be about to enter the mobile phone fray. "Devices alone are not enough anymore," Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, chief executive of Nokia, said last week in London as the company announced plans for a digital music store, a game service, social networking links and other mobile Internet initiatives, grouped under a new brand, Ovi. "People want more; they want the complete experience."" For more videos and links, go to http://www.NerdBoyTV.com. Find out more

Unsubscribe to this Newsletter

Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved.

To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit: http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?ThisIsATestEmail

Microsoft adds shortcuts, security to new browser

"Microsoft Corp. will release a new version of Internet Explorer Thursday, adding features meant to speed up common Web surfing tasks and bringing the browser's security measures in line with those of major competitors.

The number of browsers has grown to a dizzying array, from Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox, the two most popular, to Apple Inc.'s Safari, Google Inc.'s Chrome, the Norwegian entrant Opera and others. Each is using speed, security enhancements and new features to fight for a share of Web surfers' growing time online. Microsoft remains the dominant player, but Firefox's influence is growing."

Sony e-book reader gets 500,000 books from Google

"Google Inc. is making half a million books, unprotected by copyright, available for free on Sony Corp.'s electronic book-reading device, the companies were set to announce Thursday.

It's the first time Google has made its vast trove of scanned public-domain books available to an e-book device, and vaults the Sony Reader past Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle as the device with the largest available library, at about 600,000 books.

The scanned books were all published before 1923, and include works like Charles Dickens' 'A Tale of Two Cities' as well as nonfiction classics like Herodotus' 'The Histories.'

The books are already available as free downloads in the Portable Document Format (PDF), which works well on computer screens but not on e-book readers. Google will provide the books to the Sony Reader in the EPUB (electronic publication) format, which lets the lines flow differently to fit a smaller screen."

Gadget Maker or Service Provider? Firms Start to Overlap

g "Nokia used to be just a cellphone maker. Google used to be just an Internet company.

Nokia’s new music and gaming phone. Nokia is taking aim at Google, Apple and others.

Now Nokia wants to be an Internet company and Google, according to rampant speculation among bloggers and technology analysts, may be about to enter the mobile phone fray.

“Devices alone are not enough anymore,” Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, chief executive of Nokia, said last week in London as the company announced plans for a digital music store, a game service, social networking links and other mobile Internet initiatives, grouped under a new brand, Ovi. “People want more; they want the complete experience.”"

Dell goes upscale with the $2,000 Adamo notebook

"It's a curious time to target the top of the market, but Dell seems intent on taking a page from the Apple playbook, striking hard into the ultra-luxe laptop category with its new Adamo system, a svelte 13-inch notebook which starts at a cool two grand.

Launching today (with shipments beginning on March 26), the laptop is now the thinnest computer on the market, just 0.65 inches thick and weighing about four pounds (somewhat heavier than its primary competitors, the MacBook Air and HP Voodoo Envy). Built with an aluminmum chassis, it's available in black or white, and comes in two configurations: a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo/2GB RAM/128GB SSD model for $1,999, and a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo/4GB RAM/128GB SSD/integrated WWAN model for $2,699. The laptop also claims a five-hour battery life, features a snazzy backlit keyboard, and an edge-to-edge, all-glass, high-def display."

Custom Web Pages on Any Topic

"I use Google for almost all my searches because it's fast and generally gives great results for whatever it is I'm looking for. But I recently came across a site that offers an intriguing new way to search, called Addict-omatic (addictomatic.com). It takes any search term you throw at it and creates an attractive customizable Web page with search results organized by their source. You can bookmark your Addict-o-matic page and refer to it whenever you want to find out the latest scoop on a subject."

PC maintenance: How to clean your laptop

"Remember the last time you washed your car? You took it to the car wash or broke out the hose and blasted off layer after layer of grime. And afterwards, you beamed at how good it looked. Heck, you might even have thought it ran better, too.

But when was the last time you cleaned your laptop computer?

If you can't answer that question, you're long overdue and could be headed for major performance issues. All that accumulated dust and dirt affects how your laptop runs, which in turn can strain your eyes, slow down your data processing and reduce your productivity. Not to mention all the sticky hands that may have touched it over the holidays.

Take heart—it's easy to give your laptop a first-rate clean-up. With the right tools (see 'PC hygiene helpers') and a regular schedule, you can keep your multi-keyed friend purring along for years to come. Here's how to get started."

Save Streamed Media Locally

"Since YouTube hit it big, streaming movies and music have gone positively bananas. But such online media has a major flaw: You can't download it to your desktop and save it forever. Here's how you can download streamed-media offerings of various types."

Use Your Computer to Stay Connected

"How many times a year do we make that extra effort to get in touch with friends and family for a friendly greeting? This year, with the entire world's mind seemingly focused on things related to the economy, why not consider these alternative and inexpensive options to get you through?

Reach out and touch someone. So, you've got family from west coast to east coast and everywhere in between and on just about every continent. And if you're not careful, the chatty Cathy in your house—or Carl respectively—and that might be you—will have your phone bill rivaling that of the national debt.

Luckily, you can contact everyone you know on every continent and you can do it for FREE. How do you ask? Through this wonderful little thing I like to call "the Internet". Here are some wonderful ways to call, chat, video conference, etc."

Apple shows off new iPhone software

"At long last, Apple will be adding copy-and-paste for text to its iPhone, something customers have clamored for, and something that is commonly featured on almost all other smartphones.

Scott Forstall, Apple's senior vice president of iPhone software, unveiled the new feature today along with others for the phone at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.

'We've been working really hard to design an easy-to use interface for this on our touchscreen display,' he said."

Wikia Entertainment Network Attracts More Eyeballs than Entertainment Weekly*

"Wikia, Inc., the place where millions of passionate people come to discover, create and share information on thousands of topics, today announced that it has surpassed Entertainment Weekly's online property in global unique visitors per month, according to Quantcast. Over 12 million come to share content on Wikia's entertainment properties, compared to the 7.6 million visitors to ew.com per month.

The Wikia Entertainment Network is the place where millions of entertainment buffs collaborate to create the ultimate resource on their favorite entertainment topics, including TV shows, anime, movies, comics and more. The Wikia Entertainment Network has experienced tremendous growth since its launch in 2007 and today has 3,000 individual entertainment-focused communities. In the past year, the Wikia Entertainment Network has seen:"

TwitPickr cross-posts TwitPic images to Flickr

"If you're a Flickr user who delights in the simplicity of using TwitPic to take pictures in various mobile Twitter applications, you'll dig TwitPickr. This simple tool lets you republish any shots you've sent to TwitPic over to your Flickr account.

To begin, you simply drop in your Twitter username and it pulls up all the shots you've posted to TwitPic. Then you just check off the ones you want to publish to your Flickr photostream and it copies them over in one click.

As a future feature I'd love to automatically have photos from Twitpic sent over to Flickr. Until that happens, the easiest way to send to both is to save your special e-mail posting address from each service, then send the photo to both using your phone's MMS or e-mail client. However, this method defeats the purpose of using TwitPickr in the first place, since TwitPic posting is built into so many of today's mobile Twitter apps."

Google Voice: Flawed but still awesome

"Google's new Google Voice has a few rough edges but for many users, it could be a life-changing experience.

The service, a relaunch of GrandCentral, which Google bought in 2007, allows you to choose a local number, which will simultaneously ring up to six phones such as your cell phone, home phone, office phone, and the phone at that vacation home that most of us can only dream about.

In addition to forwarding your calls, it also takes voice messages that you can listen to on the Web, from a phone, or read, thanks to a new feature that transcribes voice messages and sends them as e-mail and text messages."

At SXSW, attendees confront Twitter saturation

"By now, the story of how Twitter exploded onto the scene at the 2007 South by Southwest festival is legend in technology circles.

But here at SXSW 2009, the notion of the perfect match among community, service, and event seems flipped on its head. Many people are discovering that a monumental oversaturation of tweets is reversing the value that Twitter offered at SXSW 2007 and SXSW 2008 for finding friends and great parties.

At SXSW, the standard is for everyone to include the tag '#sxsw' in their tweets. For example, on Friday, I was looking for sources for a different story and tweeted, 'If you are launching an iPhone app at #sxsw, or know someone who is, please let me know. Thanks!'"

Bracketologists raise their game

"As you puzzle over the 'March Madness' basketball bracket for your office pool, you can go with pure luck - and hope you hit a 9,000,000,000,000,000,000-to-1 long shot. Or you can play it safe and just go with the higher-rated team for every game. But how scientific is that? A growing number of online tools promise to give you an analytical edge over your officemates."

Facebook fun goes mobile with iPhone applications

"Facebook is letting users of its flourishing social-networking community play together on the road by using Apple's popular iPhone and iPod Touch mobile devices.

Facebook senior platform manager Dave Morin revealed the news Saturday while flanked by an array of hip social software makers at a panel talk at South By Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas.

'For the first time, your iPhone apps can now have friends,' Morin said before panelists demonstrated applications that expand the borders of Facebook's online community onto iPhones and iPod Touch devices.

Facebook Connect for the iPhone debuted with nine applications available at Apple's online iTunes store and a promise that more will launch in coming days."

Bedtime gadgets help people get more out of sleep

"Once people drifted off to sleep with the aid of warm milk and a bit of sheep counting. These days, they may also get some bedtime help from a clever microprocessor.

A new tabletop machine from Adaptive Sound Technologies uses its algorithms to create soothing bedside sounds. Sound machines have existed for years, but the machine, called Ecotones ($299), adds a new, responsive twist: When the soundtrack is running and it senses a disruption to bedroom quiet, it responds immediately with additional cloaking sounds.

Set the dial to ocean sounds, for example, and it produces the sounds of continuous rolling waves, fog horns and the calls of sea gulls. But if a truck suddenly rumbles by outside the bedroom, the machine detects the racket and masks it by producing an extra crashing wave or two."

How to tell, what to do if computer is infected

"Computer-virus infections don't cause your machine to crash anymore.

Nowadays, the criminals behind the infections usually want your computer operating in top form so you don't know something's wrong. That way, they can log your keystrokes and steal any passwords or credit-card numbers you enter at Web sites, or they can link your infected computer with others to send out spam."

SHOW #65 - NerdBoyTV BROADCAST - Twitter

In this episode (Show #65) of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee demos the very popular social networking site, Twitter.

Top 5 GPS Devices

"The accurate and feature-packed TomTom GO 930 GPS device leads the field."

MP3 Players: Whose is Smallest?

"Before the tech explosion it was always thought that bigger was better. America produced the biggest cars, the biggest hamburgers and the biggest size soft drink at 7-11. Times have changed, however, and now it's a race for the smallest device possible. Nothing embodies this change more than the MP3 player. Everyone is thinking small these days, and Apple has just come out with a new iPod Shuffle that it calls 'jaw-droppingly small.' The iPod shuffle is just 1.8 inches tall x 0.3 inches thin. But how does it really stack up against the rest of the MP3 world? We've chosen some of the smallest MP3 players from across the globe to see how they compare."

10 Best Smart Phones: BlackBerry Pearl Still Rules

"Today's best phones do a lot more than make calls. Have a look at our picks for the 10 best smart phones available today."

The headphone shuffle

"Apple’s announcement of the third-generation iPod shuffle brought something many of us never thought we’d see (other than in a Saturday Night Live skit): an iPod with no buttons. There’s a switch for turning the shuffle on and off, but the familiar—and easy to use, I might add—five-button control pad has vanished.

So how do you control the new iPod shuffle? The bundled Apple earbuds—similar to the Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic the company has been selling since last fall for use with other iPod models—include a small, inline controller with just three buttons: volume up, volume down, and, well, let’s just call it Button. You use Button for nearly all playback functions: Press it once to play or pause playback; twice to skip forward a track; three times to skip back a track; twice and hold it to scan forward; three times and then hold it to scan backward; once and hold it to tell the shuffle to speak the name of the current song; or once and hold it longer to tell the shuffle to speak the names of playlists, using the volume buttons to “scroll” through the list—press Button again to choose a playlist. (I'm reminded of The Onion’s MacBook Wheel parody: a laptop with no keyboard—just a big Click Whe"

DVD sales plummet, Blu-ray unable to save the day

DVD sales plummet, Blu-ray unable to save the day : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech: "The numbers for 2008 are in and they don't look good: DVD sales are now showing the first signs that they're about to go into free-fall, just like sales of CDs did a few years ago.

For the second year running, DVD sales have slipped. After hitting a high of $24.1 billion in 2006, the total sales volume hit $21.6 billion in 2008, an overall decline of about 10 percent off the 2006 high.

DVD's purported savior -- Blu-ray -- has been unable to rise to the rescue so far. Blu-ray (and leftover HD DVD) disc sales hit just $750 million last year, which doesn't nearly make up for the loss in sales of DVD media. Since Blu-ray discs are more expensive than DVDs, the overall unit sales decline is even more worrisome for Hollywood -- and some studios are seeing income plummet accordingly. For example, Fox operating income dropped 72 percent last year after seeing DVD sales fall just 15 percent."

10 New Ways to Discover What You Need on the Web

10 New Ways to Discover What You Need on the Web - PC World: "These new sites and services try to read your mind and the minds of other Web users to bring you exactly the information you want."

The World Wide Web hits 20 years old

The World Wide Web hits 20 years old : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech: "Twenty years ago, what were you up to? Here's a reminder: Milli Vanilli was putting out its infamous album. The first Batman movie hit the big screen. Pat Sajak thought it would be a great idea to take a stab at a late night talk show. And Ringo Starr was forming his own band.

And you didn't hear about any of this stuff on the World Wide Web, because 20 years ago today it was busy being invented by Tim Berners-Lee."

10 Cool New Technologies You Need to Check Out

10 Cool New Technologies You Need to Check Out - PC World: "Instant-on access for any PC. A netbook with a detachable screen. And a cheaper way to get out from under your home mortgage. These and other creative Web services, software and hardware were introduced at the DEMO 09 conference."

Slammed from all sides, eBay rethinks direction

Slammed from all sides, eBay rethinks direction : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech: "You'd think a recession would be a gold mine for the world's biggest dealer of used, cheap, and semi-functional junk, but it seems that even eBay, one of the stalwarts of the Internet economy and a heralded survivor of the early-2000s dot-com bust, is mortal after all.

Facing a sobering reality that traffic and revenue is on the decline (revenue fell 16 percent in the fourth quarter for eBay's 'marketplace' business), the company is trying to figure out where it goes from here. Since taking over from Meg Whitman, CEO John Donahoe has been banging the drum, trying to convince the world that eBay is no longer the world's flea market and has toes in all manner of industries -- including Paypal and Skype -- but none of that rhetoric has stuck. Now, eBay is finally admitting that some of its more recent endeavors just haven't panned out, and the company is now planning to refocus on what it's always been known for best: The 'secondary market [that] includes the used and vintage goods that the company is already known for selling, as well as clearance and out-of-season items.'

In other words: Online flea market it is!"

Tech, music and film converge at SXSW Festival

Yahoo! News - Tech, music and film converge at SXSW Festival by AFP: Yahoo! Tech: "Aspiring Internet stars are flocking to the state capital of Texas for the annual South By South West (SXSW) gathering, seen as a launch pad for hot new technology, music and films.

The portion of the festival that focuses on interactive technology begins Friday with many watching for the next Twitter, the micro-blogging service that has become a global sensation since making its debut at SXSW in 2007.

Technology titans throwing parties or sponsoring events at SXSW include Internet search king Google; software colossus Microsoft, social-networking darling Facebook, and online news aggregation powerhouse Digg."

One-Year-Old Hulu Adds Boxee-like Friends Feature

One-Year-Old Hulu Adds Boxee-like Friends Feature: "Hulu is celebrating its first year and adding new features. The online video service, co-owned by News Corp., NBC Universal, and Providence Equity Partners, went from beta to live a year ago and began offering users access to online videos, television shows, and clips from various content providers.

As part of its milestone celebration, Hulu has added a Friends feature to Hulu.com. The site integrated with e-mail providers, including Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Hotmail, and social-networking companies Facebook and MySpace to let users invite friends to Hulu.

Similar to the way users on Facebook can keep track of what their friends are doing with status updates, Hulu has added a Tab to the Friends feature allowing users to keep track of what friends are watching, subscribing to, and discussing."

Sirius XM Radio planning to stream to iPhone, iPod

Yahoo! News - Sirius XM Radio planning to stream to iPhone, iPod by AP: Yahoo! Tech: "Financially struggling Sirius XM Radio Inc. is planning to stream its subscription radio service to the iPhone and iPod Touch devices from Apple Inc. beginning this spring.

After narrowly avoiding a filing for bankruptcy protection last month, the nation's only satellite radio provider wants to step up sales directly to consumers. New car purchases — which had been Sirius' best source of customers — are way down.

Sirius XM also said in a call Thursday to discuss its fourth-quarter earnings that it's ramping up efforts to reach buyers of used cars with factory-installed satellite radios.

'We've been testing a number of initiatives to make the Sirius XM content and experience more ubiquitous,' said Jim Meyer, president of operations and sales at New York-based Sirius."

Fake-A-Call | iPhone OS Download

Fake-A-Call | iPhone OS Download | PC World: "Ever wish you had a prearranged escape route for that awkward blind date, incredibly dull meeting, or overly loquacious friend? Enter free iPhone app Fake-A-Call. Launch it and push a button, and a timer counts down. When the timer runs out, the phone calls you with a ringtone, an authentic-looking call screen, and even a fake connect. Pretend someone is at the other end and get out of your bad situation with no hard feelings.

Fake-A-Call is configurable with a number of ring tones, as well as customizing the name of the fake caller and the wallpaper image associated with him or her. That way, the offending person can look over your shoulder and see exactly what you want them to see.

Frequent blind daters and those with friends who fit the description 'best in small doses' will find a lot of use in Fake-A-Call."

Cheap Netbooks Inspire More Wireless Gadgets

Cheap Netbooks Inspire More Wireless Gadgets - Business Center - PC World: "Look out for a deluge of wireless devices, including netbooks, sold at heavily discounted rates by the wireless carriers, as the operators battle to win customers during the economic downturn.

AT&T Wireless confirmed last week it has been selling two netbooks from Dell Inc. and Acer Inc. for US$99 apiece after rebates, but customers must commit to a two-year data service contract for $60 a month.

An AT&T spokesman said the carrier eventually wants to sell all kinds of embedded wireless devices that will work over its networks, including e-book readers, wireless cameras and in-car navigation devices."

Five Fun Google Earth Time-Wasters

Five Fun Google Earth Time-Wasters - PC World: "Let's face it: You can kill a lot of time with Google Earth 5,0. With this highly-visual, recently-released tool, you can fly anywhere on Earth for free, from your neighborhood to your upcoming fishing spots. You can check out terrain and 3D buildings, plot your ideal vacation tour, explore the ocean floor and even see Mars up close. It's a rich application that can take plenty of time to fully explore-both in terms of places and functionality. To make it easier for you, we've outlined five ways to get a small taste for what Google Earth 5.0 can do."

5 Great Microsoft Web Services You Probably Don't Use

5 Great Microsoft Web Services You Probably Don't Use - PC World: "Microsoft is so often the behemoth everyone loves to hate that people overlook the stuff it does right. We tried its newer Web services and found five gems."

Social networking now bigger than e-mail

Report: Social networking now bigger than e-mail : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech: "That's the word from Nielsen, which reports that the worldwide 'reach' of sites like Facebook and MySpace has now outgrown that of the most popular e-mail services.

According to the Nielsen Company's new report, nearly 67 percent of global Internet users last year went online to use a social networking service of some kind, compared to just 65.1 percent for e-mail. (In case you're wondering, search is still king with a global Net 'reach' of 85.9 percent, followed by 'general interest portals' with 85.2 percent, according to Nielsen.)

Another finding: When you consider global Internet use, about one in every 15 minutes was spent browsing social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace in 2008, the report claims—and apparently, that number is going nowhere but up."

SHOW #64 - NerdBoyTV BROADCAST - eMail, Google, Facebook, Jamba Juice

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee goes over the news at NerdBoyTV, including taming your email Inbox, Google Labs, Facebook, the history of data storage, and PC World's Top 10 Netbook picks. Also, Jamba Juice is having a $1.00 special on oatmeal throughout March! Yay!

The Quest for the Nearly Empty In-Box

Basics - The Quest for the Nearly Empty In-Box - NYTimes.com: "SINCE e-mail became a fixture in our professional and personal lives, many academic researchers have investigated the complex mix of feelings brought on by the technology.

We feel guilty about being late in responding, about our in-boxes being disorganized, about the tens of thousands of unread messages that we’re sure we’ll never get to. What is it about e-mail that consumes us — that invades every corner of our personal space, demands ever more sophisticated methods of organization, and makes us wish for extra hours in the day to deal with the deluge? More important, how can we overcome it?

In the last few weeks, I set about finding a cure for e-mail anxiety. It was not the first time I’d done so; I’ve been looking for better ways to handle my mail since shortly after logging in to my first in-box."

State of the Art - Google Geniuses at Work on Free Goodies

State of the Art - Google Geniuses at Work on Free Goodies - NYTimes.com: "Unless you’re just off the shuttle from Alpha Centauri, you’re already aware of the product that made Google famous: its Search box. It’s become the card catalog for the Internet (and a whopping moneymaker for Google).

But any time you cram some 20,000 of the world’s smartest people into one company, you can expect to grow a garden of unrelated ideas. Especially when you give some of those geniuses one workday a week — Google’s famous “20 percent time”— to work on whatever projects fan their passions. And especially when you create Google Labs (labs.google.com), a Web site where the public can kick the tires on half-baked Google creations. Some Labs projects go on to become real Google services, and others are quietly snuffed out."

How to Friend Mom, Dad, and the Boss on Facebook...Safely

How to Friend Mom, Dad, and the Boss on Facebook...Safely - NYTimes.com: "Oh no! Your mom just joined Facebook and what's even worse, she wants to be your friend. More and more people are finding themselves in this situation today and unsure of what to do. Friending mom and dad, the boss, or other work colleagues opens up the details of your private life for the whole world to see - and you might not be entirely comfortable with that. What's to be done?"

From punch cards to Blu-ray, a history of data storage

From punch cards to Blu-ray, a history of data storage : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech: "My my my, what a walk down memory lane Maximum PC has in store for old-school computer users today: A timeline of data storage formats dating back to the very dawn of computing.

I'm not old enough to have ever used punch cards or other paper-based storage systems, but I certainly did my time with cassette tapes and just about every other format on the list (yes, even 8-inch floppies and reel-to-reel tapes).

Who will ever forget 5.25' and 3.5' floppies? I even retain a small collection of the latter -- alas, I junked my last 5.25' drive (just in case!) several years ago -- just in case I find myself needing to install MS-DOS 6 or Windows 3.1."

Top 10 Netbooks - PC World

Chart - Top 10 Netbooks - PC World: "Netbooks (aka mini-notebooks, mini-notes or 'laptots') are perfect travel companions and meet basic computing needs, including e-mailing, Web surfing, and document creation. Best of all, these low-powered machines cost less than the standard-issue laptop."

SmileBooks Announces Even More Reasons to Smile

SmileBooks Announces Even More Reasons to Smile: "SmileBooks - the fun and easy way for people to turn their digital photos into professionally bound and printed photo books - announced today a number of changes to their innovative software, designed to make their photo books even more appealing to consumers. These changes include:

- A new version of SmileBooks software with clipart gallery and image masks
- An online interface for photo book building with family and friends
- Introduction of SmileBooks photo book software for Mac users
- Three new hard cover photo books with new lay-flat binding available on high-quality silver halide photo paper
- Two new photo book sizes added to original photo books - Panorama (11'x8') and Panorama Professional (11'x14')

Dominic Brezinski, SmileBooks General Manager in the USA said. "The evolution of SmileBooks continues. We are introducing a number of exciting transformations that are sure to change the face of the online photo book business."

SmileBooks' new software, now available for Mac or Windows applications, includes an online photo book builder that adds a unique scrapbook element to consumer photo books. It allows users to import images from Flickr, Picasa and Facebook, collaborate with friends and family to create photo books together, or send a preview link to family and friends."

Computer School for Seniors Launches New Blog That Spotlights Baby Boomers and Seniors

Computer School for Seniors Launches New Blog That Spotlights Baby Boomers and Seniors: "Computersavvyseniors.blogspot.com is now the home to a blog featuring commentary and information relevant to Baby Boomers and Seniors. The newly launched blog is testament to the fact that seniors are fully embracing - and actively participating in - the Internet age.

Since launching last April, Computer School for Seniors, a Carrollton, Texas-based online school for seniors, has been developing tools specific to helping seniors learn how to use the computer and the Internet. The senior-focused blog is the latest in a suite of resources.

The Blog will be updated daily by Computer School for Seniors faculty members and will cover topics ranging from computer tips to photography tricks to inspirational thoughts. In addition, the Blog will serve as a forum to feature different seniors - the most recent one being Paul Yowell from Longview, TX who was among the first to enroll in the School last April. 'Without the help of my computer, life would certainly be a boring situation,' says Yowell. 'I had to give up golf and fishing. But I still have my computer to brighten every day. At 83, I'm a 15% computer geek.'"

How Online Sharing Is Changing Entire Concept of Business Creation

Loic Le Meur on How Online Sharing Is Changing Entire Concept of Business Creation: "Web visionary and CEO of Seesmic, Loic Le Meur, says that online sharing is the great innovation brought about by the Internet. Sharing is changing everything, according to Le Meur, diminishing the divide between peoples, countries, and even the importance of protecting your ideas.

A video interview with Le Meur about the importance of online sharing is featured on IdeasProject.com, a unique website developed by Nokia. IdeasProject is an online space that provides a new way to interact with thought leaders and their big ideas about the future of connected communications. For more on Le Meur's big idea, CLICK HERE."

Netbook Buying Guide

Netbook Buying Guide - Yahoo! Shopping: "Netbooks are a relative newcomer to the world of portable computers. They sit comfortably at the opposite end of the spectrum from the 'desktop replacement' notebooks, those laptops with big screens, beefy specs and full-sized keyboards.

Netbooks sacrifice optical drives (CD/DVD drives) and have generally modest hardware specifications, smaller screen sizes and shrunken keyboards. They also tend toward smaller hard drive sizes ... oftentimes much, much smaller. What you get in return is a small PC that is truly ultra-portable, weighing less than two pounds in some cases. In other words, a netbook is an ideal travel companion."