Stop and Hear the (Free) Music
With no time to spare, hundreds of people missed a free Joshua Bell concert, which others had paid $100 to see. If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
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7 Things That Are Easier to Do in Ubuntu Than in Windows
This article discusses a few of the many reasons why the Ubuntu version of Linux is much easier to use than Windows. Unfortunately, many people who tried Linux a decade ago seem to think it's the same operating. Wrong! In fact, I installed Ubuntu on my wife's laptop (she is far from being a computer guru) and she hardly even noticed. Anyway, check out the article, and some of the other great writings on the makeuseof.com site.
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The Book is Dead ... Long Live the Book!
In this first of a series on the future of books, John Barber says that the age of the e-reader has done nothing to kill our thirst for bloated blockbusters.
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Using Site Speed in Web Search Ranking
Google recently announced that page load time, or site speed, is now a factor in its ranking algorithm. Site speed reflects how quickly a website responds to web requests. This article, written by Amit Singhal and Matt Cutts, discusses several different methods, all free, to use to help increase page loading times.
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A Solution for Slow-Loading Pages
With Google's announcement regarding page load time being now a factor in its ranking algorithm, this article will provide one solution for your slow-loading pages that use JavaScript.[read the article]
Do You Know What the Country Origin Is for the URL Shortening Service You Use?
Eliot Van Buskirk has written a nice short piece on the originating countries for many URL shortening services. Quoting from the article:
"To help you navigate the mess, we put together an interactive map of the countries where today's URL shortening services registered their wacky domain names, the authority that registered them and a short political summary of each country. The results might surprise you. Bit.ly — the most popular URL shortener in the world — is registered in Libya, a dictatorship with historical ties to terrorism.
Check out the article for additional details. Or, you could just create your own service for your personal use (or public use, if you like).
Using a Linux Live CD/USB for Online Banking
Did you know there is a method you can use to log onto you online banking or financial services account which protects you from online thieves? If you are using Windows, you are (or should be) aware that online thieves can easily obtain your login information by using malware that tracks your keystrokes. However, there is a secure way around it. Kevin Purdy provides some excellent information over at Lifehacker (be sure to also read the comments). The original story, authored by Brian Krebs, can be found here (once again, check the comments). Then again, you could just permanently switch to Linux. One of the easiest versions to use is Ubuntu. It makes switching from Windows almost completely pain-free. (A big bonus of switching to Linux: the operating system is completely free, as is 99.99% of the software!)
Trick or Tweet: How Usable is Twitter for First-Time Users?
Social networking Web sites have become common tools people use for communication and sharing media such as photos. Currently, one of the most popular social networking Web sites is Twitter. A usability study was conducted with first-time users to determine ease of use and satisfaction with the site. The evaluation revealed several issues involving signing up for a new account, site terminology, and basic communication. The results, authored by Justin W. Owens, Kelsi Lenz, and Stephanie Speagle, can be found here.
ZaReason's New Linux Netbook, How to Thrive in a Tough Market
Carla Schroder of Linux Planet has a Q & A with Cathy and Earl Malmrose who founded ZaReason several years ago. Schroder says that ZaReason is a Linux OEM that has long intrigued her for a number of reasons: they encourage customers to open their boxes and tinker, they specialize in OEM Linux boxes, and they demonstrate that there is still room for independent shops in the rough-and-tumble world of computer retailing. In many ways the independents out-perform the big businesses as they understand Linux and Linux users, and a Linux-only shop doesn't have to contend with the pressures and restrictions that Microsoft puts on its partners.
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Book Review: A Pictorial History of Groveland, Florida
If you're looking to learn more the history of Florida, or maybe you just want to return to what seemed like a much simpler time, then be sure to check out Doris Bloodsworth's Images of America: Groveland.
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Is the Linux Desktop Really Useless?
Preston Gralla, a columnist for Computerworld, recently wrote a column titled, "Why You Shouldn't Care About Linux on the Desktop". When I read the column in the printed weekly edition of the magazine, I was a bit shocked. Gralla claims that the Linux desktop should be ignored as it is not easy to use.
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