Category Archives: Tech Tools

Catching the Wave

By Frank Paynter | Published: June 6, 2009

Wave positions Google to smash and mash the worlds of social media and cloud computing, to drive a stake through the heart of traditional email, to sink Sharepoint and other proprietary collaboration tools. Wave is friendfeed on steroids and it is so much more. “Wave is what email would look like if it were invented [...]

Also posted in Blogging and Flogging, Cloud Computing, Networks, Tools, Web Publishing | Comments closed

Wolfram Alpha

By Frank Paynter | Published: May 18, 2009

it was the | was the best | the best of | best of times | of times it | times it was | it was the | was the worst | the worst of | worst of times Wolfram Alpha opened its doors today. What’s Wolfram Alpha? …the first step in an ambitious, long-term [...]

Also posted in Math and Science, Networks, Tools | Comments closed

Aletheia

By Frank Paynter | Published: May 8, 2009

ἀ–λήθεια — the state of being evident “No one ever got fired for signing up for another year’s subscription to BlackBoard,” AKMA observes in a post separating the faster horses of academic technology from the plodding oxen of old edu-ware. img {float:right; margin-left:25px} The idea that “no one ever got fired for buying” retro-tech underscores [...]

Also posted in Blogging and Flogging, Philosophistry and Stuff | Comments closed

Who knows where the time goes

By Frank Paynter | Published: February 21, 2009

The fire of Web 2.0 has finally burned out. The Web 2.0 consultants have risen from the ashes born again as Social Media Experts. A question I heard recently: “What’s the difference between a Social Media Expert and a large pizza?” The answer? “A large pizza can feed a family of four.” In the sixties [...]

Also posted in Networks, The Proprietor | Comments closed

WordPress 2.7, the upgrade

By Frank Paynter | Published: January 3, 2009

I wasn’t looking forward to upgrading my WordPress from 2.6 to 2.7.  I hate backing up files and I hate the little nuanced gestures required to make software work right. Restarts, opening and closing files, holding the computer up by one corner and shaking all the bits and bytes out through the coffee-holder thingy. I [...]

Also posted in Blogging and Flogging, Web Publishing | Comments closed

Tech toys for Xmas: Netbooks

By Frank Paynter | Published: December 3, 2008

Casual computing has hit the mainstream. Obsessable has a great comparator of Netbooks for the holiday season. I fly coach. I can count on one hand the times I’ve had the laptop actually on my lap en route. I’ve wanted a notebook for years, but the notebooks have been really pricey. When a friend got [...]

Posted in Tech Tools | Comments closed

Data Points

By Frank Paynter | Published: November 19, 2008

Renewed my Flickr Pro account today. It’s been free since I don’t remember when. Reviewing my account details I see that I gave meg a Pro account in 2005. She didn’t upload much before she passed away, but she did upload some stuff that last week in June 2006. Particularly poignant was this picture titled [...]

Also posted in Democracy, Environment | Comments closed

Cloud Computing, Chrome, and Google Gears

By Frank Paynter | Published: September 8, 2008

What makes a browser fast? “Good enough for who it’s for,” may sound somewhat cynical, but it makes sense in context. Application speed expectations constantly shift to the right, it doesn’t matter what application you’re evaluating, and browsers are no exception. At the risk of irritating him, I’ll point to the browser speed comparisons that [...]

Also posted in Cloud Computing | Comments closed