The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
This category is used for articles related to technology, particularly computer and information technology.
Some of you may know I had a bit of DVT scare (deep vein thrombosis) over Labor Day weekend, and spent 5 hours that Monday in the ER waiting on an ultra-sound. While there wasn’t a clot, it scared me enough to think about how much I sit at the desk and the problems that causes.
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There, I said it. Back in late August I traded in my 2005 Nissan Pathfinder for a supposedly new 2015 Rogue. I based it on test drives and comparisons with a variety of similar crossovers, and reading reviews on several auto websites, combined with the price I got it for. I was fairly pleased, but in the past two months a number of critical components have failed, and Nissan and the dealership are unconcerned and actually fairly rude about it.
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In the previous century, America, through public and private cooperation and investment built an unrivaled infrastructure. We became the country that invented the things of a new and exciting world, and we built those things. We put in place a social safety net. We weren’t perfect, but we tried, and We looked to the future with excitement and anticipation, but today, we seem to be in a rush to go backwards as far and fast as possible. We fear everything, and demand absolute security, and think it can be found in some nostalgic past.
Read moreDespite what many of you may believe, there was a time before computers, tablets, laptops and smartphones. This was a time when we had to actually T Y P E our term papers. The single biggest selling typewriter of all time was the IBM Selectric. It was introduced on July 31, 1961, making it now 50 years old.
Read moreWell, I won’t say, “I told you so, but…” The New York Times is reporting on email exchanges between TSA employee representatives and Department of Homeland Security officals about concerns over increased cancer rates. According to the article, airport screeners in Boston and Atlanta were concerned about growing numbers of co-workers ‘falling victim to various forms of cancer,’ which they suspected might be caused by radiation exposure from the machines. “
Read moreFinally people seem to be waking to the ridiculousness of the TSA’s “security theater” at the airport gates, just not before Micheal Chertoff, former head of Homeland Security, got to sock away a nice retirement package from selling us taxpayers the bogus x-ray machines. Don’t want to go through those, then get yourself a rub down from a TSA agent, but I’ve found a way to get through the rub down pretty fast.
Read moreAccording to report on Discovery News, a man in Sante Fe claims he’s sensitive to wi-fi signals. According to the report, he has a number of doctor’s statements attesting to this sensitivity, and now he’s suing his neighbor because she won’t turn off all her electronic devices.
Read moreThis is another official update to the original “Shift Happens” video. This completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist.
Read moreIt was a big weekend for us this weekend, but in the end, I did get some rest after Saturday. The weekend started Friday afternoon with Lay’s Graduation Ceremony from the Fire Academy.
Read moreWe did an update today to a new version of WordPress. This was a significant upgrade that involved a lot of updates for the plugins that add so much functionality to the site.
Read moreEveryone is writing about where they were 40 years ago today when Armstrong and Aldrin first set foot on the moon, so I thought I should also chime in. It was certainly one of those defining moments. I was at White Lake, NC with family and friends.
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