The term Cloud Computing is thrown about all over the place, it seems. Everywhere you turn, someone is talking about it. It’s a hot concept, and a hot conversation topic. The problem, though, lies in trying to even define what exactly Cloud Computing is!

To some people, the definition is very narrow. They define it as an updated version of utility computing: basically virtual servers available over the Internet. To many others, Cloud Computing is a term used for virtually anything you’re doing on the Internet… or “in the Cloud”. To my way of thinking, the definition falls with the latter. To me, anytime you see an entire “program” within a web browser, you’re computing in the Cloud.

Read the rest of this entry »

Drew Olanoff is a close friend of mine. We met last year during my boss’ Gnomedex conference in Seattle, and clicked immediately. We share a love of people and technology, and have the same weird sense of humor. We’ve stayed in close contact via email/IM/phone over the past several months, solidifying and strengthening our friendship.

When Drew learned that he has Hodgkins Lymphoma back in May, he was ticked off. Me… I cried. I was terrified that I would lose my friend. I wanted to know what I could do to help. Little did I know that I would soon be able to help in a very big way.

Read the rest of this entry »

It seems as though the entire world is abuzz with talk of Windows 7 being released today. Everywhere you look online, someone is discussing it. They talk about how fast it is, how cool some of the features are. However, you only really read about the security side of the new operating system if you look on the various tech sites. It’s as though the general population has forgotten about that important component… or have they simply written Microsoft off when it comes to security?

Read the rest of this entry »

I am a moderator in a chat room that has around 250+ active users at all times – day or night. The chat mostly centers around technology, social media, and anything that could be considered to be “Geeky”. Several times a day – EVERY day – the talk turns to computer security. And always, some dolt makes a claim of how smart they are on the Internet… how they don’t need protection… how they couldn’t possibly become infected.

Read the rest of this entry »

I have had my HP TouchSmart for just about a year now. I’ll never forget the day it arrived at my house. You’ve never seen a more excited Geek! From the day I won it in a contest until the UPS driver showed up on my doorstep, I read everything I could find about how best to use my new machine. After I unboxed it and set it all up, I “trained” myself to properly use all of the various features, and even steeled myself to having to use Vista instead of XP.

Read the rest of this entry »

Just a few short years ago, Twitter was being used by the same people who are now becoming addicted to Foursquare. Yet, many people online are sputtering about how Foursquare is some passing fad, and will quickly fade into nothingness. We’re not so sure that’s true.

What is Foursquare? It’s a website that helps you mark your location anytime you go somewhere. You earn points for doing checkins, and can earn badges as well. For example, if you check in from any one place often enough, you’ll become known as the “mayor” of that location.

Read the rest of this entry »