In local news...
All Stop & Shop supermarkets have stopped accepting "regular" film! I was kind of amused at this. I remember growing up that most shopping areas had little drive up photo booths, and they disappeared...now even supermarkets don't take film!
I wonder if there will be a day where you will have to work hard to get real film developed.
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,5143,695216981,00.html
Monday, December 17, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Processes
If you've ever taken a look at your Task Manager program and said "Why are there 20 things running, I am not even doing anything", there could be a few reasons for it.
One reason is that even as it appears that nothing is happening, there are a lot of background jobs (or processes) being run - for example, there is a program keeping your Internet running, another likely monitoring for viruses, etc.
However, there are other times that you end up with processes that just take up RAM and are not necessary.
The site ProcessLibrary will tell you exactly what those processes are, if you put in the name, whether it is necessary, and perhaps most importantly, if it's spyware or a virus.
http://www.processlibrary.com/
One reason is that even as it appears that nothing is happening, there are a lot of background jobs (or processes) being run - for example, there is a program keeping your Internet running, another likely monitoring for viruses, etc.
However, there are other times that you end up with processes that just take up RAM and are not necessary.
The site ProcessLibrary will tell you exactly what those processes are, if you put in the name, whether it is necessary, and perhaps most importantly, if it's spyware or a virus.
http://www.processlibrary.com/
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
CompUSA gone...for good, this time
Back in March, CompUSA closed the doors to over half their stores (including Totowa, NJ).
It didn't save them. CompUSA has been sold to a liquidator, who is going to close the stores down and sell off their inventory.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_7688164
It didn't save them. CompUSA has been sold to a liquidator, who is going to close the stores down and sell off their inventory.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_7688164
Friday, December 07, 2007
Public Webcams...by accident
This was a bigger story a few years back, but it's still very applicable.
People buy Web cams that will allow them to put them on the Web. As with many computer issues, people want ease of use and ignore security.
On the second page of this article (click "Continue"), Scott Bradner shows you some of the Google search strings that can show Web cams. Some are surely left public for a reason...but others just show stuff you'd assume people didn't intend to leave public.
http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/011705bradner.html
People buy Web cams that will allow them to put them on the Web. As with many computer issues, people want ease of use and ignore security.
On the second page of this article (click "Continue"), Scott Bradner shows you some of the Google search strings that can show Web cams. Some are surely left public for a reason...but others just show stuff you'd assume people didn't intend to leave public.
http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/011705bradner.html
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Scholarship Opportunity for PCCC students
I just received this over email:
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship is open to any student who is currently attending a community college and planning to transfer to a four-year college/university in fall 2008. All candidates must be nominated by their community college. The foundation will not solicit or accept applications directly from students. Two (2) students can be nominated by their college.
At a minimum, to be eligible, students (candidates) must:
Be a current student at an accredited US community college or two year institution with sophomore status by December 31, 2007, or a recent graduate (since spring 2003).
Plan to enroll full-time in a baccalaureate program at an accredited college or university in fall 2008.
Have a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.50 or better on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent).
Be nominated by his or her two-year institution.
Have unmet financial need.
Not previously nominated for a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Program scholarship.
The award amount will be variable up to a maximum of $30,000 annually to fund tuition, and fees for the remainder of the scholar’s undergraduate degree. The deadline for applying is January 25, 2008.
Please refer students to Professor Martin Bookbinder in room A109.
Thank you.
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship is open to any student who is currently attending a community college and planning to transfer to a four-year college/university in fall 2008. All candidates must be nominated by their community college. The foundation will not solicit or accept applications directly from students. Two (2) students can be nominated by their college.
At a minimum, to be eligible, students (candidates) must:
Be a current student at an accredited US community college or two year institution with sophomore status by December 31, 2007, or a recent graduate (since spring 2003).
Plan to enroll full-time in a baccalaureate program at an accredited college or university in fall 2008.
Have a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.50 or better on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent).
Be nominated by his or her two-year institution.
Have unmet financial need.
Not previously nominated for a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Program scholarship.
The award amount will be variable up to a maximum of $30,000 annually to fund tuition, and fees for the remainder of the scholar’s undergraduate degree. The deadline for applying is January 25, 2008.
Please refer students to Professor Martin Bookbinder in room A109.
Thank you.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Free fake phone number
Ever want to talk to someone on the phone, but not give out your phone number? Many people had the same thought when they were selling things online.
There is a place that lets you get a free "virtual phone number" - one that you can dispose of immediately...or after a week.
The Web site is www.numbr.com. It's a trustworthy service, and definitely a good idea if you have any need to remain anonymous.
There is a place that lets you get a free "virtual phone number" - one that you can dispose of immediately...or after a week.
The Web site is www.numbr.com. It's a trustworthy service, and definitely a good idea if you have any need to remain anonymous.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Republicans go to YouTube
The Republicans are trying to reach a younger audience.
On November 28th, they had a televised debate on CNN. They also put it on YouTube.
I think this is an interesting way for politicians to try to reach a younger audience. This sort of reminds me of how Howard Dean went from being somewhat unknown to almost being the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 because he had a blog. People are tired of political ramblings, I think the time is coming where politicians will be more "real people" who admit mistakes, rather than hide them.
Ok, maybe not, but I can hope.
Anyway...Here is the YouTube link. It apparently got very ugly, former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani faced some sharp questions from some of the other candidates.
http://www.youtube.com/republicandebate
On November 28th, they had a televised debate on CNN. They also put it on YouTube.
I think this is an interesting way for politicians to try to reach a younger audience. This sort of reminds me of how Howard Dean went from being somewhat unknown to almost being the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 because he had a blog. People are tired of political ramblings, I think the time is coming where politicians will be more "real people" who admit mistakes, rather than hide them.
Ok, maybe not, but I can hope.
Anyway...Here is the YouTube link. It apparently got very ugly, former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani faced some sharp questions from some of the other candidates.
http://www.youtube.com/republicandebate
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Greening: PC Recycling
One of the terms that has been thrown out a lot this year is going green. Basically, this term implies being environmentally sound.
One thing that many people don't know is that most computer (and electronics, for that matter) should not simply be disposed of. There are some things that can cause contamination and all sorts of other bad things.
According to the Web site I will link you to, it's estimated that fewer than 1 in 4 Americans (less than 25%) recycle their computer components.
What can you do? Many towns locally (West Paterson, North Haledon) have free drop offs for technology. You can look these things up on Earth911 - a Web site devoted to recycling and "going green".
Earth911's computer recycling Web site:
http://earth911.org/recycling/computer-recycling-reuse/
(when you search, you want to find only "Municipal drop-offs" - those are the free ones)
Earth911's main Web site
http://earth911.org/
One thing that many people don't know is that most computer (and electronics, for that matter) should not simply be disposed of. There are some things that can cause contamination and all sorts of other bad things.
According to the Web site I will link you to, it's estimated that fewer than 1 in 4 Americans (less than 25%) recycle their computer components.
What can you do? Many towns locally (West Paterson, North Haledon) have free drop offs for technology. You can look these things up on Earth911 - a Web site devoted to recycling and "going green".
Earth911's computer recycling Web site:
http://earth911.org/recycling/computer-recycling-reuse/
(when you search, you want to find only "Municipal drop-offs" - those are the free ones)
Earth911's main Web site
http://earth911.org/
Monday, November 26, 2007
Tenure
I just received the phone call from my Vice President, Dr. Kineavy. The PCCC Board of Trustees has accepted the school's recommendation to grant me tenure.
What does this mean for me? Well, for one, job security. Secondly, the ability to really say what I feel in meetings without having to worry about angering this person or that person. Third, the satisfaction of a job well done so far.
Looks like I'll be at PCCC for a while, and I look forward to it!
What does this mean for me? Well, for one, job security. Secondly, the ability to really say what I feel in meetings without having to worry about angering this person or that person. Third, the satisfaction of a job well done so far.
Looks like I'll be at PCCC for a while, and I look forward to it!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Myspace hoax leads to a suicide
People can be mean sometimes.
Apparently, some people created a fake myspace account and contacted a young woman, who was prone to depression. The young woman apparently befriended the person, who eventually told her she was a bad person, and this was enough for her to commit suicide.
It's amazing a) how cruel people can be and b) how easily people will throw their lives away in this country sometimes.
It's kind of bizarre, because there was an adult in on this hoax, doing this to the young woman.
http://www6.comcast.net/news/articles/technology/2007/11/17/Internet.Suicide/?cvqh=itn_myspace
Apparently, some people created a fake myspace account and contacted a young woman, who was prone to depression. The young woman apparently befriended the person, who eventually told her she was a bad person, and this was enough for her to commit suicide.
It's amazing a) how cruel people can be and b) how easily people will throw their lives away in this country sometimes.
It's kind of bizarre, because there was an adult in on this hoax, doing this to the young woman.
http://www6.comcast.net/news/articles/technology/2007/11/17/Internet.Suicide/?cvqh=itn_myspace
Monday, November 12, 2007
Black Friday
My favorite holiday of the year? Black Friday.
What is Black Friday? Basically, it's the day after Thanksgiving. Since many people have the day off, companies offer excellent deals. For example, I got a $400 brand new laptop last year, with a printer. The drawback? It sometimes requires being at a store at 5:00 am.
For more info, check out Wikipedia's entry on Black Friday.
Anyway, this year, Staples apparently has a color laser printer under $100, and a laptop for $350. Best Buy apparently has some DVDs as low as $2.50, a $35 MP3 player (2 GB), and many more things. Target has a 19" LCD television with a built in DVD player for $200.
How do I know? Well, you can get your Sunday paper next week to get a list...or you can find a site that has them.
http://bfads.net
http://www.blackfriday.info
I love this day.
What is Black Friday? Basically, it's the day after Thanksgiving. Since many people have the day off, companies offer excellent deals. For example, I got a $400 brand new laptop last year, with a printer. The drawback? It sometimes requires being at a store at 5:00 am.
For more info, check out Wikipedia's entry on Black Friday.
Anyway, this year, Staples apparently has a color laser printer under $100, and a laptop for $350. Best Buy apparently has some DVDs as low as $2.50, a $35 MP3 player (2 GB), and many more things. Target has a 19" LCD television with a built in DVD player for $200.
How do I know? Well, you can get your Sunday paper next week to get a list...or you can find a site that has them.
http://bfads.net
http://www.blackfriday.info
I love this day.
Linking to Illegal Stuff - Illegal?
If you link your Web site to someone providing illegal stuff, is that necessarily illegal?
It's a gray area, to be sure, but one of the British sites that did that, TV-links, was recently shut down, EVEN THOUGH THEY DID NOTHING ILLEGAL.
It's a scary precedent.
http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/10/tv-links-is-the.html
It's a gray area, to be sure, but one of the British sites that did that, TV-links, was recently shut down, EVEN THOUGH THEY DID NOTHING ILLEGAL.
It's a scary precedent.
http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/10/tv-links-is-the.html
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Finland Shooting - Foreshadowed on Youtube
A student in Finland posted a disturbing video and comments on YouTube hinting at killing people in high school...and then did it.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071107/ts_nm/finland_shooting_dc_13
The video has been removed from YouTube, but at the moment, it's on this Web site.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=369_1194449557
Always sad to see this sort of thing happen.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071107/ts_nm/finland_shooting_dc_13
The video has been removed from YouTube, but at the moment, it's on this Web site.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=369_1194449557
Always sad to see this sort of thing happen.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Vote Smarter
Project Vote Smart is a Web site devoted to giving you information about all candidates running for a position. You can find what they've voted on, what their education is, even what their parents did!
http://www.vote-smart.org/
I personally have a tendency to boycott any candidate who negatively campaigns. You should sell yourself by saying "here's why you should pick me", not "this is why the other person is a piece of garbage". This is why, even though I liked Jon Corzine, I voted against him in the NJ Governor election. I didn't vote for Forrester, either for the record. I voted for one of the third party candidates.
Why bother? Well, Democrats and Republicans wonder, "why are all these people voting for this person". If you had one million people vote for a third party candidate, you can bet they would take note. This is my own personal little protest.
Anyway, if you are planning on voting, check out the Web site. They treat every candidate, from the Corzines of the world to the NJ Weedman the same, and that's what politics are about, right?
http://www.vote-smart.org/
I personally have a tendency to boycott any candidate who negatively campaigns. You should sell yourself by saying "here's why you should pick me", not "this is why the other person is a piece of garbage". This is why, even though I liked Jon Corzine, I voted against him in the NJ Governor election. I didn't vote for Forrester, either for the record. I voted for one of the third party candidates.
Why bother? Well, Democrats and Republicans wonder, "why are all these people voting for this person". If you had one million people vote for a third party candidate, you can bet they would take note. This is my own personal little protest.
Anyway, if you are planning on voting, check out the Web site. They treat every candidate, from the Corzines of the world to the NJ Weedman the same, and that's what politics are about, right?
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