And you should too! Seriously, if you are still using Internet Explorer, ask yourself "Why?" If you need it for some specific task, use it for that. Otherwise, take the advice of the Penn State IS department and use just about anything else. Popular alternatives are: Safari (MacOS X) Firefox …

I'm sure everybody saw this, but if you didn't, it's the end of an era. An article from the Washington Post (also reported in many other places) details the sale of IBM's PC unit to Lenovo Group Ltd., China's largest PC manufacturer. The company that started the PC (not personal …

Normally, I just consider Gizmodo to be a guilty pleasure as the site dedicated to new tech toys, etc. This morning brought a story that was just too "important" to let be. CNET has the main story about tight fitting pants being the #2 cause of broken phones among 300 …

Netcraft has an article reminding people that it is never a good idea to click on a link in an email that appears to be from your bank. The article describes a scam being perpetrated by a Korean group that uses a failing in the SunTrust web site to make …

I took a quick look this AM after my story yesterday about the NWS providing XML weather info and noticed that I don't seem to have made any comments here about Weather Underground. If you haven't been getting your weather here, you should be. The service is free (with a …

This is cool. As a part of their program to push more XML data out to the general public, the National Weather Service is not only providing forecast data (among others) via XML, but they are providing weather alerts via RSS. Dulles current weather is available via RSS. Virginia severe …

For those geeks out there who sometimes have to program things other than Macintoshes, here's an article that describes using Apple's XCode on OS X to develop code that runs on embedded systems.

You know me, I can't resist an attempt at a pun. However, BBC News reports in this article that researchers in New Zealand have found a way to help out coral using a titanium mesh and some electric current. Basically, they use the current and the mesh to create a …

According to an article from Wired, the state of Virginia (of which I am currently a resident) is considering using a combination of biometrics and RFID technology to make driver's licenses more difficult to counterfeit and steal. Whereas the biometric aspect makes a certain amount of sense when attempting to …

CNet has an article this morning about a company named ParkingTicket.com that makes money by helping you fight parking tickets. And, if you can't fight it, they at least let you pay it online (in many jurisdictions). The service automatically generates dismissal letters for you and then you can …

IBM has announced a contest designed to encourage the development of Linux applications for the PowerPC architecture. Among the prizes are a Toyota Prius, 100 G5's and some cash. Total value of the prizes is over $365,000. Not bad.

So, what does this mean for you? If you're a T-Mobile Hotspot user, it means you can avoid the annoying login launch page by directly entering your security information using 802.1X. An article from WiFiNetNews.com indicates that T-Mobile will be running both networks in tandem during the interim …

I've been a DirecTV subscriber since about one month after they rolled out the service. I've added the second NAM for the second satellite to get more local channels, and then I added the third NAM for the third bird to get HD. However, the number of HD channels has …

Wired reports that DirecTV and EchoStar have reached agreements with NBC that will allow them to carry the NBC HD Olympics coverage in a number of markets (including Washington, DC). DirecTV will carry it on channel 84.

According to an article from the International Herald Tribune, researchers at the Newcastle Center for Life have been granted a limited (1-year) license to clone human embryos for stem cell production. The plan is to clone stem cells from embryos created by inserting skin cell nuclei into human egg cells …

Despite some recent contraction in the PC market due to the competition by USB 2.0, Firewire (1394) has been gaining support and should continue to do so in the near future, according to a report from InStat. Growth continues in the Consumer Electronics areas, including digital TV, and DVRs …

When O'Reilly, considered one of the most innovative technology book publishers in the world, is beta testing a new program called SafariU (PDF). Based on their existing Safari service, which provides online access to a virtual bookshelf of technical books for a single monthly fee, SafariU provides a way for …

An article from the New York Times relays the story of two patent attorneys who have embarked on a quest to help fill the missing archives of the USPTO (the Patent and Trademark office). And, they have met with some success, handing over information to the Office about at least …

Voip-info.org has a page about building, installing, and running Asterisk (the open source VOIP PBX) under OS X. Included are pointers to graphical tools for use with Asterisk.

As if web sites didn't have enough to worry about, Microsoft has posted a lengthy document describing changes made in Windows XP SP2 and the effect on web pages. Sounds like some nice security fixes, though.