Tracker Tom's Digital Disptach
Counting our losses:
FoxNews has posted an informative article about all of the famous folks who passed away in 2004. One never realizes just how many have actually left the planet during the year until we actually see a list.
Google Aids Tsunami Relief:
The folks at
Google have compiled a list of useful links that provide information about the disaster. More importantly though there is also a list of links that one can visit to make donations - donations that are needed quite badly.
Amazon.com has also pitched in and is providing a quick and easy way to donate money to the American Red Cross. I read in the newspaper today that the need is NOT for clothing and food, but for money. The relief agencies are not equiped to handle a sudden onslaught of goods. Please consider making a monetary donation, the devastation is far more horrific than you and I can even imagine. The pictures and video on television and the Internet pale in comparison to the reality of what has really happened.
Coming soon to a campfire near you:
Folks who have never been to Texas often envision cattle, dirt roads, and lots of pick-up trucks. That vision is still correct but there is so much more about Texas than just those things though. I've spent a pretty good amount of time in the "Lone Star" state and I'll have to tell you, it's on the cutting edge of technology - the folks there are not afraid of trying new things. Just a few months ago the State of Texas announced that it was going to be offering free wireless (Wi-Fi) Internet access at all of its rest stops and welcome stations. Texas is a BIG state so that is a lot of free access. Now there is a
breaking news story about how Texas is going to be offering free wireless Internet at its state parks also. In fact, a pilot program has just been launched and access is now available at five parks.
Way to go Texas!
Post Christmas Shopping:
If you've got a little cash left after the holidays and you are planning on doing some online shopping, you need to check out
SantaCoupons.com. The site offers a good selection of discount coupon codes that you can use while shopping in Cyberspace.
Happy Holidays!
Top Google Searches:
Click here to explore the top Google searches of 2004, it makes for an intersting read. I really like the way they've categorized the searches.
Have fun and Merry Christmas!
A little help with your holiday shopping:
PC Magazine online has a great article about the 10 worst electronic/computer products of the year. Reading the
article will help one steer clear of potentially bad Christmas gifts.
Watch out for bogus Christmas greeting!
Click here to read a breaking
CNN news story about a new worm virus that is being spread by e-mail.
Ho Ho Ho!
Search engines for computers:
It's the latest trend, installing a search engine tool on one's computer. The software will allow you to search the entire contents of your computer quickly - for documents, images, etc.
Click here to read a breaking news story about all of the different companies begining to offer such software.
Another "Beta" feature by Google:
Have you heard of "Google Suggest"? It's a new feature that the folks behind Google are offering up for evaluation.
Click here to check it out. In a nutshell, the new feature is sorta' like the "auto-complete" function in Internet Explorer. As you begin to type a word into the search field, a little drop-down box appears with possible suggestions. I'm not exactly sure how useful the feature is or could become. Guess we'll just have to play with it for a little while to find out.
Take a Virtual Tour:
If you've not experienced taking a 360 degree virtual tour you need to give it a shot. My friends at British Tours Limited in London offer about two dozen of those tours. You'll need Apple's Quicktime program installed on your computer (the program is free). Access to all of the tours is also free. You'll even be able to read an introduction that I wrote a few years ago for the Web site. Hop on over to
www.britishtours.com/360/ .
Search Engine News:
A new search engine has just been launched and the folks behind it claim that it is as good or better than Google - that's probably a pretty good stretch.
Accoona is available for access now so give it a whirl. After a little research I found that the Chinese government is actually behind the creation of Accoona - they are wanting to filter information before it reaches the citizens of China. From what I've read, search results are not filtered for users outside of China but within the boundaries of that country, any reference to democracy will be filtered out. Makes one glad to be living in the good Ol'USA!
Spyware lovers?
Click here to read an online article about folks who actually are willing to tolerate Spyware in their lives. Those folks believe that it's a fair trade-off, free software for the giving up of their privacy. Hmm, I wonder how those same folks feel about the government's access to their personal information and such?
Time to get out the superglue and duct tape again....
Microsoft has just released yet another patch for Internet Explorer - probably a good time to run "Windows Update" again anyway right?
Click here for a breaking news story on the patch release.
