Summary of this week:

Facebook's Graph Search feature rolls out this week in the U.S.
Chicago Public Library opens a 3D printing room
We now have a temp employment economy
MAKE Magazine is running a 30-day on-line summer camp
PC shipments fall for the fifth quarter in a row
Microsoft reorganizes - no one notices
Yet another fire on a Boeing 787
Zimmerman is found not guilty

Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday - Friday - Saturday - Sunday

Monday July 8, 2013

This morning I am trying a feature of LinkedIn that puts your post there to Twitter and then Twitter puts the post to Facebook. So post it once and it appears in three place. Let us see.

Yet another couple of engineers are hoping to capture the energy in a shoe during walking to charge your phone. Of course this should work. Now, it they only can bring it to market and sell it for $20.

Facebook's Graph Search feature rolls out this week in the U.S.

It seems that not that many people wanted MS Office on their iPhone.

The NSA and the rejection of FOIA requests. The story appears to have no end.

Speculating about future cities with cars that drive themselves. We are looking at the future in terms of today - cars. Why?

Technology workers are young. Young people tend to solve problems that either don't exist or were solved 30 years ago.

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Tuesday July 9, 2013

Is a new, new iPad coming in September with a new mini coming soon thereafter?

This story is not a joke, it is real, and to some it is hard to believe, but to me, it is just another day in the Federal government. Part of our Federal government destroyed about $3Million in computer equipment to rid them of malware.

The U.S. Emergency Alert System is hackable. Of course, national electronic health records will be safe.

Chicago Public Library is the first to have 3D printer and such for public use.

Lenovo shows a new portable computer with the newest Intel processors - still under $1,000. This is a wonderful age of computing.

Work continues on a throw-able, panoramic camera. It is not the hardware that makes it work but the software that puts the video together into something that makes sense. There are some applications for the good of society here.

Amiga Games is purchased for $500,000. The entire company and all its rights.

A poorly worded law in Florida bans all computers and cell phones. Perhaps there will be some adjustments made.

There are times when politicians even must astound themselves at their hipocrisy. President Obama wants to make government more efficient and transparent. No, I am not inventing this story.

We are not moving towards a temporary work economy; we are in one. Kelly Services is the nation's #2 employer.

Want to be productive? Wake at 4AM.

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Wednesday July 10, 2013

Challening the NSA's surveillance program in court is inching along.

Google Hangouts add voice calling to phone numbers. You can mix video, chat, phone calls, etc.

The automobile becomes a computerized radio system.

Open source software allows linking cell phones and computers when the cell system is down as in a disaster.

DropBox, with 175million users, is holding its first developer conference. It wants DropBox to link into everything.

MAKE Magazine is running a 30-day, on-line maker camp.

Amazon drastically cuts the price of using its AWS extended cloud compute service.

In 2017, there will be more programmers in India than in America. I thought we already reached that point.

SanDisk has a new line of faster microSD cards.

More technical details about the NSA surveillance program.

Vancouver has two different 1GigaBit networks - neither is Google.

Using the "white spaces" for broadband hasn't worked as planned, but it is slowly taking hold.

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Thursday July 11, 2013

A report on a terrible trend in America: local police departments are becoming armies, and armies have to practice, but this time the practice is on citizens.

PC shipments continue to fall - even affecting Apple.

Government agencies have been univited from DEF CON for the first time. You can guess the reason.

The judge ruled against Apple in the eBook price fixing trial.

The Navy lands an unmanned jet (X47B) on an aircraft carrier for the first time.

LG makes the world's thinnest display - look at the photo in this post.

This exoskeleton leg made recovery from surgery much easier. Exoskeletons are making inroads into many areas and are improving the lifes of many people. And, oh yes, they cost a lot of money. The possible is expanding and raising health care costs.

The number of electrical engineers working has dropped in the last ten years.

A look at Matchbox computers. I have a BeagleBoard, but it doesn't work as advertised. I have probably not followed the setup instructions properly, but that is an indication that the device is not ready for the market.

Google releases a major update to Maps.

The Pentagon has 7million lines of COBOL code running its payroll system, and no one knows how to maintain it. In case you've never heard of COBOL, it is the COmmon Business Oriented Language and in the 1960-1970s it was the dominant programming language in business.

Samsung passes Apple in smartphone web surfing.

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Friday July 12, 2013

Remember $10,000 HD TVs? The age of the $10K TV returns as LG has 55" and 65" super HD TVs.

Microsoft is cutting the price of its low-end tablets.

College students start in math and science, but move to other majors because they are easier. This is not news. I saw it in the 1970s.

Yet another government program run amock - poor urbanites are financing phone service for rich rural folks.

An era ends - PCWorld magazine will no longer be in print.

I haven't seen this book, but I recommend it - The Healthy Programmer. Programmers don't have to be pale, gaunt, sickly types who fall to the ground when sunlight hits them.

This researcher studied all the rumored smart watches and has a few predictions. They will be big, have unusual displays, and will flop in the marketplace.

Microsoft reorganizes. Millions yawn.

Oooops, lots of official Japanese government emails appeared on Google Groups. Is everyone ready for national electronic health records?

This breifcase of batteries costs $1,500, but if you need power and the grid in your house goes down often, get it!

The Google Nexus 7 tablet is on sale. That means (1) you get a good buy now, and (2) newer models on on the way.

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Saturday July 13, 2013

AT&T buys Leap Wireless for a billion dollars.

This is not what Boeing needs: a fire erupts on a Boeing 787 at Heathrow.

Dr. Amar Gopal Bose died. He taught at MIT for decades and created the Bose company.

Microsoft announces the hardware requirements for Windows 8.1.

Watch out, the government is coming to help us all. The Department of Energy has concluded that a 1973 law gives them the authority to declare energy standards for computers. Hence, they will declare energy standards for all computers in the U.S.

I like this design - the backpack extends into a shelter.

A tiny vehicle for hauling cargo in cities - excellent. When I was a college student, the university used giant Chevy suburbans to haul tiny packages around campus. It was one of the dumbest things I had ever seen a government organization do.

People are buying Chromebooks in the midst of the PC decline.

Someone attempts to compare the total environmental impact of electric vs gas-powered vehicles. I find the study lacking.

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Sunday July 14, 2013

The news of the morning is that last night Zimmerman was found not guilty. The incident was terrible for everyone involved. The media through more salt than salve on the wound. The divide in America continues.

Aha! Someone has got it! A pen that will warn you when you write a word with incorrect spelling. At least if they obtain the funds on Kickstarter.

In Britain, a computer full of personal health records was bought on eBay. Is everyone ready for national electronic health records?

It seems that Facebook users greatly underestimate the number of people who see their little posts.

The attempts to remake Dell into a success. There are times when you sit back and say, "We had a great run at Dell. From a drawing on a napkin to jobs and products that people liked. The world changed. It happened with the horse and buggy; it has happened with lots of things. It happened to Dell. Let's move on." I guess the guys at Dell aren't ready to say that yet.

An early investigation at Heathrow concludes that the Boeing 787 fire was not related to the batteries.

How to start writing from Natalie Goldberg ("Writing Down the Bones").

Seven-word autobiographies.

Thoughts on the fear of failure - DO NOT compare yourself to others.

What one writer learned in their first book deal.

One writer's experience in a Master of Fine Arts program.

Here is a good post on setting goals, documenting them, and following them through the year.

Some ideas on boosting your energy. I had no energy yesterday. I was sick with a headache and such all day. Why? Because I didn't sleep the night before. Take care of yourself. If you are sick, you don't work. If you don't work, you aren't paid.

I visited my mother in Louisiana last week. I didn't write a thing while there. It is challenging to write while on "holiday." The one thing I can do is notice. Look for stories, look for blog posts, look for the next thing.

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