BRUCEB NEWS
The Circus of Dr Lao: A Small, Strange American Masterpiece
Psst. Come in, come in! I’ve got a weird and wonderful book for you. There are books that feel like neatly arranged shelves. Then there are books like The Circus of Dr. Lao , which feels more like someone opened a door in the back of the room and a carnival wandered…
BROADBAND DISCOUNTS AND DEVELOPMENTS
There will come a time when high-speed Internet access will be ubiquitous and the growing pains will seem quaint. It can be hard to remember that while we’re in the middle…
STRANGE TALES FROM THE WORLD OF ADWARE/SPYWARE
It’s easier when the world is black and white. In that world, all adware/spyware is easy to identify, it’s always bad, and the people distributing it should be…
NAPSTER AND THE FUTURE OF ENTERTAINMENT
Napster has been reborn as a subscription service. Here’s an article about the new Napster. It might not be quite the right service at the right time but you are seeing a…
PARENTS’ GUIDE TO COMPUTER SLANG
Remember how stupid those documentaries were that painstakingly explained that “maryjane” and “weed” were slang terms referring to (gasp!) marijuana!…
FREE SECURITY TOOLS FROM MICROSOFT
Microsoft Antispyware was released a few weeks ago (here’s my writeup and links – scroll down to January 11.) Microsoft had a dilemma. If it sold the antispyware…
FLAT-SCREEN GIANT FROM DELL AT DISCOUNT PRICE
Dell has just released a beautiful new flat-panel LCD monitor at a price that will challenge competitors to begin another round of price cuts. The new Dell Ultrasharp 2405FPW has…
GOOGLE MAPS
Google just rolled out Google Maps (on the bruceb favorites page under Travel / Maps). It’s a huge step forward from current online favorites like MapQuest. FOLLOWUP: Wow,…
PHISHING FLAW IN ALTERNATIVE BROWSERS
I like Macs. I think they’re fine computers that do some things pretty well. Personally, the much-vaunted Apple design choices leave me cold, so it’s hard for me to…
MSN SEARCH
Microsoft has finished its work on MSN Search and will now begin a blitz of marketing in an attempt to dent Google’s brand identification. To enhance search results,…
PICASA PHOTO ORGANIZING SOFTWARE
Google seems genuinely committed to making the world a better place. (Example: A client just mentioned this news story from last week – Google’s AdWords division,…
MEDIA HUBS
A followup to my notes on moving music around the house. The Netgear MP101 fit my needs, but knowing that doesn’t simplify your shopping. I wanted something (1) dirt cheap,…
COMCAST IN SANTA ROSA
A year ago the city of Santa Rosa announced it had settled its dispute with Comcast and Internet service would be rolled out promptly. Last week Comcast announced that it had…
THE APPLE REALITY DISTORTION FIELD
What is it with Apple that causes the press to gush? It’s embarrassing. Well, nothing embarrasses the press these days, but is a sense of perspective too much to ask for…
SPYWARE RESEARCH
The folks responsible for spyware are constantly looking for new ways to get their programs onto your computer. Windows XP Service Pack 2 continues to be reasonably safe,…
MICROSOFT SPYWARE TOOLS
Microsoft continues to attack security issues on the Windows platform with impressive vigor. This week Microsoft released Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware, a program that cleans out…