Tag: Internet

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Speaking of the New York Times

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In my previous post I referenced a link to the New York Times, which reminded me of the fact that I was actually interviewed by them several years ago for an article on retro-computing. The article is still on their website, and the article is still wrong. Quoting the relevant part:

In the early days, programmers looked for creative software solutions instead of glitzier hardware. ”In a way it was simpler back then,” said Lane Denson, a Nashville farmer who has set up a computer museum in his basement. ”You didn’t have 20 or 30 sound cards and you didn’t have to worry about upgrading every other week.”

…except for the fact that I’ve never been a farmer, and I don’t have a basement, nor a computer museum (Well, Emily might debate that last point). I contacted the writer at the time and she said she’d publish a correction, but it never happened. And they didn’t even bother to publish a link to my Commodore 64 website, which is how they got my name in the first place. Oh well – it’s not every day you’re quoted in one of the world’s largest newspapers.

Here’s the link to the full article (may require registration): Living the 8-bit Dream in a 32-bit World

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Pet Peeve

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…people who insist on inserting “www.” in front of every single website address. Yes, there is the random website that requires “www.whatever.com” instead of “whatever.com”, but 99 times out of 100 it is not necessary, particularly when it has a subdomain.

At my job we set up website addresses that are easy to remember, then others try to complicate things by adding “www.” for some unknown reason. It’s not necessary!

For example, go to oogabooga.3nv7.com – works perfectly. No www. in sight.

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Grooviest Program Ever*

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*Until something better comes along

Emily noted that I hadn’t written anything in a while, so here you go 🙂

I’m sure most people have, at one point or another, stumbled across one of the various satellite mapping sites where you can see your neighborhood from a 100 mile up perspective. Well, Google Earth takes this three or four steps forward. It is an interactive model of the *entire* earth in 3D utilizing satellite photos and terrain altitude data, and you can roam the earth freely – zooming in close enough to where you can see individual houses in some cases.

From the site:

– Fly from space to your neighborhood. Type in an address and zoom right in
– Search for schools, parks, restaurants, and hotels. Get driving directions.
– Tilt and rotate the view to see 3D terrain and buildings.
– Save and share your searches and favorites. Even add your own annotations.

My favorite spot so far is the Grand Canyon.

Check it out – it’s free!

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Now THIS is a great idea…

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From the Christian Computing News Brief…

Someone has just cut you off on the highway. You see that they are driving fast and reckless and your blood begins to boil. Now there is something you can do! Law enforcement agencies in Washington and Arizona are providing Web sites where you can go and report the offenders. People can log in and describe the car and even give the license number if you have it. The police are not going to go and arrest someone on your say so, but the information will be passed down to the desk sergeants in charge of the traffic areas that receive the most complaints, and officers can begin to watch those areas more closely. If a particular offender is reported repeatedly by several people, officers will contact the person or write them a letter, informing them that they have been reported repeatedly and that they need to cut it out. The Internet can help ease the pain of those that have to deal with aggressive drivers and feel there is nothing they can do. Now they can report the problems and know that something might be done.
For more information…