Category: Computers/The Web


Biometric Banking Machines Are Coming!

Filed Under: Computers/The Web by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
July 8, 2010

Having trouble keeping hold of your ATM card?  Or is it your password that you struggle to remember? Well, all that may be a thing of the past very soon here in the U.S., if this CNN story is true:

>>Poland’s cooperative BPS bank says it’s the first in Europe to install a biometric ATM–allowing customers to withdraw cash simply with the touch of a fingertip.

The digit-scanning ATM, introduced in the Polish capital of Warsaw, runs on the latest in “finger vein” technology–an authentication system developed by Japanese tech giant Hitachi.

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New iPhone Operating System Available

Filed Under: Computers/The Web, iPod, iPhone, iPad, i by Wayne Hall — 5 Comments
June 23, 2010

Yesterday, Monday, was the day the new 4.0 operating system was available for those of us with the 3G iPhones. Sure enough, it was there, and I downloaded and installed it.

I’m still figuring out just what features I like and don’t like. Already I enjoy putting apps in folders so I can add more apps. All apps need to beware because I am going to be after you now!

Here’s an interesting article about the drop from informationweek.com:

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I’m Back And Ready To Blog!

Filed Under: Beliefs, Computers/The Web by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
June 19, 2010

Thanks to Scott Klein for getting things back on track so this blog could get up and running … and for sorting out this blog’s new address!

For tomorrow, I’m planning on doing a special Father’s Day entry that will put this blog back in high gear. Honestly, I didn’t know how much I missed writing something every day until we began to move our club’s server and I couldn’t do it for a while. If you wonder what I was up to during this down time, just go to scifipulse.net!

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iPad, iPhone 4G Take World By Storm

Filed Under: Comics, Computers/The Web by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
June 12, 2010

If you haven’t heard about the new iPad or iPhone 4G, you will be soon! They’ve been all over the media, and I thought I’d share some of my favorite moments with you today. Here goes!

First up, Steve Jobs briefs the Rebel Troops on the iPad:

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Now, A New iPhone To Buy!

Filed Under: Computers/The Web, iPod, iPhone, iPad, i by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
June 8, 2010

It’s not bad enough that Apple recently put out the iPad for those of us into gadgets and gadgetry to buy … now they will soon have the iPhone 4G available! How much can a techno-guy afford, anyway?

Here’s the debut as reported on by The Wall Street Journal:

>>Steve Jobs unveiled a new iPhone Monday in a presentation that was long on new features but short on surprise, as the Apple Inc. chief faces increasing competition in smartphones, particularly from devices based on Google Inc.’s Android software.

While Mr. Jobs described the iPhone 4 as “the biggest leap since the original iPhone,” he offered few bombshells after Gawker Media LLC’s technology blog Gizmodo shared details about the device in April after getting hold of a prototype.

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30,000 Quit Facebook Website In Protest Over Security

Filed Under: Computers/The Web by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
June 1, 2010

As much as I enjoy Facebook, I worry about my information there, so I don’t make much public. (I’m also worried that I can’t seem to get any photos with my links today.) Some folks are taking action, as shown in this Breitbart story:

>>A group protesting Facebook’s privacy policies said Monday more than 30,000 people had heeded its call to quit the social networking giant.

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AOL Turns 25 Years Old!

Filed Under: Computers/The Web by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
May 25, 2010

It was AOL that really turned me on to the Internet. Was it really so long ago that I bought a floppy disc with AOL on it for $25 (before they started sending them out like crazy)? Here’s a report from Washington Business Journal about this landmark:

>>Steve Case and Jim Kimsey returned to the Dulles campus of the online company they co-founded in 1985 to mark AOL Inc.’s 25th anniversary.

Ted Leonsis, AOL’s vice chairman emeritus, was also there, as was current CEO Tim Armstrong and about 2,000 other AOL employees and alumni.

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Facebook To Launch Privacy Overhaul

Filed Under: Computers/The Web by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
May 23, 2010

I was pleasantly surprised when I dove into the social-networking site Facebook a few months back. In just a few weeks, I had re-connected with several friends I had lost touch with, including one friend who’s wife had passed and he had remarried in the 10 years since we last spoke. I also connected with my closest friend, who now lives in Florida, and we keep in better touch. And one friend from my college days has been very busy creating a large family, and he may even be a great-grandfather by now. Then, too, I have made several new friends, including an aspiring actor from the NYC area who is working very hard to become a successful acting professional. And I have been able to keep in touch with several musicians I admire, and keep up with their offerings of new music.

One of the dangers of social networking sites is that information can be unwittingly given out that could make problems for the person releasing it. For instance, many unscrupulous characters have searched for funeral notices in newspapers in order to know when the family would be busy at the funeral of a loved one so they could raid the person’s home address. Or it could be like the case of the professional football player who announced his affair on Facebook, which was read by his very unhappy wife. Yikes!

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The Magic Mouse Works Like … Well, Magic!

Filed Under: Computers/The Web, iPod, iPhone, iPad, i by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
May 19, 2010

I’m a PC guy–my head understands the PC vastly better than it does the Mac, which has always been true. But every once in a while, I see something I like better about the Mac, and this is one of those occasions! Thanks to Gay Slagle for pointing this out to me! It functions much like my iPhone does, which is pretty smooth!

Here’s the official release about the product:

We’ve built a better mouse.

It began with iPhone. Then came iPod touch. Then MacBook Pro. Intuitive, smart, dynamic. Multi-Touch technology introduced a remarkably better way to interact with your portable devices — all using gestures. Now we’ve reached another milestone by bringing gestures to the desktop with a mouse that’s unlike anything ever before. It’s called Magic Mouse. It’s the world’s first Multi-Touch mouse. And while it comes standard with every new iMac, you can also add it to any Mac with Bluetooth wireless technology for a Multi-Touch makeover.

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Robot Runs Wedding In Japan

Filed Under: Computers/The Web by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
May 17, 2010

Remember just a few days ago when I said that computers were taking over the world? Well, here’s a good indication of that from the Associated Press:

>>Almost everyone stood when the bride walked down the aisle in her white gown, but not the wedding conductor, because she was bolted to her chair.

The nuptials at this ceremony were led by “i-Fairy,” a 4-foot (1.5-meter) tall seated robot with flashing eyes and plastic pigtails. Sunday’s wedding was the first time a marriage had been led by a robot, according to manufacturer Kokoro Co.

“Please lift the bride’s veil,” the robot said in a tinny voice, waving its arms in the air as the newlyweds kissed in front of about 50 guests.

The wedding took place at a restaurant in Hibiya Park in central Tokyo, where the i-Fairy wore a wreath of flowers and directed a rooftop ceremony. Wires led out from beneath it to a black curtain a few feet (meters) away, where a man crouched and clicked commands into a computer.

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