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10 Ways to Keep Your Spouse from Seeing Your Internet History

Posted on May 15, 2012 by admin

Your internet browsing history offers a nice peak into your private life. Where you spend your time, what you’ve searched for, what websites you visit most frequently – they’re all very telltale signs to who you really are. Because of this, you may not want your spouse to see where you’ve been while surfing the net. We’ll not address the reasons as to why, but if you are looking to keep your internet history a private affair there are ways to do so, and we’ve compiled some of them below. 

  1. Internet Explorer – To hide your internet history when you use Explorer follow these steps: a) Go to the top of the screen and open the “Tools” menu. b) Click on “Internet options.” c) Go to “Delete browsing history.” d) Click on the “History” and “Form data” boxes when the pop up menu comes up. e) Click on delete.
  2. Firefox – If you use a Firefox browser and are interested in deleting your browsing history, then you will start by first opening the “Tools” menu. Next, select the “Internet options” and click on that. Then, click on the “Privacy” label. Finally, click on the “Clear History” tab.
  3. Google Chrome – If you are using Google Chrome as your browser, follow these steps to remove your browsing history: select the “Tools” menu, then click on the “Options” tab. Another menu will appear, and you will select the “Under the hood” label. Next, click on the tag that says “Clear browsing data.” Then, click on the boxes labeled “Clear browsing history,” then, “Everything.” Last, select “Clear browsing data.”
  4. Clearing unwanted information from Firefox – Sometimes you may have been redirected to an inappropriate site and you only want to clear that from your browser. If this is the case and you use Firefox then you can delete that by selecting the “Tools” option on the tool bar. Next, select “Clear Recent History.” After that, you need to choose from the options at which point you want to clear the history. You can choose between “Last Hour,” “Last Two Hours,” “Last Four Hours” or you can select “Everything.” When you exit Firefox and re-open the browser the adjustments will be complete.
  5. Private Browsing Features– Most current browser versions have a private browsing setting that allows you to browse without storing the history. Chrome’s private browsing feature is called ‘Incognito’ and can be found under Tools, while Safari and Firefox simply call theirs ‘Private Browsing.” Explorer’s feature is found under the Safety menu and is called ‘InPrivate Mode.’
  6. Go to the Library – Public Libraries have computers that can be used by the public. If you don’t want your spouse to see your internet history, you can take a trip to the local library and use one of their computers.
  7. Use the computers at a workforce center – If you are doing work related searches, and for some reason, you don’t want your spouse to be aware of them, you can check on using the computers at a workforce center. Computers at such places are used by people looking for work. There may be some restrictions regarding which sites you can browse, however.
  8. Turning off signed in search personalization with Google browsers – If you wish to disable history based searches, you will need to delete all past web history from your Google account. This can be accomplished by going to google.com/history while you are signed into your Google account. Once you get there, select “Remove all web history.” This will erase all items in your web history and prevent any future web history from being recorded.
  9. Clear cookies and cache from your browser – If you just want to clear your browser of the cache and the current cookies (the tiny files that remember your personal settings) then you should go to the Google Accounts Help Center if you are using a Google browser.
  10. Clear your Toolbar search history – If you need to clear the history from your toolbar and you are using Google for your browser just go to the Google Toolbar Help Center. There you will find the directions to clearing Toolbar search history.

Each browser has their own unique way of ensuring that you can swipe clean the history with the click of a few buttons. Whether it’s to make sure a surprise remains a surprise or you just don’t want questions about your internet habits, you can find ways to circumvent curious eyes. 

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10 Examples of Stars Leveraging Their Fame on Twitter

Posted on May 7, 2012 by admin

As a tool for building a large following in a short time, Twitter is hard to beat. That’s why so many celebrities are using their profiles to such great effect. It provides a venue for communicating with their fan base, and building their brand. The following are ten examples of stars leveraging their fame on Twitter:

  1. Wil Wheaton @Wilw – Known to trekkies as Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: TNG, Wheaton has reinvented himself as an online personality as well. Regularly interacting with his followers, as well as following back, he has generated a following in large part because of his techie persona as well as his on-screen celebrity.
  2. Stephen Fry @stephenfry – British actor and comedian, Fry is another example of engaging celebrity who follows and tweets quite often. His tweets are genuine, funny, informative and a lot more frequent than you might expect from a busy star.
  3. Ashton Kutcher @aplusk – Kutcher has gained so much of a following from his activity on Twitter that he felt obliged to announce his relinquishing of control over his account. Despite tweeting an ill-informed tweet in support of Joe Paterno at the onset of the Penn State sex scandal, Kutcher’s notoriety as well as his celebrity keep him at over 9.5 million followers.
  4. Jeff Probst @JeffProbst – Host of popular TV show Survivor, Probst leverages his fame by tweeting live during broadcasts of the show. As a result, his number of followers goes through the roof every time the show airs.
  5. Michael Ian Black @michaelianblack – The comedian leverages his celebrity on Twitter for charity causes on occasion, such as the time he roasted any of his followers who donated $5 toward a disability service.
  6. Justin Timberlake @jtimberlake – He and a number of other celebs used their celebrity on Twitter by announcing that he would cease updating his Twitter feeds until AIDS charity Keep a Child Alive had received $1 million dollars in donations.
  7. TwitChange @TwitChange – Launched as a result of the Haiti earthquake disaster in 2010, this group is dedicated to using Twitter to do good in the world and affect change. One of their campaigns involves auctioning celebrity tweets follows, @mentions for donors to their cause.
  8. Kim Kardashian @KimKardashian – leveraged her family’s fame to great effect in campaigning for women’s clothing retailer, bebe. Using the Kardashian connection on Twitter with millions of bebe’s target demographic via Twitter Q&A sessions, they successfully launched their collection.
  9. MC Hammer @MCHammer – Despite having retired from the music industry after losing his fortune, Hammer manages to have more followers that many contemporary stars. How? By staying in touch. His name recognition earned him a strong following long before neo-celebs got on board. He built his following from there by tweeting regularly, and responding to his followers’ tweets.
  10. Jon Bon Jovi @BonJovi – Sometimes a star needs to leverage his Twitter fame in order to provide proof that he’s still among the living. Bon Jovi had to post a tweet with a photo and time stamp recently, to quell rumors of his passing.

These are just a few of the celebrities to make it big on Twitter. Many more minor celebrities have quite the following on this flexible and fun social networking site. Check it out and see if your favorite celeb has a Twitter account of their own!

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10 Reasons the Government Should Not Regulate the Internet

Posted on April 29, 2012 by admin

In the light of recent controversies regarding bills like the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act (PROTECT IP Act), Americans are having more discussions about the implications of a government-controlled internet. A reality in many parts of the world, regulated and heavily censored internet activity seems to be more of a possibility than ever for the United States as well. Here are ten of the reasons why governments should not regulate the internet.

  1. To Protect the First Amendment – One of the most cherished rights granted to Americans, the right to free speech and freedom of the press, is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Regulating and censoring online content would be in direct opposition of the Amendment.
  2. Encouraging Entrepreneurial Activity – An open internet also encourages another beloved aspect of the American Dream: the ability to create our own fortunes. The web allows entrepreneurs to fill any one of an endless array of niches, which stimulates economic activity.
  3. Facilitating Innovation – The internet as Americans know it today provides a variety of platforms for exploring emerging technology and even improving upon it, keeping the nation in the race of innovation and development of new areas.
  4. Complications of Regulating Legitimate Sites Under Sweeping Legislation – Broadly worded legislation could make it difficult to regulate legitimate sites, causing them to become lost in the shuffle of “objectionable” sites and depriving users of their potentially valuable information.
  5. Maintaining Citizens’ Right to Privacy – In our post-9/11 world, the concept of a citizen’s right to privacy has changed significantly. The Patriot Act and other similar bills have already increased the amount of surveillance the public endures; regulating the internet would be another step on a very slippery slope.
  6. “Offensive” is Arbitrary – The freedom of religion and the ability to make our own choices are key parts of the American cultural identity; what one person considers offensive may not be questionable in the least to another. In the event of a regulated internet, who would make the final call on web content and its level of offensiveness?
  7. Protecting Educational Value of the Web – While there are certainly dangers lurking in the darker corners of the internet, the vast stores of knowledge that can be accessed outweigh them greatly. Changing the functionality of the web could quite possibly make it more difficult to access educational material in an attempt to censor more controversial content.
  8. Preventing the Increase of Government Spending – The creation of a regulated internet would require an enormous amount of manpower in surveillance alone. Paired with the amount of money that would have to be spent on creating filters and sifting through the almost infinite amount of information available would be staggering.
  9. It Could Fan the Flames of Civil Unrest – The outrage of Egyptian people at their government’s disabling of the internet during a period of political upheaval should serve as a very strong example of why the government should not interfere with the web. An already-disillusioned populace can very quickly become mutinous when their ability to interact with the outside world is taken away.
  10. Savvy Hackers Will Defeat the System Anyway – If groups like Anonymous have proved anything, it’s that a keen mind and a determination to access information will inevitably lead to a back-door solution. Hackers would still be able to override the system to see the same content they do now; however, an already miserably overpopulated prison system would be immensely burdened by the influx of “criminals.”

These are only a few of the reasons why the government should not attempt to censor or filter the internet; like the proverbial iceberg, the bulk of the argument lies beneath the surface of what the average citizen sees.

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10 Tweets That Summarize the Book The Lord of the Rings

Posted on April 17, 2012 by admin

Few literary works have inspired the long-standing community of devoted fans as the epic J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings Saga. Published in three volumes, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, these stories are a continuation of the story Tolkien began with the children’s fantasy novel The Hobbit. The complex world-building and fanatical attention to detail sets the Tolkien universe apart from all other fantasy franchises, making it one of the most popular works in literary history. Here’s a quick summary of this sprawling tale, in the form of ten tweets that characters might have made at various points in their adventures.

  1. “Cousin @BilboBaggins has left a mysterious gift; a ring that @Gandalf says I should never use.” – @FrodoBaggins – The Fellowship of the Ring opens with the eccentric Bilbo’s “eleventy-first” birthday party, in which he announces that he is leaving and abruptly disappears. Upon walking back to Bag End, he takes off his ring and becomes visible again, where he packs for a journey. The wizard Gandalf reminds him of his vow to leave the ring for his orphan cousin Frodo; Bilbo seems conflicted about being parted from it. Alternately saying that he’ll be glad to be rid of the ring and becoming angry with Gandalf for attempting to take it, he eventually departs for an unknown destination, leaving the ring in Gandalf’s care.
  2. “Enjoyed @TomBombadil’s hospitality, and his stories. Still, there’s something about him, and these #strangedreams…” – @FrodoBaggins – After rescuing the Hobbits from Old Man Willow, the mysterious Tom Bombadil brings the group home with him. There, they are greeted by his wife Goldberry who gives Frodo an enigmatic answer to his questions about Bombadil. All of the Hobbits except for Sam are troubled by nightmares, but are comforted when they realize they’re safe in Bombadil’s home. When they wake up the next morning they find that the rainfall prevents them from continuing on their journey. To pass the time, Tom tells them ancient stories and teaches them a rhyme that will summon him should they find themselves in need of help. They also discover that Bombadil is unaffected by the Ring’s powers, which stirs Frodo’s curiosity further. He attempts to discover more about Tom Bombadil’s identity by asking directly, but this proves to be fruitless; Bombadil’s answer is vague and leaves Frodo faintly suspicious.
  3. “After being wounded by #Ringwraiths, I awoke in #Rivendell to find @Gandalf and @BilboBaggins present. @BilboBaggins behaved strangely.” – @FrodoBaggins – After learning that the Black Rider’s knife had splintered in his shoulder and was working its way into his heart, Frodo gains more knowledge from Gandalf regarding the Rings of Power. Recovered from his wound, Frodo attends dinner hosted by Elrond and is pleasantly surprised to find his cousin Bilbo present. When Bilbo asks to see the Ring, a change in his demeanor causes Frodo to hesitate. Noting Frodo’s reluctance, Bilbo apologizes but the relationship is slightly tainted by the Ring’s power.
  4. “A #Balrog pulled Gandalf into a chasm at the #GreatGatesOfMoria. @Aragorn led us from danger, but we all grieve.” – FrodoBaggins – The loss of Gandalf in a fight with Orcs and a Balrog leaves the Company in mourning, and Aragorn to assume the mantle of leadership. Despite their grief, the Company makes their way into Lothlorien. Frodo catches a glimpse of a mysterious crouching figure, but it slips away into the darkness before it can be seen clearly.
  5. “We’ve arrived in #CarasGaladhon; @LadyGaladriel has shown me glimpses of the future in her #mirror.” – FrodoBaggins – The Company is taken into Caras Galadhon, where they’re presented to Lorien’s rulers, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. Understanding his mission, Galadriel shows Frodo and Sam the basin she calls a mirror, warning them that the prophecies it holds are dangerous to interpret. Sam’s vision of Hobbiton’s destruction frighten him for a moment, but Frodo’s fragmented vision foretells of mysterious things yet to come with visions of an aged figure dressed in white, sailing ships, a white fortress and the great eye rimmed in fire that he knows is searching for him.
  6. “The #Orcs descended. @Legolas and @Gimli fought valiantly, and @KingTheoden appeared in time to cause the Orcs’ retreat.” – @Aragorn – Theoden’s timely appearance and defeat of the Orcs makes for the most tense battle scene up to that point. Despite Aragorn’s fears that the Hornburg would be taken, citadel is held. Gandalf’s reappearance causes the Riders of Rohan to hail him as he comes astride Shadowfax and the Orcs retreat into the lands around Helm’s Deep.
  7. “The #Ents caused immense destruction at @Orthanc. @Sauruman is trapped in the tower.” – @Merry – Relating the story of the Enty assembly, decision to fight Saruman and their resulting victory, Merry also shares that Gandalf sought a meeting to secure Treebeard’s help. During the battle, The Ents trapped Saruman in the tower and Orthanc and broke nearby dams which flooded the earth under Isengard. This destroyed all of the Orcs in the lower areas.
  8. “Gondor is saved. #Mordor’s army has been defeated; @Eomer, @Imrahil and I are returning to the city.” – @Aragorn – With a detailed account of the battle and many displays of courageous heroics, the chapter dedicated to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields marks a bit of resolution to the building tension of the second and third volumes of the tale. As Eowyn and Merry emerge the unlikely heroes of the battle, the tale returns to Pippin’s perspective.
  9. “I made a gift of #Sting to @Sam, and we attended a feast. @Aragorn is preparing to ascend as ruler of #Gondor.” – @FrodoBaggins – The fall of Sauron and the ensuing festivities at Gondor’s court mark the first time that the Hobbits are treated with the respect afforded to heroes. After the suspicion and hostility they’ve encountered, their reception at Gondor shows the Hobbits coming into their own as a Middle Earth race.
  10. “@Rosie: Well, I’m back.” – @Sam – After witnessing Saruman’s feeble last stand and restoring Hobbiton, Sam closes the sprawling tale by giving to Rosie, after she deposits Elanor on his lap, the simple phrase, “Well, I’m back.”

Analysis of Tolkien’s universe has been widespread for decades, spawning dozens of books about the author and the world he created. The film adaptations of these three volumes by Peter Jackson were among the most highly anticipated of their decade, and the mythos has served as inspiration for countless authors within the fantasy genre.

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10 Things Napoleon Would Have Tweeted

Posted on April 12, 2012 by admin

In this latest installment of an ongoing series that explores what history might have looked like from a social networking perspective, we consider what tweets we might have expected from one Napoleon Bonaparte. You probably remember him. Short, feisty dude with a serious chip on his shoulder. Fought quite a bit. Or is that Joe Pesci? Either way, let’s take a look at what he would have said from his Twitter profile:

  1. I’ve got a beef with @Wellington. No way he beats me one-on-one and I’m not sick. Plus it was raining. I demand a rematch. It’s true, Wellington stacked the deck, and Napoleon did have to advance through some pretty sloppy terrain. But seriously, it’s been 197 years. Let’s move on.
  2. For all my peeps wondering why I keep my hand inside my coat: I’m packin’ heat, homies. That’s how we roll in the Corsican hood. We just thought it would be fun to imagine one of the greatest military leaders in history going all gangsta.
  3. 867-5309, 867-5309. @Josephine, I got your number. I need to make you mine… That’s the #Napoleonic Code right there. J/K. We’d like to think that Napoleon, for all his aristocratic flair and pedigree, was a fan of 80′s classics.
  4. Mark my words – I may not look like much, but someday I’m gonna rule the world AND they’ll name a complex after me! It’s that Italian blood, no doubt, but this kid was full of spit and vinegar right from the get-go.
  5. Pope, Schmope. I’m the Mack Daddy in this town. @Pius VII will just have to deal. What’s up with my man @Beethoven? Where’s the love? Napoleon crowns himself emperor, at the expense of Pope Pius VII, and much to the consternation of his (ex)-fan, Ludwig van Beethoven.
  6. @Alvinczi thought he had me at Caldiero – NOT. Take a look at the map now, sucka. Who’s ur daddy? Initially, Napoleon lost the initiative vs. the Austrian Field Marshal. However, things quickly turned Napoleon’s way at the Battle of the Bridge of Arcole.
  7. OK, I’ve had it with the short jokes. I’m up to my ears with the Russians. Enough of this Bolshevik. Time to get the posse together.  Yes, we know the Bolsheviks didn’t exist until 1903, but really, if you’re going to buy Napoleon on Twitter?
  8. Gotta give the #Russians props. We beat em fair & square, they took all we had & then burned that sucka down. Some bad muthas in Moscow. Napoleon defeated the Russian army, though it had not been as decisive as he’d hoped. The Russians, rather than surrender it, burned Moscow to the ground.
  9. I’m huge on #Elba. Emperor of all I survey. But I’m going stir crazy. If I ever get off this rock, people are gonna pay for this. After he was exiled to the island of Elba, he retained his position as emperor and ruled there, even creating a military force. He attempted suicide there before managing to escape.
  10. #Saint Helena. Meh. You could hang meat in here. Cold, damp, miserable. It’ll be the death of me. That slumlord @Lowe should be hung. The conditions at his exile home in Saint Helena did indeed contribute to Napoleon’s already failing health. Making matters worse was the poor treatment he’d received from the governor of Saint Helena, Sir Hudson Lowe.
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10 Hilarious Comedians to Follow on Twitter

Posted on March 29, 2012 by admin

If you love comedy then you probably have some favorite funny men and women you routinely turn to for getting your laugh on. We have some faves of our own, and love to follow them on Twitter. These characters can be just as entertaining in their tweets as they are live or on film, plus we can keep up with what they’re up to. Here are 10 hilarious comedians to follow on Twitter: 

  1. Jimmy Fallon – @jimmyfallon  One of our favorite late night funnymen, he never disappoints with his tweets. Always timely, topical and funny. “A study found 94% of one-dollar bills carry germs. Or as Mitt Romney put it, ‘That’s why I only use fifties and hundies!’” #FallonMono
  2. Megan Amram – @meganamram Offbeat, off-the-cuff, and off the reservation funny. Don’t start your day without taking a peek at how this girl’s spending hers. “I wish the “three day rule” weren’t a thing, since I’d really like to call my lawyer from jail right now”, “I think one of my dad’s might be gay.”
  3. Conan O’Brien – @conanobrien  Another of our late night favorites, Conan keeps the jokes, the monologue material and the info coming every day. “Had to see a men’s doctor today. Why? Let’s just say, ‘Newt is no longer surging in the polls.’”
  4. Lauren Ashley Bishop – @sbellelauren  We get such a kick out of her rants and musings. She’s one of our daily ‘must-see tweeters’ with quips such as, “how about dance dance american revolution same game but if you miss a step you get shot with a musket.”
  5. Jen Kirkman – @JenKirkman Girl doesn’t pull any punches. When she’s on, she is really and truly dead on. “I’m glad Chris Brown is performing on the Grammy’s. There aren’t enough dudes, who get a free pass after beating a woman, entertaining us.”
  6. Michael Ian Black – @michaelianblack Former co-star of the sitcom Michael and Michael Have Issues, and a very funny tweeter, Michael always keeps us smiling. “Ha ha guy with neck brace, your turtleneck sweater isn’t hiding anything. You deserve your injuries.”
  7. Stephen Colbert – @StephenAtHome Our man of The Colbert Report fame waxes witty on a daily basis. “Newt’s only hope for your vote is if you’ve been in a coma for 20 years. And if you have, he probably divorced you. Newt 2012! #preparethem”
  8. Julieanne Smolinski – @BoobsRadley We’ve got a thing for smart humor, and so we’ve got a thing for @BoobsRadley. “I bet at Christmas when her mom was like, ‘So, ‘Tarzan’, was it? What is it you do exactly?’ Jane totally squeezed his hand under the table.”
  9. Joel McHale – @joelmcHale  Host of the E! Entertainment Television show The Soup. We love staying on top of where his mind is at. “It brings me inexplicable sadness when I hear older news anchors enthusiastically declare about a kicker story ‘This has really gone viral!’”
  10. George Wallace – @MrGeorgeWallace One of the funniest old school funny men still tickling our funny bones. You don’t want to miss the man! “How in the hell are there 23,000 First Baptist Churches? Let’s break out the construction records and settle this damned thing.”
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10 Huge Sites that Rarely Police Your Identity

Posted on March 28, 2012 by admin

In order to buy a bottle of wine or case of beer, in many states you will need to show your ID. In order to enter many clubs you may need to show your ID as well. In this day and age of rampant identity theft one could assume that all online sites would police identity, but that is simply and unfortunately not the case. Some sites rarely look into your identity, or make sure you are who you claim to be. Here are ten huge sites that forget this important step.

  1. Facebook – This social media site has been used and abused by untold number of people for various reasons other than the networking it was meant to facilitate. People have used Facebook to create relationships that don’t exist, create businesses that are non-existent, to entice unsuspecting victims into having fake cyber affairs in order to ruin the victims’ lives and so much more. Identity verification is not a part of their process.
  2. My Space – My Space is another social media site that does not police identity. My Space is not quite as popular as Facebook anymore, but still similar misdeeds take place on their website. People can set up accounts using false information or other people’s identity. Imagine finding out you have a social media page with all kinds of information listed that you know nothing about.
  3. LinkedIn – Professionals use LinkedIn to network with other professionals and many job seekers have found employment though this networking site. Many employers have been able to hire talented employees as well. Even with all the good things this site has to offer, it does not really check ID to make sure you are who you say you are.
  4. Dating sites – One of the things about dating sites that make people wary is that they are not scrutinized well, and you never know who the person you are dealing with really is. For the most part, it appears that things work out well for people who are willing to use online dating services. But every now and then something goes wrong. eHarmony has opted to offer their members optional identity verification services. You pay a little extra for the service, but for peace of mind it may be worth the extra cost.
  5. Twitter – There have been plenty of instances of celebrity impersonations with fake Twitter accounts. Their identity verification has increased because of this, but is still minimal, at best.
  6. Funky Sexy Cool – This is a mobile social networking site that helps you meet people in your area. They do provide some identity verification as an option but it is not a rule. Members don’t have to go through the verification process if they don’t want to.
  7. MSN – MSN is one of the largest internet portals on the internet. There is no requirement to use identification to use any of the services they provide.
  8. Yahoo!, Inc. – This is one of the largest websites in the USA. Free access is allowed to this mega website and no identity checks are required. Anyone can set up an email account or access any of the other services they provide without needing to prove they are who they say they are.
  9. Excite – Yet another large website that offers services and is a portal to other sites but does not require any identification to access its services.
  10. Ask.com – Formerly Ask Jeeves, this site is a search engine that answers any questions a user may have. It also provides links to other websites. No identification is required to use their services.

With some internet sites it may not be necessary to have identification to access services, but with many others, identity checks would be a good idea. Some of the social networking sites are beginning to add on identity verification to protect their users. As time goes on more sites are likely to follow suit.

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10 Classic Movie Plots Condensed for Tweeting

Posted on March 27, 2012 by admin

Like everyone else, Hollywood likes to use Twitter to plug their product. Trouble is, it’s hard to fit a good synopsis of a movie into 140 characters. Unless of course it’s a movie like Gigli, in which case just four would suffice.  Anyway, here are 10 classic movie plots that we’ve condensed for Twitter: 

  1. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) – @ShipsLog What pansies I’ve got for a crew. That #Christian guy gets on my last nerve. Now he’s at my cabin door with a mob.
  2. Ferris Beuller’s Day Off – (1986) – RT @Cameron Lighten up, dude. You need a road trip. Let’s skip class today and head downtown for some fun.
  3. Field of Dreams (1989) – RT @TheVoice If I build it, I better see more than just @ShoelessJoe in my cornfield. How about a team and my Dad? Deal?
  4. The Graduate (1967) – RT @MrsRobinson We had some great fun, but let’s keep it real. I love your daughter and I’ll crash her wedding to prove it.
  5. The Grapes of Wrath (1940) – @TJoad Oklahoma can eat my dust. Can’t grow anything here but tired. Headin out to Cali with the family to get a fresh start.
  6. The Ten Commandments (1956) – @Moses Just found out I’m adopted. I’m outta here and I swear to God I’m gonna find out who’s behind this. Mark my words.
  7. The Shining (1980) – Wendy and the kid love the hotel.  Perfect place to write this book. That is, if I don’t go bonkers from boredom first.
  8. Rear Window (1954) – @JeffyJeff  Just chillin while the leg heals, & checkin out the neighbors. That #Ironside guy creeps me out, and where’d his wife go?
  9. Of Mice and Men (1992) – @George Finally landed some work. If Lenny can behave for a change, we might stick around. If not, I might just have to kill him.
  10. King Kong (1933) – @JungleLove Just got back from a romantic cruise. Met a real hunk. He’s a big hit on B’way. So into me that he’s climbing the walls.


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10 Things the Internet Learned from Kim Dotcom

Posted on March 12, 2012 by admin

Kim Dotcom, a hacker that was able to take his knowledge and create a site called Megaupload, was recently arrested due to alleged copyright infringement allegations.  Even though he was the top dog in the company, he did not commit these crimes alone, and many other key players were also arrested in the wake of these crimes. Unfortunately, while this guy is obviously intelligent, he should have been using those brains for good instead of evil. However it wasn’t all bad, and some good did come from it. Check out 10 things the Internet learned from Kim Dotcom.

  1. Cyberlocker technology: This has also been referred to as a ‘cloud storage infrastructure’.  Basically this technology allowed you to store files that were too large to e-mail for free on the Internet.  For instance, you could upload a big long wedding video and your family could go there to download it at no charge.  If they wanted to watch it or download it faster than they would need to pay a membership fee.
  2. Paid people for file sharing: Dotcom introduced an incentive plan to entice people to upload files that would have mass appeal.  They are claiming that they did not tell people to upload first run movies or copyright protected items.  They would pay a user $5000 if their upload was downloaded a certain number of times in a 3 month period. 
  3. Controlled download speeds for money: You can download files for free, but usually not very quickly. If you didn’t want to wait all day to do it you could buy a membership that would allow you to have faster download speeds, and  Dotcom made money by doing this.
  4. Developed the first Internet car: With a $90,000 sticker price this car comes complete with video conferencing and a 17-inch display.  The computer on board was a Pentium III which was top of the line at the time.
  5. Made being the middle man a good thing: Megaupload was convinced that they were not doing anything wrong because they were simply the middle man.  People would upload files and store them on their site just like you would place items in a safety deposit box. Then other people would download these files. Megaupload “claimed” to not to know what was being stored. There wasn’t a cost for the service unless you wanted to speed up the download speeds and then you needed to buy a membership.
  6. Letting artists sell directly to the people: In this digital age there is no need to “cut” a record or record a CD because no one is going to buy it.  People download music now and listen to it on their phones and iPods.  Music artists don’t want to have to pay to make a record, they want to record their music and allow people to purchase the music directly from them.  Megaupload was the place that was going to store all of that music for them for a mere 10 %.  It was a brilliant idea to cut out the record labels.
  7. File sharing technology: Over the years many companies have shared files, but until Kim Dotcom there hadn’t been the ability to store large quantities of data online that others could access for free.  Other companies followed in Megaupload’s footsteps and several have since shut down in light of recent events.
  8. Internet security: Dotcom’s company Data Protect did actually help companies avoid hackers even though at the time he claimed to be one of the biggest hackers of the time and the leader of a group of hackers called Dope.
  9. Internet crimes might be extraditable: Due to everything that is happening with Kim Dotcom, the United States has requested warrants internationally and caused the arrest of multiple people throughout the world based on Internet crime.  To extradite a person the crime normally has to be committed on the soil or property owned by that country.  Apparently the United States is claiming ownership of at least part of the Internet.
  10. Trendax: Apparently this was another money making scheme by Dotcom, but it was all about investments made by artificial intelligence that looked at all of the stock trends and made suggestions on what stocks and such should be bought.  While Dotcom filed the Trendax name with the Hong Kong government nothing was ever filed with the SEC so no trades could take place.  There was an initial buy-in to get started and even though no trading was legally going on the company’s worth kept climbing.  Dotcom claimed his AI increased the funds by 130 percent.

 

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10 Reasons Tweeting During a Funeral is Wrong

Posted on March 11, 2012 by admin

The recent death of beloved pop icon Whitney Houston set the Twitter-verse on fire, with a surprising number of celebrity mourners tweeting live from her funeral. This controversial move was met with mixed reactions from fans and the media, with the majority believing it wrong to compose tweets from a funeral pew. Here are ten of the reasons why you might not want to mimic this celebrity behavior at the next memorial you attend.

  1. Distracts From the Service – A person in the process of live tweeting from a funeral is, almost invariably, one that is distracted from the service. Though the tweeter’s attention is diverted, it’s also likely to pose a distraction for those around the person.
  2. Inconsiderate of Other Mourners’ Grief – Profoundly grieving for a loved one is one of the most painful things that most people ever encounter. Realizing that someone in the crowd is so detached from the service that they’re sending text updates to their Twitter feed is almost guaranteed to add to their pain and anger.
  3. Disrespectful to the Deceased – Though they’re not aware of it, the act of live tweeting a funeral is, at its very basis, disrespectful to the person the service is intended to honor. Even tweets in memory of the deceased should be reserved to the periods before and after the service.
  4. Creates a Distraction for Other Attendees – The clicking of keys and glow of a backlit display are very conspicuous in the largely silent atmosphere of a funeral chapel. Those in the seats surrounding someone tweeting from the funeral will be distracted from the service, which can create friction.
  5. Replies Could Draw Attention – Sending a tweet from a funeral will invariably lead to some sort of reply; if the tweeter accidentally neglects to put their phone into silent mode, the resultant alert noise could also draw attention and will likely be considered disrespectful.
  6. Funeral Services Should Be as Private as Possible – Even funerals for public figures are largely private affairs; those in attendance should be respectful of this boundary, even in our digital age. Just because a person can tweet from a funeral doesn’t mean that they should.
  7. Content of Tweets Could Create Friction – A slight misquote or a comment that could even barely be misinterpreted could potentially upset a distraught mourner; the time surrounding the death of a loved one is usually filled with high-running emotions that might lead to friction.
  8. Distraught Family Members Are Likely to Be Offended – Even if the content of a funeral tweeters posts is respectful, the act of making those posts during a memorial service is almost sure to be viewed as disrespectful to their loved one.
  9. The Deceased Should Receive Undivided Attention – A funeral should be dedicated solely to the memory of the deceased and a celebration of their life. Nothing should distract from the person being honored in any way; using a social networking site like Twitter, even to share memories of the deceased, detracts from the attention that rightfully belongs to them.
  10. It’s Simply Impolite – Emily Post would roll over in her grave to find people using Twitter during a funeral. Though the etiquette for such things is still largely unestablished, it’s a matter of common sense: using a cellphone or other mobile device during a funeral is just plain rude.

There is a time and place for everything, any use of your cell phone during a funeral service is unnecessary. It is always the WRONG time and place to be tweeting. Respect the other mourners and the person that has passed by leaving your cell phone off until after the funeral. 

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