Updates from August, 2004 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Andy 8:50 am on 8/31/2004 Permalink | Reply  

    iMac G5 

    I have been hearing lots of talk lately about the possibiltiy of Apple moving to the G5 processor for their new iMac computers. I never imagined they would look like this. They look outstanding and take up absolutely zero space. The DVD drive is built into the side as well as the rest of all the components. Considering they come with either a 17″ or 20″ widescreen monitor, the price isn’t that unreasonable either. If you’ve ever been thinking about going to a Mac, this may be the time!

     

  • Andy 3:09 pm on 8/26/2004 Permalink | Reply  

    Gmail Finally! 

    If you haven’t heard of Gmail by now, no offense, but you’ve probably not heard any other news in the tech world either. From time to time over the past few months, I’ve searched the web for Gmail invites hoping to see what everyone is talking about. Finally today, I received an invite from Kat. I found the Gmail invite by doing a search on Feedster which is a great way to search very current information usually posted in web logs. For instance, while it may take Google a day or two to update their search engine, Feedster often has postings that are just hours or less old. If you’re looking for a Gmail account, give it a try. I’ll post more once I’ve given Gmail a go and if I get any invites, I’ll post info about them here.

    UPDATE: I also want to thank Evan and Alice who sent me Gmail invites. I’ve already passed them on to other people who have expressed interest after reading my post.

     

    • Hoyd 7:38 pm on 8/26/2004 Permalink

      Thanks again Kat!

    • Agnes wingfield 2:02 pm on 10/1/2011 Permalink

      Have a grt. Time in Capetown weather looks grt.
      A certain lady I know is excited!
      Table mtn. Is a must as well as waterfront.
      Looking forward to more blog.,
      Play safe!!

  • Andy 5:56 pm on 8/17/2004 Permalink | Reply  

    Firefox – Key Features 

    As I mentioned in a previous post, I thought I would outline some of the key features for making the switch to Firefox from Internet Explorer.

    The feature that I like the most is Pop-Up blocking. The blocker that comes with Firefox works very well – so well that I forget what a pop-up is until I use another computer where Firefox is not installed. If you do need to use pop-ups for a certain site, there is the option to allow pop-ups for user-selected links.

    The second feature that I use all the time with Firefox is the Google Search that is built into the browser and located in the upper right corner. No more having to go to Google to search, you just type it in the box and it brings you to the search results in Google automatically.

    The last feature I will mention is the optional extensions. When you first download Firefox, it is a barebones browser – which is what makes it so powerful to begin with. If there are other features you are looking for though, chances are there is an extension that can do it. In my next post about Firefox, I will highlight the extensions that I use everyday.

     

  • Andy 8:49 am on 8/13/2004 Permalink | Reply  

    Olympics and Drug Testing 

    With the Olympics set to begin, I just remembered an article I read on TSN the other day. It warns athletes of the new drug tests that have previously only been under review. With all the talk in recent weeks about athletes testing positive for drugs, could these new tests lead to the most drug-filled Olympics in history? It will be interesting to see how everything unfolds.

     

  • Andy 7:59 am on 8/10/2004 Permalink | Reply  

    Stan D. Ardman 

    I saw this article this morning on Wired and thought it was interesting. Stan D. Ardman (which actually stands for ‘Standard Man’) is a computerized mannequin costing about $200,000 that is currently being used in hospitals and medical schools. Connected to a Mac computer, Stan is able to present a variety of symptoms and reacts to medication simulating human reactions. Here’s the link to Stan’s website. I wonder if the Universtiy of Calgary will have any of these next year when I start medical school?

     

  • Andy 9:03 pm on 8/9/2004 Permalink | Reply  

    What If Apple… 

    As many of you know, my views towards Macintosh computers have changed over the last year or so. This started with the purchase of an iBook laptop for Amanda and noting the ease of configuration and use. At that point, it had been years since I had used a Mac and even gave it much thought, but I was hooked.

    The recent noise in the Mac field is of course the iPod digital music player. I am excited to say that Amanda has surprised me for my birthday this year with a brand new 4th generation iPod. I’ve loaded it up with music and once again, I’m hooked on a Mac product. Apple wasn’t kidding when they said they wanted you to be able to access any song with just a few button clicks. Most of all though, the shuffle feature for the thousands of songs I’ve loaded on it means that I’m hearing songs that I haven’t heard in years and I’m always guessing what will be next. As Stephen Page of the Barenaked Ladies has expressed in the past, the iPod is the number one radio station in the world right now. I can go weeks without having to hear the same song twice and the variety is based on music that I enjoy.

    I will have more in the coming weeks about my experiences with my new iPod. Many people have often wondered if Apple had made some different choices back in the mid-80′s if the computer industry would be drastically different today. More specifically, would Microsoft have turned into the computer giants they currently are. This article on Daring Fireball is a good read for speculation about what may have happened. It’s a great essay and well worth taking a look if you get a chance.

     

    • Scott 8:36 am on 8/11/2004 Permalink

      Hey. I’m glad you got the new Ipod, but I’m secretly jealous…..

    • Father K. 3:34 pm on 8/11/2004 Permalink

      Hey Andy – YIKES! You’ve sold me too.. As you know, I may
      just be contemplating a new PC for myself.. Is there an iPod
      out there with my name on it?

  • Andy 9:30 am on 8/7/2004 Permalink | Reply  

    Windows XP SP2 

    For those of you like me that just can’t wait for things like Microsoft’s latest Service Pack to reach Windows Update, Kevin Rose from The Screensavers on G4TechTV has posted all the information that you will need to download it now. Microsoft has said that they expect the update to hit their Automatic Update Service very soon so most users may just want to wait for that. I just wanted to provide this information for those of you that want to check out all the new features right away. You can view Kevin’s post here.

     

  • Andy 7:55 am on 8/6/2004 Permalink | Reply  

    da Vinci Ready for X Prize 

    I mentioned the X Prize in an earlier post and it now seems that the Canadian group called da Vinci project will also be making a run at the X Prize on October 2nd. They will be launching from Kindersley, Saskatchewan. An article in Wired explains more details about how the project received last minute funding from an online gambling industry. It should be exciting to see if both teams are able to complete the challenge put forth.

     

  • Andy 6:56 pm on 8/4/2004 Permalink | Reply  

    Firefox and Thunderbird – New Versions Available 

    New versions of Firefox and Thunderbird have been released today. If you are not already using these programs as your web browsing and email client, now is the time to switch. Both have far fewer security issues than the Microsoft programs that most people are using and the features of these products make them the far superior choice. Over the next few days/weeks, I am planning to highlight some of the reasons to switch to Firefox as well as a few of the helpful Extensions that I use. Keep checking back!

     

  • Andy 6:52 pm on 8/4/2004 Permalink | Reply  

    MSN Web Messenger 

    Just read that MSN Messenger is now available over any web browser using MSN Web Messenger. Now you can log into your Messenger account from any computer even if Messenger isn’t installed. The only thing that you may need to do is disable any pop-up blocking for that website in order to allow the program to function properly. It will also apparently only work on computers running Windows. It seems like Messenger is installed everywhere anyways these days, but for that odd time when it’s not and you need your instant-messaging fix, this is the answer!

     

  • Andy 8:03 pm on 8/3/2004 Permalink | Reply  

    Speed Issues Resolved 

    Not much of an update but I just wanted to mention that for any of you experiencing speed issues with the site, they should now be resolved. The main page was taking about 8 seconds to fully load and I’ve now knocked it down to about 0.6 seconds. (That is server processing time and does not account for bandwidth or other reasons for the site loading slowly.) Hopefully you will all notice a difference and it will make browsing the site much more enjoyable. More soon!

     

    • Father K. 5:54 pm on 8/11/2004 Permalink

      Hey Andy.
      Good job! I’ve noticed a big difference… much faster!

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