Free Stuff - Recycled Online

It is like a garage sale - without the price tag. Based on the idea of keeping things out of the landfill, freecycle.org is the internet personification of the axiom that ‘one person’s junk is another person’s treasure’:

“The chief rules are that everything must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages. That means no weapons, prescriptions, alcohol, tobacco or pornography. Posters can’t offer services, either, such as baby-sitting.

Just about everything else is OK.”

link: Web site helps recycle one person’s trash into another person’s treasure

Of course, there are people who try to take advantage of this service - and things may land on eBay. However, the site is moderate by volunteers and the people are aware that some may try to take advantage of the offers. This is using the internet for a sense of community and fighting back the trend to ‘throw it away’. Rumor has it, though, that geeks never throw anything of possible value away. This concept of recycled use would be perfect for them.

Catherine

iPhone Problems

Reports of iPhone activation problems are surfacing. An example is the report filed by Jim Dalrymple for PCWorld:

“When I tried to activate my account, I got an error message announcing that my account was incompatible with the iPhone. I called AT&T and explained the situation–the service-provider checked the account and said that it definitely qualified. The tech support person checked all kinds of other things, too, and then said I should be all set to activate.

No go.”

link: iPhone Activation Disasters

link: Activation problems plague iPhone debut

link: Some iPhone customers put on hold

Unfortunately, Jim is not alone in reporting such problems. It would be so annoying to spend over six hundred dollars and to have these activation issues. AT&T is not winning public relations points with this mess. Perhaps Jim is still on the phone… on hold.

Catherine

Free Stuff - Recycled Online

It is like a garage sale - without the price tag. Based on the idea of keeping things out of the landfill, freecycle.org is the internet personification of the axiom that ‘one person’s junk is another person’s treasure’:

“The chief rules are that everything must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages. That means no weapons, prescriptions, alcohol, tobacco or pornography. Posters can’t offer services, either, such as baby-sitting.

Just about everything else is OK.”

link: Web site helps recycle one person’s trash into another person’s treasure

Of course, there are people who try to take advantage of this service - and things may land on eBay. However, the site is moderate by volunteers and the people are aware that some may try to take advantage of the offers. This is using the internet for a sense of community and fighting back the trend to ‘throw it away’. Rumor has it, though, that geeks never throw anything of possible value away. This concept of recycled use would be perfect for them.

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]freecycle, free, recycle, scams, ebay, internet community, volunteers[/tags]

Greg Oden: Blogging at YardBarker

Greg Oden, the recent number one NBA draft selection, has a blog. He writes at YardBarker. - It is really nice that, in one of his posting, he says “thank you“. Hopefully, the NBA will not extinguish that part of Greg Oden’s approach to people. It is a good, brief glimpse at what it is like to enter into professional basketball, at the highest level. I think he was impressed with having dinner with Steve Nash. - It is good to meet the point guard who, for the next few years, will make life miserable for him.

There are two other blogs that are NBA related. One is Mark Madsen’s blog at Mad Dog Blog. He writes well and it is an insightful look at life in the NBA. You will note that, in the right hand column, Mark has some Google ads. I think that is so cool - perhaps, like the majority of the netizens, Mark is trying to make the Google ads pay for hosting fees. He just seems like a very nice person.

The other blog is by Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. He posts at The Mark Cuban Weblog. - One might not agree with Mark Cuban always but he does state his point of view candidly. He does not seem to hesitate to be a ‘free thinker’. Undoubtedly, that approach has earned him millions and millions of dollars in business - and has made him one of the most penalized-by-fines of all the NBA owners. The postings are not all sports related. Some of the postings deal with technology, with business, with the current zeitgeist… it is never dull there. And that might be an apt description of Mark Cuban.

Those are currently three NBA related sites that I visit. Any recommendations?

Catherine

iPhone Problems

Reports of iPhone activation problems are surfacing. An example is the report filed by Jim Dalrymple for PCWorld:

“When I tried to activate my account, I got an error message announcing that my account was incompatible with the iPhone. I called AT&T and explained the situation–the service-provider checked the account and said that it definitely qualified. The tech support person checked all kinds of other things, too, and then said I should be all set to activate.

No go.”

link: iPhone Activation Disasters

link: Activation problems plague iPhone debut

link: Some iPhone customers put on hold

Unfortunately, Jim is not alone in reporting such problems. It would be so annoying to spend over six hundred dollars and to have these activation issues. AT&T is not winning public relations points with this mess. Perhaps Jim is still on the phone… on hold.

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]iphone, activation, problems, at&t[/tags]

Greg Oden: Blogging at YardBarker

Greg Oden, the recent number one NBA draft selection, has a blog. He writes at YardBarker. - It is really nice that, in one of his posting, he says “thank you“. Hopefully, the NBA will not extinguish that part of Greg Oden’s approach to people. It is a good, brief glimpse at what it is like to enter into professional basketball, at the highest level. I think he was impressed with having dinner with Steve Nash. - It is good to meet the point guard who, for the next few years, will make life miserable for him.

There are two other blogs that are NBA related. One is Mark Madsen’s blog at Mad Dog Blog. He writes well and it is an insightful look at life in the NBA. You will note that, in the right hand column, Mark has some Google ads. I think that is so cool - perhaps, like the majority of the netizens, Mark is trying to make the Google ads pay for hosting fees. He just seems like a very nice person.

The other blog is by Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. He posts at The Mark Cuban Weblog. - One might not agree with Mark Cuban always but he does state his point of view candidly. He does not seem to hesitate to be a ‘free thinker’. Undoubtedly, that approach has earned him millions and millions of dollars in business - and has made him one of the most penalized-by-fines of all the NBA owners. The postings are not all sports related. Some of the postings deal with technology, with business, with the current zeitgeist… it is never dull there. And that might be an apt description of Mark Cuban.

Those are currently three NBA related sites that I visit. Any recommendations?

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]nba, blogs, greg oden, mark madsen, mark cuban[/tags]

Identity Theft Protection: Free Credit Report

One way to check to see if your personal information has been compromised is to use an annual credit check. This is a free service. You are allowed to check once every calendar year, without charge. The credit reports can be supplied by Experian, Equifax or TransUnion. Using each of these agencies, it is possible to have a credit check every four month - with staggered reports from each agency.

Identity theft is covert crime. You might not realize, for example, that accounts in your name are being opened in other parts of the country. One way to check is to use the free credit reports. You may be meticulously cautious about safeguarding your personal information. The problem is that there are government agencies, businesses, medical facilities, schools and other sources that have your personal data. So put this credit report on your ‘to do’ list.

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]identity theft, security, free, credit report, experian, equifax, transunion [/tags]

Firefox: Inline Spell Checker

If you happen to see a word underline in red in the new version of Firefox, it is the inline spell checker working. You can disable this feature (or enable the feature) by right clicking in the field in which you are writing. You will see an option to “Spell check this field”. Left click to either enable or disable this feature.

With the spell checking enabled, there will be a red line under each word that does not find a match in the dictionary. When the spell check is enabled, there is an option (”languages”), when you right click. Hover the cursor over the “language” option and an “add dictionaries” option will appear. Just click and add the necessary dictionaries. The included spell check in Firefox eliminates the need for a separate application - and, perhaps, speed the work along with correct spelling.

Catherine

Firefox: Inline Spell Checker

If you happen to see a word underlined in red in the new version of Firefox, it is the inline spell checker working. You can disable this feature (or enable the feature) by right clicking in the field in which you are writing. You will see an option to “Spell check this field”. Left click to either enable or disable this feature.

With the spell checking enabled, there will be a red line under each word that does not find a match in the dictionary. When the spell check is enabled, there is an option (”languages”), when you right click. Hover the cursor over the “language” option and an “add dictionaries” option will appear. Just click and add the necessary dictionaries. The included spell check in Firefox eliminates the need for a separate application - and, perhaps, speed the work along with correct spelling.

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]firefox, spell checker, enable, disable, dictionaries[/tags]

Firefox Update - Some Extensions Lag Behind

Firefox updated to version 2.0.0.4. The update must have been significant because some of the less well known add-ons are rendered inoperable. For my Firefox setup, such extensions as Scrollbar Anywhere, Plain Text Links and some others are not compatible with Firefox 2.0.0.4. Perhaps, in a few weeks, the developers of these Firefox features will have updated.

So, for the next couple of days, I will be clicking for features in Firefox that are not available… or I will be back to the Opera browser.

Catherine