2012
Ai Weiwei does Gangdam Style
Chinese dissident artist, Ai Weiwei, jumps on the Gangdam style bandwagon and creates his own parody.
AccountKiller - How to delete your account from different sites
AccountKiller is an interesting website that provides instructions on how to delete your account from most major online sites (e.g. Skype, Facebook, Live.com, Yahoo, Google, Twitter, etc.) What do you do when you no longer use an online site? Most users unfortunately just stop visiting the site but never go through the process of deleting their accounts. When you ask them why, they say it is "too complicated" or that "they couldn't figure it out". AccountKiller provide instructions for most major online sites making the delete process as easy as possible.
More than half of Brits are victims of cybercrime
Results from a recent getsafeonline.org survey show that 56% of adults in the United Kingdom have been targeted through online attacks. Interestingly, 65% of those attacked haven’t changed their computing behavior. The top 5 attacks where: Viruses Email attacks Social media attacks Fraud driven sales Online credit card fraud 29% of respondents didn’t realize that they were increasing their risks of becoming victims. Interestingly 17% of respondents admitted that they were embarrassed to admit having fallen victim to online attack.
Square allows any Canadian to accept credit cards
Square is a little iPhone and Android dongle that allows anyone to process credit card transactions for a small flat fee of 2.75% (without a merchant account or monthly fees). Unfortunately Canadians were left out in the cold but Square just changed all of that with their new Canadian presence. In Canada, they will accept Mastercard and Visa cards (US users also get American Express and Discover). To get started, you visit their site, complete a 5 minute online questionnaire and they mail you a free credit card reader dongle.
Describe yourself in one word
Interviews can be fun or scary depending on how prepared you are. A new question many candidates are being asked is to described themselves in one word. Interviewers know that unless you prepared for this question, you will likely delay and stumble. Before you go into that interview, take the time to conduct some honest introspection and ask yourself : “Who am I?” “What makes me unique? What sets me apart?” “What value do I bring to the company?
Lark Life may be a fitbit and Nike FuelBand alternative
Walk into any Apple store and you will likely see Lark’s wristband alarm clock which tracks your sleep and gently wakes you up with its vibrating wristband. The company has decided to enter the growing lifestyle tracking world and compete head on with the likes of Nike’s Fuelband and Fitbit’s One and Zip activity trackers. Similar to its main competitor, the Fitbit, it will track activities and calorie intake through a custom smartphone application but they claim they will provide more value by providing immediate and customized user feedback.
Your Lifeproof iphone case float with its own Lifejacket
Read my review of the LifeProof protection case for iPhone 4/4s here. My original position still stands and I would rather waterproof my phone (using Liquipel) so I can use a battery case. If you own a LifeProof iPhone protective case, you should take a look at their LifeProof Lifejacket. The Lifejacket is a foam based case enhancer that increases the buoyancy of your phone so it doesn’t sink. The bright orange color means it will be very visible even from a fair distance.
Take a look inside a Google datacenter
Google has been notoriously secretive about the inner workings of its powerful datacenters. Interestingly they have now added their Lenoir (North Carolina) DC to streetview, It is important to note that this is one of their older datacenters and rest assured they aren’t giving away any corporate secrets but its still pretty cool to see.
Let Rezscore analyse and grade your CV
It is a common New Year resolution to find a better job (sure we're October but the New Year is just around the corner). Regardless of how you define “a better job” [more pay, flexible work hours or a more interesting field of work] the first step towards that shiny new job is preparing your resume. I’m sure your uncle can give you good advice but….. Take a look at a website called RezScore. They offer a free automated resume analysis which could help snag that new job you want.
Google will host an Android event on October 29
A couple of days after the Apple event, Google will be holding a shindig of its own. The October 29th event will be held in New York and will be Android centric. Internet pundits believe The Sultan of Search will unveil its newest Nexus phone along with an updated version of the Android operating system.
Don’t buy Microsoft’s Surface RT yet!
With the Windows 8 release date fast approaching and Microsoft now accepting pre-orders for their new Surface tablet, you may be tempted to pluck down some money and reserve your place in line. I think Surface has the potential to be a worthy competitor to the iPad or Google Nexus 7 but the reality is, we just don’t know how well it is going to work. I usually recommend staying away from version 1.0 products, since early adopters usually get saddled with tones of bugs (some of which may be hardware in nature so you may be stuck with them).
What is Microsoft Surface Missing?
Now that we know the spec s of Microsoft’s Surface RT (arm based version) and Pro (Intel based version), we can start comparing it to the Ipad. Overall the pro version is thicker, heavier and more feature packed. There are some interesting omissions (from both versions) that may be problematic for some: No GPS – Based on the information provided, it looks like both versions will come without GPS. This is doubly surprising since the product will have a built-in maps application.
How to behave during an exit interview
Read my previous blog post entitles The "You" Brand here. If you are under the age of 35, you will likely switch jobs 8-12 times in your career. If any of those jobs are with medium to large companies then expect an exit interview to be part of your departure process. Too often, employees mistakenly believe this is their first real chance to be honest about all the issues they have had to live with.
SilentCircle protects you from espionage or government monitoring
I not only work in Information Security, I love it. In the era of “everything digital”, nothing else is as important. Well imagine my excitement when I learned of a newly formed company, called SilentCircle, which was promising a very secure yet easy to use communication product. The company The company says that it was started by 2 former Nacy Seals and the world-renown creator of PGP, Phil Zimmermann. It wanted to create a military grade encryption product for securing phone calls (VOIP), text messages, emails and video.
Apple to hold October 23 2012 event
The Internet is buzzing about rumors of an iPad Mini, new Retina display equipped Macbooks and even a refreshed iMac line. Glossing over the dozens of photos and leaked specs, the only remaining question is WHEN? The most believable date is currently October 23 2012 and it is expected to be held for a small group of hand selected reporters in Apple's auditorium. No one knows for sure but innovation is a good thing for consumers.
Telus removes activation and equipment exchange fees
As a Canadian, most stories about our mobile telecommunication giants usually ends with consumers having to pay more. Imagine my surprise when one of the big players (Telus) announced that it will be trashing its $35 activation fee and its $25 equipment exchange fee (as of today). Hopefully the other major carriers will follow Telus’ lead (Rogers, Bell). The new entrants (Wind, Mobilicity and Public Mobile) never charged these fees so they are already one step ahead of the game. Telus will be charging $10 for customers that need a new SIM card (since this was originally part of the activation fee).
You are Facebook's product, not its customer
Anytime Facebook makes a site change or updates one of its mobile products, users get angry and rant about how “Facebook isn’t listening to the needs of its customers” or “How Facebook is out of touch with what its customers want”. I’m going to make a bold statement you probably won’t like but You are not Facebook’s customer, you are one of their products. Facebook’s only goal is to monetize the social graph of its users. Don’t believe me? Ask yourself how Facebook keeps the lights on.
The 3 most powerful questions to ask yourself
Having worked with thousands of people throughout my career, it is clear that people have the hardest time being honest with themselves, about themselves. But this is one case where honesty is the best policy. As an employee of a company, your future depends on the quality, depth and breadth of skills you bring to the table. You can lie to yourself all you want, ultimately your true colors will come through and you will be judged. Every 6 months, I take some time to myself and think about where I am, where I thought I would be and decide where I want to go (short, medium and long term).
Ikea will only sell LED lights by 2016
IKEA wants to be the first US furniture retailer to sell only LED lights (by 2016). It cites the environmental benefits as the main driver and has committed to delivering them at the lowest price in the market. Ikea says its LED lights will last around 20 years. Currently the main LED light providing comparable performance is the Philips product selling for between $20-60. Obviously the market may not be ready for a $20 light so let’s hope they find a way to bring the price down.