Practical Technology

for practical people.

September 30, 2012
by sjvn01
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Adobe Flash: I’m not dead yet!

Yes, we all hate Flash. Even Adobe’s not that crazy about Flash anymore. Too bad. There’s still no replacement for it.

HTML5 video you say? What about it? There’s nothing magical about it. 

HTML5’s video tag doesn’t define which the file format, such as MPEG4 or WebM, or video or audio codec, such as H.264 or VP8, that are permitted. The only thing HTML5 does is let Web developers set up case statements so that they can supply a choice of various combinations of containers and codecs in the hope that your device can support one of them.

In other words, HTML5 video is just a rug that covers the dirt of multiple video formats. It doesn’t replace Flash at all. In fact, you can still use Flash within it. We’re a long way from being Flash free.

Adobe Flash: I’m not dead yet! More >

September 28, 2012
by sjvn01
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Before the Internet: The Ant-net

Way, way back in pre-history, back when dinosaurs walked the Earth and we were mere gleams in the eyes of furry critters whose usual fate was to go crunch, harvester ants had worked out how many foragers to send out of the nest to bring home the Jurassic bacon using techniques we now use on the Internet.

This is not an Onion story. As reported by Standford University, two researchers, Deborah Gordon, a biology professor told Balaji Prabhakar, a computer science professor, about how harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) worked out how to send out ants to collect food. Prabhakar soon realized, to his surprise, that the ants were using almost the exact same TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) algorithm that we use on the Internet

When the ants hunt for food, an ant won’t return to the nest until it’s found something. If there’s a lot of food, usually seeds, available, they’ll bring the goods back to the next. Then, more ants will join them and the food will get marched back to the nest at a quicker pace. As the food supply runs low, the nest will start sending out fewer foragers.

Before the Internet: The Ant-net. More >

September 27, 2012
by sjvn01
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BlueStacks and AMD bring Android apps to Windows

What do you get when you add applications from the most popular mobile operating system, Android, to the most popular desktop system, Windows? Well, many of you will soon have a chance to find out since BlueStacks, creator of a Windows app that enables you to run Android apps on Windows, has joined forces with AMD to bring their cross-platform application to AMD-powered tablets and PCs. 

AMD is also working with its partners to pre-load the the BlueStacks Android App Player on AMD-powered Windows 7 and 8 laptops, desktops, and tablets. If you don’t want to wait for a new PC you can download the master Android on Windows app, AMD AppZone Player. Or, you can simply download an Android app  from the AMD AppZone and it  will automatically install the player in addition to the app.

BlueStacks and AMD bring Android apps to Windows. More >

September 25, 2012
by sjvn01
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Linux: It’s Where the Jobs Are

The U.S. unemployment rate is slowly getting better, thank goodness. But with the unemployment rate at 8.3%, few people are saying the great recession is over.

Yet, wherever you live, one of the safest career choices is in high-tech. In the United States, the unemployment rate for tech professionals is 3.8%. Better still: Leading the way in high-tech employment are Linux jobs.

Linux: It’s Where the Jobs Are. More >

September 25, 2012
by sjvn01
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Apple’s iOS 6 Wi-Fi problems linger on

Apple fixed the major iOS 6 Wi-Fi problem quickly. That foul-up turned out to be a missing Apple Web page. While Apple siming replacing that page cured the networking headache for 90%+ of Apple iOS 6 users, other Wi-Fi problems are continuing to pop up.

A quick look through the Apple Support forums shows thousands of iOS 6 Wi-Fi problem reports. Winnowing them down, it seems there are two significant iOS 6 Wi-Fi problems left. 

Apple’s iOS 6 Wi-Fi problems linger on. More >

September 25, 2012
by sjvn01
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Wickedpedia: The dark side of Wikipedia

Do a Web search on any popular product, event, company, person, whatever. What’s the first site that shows up? Chances are it’s Wikipedia. For better or for worse, people assume that anything they find in Wikipedia is Gospel truth. That’s very foolish. It now seems that some of Wikipedia’s writers and editors have sold out the truth for their own gains.

As reported by Violet Blue, two Wikipedia insiders, Roger Bamkin and Max Klein, have allegedly written, edited, and placed Wikipedia articles for paying clients.

The facts appear damning. Klein’s consulting business untrikiwiki comes right out and states: “A positive Wikipedia article is invaluable SEO: it’s almost guaranteed to be a top three Google hit. Surprisingly this benefit of writing for Wikipedia is underutilized, but relates exactly the lack of true expertise in the field. … WE HAVE THE EXPERTISE NEEDED to navigate the complex maze surrounding ‘conflict of interest’ editing on Wikipedia. With more than eight years of experience, over 10,000 edits, and countless community connections we offer holistic Wikipedia services.”

Oh yeah, that sure sounds like a Wikipedia editor and not a shill

Wickedpedia: The dark side of Wikipedia. More >