Thinkcage

Ok, now maybe the book/movie was filled with sketchy psuedo-science…but this is proof and maybe it could be possible.

*crosses fingers*

I know, I know… there is a huge need for this kind of instruction for the majority of web users and computer users in general. However, something about this image and the almost absurd basicity of the topic makes me giggle. Below is a list of other topics that might be next in this series:

• Ok or Cancel?
• Click or Drag?
• Copy or Paste?
• Restart or Shutdown?

Look for them soon at www.microsoft.com.

One of my favorite toys for OS X, Konfabulator, is a nifty little application that adds configurable widgets to your desktop. Useful widgets might display weather conditions, a calendar, to-do lists, RSS feeds, or application status for things like iTunes. And of course there are any number of widgets that are of dubious use such as the one the floats a submarine across your desktop. And best of all for the other 95% of the world, it is now available for Windows (think Windows 95 Active Desktop if it didn’t crash your system). The Windows version seems to be nearly identical to the OS X version and is compatible with many of the existing widgets. It seems that the ones that are excluded use mac-specific features and would be of no use on Windows anyway.

I would highly recommend that you give it a test drive. Graphically, many of the widgets are really gorgeous supporting alpha blending and anti-aliasing so they work seamlessly with your desktop with glows and shadows.

Developers will the keen to the fact that they are completely built with JavaScript making them easy to create for nearly any web designer—write your own!

Finally, it is here. The first full release of Mozilla’s little browser that could. Download it now.

If you are in the dark, Firefox is web browser created by the open source software community. It has several advantages over other more ubiquitous browsers:

• It is fast, streamlined, and a small download.
• The browser looks, works, and feels almost identical on Windows, OS X, and Linux. (I never understood why the Mac version of Microsoft Internet Explorer was so fundamentally different from the Windows version).
• It’s secure! Firefox is not susceptible to the myriad of security vulnerabilities that plague Microsoft Internet Explorer. It is a service to the web community to ensure that you do not contribute to the proliferation of security exploits, spam, and viruses.

C|Net has a nice collection of recent press on the Firefox phenomenon. Already, Firefox is cutting into Internet Explorer’s market share and with planned marketing efforts seeks to become the preferred browser of the masses.

Personally, I have really been happy with Firefox. Tabbed browsing is a truly essential feature and the setup was a piece of cake. On Windows, Firefox will actually import your preferences, favorites, cookies, etc. from Internet Explorer making the switch almost seamless. Bravo to Mozilla for making a piece of open source software that really can be used by novice computer users!

If you haven’t tried Firefox, what are you waiting for? Get it now!

This is one of the coolest and most useful web services I’ve seen in a long time. Google has just launched the Google SMS query service. Send a query to 46645 (googl) on your phone and get a nearly instant SMS reply.

To get started, simply SMS “help” to 46645. The reply will contain some basic instructions that detail the four currently supported queries:

• Business and residential directory listings – Send person or business name and city, state or zip code.
• Definitions – send define and a term.
• Prices – send price and a product name.
• And tons more – such as zip code lookup, area code lookup, calculator, etc.

So far this looks incredibly promising. And what a contrast to the slow, and unintuitive service the mobile phone companies offer. I have service, through T-Mobile’s T-Zones which, though rich with information takes many more clicks and tons more time to come up with the same info. All Google needs to add it directions and movie time to make this service complete.

According to a recent CNET article, a new-from-the-box Windows computer connected to the Internet will be infected by malware in an average of 20 minutes. Scary thought. Even more frightening when you consider this result is predicted for a PC that is simply connected to the Internet and not even subjected to the danger of users visiting malicious websites or receiving infected email. It would seem that the average dial-up modem surfer would have little chance of adequately protecting his computer.

Personally, I was taken by surprise at this finding. Partly because I work behind a solidly maintained LAN at work and hide behind a router at home; partly because I do much of my work on an Apple Mac. But with broadband still not the prevailing standard for the average user, it seems that mom and dad on AOL are the biggest culprits and victims in the war on malware.