Category Archives for Articles

The Internet is an unimaginably vast and infinitely valuable resource of the world’s most remarkable information. Updated by the millisecond, it holds around 500 billion gigabytes of data and even as you read this a few more have been uploaded and downloaded several times.

It is often simply described as ‘a network of networks.’ However, the internet is much more than just a series of tubes. From traditional Aboriginal recipes and fashion advice to the musings of a teenager from rural Kentucky–-the Internet (or the Web specifically) is everyone and everything. It is the collective consciousness of all humanity; a record of everything we were, are and want to be both as individuals and as a race. You can, quite literally, find anything you want on the Internet.

But how exactly do you find a microscopic needle in a haystack the size of a planet?

When Google unveiled their mobile operating system, Android, back in November 2007 alongside their announcement of the Open Handset Alliance they were met with a mix of excitement, surprise and skepticism. The open-source software platform was, after all, just another in the fragmented list of mobile operating systems. And with Google’s history of losing the initial enthusiasm on ambitious projects such as this (*cough*wave*cough*), many feared it wouldn’t turn out to be all they hoped.

Google was—and still is—primarily an advertising company, but over their 12 year history, they have tried out a multitude of ventures. They now have their toes dipped in almost everything a web user does online; operating system (desktop and mobile), web browser, ads, email, social network, microblogging and blogging, instant messaging, search, video, photos, navigation, analytics, documents, web & software development – the list goes on.

Could Google, with their vastly expansive business structure, really focus on a smartphone operating system and deliver the promised goods? With Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, Palm and the then newly released iPhone, all vying to dominate the smartphone market, could Android carve out a piece of the pie for itself?

Hear the word “operating system,” and the first thing that pops into mind for most of us is the Windows logo in all its multi-colored glory; peer a little harder and you might see a big shiny Apple and maybe catch a glimpse of the Linux Penguin hovering around the corner, each with their band of devotees carrying their respective banners passionately onwards.

The operating system (OS) development space of today though, is arguably getting a little stale. Windows 7, OS X Snow Leopard and Ubuntu 9 – the latest incarnations of the Top Three – have all seen no huge innovation in the way OS are designed and used. They’ve been by and large maintenance and performance improvement releases; and while it’s great to see faster boot times and improved stability, they are far from being the revolution in computing we’ve been waiting for.

For many, the story ends at the operating system that comes installed with the computer we buy and “dual boot” is another name given to more than one shoe. Diving into the world of formatted hard drives, BIOS updates and driver incompatibilities in search of “the perfect OS” is certainly not a job for the faint-hearted.

But what about BeOS, or Haiku – or even the many flavors of Linux that never get the attention of the mainstream? What if these relatively obscure operating systems are better suited to the evolving trend of computer use in the home – or even the school and office? What have you left when we take out Windows, Mac OS and Ubuntu from the picture? Chaos? Pandemonium? World peace?

The discovery of microorganisms that can thrive in harsh environments without the need for oxygen or sunlight throws a new perspective on the search for extra-terrestrial life and the belief that other planets are too inhospitable for living organisms.

This article aims to cover some basics on how to improve the security of your email address. Inside, I will try to cover some good ways with which to protect the most important part of your online presence, ie. your email address; following that will be some good password suggestions, advice on how to prepare for a disaster beforehand, and dealing with it after it has happened.

Time management is a pain – simple as that. I speak from experience! Whether you’re a freelancer working by the hour or just a geek trying to analyse your computer usage trends, RescueTime is a great software+service that can help you manage your time without any data entry. I’ve been using the program for quite [....] Read the rest →

So I wrote a few articles some time ago for DAWN SciTech World and Spider Magazine and because I didn’t have a site when they were published, they sort of got lost on the Web. In loving memory, here they are in reverse order of publication:

Lists. We see them everywhere these days, and there’s no denying the fact that we all love them. Everybody from Moses (a la Ten Commandments) to MTV (Top 10 countdowns) did lists, and they’re still around. Just take a look at sites like Digg or del.icio.us and there’s bound to be at least a couple lists featured on the front page.