journals

10 easy ways to become a greener geek

By Nick, October 15, 2007

Today is Blog Action Day, where thousands of blogs worldwide are teaming up to raise awareness of environmental issues. I’ve been kicking around this article idea in my head for a while, but I figure that today is as good as any day to actually write it! Here are some simple simple ways to be more environmentally friendly with your computer and technology purchases. Some of these may be pretty obvious, but a refresher course never hurts.

Recycle

In many areas there are periodic electronic waste recycling collections. Also, check with your local city or county governments for any other computer recycling or reuse programs. Alternately, do a google search for such programs in your area. Some cities, such as Alameda, California, may have web sites set up with environmental information. Also, be on the lookout for cell phone and ink cartridge recycling programs.

Purchase with recycling in mind

Some computers, such as the current generation iMac, are designed with recycling in mind. In this case, the iMac makes heavy use of aluminum and glass, two highly-recyclable materials. Do what you can to check how recyclable the computer you’re interested in is.

Reuse when possible

Perhaps you have an older computer that still runs fine for word processing or email but no longer cuts it for your gaming. Put it to use elsewhere; give it to your kids instead of buying a new computer. Use it as a home server. Give it to a friend. Sell it. Donate it to a…
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Site news: Cast of Geeks returns for second season

By Nick, October 11, 2007

Cast of Geeks, the Deep Thought podcast, returns for season number two! In this episode we discuss the RIAA, iPhone lawsuits, gaming geekery, Leopard, and more.

Cast of Geeks is a (now) bi-weekly podcast where we discuss news and issues surrounding the tech world, as well as hold interviews and present other features.

Listen to this week’s episode - AAC “enhanced” podcast - 31.2 MB/67 minutes

Do you like what you hear? Subscibe to the podcast feed. Also visit our podcast page for a listing of all previous episodes. Lastly, you can visit our page on iTunes.

Do you want to contribute? Send an email to

Yahoo! Mail Beta is Beta No More

By Liam, October 9, 2007

Yahoo last week begun quietly transitioning their new AJAX-based webmail interface from beta status. This is going on while Yahoo! is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Yahoo! Mail, the initial user interface of which was still in use up until recently. Yahoo! is the third webmail provider to rewrite their interface in AJAX, behind Google’s Gmail and Microsoft’s Windows Live Hotmail, and the second to create an interface that behaves like a desktop email client, behind WL Hotmail.

Users who wish to go back to the old interface may do so by clicking "Switch to Yahoo! Mail Classic..." under the Options menu.

Deep Thought’s Take: Well, it’s good to see Yahoo! finish with this project for now, unlike some people (Google.) As for the interface itself, it is certainly full-featured, if a bit sluggish and ad-heavy. That’s the price to pay for unlimited storage of email messages, I guess.

More Info

Is Yahoo! dropping the beta from Yahoo! Mail Beta?

Yahoo! Mail

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How would you improve Microsoft’s services?

By UnnDunn, October 5, 2007

Larry Hryb (AKA Major Nelson), Xbox Live’s director of programming, recently posted an interesting question on his blog about what Microsoft doesn’t ‘get’ when it comes to designing and implementing new services.

This is the comment I made in response to that question. Let me know what you think.

I think Microsoft’s main problem is they think too logically and not emotionally enough when developing new services.
I like Microsoft’s products because of this (I’m an intensely logical, pragmatic person,) but I also recognize that a lot of people don’t like them for the same reason.
Xbox Live works because one of its key aspects is the concept of “identity.” Xbox Live members even have an “identity card.” The Gamercard neatly encapsulates everything an Xbox Live member…
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A quick look: AmazonMP3

By Nick, September 25, 2007

Happy day! There’s finally a service that will give iTunes a run for its money! It’s called AmazonMP3, and as I mentioned earlier, it features hig-quality DRM-free tracks for 89 or 99 cents per track and albums starting at $4.99. I am a longtime iTunes Store customer, but I decided to take Amazon’s new AmazonMP3 service out for a spin.

AmazonMP3 allows you to download tracks directly to your web browser, however, they recommend using a free helper application called Amazon MP3 Downloader (I know, it’s not the most clever name ever). Before I started exploring the store itself, I went ahead and downloaded and installed Amazon MP3 Downloader. After installing the software, I was taken to an instruction page which included link to download a free song in order to get a feel for how the service works. Since I’ve never purchased anything from Amazon before, I had to create an Amazon account to download the free song. The terms of use are your typical terms of use (songs are for personal use, etc…), however, this one section wins the Captain Obvious Award for this week:

All sales of Digital Content are final. We do not accept returns of Digital Content.

After all, it’s a little difficult to return a non-physical item, isn’t it?

As far as I could tell, Amazon does require you to enter credit card billing information. There doesn’t seem to be any way around this. A bank-issued debit card with a Visa or MasterCard logo works…
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