A Way Forward For RSS Content- December 31, 2003 RSS is one of those technologies that's hard to explain to casual users of the Internet. When you tell them they can have their news and site updates in the form of a feed, direct to their desktop, they usually ask a) can't I do that already I thought I could do that already.b) you mean like email I don't want more programs on my computer. Or c) OK, sounds good but what kind of things can I get Don't get me wrong. RSS, or something like it, is the future. But it's a hard sell to folk who...http://loosewire.blogspot.com/2003_12_28_loosewire_archive.html#107283179256295126 Goodbye To The Browser- December 30, 2003 Here's some more interesting end-of-year stuff from NielsenNetRatings: a report issued today (PDF file) says that three out of every four home and work Internet users access the Internet using a non-browser based Internet application, particularly media players, instant messengers and file sharing applications. &8220;With 76 percent of Web surfers using Internet applications, functionality has grown beyond the browser to become a fundamental piece of the overall desktop,&8221; said Abha Bhagat,.http://loosewire.blogspot.com/2003_12_28_loosewire_archive.html#107276832438298440 Online Holiday Spending Throws Up Some Kinks- December 30, 2003 I think we might have said this last year (and the year before) but this holiday appears to have been the Big One for spending online. According to a report by Goldman Sachs, Harris Interactive and NielsenNetRatings ('the eSpending Report') the total amount spent online was $15.8 billion, up a whopping 37% from 2002. (They don't say this was in the U.S., but I'm assuming it is.) There's some interesting ticklers in the details too: While every category went up, a lot more was spent on...http://loosewire.blogspot.com/2003_12_28_loosewire_archive.html#107274546314955194 Some (Not So) Light Reading- December 29, 2003 For those of you easing back into work after the holidays, or stuck in the office before the New Year partying begins, here are some suggestions for Internet reading.The future of Microsoft: Is 2004 going to be Redmond's swansong Some people think so, including The Inquirer, which says that the company's flat first quarter earnings are a sign "it is running low on wiggle room, the core customers are negotiating hard, and Microsoft is giving way". Interesting, if somewhat aggressive, reading....http://loosewire.blogspot.com/2003_12_28_loosewire_archive.html#107265739289590641 (Untitled)- December 27, 2003 If you were one of the few who didn't get an iPod in their stocking this Christmas, don't despair: Designtechnica Articles is reporting strong rumours that Apple may launch a $100 iPod next month. While current iPod units start at $300 and are based around a 10 to 40 gigabyte hard drive, the budget priced iPods are expected be Flash Memory based -- and so will not store so much. ThinkSecret, meanwhile, says the new iPods will be smaller in size, hold either 2 or 4 gigabytes of music, and...http://loosewire.blogspot.com/2003_12_21_loosewire_archive.html#107249065899285410 Spam As Revenge- December 24, 2003 Is spam being used as a business weapon to damage a competitor's reputation Florida-based North American Liability Group, an insurance company, said yesterday it had "become aware that an unauthorized spam email was sent out about the Company by an unknown third party". A press release issued by the company said it "has discovered that someone who identified himself or itself as "RB" sent a spam email which contained information which did not come from the Company, was never approved by the...http://loosewire.blogspot.com/2003_12_21_loosewire_archive.html#107222626587941509 Ho, Ho, Ho, Tis The Season Of The Online Scam- December 24, 2003 Phishing -- the art of depriving folk of their sensitive password data and then using it to empty their pockets -- has become the scam du jour of the holiday season. The Anti-Phishing.org website says it has seen 'dramatic' growth in November and December of email spoofing (emails claiming to be from, for example, your bank) and general fraud activity. (Anti-Phishing is an industry group founded by Tumbleweed Communications, a builder of anti-spam software.) For example: -- More than 60 unique..http://loosewire.blogspot.com/2003_12_21_loosewire_archive.html#107222492095881107 The iPod Battery Controversy Hits The Mainstream- December 22, 2003 The discussion about iPod batteries has entered the mainstream. You may recall posts on this blog a few weeks back about two brothers who took their complaint that Apple would not replace their worn out battery -- saying the warranty had expired, and suggesting they buy a new iPod -- public, via a video posted onto the net and public defacement of Apple billboards. I tried to get a comment from Apple at the time, but felt they had less of a case the more I looked at the story: It turned out...http://loosewire.blogspot.com/2003_12_21_loosewire_archive.html#107206019776122897 Note to loose wire readers- December 19, 2003 Note to readers: I'm afraid I've not been able to update this site for a day or two now due to problems with the hosting servers. For those of you reading online, I suggest you move your browserbookmark to the blog's new home, loosewireblog.com; for those of you accessing via RSS, to switch to the new feed, and for those of you receiving this by email, to either switch to RSS or to have patience: I'll be setting up an email subscription to the new site shortly.http://loosewire.blogspot.com/2003_12_14_loosewire_archive.html#107180312753510449 CD-Rom Business Cards. Huh- December 17, 2003 I know I may be missing something here, but what is this all about business cards on a CD Rom Newsweek reports increased sales of these things -- either full size or credit card sized and shaped -- which people hand out at trade shows: "General consensus in the biz world: why spring for color brochures at $5 a pop when CD cards average a buck each For much more cash&8212;$3,000&8212;New York’s HYLife Productions can squeeze up to eight minutes of video on its cards."I have to say I have...http://loosewire.blogspot.com/2003_12_14_loosewire_archive.html#107165210055089934 |