Geeks In Training » newsBytes

Stop SOPA and PIPA: blackout tips for webmasters

Michael Zimmermann — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:20:22 +0000

Tomorrow, many sites are taking a stand against proposed legislation in the United States — the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate. On Wednesday, January 18th, sites like Google, Wikipedia, Reddit, and even the entire ICanHasCheezburger Network will protest these proposals in some way. Many of them, like Wikipedia, will be “blacking out” their site — effectively removing their content from the internet for the duration.
Taking down a website is no light matter. No matter how important the cause, many sites are a source of income and the return to business after a protest blackout should be considered.

Pierre Far (Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google UK) has posted a good bit of information on how to temporarily remove your site from the internet while keeping the consequences in check.

Other methods

An alternative to this is an interstitial blackout, that still allows the site to be accessed, but only after the user sees a blackout message.

There is a handy SOPA Blackout JavaScript Utility for sites that wish to go this route — no content is then pulled from the site, but awareness is still created. There are also plugins for WordPress, Drupal, and others.

No matter your method, please consider the future of the internet, and help keep it open for all.

5 Tips That Make Your Meetings iPad-Friendly

Michael Zimmermann — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:08:56 +0000

Many of us have gadgets, and let’s face it, a good portion of them start from the “oooh, shiny!” stage, and never progress into something terribly useful. Like apps, those gadgets get tried, tired, and, eventually, retired.

But although the iPad may have started out with that dubious future in the minds of many, it looks like it’s making good headway, leaving the couch and the coffee house, and becoming a business tool — or at least, that’s the way many of us would like to have it.

To help make your business iPad more effective in meetings, look no further than Amber MacArthur. As usual, she makes technology relevant and useful in this quick article covering business meetings and iPads (and other mobile tech devices, by extension). She doesn’t beat us over the head with it, but I like that one of those five is “Be Courteous” — always something to keep in mind at any meeting.

Read the full article on Fast Company: 5 Tips That Make Your Meetings iPad-Friendly.

Internet Explorer users have lower IQ says study

Michael Zimmermann — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:44:07 +0000

Now don’t think for a second that correlation has anything to do with causality, but it does give you pause for thought, hmm?

BBC News – Internet Explorer users have lower IQ says study.

Are you still stuffing those receipts in your wallet? – The Globe and Mail

Michael Zimmermann — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:07:16 +0000

Finally, we’re clawing our way out of the dark ages. Receipts are holding on more tightly to our financial habits (or are we the ones holding on to them?) than fax paper.

Are you still stuffing those receipts in your wallet? – The Globe and Mail.

‪Stuxnext (HUNGRY BEAST)‬‏ – YouTube

Michael Zimmermann — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:48:12 +0000

Over a year ago, Stuxnet was discovered in some of the most secure control systems in the world, in power plants, traffic control systems, and factories. The source of this weaponized worm is still officially unknown, and, like any innovative computer code, potential variations could emerge, only with more subtlety, elegance, and serious implications.

Face-recognition software: everyone will use it, and you can’t stop it

Michael Zimmermann — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:16:18 +0000

Farhad Manjoo at Slate has written a great article that is just a little bit scary – as well it should be. Facial recognition software in the hands of the government and large corporations is bad enough, but with the ubiquity of cameras today, everybody gets their shot at adding to that global database of privacy invasion.

Face-recognition software: It’s coming, everyone will use it, and you can’t stop it.

Still no Google Profile for Google Apps users. That means no Google Plus.

Michael Zimmermann — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:19:41 +0000

I created a new Apps account to manage email for my sister site, and was frustrated to find out that if you have a Google Apps account, it’s not automatically recognized as a Google Profile, something that allows you to use many of the services and customizations that the Google universe offers. Most notably, that includes the recent Google Plus, their answer to Facebook.

So it’s not recognized. Big deal, just sign up for another Google account, right? Except that you can’t. Too bad, not even the option to use your own email and domain to sign up for a service. In many cases, businesses pay for the Google Apps features, to manage any where from 10 emails to thousands, for $50/year per user. The thanks they get? Anybody with an email @yourcompany.com is SOL when it comes to wanting to use Google Plus and similar services.

Read the Business Insider article about Google Apps’ priority ranking, and check out the ongoing disappointment from Loyal Apps users: Can Google Profiles be enabled for a Google Apps account?

What browser and OS are you using? Do you have javascript enabled…

Michael Zimmermann — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 18:42:48 +0000

If you’re the resident geek in your circle, you ask the same questions every time you have to put on your helpdesk hat. I now turn to the Support Details website to help reduce the clutter. This has to be the best site for quickly getting those standard tech support questions answered (it may sound like it, but no, I’m not paid or affiliated with them in any way — I just like them that much).

Send someone here (you can even customize the URL with your email address and name) and ask the user to click on the big blue “Send Details” button, and you’ve got a nice summary of their Browser, OS, Screen Resolution, addons, and browser capabilities.

Visit Support Details for more, well, details!

Amazon selling more ebooks than print

Michael Zimmermann — Thu, 19 May 2011 14:36:54 +0000

Turns out that whole dead-tree fad is going gently into the night. According to TechRadar.com, online book giant Amazon has had tremendous success selling titles for its popular Kindle ebook reader. So much so, it has surpassed sales of the print version. I impulse bought one last week, and it was on my desk by noon the next day. I have been surprised and impressed, but every once in a while I find myself trying to swipe the screen to turn a page.

A successful Git branching model

Michael Zimmermann — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:47:37 +0000

This is by far the best explanation of a Git development model. It isn’t a tutorial on how to use git commands – there are almost too many of those around. What it does is clearly outlines a development workflow, and the way that Git helps keep features and fixes organized and on track.

Read the full article, with helpful diagrams along the way at: A successful Git branching model » nvie.com.

There’s also a great video to describe the extensions that help to configure and enforce this workflow: