BRUCEB NEWS
Say Goodbye To Outlook Clutter
On January 31, 2020, there won't be any more clutter in Outlook. Oh, you'll still get just as many unimportant messages as before, but they won't be sorted into a Clutter folder. Instead, you'll use Microsoft's replacement, Focused Inbox, to read "Focused" and "Other"...
TRAVEL WEB SITE SHENANIGANS
I had to chuckle (to avoid crying) reading this article about the squabbles between Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia. At first, you'll be sympathetic to the claims that Orbitz is...
RECORDABLE DVDS
Most consumers have stayed away from recordable DVDs, since there's a blizzard of competing acronyms representing different, incompatible media and disk formats. DVD+RW, DVD-RW,...
KAZAA SPYWARE
Kazaa is one of the popular file sharing programs that took over after Napster was gunned down. It had always had a reputation for installing "spyware" - nasty little programs...
TIME WARNER HELL
Two announcements from Time Warner today that should strike fear into your heart, as we move into a future controlled by corporations and inundated by advertising. America Online...
GENDER GRAMMAR
I don't know if this is correct, but it's interesting. The Register quotes from a Microsoft technical note that uses "she" to refer to actions by a potential hacker, and adds...
POP-UP DOWNLOADS
You're familiar with pop-up ads - the windows that appear spontaneously when you visit many web sites. Are you ready for pop-up downloads? Watch for a box to appear asking you to...
GOOGLE TECHNOLOGY EXPLAINED
Google has posted a fascinated look at the technology that produces its search results. Google relies on PigeonRank, a system for ranking web pages using low cost pigeon...
XO ON THE BRINK
It's almost over for XO Communications. According to this article, XO is weighing a takeover bid by Carl Icahn, and it may file for bankruptcy soon. More telling to me is that XO...
WHEN ELEPHANTS DANCE
If you're trying to catch up on the copyright wars, here's an article that does a wonderful job of summarizing all of the issues and how the different players stand....
DILBERT NEWSLETTER
Although I'm as bugged by spam e-mail as you are, I recommend signing up for a very funny newsletter from Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert. (Sign up at the Dilbert web site.) It...
PAY MUSIC SERVICES
The music industry's pay services, RealOne and PressPlay, are worse than you realize. Read the details here, then do what I did - uninstall all the RealNetworks software from...
YOUNGSTERS ARE ALL THUMBS
According to a new study (reported in the Guardian Unlimited Observer), the thumbs of people under 25 have become the hand's most muscled and dextrous digits. Almost all people...
INTERVIEW WITH LAWRENCE LESSIG
If you're following the copyright wars, you might be interested in a question-and-answer session on Slashdot with Lawrence Lessig, a Stanford law professor and one of the leaders...
COPYRIGHT POLICE GET UGLIER
Today's news has more evidence that the entertainment industry is successfully shaping our world - by filling it with fear and intimidation. An Austin, Texas, man could face up...
DELL REACHES GOAL, SHUTS DOWN
The Onion is a treasure. One of its stories this week is just perfect: AUSTIN, TX—After 18 years of striving, Dell Computer finally reached its long-stated goal to be the...