General

New blogger on the prowl

Benjamin Zamora — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 09:48:00 GMT

My coworker has started a new blog http://www.foundonthemountain.com/Blog/tabid/62/BlogID/2/Default.aspx

Make sure you drop on by.

What can you do with some diet Coke and some Mentos?

Benjamin Zamora — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 05:56:00 GMT

More than you think:
Check out this video:

The Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments:
What happens when you combine 200 liters of Diet Coke and over 500 Mentos mints? It's amazing and completely insane.
[From http://eepybird.com/]

What do you know, Windows on a mac.. cool

Benjamin Zamora — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 09:49:00 GMT

Nice move from Apple.

From Mac World:

Apple gives its blessing to Windows on Macs

Last month, when a few enterprising hackers won a contest by enabling Windows booting on Intel-based Macs, one of the first comments I read in our forums was: “How long until Apple cripples this hack with a system software update?”

Turns out, Apple could’ve won that $13,854 if it had just released Boot Camp a month earlier. Instead of crippling a hack, Apple has released a legitimate version that does what the hack did — and in true Apple fashion, a whole lot more.

[Read On]

IronPython 1.0 Beta 3 on MSDN

Benjamin Zamora — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 11:10:00 GMT

I know, it's been ages since I've blogged, there have been some MAJOR changes in my life that I will post later... long and short of it, I'm now on Salary and the private consulting days are in the past.... for now.

Anyway back to blogging.

Looks like MS is pushing forward on its IronPython 1.0 efforts.

IronPython 1.0 Beta 3

Sir Bill

Benjamin Zamora — Wed, 02 Mar 2005 07:57:00 GMT

Bill Gates is due to receive an honorary knighthood.

The king of computer software Bill Gates is due to receive an honorary knighthood from the Queen for his contribution to enterprise in the UK. Mr Gates, the world's wealthiest man, is also being honoured for his work on poverty reduction around the world,
[Read On]

Scoble asks a good question:

Will his email change to sirBillG?

Acrobat alternative

Benjamin Zamora — Wed, 02 Mar 2005 06:55:00 GMT

Thanks to Kevin Dente's RantLog for the lead on a new PDF viewer:

“Foxit PDF Reader is a free reader for PDF (eBook) documents. You can view and print PDF documents with it.“

Looking good so far. time to open some complex PDFs... One nice feature:

“And it starts up immediately, so you don't need to wait the annoying "Welcome" screen to disappear.“

We'll see how it goes. (Find it here)

I need a GMail account.

Benjamin Zamora — Sun, 24 Oct 2004 12:01:00 GMT

After blasting Google I have to admit that I don't have a GMail account. I'd like to try this service and give my thoughts about it.. If you have an extra account you'd like to share, Please contact me.
I'd like to give Google a fair shake.

(Hint hint, Google guys -Win me over)

Update: I now have a GMail account and it's great. Thanks to everyone for their offers for Gmail accounts. Including celebritycola.blogspot.com

Google desktop and your security

Benjamin Zamora — Sun, 24 Oct 2004 11:52:00 GMT

Personally I think the tool is effective but I have concerns about it. Especially on public computers. Now we're starting to see stories like:

Great 'spy' tool
PEOPLE who use public or workplace computers for e-mail, instant messaging and Web searches have a new privacy risk to worry about: Google's free new tool that ...

More Google Desktop Privacy Worries & A Microsofty's Fear
Search Engine Watch
... Meanwhile, Google Desktop-rival Copernic is touting the privacy angle as a weakness. Google Desktop privacy branded 'unacceptable ...

New Google tool could be privacy risk
Boulder Daily Camera, CO
... "On the flip side of things, it's a perfect spy program.". Google Desktop Search, publicly released Thursday in a "beta" test phase for computers running the ...

Google program could invade privacy
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO
... Google is one of the first Internet companies to offer a desktop search engine ... But it could be used to spy on others in situations where computers ...

At this point I have it on a test computer. I will NOT use any public (or friends) computers with the Google desktop installed.. PERIOD and I recommend that you don't either. I also recommend that business not use it until some of these concerns are addressed and if a user has installed it, uninstall it for now. Is it worth the risk? At this point I say no.

Google vs Microsoft -- Not the end all example of "Markets working them selves out" as the Heritage Foundation would like you to think

Benjamin Zamora — Fri, 22 Oct 2004 20:04:00 GMT

I'm sorry but the Heritage foundation is wrong on this one.

Google v. Microsoft: Trustbusters Not Needed

This developing challenge may confound those who have argued that Microsoft had a permanent, unassailable monopoly, which could only be weakened by government intervention. Perhaps someone should tell the trust busters in Washington and Brussels that technology markets are working—and that their services are no longer needed.

WRONG

The most common example of such Web-based services are e-mail systems such as Hotmail and Google’s own “Gmail,” which are alternatives to standard e-mail systems that run directly on a PC on top of a desktop operating system. Today, many applications can be run over the Web.

Hello, the 1990's is when the big push to the web happened... maybe he's hinting at webservices.... nope not that either... It's actually closer to someone embedding Cassini (a compact local web server) in a application while only providing an HTML interface, then calling it a “web” application.

Someone needs to tell these guys that Windows is a platform. Unless Google is coming out with a Google OS then your comparing apples to oranges. While Google is putting pressure on MS, it's not on the level that this article implies. I'm sure after MS releases their new search tool/add on, we'll hear the same arguments against Microsoft that Netscape's and Real had. (Not to mention the very courts that they say we don't need. The fact that MS has a lock on the OS as well as the deep internals of the OS, is the real key. I know that the Heritage foundation is looking to find justification to end regulations and anti trust laws in the US but this isn't it...

Spyware legislation moves forward.

Benjamin Zamora — Tue, 05 Oct 2004 20:03:00 GMT

House approves spyware legislation
The US House of Representatives voted late Tuesday to restrict some of the most deceptive forms of spyware. By a 399-1 vote, House members approved legislation prohibiting "taking control" of a computer, surreptitiously
[Read On]