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Confessions of an Olympic Curmudgeon

Tris Hussey
Feb 17th, 2010

Where there are Olympic Games, there are pins and pin traders.

 

Why Tweet? I'll Tell You How to Make Use of This Fun and Powerful Tool

Tris Hussey
Jan 18th, 2010

A moment in time from my Twitter stream.

For something that was so geeky when it started out that even geeks didn't know what to do with it, Twitter  sure has taken off like a rocket. When I first tried it in January 2007, I didn't get it. The idea was that your tweets  answered the question: "What are you doing?"

And what most people posted was what they were doing:

"I'm having coffee with friends."

"On my way to the office."

"Heading home."

If your friends weren't on Twitter it wasn't very interesting.

Canwest's Future Buyer Has an Opportunity to Innovate, But Will They Take It?

Tris Hussey
Jan 9th, 2010

This is one of those times when the clichéd Tale of Two Cities quotes comes to mind. I'll save you the pain and skip it. Yeah, we get it, newspapers as we know them are in trouble. Just like the advent of the telegraph changed how news was gathered, transmitted and reported, the Internet has done the same for papers.

Who wants to buy a newspaper to read news that is often stale before the ink is dry? Certainly not for the classifieds, Craigslist took care of that nicely. Weekly fliers? I get them in my email, thanks.

 

Great reporting, thoughtful commentary, in-depth journalism? Yeah just let me read the online version on the site, thanks. Pay for that access? Umm, yeah not so much.

 

Today one of Canada's largest media players put all but the National Post up for sale and filed for creditor protection at the same time.

 

Ouch.

 

All About Getting Your Home Office Set Up (So You Can Stay Home During the 2010 Winter Games)

Tris Hussey
Jan 6th, 2010

In part 1 of the Vancouver Observer Telelympics Tutorial, I talked about setting the stage for working at home during the Olympic games. Here in part 2 we're going to roll up our sleeves and get stuff in place and working. We've got a little over a month to go before the throngs pack our fair city to the gills, so time is of the essence.

Because working out the software bits might get a little detailed, I'm going to stick to hardware and office set up for the most part, next week we'll get geeky with it and set up some software to help you collaborate with your co-workers and the rest of humanity while you live in Olympic exile for a few weeks.

(Side note: In all honesty, I'm not going to completely hide out during the games. I have been practicing my German and Spanish to help travelers and look forward to some parts of the experience.)

Get that home office in shape!

I Have a Great New Computer! Now What?

Tris Hussey
Dec 27th, 2009

I hope all of you had a wonderful, technology filled holiday. Myself I have a much larger and stronger wireless network at home and several new movies to watch (digital copies, of course), but let's talk about you. Did you get a spiffy new computer? Nice new MacBook, netbook, iMac, Windows laptop or desktop? Not an uncommon gift for Christmas, or a post-Christmas Boxing Day gift, these days.

Computers, Macs or PCs, laptops or desktops, are all much more affordable than they used to be, not to mention easier to use and much more powerful than they once were. Of course when you get this new machine (ah the new computer smell), and the first thrill of setting it up wears off, you probably wondering, "Now what?" What should I do, download, install, delete (yes, there is lots you can delete, especially on PCs) to get the most out of your new machine.

Lucky for you (and me in fact) there are lots of great "I got a new Mac/PC, what do I do now!?!" out this year. Don't worry, all of the lists are simple and easy to understand. Here are a few of the really good ones I found in the last week or so:

Phishing: How to Avoid Getting Hooked

Tris Hussey
Dec 16th, 2009

What would you do if you got an email that went something like this:

"From American Express Cards: Warning your account has been compromised, click this link right away to verify your card and reactivate it. You won't be able to use your card until you do! Please act now!"

Would you panic? Would you click? I hope, for your sake and your credit score, that you answered "No." to both questions. That is a pretty standard "phishing" message (even though I made it up) and is just one of the many forms of social engineering that we all can fall prey to online. To help you out, and all of us really, here's a little primer on how to avoid getting scammed, bilked, or  having your computer become infected with nasties let's call it: Social Engineering 101.

Wikipedia defines social engineering as:

Welcome to the Telelympics! Telecommuting For The 2010 Winter Games

Tris Hussey
Dec 12th, 2009

Yep, daddy wears slippers to work.

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games are looming large for all of us now. It's nearly 2010 and February is going to be here before you know it. The question that a lot of us have been asking ourselves, and you should ask yourself, is "What am I going to do about work during the Games?" Some folks are lucky enough to be given the time off. UBC, BCIT, and many other educational institutions have chosen to close during the Games, but what if you're not one of those lucky folks? How are you going to get to work? What's your Vancouver Winter Olympic work plan? In this first column of a series I'm going to layout one option that might appeal to many folks: working from home.

Update: Per the comment below, it's only the classes that are cancelled at UBC. Everyone else will be working ... hopefully tele-working!

Do You Have a Headset for Your Cell Phone?

Tris Hussey
Dec 10th, 2009

What? I can't hear you...is this thing even on?

Are you ready for BC's ban on talking on your cell phone while driving? Actually, it isn't a ban on talking it's a ban on holding your cell phone when you're talking. Regardless, starting January 1st the police will start giving out warnings about the ban with enforcement starting February 1st (oh goody just in time for scads of tourists to descend on the city). While there are additional penalties for texting or emailing, we're just going to talk about talking right now. Essentially the rules allow for you to keep talking on your phone, as long as you're using a hands-free device. So if you have a headset (wired or wireless) or other in-car hands-free systems (our Nissan has a hands-free system built in) you're fine. I'm going to skip wired solutions because those are soo 20th century, we're going to talk about wireless, specifically Bluetooth.

My Computer Won't Boot! What do I do?!?

Tris Hussey
Dec 2nd, 2009

I'm sorry, this computer user will be causing a fatal exception to this computer...with a sledgehammer.

It's bound to happen to you sometime. You site down at your computer hit the power button (or open the laptop lid) and…nothing. Okay, maybe I didn't push the button hard enough. Oh right I have to press the Return key to wake up the laptop…

It's at that moment that the feeling of panic starts to set in.

No, wait, I'll press the power button again, I'm sure it will turn on this time.

No dice.

Now what? Curling up into the fetal position in the corner might be tempting, but that's not going to help you. Let's go through the things I do when I think disaster has struck me.

You did back up your computer didn't you?

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