Microsoft Replaces the Start Menu in Windows 8
October 17th, 2011
Not too long ago, Microsoft released a developer’s build of Windows 8, and some people are upset because Microsoft implemented a new “Metro style” which, among other things, replaces the venerable Start menu with an apps page. The legacy of Steve Jobs is now making itself felt on the desktop. Also keep in mind that the developer’s build is a very preliminary look at what will appear in the final version of Windows 8, and you can currently configure the system to show the Start menu.
Link #1: http://www.techrepublic.com/…
Link #2: http://www.techrepublic.com/…
You may already be familiar with the 
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A New York man, Philip A. Contos, was motorcycle riding without a helmet as part of a protest against state helmet laws. He had an accident, hit his head on the pavement, and died. State troopers say he most likely would have survived if he’d been wearing a helmet.
The linked page generates highly random passwords and delivers them in a secure manner. It’s probably a bit of overkill, but it’s better to trust 
Did you know there’s a new field of research called spamalytics? It’s the study of email spam. The researchers in the linked article did everything they could to receive spam, and they actually replied to and paid for some of the products. One interesting fact is that the vast majority of spam purchases went through only three financial companies worldwide. This could make it quite easy for authorities to disrupt the flow of money to the spammers. Another tidbit from the article: it takes about 12.5 million spam messages to sell $100 worth of that ED medicine whose name starts with a “V”.
Remember a few years ago when e-book readers started to hit the mainstream? Well, they’ve definitely arrived. Last May, Amazon announced that it was selling more e-books than printed books.
Television manufacturers and the motion picture industry are pushing 3D technology, even though many consumers don’t want it. For me, it’s the glasses and the eye strain that are the kiss of death. I already wear glasses, so putting another pair on over top of them is awkward and uncomfortable. The linked article also lists reduced picture quality as a reason to abandon 3D.
Certainly it’s much less expensive to offshore your manufacturing to Asia, but some US businesses have said, “Enough!” due to quality problems, production delays, intellectual property concerns, and the large lead time from prototype approval to delivery. These businesses have returned to domestic manufacturing sources. Note that this situation mainly applies to small businesses with relatively low manufacturing volumes—apparently the Asian companies don’t consider them important enough to worry about. But it’s not just small companies. The linked article also explains how Chinese wages are not as low as they used to be, and that offshoring, which used to be a no-brainer, is not necessarily the best business decision to make.
The linked article explains how the number of bars on your cell phone is determined. It’s not nearly as standardized as you’d think. Comparing bars between different carriers, or even different phones, can be a poor indicator of relative signal strength.
These two cartoon strips by Dan and Tom Heyerman of 
