It became the mantra for web advertisers: the more irritating an advertising technology was, the more the ads that used it would get noticed… and the more business they’d generate.

Well, maybe not. Tech firm X10 — noted mainly for those “pop-under” ads for tiny wireless surveillance cameras — has filed for bankruptcy.

It’s a direct challenge to those of us who believe the universe is a fundamentally unfair place. Apparently… Read more...

The shock of election night in California wasn’t Gray Davis’s recall or the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor.

It was hearing commentator after commentator fall all over themselves to say what a great speech the victor gave.

I listened to the speech and, after hearing the commentary, sought it out online to read it, thinking I must have missed something.

Nope. “And today California has given me the greatest gift… Read more...

Tools and materials required: Torx wrench, grounding strap, spirit gum, blowtorch and soldering iron.

1. Back up your hard drive.
2. Repair permissions.
3. Zap the PRAM.
4. Rebuild your desktop.
5. Run Conflict Catcher, Norton Disk Doctor and DiskWarrior.
6. Launch Terminal.
7. Close Terminal.
8. Reboot in single-user mode.
9. Reinstall the previous version of the operating system, using the archive feature.
10. Reboot in OS 9, and run ResEdit.
11. Reseat the RAM board.
12. Reset the PMU.
13. Boot from the system disk.

And you’re done!… Read more...

My new computer has finally arrived at work — the Apple Power Mac G5.Now, if you’re not One Of Us, you’ll probably be mystified by the awe and devotion that Mac fans lavish on their computers. But the new G5 series is getting even more drooling attention than usual.Some of us are posting pictorial paeans to their new babies. It’s embarrassing… Read more...