Netflix to be swallowed up?

Small innovators attract powerful suitors. That's the case with Netflix

Netflix to be swallowed up? Small innovators attract powerful suitors. That's the case with Netflix, one of the most innovative Internet companies , one that's fulfilling the dreams of the online bubble, and making good money doing it. The company has income of $55 million, has started turning a profit, and it's growing rapidly. Netflix,… Continue reading

Netflix to be swallowed up?

Small innovators attract powerful suitors. That's the case with Netflix

RSS Case Study Proves Successful

RSS Case Study Proves Successful. Case Study: Triple Point Technology, Inc. “Triple Point's information has traditionally been stored in individual mailboxes in Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft Outlook. But as the organization is growing, users are realizing that email is not necessarily the best communication mechanism for critical information which must be regularly updated, distributed,… Continue reading RSS Case Study Proves Successful

Pope Names New Leader for Troubled Boston Archdiocese

Pope Names New Leader for Troubled Boston Archdiocese. Bishop Sean P. O'Malley said today that he hoped to be “an instrument of peace and reconciliation” after the sex abuse scandal. By Frank Bruni with Fox Butterfield. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

Spam, Anti-Spam, and Email

Once again, I am trying a new Spam Filter.  Ever hopeful, I keep searching for a holy grail that will keep out stuff I don't want without eliminating the email I'm waiting for.

So far, it hasn't worked very well.

  • Several products have refused to work at all or have worked badly
  • Two products froze my computer and in spite of the very willing efforts of the companies' developers never got sorted out.  We assume it's an interaction between their software and something on my machine — but, as you imagine, I've got a lot of software on my machine and I'm not going to take it off one package at a time.
  • A lot of products require that the people who want to send me mail (or receive my mail) do something.  I don't think I have the right to ask for that.  Moreover, I'm sure some of them just wouldn't bother (or would be away from their computers and miss the message).
  • These challenge systems (see above) are designed to screen out computer generated mail.  That includes the spammers, but it also includes the 100 or so electronically managed newsletters and lists I'm subscribed to.  I don't want to loose them.
  • When I find something that works, it often slows me down so much, taking it through its routine, that just deleting the spam is faster.

But you probably know all that, because you've been going through this, too.  And we can't just do nothing because it keeps getting worse.

So here's what I think:

(1)    We have to keep looking for the best filter we can find and put up with.  Currently, for me, that's a New Zealand product called Mailwasher.

Spam, Anti-Spam, and Email Once again, I am trying a new Spam Filter.  Ever hopeful, I keep searching for a holy grail that will keep out stuff I don't want without eliminating the email I'm waiting for. So far, it hasn't worked very well. Several products have refused to work at all or have worked… Continue reading

Spam, Anti-Spam, and Email

Once again, I am trying a new Spam Filter.  Ever hopeful, I keep searching for a holy grail that will keep out stuff I don't want without eliminating the email I'm waiting for.

So far, it hasn't worked very well.

  • Several products have refused to work at all or have worked badly
  • Two products froze my computer and in spite of the very willing efforts of the companies' developers never got sorted out.  We assume it's an interaction between their software and something on my machine — but, as you imagine, I've got a lot of software on my machine and I'm not going to take it off one package at a time.
  • A lot of products require that the people who want to send me mail (or receive my mail) do something.  I don't think I have the right to ask for that.  Moreover, I'm sure some of them just wouldn't bother (or would be away from their computers and miss the message).
  • These challenge systems (see above) are designed to screen out computer generated mail.  That includes the spammers, but it also includes the 100 or so electronically managed newsletters and lists I'm subscribed to.  I don't want to loose them.
  • When I find something that works, it often slows me down so much, taking it through its routine, that just deleting the spam is faster.

But you probably know all that, because you've been going through this, too.  And we can't just do nothing because it keeps getting worse.

So here's what I think:

(1)    We have to keep looking for the best filter we can find and put up with.  Currently, for me, that's a New Zealand product called Mailwasher.

Dean campaign surpasses $7m in Q2

Dean campaign surpasses $7m in Q2. By all measures, this is a stunning development in the Democratic race. I documented how they pulled it off here – it really is something to behold. Some interesting statistics from today: 9,011 first-time donors today 2,000 repeat donors Average contribution of $66.85 Once matching funds come in, the… Continue reading Dean campaign surpasses $7m in Q2

Information Foraging: Why Google Makes People Leave Your Site Faster

Useit.Com: Information Foraging: Why Google Makes People Leave Your Site Faster. Information foraging is the most important concept to emerge from Human-Computer Interaction research since 1993. Developed at Xerox PARC by Stuart Card, Peter Pirolli, and colleagues, information foraging uses the analogy of wild animals gathering food to analyze how humans collect information online. [Tomalak's… Continue reading Information Foraging: Why Google Makes People Leave Your Site Faster

Making it tough on digital thieves

Boston Globe Online / Business / Making it tough on digital thieves. PC owners can take simple steps to keep vandals at bay ''Nobody's configuring their routers,'' said Ford, owner of Blue Island Technology, a Somerville-based residential wireless networking company. ''Most don't have passwords.'' Instead, they brought them home, switched them on, and invited the… Continue reading Making it tough on digital thieves

Untitled

I spent several very frustrating hours today wrestling with an Apple software update for my 12 inch PowerBook G4.  The Airport 3.1 update makes my Airport Extreme card somehow incompatible with my SMC 802.11b access point.  The PowerBook can see the access point, but I receive a message that says “An error occurred while joining the selected Airport… Continue reading Untitled

ConsultWeb Newsletter

ConsultWeb Newsletter. Consultant/lawyer Dale Tincher's most recent newsletter is available. One of his clients reports getting an average of 25 new workman's compensation clients from her Tincher-designed web site. Dale is very knowledgeable, and, more important, has very sound judgment. Like myself, Dale believes in the marketing power of focused web sites. A few of his recent examples are the… Continue reading ConsultWeb Newsletter