Our institution has been using Blackboard (Bb) for a while now as their Course Management System (CMS) of choice with mixed results. Depending who you ask, based on their technical knowledge and their experience using Blackboard (and other CMS solutions) you will get different responses. They range from it is good, does what I need it to do to can …
Make your Outlook better with Xobni
For a while now my team and I have been using Xobni, an Outlook plugin that improves e-mail client’s search for both messages and contact information. It also goes a step further by aggregating and correlating data between different social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Xobni also provides data from Hoovers on companies your contacts work for and …
Anti-Virus software
In today’s world where network and system security is of great importance and we live and operate behind firewalls, VPNs, SSH, encryption, anti-virus software and many other tools that help make us more secure, it is often difficult figuring out that winning combo to stay safe online and protect your personal information. One component that in a sense started it …
How well will “Droid Does” do?
Attacking the market leader There’s a new cell phone TV ad where Apple iPhone’s disadvantages are clearly outlined by a new, soon to be released device powered by Android. At the end of the ad they flash a URL, droiddoes.com which redirects to this page and makes it clear that it will be a Motorola phone, running Google’s Android on …
Verizon FiOS diagnostics you can do yourself
I have recently experienced pixelation, temporary loss of audio and/or picture with Verizon FiOS which all pointed to signal strength issues. I called Verizon and here’s the first thing they had me do in order to confirm (or deny) poor signal strength: 1. On your FiOS remote click on Menu 2. Then select Help 3. Go to Self Diagnostics and …
Windows 7 is almost here, but will it be worth the wait?
Windows 7 will be released into the wild on October 22, 2009 and will bring many improvements over Vista while simultaneously introducing new features. Being in the IT field I was fortunate enough to play with Windows 7 since its early RC days and must say that it is (or soon will be) the best operating system released by Microsoft …
Selecting the most valuable conference to attend
It’s been a while since I went to a real professional conference (been to a number of one day seminars, presentations and demos), but not a real targeted conference. I think it’s time to change this and become more involved in the technology world outside my immediate area. Also, considering that I’m planning to introduce additional improvements within our team …
Friends don’t let friends go phishing
Recent phishing schemes targeting Microsoft’s Hotmail, Google’s Gmail, Yahoo and other e-mail providers represent a new larger wave of an ever-present problem and it once again emphasizes the importance of educating your users, clients and staff how to recognize threats and stay away from them. Basic things to remember: – Your bank, IT staff, utility company or any other service …
Please talk to your IT staff
When purchasing new hardware, software of have questions about a particular technology please consult your IT staff (if available to you of course) prior to making the purchase. Having someone with a bit more technical experience and knowledge take a look at your specifications and technology needs can be of great help in the long run. If nothing else, it’s …
Is Google the new Microsoft?
Is Google making a mistake by entering the full blow operating systems area or is this a brilliant move to further diversify their products’ and services offering and attack a fairly stagnant market?