- By: Fredric
- February 14, 2007
- comments
happy valentine’s day to all of our readers! i apologize in advance for a short techie news article, but i’ve been working 10 days straight, the last five on 15 hour shifts. i dont do the coffee thing, but coke is keeping my eyes open. i think your body gets used to ‘rhythm’ of the weekend and probably starts to get mad at you when the normal friday ‘brain emptying’ didn’t occur. dah well, i’ll press on!
while this should be obvious, you should have gotten your special someone something for valentine’s day! i mean, with internet, you could have had some flowers on their way in the time it took you to finish this sentence. 1800flowers.com is the popular choice, but many exist.
this past week, steve jobs, apple ceo, shared his zend ideas to the rest of the world through his usual channels declaring his disdain for digital rights management (DRM) technology. while many are calling this an obvious blow to the music and movie industries who go after anyone who steals their music gives a copy of said media to a friend, others feel (including me) that he does make some valid points. DRM does not work and will always be the target of hackers. artists make most of their money through endorsements and tours, not record sales. in fact, most loyal listeners buy copies despite possibly having a copy from the internet. while the industry has responded, i’m interested to see how these arguments ultimately impact society and if a resolution will come.
on the other-side of ‘pay for my software’, is the free and open source software (FOSS) spectrum. i came across an article that profiles three FOSS consultants. while being a consultant, whether with a big company or working independently, presents its own challenges, implementing FOSS may give you visibility in a market that is crowded with exorbitant fees and empty promises. ybpguide.com is all about empowering our readers and i hope you find this article no exception, especially for all the entrepreneurs out there.
lastly, be sure to email us at ybpguide at gmail dot com. what articles do you want to see? any particular issues that you’d like discussed by the community?
even better, leave some comments so that we can all share in the knowledge.
happy valentine’s day everyone (and kimberly). 
Posted in: News, Personal Tech
- By: Fredric
- January 10, 2007
- comments
apple, inc., formerly apple computer, inc., debuted the much anticipated, overly-hyped, do-it-all gizmo yesterday at the 2007 consumer electronic show in las vegas, nevada: the iphone. as the steve jobs’ keynote pressed on, many greeted each announcement with a wave of applause and an increase in apple stock.
the basics about the iphone:
- it is a combination video ipod (plays movies, tv shows, and songs from iTunes), phone, and ‘internet communicator’ allowing you to browse the internet just like any other computer (not that simplified WAP browser most smartphones have today)
- it has one button: home
- everything is controlled by touch, including a ‘multi-finger gestures’ interface preventing ‘accidental touching’
- cingular is the only service providing the iphone
- the iphone will be released in june 2007
- the 4 gigabyte (about 2500 songs) will be $499 with 2-year contract, 8 gigabyte model (about 5000 songs) will be $599 with 2-year contract
- has wifi, bluetooth, cool accessories, and runs OS X
- there is a waiting list; sign-up here
- full demo on apple’s website here
upon news of the iphone, apple stock soared almost 9 points, while RIM (blackberry) and palm (treo) stock went down. practically every tech blog i read was going nuts over this thing. by the time i read all of the ‘impressions’, i was fairly disappointed that the iphone hadn’t solved the crisis of world poverty….or had it?
other news from apple included apple tv, which plans to stream content (mp3′s, movies, tv shows, 720p HD) to up to 5 computers in your house. it also includes a new wireless technology called 802.11n. basically, this means that wireless is getting faster and can go longer distances.
also…
thank you to everyone who has subcribed to ybpguide! our traffic is increasing, readership is going up, and we have some exciting new segments coming down the pipeline from other eager, young, black professionals.
Posted in: Personal Tech
- By: Fredric
- December 13, 2006
- comments
woohoo! 12 more days until christmas! i hope everyone is slowly winding down from their law school finals, end of the quarter deadlines, and graduate school applications. and now, the tech news:
chicago tribune has another gift guide for that tech person in your life. this one is a little better because it gives scenarios on ‘if the person has this, this is what you should get them’.
mygrocerydeals.com lets you comparison shop for grocery deals before you set foot in the store. its kind of like a bizrate or froogle for groceries. simply put your zipcode in and you’re off!
in the ‘cant wait for this technology to get out there’ front, a United Kingdom scientist has created an imaging device that is able to distinguish between grass and things that are camouflaged. its aim is to not only help soldiers avoid buried land mines, but also find different types of cancer in the body.
last, but not least, the good folks at iriver have begun releasing the s7 portable music player to rival the new apple ipod shuffle. it’s literally the same size, but adds a few interesting quirks by letting you add you’re own skins to the player with an interesting group of images for the volume and play buttons.
don’t forget to donate!
2Care: Breast Cancer: Help eliminate environmental causes of breast cancer.
Craig Research Labs: Help support cancer research at The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Posted in: News, Personal Tech
- By: Fredric
- November 22, 2006
- comments
a few goodies to start your day:
for those of you who actually got your hands on a wii, be careful when playing wii sports bowling.
as i pointed out earlier, your ps3 could equal free food for life.
looking for a tutorial? check this site out.
just when you thought lil jon had gone away, think again.
watch for black friday apple deals!
last, but not least, a review of notebooks under $1800 that won’t explode on you.
Posted in: Personal Tech
- By: Kimberly
- October 27, 2006
- comments
In support of Product Red, Gap is creating a special RED collection, starting with an iconic t-shirt manufactured in Africa from 100 percent African cotton. It comes in red, of course, plus a range of other classic colors. The T-shirt debuted in the UK in spring 2006. An expanded Gap Product Red collection was made available in Gap stores around the world and online at gap.com/red on October 13, 2006. Other launch partners include American Express,
Apple,
Converse,
Emporio Armani, and
Motorola. Bono was on Oprah last week promoting the collection and he and Oprah ventured out to “paint the town red” and visit all the stores that are participating in the Product Red initiative.
The reason for this major project is very apparent. Sub-Saharan Africa is more heavily affected by HIV and AIDS than any other region of the world. An estimated 24.5 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2005 and approximately 2.7 million new infections occurred during that year. In just the past year the epidemic has claimed the lives of an estimated 2 million people in this region. More than twelve million children have been orphaned by AIDS. This epidemic is very serious and Product Red is a powerful effort that will hopefully be very successful in raising money for mothers and children living with AIDS in Africa. Be sure to support by purchasing a
Product Red item online or in stores.
Posted in: News
