Freedom. It’s nice, right? It ought to be… the freedom we enjoy was paid for with the blood of our forefathers, and is maintained by the blood of our siblings. And no freedom is more precious than that of speech. From it all other freedom flows.

Unfortunately there are still many oppressive regimes that do not offer the luxury of free speech, and people are being tortured and killed for speaking out against injustice. (As I’ve often noted.) This is why I have decided to put my money where my mouth is and provide financial support for the Freenet Project.
Read the rest of this entry »

There are a lot of people that have migrated to alternative Web browsers such as Firefox and Opera; the problem is, for most people, it’s been impossible to fully abandon IE because it’s the only option they have to get Windows Updates.

But, if you really despise IE and wish you never had to open it again (or if it just isn’t working), have I got news for you… Using either Opera or Firefox you can head over to WindizUpdate and get your system updated from a source other than Microsoft.
Read the rest of this entry »

There is a fascinating new service which was just released for general Beta testing 12 days ago that allows you to create a disposable phone number which will redirect calls to your real number - but only for a predetermined amount of time.

I first encountered the site the day it went live, but for some time now I’ve been trying to determine exactly what one would use this for. Now that I’ve had time to digest, I’ve tested the service, recorded the results and posted them here for all to see.
Read the rest of this entry »

Junk mail is more than a nuisance: unsolicited mail has a tremendous negative impact on the environment. At least 100 million trees are destroyed each year to produce junk mail, and 28 billion gallons of water are used to produce the paper.

All of these resources are wasted to produce items many people don’t even look at: about half of all junk mail is thrown out unopened or unread, and the rate of response to junk mail is less than 2 percent. The result is that more than 4 million tons of paper is wasted every year, according to the Native Forest Network (now known as the WildWest Institute).

Junk mail also has a direct negative economic impact as well. An estimated $320 million of local taxes are used to dispose of junk mail annually, and transportation of junk mail costs about $550 million per year, not to mention the air pollution generated during transport.

You can fight back. Read on to learn about effective ways to reduce and even eliminate junk mail in 15 minutes or less!
Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been married all of my adult life, and boy am I glad. Being a nice guy, hopefully I’d never have the misfortune to show up on Don’t Date Him Girl, but I kinda feel a little pity for guys that do.

This site is basically designed for women to let other women know who to look out for. From one standpoint it’s a really great concept because if someone is really bad (like this guy seems to be) the site provides a place to warn others.
Read the rest of this entry »

Those who know me, know that I support the unrestricted development of all new technology. I don’t care if it’s medical, computational, military or any other. Almost all new technology can be used for good or evil, so it’s up to society to determine what is or is not acceptable, and what does or does not need to be regulated.

Take for example the Global Positioning System. This network of satellites encircling the globe has enabled the US military to carry out targeted operations, ensuring military dominance while also sparing civilian lives. GPS also enables civilians a previously unmatched freedom to navigate, measure, map and otherwise understand our surroundings.

The most recent technological innovation involves combining GPS with wireless networking (such as cellular connectivity) to allow businesses, governments and individuals to track goods being transported or even employees or family members.
Read the rest of this entry »

A site called Zabasearch.com has stirred up a controversy by offering for free what you used to have to pay for.

Using their site, you can search for a person’s name, address, date of birth and known addresses - and currently it’s all free. You can also pay for a full background check on your subject, including 20-year address histories, bankruptcy and lien judgments, and family addresses.
Read the rest of this entry »