Voltaire once said, “Common sense is not so common.” I’m sure the 18th century French writer had people who gab endlessly on cell phones in mind when he made that observation. Back in the Stone Age, when people needed to speak to someone outside the home or office, they would go to a special place away from everyone else called…...

The sacred cow of protection from unwanted sales calls has been breached. “Telemarketers,” the New York Times writes, “increasingly are disguising their real identities and phone numbers to provoke people to pick up the phone. ‘Humane Soc.’ may not be the Humane Society. And think the I.R.S. is on the line? Think again. Caller ID, in other words, is becoming fake ID…....

When founder Mark Zuckerberg announced that his social media giant, Facebook, had reached the equally gigantic goal of 500 million users, my first reaction was, “What’s Facebook?” I mean, I’m computer literate – have been since the stone age of 1990. I rely heavily on my laptop for all work and most long distance communication. However, when Facebook was explained to me,  » Read more...

Director David Fincher’s film, The Social Network, is as deeply disturbing as it is deeply engrossing. It’s a testament to Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin that I could not take my eyes off the screen sitting on a crowded flight from Boston to L.A. The film follows Mark Zuckerberg – a computer geek trapped in the delusion that what he creates...

Last may, I discussed the downside to Web sites such as Facebook, (Facebook Nation) which has grown into a 500-million-strong social networking behemoth. “ ‘Social Networking,’ ” I wrote, “that’s geek speak for sharing interests, photos and whatever-pops-into-your-head-at-any-given-moment to one or more individuals via the internet. (God forbid you should pick up a phone and/or actually interact with someone face to face.)”...

Face-friend: Someone you are “friends” with on a website, such as Facebook and don’t acknowledge when you see them outside the internet. “So is Anna going to be at your party this Friday?” “No way. We’re just face-friends.” – Urban Dictionary In six short years the Internet website Facebook has grown tenfold. Twitter, MySpace, and Linkedin are all part of an...

No, that’s not the title of the latest Jim Cameron 3-D spectacular.  It’s what happened to me last Thursday while researching a couple of articles on the net. I click on a secondary page and bingo, a screen pops up with a big warning that says, “YOU HAVE BEEN INFECTED WITH A VIRUS, BUT… Don’t worry, we’re running a complete scan...

According to TV ads currently running for Apple, there are some 85,000 applications – apps – available for the I-Phone3GS. Many, not all, are free.  Among those downloaded to my phone:  NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, CNN, and Confucius; all, handy references that I check throughout the day or week.   » Read more about: An app for that?  »...

I finally got an iPhone. Not exactly a Luddite, I tend to go first by need, then by ability to learn.  I just learned how to use the navigation device in my car and I must admit it was the first time I drove the streets of San Francisco and looked like I knew where I was going. It’s the same...

I have this friend; let’s call him “Bob.” Or rather, b — that’s how he signs his emails.  A typical message looks like this: i used less words than you b Most of “Bob’s” messages are usually clear and concise. Sometimes a little too concise: whatever happened to this? b Well,  » Read more about: What About Bob?  »...