Archive for the ‘business’Category

Why couldn’t Google have bought Skype? The big eBay mistake

When Google buys a company, everyone scratches their head and asks, why?

Bloggers immediately go into overdrive as they post speculations about what Google is up to, or they rant about the stupid decision on Google’s part in buying a company that has nothing to do with their services.

Everyone eventually forgets about the whole matter until months or years go by and Google surprises the world with a new service either changes the Internet forever, or nearly ruins a service that is offered by a competitor.

And then there are the Google wannabes. eBay leads the pack. Read the rest of this entry →

Ability to guess social security numbers is not news

Big Secrets

Big Secrets

In about 1985, I checked out a book called Big Secrets by William Poundstone. Actually I can’t remember if that was the book or one of his sequels, but in that book was a list of how to guess Social Security numbers.

Based on that list, I have been telling people for years that Social Security numbers were based on a simple system based on birth date and location. I have been challenged on this several times. Most often, people would tell me that if it were that simple, everyone would know.

Last week all the big tech news sites broke the “news” that Social Security numbers were based on a simple system of birth dates and location.

I felt smarter, but I wish that talkingdigital.org would have broke the news first.

Social Security Numbers Are Easy to Guess — Fox 2009 (706): 1 — ScienceNOW.

15

07 2009

Google Annouces (admits) Chrome OS

Does anyone know where I can get a cool ball like this?

Does anyone know where I can get a cool ball like this?

After years and years of shooting down rumors that they are working on a Google OS, Google has announced that they are working on Chrome OS.

This is the point where the tech world pretends to be be shocked as though they never saw it coming. Even though all they really want to know is, what took them so long?

Here’s a link to The BoyGenius Report.

Google announces Chrome OS : Boy Genius Report.

08

07 2009