NorthernTelework.ca

Lifehacker Redesign

One of my favorite websites lifehacker.com has in my opinion violated one of my favorite idioms that being – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This site was a daily must visit, as it’s traditional blog design allow for quick perusing of it’s often useful posts. While the web developer in me likes some of the new tools and techniques that have been deployed, the content consumer part of me hasn’t been able to get past the frustration I’m experiencing in trying to find those useful nuggets. Sadly, I’ve bumped the site of my list of daily visits and relegated it to an occasional look see. Oh well …

Separating the wheat from the chaff

If you’re like me and you turn to the Internet for do-it-yourself (DIY) information on all sorts of topics, then you’ve probably noticed that the results that Google’s search engine returns lately are cluttered with useless sites like ehow.com, that seem more like link bait than legitimate sources of quality information. To help users of Google’s Chrome web browser deal with poor quality search results, the company has released an extension to Chrome called Personal Blocklist. This experimental add-on will transmit to Google the websites that you choose to block in your Google search results. The idea is that when you choose to block or unblock a website, the extension will also transmit to Google the URL of the website you blocked, with idea being that Google will use this information to help improve the overall quality of their search results. Let’s hope it works because finding quality DIY results has become a frustrating waste of time.

Google Raises Curtain on Chrome OS Notebooks

Taking aim at Microsoft, Google on Tuesday showcased a test version of Chrome OS, its Internet-centric operating system, and began distributing a limited number of prototype PCs running the software.

With Chrome OS, which has suffered delays, Google said it hoped to give PC users an alternative to Microsoft and Apple.

I had the opportunity to watch Google’s live broadcast where they announced improvements to the Chrome web browser, the introduction of the Google web store, and a progress report on the development of Chrome OS and reference hardware to support it. In fact Google is offering a limited number of users the free use of a Google notebook called Cr-48.

I’ve been in the industry long enough to remember the move away from what was then called multi-user systems (powered by centralized mainframes and minicomputers) to PCs networked together with networking technologies like ARCnet and Token Ring. Users were rebelling against a centrally controlled/managed and often poorly performing IT infrastructure along with the lack of interactive applications like spread sheeting and word processing.

I couldn’t help but shake my head when the Internet-based video broadcast froze up several times most likely due to overwhelming demand on Google’s servers or the continuing low bandwidth problems I’ve been experiencing with my Bell Canada Business DSL connection (more on that in another post.) So are Google’s announcements a simple case of what-goes-around-comes-around, a grand play to control the Internet and increase advertising revenue or a clear shot across the bows of the good ships Microsoft and Apple?  Google’s message yesterday was in part that new technologies like powerful web browsers and broadband Internet connections allow for a re-birth of multi-user systems and support for our need to be connected 24 x 7 whether we’re in our office or on the road.

I actually rushed to complete Google’s online application for the use of a Cr-48 notebook unfortunately, it appears to be limited to US participants. While I’m interested in tracking this technology for my clients, I’m not ready to recommend they throw out their desktop computers. One thing for sure is that it is really important that we continue to push ahead with bring broadband network access to the North. Many SOHO (small office/home offices) still don’t have broadband access and those that do have limited speeds or high-latency solutions that often are insufficient to support the growing list of cloud-based apps that require higher broadband speeds.

Via NYTimes.com.

Chatterbox – My thoughts, ideas and rants!

Recently I was looking on eBay for a wireless IP-based security cam and I couldn’t help but notice some disturbing things going on with how some sellers were pricing their items. I am a long-time eBay user, I like eBay and in the spirit of loyal customer I decided to express my concerns to eBay by clicking on the Live Chat link (in the Contact Us section) only to find out that I was 14th in the queue with an estimated wait time of over 40 minutes. I knew the chances of getting someone on the other end of the chat session who would understand and provide a solution to my concerns was slim to nil but I was frustrated and determined to be heard.

About 45 minutes later an eBay representative activated my chat session and asked how he could help me today. I told him that my concern/issue was with sellers raising starting price/shipping costs for auction items to avoid a final action price less than the BuyItNow price from a listing from the same seller and for the same item. The result is to completely negate eBay auctions. (e.g. current web cam listing BuyItNow price $79.32 with free shipping, Auction listing for the same item and seller has a starting price of $26.44 and shipping cost of $52.89 which results in a non-auction.)

My second concern I explained was for low BuyItNow prices and very high shipping costs (e.g. current web cam listing  – BuyItNow price $10.57 with shipping of $59.24.)

Thinking I had done a reasonably good job summarizing my concerns (since I had, had 45 minutes to draft my text in Wordpad while I waited) I was encouraged when the service representative asked for a couple of minutes to study my concerns. I thought to myself, what a great response this was going to be a productive chat session, my concerns were going to be heard.

As promised, a few minutes later some new text appeared in the chat window. It said “I’d be happy to help you understand how the buy it now option works.” What I thought, this was the reasoned response to my serious concerns about the decline of eBay. I knew how the BuyItNow option worked, my concern was about the increasingly broken business model as illustrated by my current shopping experience.  If the purchase price of items on eBay was essentially fixed, I might as well return to shopping online at retail stores such as New Egg, NCIX and Tiger Direct. So much for trying to save eBay. I politely thanked my chat partner for his time, wished him a good day and yes, I went back to searching for a wireless IP-based security cam on eBay.

Steve Lafontaine writes about teleworking in Northern Ontario among other things. He is an information technology consultant, manager and professor. You can reach Steve using our Contact form.