Barnes & Noble Nook Color Mini-Review

Yea, I know what you are thinking….old news right? The Nook Color was released ages (or is that eons) ago in tech years so why would I even bother to review it now? Well, rest assured I have my reasons….and they not as nefarious as you might think! You see, recently Barnes and Noble made some major (aka, HUGE) updates to the Nook Color, taking it from simple e-reader right on up to tablet status. What does that mean in non-babble talk….well, think Angry Birds for starters.
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Ditching Cable TV Service – One Year Later

Let me just get right to the point and say that ditching the $75+ per month Cable TV service over one year ago and going solely with online video offerings was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Seriously. I don’t miss the crappy reality shows, nor do I miss the jamming of commercials at the end of a movie or “special event” and I sure don’t miss the $75-100 price tag. If you are on the fence about losing the ridiculously high cable bill every month then read on and learn how not only did I save money but I actually got access to a greater selection of programming directly online through iTunes, Amazon, and several other popular streaming media services.

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4 Tips To Stay Safe Online Without Going To Extremes

After my recent World of Warcraft security snafu I decided to take a few minutes to address some of the issues most folks have these days trying to keep information out of the hands of online thieves. I was very tempted to write something that basically told everyone to just give up on Windows and use a Macintosh but that’s not always realistic for many folks and just seems to stir up too much negative emotions Ultimately all three of the main computing platforms; Windows, Linux, and Mac suffer from similar online threats so here are four things anyone (including Mac users) can do to improve their own online safety without going to extremes.

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World of Warcraft Account System Hacked?

Running WoW on Windows? Protect yourself now with Anti-Spyware software!

Over the last few months many users of the insanely popular MMORPG World of Warcraft have been reporting more and more incidences of game accounts being compromised at an alarming rate. Even closed accounts have not been spared, making these reports even more disturbing. The typical account hacking usually includes tales of high level characters being stripped of their valuable gear and guild vaults being emptied but typically don’t include any “real world” compromise of billing or other personally identifiable information. Until now. Within the last 24 hours I have been initiated through my own experience with a hacked WOW account into this less-than-gleeful club when persons unknown used a stolen credit card and now Blizzard Entertainment wants to make me pay, all on an account that was not even active when it was compromised! If you have been, or are currently a World of Warcraft subscriber I highly recommend that you remove ANY personal information from your account ASAP. Blizzard insists that 100% of accounts that have been compromised are a result of user’s not taking adequate security precautions but the evidence seems to be pointing towards another explanation.

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Roomba 530 Mini-Review

After almost two years running my original iRobot Roomba Discovery the poor little guy was starting to look a little worse for wear. iRobot advises that you should clean the brushes and such after no more than three full cleaning cycles, something my Roomba was not always subject to and the results were starting to become apparent. Strange behavior such as random shutdowns and the occasional incident where the battery would run out before it could find the home base led me to consider that it might be time for an upgrade. Cash in hand I settled one of the newer models I found at the local Best Buy. The iRobot Roomba 530 is a complete reworking of the original Roomba design. Featuring several new cleaning tricks and a much improved battery this model looked like just the right excuse to upgrade. Although there was a lot to like about this new Roomba but my experience ended up leaving me with mixed feelings about the Roomba 530 and ultimately led to me returning the unit to Best Buy in defeat.

Technorati Tags: irobot, robot, roomba, vacuum

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5 Things About Server Virtualization Managers Should Know (But Usually Don’t)

Unless you have been under a rock recently you have likely heard of and maybe even implemented some type of virtualization solution. If you have already been down this road already then this post might not help but for those manager types out there who might be considering a virtualization solution in the near future this post talks about some of the most common misconceptions regarding server virtualization and how you can avoid getting into trouble implementing your own virtualization solution.

Technorati Tags: linux, mac, management, data center, virtualization, vmware, Windows

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BMW 335i Mini-Review

Right on the heels of my BMW 328xi review comes this rare chance to sample something truly special. Yes, there is nirvana and no it’s not a rock band. For BMW enthusiasts it can be found in the drivers seat of the 2007 BMW 335i thanks to the technological tour-de-force that is BMW’s latest enterprising twist in automotive engineering, twin turbo power. Sadistically fast but sporting deceptively benign looks, the 335i marks itself as one of the sneakiest cars on the road, fooling everyone into thinking you are driving just another 3-Series, until you step on the accelerator that is.

Technorati Tags: 328i, 335i, auto, bmw, cars, review, sport sedan

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2007 Mercedes-Benz C230 Sport Mini-Review

So what’s a BMW fan like myself doing reviewing a Mercedes? Well, like the old saying goes “know thy enemy” and as far as rivalries go, BMW and Mercedes are one of the most well known. Although Mercedes-Benz answer to the latest BMW 3-series is still several months away the current C-class is no slouch. Offered in two separate versions dubbed Sport and Luxury this sedan attempts to please all drivers ultimately resulting in a very difficult decision when it comes time to make a purchase. For this mini-review I had the chance to once again spend some time in the driver’s seat, this time behind the wheel of a 2007 Mercedes-Benz C230 Sport. So how did the C230 stack up? Not bad, although performance junkies might want to look elsewhere this Mercedes does offer a healthy dose of luxury for a fantastic price.

Technorati Tags: C230, cars, mercedes-benz, review, sport sedan

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2007 BMW 328xi Mini-Review

Once in a while a car comes along that changes your perceptions on just what an automobile should be. For myself that car was a 2000 BMW 328i that I had the opportunity to own and enjoy for several years. The car impressed me so much I have been a BMW owner ever since. So when the opportunity came up to take the keys to a brand new 2007 328xi (the all-wheel-drive version) for a few days I simply could not resist. So after spending the weekend with BMW’s latest rendition of the legendary 3-series do I still think of the 328i as the best sport sedan I have ever driven? You bet, not only does this new BMW drive like a wet dream on wheels but it combines just the right amount of creature comfort with sporty goodness to please even the die hard enthusiasts while still pampering the Sunday driver.

Technorati Tags: 328i, auto, bmw, cars, review

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Yet Another Reason Why eBay Is A Total Joke

I can’t believe eBay is still in business considering the huge number of scams that seem to pervade the site like flies on you-know-what. Just this past week I attempted to use eBay to auction off two notebook computers and quickly discovered that this was an impossible task thanks to all the scammers who now appear to have almost complete control of the site. Yes, you heard that right. Complete control. The way these scammers work is they send you an email asking to purchase your item outside of eBay, then when you won’t bite they hose your auction using a hacked account effectively preventing you from making a legitimate sale and at the same time sticking you with huge sellers fees from eBay. Don’t believe me? Here is the proof.

Technorati Tags: auctions, ebay, fraud, phishing, scam, scammers, security

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