Technology

Google, little by little, is trying to draw me into using Gmail full time. The latest round of feature additions include a vacation auto-responder (something I think ends up being unintentionally annoying) and contact groups. I was so excited to see the latter feature. I thought it would end my auto-filing problems. The truth be know, I filter my email more than anyone I know. Half of my email is auto-filed away from my inbox. The other half is colored according to who its from, allowing me to color prioritize. Purple is family email. Blue is from friends. So on and so forth. ...

We may have finally reached the final chapter in the Linksys Compact Wireless router (WRT54GC) saga. The replacement arrived today. I started first by upgrading the firmware with Firefox. It went through without a hitch. So far, I like it, but what I’ve read about poor range looks to be true. That said, it may not be the fairest comparison when matched with my DI-624, in whose review on CNet was noted for long range. ...

So, the WRT54GC router arrived on Monday. Seeing as it was my birthday, it was like a gift to myself. I immediately started playing with it, turning on WPA2 and putting in a password from Steve Gibson’s excellent WPA password generator. Being the obsessive compulsive software upgrader that I am, I decided to flash its firmware. Keep in mind that I’ve flashed many network devices including an original Airport Base Station, a Linksys BEFSR41, a D-Link DI 624, a D-Link DI-524, a Motorola WA840G, a D-Link DWL-G810, and a couple other routers. I can’t list the others because usually I was upgrading the firmware of some stranger’s unprotected router over the wireless connection. Yes, I am a daredevil. ...

This is going to sound like a terrible plug. I know it. I’ve been having some issues with my D-Link DI-624 router. In particular, now that I’m using WPA, my Powerbook will suddenly lose connectivity even though the signal is full. It’s frustrating. Disconnecting and reconnecting restores connectivity for varying amounts of time. I’ve always had good experiences with Linksys routers. However, because of that record, they tend to cost more than the competition. The WRT54G has been hovering steadily at $40, while the WRT54GS is sticking at $60. I was beginning to give the WRT54G some serious thought (particularly because of the ability to use alternative firmware). However, that ability has been lost in the latest revision of the product. ...

It’s no surprise that Digg became a target for spam, but would you believe that del.icio.us is now a target? Check this guy out. Don’t click his link. It leads to a dummy Blogspot page containing nothing but an ad for Google’s Firefox toolbar extension. Blogspot is fast becoming a playground for spammers. Google needs to get a tighter grip on that. At any rate, the guy labeled that single link with every technology buzzword out there in order to pollute del.icio.us. It’s amazing the stupid lengths these jackasses will go to. ...

Yahoo Maps is back with a new vengeance with their new beta. It’s like Google Maps, but with some new features like a tiny overview map showing what your context is from a farther perspective. That’s slick. Even better, you can superimpose current traffic conditions. Finally! This is going to hold my attention over Google Maps, at least for a while. I like. Now if only I could get my hands on that Yahoo Mail beta to see if it really beats Gmail.

I love RSS. I subscribe to 243 feeds. I’ve curbed my reading though, so I miss most stuff during the day. However, that doesn’t stop me from being driven nuts on a regular basis. The first is Day by Day. First, it doesn’t put the comic in the feed. That alone is forgivable. Lots of comic RSS feeds do that. The problem is that new entries show up before the cartoon is uploaded. Hello? This isn’t a once in a while thing. This happens every night. Message received by this reader: I will unsubscribe and stop reading. ...

Just when I was getting ready to drop Bloglines for NewsGator because it will soon have NetNewsWire syncing, Google released its own RSS reader. I’m going to check it out soon, but unfortunately, I can’t share anything now because its OPML import facilities aren’t working for me.

A recent Digg submission listed disposable email services. It’s a great idea especially now that spam can overrun your inbox. I don’t use any of those services personally. I recently made a domain and when I sign up at a new site, I use the name of the service in the email. When I start to receive spam at that address, I have a good idea of who sold my address (though it’s not perfect). Mike takes it a step further. My only qualm with Mike’s method is that because you use a hash, you need to record which hashes match up with what services. ...

I wrote about Digg, the social news site, a while back. However, for all the cool stuff it affords, it’s also beginning to show some signs of the pitfalls of a fast growing site. Wikipedia notes a few criticisms, the worst of which seems to be recurring stories. Wikipedia doesn’t note what I think will become an overwhelming problem in the very near future: Digg spam. I’m not talking about traditional spamming by bots that submit URLs to porn sites, debt consolidation, or poker. It seems like Digg’s staff has that quite well in hand. Rather, Digg spamming (or Damming) for my purposes is a practice by wherein the author of a blog signs up on Digg and submits every single article they write. Sound familiar? It should. ...