Mar 17

NY Times Cutting Off Free Online Access

Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili

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The New York Times today announced a “significant transition” in its monetization strategy. On March 28th, the paper of record–which has been struggling in recent years, along with the rest of the journalistic world–will be moving toward digital subscriptions. 

The site will continue to offer up 20 free articles a month to non-subscribers, walling off content beyond that–though the site won’t block content to single articles accessed via blogs, search, and sites like Facebook and Twitter.
The Times will continue to offer up free access to Top News through smartphone and tablet apps, but will require users to subscribe to access additional content. The paper is offering up three different subscription packages and will continue to provide free access to all content and apps for those who subscribe to the physical paper. 
No doubt anticipating backlash from readers accustomed to free content, the letter from publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. quick went on the defensive, asking readers to view the move “as an investment in The Times, one that will strengthen our ability to provide high-quality journalism to readers around the world and on any platform.”
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Mar 17

Microsoft Beats Out Apple, Google, Facebook for “Most Ethical” Company List

Posted in: Microsoft, Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili
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The days of morally questionable business strategies are behind Microsoft. So says a new list of the “110 Most Ethical Companies.” Google, Apple, and Facebook all failed to make the cut, but the once monopolistically-minded Microsoft made it in from a pool that included more than 3,000 companies.

Microsoft, of course, has worked hard to shape up its image after spending a couple of decades battling all manner of antitrust lawsuits. The company has pumped money into charities and kept a tighter check on its own internal workings, in attempt to improve its standings as a “corporate citizen.”
While Google, Apple, and Facebook all got snubbed, however, a number of other tech companies made the list, including Adobe, Cisco, eBay, Salesforce, Symantec, Texas Instruments, and Zappos made the list.
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Mar 17

Students Accepted to, Rejected From College After Computer Glitch

Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili, Weird News
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The University of Delaware did some serious backtracking after a computer glitch caused the school to mistakenly accept 61 out-of-state students for next year’s fall semester. The school sent acceptance notifications to the students on March 12th. The university has since had to issue a correction, adding half to a waiting list and outright rejecting the other half.

The school’s admissions director Louis Hirsh told the press that the university felt terrible, but it could have been worse–it could have been 62 students. “To have a blunder like this cause such pain is terrible,” explained Hirsh. “I’m grateful it’s not more students, it’s just 61. But for those 61 kids–my heart goes out to them.”
In all, the University of Delaware accepted 2,400 non-computer glitch students for next fall.
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Mar 17

Internet Explorer 9 Hits 3.5 Million Download in 24 Hours

Posted in: Internet Explorer, Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili

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It may not be the exciting new kid on the block, but Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is still the dominant browser in the U.S. And the company has surely bolstered its market share a bit with the introduction of IE9.

That latest version of the browser did some rather brisk numbers in its first 24 hours yesterday, hitting 2.35 million downloads in that time period. That number breaks down to around 27 downloads a second.

As of January, IE is still on top, with 56 of the total U.S. browser market (down a percentage point from December), Firefox was in second with around 22, and Google’s Chrome had managed to make a dent in the market with 10 percent. Any gains made by Microsoft with the latest edition will likely be affected by the upcoming introduction of Firefox 4, which is due to hit on March 22nd.

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Mar 16

Computer Glitch Mistakenly Sends College Acceptance Letters

Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili

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Imagine receiving a congratulatory package in the mail saying you were accepted to the college you applied to, only to receive notification a week later that you were supposed to receive a rejection letter.

That’s what happened to 61 applicants to the University of Delaware, and the university is now blaming a computer error. Of those 61, 12 actually went online to register for an orientation, which allowed them to sign in even though they were on the university’s rejection list. It was after administrators noticed that unauthorized students were registering that they went back and noticed the error.

The system actually would have allowed anyone who applied to sign up for registration, though the link was only provided in acceptance letters.

The university has apologized for the mistake, but is not admitting any of the 61 students who received acceptance letters by mistake.

Via New York Times

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Mar 16

Comcast Offers Free Voice Calls to Japan

Posted in: Japan, Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili

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Earlier this week we mentioned that AT&T and Verizon were waiving international long-distance fees to Japan in the wake of the disasters there last week, and Comcast reached out to us to let us know that Xfinity Voice and Business subscribers are also able to place free calls to Japan. The goal is to allow Xfinity Voice users to be able to get in touch with family, friends, and loved ones in Japan without worrying about accruing massive long-distance charges. 
Comcast says that subscribers will be able to call Japan for free through April 10, 2011. Customers who have already placed calls to Japan using their Xfinity Voice accounts will be reimbursed for calls back-dated to March 11th, the day the earthquake struck. The fee waivers apply to both mobile phones and landlines.
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Mar 16

Female Trekkies Outnumber Male – Survey

Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili
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At the very least, this certainly causes one to rethink the whole concept of “fanboyism.” According to a survey of more than 5,000 people conducted by Star Trek blog, Subspace Communique, female fans of the  sci-fi franchise outnumber their male counterparts–57 to 43 percent.

Sure it’s not exactly a scientific survey, but it’s certainly a good reason to rethink the age old perceptions of male-dominated fandom (though one has to wonder aloud what the gender breakdown would be, were a similar survey conducted amongst Star Wars fans).
Other revelations: 43 percent identify as “Trekkies,” 79 percent are into Star Trek for its philosophical leanings, and most of those who responded were single and over 40–oh well, I suppose we can only hope to shatter one stereotype at a time here.
 
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Mar 16

Twitter Gets More Secure

Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili, twitter

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Do yourself a favor. Go to Twitter, log in, click the Settings link in the upper right hand corner, tick the Always use HTTPS box, and then hit Save. The microblogging service last night announced that, thanks to public outcry, it has improved security with the addition of an always-on HTTPS option.

The feature is particularly helpful when using the service over Wi-Fi and other public networks. Even with the feature enabled, however, mobile browsers won’t default to the secure connection–users need to go directly to https://mobile.twitter.com for that. According to a blog post, Twitter is working on a solution that works across the sites.

The need for a secure connection received a good deal of public attention earlier in the month after actor Ashton Kutcher’s account was hacked [see: above], sending out pro SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) messages to his 6.3 million followers. 

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Mar 15

Coming Soon: Take Your GED Via Computer

Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili

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Beginning this spring, people wanting to get their GED will be able to take a computerized version of the test, making it easier and less prone to human error than the seemingly outdated paper-based tests everyone still uses.

The American Council on Education and Pearson has joined forces with the GED Testing Service to create the test, which will begin rolling out in California, Florida, Georgia, and Texas this spring.

The test will not be offered online. It still requires going to an official testing center. However, it is a major step forward in the advancement of the test. 800,000 people take the GED exam every year.

Via New York Times

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Mar 15

Zynga Games Raise Over $1 Million for Earthquake Relief

Posted in: Games, Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili, video games

Zynga - Aid for Japan

You have to hand it to Zynga: one moment they’re the game company you love to hate for selling all of your personal information, and the next moment they’ve managed to draw over a million dollars from their customers for charity. 
Facebook gamers who play titles like Farmville, Cityville, and Frontierville on Facebook have collectively donated well over $1 million to Save the Children through a partnership between the charity and Zynga to aid victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Zynga has expanded donations to its other titles and mobile games, like Words with Friends. 
The key to Zynga’s success here is that the company is using specific in-game items to fuel its charity and relief efforts. For example, in Cityville you can buy a sweet potato crop, and in Frontierville, players can add a Kobe cow to their farm. Daikon radishes have appeared in Farmville, and more depending on the game. 
When players buy items for their farms, cities, and towns with real money, they buyer is actually donating to charity. Zynga says that 100% of the money they get from the special in-game items will go directly to Save the Children.
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