Ed's Tech Tips

Are some of you uncertain about what "Web 2.0" is? For example, are the following acronyms or names unkown or unclear to you:

• RSS
• Social Bookmarking
• Social Networking
• Wikis

Would you like to understand these technologies in plain English? Have them explained in such a way that even your grandmother (OK, maybe not her, but your mother) could understand them in just a few minutes each?

Please the Common Craft Show and watch the short video clips which use paper craft to explain high tech. Why should you? To get a better understanding of new technologies we have been using on a our web site and will start to be using more of. They save time and can make you more productive.

If you do know what all thi sWeb 2.0 business is all about , but have difficulty explaining it to your friends, relatives and co-workers send them the link to these videos. They are short (around 3-4 minutes each), entertaining and effective.

Here is one clip on Social Bookmarking and explains the icons you'll see at he bottom of each article on this blog: 

 

 

"The Zonbu device consumes only about one third of the energy used by a typical light bulb — and yet it has plenty of power for all your bright ideas." - Zonbu website

I like that quote from a different kind of computer company that produces a device that weighs less than 2 pounds. Like the Mac Mini you supply your own keyboard, mouse, video display and other desired accessories. Unlike the Mac Mini you can buy it for as little as $99 and $12.95 a month or outright for $249. The monthly service fee will get you free online backups, free patches, free upgrades, unlimited Internet technical support, a replacement warranty and free recycle program. It comes preinstalled with  all of the applications most people would ever need, then some. It also comes preinstalled with thousands of drivers so that you should be able to connect a camera or printer without having to install any additional driver software. It will also sync with your iPod, but it does not run Windows, it runs Linux that looks and behaves a lot like Windows so that anyone that has used Windows will easily be able to use this computer.

I think this is probably the idea computer for most people that primarily use their computer for email, browsing the web, sharing photos, playing music, typing homework assignments and banking online. It is a zero maintenance design. There are no moving parts and as long as you subscribe, the updates and patches are applied transparently. All of the data is stored on Flash memory instead of a hard drive and is automatically backed up and accessible from anywhere in the world via the web. Zonbu provides a too to easily help you transfer your data from your Windows computer to your new Zonbu. My mom has a four year old eMachine that has seen better days.  think I will recommend this computer to her.

This little box can easily sit on your desk next your monitor and keyboard and like a lot of other computer manufacturers, you can customize the exterior of your Zonbu with various graphics or upload your own, such as a photograph.

Check out the demo video below: