Category: Technology and Gadgets

Spam filter going wacky part 2

Here at WordPress, all of the blogs are protected from spam by Akismet, which is a pretty good spam filter. Unfortunately, sometimes it allows trackbacks of a dubious nature to get through. (Trackbacks show up as comments.) The last week or so, I've been deleting these things as fast as I can but even I … Continue reading Spam filter going wacky part 2 →

Spam filter going wacky

It seems that the spam filter is going a bit wacky today. I'm trying to check it regularly but if your post doesn't show up, hit the email link to the left and let me know.

A tool for cutting down on spam

One of the ways that spammers get your email address is by crawling websites and looking for mailto links. Since changing my domain earlier this year and establishing a new email account, the amount of spam email I have received is almost nil. (I say "almost" because like an idiot, I have entered my email … Continue reading A tool for cutting down on spam →

YouMail: Cell phone voice mail

How'd you like to have separate voice mail recordings for each person in your addressbook? YouMail allows you to do just that. According to the AP story, YouMail replaces the voice mail system you have with your carrier. There is a library of generic greetings or you can record your own. The service is free. … Continue reading YouMail: Cell phone voice mail →

I kept it

My Blackberry, that is. My two week trial is up and I decided to keep it. It's really a nice device. As I mentioned, my decision really hinged on whether or not it easily worked as a modem over Bluetooth with my Lifebook and Precious. It took a phone call to TMobile to get them … Continue reading I kept it →

Students have to retake SOLs due to glitch

I'm not sure whether SOLs are a good thing or a bad thing. Regardless, they are here and I understand an awful lot of time goes into preparing the students to take these tests. I would imagine that the students just want to get these tests over and done with. As much of a computer … Continue reading Students have to retake SOLs due to glitch →

New toy

Yesterday was my birthday and I got a new toy. I've been wanting a Blackberry for a long time, but really couldn't justify having it, especially considering that the service was an additional $20/month. Anyway, I finally decided that it was worth the extra $20 and gave a call to TMobile to check on my … Continue reading New toy →

Grrrr – VA electronic filing

OK, so y'all all know that I'm up to my eyeballs here with tax season. I just have to share one of the many frustrations of my profession: the way Virginia handles electronic filing. The whole concept behind EF is that it is computer-to-computer with little, if any, human intervention. In the old days, you … Continue reading Grrrr – VA electronic filing →

Norfolk clerk going paperless

The Virginian Pilot today has an interesting article on the use of technology by Norfolk Clerk of Court George Schaefer. His paper-free ambitions expand to a much grander scale. Schaefer estimates he could save $2 million on the cost of building a new courthouse if he gets rid of the volumes of paper warehoused in … Continue reading Norfolk clerk going paperless →

Local channels in HD on Cox

So says the Virginian-Pilot: Starting at 2 this morning, local NBC affiliate WAVY appears in high-definition on Cox channel 710 and local Fox affiliate WVBT appears in high-definition on channel 714. OK, so now I'm getting more than a little upset with DirecTV. They promised more HD channels over a year ago (as part of … Continue reading Local channels in HD on Cox →