Dawn of the Zombie Outbreak Simulator

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One of the common things that computers are used for is statistical simulations. All around the world computers are being used to simulate everything from weather patterns to commuter traffic.

So I was glad to see that technology was being put to use to simulate another important area of research, namely, a zombie apocalypse.

The Zombie Outbreak Simulator is a simple Flash application that lets one simulate zombies overrunning a neighborhood of Washington D.C. The simulator, created by Binary Space Games, is a simple web application that uses small moving icons of civilians, police and, of course, crazed zombies to show the potential outcomes of a zombie infestation.

Clueless on the Internet

I just might have to give up. For years now I've been waiting for people to get savvy about security on their computers and using the Internet.

I've always figured that eventually people would recognize the threats of being online and avoid the most obvious ones. Sort of like knowing not to run across a busy highway.

But over the holiday break I got a big fat reminder that many people, including some pretty well educated people, will always be easy targets for phishers, scam artists and bad guys in general.

Taking in Google's Chrome OS

One of the most talked about recent releases of late 2009 was the early developer build of Chrome OS. To many observers, Chrome OS was clearly Google's attempt to take on Microsoft Windows (and offer a little payback for Microsoft's release of the Bing search engine).

But while Chrome OS may eventually have the ability to take on Microsoft Windows, right now this developer release is simply a very early (you could even call it pre-alpha) look at what Google has in mind for this operating system. And the clearlest thing that one can take away from Chrome OS is that it is the first real attempt to build an operating system based completely on the web.

My Privacy Choices are my own Business

Almost like the seasons, every few months some public person, usually someone in government or from a company that profits from the use of customer information, makes a statement attacking privacy rights.

These statements can take many forms. One popular option is to state that given how people share information online now that it's clear that people don't care about technology. It usually goes something like, "what with all the FaceSpacing and TwitTubing that people do nowadays, everyone knows that people don't give a hoot about privacy!"

Another popular statement against privacy rights is to use the time honored "if you don't have anything to hide than you don't need to worry about privacy" argument. This was the tactic recently taken by Google CEO Eric Schmidt who in a recent interview with MSNBC basically said that if you don't want people to know what you're doing online than maybe you shouldn't be doing it.

Emerging Technology in 2009: An Engine for Growth

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During the last two years, it has been easy to get into a heads-down mode where one is inclined to just do their job, stay the course as best as possible and not spend too much time thinking about new stuff.

Fortunately for all of us, plenty of technology companies, developers and entrepreneurs haven't been following this line of thinking. In the last year, we've seen plenty of examples of big companies, small companies, and independent developers and researchers working toward innovative and cutting-edge new products and technologies.

And we should all offer a big thank you to all of these people because they are one of our biggest hopes out of the rough times.

My Google Chrome OS Wish List

Now that Google has released the initial developers build of Chrome OS, we have a basic idea of what Google is doing with its concept of an operating system built around a Web browser and Web-based content. And if you want to know what I think about that developers release you can read my review of Google Chrome OS.

But in that review I'm pretty much focused on just where Chrome OS is right now, in this very early, essentially pre-alpha version. And with Google not being expected to release Chrome OS until the end of 2010, a lot of things could change.

So here are a couple of things I'd like to see in that final version of Chrome OS, some features and capabilities that in my opinion would move it closer to being a valuable addition to the modern computing arena.

FlipShare TV Mostly a Flop

In its short lifetime the Flip video camcorder has set a very high standard for usability and simplicity. The Flip took something that was traditionally expensive and difficult, namely shooting and delivering video, and made it easier than point-and-shoot still photo shooting.

So when representatives of the maker of the Flip, which is now part of Cisco Systems, told me that it was releasing a device that would make it possible to deliver video wirelessly to your television, I was understandably excited. I was envisioning a device that would solve the problem of the cost and complexity of home digital media centers in the same way that the Flip eased video creation.

But when I received the new FlipShare TV and put it through its paces, it failed to live up to my lofty expectations. And it even in many ways comes up short of the more modest goals of simply providing an easy-to-use device that people can use to bring their videos to their TVs.

The End of Single-Purpose Devices

Ahh, I love my modern digital lifestyle, especially when it comes to being out, whether traveling or just moving around the city. It's great that I can walk around with a music collection that dwarfs my old college record collection, that I can have several books in my pocket ready to read whenever I want and that I can snap a picture or video of anything I see.

So what am I doing? Am I walking around with an MP3 player, an e-book reader, a digital camera and a digital camcorder?

Nope, just one device, my BlackBerry smartphone, which lets me listen to music, read books, take pictures and video, and, oh, yeah, make calls, play games, manage contacts ...

NEC Goes Green with New LCD Monitor

Right now many companies are looking to go green, and while some are doing it out of a feeling of environmental responsibility, there are many that are doing it mainly in the hope of saving some green.

This has led many businesses to look for more efficient server room hardware, desktops and office environmental systems. But what about your computer monitors? Like TVs, monitors can often be energy hogs.

Not surprisingly, vendors have started to introduce green computer monitors, and I recently had the chance to test out a new one from NEC.

New Technologies with Scary Problems

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When I heard the recent announcement about Wi-Fi Direct, a proposed method to make it possible for Wi-Fi devices to connect to each other seamlessly without the need of access points, I had a common reaction to a new technology: excitement, tinged with fear.

The part of me that's a tech enthusiast thought, this could be really cool. Letting Wi-Fi-enabled devices easily connect to each other will ease a lot of connection hassles, and probably kill Bluetooth along the way.