When it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), there really is quite a bit of passionate debate about what you can and cannot do to improve your ranking in natural search results with Google, Yahoo, and others. Generally it is difficult to get definitive details on this topic from the search engine companies for a couple of good reasons. The first is that they do need to protect their competitive advantage in this market. Their “secret sauce” is the detail behind how they are better than the other search engines in identifying “good content” on the web. The second is to avoid providing search engine spammers with the details needed to make it easier to subvert the search engines to get high ranking pages without developing legitimate content. It appears that Google is making a concerted effort to strike a careful balance between providing more information, while not giving away too much.
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In the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” written by Stephen R. Covey, habit #7 is called “Sharpen the Saw”. This relates to what the book calls “Principles of Balanced Self Renewal”. The four component of this Self Renewal includes Physical, Social / Emotional, Spiritual, and Mental. The point of interest here is part of the Mental component which includes your continuing education in topics that are important to you.
If you ask several people for a definition for what a “blog” is, many people responding will have a hard time coming up with a good comprehensive definition. Most of them will instead describe blogs as “online diaries or journals”. Although blogs are frequently used in that way, I would compare that to describing an automobile as “something you use to visit your friends”. I would argue that both can be used for much more.
According to Wikipedia, a blog is a type of website where entries are made in reverse chronological order. It further adds that:
“Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on photographs (photoblog), videos (vlog), or audio (podcasting)…” - Wikipedia: Blog
It is amazing to see how widespread WiFi has become. Just about everywhere you go, you can pickup WiFi networks. If you go to any of the technology stores that carry networking equipment such as Fry’s Electronics or Best Buy, the amount of retail shelf space dedicated to WiFi products is much larger than wired networking products. The other interesting point is that a surprising number of the WiFi networks out there are completely unsecured. A considerable portion of the people that have WiFi access to their home or small business network have their WiFi access point configured exactly as it came out of the box from the manufacturer. With many of these cases, people have not even changed the default admin password on their WiFi access point. It is also common for people to assume that the cable company or phone company installer that installed their WiFi system took all the steps necessary to adequately secure their WiFi network. It turns out, this is frequently a bad assumption. Read the rest of this entry »
Digital cameras have been improving at an incredible rate for the last several years. At the same time, prices keep dropping. These days you can find consumer level 5+ megapixel digital cameras for less than $400 (USD).
With these fast paced changes, it really is important to get in-depth information about the cameras that are available so that you can make the best selection. DPreview.com is a well established website that gives detailed reviews that should satisfy everyone from photography beginners to photography professionals. Read the rest of this entry »
The DIY Network now has a 5 part series on putting in a home theater system in your home. The series is very informative, and I would highly recommend this series to anyone wanting to install a home theater system in their home. You might want to make sure you record it to use as a reference as you go through the process. Even if you are not inclined to design, and install the home theater system yourself, this series will help you work better with the company you hire to build your home theater. Read the rest of this entry »
The Science Channel has an interesting series titled Cool Fuels which demonstrates several vehicles that have been converted to use a variety of alternative fuels. For most people that means Biodiesel and E85 Ethanol, but they cover more options than that. The show’s host is Shaun Murphy partnered with his dog Sparky. According to Science.Discovery.com:
“He is the man who turned the Cool Fuel Roadtrip idea into reality, Shaun is the driving force behind the television show. Enthusiastic, well-spoken and easy to interview, he knows how to make the subject of fuel efficiency and vehicle innovation fun, exciting and possible. Shaun is known to television audiences in more than 70 countries around the world. Friendly and engaging, he is a popular Australian TV personality and adventurer with a keen sense of humor.”
The majority of people probably do not know what a BarCamp event is. Each BarCamp is an informal conference where people share and learn in an open environment. These conferences typically are intense events with discussions, demos, and interaction from participants. BarCamp rules require that all attendees must contribute; no passive attendance is allowed. Participation could include giving a presentation on a subject of interest, engaging in group discussion, or contributing logistical volunteer support. Most BarCamps do not target a specific subject category. Usually they are named for a geographic region such as a city, state, or country. There are some specialized BarCamp events that do target a specific topic such as BlogCamp. Most BarCamps cover technical topics, but there are a few that are dedicated to completely non-technical subjects such as ArtCamp and WineCamp.
BarCamp Texas was a combination of BarCamp participants and organizers from BarCamp Austin, BarCamp Dallas, BarCamp Houston, and BarCamp San Antonio; all joining forces to have a larger combined BarCamp. This year it was held in Austin, TX starting Friday evening, August 25, and ended Sunday afternoon. Read the rest of this entry »
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