I just spotted this story in my Wired RSS feed. Google will release their own operating system later this year. Personally, I saw this as inevitable more than a year ago, when I first tried Google Docs. Not that Google Docs was the magic ingredient that started online applications, it was just the point where I realized that what was taking place was going to be significant. Apparently, the new operating system is a flavor of Linux, touted to be quick and agile like Google's browser, Chrome - which I have used quite a bit lately. Oh yeah, the OS...

Perusing the Internet, I stumbled across a story about a Canadian inventor - might call him a search and rescue dog's best friend. Seems computer science professor Alex Ferworn of Ryerson University received a Community IT Hero Award for developing a dog's-eye view device that monitors the path to a trapped victim in a crumbled building or landslide, for example. The Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) says this is going to be a lifesaver. You can read the whole report from CBC NEWS, Canada; it's an impressive story. The dogs will wear Canine Augmentation Technology (CAT), that sends audio...

Google Docs is an online productivity suite that's FREE, uses none of your system's resources and requires no download. Google Docs is fun to explore and to play with. If you want to jump on the bandwagon and get some of the larger programs off your own hard drive, start with Google's tour of Docs . The idea is to upload your existing files and then crate new documents from scratch or from templates. You can share the stuff you write, store it online and set controls to keep it private and secure, they say. I'm not sure I trust online...

DSi has games choices for every age group! Nintendo's latest hand-held game is not just another redesign   The third and latest iteration of Nintendo DSi duo screen hand-held game system from the game masters fascinates senior adults and baby boomers and entertains kids. Grandparents, it’s a great buy for your favorite kids. Retirees, it whiles away time when you’re waiting for someone or something.  It might not be the preferred game deck for hard core moguls but it earns kudos as family entertainment. In my house, everyone, from 3 years old to 60 devotes a bit of...

OpenOffice doesn't cost a thing. It's FREE and easy to install. Download it from the Internet, no need to shop. Some years ago, I tried OpenOffice, hoping to stop buying expensive copies of Microsoft or Lotus programs for spread sheets, word processing, presentations, graphics and data bases. I liked OpenOffice, but it was somewhat clumsy and the documents weren't compatible with other people's software. I've been experimenting with the latest iteration of OpenOffice and can't find much to complain about. No one has trouble opening docs I email. The interface is intuitive and totally user-friendly. I couldn't ask for more functionality....

Win32Vitro Virus is out and about - protect your computer. It's time to get concerned again, according to my favorite guru - Mike DeMichele - at Save My Butt. This time, it's a pretty big concern if you make a habit of trolling the web and downloading out of the ordinary video files from sites that are off the beaten path. Mike says this bug gets into your computer and your external or thumb drives. From there, it can infect every executable (.exe) program you have. That means all your software - whether the software came with your computer or you installed it...

Conficker, the worm, is in its third iteration this year and has been around in other guises since who-knows-when. Yes, it's of concern and really does inhabit a couple of million computers around the world. Is Conficker the end of computing as we know it? Nope. Here's what I know. If you maintain your computer properly, run auto update for Windows (if you have a MAC, you needn't keep worrying, but do keep reading, just for fun.) and have a good antivirus program, you're probably good. If you follow my advice and do the FREE self tune up every week, you're...

Cure insomnia with technology? Am I kidding? Get natural sleep. Sleep without pills? How fantastic for insomniacs. Without pills, but with circuit boards? Well, maybe digital sleep isn't exactly what I found. Sleep Tracker Pro looks like a bulgy wristwatch. It's worn on your wrist. Sleep Tracker Pro can help you figure out why you have insomnia. Sleep Tracker records sleep and wake cycles - keeps track of how you sleep. Via a USB port connection, it can import that information to your computer's hard drive. You can input other criteria to your computer and compare or track how they all affect each other. For example, how does your...

Need to cure a virus? Would you rather prevent getting one? Want to avoid spyware or learn what spyware is? What about making your PC typr computer run faster and better without spending a fortune? I have exactly the site for you - it's called SaveMyButt and it can really save your butt. The site, including a robust forum for questions and ideas, is run by an enthusiastic and energetic PC guru entrepreneur out of Chicago, Mike DiMichele (pronounced Mike De Michael). He has been featured for years on a radio program called "Website Wednesday Night" on WGN radio, which can be...

   Almost 100,000 baby boomers embrace 21st Century technologies.     Baby boomers have access to more technologies to make like easier than has any other generation has had. Seniors, close to 100 million of us, are attacking technology head on - Demystifying Digital, so to speak. I stumbled over a neat article from Science Daily - one line in particular caught my eye and made me chuckle over what it's like to be a Digital Grandparent. An interviewee, talking about plug and play marketing ploys, said, "On the box it says it's as easy as 1-2-3 but when you fold out the list of...