Dec 16th, 2008 - If you're a tech worker that's been recently laid-off, Silicon Alley Insider wants to talk to you. Beware, though, what they're asking isn't for the faint of heart. The Web site is planning to chronicle the follies and foibles of five people searching for new jobs in the tech sector. Among the... (Read More)

Dec 8th, 2008 - No matter which political camp in which you choose to pitch your tent, it's hard to deny that technology is at the heart of President-Elect Barack Obama new plans for the United States. As we learn more about what ideas he has in mind to strengthen the economy and gird the country's existing... (Read More)

Dec 5th, 2008 - Proving that no holiday is sacred, The Register is reporting today on not one but two scams involving fake products to be on the lookout for this shopping season. Graphics card vendor HIS sent out an alert that, despite reports to the contrary, the company has not ventured into the netbooks market.... (Read More)

Nov 29th, 2008 - As if tech workers didn't have enough to worry about, now there's a study claiming people who work in high-tech industries are 50% more likely to develop heart disease than those working in other sectors. The research, conducted by the Taiwan Society of Lipids and Atherosclerosis, cites stress and... (Read More)

Nov 10th, 2008 - Open source software is being taken seriously as a viable alternative to expensive proprietary applications but it's important to realize that, like its commercial brethren, it comes with a license for use. It's also important to remember that all open source licensing is not created equal. ... (Read More)

Oct 31st, 2008 - Hands down, April Fool's Day is an IT worker's favorite "holiday" because there are so many ways to mess with an unsuspecting computer user. Halloween runs a close second, though, because its the one day out of the year when we can fly our geek flag with pride. For instance: Star Wars costumes... (Read More)

Oct 30th, 2008 - From the "some-studies-will-grasp-at-any-straw" department comes word that female tech workers are more likely than their male counterparts to get hurt in the workplace. If that's the case, I'll bet it's because men are more likely to "rub some dirt on it and shake it off," rather than report... (Read More)

Oct 27th, 2008 - I'm sure this will come as a total shock to you, but a recent survey by IT consulting firm Robert Half Technology has identified what causes CIOs the most stress. Too much work. Really? To discover this fun fact, researchers interviewed the CIOs of over 1,400 medium- to large businesses based... (Read More)

Oct 22nd, 2008 - Transparency. We all talk about how companies, politicians, journalists, and even bloggers should strive for it. As a strangely intriguing way to maintain transparent business practices at marketing and PR firm lisapmaxwell.com, staff members go about their workday in front of a live Internet... (Read More)

Oct 20th, 2008 - You have to give Japan-based IT company KAYAC Co., Ltd. points for creativity. Many IT-centric businesses have a tech worker bee or marketing guru maintain the company blog, but KAYAC handed the keyboard over to a Sweetheart Hoya. In case you're not a botanist, that's a rare and beautiful succulent... (Read More)

Sep 24th, 2008 - One of my favorite things about Twitter is how people can use it to live-blog conferences they're attending. Case in point: today, I've been watching Joseph Thornley, provide live commentary from the Canadian Institute Conference on Social Media. I've been learning about how the City of Calgary... (Read More)

Sep 3rd, 2008 - Twitter users are a loyal bunch and few would argue that it's a useful networking tool. The one thing Twitter is not, however, is private. While that's not a big deal for most people, it certainly is in the world of academics where it's ill-advised to have children using communication tools that... (Read More)

Aug 29th, 2008 - As I watch the founders of GeekPAC, a political action group aimed at defending the information rights of U.S. citizens, get themselves up and running I can't help but wonder what other tech-oriented groups would benefit from a similar group. Would IT workers? What would they lobby for? Sick of... (Read More)

Aug 26th, 2008 - In case my recent post about the stress levels of IT workers made you want to start looking for a new job, the least I can do is offer you some tips. Here are three things you need to do right now: Get a sense of the market - Make sure you have your finger on the pulse of the IT industry,... (Read More)

Dec 11th, 2008 - If your company has a blog -- and it should -- you might what to have a look at Typepad Connect, a new way to bring the finer points of social networking right to your Web site. In the old days (meaning around 18 months ago) it used to be enough for a company to simply have a presence on the Web. A... (Read More)

Sep 11th, 2008 - About the only upside to the weak economy these days is that community colleges across the country are seeing an uptick in enrollment. According to the American Association of Community Colleges, overall enrollment peaked at 11.5 million last year and is expected to remain high this year as well.... (Read More)

Dec 2nd, 2008 - An new study by London-based Deloitte and the Cranfield School of Management validates what CIOs have known all along: "You're out of the loop, and when we want your opinion we'll tell you what it is." CIOs are caught in a tough situation right now. Technology is emerging at a lightening pace... (Read More)

Nov 30th, 2008 - Miami has hurricanes, Silicon Valley gets wildfires, and Seattle sits at the foot of a volcano. Where should your data center be? How about the heartland of America -- the Midwest -- where a growing number of server farms are springing up instead of corn or cattle farms. John Rath, a service... (Read More)

Nov 28th, 2008 - "With great power, comes great responsibility." -- Uncle Ben in "Spiderman" I read a fascinating question over at Ask Metafilter this week that I've been thinking about ever since. An anonymous tech worker writes that though he loves job, he's over-worked and over-wrought. His two-man department... (Read More)

Nov 25th, 2008 - If you've been thinking of ditching your old BlackBerry and getting a new Bold or Storm, but hate the idea of an upgrade or early termination fee, I have some great news for you. The best part of the new devices has been all its new browser has to offer. Now you can have the new browser on your... (Read More)

Nov 24th, 2008 - These days, lots of things happen online in a New York minute. Motrin launches a new ad campaign and moms jump on it instantly. An earthquake hits China and Twitter knows about it before CNN. It's no surprise, then, that an entire online business can go from concept to live in the span of one short... (Read More)

Nov 21st, 2008 - A few years ago, small businesses just needed a telephone line and maybe a single computer with a dial-up connection to set up shop. Now that technology has exploded, nearly every company needs a reliable phone system, a Web site, and maybe even a whole network of computers to stay competitive. ... (Read More)

Nov 17th, 2008 - If you've been clinging to the interoffice email and calendaring capabilities of Microsoft Exchange as your company's last vestige of proprietary software, it's really time to consider giving up the ghost. Open source collaboration software vendor Open-Xchange, Inc. announced recently it now... (Read More)

Nov 12th, 2008 - There's plenty of speculation that the current state of the economy will greatly benefit open source technology, and you know an idea is taking root when mainstream IT conferences include presentations about implementing FOSS solutions in enterprise. Desmond Atkinson, with UK-based capacity... (Read More)

Nov 11th, 2008 - There's a kerfuffle brewing in the Sunshine State over who owns the rights to the software that powers certain alcohol breath-test machines. The outcome may mean the difference between a valid or false DUI charge on your permanent driving record. The machine in question, the Intoxilyzer 8000,... (Read More)

Nov 3rd, 2008 - If the state of the economy has got you down and you're ready to stop throwing money at commercial software vendors, you might be overwhelmed at the amount of open source options that exist. Buck up, IT soldier, here are three applications that let you dip your toes in the pool without jumping in... (Read More)

Nov 20th, 2008 - When it comes to enterprise computer technology, everything seems to be happening in the cloud these days. Offsite storage was one of the first iterations of cloud computing and is continuing to gain traction as a smart way for companies to safely retain data. You're probably familiar with the... (Read More)

Oct 30th, 2008 - Every so often the idea of an IT worker's union or lobbyist group comes up, but it appears most people in the tech sector are opposed to the idea. Business partners Jack Edwards and James Smith understand, and say they have a solution: the International IT Worker's Group (IITW). Edwards says... (Read More)

Oct 17th, 2008 - I'm probably a disgrace to my gender for saying this but I think the new study showing women in IT face "significant barriers to advancement" is a bit overblown. According to research conducted by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, the situation is so bad that nearly 30% of women... (Read More)

Sep 8th, 2008 - Attention bosses: Tom Brady's knee injury in yesterday's New England Patriots game against the Kansas City Chiefs is going to cost you. According to a survey by outplacement company Challenger, Gray and, Christmas Inc. employers will cough up $9.2 billion dollars in lost worker productivity due to... (Read More)

Oct 29th, 2008 - Good IT management doesn't take place in a vacuum. If you're going to make the right decisions and lead people in ways that will make them want to follow, you need an arsenal of information. Of course, overworked CIOs and IT managers don't have time to sift through hundreds of industry articles a... (Read More)

Oct 15th, 2008 - Apple announced a retooled line of notebooks yesterday, and that means good things for businesses thinking of upgrading laptops for its employees. But, I don't mean that the way you think I do. There's no doubt that the new glass trackpad and fancy casing make Apple's new line of MacBooks and... (Read More)

Oct 10th, 2008 - Business intelligence (BI) software vendor Actuate announced plans recently to make BI data available to its customers right on their mobile phones. While most companies are scrambling to jump on the iPhone bandwagon, Actuate hasn't forgotten that plenty of businesspeople still use BlackBerrys and,... (Read More)

Aug 28th, 2008 - Although many people get lathered up about the iPhone 3G, BlackBerry enthusiasts know that’s not the only next-generation smartphone in town. Research In Motion is set to introduce the next hot new smartphone in its product line, the BlackBerry Bold. With its enhanced higher-resolution... (Read More)

Oct 14th, 2008 - If the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) gets its way, businesses may soon get a whole new crop of top-level domain names to choose from. Though they'll probably cost around $100,000 to purchase, the chance to own a user- and search-friendly domain will be a no-brainer for... (Read More)

Oct 13th, 2008 - The New York Times ran an in-depth article recently detailing the impact of thin client technology in the workplace. The story takes a look at the reasons why the idea has had trouble getting off the ground during the last 15 years, and why it's suddenly gaining traction now. Author Ashlee Vance... (Read More)

Sep 22nd, 2008 - NASA is looking for organizations to become members of its CIO Executive Board, which serves under the Corporate Executive Board. Now that's a job I can get behind. According to the official solicitation, "The membership includes unlimited accesses to proprietary council research for staff... (Read More)

Sep 18th, 2008 - What can your IT department learn from Microsoft's latest advertising bungles? Plenty. When the company released its "Mojave Experiment" ads (which I'd link to but the site forces you to install Silverlight to view them), the premise was rather sad. It seemed to suggest that at least one of the... (Read More)

Sep 16th, 2008 - ZDnet's Deb Perelman asks if it's a good idea to ask IT job candidates to prove they've got the technical chops to do the job they're after. You bet your server farm it is. Perelman says, "...increasingly, IT professionals are asked to take some sort of test when they go for a job interview, to... (Read More)

Aug 27th, 2008 - The massive communications failure at a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facility yesterday no doubt left plenty of businesspeople stranded at airports all across the country. There were probably thousands of people flying around for meetings, training sessions, seminars, conferences, and... (Read More)