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The “Rack Unit” is a standard measurement for server height; one rack unit (U) is 1.75 inches. Read more »

Comments Off on Google Gets Creepier – pre-filled subscribe box in search ad

This just seems creepy and wrong: Google (AdWords) allows advertisers to create Search ads which pre-fill forms with Google Account data. In this example, my email was pre-filled next to a “subscribe” button which doesn’t say what I’d be subscribing to — alongside a completely meaningless “Privacy” link which doesn’t disclose how the email address would be used. Read more »

Comments Off on Google’s AdWords ‘Interest’ Targeting

I’ve long wondered how Google evaluates a person’s “interests” in order to display advertising that’s not displayed “in context.”

I think Google’s algorithms need tweaking, because Google has an unreasonably long memory regarding my “interests.” Read more »

Comments Off on WordPress 3.7 Adds Automatic Updates: A Great Idea, But …

WordPress has just released version 3.7 of its blogging platform, and many folks will be pleased and relieved that they’ve added automatic updates to the software.  I certainly was happy about it, but … Read more »

Comments Off on In Praise of GTmetrix.com

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While reading Internet Retailer’s December 2012 profile of its chosen “Top 100” ecommerce web sites (http://www.internetretailer.com/2012/11/30/going-extra-mile), I was confused by its “Speed” ratings for the sites. Each web site was evaluated based on its page-load time, and 33 of the 100 sites were rated “unacceptable.”

The idea that many web sites succeed despite slow load times isn’t a surprise. What confused me was the scale used by Internet Retailer in assigning its speed ratings: Read more »

Comments Off on Brown unLike Me, by Emmanuel Ortiz

When I first saw this poetry “chapbook,” I felt a faint glimmer of recognition at the author’s name, which clicked into place when I found the poem, “A Moment of Silence,” at the end of the book.

“A Moment of Silence” is one of those poems that draws a sharp reaction from nearly everyone who reads it. Read more »

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Am I really the only liberal pro-choice atheist who respects and even applauds Richard Mourdock’s heartfelt statement about his belief that abortion is wrong even in the case of rape? Read more »

Comments Off on Voting, November 2012

I was surprised at several things about voting this morning. First, since I’ve moved, I have a new polling place, at an elementary school. There was very little signage Read more »

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Over the years, I’ve encountered lots of people who are so enamored of a tool (software or web app) that they insist that I use their chosen tool to interact with them, even at the most basic level. The most recent example I’ve encountered is Google Calendar Read more »