Future Shop Tech Blog: Surfing The Web From The Ocean
The internet is everywhere in this modern age, and if we’re not tethering our mobile phones, or getting a usb key to get web access anytime we’re covered by a cell tower, we’re trying to find sattelite phones to take with us on transpacific journeys to make sure we’re always connected.
I’ll get to the ways you can constantly be modemed up in a minute, first the story of a woman who is taking web access to the extreme.
[read the rest of this article]
This article has been submitted to Future Shop’s Tech Blog where I contribute Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Future Shop Tech Blog: All Your Links Are Belong To Zuck
In the early days of the web, there was a nasty practice of creating frames to link content and make it appear as if it was on your page, when it really was located somewhere else.
Now, a decade later, Facebook is doing the same thing. Framing out your content with URLs unique to Facebook, and stealing the comments off your blog and moving the conversation from your posts to Facebook.
[read the rest of this article]
This article has been submitted to Future Shop’s Tech Blog where I contribute Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Facebook Will Rob You Blind
Be careful how much you share on social networks, it just might get you robbed. As we head in to summer vacation season, thieves won’t be watching for people packing up cars in the driveway with tents and suitcases, they’ll be monitoring your facebook and twitter status.
Think about it .. how many of us announce our vacation plans on blogs, facebook pages or news groups. We give the dates we’re going to be away, the places we’re going to see and who we’re going with. While we’re away we fire back photos and diary entries about our adventures. While these photos and entries may be great for our family and friends, they can get you robbed.
Twitter’s 1% Rule
Twitter is on the tip of many tongues, but does everyone understand what it’s about?
According to Ipsos Reid, a quarter of online Canadians are aware of Twitter, but only 6 percent are active on the site. Drill those numbers down and it amounts to about 1% of Canadians actively participating in the Tweets.
You’d be forgiven if you thought the number was higher. Entertainment Tonight, Oprah, News shows and newspapers are all encouraging people to get active in Twitter and join the conversation.
Future Shop Tech Blog: How I Got Robbed On My Summer Vacation
Watch what you tweet as you head out of town for your summer vacation.
With mere hours left in the school year, legions of families are planning vacations, reunions and wedding trips across the continent and around the globe. And in this age of over-sharing, you know they’re talking about it with friends and family on blogs, facebook and twitter.
You may think you’re doing the sharing with just your friends and family, but really you’re giving a lot of information about your life to people you don’t know.
[read the rest of this article]
This article has been submitted to Future Shop’s Tech Blog where I contribute Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
iPhone 3GS Video Editing With Ease
I know I know. yesterday I told you you dont want one, today why you do want the new iPhone 3GS.
It is a much faster machine and can perform some pretty cool stunts, the least of which revolves around the ability to take, edit and upload video instantly right from the phone.
iPhone 3GS Released
The hot new iPhone 3GS hit store shelves last week, but the stampede to get the new toy was considerably more quiet than it was a year ago when Canadians first were exposed to iPhone greatness. The reason is simple - it’s damn expensive to upgrade.
So what do you get for the extra money? A video camera, a camera that focuses, voice activated functions and a compass. On the surface they sound like minor upgrades, but when you get the in depth details, they sound sexy. Just remember, I told you you don’t need one.
iPhone 3.0 Software Upgrade
There were a couple of big releases from Apple last week that might lead to a bit of confusion. The new iPhone 3GS was released, that’s the new hardware - but just days before that the new iPhone 3.0 Software was released.
It’s good news for everyone, a new phone for people wanting to jump on the iPhone bandwagon, and new software for those of us who needed a few extra perks with our year old iPhone 3G.
Organic Farming Is The Way For Business To Grow Twitter Followers
This is a follow-up to my How To Use a Company Twitter Account post.
That post dealt with brand voice, approach and language that should be used by companies when entering the Twitter arena. This is to expand on a Twitter debate I had this week over the practice of companies bulk following accounts instead of focusing on growing a base of evangelists.
So you decided to see what all the fuss was about amongst 1% of Canadians and you’ve gone and given your brand an identity on Twitter. Congratulations! But be careful how you use this new tool, because you run the risk of turning off just as many people as you can turn on.
Properly use Twitter and you’ll not only grow a list of followers, you’ll cultivate a legion of disciples will go forward and preach the gospel according to you.
You Want iPhone 3GS, You Don’t Need One.
A video camera, a camera that focuses, voice activated dialing and a compass.
On the surface, those are the only real hard and fast differences between iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, which was released today. However, perhaps the biggest separator between the two toys is a little more difficult to discern; how much will iPhone 3GS cost?
The comical rumour, innuendo, pricing structure and revised pricing structure rivals only the Canadian release of iPhone 3G last summer which also saw many data plan price fluctuations and changes as release day drew close.
The bottom line is this: if you already have a Canadian iPhone 3G it will cost you more than a few hundred dollars to upgrade to iPhone 3GS.
So is it worth it? I’d argue no.
[read the rest of this article]
This article has been submitted to Future Shop’s Tech Blog where I contribute Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.







Hi, I'm Buzz Bishop. I'm a radio host at Virgin Radio Vancouver and have also been the host of cyberbuzz, a one minute daily radio feature about the internet and wired culture, since 1996. I also use this blog to offer commentary on technology trends and the issues around the merging of old and new media. You can find my personal blog at