40Tech

There are many, many, great resources on the web, especially in the area of education. There are thousands of sites dedicated just to teaching languages, for example.  My Life Scoop recently listed a few of the best sites for education, and there are more created every day.  Another startup recently received $1 million in seed funding to “democratize learning on the web.”  Do you think the internet will ever truly replace the classroom, or will it always be a supplement to improve the classroom experience?

One way to switch audio output between a USB headset and your external speakers is to plug or unplug your USB headset.  In Windows 7, that will automatically switch sound between the devices.  You may not have easy access to your USB ports, though, or you may want to keep your headset plugged in all the time.  Soundswitch is a free program that allows you to set a hotkey to switch between audio output devices.

Google is thought to be preparing its own social network, called “Google Me” by some.  Smarterware recently published a slideshow from a senior research at Google, that might give us a glimpse at what to expect from Google Me.  The slideshow focuses on how our social networking needs differ among different groups of friends.

You can dutifully sync and backup your files and still not be able to edit your documents when needed, if you are using a computer that doesn’t have the necessary software installed.  Online word processors can help you get around this problem.  Here’s a comparison of four such choices, Microsoft SkyDrive, Google Docs, Zoho Documents, and Box.net.  We’ll tell you the pros and cons of each, and see how they stack up.

As some of you have no doubt heard, Apple has recently applied for a patent entitled: Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device. This technology is, ostensibly, supposed to give Apple the power to help you protect yourself in the event someone else has gotten a hold of your iPhone. It also gives Apple the power to remotely wipe your iPhone if you have Jailbroken your device — the legality of Jailbreaking notwithstanding.

Just that last detail is enough to get many people up in arms, but it is the method in which Apple wants to implement its new Big Brother feature that has people truly freaked out. After taking a bit of time to think about it and consider the implications, I have decided that I am one of those people.

As a marketing professional, I understand the importance of protecting brand identity. I get that it means dollars, and that any infringement upon or blanding of a company’s identity can, in the long run, have a negative effect on that company’s bottom line. I understand that a company as culturally dominating as Facebook has to worry about their brand becoming so “household” that their trademark can become non-enforceable (“google” anything lately?) — but does that give them the right to demand that an upcoming social network for teachers remove the word “book” from its name? You tell us.

It’s become apparent that every service on the web wants us to be better friends.  Why else would so many be pushing the social networking thing?  Back in June, Experian Simmons produced a report detailing trends in social networking.  Its finds were pretty amazing.  Steve Rubel summarized the data and provided some analysis on his blog.  It’s an interesting read and explains why I feel like everyone from my mailman to my middle school principal wants to friend me.  According to the report, most people use social services, and use them quite often.

Being a tech fanatic can be a bit disheartening if you’re not in a tech job. You’re aware of all sorts of great tech tools, but have no reason to use them (hello, Google Wave). Some tech apps, though, actually are useful in non-tech jobs. Here’s our take on five of them.

If you’re a blogger who uses FeedBurner for your RSS feed, have you noticed occasional FeedBurner glitches that result in large fluctuations in the number of reported subscribers for your site? We sure have. If you’re looking to publish your subscriber count, and want it to be more representative of your true numbers, there is a method for generating an average subscriber count over a set period of time, using some PHP code. Hit the link for the details.

If you are thinking about buying nearly anything, you can go on-line and compare the attributes, warranties, and reviews of the product or service- apples to apples as they say. Have you ever tried to do this with a share of stock in a company? Tell me, is it a better investment to buy a share of stock in GE, or in Exxon? Which company has made a higher return for its investors, Dunkin Donuts or Home Depot? Even if you can’t answers these questions, you still have to make an investment decision regarding each contribution you make to your 401(k). Do you do what most people do- people pick something and hope? Now there is a better way. You can now take advantage of XBRL data, which is like XML data, but for financial reports.