Evolution of Technology: Adding and Subtracting

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Bruce Sallan

Professor Weber leads off our look at adding and subtracting – math – and the devices old and new that we employ, in this edition of the Evolution of Technology blog series which is co-written by Professor David E. Weber and myself.

We often use the term technology as a catchall shorthand reference to the microprocessor-driven devices (notebook and desktop computers, mobile telephones and smart phones, tablets, iPods and more) we use for work, play and management of our lives generally. The basic purpose of the chips in the hearts of those devices is to perform calculations. Therefore, to think in terms of the evolution of technology is to a significant extent to think about the evolution in tools used for calculating.

Men vs. Women: Clothes and Fashion

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Bruce Sallan

Fashion, clothes, jewelry, and all its related accessories and issues are enough of a subject to fill a book, not just a single column in this blog series. But, I will endeavor to condense the incredible volume of material to fewer than 1,000 words. Writing about Men and Women is a lot of fun, especially since I don’t care if I am politically correct. It’s ironic how upside down things have become in my lifetime when simple truths – in this case, related to men and women – are not so simple given various agendas and politics that seem to attach so much contemporary public discourse!

Seeing the Amazing Motorola Moto-X at The Google Campus #MeetMotoX

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Bruce Sallan

Video by Marques Brownlee

Last month, I was sworn to secrecy, signed a non-disclosure form, pledged my allegiance to the Gods of Google and Motorola, and my own Godfather, Guy Kawasaki, and went to Silicon Valley to hear, see, and touch the new Motorola phone, the Moto-X.

Men vs. Women: Who Talks More?

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Bruce Sallan

I love this blog series because I get to vent my life-long frustrations with the opposite sex, have fun, and be irrevocably politically incorrect. The irony is that since I know men better, I’m often more critical of my own gender than of those confounding women. And, in the case of this topic, it’s a further irony that I’m by far the bigger talker in my marriage.

Photos, Videos, Music Rights, and YouTube – Copyrights

Posted on July 20, 2013 by Bruce Sallan

There is always ongoing discussion about copyright issues. YouTube has become extremely aggressive in enforcing video and music usage lapses – or what they and various rights-holders consider lapses. We all know that piracy issues and so-called free web-sharing sites that began with Napster have hit the music industry very hard. The film industry has been fighting movie/vhs/dvd piracy and copyright issues for decades

#IRL Means In Real Life

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Bruce Sallan

Recently I had a couple of experiences that reminded me of the folly of thinking we have a great social life if we have a bunch of Facebook, Twitter, and other online friends. Yes, “virtual friends” can be meaningful, but nothing trumps meeting and knowing people IRL, aka in real life. In Real Life means face to face, sitting near one another, interacting in real time, and otherwise being a human being. Yes, it’s alien to many of us – especially our kids – but it brings rewards that can’t be calculated by Klout or the number of “likes” or so-called “followers” you might have.

Instagram Reveals Who We Are

Posted on July 6, 2013 by Bruce Sallan

Instagram is one of those new platforms that have been an instant success. Like most new things, I tend to wait and get aboard only when I have to – I’m forced to – or really, when I finally get over my anxiety about learning it. Now, I love using it and I share really important things via the photos I take with my phone. Things such as what I’m eating for breakfast, hundreds of photos of Simon (my dog), and my feet, when I’m napping.