generation

Social media self-promotion: The urge, the ick, the outcome

"My agent just sent my book to publishers! Fingers crossed!" That's the status message I just stopped myself from writing on Facebook.

It took all the willpower I've ever had.

In fact, I'm now eating a block of cheese because focusing so hard on not updating Facebook with that status has depleted my willpower reserves. My diet is left defenseless.

I'm 29, and I'm working hard to make a living, to produce something I am proud of, to pay the rent, to scrape some savings together, to make time for love, to eat … Read more

Review: Generate secure passwords with specific criteria using Amuck Password Generator

More than ever before it is critical that the passwords you use online are secure. With more advanced and sophisticated technologies trying to access accounts ranging from Facebook to bank accounts, a secure password is the best line of defense you can put up. That's why apps like Amuck Password Generator are so useful; they provide a rudimentary and yet very effective tool for creating customized, highly-secure passwords for your online accounts.

Amuck Password Generator is a very basic app. It has a single screen with a handful of options that allow you to customize how your password will … Read more

Microsoft has smaller Surface tablets in the works, report says

Microsoft is readying smaller Surface devices, according to a report.

The "second-generation" Surface tablets may be announced in the coming months, possibly at the upcoming Build Conference in June, according to a report in DigiTimes.

This follows a report last month in the Wall Street Journal that claimed the company is preparing a 7-inch tablet.

Second-generation Surface devices will sport displays with sizes between 7 inches and 9 inches, according to the report. Component suppliers include Samsung Electronics, LG Display, Corning, and Intel.

Microsoft needs to bring out tablets with smaller screen sizes in order to compete with … Read more

Alleged image of iPad 5 shows thinner front panel

The next-generation iPad will follow its smaller counterpart in offering a thinner design, at least according to an image leaked by French Web site Nowhereelse.fr.

The alleged image of the iPad 5 shows the front cover and the surrounding bezel with a much thinner design than that of the current iPad. The thinness of the case suggests that Apple is borrowing some design tips from the iPad Mini for its fifth-generation iPad.

Past rumors have already suggested that the next 9.7-inch iPad would sport a thinner design. But this may be the first photo evidence to back up … Read more

Intel confirms USB bug in 'Haswell' chipset

Intel confirmed a USB bug in its next-generation "Haswell" chipset.

The bug can cause USB (Universal Serial Bus) 3.0 devices, like thumb drives, to disappear after entering standby. In some cases, removable devices have to be reconnected again, according to a report at BSN.

The company issued the following statement this afternoon. The bug, in Intel parlance, is referred to as an "errata." The chipset is silicon that accompanies the main Haswell processor:

4th gen Core is on track for a midyear launch. Intel issued a PCN (Product Change Notification) documenting a chipset USB errata … Read more

Intel's upcoming 'Haswell' chip primed for gaming

Intel wants to make its future "Haswell" chip better than past generations of silicon at gaming and announced tools to make this happen at the Game Developers Conference today.

The world's largest chipmaker announced tools, known as extensions, for software developers that allow Intel's 4th generation Intel Core, aka Haswell, to process demanding special effects.

The first of these extensions, called PixelSync, allows programmers to more realistically render smoke, hair, windows, foliage, fences, and other complex geometry and natural phenomena, according to Intel.

"The artists working on Grid2 have been requesting this type of effect … Read more

YouTube breaks records with 1 billion monthly users

What does 1 billion monthly YouTube users signify? It means that nearly one out of every two people on the Internet worldwide goes to YouTube.

That's a serious amount of people.

Google's video hosting service announced today that for the first time, it's driving these colossal numbers -- more than a billion unique users on the site, every month.

"If YouTube were a country, we'd be the third largest in the world after China and India," YouTube wrote in a blog post today. "Our monthly viewership is the equivalent of roughly 10 Super … Read more

Microsoft's first PC lives!

Microsoft's first PC, the Surface Pro, has survived Round One.

A report this week said 400,000 Surface Pros were sold in about a month since its release. That's a decent start (contrary to the media's take).

Remember, this is an $899-$999 tablet (though I prefer to describe it as a full-blown Windows PC compacted and stuffed into a tablet's chassis), not a $199 Nexus 7 or $329 iPad Mini.

Also remember this is just the start. The Pro should evolve to the point where you can have a 1.5 or 2 pound tablet … Read more

Come up with an interesting name for your writing project with Random Name Generator

Anyone who's ever written a story knows how hard it is to make up names for characters. If you're having trouble coming up with one, you can use the Random Name Generator. It will give you a long list of names, but most of them won't work for what you need. The program itself has a bunch of hang-ups that limit its usefulness.

Your antivirus program might flag this program as a malicious download, but when we were running Random Name Generator, nothing came up worth being concerned about. Whether you click the Normal, Odd, or Strange … Read more