Written By: Patrick Grote
Date: January 12, 2003 (Previously published)
Section: Viewpoints

Let me start off by saying I am a white conservative.

Recently I read Henry Jenkins' article on Cyberspace and Race. Mr. Jenkins is a white liberal. He works for MIT and has done a tremendous amount of work on computers and society.

In any of my other articles, reviews and opinion pieces for this publication I have never felt the need to comment on my political leanings or race. I do this because Mr. Jenkins feels we need to "...recognize, discuss and celebrate racial and cultural diversity."

Written By: Patrick Grote
Date: February 8,. 2003 (Previously published)
Section: Viewpoints

I love the Internet. I love being connected to the Internet. I am an Internet Freak. There. I admit it. Yes, I am an Internet Freak!

Part of being an Internet freak is using the Internet in ways other people use conventional items. Take newspapers. Never read them. I get all my news on-line, including local news. Take communicating with friends and family. Some pick up the phone and call, while I e-mail. Take the radio. The radio? Yes, the radio!

Written By: Patrick Grote
Date: July 17, 2003 (Previously published)
Section: Viewpoints

As you all know, I am huge fan of eBay. I have been using eBay for buying and selling since they first came on-line. By the way, if you are studying for your MCSE or are a movie fan, you should see the auctions I have going on now.

Anyway, there are big changes happening on eBay! They are coming out with a new interface in the next week or so. You should check out their changes at: http://pages.ebay.com/aw/ebay-life-ui-pA1.html

I'd be the first to admit I was bleary eyed that night. Being up way too late has become a habit of mine since I have started working 50% of the time from home. Constantly finding work things to do is a good thing for the company I work for, but sometimes is a bad thing for my eyes.

"One more e-mail message," I mumbled to myself.

The e-mail message in question was the cNet Shareware Dispatch for the week.

"Why do I get this?"

I hardly ever read it. I mostly open it, glance at it and delete it. This night was no exception except something caught my eye. You know the kind of things you scan in e-mail quickly, but your brain is delayed in a couple of seconds in putting the pieces together.

Written By: Patrick Grote
Date: July 17, 2003 (Previously published)
Section: Viewpoints

You knew that one day the computer gods would have their own film. TNT debuted Pirates of the Silicon Valley tonight. The film features Noah Wyle (ER fame) playing Steve Jobs and Anthony Michael Hall (16 Candles, Weird Science fame) as Bill Gates. The film covers the beginning and formative years of Apple and Microsoft.

To get this out of the way -- I have always used IBM compatible computers. I have always used Microsoft operating systems. I have never owned a computer created by Apple.

Written By: Patrick Grote
Date: July 17, 2003 (Previously published)
Section: Viewpoints

It comes as no surprise that I impart to you that I browse the web a lot When I say a lot I mean many hours a week. I have unique browsing methods and it is shocking to know I keep no bookmarks. I keep all the links I consider important on my My Excite page. Other miscellaneous links, less than 10, I keep in a folder on my Windows NT Workstation desktop.

I see many, many, many websites. I am by no means a website design expert. When it comes to websites I prefer a clean, fast loading site with a minimum of flash and an abundance of function. The sites I prefer such as cNet's News Site, CNN, NewsHub and Broadcast.com demonstrate my leanings.

Written By: Missy Grote
Date: November 27, 2002 (Previously Published)
Section: Viewpoints

Comdex: 23rd year and still ticking? Come along with me as I travel the Comdex floors and share with you what oohed and ahhhed me throughout the week. I heard the reports before I even left that this year's Comdex convention was not going to be anywhere near record-breaking... and they were correct! Comdex, the world's largest technology marketplace, was definitely scaled back this year with a huge drop in companies exhibiting their wares. Key3Media, the show's organizer reported a mere 100,000 in attendance. You don't have to travel to the Sands Convention Center or anywhere else as all the exhibits are under one roof at the Las Vegas Convention enter. Even the program guide got a face lift; a mere 376 pages, much smaller than years past. Please don't take this as a negative... This was the first year where I didn't have to stand in an unending line to get my pre-registered pass. I walked right into the tent and was 2nd in line. I wasn't overwhelmed about hitting it all. Shuttle bus lines moved, bathroom stalls weren't always filled, and at the end of the day my feet weren't hurting. In a nutshell, Comdex was very manageable!

The Dummies Series of Books has taken the world by storm. You can now get Dummies Tips of the Day sent to you via e-mail.

We asked IDG Books, the creators of Dummies, to participate in an interview and here are the results:

DJ: The whole Dummies series has been very successful. Can you give a brief history on how it started?
IDG: In 1987, over dinner with a friend, IDG Books Worldwide CEO and co-founder John Kilcullen was kicking around some new ideas for computer books. He kept coming back to a remark made by a customer in a Software Etc. store who requested a book in the DOS operating system. He said that he needed a simple, basic book because he didn't know anything about computers. "Something," he suggested, "like DOS for dummies."

Marc is a syndicated game columnist and technology correspondent for CNN. He has assembled a great CD full of the best in games for PalmOS. We chat with Marc concerning his release and thoughts on PDAs.

DJ: Why did you decide to compile a collection of games for the PDA market?
MS: Truthfully? I'm a hardcore Palm gamer, but found that 9 out of 10 games I downloaded off the Net weren't worth the time and effort. As a journalist (and CNN 'technology expert') I travel every week so I need some good games to keep me entertained on those long flights. I figured I knew at least a couple hundred great ones and decided to package them together for others.

If you have a DSL line or cable modem and have never heard of Broadband Reports (formerly DSLreports) you are missing a great resource. We interviewed Justin Beech the creator and webmaster about his site and his vision of the future.

DJ: Can you give a brief history of DSLreports?
JB: I started it mid 1999 during the y2k development freeze that left me too much time on my hands in my position as developer for an investment bank. DSL was a "hot thing" back then and covad and northpoint were gearing up. The few sites on the web that concentrated on ISP directories did not seem to offer much information for those who wanted broadband.