With the right commands, you can turn your favorite command-line text editor into a distraction-free Google Docs app, add new events to Google Calendar, upload images to Picasa or video to YouTube, backup your Google data, and more. Here’s how it works.

Archive for June, 2010
Securely Erase Data With Cipher, a Built-in Windows Tool
June 26th, 2010, posted in OldiesWhile there are plenty of tools available for securely wiping a disk, overwriting the data with a stream of random bits and obliterating it completely, for Windows users, there is another option: cipher.exe, a built-in Windows command line utility. While it’s not as convenient or user-friendly as the third-party tools, it’s free, it comes with the OS — and it works.
The Odds Are Increasing That Microsoft’s Business Will Collapse
June 26th, 2010, posted in OldiesA few weeks ago, the market delivered its verdict on the relative future prospects of Apple and Microsoft.
Apple’s prospects are better, the market said. And in the past few weeks, that vote has only become more decisive.
The market still thinks Microsoft’s long-term prospects are pretty good, though. The stock is trading at a respectable 14X P/E. The company has cash flow gushing out of its ears. The consensus is that Microsoft will keep growing, just more slowly.
Google Releases Command-Line Tool for YouTube, Calendar, Docs and More
June 26th, 2010, posted in OldiesGoogle has launched a simple but very useful app for computer nerds everywhere: GoogleCL, a command-line tool that allows users to do everything from upload folders to Picasa to adding appointments to a Google Calendar.
Exploring the software behind Facebook, the world’s largest site
June 26th, 2010, posted in OldiesAt the scale that Facebook operates, a lot of traditional approaches to serving web content break down or simply aren’t practical. The challenge for Facebook’s engineers has been to keep the site up and running smoothly in spite of handling close to half a billion active users. This article takes a look at some of the software and techniques they use to accomplish that.
10 Ways To Beef Up Your Website’s Security
June 26th, 2010, posted in OldiesHacker attacks across the web are getting more sophisticated every day – after all, they have to. With the increased sophistication of anti-virus protection, firewalls, and application-based updates, hackers who want to stay in business have needed to get more creative. And they have, responding with increasingly sophisticated attacks that have forced the online security industry to scramble to keep up.
The end of WIMP and the rise of Touch
June 25th, 2010, posted in OldiesI recently bought a Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t multi-touch tablet/netbook. It was on sale for $200 off and I just couldn’t resist. I figured it’d be a great way to test out the variety of new tablet OS’s coming out and to compare them with my much beloved iPad. Even though I already have two other netbooks (my original HP mini, and a Nokia Booklet 3G) the ability to convert from a netpad into a tablet is key, and having a capacitive screen and an Atom N470 CPU just made it a really great device for the price. Here’s an Engadget review with some video.
The internet: Everything you ever need to know
June 25th, 2010, posted in OldiesIn spite of all the answers the internet has given us, its full potential to transform our lives remains the great unknown. Here are the nine key steps to understanding the most powerful tool of our age – and where it’s taking us

The net and the web are not the same: the internet resembles the tracks and infrastructure of a railway, while the web is just one part of the traffic that runs on it Photograph: China Photos/Getty Images
How to work with “stupid” people
June 19th, 2010, posted in OldiesI consider myself reasonably intelligent, yet I have had no problem surrounding myself with people at or above my intellectual level. I’ve also had good relationships with co-workers at all levels of intelligence. Unless you’re a world-class genius (statistically unlikely), you are probably mis-diagnosing people as stupid.
7 performance tips for faster SQL queries
June 19th, 2010, posted in OldiesIt’s easy to create database code that slows down query results or ties up the database unnecessarily — unless you follow these tips
SQL developers on every platform are struggling, seemingly stuck in a DO WHILE
loop that makes them repeat the same mistakes again and again. That’s because the database field is still relatively immature. Sure, vendors are making some strides, but they continue to grapple with the bigger issues. Concurrency, resource management, space management, and speed still plague SQL developers whether they’re coding on SQL Server, Oracle, DB2, Sybase, MySQL, or any other relational platform.