Mark Evans Tech » Aside

How Does Google Work?

Mark Evans — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000

I came across a cool – but simple – demo on how Google works.

Lovin’ the Apple..Google and RIMM

Mark Evans — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 12:30:01 +0000

Since Apple unveiled an overhaul of its iPod line-up about a month ago, Apple shares have climbed more than 20% – hitting a new record high of $171.11 yesterday. With Google flying through $600 (now $617) and Research in Motion touching a 52-week high of $118.80 last year, it looks like investors have caught tech fever and/or they are gravitating to high-profile, consumer-focused tech companies. Update: The Wall St. Journal has a story that suggests the tech landscape is looking a lot more like 1999.

Where’s Jellyfish.com?

Mark Evans — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:05:43 +0000

When you (Microsoft) announce the acquisition of a Web site (Jellyfish.com), it’s probably not a good idea for it to be down for “scheduled system maintenance”. Saying “We Are Down But Not Out” doesn’t cut it or encourage people to come back for another look.

Techmeme’s Top-100 Launched

Mark Evans — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 11:13:18 +0000

So Techmeme is launching a list of the top-100 blogs – a move that will make all those stats-lovin’, feed countin’ bloggers extremely happy. Maybe this decision will prompt Techmeme’s Gabe Rivera to reveal the secret sauce that drives the site – and how blogs and blog post manage to find their way on to it. As far I can tell, it’s based on links with some manual tweaking but that’s just a guess. Update: mesh’s Mathew Ingram is ranked 39th on the list. Nice.
More: Couple of quick thoughts on the Techmeme 100: To get on the list, you must blog a lot. As a result, it’s difficult for the lone-ranger blogger to get on it. This explains why it’s dominated by large media players and multi-author blogs such as GigaOm and TechCrunch.

WordPress Help, Please

Mark Evans — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 12:11:02 +0000

I’ve got a small blog side project happening. One issue I’ve been unable to resolve is changing the permalink structure. Right now, it’s http://thisisablog.com/?p=155 but I want it to be http://thisisablog.com/2007/09/28/wordpress-help-please. I’ve fiddled around the permalink option within WordPress and some re-direct plug-ins but it appears I need to do something with htaccess so I can keep the old permalinks links “alive” while implementing new permalinks for all posts. Any help would be much appreciated.

Where are the Apple Knockoffs?

Mark Evans — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 12:00:00 +0000

The power supply on my MacBook crapped out, which seems to be a common issue judging by some of the forums I visited. When I went looking for a replacement, one thing that struck me is how Apple has tight control over the peripheral market. The only power supply available was a $99 unit from Apple. Isn’t there some large factory in China pumping out knockoffs for $20. At that price, I’d buy a power supply for home and one for work.

EMC Snaps Up Mozy

Mark Evans — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:16:01 +0000

According to TechCrunch, EMC has acquired Mozy, a popular online storage start-up. Mozy has become an important part of my small portfolio “go to” Web-based services along with Paypal, StumbleUpon, eBay and Google Reader. Mozy works because it’s a snap to set up and configure, user-friendly and, most important, it does the job. I’ve been using the free version, which gives you 2GB of storage. As much as it sucks when a cool start-up is snapped up by a corporate behemoth, it’s encouraging to see that Mozy attracted a $76-million takeover offer – a huge win for its investors who provided $1.9-million in financing. Here’s hoping EMC doesn’t screw up a very good thing.

Blackberry Buyers Remorse

Mark Evans — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 13:57:13 +0000

Great, just great! A week after I get a new Blackberry 8800 because it was the only Blackberry that came with GPS, Rogers unveils the Curve 8310 with GPS and a camera – which is the killer one-two punch. I wonder if the good folks at Rogers would be willing to take back my week-old Blackberry for a Curve?

Okrut: Does Anyone Care?

Mark Evans — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 11:42:11 +0000

Apparently, Okrut is coming out with a new look and feel. The question is does anyone care outside of Brazil where Okrut, which is Google’s social networking service, is extremely popular? How is it that Google can have such a strong brand and large followings for search, blogging and GMail but be such a minor player in the hot social networking space? You figure Sergey and Larry would have tapped some of the billions in the Google vaults to jump-start the business but therein lies the mysteries of Google.

Has Craig Moved On?

Mark Evans — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 19:52:21 +0000

ValleyWag is suggesting that Craigslist domo Craig Newmark may be moving on – a possibility fueled by the fact he’s no longer listed on the company’s management page. With the iconic Craig out of the day-to-day picture could this be a sign that Craigslist is ready to really embrace capitalism and the concept of maximizing profits? With eBay getting more serious about Kijiji, now may be the right time for Craigslist to jump-start its strategic direction and expand its business – and I’m not talking about attracting more free listings.
Update: Rumours of Craig’s departure are premature. He’s alive, well and continues on as Mr. Customer service for Craigslist. See his comment.