Category Archives: Technology

How to Link to a Website Without Improving Its Search Engine Position

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You’ve heard the saying “there’s no such thing as bad publicity”? While not always true, it IS the case that any online mention of a website URL improves its “score” in search engines like Google and Bing.

This means that if you want to alert your web readers to a site that is promoting a scam, fraud, bad science, or other misinformation your very use of that site’s address will improve it’s “score” for searches on related keywords. For example, a site that claims global warming is a myth will appear closer to the top of searches on “global warming”.

So how do you discuss this site without giving it a search engine boost? Continue reading →

What Are the Tech Specs For My Apple Product?

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Apple releases so many slightly-tweaked models of their computers and other devices that it can be difficult to remember exactly which one you have, e.g., “is this an early 2008 or a late 2008 MacBook?”

This can be important when you are considering the purchase of an external accessory that requires a specific type of port to connect to your device – you cannot connect a Thunderbolt device to a Firewire port, and a device that wants USB 3.0 may not be happy with a USB 2.0 port (though the reverse is probably okay).

There’s an easy way to find out exactly how your Apple product is configured:

♦ Go to http://support.apple.com/specs/ 

♦ Click the Browse by Product button on the upper right.

♦ In the search field on the next page type your device’s serial number (for a Mac computer, click on the “Apple” at the top left of your desktop, Select “About This Mac”, then “More Info…” to find the serial number)

♦ The search result will be a link to the tech specs of your device.

Beware the Facebook Event Time Bug!

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In most parts of the United States this weekend is the start of Daylight Saving Time – at 2:00AM this Sunday morning clocks are set to 3:00AM, until late next Fall.

Unfortunately, if you have created a Facebook event that is happening this Sunday and you are in a DST-using location, Facebook’s coding is going to mess mightily with the displayed event time, as it gets confused between you creating the event in Standard Time yet the event is in DST.

What happens is:

Continue reading →

Quick Tip: Where to Get AAAA Batteries

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That’s not a typo – i do mean quadruple A! If you are thinking of getting an electronic device that uses them (e.g., an active capacitive iPad stylus) but are thinking “where do I find AAAA batteries?” – fear not! You probably already own some.

How so? If you have a 9-volt battery then you have six AAAA batteries… because that is what’s inside:

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