Microsoft Vista does not blow....it sucks.

Check out the comments from Jim Louderback, a former PC Magazine editor, on why he said he's going back to Windows XP, "Now that I’m no longer working at PC Mag, I can finally tell you the truth. Vista blows. Vista is a boat anchor. Vista paid my salary for the past few years, but now that I’m no longer sucking on the Redmond teat I’m going to play hero and tell you what I didn’t dare tell you before."

First, this does not say much for PC Magazine. His statement pretty much ruins my odds of spending time on the site. Seriously, fool me once....

But something I noticed on a friends computer is that if you like Mozilla Firefox, be warned, Vista dummies it down. Now, maybe there is a way to work around it but if there is we could not figure it out.

Basically, you still get to use Firefox, but it strips it of all cool features. This, in my opinion, is raging b.s.

Seriously, what is Microsoft afraid of. IE7 dramatically improved from IE6 and it still is lagging behind Firefox.

The strong arm tactics are criminal and I think Bill Gates should give me a few thousand bucks from my displeasure.

Stylistically, Vista is better, I suppose. There are a few gimmicks that would appeal to a little kid or someone who want to sqeeze a few shower babies over all the lastest and greatest what-have-you's....but overall.....beyond sucky for the wait.

I have very little experience with the MAC but am thinking in another year or so when I'm aiming towards another computer, I'm finally going to rid myself of the Microsoft filth.

It's criminal, nothing less, nothing more.

Great Business and Technology Resource: Fresh New Blogger Brain to Pick!

Sometimes, while sifting through the congested amount of blogs on technology (ahem…this blog for example) it’s difficult to find quality, fresh, innovative information and guides to the ever growing industry. In particular, I find it very difficult to find quality information and view points on business and internet marketing. If you’re looking for a new perspective and some invaluable information, check out The BizMark Tech Blog.

BizMark Tech is owned and operated by “Deb” who’s website goal and motto is

Highlighting some interesting information on business, marketing and technology in a ‘non-technical’ manner. In other words, in basic context that everyone can understand…not so many details that the information becomes overwhelming to the regular non-technical person.

She does just this, in all the facets of internet, technology, advertising, internet business and marketing that anyone involved in the industry should stay up to date on. What I like best about her blog is that every post, within every category, realizes an ultimate goal of communicating a centralized idea, tip, tool or resource. Also, staying true to her goal of communicating in a non-technical manner that is easy to understand, she uses real world examples and possible scenarios that better serve her points.

Her entries are not fluff; they are packed to the brim with to the point internet and business trends analysis, tutorials, guides and more.

To highlight one of her latest posts, titled, “Keeping Your Brand on a Customer’s Mind.” In it, she discusses the concept of pushing your sales and client base through branding. But, instead of giving the reader mind numbing statistics and dictionary definitions, she focuses on a company she recently encountered that happened to stick strong in her mind and make a positive impression. What better way to begin to understand branding then by understanding other brands that make consumers tick?

You can check out her blog at http://www.bizmarktech.com/. don’t forget to go through her categories on the right, they’re packed full of more information!

E-Mail Scams: Tips and Awareness

After watching Oprah, yes I happen to watch an episode of Oprah, I realized that many people are falling for e-mail scams, and how clever these "scammers" are. In fact, I almost fell for a scam E-mail I recieved regarding my PayPal account, if it hadn't been for my internet savvy father warning me before hand. Primarily, I just want to help you to know if you recieve a scam e-mail, and how to avoid making yourself known.

First of all, the scam e-mails are generally related to any type of account with your personal information on the web.

This includes:

• Amazon Accounts
• E-Bay Accounts
• PayPal Accounts

Etc, Etc.

On Oprah, a woman had been bidding on a wedding dress that she couldn't otherwise afford from the store. She won the bid, and followed through with purchasing until she reached a hault due to the fact that she had not met the reserve price. She was very dissapointed, but soon after recieved a professional looking Ebay e-mail saying that though she hadn't met the reserve price, the seller was willing to give her the dress at the price she bid.

Ecstatic, she responded right away asking the seller how she could proceed. In a very friendly way, they asked her to transfer the money into their Western Union account, at which time they would contact her with the shipping details. Hazed with wedding fever, she immediately did so and never once heard back from the recipient of her transfered $2,400.00

What happened here?

Even I was surprised to hear that it wasn't the seller who tricked her, it was someone closely watching the bidding price, and once they realized she had not met the reserve price and saw th auction go back up, contacted her directly using the E-Bay e-mail and ploying on her desperate, vulnerable bride-to-be state.

The moral of the story is it isn't hard to know if an e-mail is a scam. The first tip when diagnosing an e-mail as a possible scam:

1. If you have to think about it, IT PROBABLY IS!
Why? Because professional online account service companies NEVER request personal information, NEVER send account details involving money over e-mail and NEVER navigate you away from their site. All transactions are done through their website, so you know it is legit.

2. DO NOT for even one second, assume it isn't a scam because the company logo, graphics, fonts, etc. are in the e-mail. It is beyond easy to create an e-mail that looks like any one elses.

3. Legitimate online companies NEVER send you a specific link to a portion of their site that asks you to fill in delicate information. They will always ask you to log into your existing account and make changes.

That is pretty much my 2 cents worth of advice, if followed, you will never fall for an e-mail scam. Before I leave you, let me tell you about a common scam with many online account holders...The one I recieved regarding e-bay.

They tell you that they're going to cancel your account, and you need to click a link and fill in your account information otherwise your account will be void.

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