Showing 81 - 90 of 98
Is Twitter's number up?
Life, James Hein, Published on 17/10/2012
» Some time ago the stock exchange in the US had problems because online trading was new and how quickly people would react to a perceived change in the market was unexpected. Fast forward to 2012 and the age of the tweet and online flash mobs and we find ourselves in a similar situation but with a broader scope.
Phone wars heat up
Life, James Hein, Published on 12/09/2012
» Has anyone noticed how phone-centric we seem to have become? For the most part I still use my phone as a phone and to occasionally send an SMS. Since I upgraded to a Galaxy S3 I have yet to reinstall many of the apps I put on my S2 and even though I get regular notifications of incoming emails, I never check them with my phone and no, I do not use Twitter. My favourite Android apps are Magnify, Google Sky Map and Open GPS Tracker. Other people I notice around me seem to be buried in their phones far more often. Facebook, email, Twitter, SMS and a plethora of other programmes are on the go while driving, walking, cycling and running, eating and working. My nieces sit on the couch and play games on their parents' phones when I see them, and more and more I see fewer children outside playing. The smartphone has replaced the diary and, for some, the notebook.
Smartphone patent battle is pretty dumb
Life, James Hein, Published on 28/08/2012
» This week it's time to take a look at the ongoing phone wars. Nokia and RIM, makers of the Blackberry, are essentially out of the market leaving Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and a number of Asian providers.
A return to form
Life, James Hein, Published on 31/07/2012
» It is good to be back on the pages of the Bangkok Post. For those diehards who kept reading my Currents blog during the interim, you can now relax with the expanded Life section and catch up here. The new Currents will be the same as the old Currents but with less technical and programming bits in the shorter format.
Farewell to two decades of navigating the currents
Database, James Hein, Published on 05/01/2011
» I had written and submitted this article before I heard the news. The Bangkok Post is reorganising its publication and Post Database is all but vanishing in the new format. So as far as I know this will be my last article as 'Currents' is one of those that will vanish in the reorganisation.
Why digital tagging can be both a gift and a curse
Database, James Hein, Published on 22/12/2010
» Long time readers will know that I support the idea of Google Maps, Google Earth and even Street View. There are a myriad of excellent uses that such technologies can be out to. Like most tools, they can be used in different ways, especially if they are combined with other technologies.
When upgrading can be a backwards step
Database, James Hein, Published on 10/11/2010
» It can sometimes be interesting to see how people view computers and applications. Many years ago I put together a small Access application that was used by my father, an archaeologist, to track pottery sherds discovered in digs in Thailand. It wasn't a very complex application in IT terms _ a simple database and a couple of forms _ but it was very useful to my father for his work.
Make your machine quicker and smoother
Database, James Hein, Published on 20/10/2010
» OK, be honest, when was the last time you performed any preventative maintenance on your home Windows machine? I'm guessing quite a while. It's time to grab a couple of utilities and look at speeding your machine up a little.
If they didn't want it then, why would they want it now?
Database, James Hein, Published on 08/09/2010
» A number of companies are now readying their iPad challenger. But why? What has changed in the past 10 years to suggest people who once rejected pen or touchscreen computing will now embrace it?
Can tablets, 3D move beyond niche markets?
Database, James Hein, Published on 28/07/2010
» Forget the iPad for a moment and consider that the tablet revolution started a decade or so ago and never went anywhere. Today tablet machines occupy a fairly small niche market. People just don't want to interface with a machine using only their fingers on a touch screen. Once the novelty wears off it is back to the notebook or PC computers.