Facebook hack: Why do we treat digital crimes like natural disasters?

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A question popped into my head while I read a story on the hacks on Facebook this weekend: When did we stop talking about criminal hackers like they’re, well, criminals? The story, a post on the New York Times Bits blog, is typical of the hacking coverage I’ve seen elsewhere in that the culprits aren’t really… Read More…

Five simple steps to get your workweek and task list back under control

Flickr photo via Courtney Dirks

Good intentions don’t always lead to effective execution.  And how you plan your workweek on a Sunday evening or Monday morning rarely reflects how things actually take shape. You may start Monday morning with a tight to-do list, a clear desk and Inbox Zero.  But then other people show up.  Start building your list of… Read More…

What in the world do you ‘Vine’? Back to basics with a creative new platform

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By now you’ve all heard of Vine, the drop-dead simple video app Twitter launched a few weeks ago. It lets you post looping videos up to six seconds long that can have multiple takes, easily, because all you do to record is hold your finger on the screen, and all you do to pause the… Read More…

No kidding? New study says most Facebook users have taken multi-week breaks

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Well, consider me surprised. The Pew Internet and American Life Project just released its latest survey about user behavior on Facebook. A key figure: 61 percent of Facebook users say they’ve taken a voluntary break from the site that’s lasted at least several weeks. They gave several reasons. The three most popular: “Was too busy… Read More…

Paper trumps tech at national library conference

Public Information Kiosk's book vending machine.

I went looking for the digital future of libraries at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting this week. Conveniently, the conference was held in Seattle, near a couple of very forward-looking library systems that make eBooks, mobile apps and digital downloads expected, almost routine. But if the exhibit hall represented the near future for libraries,… Read More…

Ask Andru: Where is Apple’s innovation? It takes time

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The day after Apple’s latest earnings call, I got an email from a reader that asked if the days of Apple leading the world in consumer electronics innovation has come to an end, and if the playing field is leveling out: Q: What’s up with Apple? It seems the stock is down, profits are great,… Read More…

Bitter Suite: Why it’s so hard to squeeze Microsoft Office into my life

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Foiled by storage space! My, how appropriate. Tuesday I signed up for the free trial of the new Microsoft Office 365 Home Premium (wow that’s a mouthful). The newest version of the perennial office applications suite launched yesterday morning, with a new subscription option for consumers, and I figured I’d give it a try, since,… Read More…

My first month with the Nike FuelBand: Stay out of my way and we’re cool

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Past the TV. Through the hallway. To the bathroom. “2,484″ fuel points! Past the bookcase. In the den. Back to the TV. “2,492″ fuel points! I turn again, steps muffled by the carpet. Did I make it? Yes, thank God, and just in time; it’s 11:56 p.m. I stop. Catch my breath. Trudge upstairs. It’s… Read More…

Ask the Productivity Geek: 6 questions, 6 answers

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Editor’s Note: This is the first installment in a periodic column where we’ve asked Matt Heinz, who has been writing an occasional column on productivity for GeekWire, to answer questions on topics related to productivity, work/life balance and time management practices.  If you have questions, email Matt directly or leave them in the comments below. When taking… Read More…

3 ways digital media is turning us into 2nd graders

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We are all regressing. And I have proof from an authoritative source: the state of children’s books. The underlying reasons lie in the digital means by which we communicate, forcing increased — and often unreasonable — expectations of speed and brevity, no matter how complicated the concept. My evidence for declaring this probable cause and… Read More…

Hope, heartbreak, recovery: How our big NFL playoff game played out online

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Seattle hearts hurt Sunday. It happened around 1 p.m. In about 31 seconds. Maybe you remember. The Seahawks had just made a stellar comeback, leading the Falcons in the divisional playoff game, 28-27. I was in my friend’s living room, dying. You were at a bar. At home. Wherever. If you were watching TV, you… Read More…

That kid’s viral iPhone contract: 3 things mom got right

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Sometimes the lessons parents teach kids about technology feel like the kinds of things us adults could learn ourselves. Maybe you’ve heard about this: On Christmas Day, 13-year-old Greg Hofmann of Sandwich, Mass., got something he craved — an iPhone 5. The next day, he got the contract. Not the one that got him his… Read More…

New Years Resolutions: 11 ways to increase your productivity in 2013

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We have a specific, measurable set of objectives to drive our business in the New Year, plus I’ve developed with my wife a set of goals for our family in 2013. The 11 resolutions below sit somewhere in the middle. Most are work-related, but together they represent an effort to work smarter and more efficiently,… Read More…

Hey, ‘disrupt’ this! 5 tech terms to banish in 2013

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The New Year is a time for us to reflect on the past, make adjustments for the future and — in tech — to clean up our language. Every few years, I whip myself into a linguistic frenzy and create a list. In writing (as well as marketing), the most-effective words are specific, staking a… Read More…

GeekWire’s Gift Guide: 13 great geeky gifts from Seattle

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We asked, you answered, and here’s the result. From cheap to whoooooa pricey, here are our picks for 13 great local gifts for geeks … Geocaching premium membership – $10 for 3 months If your geek is the adventurous type, she might appreciate being introduced to this growing community of treasure hunters. Geocaching, powered by… Read More…

America’s unmet tech challenge: the public radio pledge drive

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This is my favorite time of the year. Because it’s the only time when there are no public broadcasting pledge drives. But wait. While I was typing this sentence my mainstay NPR station announced it was beginning its “December celebration” of a “Favorite Things” weekend. They don’t say “pledge drive,” but there it is: the… Read More…

Hey, Seattle – want to wiki?

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So. Seattle. Do we wiki or what? Seth Vincent thinks it’d be fun. The recent Olympia transplant started SeattleWiki and has spent the last couple months knocking on digital doors, asking for help, support, collaboration — whatever it takes to make this Seattle city wiki the that finally, actually, works. Why? Because maybe we’d like… Read More…

Should Facebook users be allowed to vote on privacy changes?

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You were probably as surprised as I was to get this in an email from Facebook last Wednesday. “We recently announced some proposed updates to our Data Use Policy, which explains how we collect and use data when people use Facebook, and our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (SRR), which explains the terms governing use… Read More…

Am I nuts if I don’t want a tablet?

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I have a confession to make. The Surface is here, the iPad is everywhere, Jeff Bezos is promoting Kindle Fires again and tablets of all kinds are guaranteed to fly off the shelves on Black Friday and beyond. But I still don’t want one. Am I nuts? I’ve heard the arguments for a couple years… Read More…

UW policy restricting reporter tweets is not just claiming rights, but taking turf

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In 2009, the Southeastern Conference, one of the most powerful in college sports, tried something stupid. In a hopeless and short-lived social media policy, it banned fans from tweeting, updating Facebook or sharing in any way live posts from its games. Many are calling the University of Washington’s athletic department just as ignorant this week… Read More…