Giving up coffee for the Web
A recent survey asked American Internet users if they would give up their daily dose of java if it meant they could do some personal Web surfing while on the job. The results showed that half of them would. The poll showed 61 per cent of employees surveyed have spent break time accessing personal sites, using an average of 3.1 hours a week versus the 12.8 hours workers spend doing work-related surfing. Many companies have Internet policies that allow for reasonable personal use such as e-mailing a doctor to reschedule an appointment or online shopping while on lunch break.
iPod and Nike take a run together
Nike and Apple have teamed up to offer a running shoe that communicates with an iPod nano. The Nike+iPod sports kit provides an electronic sensor that’s inserted in the inner sole of Nike’s new running shoe called the Moire. The sensor in the shoe then communicates to a small wireless receiver that is attached the runner’s iPod nano. While running and listening to music, a voice will intermittently update the runner on how far they’ve gone and at what pace. The data collected can be uploaded to a Mac or PC and then to the Nike Web site, Nikeplus.com, where runners can track their progress, set goals and share their results.
Bush warns grads on technology dangers
At the commencement ceremony for Oklahoma State University, U.S. President George W. Bush advised the graduates to “harness the promise of technology” but not be enslaved by it. “With the Internet, you can communicate instantly with someone halfway across the world — and isolate yourself from family and your neighbours,” he said in his speech. Bush added that graduates should help foster technological advances so the U.S. can compete with the rest of the world, but that the country should also welcome the competition to make “the country stronger and more prosperous.” As well, he told graduates that “science serves the cause of humanity and not the other way around.” However, some of the grads couldn’t make out what Bush was saying because the audio system at the auditorium was so poor that it created a lot of echo.
New Web site shows popular search trends by country
Did you know that the Irish are among the Web’s loneliest users? It’s true, according to the latest Google tool called Google Trends. When you type the word “lonely” into the search field of Google Trends, you will see that Ireland tops the search list for that particular word. What Google Trends does is calculate the ratio of searches for a given term coming from each city, region or language and divide that by the total Google searches coming from the same area. Popular Canadian searches include all things Star Trek, hockey and beer. However, Google Trends does offer a disclaimer on its Web site that warns users the site is still in the early stages of development.”
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