Backspin

By Mark Gibbs

The problem with free search

12/04/08

Gibbs ponders the effect that commercial pressure has had on the results returned by the major search engines.

Tough times and risk management, Part 2

12/01/08

Gibbs discussed the concept of risk management in IT a couple of weeks ago, and vowed to continue with a discussion of the consequent politics. True to his word, here 'tis . . .

The fifth Golden Turkey Awards

11/20/08

For the fifth time Mark Gibbs announces the Gibbs Golden Turkey Awards and this year he picks on just one company.

Tough times and risk management

11/13/08

Think the economy is bad now? Hah! You're looking at five to 10 years until things turn around. So, if you're in it for the long haul what can you do? Gibbs has some thoughts about the value of risk management.

Will white spaces equal more choices?

11/07/08

The FCC has just approved the unlicensed use of the spectrum being freed up by the switch of television broadcasters from analog to digital transmission. Will the freed-up "White Spaces" give us more ISP choices?

How good is your company’s customer service

10/30/08

If you are IT at a company that provides customer service you have a huge opportunity to identify the limitations of the service your company provides and improve it.

Employee ghosts haunt your systems

10/23/08

When people leave your organization they leave behind a ghost, a collection of data that could have a serious negative impact on your organization and your job. Here’s how to exorcise those ghosts.

Four tactics for surviving the doom and gloom

10/17/08

Times are hard. The economy is in the toilet. Don't let IT slow down -- now is the time to show what you are made of! Gibbs has four steps for surviving the downturn.

Errant e-mail to me will cost you

10/10/08

Ignorance of the law doesn't work with speeding tickets and it doesn't work with technology. Both can cost you.

Palin and politics: lots to talk about

10/03/08

Gibbs discusses reader feedback to last week's column about the break-in of Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin's e-mail account and the heady intersection of IT and politics.

Palin's e-mail and expert mistakes

09/25/08

Experts aren't infallible. Whether they are mushroom collectors, e-mail providers, political candidates or IT professionals, they can get things wrong. If we're talking mushrooms, the results can be fatal.

Food, vampires and IT

09/18/08

The Texas State Fair offers food only a fiend could think of, and IT vendors seduce you with stuff you need that traps you. It’s the vampire economy folks.

Being in control and illusory losses

09/12/08

With computers we can control our businesses and that makes us believe we can save money by getting rid of some inefficiencies. The trouble is the world doesn’t really work that way.

How to Ruin a Great Application

09/04/08

Xcelsius was a market-defining product, but sloppiness, neglect and ignoring its users could be its doom.

Vista: IT loves it, hates it

08/28/08

Seems that Microsoft Vista is both loved and hated in the IT world – which depends on who you’re listening to. Let’s find out what you really think.

Seinfeld and Microsoft: more proof that IT is crazy

08/22/08

Gibbs discusses how crazy the IT world is and highlights Microsoft marketing and its use of Seinfeld as evidence that it is completely insane.

Milli Vanilli, the Chinese, Apple and forgiveness

08/14/08

As with Milli Vanilli before them, the Chinese and Apple have breached our faith – the Chinese with fake fireworks and Apple with a secret back door into the iPhone. Who might we forgive?

Turning you into an actuary

08/08/08

E-discovery is big and getting bigger and you need to be doing it. The results will change you and your organization.

UCE, shouting into thunder

07/31/08

UCE, or unsolicited commercial e-mail, that makes you work to get it to stop is bad enough, but when it is flagrantly and unashamedly in violation of the law a whole new set of feelings come into play.

City of San Francisco management fails

07/24/08

That a San Francisco City network manager could become a 'rogue' and the city's network compromised is the fault of inadequate city management.

SCO and just desserts

07/17/08

SCO is in Chapter 11 and now must pay Novell over $2.5 million. Are we getting near to the end of the story?

Privacy and the red pill

07/10/08

Let's face it. Your privacy really doesn't exist. For a few bucks anyone can get the details of your life. What can be done to get our privacy back?

Top-level domains rethought

07/02/08

At ICANN's recent Paris meeting the board unanimously agreed to allow the creation of arbitrarily named top level domains by those with deep pockets. Gibbs thinks that this is not a good idea.

Privacy? Hah!

06/26/08

Continuing from last week’s Backspin Gibbs relates some user feedback and discovers that your data (and his) is available to pretty much anyone who wants to look at it.

Debt collectors mining your secrets

06/19/08

Gibbs gets a call from a debt collector and learns about skip tracing and the largely unregulated industry behind it.

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