Q 103 - Albany's #1 Rock Station » Tech Thursday

Steve Jobs: His Legacy – Tech Thursday

Big Rich — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:00:36 +0000

I have been trying to write this story for hours now. It’s not hard to talk about someone like Steve Jobs and recite facts about him. Yes, he pioneered how we consume digital content and how we buy our digital music as well as how we use computers and much more. And while it could be considered corny by some for me to say this, he touched lives all over the world. Just look at Twitter and Facebook. One of those lives he touched, is mine.

Tech Thursday – Are Fax Machines Zombies? Because They Won't Die.

Big Rich — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:30:11 +0000

So last time I checked the calendar, it was 2011. The 21st century. New technology is being developed all the time to improve on older tech or replace it. Some say my beloved hobby of Ham Radio is old and outdated, yet it proves it's worth when disasters, like Irene happen. Then, there is tech like the fax machine. It's like it's a tech zombie because it won't die.

Tech Thursday – Pandora Radio Goes Public

Big Rich — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:30:13 +0000

Yesterday, one of the Internet's most popular websites, went public on the stock market and joined many other tech and dot coms with a very big net value associated with it. Pandora Radio watched it's stock trade at around $20 at it's height during the day, making it worth $3 Billion dollars.

Tech Thursday – Sony Music Japan Hacked

Big Rich — Thu, 26 May 2011 14:00:22 +0000

It seems that Sony has incurred the wrath of hackers these past few months. First it was the PlayStation Network, where PS3 owners can connect their consoles and play others in online games, as well as purchase music and games. Now, Sony's music division is under attack from hackers. The attack has exposed user data leaving Sony in another PR mess.

Tech Thursday – Can an App Fix Parking Problems?

Big Rich — Thu, 19 May 2011 14:30:43 +0000

While I was in Troy recently, I drove around the block where a store I go to was located, about 5 times looking and hoping for someone to pull out and leave an opening I could get into. If I had this app before I got to the street the store I visit was on, I could have known where to park before I got there and saved myself a trip around the block.

Tech Thursday – Google's Music Locker Launches Without Record Labels

Big Rich — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:30:59 +0000

A month ago, I did a story about Amazon's Cloud Player that lets you upload music from your music library on your computer so you can access it from any WiFI or 3G connection. Google has now started it's cloud music service, and in Google fashion it's in limted beta to start, but unlike Amazon, is launching without licensing permission from the labels.

Tech Thursday – Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Big Rich — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:30:42 +0000

When it came to my mom, choosing a gift for her was really tough. Giving her something she wouldn’t use was always a constant fear. So here are 3 ideas to hopefully help spark more ideas on what you could get Mom or the mother of your children, for this coming Mother’s Day. First up, [...]

Tech Thursday – Sony's PSN Hacked: Customer Data In The Wild!

Big Rich — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:30:56 +0000

This has not been a good year so far for Sony. First their main encryption key for the PS3 was broken and then the data on how to do it was released on the Internet. Now Sony has announced that their PlayStation Network, has been hacked and customer's personal info may have been stolen.

Tech Thursday – Why Is Your Smartphone Tracking You? (UPDATED)

Big Rich — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:10:33 +0000

A recent discovery of a data base stored on the iPhone, that shows the phone tracks your whereabouts, not very precisely though, has some chilling effects when it comes to privacy. This seems to be the big news story in the tech world at the moment, as people speculate why this is being done. There’s [...]

Tech Thursday – Music from the Cloud by Amazon

Big Rich — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:30:22 +0000

There’s an old adage that “Everything old is new again.” Take a look at fashion and the reboots of TV shows and movies. It almost like we’re all stuck in a rut for a good new idea. Amazon now seems to be in that group too with their Cloud Drive service. Please don’t get me [...]

Tech Thursday – C-3P0 Drafted by The Military?

Big Rich — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:30:11 +0000

When the military goes to a foreign country, because of war or just to help, they need to speak the language. And training troops on a large scale is expensive and in most cases impractical. So they needed a solution, and like many others, they found it in science fiction. DARPA has announced a new [...]

Tech Thursday – Mercury Rising: Photos from 1st Rock

Big Rich — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:30:33 +0000

Little is known about the surface of the 1st planet in our solar system. One thing we do know, is that when you stand on the day side, the Sun is hot enough to melt lead. That right there is a bad sunburn waiting to happen. But the Messenger spacecraft is now in orbit above Mercury taking photos and giving us a new look at the 1st Rock from the Sun.

Tech Thursday – Air Force's Supercomputer is No Game!

Big Rich — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:30:12 +0000

A little less than 100 miles from the Capital Region is one of the world’s most powerful, and fastest super computers. It belongs to the Air Force’s Research Lab in Rome, NY. It’s also the cheapest, having been built from 1700 PlayStation 3 game consoles. The Air Force calls it The Condor and says it’s [...]

Tech Thursday – Streaming Media is Big Business

Big Rich — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:30:23 +0000

Netflix, Hulu, ABC, NBC and now Time Warner. What do all of these have in common? Streaming media to you through the internet and making big money.

Tech Thursday – Ooma Telo Internet Telephone

Big Rich — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:30:32 +0000

This is another review of a device I have owned for some time, and feel it’s really worth the money I paid for it. Plus the fact the basic service is free, makes Ooma Telo a great replacement for a land line phone. If you’ve seen the MagicJack commercials on TV advertising lower cost telephone service using [...]

Tech Thursday – Review of the WD TV Live Hub Media Player

Big Rich — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:30:46 +0000

There are many solutions in the marketplace for storing and watching your digital media at home. Pictures, videos, music and now streaming services too, like Netflix. Here’s one solution I found and love to use myself. I looked at a lot of the media setup boxes out there and the Western Digital TV Live series [...]

Tech Thursday – Tax on Your Cell Phone At All Time High

Big Rich — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:29:05 +0000

It’s no big secret that New York has some of the highest taxes in the country. Property, sales, and income to name a few. But a new report also shows that New Yorkers pay more than 20 percent of their wireless bills in taxes and fees thanks to outdated and duplicated surcharges. I was rendered [...]

Tech Thursday – Smartphones Take Back-Seat To Tablets

Big Rich — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:30:36 +0000

When Apple unveiled the iPod it was a huge hit. Challengers to it never came close. When Apple brought out the iPhone, it was a huge success and made current phones on the market look like toys. Then the iPad came to be and many companies are playing catchup again. Can Google's Honeycomb OS give them a shot at beating the iPad?