Brandon Dimmel

Bit Torrents have arisen from the ashes of illegal file sharing protocols like Limewire and Kazaa. Although open source users maintain that the law makes Torrent downloads difficult to condemn, already the digital rights authorities are turning ... their focus to shutting down some of the web's most popular Torrent sites. First up may be TorrentSpy, which has recently been ordered to monitor and track those using its database. The new arrangement is the result of a May court decision which is only now becoming public. A California federal judge has tasked TorrentSpy with keeping a log of its ... (view more)

For many techies, whiling away the hours on audio/video forums or in online gaming sessions, sugary sodas are the key to staying attentive. Anyone who's stared at a computer screen for more than eight hours a day knows that something extra -- be it ... coffee, tea, or pop -- is often needed to prevent one from passing out on their keyboard. Unfortunately, now it seems techies, and just about everyone else, have been given one more reason to stay away from Coca-cola and the like. Aside from dousing the insides with sugar (causing weight gain, dental issues, and even diabetes), sodas are now being ... (view more)

When Blu-ray and HD-DVD players launched into the home market last year, most consumers balked at the technology. Why? Despite some very impressive image resolutions, both the players and movies were far more expensive than the average DVD player. ... Those that could afford one of the two preferred Toshiba's HD-DVD lineup, however, since it retailed for about $400, or less than half the cost of the cheapest Blu-ray device. That's all changing now, as Blu-ray continues to drop in price. (Source: monstersandcritics.com ) During the latter half of 2007, Toshiba certainly owned the advantage over ... (view more)

If you're going to "Blame Canada", blame it for some of the most exciting scientific research in recent decades. Mere months after 20-somethings from McMaster University in Hamilton, ON won acclaim for their "CPR Glove", a professor at the ... University of Western Ontario in London is now being credited for a major discovery. According to the London Free Press, geologist Neil Banerjee has stumbled upon evidence of life some 3.35 billion -- yes, billion -- years ago. The finding surrounds a series of fossilized tunnels in Australia. The pathways were carved a very, very long time ago by microbes ... (view more)

Not long ago, Apple's most public figure and CEO Steve Jobs promised that the semi-anticipated iPhone would sell ten million times over the course of its first full year available (2008). Amidst rumors that the eventual release would be pushed back ... later into the summer of 2007, Jobs and Apple have surprised the media with news that the iPhone will in fact reach retail shelves by the end of this month. Consumers can expect a chance to try out the new device in all its glory on Thursday, June 29. (Source: xinhuanet.com ) When I discussed Jobs' predictions for the iPhone, it startled me (and ... (view more)

In a recent commentary on Apple's upcoming and highly anticipated iPhone, British publication "The Register" outlined a number of reasons why the device is unlikely to fulfill Steve Jobs' lofty sales expectations for its first full year. The Apple ... CEO hopes his new baby will be grabbed up some ten million times in 2008, a prediction The Register counters with a number of critical factors making much lower sales figures far more reasonable. Although The Register provides some solid evidence, it really needs just one, central dynamic in its list: the iPhone's cost. Jobs hasn't used complicated ... (view more)

Thank security software gurus McAfee for confirming what most of us had come to believe: searching on the Internet can be dangerous to your computer's health. The company recently launched a survey under its "SiteAdvisor" division, and some of the ... results are startling. According to McAfee, searches for the following: "digital music", "tech toys", and "to do online" returned some very shady websites. McAfee says that between 35% to as many as half of the domains popping up with these search terms are considered "risky", whether entered into Google, Yahoo!, MSN, or any other search engine. As ... (view more)

Although it seems as if everyone was wrong about the Microsoft purchase of Yahoo, there have been a few other notable acquisitions online in the last few weeks. First, there was Google's incorporation of advertising firm DoubleClick, a move that ... should consolidate the big G's hegemonic presence on the web. Now, there's word that major television broadcaster CBS has soaked up Last.fm, a hugely popular Internet radio project. So, what is Last.fm? We all know CBS for its Dan Rathers, corny holiday made-for-TV movies, and CSI crime-o-ramas, but many web users may still be unfamiliar with Last.fm ... (view more)

Although it seems as if everyone was wrong about the Microsoft purchase of Yahoo, there have been a few other notable acquisitions online in the last few weeks. First, there was Google's incorporation of advertising firm DoubleClick, a move that ... should consolidate the big G's hegemonic presence on the web. Now, there's word that major television broadcaster CBS has soaked up Last.fm, a hugely popular Internet radio project. So, what is Last.fm? We all know CBS for its Dan Rathers, corny holiday made-for-TV movies, and CSI crime-o-ramas, but many web users may still be unfamiliar with Last.fm ... (view more)

For those passionate about their computer hardware, sometimes the argument between purchasing an Apple Macintosh or a Windows PC is a heated debate. Followers of the "Mac" spout a long list of reliability and security factors, while owners of PC ... machines espouse an equally long list of compatible software. With such a rivalry, it's not surprising that the heads of each company are often bickering about who creates the superior product: emotions that have awkwardly moved from one side of the spectrum to the next in recent days. On the one hand, online publication AppleInsider has painted a ... (view more)