Craig.Carlen[Online].com

So it was just over a week ago that I had a few words about Dell. Looks like the New York Attorney General felt much the same as I do. Well yesterday a New York state judge agreed. Finding Dell…

…has engaged in repeated misleading, deceptive and unlawful business conduct,including false and deceptive advertising of financing promotions and the terms of warranties, fraudulent, misleading and deceptive practices in credit financing and failure to provide warranty service and rebates.

You can read the full text of the decision here.

I could only wish we lived in New York state. Dell did much the same to us that the NY AG is complaining about. Bait and switch on the Dell Preferred Account - when we purchased my wife’s computer the interest rate was listed as 0% as a 18 month promotional rate - the first bill showed with the interest rate at a whopping 29% but Dell Financial was unwaivering on changing it. And of course since Dell’s return policy is 14 days we couldn’t return the computer because the bill was deferred for 60 days. We never received promised rebates after mailing the proper documentation to Dell’s rebate center numerous times. Even when we had to have my wife’s laptop serviced the problem wasn’t completely fixed. And by the time I contacted them about fixing the problem again we were two days past the service contract’s expiration. And I can only say if you want an enjoyable experience rivaling that of having your teeth pulled, try calling Dell on a service issue after your service contract has expired. Better yet, try the on-line chat.  And yet if you’re a small business or enterprise client of Dell they bend over backwards to satisfy your needs.  Too bad they have forgotten it was selling to the average Joe that put Dell on the map.

There are few things I can guarantee in life - but of the few I can, I’ve just added never owning another Dell to the list.

Let’s face it: your identity on the World Wide Web may not be your own.  And conversely, you may not be who you say you are.  The World Wide Web is after all as anonymous as we want it -or allow it - to be.

When MySpace became popular I made a conscious decision to not sign up.  I did my research and discovered plenty of security holes that existed.  There were dozens of ways for people to access personal data on MySpace - for example, someone anonymously sends you a video with a embedded link that would reveal your password when you enter it thinking your need to be logged in to view that video.  Most if not all of the security holes in MySpace are created using third part applications that simply exist for phishing purposes.

Sheesh…it’s been a while.  I really can’t put a finger one what kept me from posting - but whatever it was, hopefully I’ll be back to posting fairly regularly.

Tonight while I was having a Insomniac moment (thankfully I have them far less than I have in the past) I found this article about Apple.  I don’t know why, but the article just strikes me as kinda funny - maybe it’s that I’m just not a PC kinda guy.  Maybe it’s I’m amazed that we’re at a point in society that any of this even matters.

Anyway, I’m off to sell my iPod mini - and buy some Dunkin Donuts coffee.

Okay, I’m not a huge Microsoft fan. I get tired of the constant updates to my operating system and to be honest, it often feels like they get more wrong than they get right. When Microsoft acquired SeaDragon, it wasn’t big news.

Sellaband may be onto something. They might just have found a new and viable alternative to the antiquated music industry. In a nutshell their idea is to marry social financing with independent bands looking to make it big. And the idea may just work.

I’ve never been a big fan of Microsoft’s consumer connectivity products: Internet Explorer, Outlook Express and Outlook. Maybe it’s because they are Microsoft products and I don’t want to be tied too closely to one software provider or maybe it’s because I don’t find them as usable as other similar products. In any event, I use Mozilla’s Firefox to browse, Mozilla’s Thunderbird for e-mail and contacts, and Google Calendar for well, a calendar.

HD - High Definition. Usually synonymous with television or video, HD is one of the new digital broadcast standards that will be fully implemented by February 17, 2009. But one of our local news stations has taken HD to a new level…and I’m not sure what to think of it.

Take the time to know me and you’ll soon find out I can be a bit critical of the local new stations in this market. West Michigan is the 38th largest television market in the United States and I swear we have some of the cheesiest newscasting in the country. We have reporters and anchors that get so involved with a story that it’s as if they have a personal stake in the outcome. It’s rare, but it happens. And when it does happen, it’s painfully obvious. I recall when Grand Rapids wanted to sell some city owned property near the water treatment facility on Monroe Ave.

Is it me or has Google grown? I know that’s sort of a rhetorical question but I guess I get so accustomed to utilizing Google from my browser’s toolbar I never took the time to really notice what Google has been up to. And I’ve got to say, I’m rather impressed. I know there are plenty of people convinced that any company that large and with that much control is too large and has too much control. But come on - at least Google doesn’t treat their users like Microsoft (can you say Vista?) or even Apple. I found it pretty interesting that Google makes much of their code available to outside users - even for profit companies. I’d like to see Microsoft or Apple do that (without asking for an arm, leg and your next born in return).

A few things about Google that really intrigue me: