Race, Sex, Your Vote

I am saddened that in 2008, many people will decide how to vote based on nothing more than race or gender.

If you choose not to vote for Barack Obama, let it be because you disagree with his positions, not because he is African-American. Conversely, a vote for Obama shouldn't be cast for no reason other than he is a black man.

Should you choose to vote for John McCain, let it be because he reflects your beliefs, not because he selected a woman as his running mate.

This election is far too important to allow your vote to be determined based on emotional, shallow reasoning. Educate yourself about the candidates and what they stand for. Vote with your brain. Decide who you do want to be your next president, not who you don't want.

Keystone State Summer

Store, Share, and Sync Your Files with DropBox

DropBox is a new free Web 2.0 cross-platform application that allows you to quickly and easily store files both on your computer's hard drive and online. This means you will always have two up-to-date copies of every file in at least two different locations. There's nothing new to learn, nothing special to do. Save and open files to and from your DropBox folder just as you would any other folder. Create sub-folders in the DropBox folder to keep your files organized. No need to remember to copy files to a portable USB drive anymore. You can also share files with friends and colleagues by invitation, no need to email files to yourself or others.

But the best feature of DropBox is that it also keeps your files synced across all the computers you use. Edit a file that's in your DropBox folder and when you save it, the file stored online will update the changes automatically. If you move to a different computer, the edited file will be synced to that computer with no action needed on your part. It's that simple. For someone like me who may use 3 or 4 different computers on different platforms in the course of a day, this is a blessing.

Your DropBox folder works exactly like every other folder on your computer's hard drive. You can quickly access your DropBox folder by simply clicking the DropBox icon in the Windows task bar or Mac menu bar.

Learn more about DropBox by taking the tour.

It comes in Mac, Windows, and Linux flavors. DropBox will make your life simpler. Promise.

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Secure Your MacBook

iAlertU from SlappingTurtle Software is a free application to secure your MacBook computer in public places like cafes or meeting rooms. iAlertU is like a car alarm for your laptop which uses the built-in sudden motion sensor device of the MacBook.

iAlertU can be armed using either the keyboard or the remote. Movement of the MacBook or keyboard/trackpad activity will trigger an audible alarm that will continue sounding even if the computer is closed. The MacBook's built-in iSight camera will snap a photo of the villain and email it to a specified address.