Last night I was wrapping a Christmas present, and because I’m so frugal (that’s fancy talk for cheap), I broke out the ruler and measuring tape to ensure that I minimized wrapping paper waste. It never fails that after wrapping a large item there are a lot of little pieces left over. These scraps [...]
Mathematics - Making an Even Merrier Christmas!
By Bill Wagner on Dec 7, 2007 within Coffee Break, Tips | Comments
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
By Steve Henderson on Nov 22, 2007 within Coffee Break | Comments
Happy Turkey/Tofurky/Turducken Day!!! Whether you’re a vegetarian, meatatarian, or breatharian, we at Zaphu wish you a bountiful holiday break.
Since everyone knows Thanksgiving is the opening act for Christmas, I shall leave everyone with a Charlie Brown Christmas, narrated by the cast of Scrubs. Enjoy, and we’ll see you Monday!!
Amazon Customers Vote - 6 Rounds, 18 Ridiculous Deals
By Riley Porter on Nov 20, 2007 within Coffee Break | Comments
You may be familiar with Amazon’s Customers Vote from years past. Well, it’s back again for 2007 with 6 rounds and 18 different deals (that means 3 products in each round for all of you division-challenged people out there). The voting has already begun, but don’t fret if you haven’t cast your ballot yet because [...]
Recommended Web Reading - 60 Second Science
By Franklin Davis on Nov 13, 2007 within Coffee Break | Comments
You may be familiar with Scientific American. This oldest periodical in the United States has been around since 1845! Well, the magazine that your grandfather’s grandfather might have read has a new website called 60 Second Science. Building on the success of Scientific American’s daily podcast of the same name, 60 Second [...]
E-Messaging Abbreviations of Twenties' Slang
By Sam Davis on Nov 10, 2007 within Coffee Break | Comments
Most of us are familiar with the abbreviated words and phrases finding their way into the electronic messaging vernacular (e.g., BFF, LOL, OMG). Well, what if these abbreviations do not fulfill your e-messaging needs. Heaven forbid you actually have to type out an entire word. In the interest of expanding the e-messaging lexicon, I’ve decided [...]
Grammar Mistakes Commonly Found in Digital Communication
By Riley Porter on Nov 7, 2007 within Coffee Break, Featured | Comments
Have you ever opened your email and cringe because you know the sender is sure to include some grammar mistake that just grinds your nerves? Maybe you’re one of those guilty people who still don’t know the difference between its and it’s. Sure, many grammar mistakes probably result from quick fingers and typos, but some [...]
Google 411 Graduates from Labs, Still Free
By Franklin Davis on Oct 15, 2007 within Coffee Break, Google | Comments
Google’s free telephone directory assistance tool has graduated from Google Labs to a full-fledged Google service. If you haven’t tried GOOG-411, simply dial 1-800-GOOG-411 from any phone and follow the automated directions. The voice recognition is actually quite good and FREE sure beats the big telephone companies trying to charge $1.50 [...]
Sun to Set on the Internet Tax Freedom Act
By Sam Davis on Oct 7, 2007 within Coffee Break, Featured | Comments
On November 1st, the most recent extension of the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA) will expire. This law was originally enacted (and signed by Bill Clinton) in 1998 in an effort to preserve the commercial and educational potential of the internet. Its purpose is to bar federal, state, and local governments from taxing internet access [...]
Internet Censorship - A Digg “Bury Brigade” Case Study
By Sam Davis on Sep 24, 2007 within Coffee Break, Featured | Comments
Wikipedia defines censorship as “the removal and/or withholding of information from the public by a controlling group or body.” When I think of censorship, images of the communist governments of the old Soviet Bloc and goose stepping Nazis come to mind. But of course, the attempts of “controlling groups” to silence “dangerous” ideas and erase [...]
Images for the Week of Sept 21st
By Franklin Davis on Sep 21, 2007 within Coffee Break, Images | Comments
Here are some interesting images that I have come across recently. Have you seen an amazing image I missed? Leave me a note in the comments and I’ll add it to the next collection.
Disclaimer: All credit for the images should go to the website linked in the image.
Images for the Week of Sept 14th, 2007
By Franklin Davis on Sep 14, 2007 within Coffee Break, Images | Comments
Here are some interesting images that I have come across recently. Have you seen an amazing image I missed? Leave me a note in the comments and I’ll add it to the next collection.
Disclaimer: All credit for the images should go to the website linked in the image.
Google to Sponsor $30 Million in Lunar X Prizes [News]
By Franklin Davis on Sep 13, 2007 within Coffee Break, Google | Comments
Fresh on the heels of securing a $1.3 million annual parking permit for their corporate jet (Boeing 767) at NASA’s airfield near Mountain View, CA the search giant now appears ready to offer up the largest X Prize to date ($20 million for the first competitor to land a robotic rover on the Moon that [...]
Warning: Blu-ray and HD-DVD Might Both Fail [Opinion]
By Franklin Davis on Sep 11, 2007 within Coffee Break, Featured | Comments
The battle for superiority between Toshiba’s HD-DVD and Sony’s Blu-ray is in full swing, or is it? HD-DVD announced with much bravado the defection of Paramount to its camp. Sony on the other hand parades around shouting that sales of Blu-ray are exceeding HD-DVD (thanks largely to the PS3). However, the giant [...]
Warning: Computer Required to Visit Computer History Museum Online
By Sam Davis on Sep 7, 2007 within Coffee Break | Comments
Alright, so that is a ridiculous title, but I read this afternoon on www.copyblogger.com that headlines beginning with “Warning” lure readers in like moths to a flame so I thought I would give it a try. Seriously though, a computer (and internet connection) are required to access The Computer History Museum’s online exhibits, some of [...]
iPhone Versus Newton - Techno Grudge Match [Humor]
By Sam Davis on Sep 1, 2007 within Apple, Coffee Break | Comments
In the mid 90’s Apple’s Newton (actually Newton was the OS name; the device was called Message Pad) was king of the PDA mountain. A decade or so and about 7 iterations of Moore’s Law later, the world was introduced to the sleek and chic iPhone. Did the Newton fail to draw a mainstream following [...]
