Monday, December 22, 2008

online job searches

It's an ugly fact, but it can't be ducked. The economy, especially in this part of the country, is hurting. That's been felt by a disturbing number of people, who may or may not have been in the job market recently. If it's been a while, you may not know about some of the online tools available to help job-seekers.
First off, here's a list of online job-posting sites, via the blog Lifehacker. Those online ads, while often great, are kind of a mixed bag, though. Just like traditional job searches, it pays to check multiple venues.
The Akron Beacon Journal runs a portion of its classifieds through online posting service Monster: here's that list.
And, finally, here's a link to the employment classifieds over at the Cleveland Plain Dealer.


Friday, December 12, 2008

Teacher cracks down on Linux users

Here's a fun one, via the tech blog HardOCP. A teacher noticed her student using Linux on a laptop. Her reaction? Putting an immediate stop to it and confiscating all the discs the student had. Seems she didn't believe any software could be free (though in the reprinted letter she does admit to trying Linux in college - one wonders what she thinks Linux is, exactly). Anyway, she wrote her letter to a Linux forum threatening legal action.
There is a serious element here, though. Namely, it underscores the challenge Open Source software faces. In many cases it -- not just Linux, but also OpenOffice, Gimp, and all those others so many of us have grown to love -- is just as good, or even better, than its commercial equivalent. But we live in an ownership society, and in the minds of many something that has no cost cannot have any value.
Someday we'll live in a world where teens don't have to experiment with Linux behind the barn and where college experiences with software aren't abandoned by adults. Until then, many people are likely to miss out on some great stuff as they skip over some excellent tech products.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Google archive of Life Magazine pics

Here's something the Internet is perfectly suited for. Google, as part of its ongoing efforts to digitize everything, has gotten hold of Life Magazine's photo archives. Here's the story, via HotHardware.com.
For the younger readers, Life Magazine was a powerful part of American journalism, known for its photography. Many of its photographs serve as the most memorable images of the 20th century.
Interestingly, while the project is up and running and the pictures are easily accessible, there doesn't seem to be any copyright information included. Presumably the parent companies and photographers have not relinquished their copyrights. But given other recent stories about Google landing in hot legal water for its liberal take on intellectual property, I would have expected to see a disclaimer.