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June 3, 1880 – Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the first wireless telephone message on his newly invented photophone from the top of the Franklin School in Washington, D.C.

“Bell believed that the photophone was his most important invention. The device allowed the transmission of sound on a beam of light. Of the eighteen patents granted in Bell’s name alone, and the twelve that he shared with his collaborators, four were for the photophone.

Bell’s photophone worked by projecting the voice through an instrument toward a mirror. Vibrations in the voice caused similar vibrations in the mirror. Bell directed sunlight into the mirror, which captured and projected the mirror’s vibrations. The vibrations were transformed back into sound at the receiving end of the projection. The photophone functioned similarly to the telephone, except that the photophone used light as a means of projecting the information and the telephone relied on electricity.

Although the photophone was an extremely important invention, it was many years before the significance of Bell’s work was fully recognized. Bell’s original photophone failed to protect transmissions from outside interferences—such as clouds, that easily disrupted transport. Until the development of modern fiber optics, technology for the secure transport of light inhibited use of Bell’s invention. Bell’s photophone is recognized as the progenitor of modern fiber optics.”

(Source: The Library of Congress)

35% of iPhone and Android phone owners use some sort of application before they even get out of bed in the morning! The most popular app? Facebook, of course.

(Based on a study by Ericcson)

Did you know that May is Geeky Crafts Month? We had no idea! In honor of our fellow geeks, here are some of the fun creations we’ve discovered to celebrate this special month -

Stormtrooper Cufflinks by Cosmo Fashion Slave

Firefly Cross Stitch Pattern by weelittlestitches on Etsy

XBOX Soap made by Digitalsoaps on Etsy

According to a study from CNN, while almost half of all computers have some type of Malware, 83% of people think their computers are clean. Experts think that people find technology too confusing or they just don’t make it a priority. Between the confusion of getting started and the nervousness of pulling the trigger, many users fear they will do more harm that good if they work on their own PC, compounded by the fact that they don’t know how to hire a professional to do the work.

Just like your car, computers have parts that wear out just like a belt or engine part, that require replacing. Whether it’s replacing your hard drive to increase speed or running a periodic Malware check, every bit helps to extend the life of your computer. And as always, make sure you are backing up your data, both locally and off-site.

Have a great weekend everyone!

March 31st is National Backup Day and this is one silly holiday that you will definitely want to pay attention to.

You might wonder why this day is actually necessary? Well, for starters, last year at this time, only 8% of those surveyed were backing up their data on a daily basis.

In the past, we have posted articles and tips about backups but here’s a few tips, to make sure you are securely backing up all of your critical data:

• The most important tip in backing up your data, is backing up your backup. Make sure you have a local and off-site backup of your data, at all times.

• Check your backup logs to make sure they are actually backing up the data required, not just running logs.

• Archive your data every 12 months.

For more information, visit the official World Backup Day website.

Just as Amazon has released its own version of the Android Marketplace, called the “Appstore”, with 3,800 apps upon launch – they are being sued by Apple for trademark infringement.

Read more in this excerpt from Fast Company:

Apple filed a trademark protection over the phrase “App Store” after the release of the iPhone 3G, making what an independent observer may deem a sensible business move — especially since the App Store is now earning Apple a slight profit, and its archive of apps for iPhone and iPad (and now the Mac too) is an incredibly potent advertising lever.

As a result, the computer giant is now suing to prevent Amazon from using the phrase “Appstore” in any way, including marketing, and is also seeking damages. The accusation is that it’s a direct trademark infringement that may “confuse and mislead customers” according to an Apple spokesperson, which is the kind of half-true legal phrase often trotted out in cases like this.

What results do you think Apple is looking for with this lawsuit?

Deadline.com was the first to announce that Netflix is in serious talks to buy ‘House of Cards’, a new drama series produced and directed by David Fincher, whose last work was the controversial movie about Facebook, “The Social Network”. Starring Kevin Spacey, this political drama is based on a British mini-series.

Is has also been reported that Netflix outbid AMC and HBO for rights, rumored to cost over $1 million, sending a huge signal to Hollywood and networks that have been less than cooperative in getting content to Netflix in the past.

Read the details here – “Is Netflix building a ‘House of Cards’ in original programming? ” (LA Times)

Today is March 14th, or as geeks know it – Pi Day! Here are some random facts about Pi (3.14…)

• Geometry: Half the circumference of a circle with a radius of 1 is exactly pi

• Record for calculation: 5 trillion, by Shigeru Kondo (Japan) and Alexander J. Yee (United States) in August 2010

• Record for memorization: 67,890 digits, by Chao Lu (China) in November 2005

• How random? There are no occurences of the sequence 123456 in the first million digits of pi

• Pi Day: In 2009, Congress voted in favor of supporting March 14 as Pi Day

Source: “The Joy of Pi,” Guinness World Records

It seems that even Facebook has limits.  A new app was released this week called Breakup Notifier, which allows you to track friends that are in relationships so when their status changes, you can swoop in. Facebook is currently blocking this third-party application, despite 3.7 million users in the first three days that it was available. The official statement from Facebook is that they are “looking into it.”

Nothing says friendship like stalking your friend and then trying to pursue them while they are still picking up the pieces of their last relationship.

What do you think? Creepy or cool?