Politicans want your e-mail

The next presidential election is still well over a year away but online, there’s a fierce battle going on to collect something of tremendous value – your e-mail address. That’s what this week’s NBC-TV report is all about.

Veteran Democratic Political Operative James Carville is using this online video of a mock meeting of the party’s senate election committee aimed at getting everyday people to submit ideas for a bumper sticker to be used in the 2008 campaign. But click the link to submit a slogan and you get a form, soliciting your e-mail address.

Then there’s Hilary and Bill Clinton. They have a YouTube video spoof of the Sopranos finale, seeking votes for a favorite campaign song. You guessed it. The link leads to another effort to grab your e-mail.

Republicans, too, are in on the ploys. All their Web sites seek to lure you in and get your name and info. Why? To qualify you as a supporter, get donations for the campaign and try an entice you to be a volunteer worker.

And all the candidates on both sides are posting videos and personalizing e-mail messages in an attempt to bypass the mainstream media in communicating directly with potential voters. The smoke filled back rooms are have been replaced by online chat rooms and blogs.

Be aware, if you offer up your name and address to these candidates, you’re going to get spammed. A lot.

Is black the new green?

There’s a controversial online movement to get Internet developers to design their Web sites with black backgrounds instead of white or light colors. The rationale is that a black background with white or contrasting text uses markedly less energy than conventional black text on white background designs.
That’s the subject of my NBC-TV report ths week.
Take Blackle… which offers sort of a reverse image of Google. It claims to save massive amounts of energy…and that the real Google… if it used a black background… would use 750 million fewer watt hours of energy a year.
Since Blackle went online a few months ago, a host of similar sites have cropped up, all claiming that the black backgrounds they use require less energy on the older CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitors that are still in use.
But here’s the issue…Most newer monitors today are LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) flat screens and are much more energy efficient. And because they use a backlight that is always on, it makes little difference what color the screen is.
That’s what the real Google says, that this whole black is green movement is not very effective because only about 20-25 percent of the monitors in use today are of the old energy-hogging type.
But tell that to the Net’s greenies who claim that even if the energy savings are small, they all add up and every time we use less energy, the better it is.
One thing all the experts agree on is perhaps the best way to save tech energy is to turn off computers and monitors when not in use. And don’t forget to power down printers, too.

New Apple iMacs are head-turners

Apple is at it again. Six weeks after introduction of its revolutionary iPhone, the company has made a huge evolutionary step forward with its very popular iMac desktop computers.
The machines now have an uber-cool look and feel, shrunk down in width and encased in aluminum instead of the former white plastic. The machines now boast faster chips and super-crisp glossy screens.
And get this: Apple has actually reduced the cost of the iMac, with the 20-inch starting at $1,129 and the 24-inch at $1,799. That’s $200 and $300 cheaper than the previous models.
Here’s my review.

iPhone extras

Six weeks after the introduction of Apple’s much-hyped iPhone a whole new industry has cropped up – the iPhone accessory market. From cases to screen protectors to mobile chargers to Bluetooth headsets, a dizzying array of gadgets and gizmos aiming at enhancing the iPhone experience is being marketed in hopes of getting still more money out of those who already shelled out between $400 and $600 for the ultra-hip iPhone.
My NBC-TV segment this week has three favorite iPhone accessories to recommend:

iPhone Bluetooth - From Apple accessories www.apple.com/iphone/accessories
The JawBone - www.jawbone.com
Vibe Duo headphones - v-moda.com
PowerJolt mobile charger - www.griffintechnology.com

Does Apple’s iPhone Bluetooth headset have range problems?

There are reports that Apple’s Bluetooth headset for the iPhone is having serious problems with range. The iPhoneTattler site says using the headset it reviewed from a distance of more than two feet results in interference and breakup.

Beware of greeting card spam scam

Here’s the FBI official warning on this.

My NBC-TV segment this week reports on how scammers are trying to lure you into opening an e-mail containing a link to a Web page that implants a very destructive piece of code called the Storm Worm on your computer.

My advice: If you get an e-mail purporting to be an e-greeting card from a long lost friend, collegue, school chum or admirer, trash it…. don’t click it.