About Jonathan Strickland
Jonathan’s interest in technology blossomed when his family purchased their first computer: an Apple IIe. He has remained a technology enthusiast over the years and still gets excited when he encounters a new gadget or computer program. While he is fascinated by the technical aspects of computers and electronics, his main interest focuses on the social impact of technology. Whether he's defending human rights in the digital landscape or examining the mating habits of professional gamers, Jonathan is sure to have a strong opinion -- and he’s not afraid to share it.
Most Recent: Jonathan Strickland Postings
Last week, Marc Whitten posted on the Xbox 360 press page some discouraging news. Microsoft will stop supporting games for the original Xbox on Xbox Live. That means you won’t be able to play online with or against your friends in classic games like Halo 2, Crimson Skies or Star Wars Battlefront. And that means your old Xbox consoles won’t work online anymore.
Microsoft is tweaking Xbox Live and plans to introduce new features to the service. According to the press release, some of these changes are incompatible with the classic Xbox games.
Come join us at 1 p.m. Eastern today for the latest news and rumors in the world of technology. Did Steve Jobs really send Steve Ballmer two iPads glued together with the word “Courier” written on them in crayon? [Editor's note: No, that didn't happen.] Did Google turn all of its search results upside down for Australia Day? [Editor's note: No, that didn't happen either.] Did Facebook alienate its users through yet another redesign? [Editor's note: That one actually happened.] Plus you don’t want to miss our special effects extravaganza known as the Tweet of the Week!
You can watch us right here or grab our handy-dandy Facebook application.
Google Nexus One Test Video or Torture Film?
by Jonathan Strickland | February 8, 2010
Over the last few days, Google has released a series of videos documenting the development and manufacture of the Nexus One smartphone. The third in the series is one that filled me with a sense of dread and unease. The video reveals the testing procedure HTC (which manufactures the Nexus One) uses to determine if a phone is ready for release. HTC puts phones through a series of different tests to check durability and damage resistance. It’s fascinating stuff, though a little hard to watch if you’re a technophile like me.
Ranting About Ghost Hunters and iPads on TechStuff
by Jonathan Strickland | February 5, 2010
When Chris and I step into the recording studio, we record at least two episodes of TechStuff at a time. On some days, we’ll record three shows. We do this so that we have several episodes in reserve. If one of us goes on vacation or has a sick day, we’ll still have episodes to publish twice a week for all our loyal listeners.
But we don’t pick when each episode publishes. Those decisions fall to our wonderful production crew. You’ve heard us (and some of the other podcasters) mention these people in other episodes. Folks like Jeri, Matt, Tyler, Liz and Rachel work hard to make us sound good. They also schedule our shows for publication and write all the meta data. Their contributions are invaluable.
This week, two episodes featuring rants from yours truly went live. Now if I had been in charge of the publication schedule, I probably would have given you guys a break from my ire. But that was not meant to be. Don’t blame the production staff though — they think it’s funny when I get angry.
Using Online Ads to Build a Crime Network
by Jonathan Strickland | February 3, 2010
Are you evil or willing to learn? Do you wish to profit off of the suffering of others? Do you have no scruples, morals, ethical boundaries or decency? Then come on down to CyberCrime Incorporated!
I’m guessing that the actual ads targeting potential cyber criminals aren’t quite that transparent. But according to this report in Reuters, at least two companies that promote criminal activities are placing ads for work-at-home jobs. Employees must take company-provided code and link it to something — anything — on the Web that will guarantee lots of clicks. The employee receives a payment for every 1,000 downloads generated by the link.
Come join us at 1:00 p.m. Eastern today to see if Chris and I have recovered from the psychological damage we endured while covering the Apple iPad announcement last week. Today we’ll be talking about some mysterious botnet activity, rumored products from Microsoft and an obligatory segment on the aforementioned iPad. Plus you don’t want to miss our special effects extravaganza known as the Tweet of the Week!
You can watch us right here or grab our handy-dandy Facebook application.
TechStuff Roundup on Social Change and Politics
by Jonathan Strickland | January 29, 2010
This week’s episodes of TechStuff focused on how technology fits within the larger scope of our world. On Monday, Chris and I talked about social networking and whether or not it can affect social change. While we both recognize the potential for social networks to make a real difference in the world, we both think that we’ve yet to see a real success story.
Scientology Attacker Gets A Little Less Anonymous
by Jonathan Strickland | January 27, 2010
How do you handle a group of unidentified people who belong to a loosely-defined protest group that grew out of an online community best known for dark humor and shock tactics? It looks like the answer might be “grab them one at a time.”
CNN reports that Brian Thomas Mettenbrink may plead guilty to charges of committing cyber attacks against the Church of Scientology’s Web sites. CNN links Mettenbrink to the group Anonymous. Mettenbrink said he downloaded software that would allow him to commit a denial of service (DoS) attack against the church’s Web servers.
There are a few ways to commit a DoS attack, but the most common is to use a program to send millions of requests to a target Web server. The server gets bogged down trying to respond to all the requests and either slows to a crawl or crashes as a result.
TechStuff Goes Live at 1 p.m. Eastern
by Jonathan Strickland | January 26, 2010
Join us today on TechStuff Live as we bring you the latest news and gossip in the tech world. Watch as I slowly lose my marbles due to the rampant rumors and speculation regarding Apple’s press event scheduled for tomorrow (January 27th). We’ll also cover other topics in the news. And don’t miss our special effects extravaganza known as the Tweet of the Week!
You can watch us right here or grab our handy-dandy Facebook application.
Wednesday can’t get here fast enough. Either Steve Jobs will finally unveil the long-rumored Apple tablet computer device or legions of Apple fans (and tech journalists) will collectively lose their minds. Whispers and claims and even videos about the mythical device have hit a new high. If Jobs doesn’t debut a tablet device at Apple’s big press event on Wednesday, there may be a riot.
But with all the speculation, rumors and information about the tablet flying around the Internet these days I’m still left with a question: Who is going to buy a tablet computer?
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Interesting Reading #414 – The tiniest computer, hearts really can break, family pays $5,000 per year for connections, New font saves ink and much more…
- Public Service Announcement – Soft drinks nearly double your chances of pancreatic cancer
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FanStuff
- What’s art — and what’s groundbreaking — in video games?
- Ursula K. Le Guin vs. Google Books: Round Two
- “Lost,” “Fringe” and That Whole Alternate Universe Thing
How-to Stuff
- How to Take a Road Trip, Abraham Lincoln-Style
- How to Explain Love in the Least Romantic Way Possible
- How to Quiet a Barking Dog
ScienceStuff
- Space Music Vol. 8: Sun Ra and Afrofuturism
- Stuff from the Science Lab Roundup: Space Eats and Grow Houses
- Why does time fly as you get older?
Stuff You Should Know
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
High Speed Stuff
- The Toyota Recall: Where can you get the latest information?
- What is Toyota doing to fix its gas pedal problem?
- High Speed Stuff Wrap-up: Automotive Pet Peeves and Polar Vehicles
Keep Asking
- How does an airbrush work?
- Is the Internet free? If you want to make a website, will it cost you to put it online?
- If you look at a piece of glass from an angle, why does it have a bluish or green tint?
Stuff You Missed in History Class
- Last Week in History Podcasts: Battle Horses and Black Moses
- The Wonderful Adventures of the Nurse We Forgot
- Black History Month on HowStuffWorks
