Best of the Week: Days of the Dead, Web Milestones
(Cue spooky intro music.) Good evening, ghouls, ghosts, and geeks. It's Halloween week, and though there's not much more frightening than nerds dressed in creepy comic book costumes, the days preceding All Hallow's Eve are rife with terrifying tales of Internet death and despair.
We learned that Walmart will actually begin catering to the dead, and the undead with a new series of caskets, located in its online 'For the Home' category. Facebook also announced that it would be celebrating the dearly departed, but with the welcome addition of allowing members to "memorialize" the pages of cherished loved ones. And, while Xbox user Greg slept innocently, his dog Oscar lost control and went 'Cujo' on one his controllers. Before he sent the ravaged controller to a premature grave, Oscar viciously charged $62.50 to Greg's Xbox Live account.
The always traumatizing Net scammers constantly prey upon the concerns of the public during trying times, and their current tactics involve capitalizing on the swine flu scare. Thankfully, precautionary methods exist that like crosses and silver bullets to spam, like these tips right here. But enough horrific and morbid tales of Web doom and gloom; here are a few other top stories that should help you rest in the peace during the nightmarish weekend:
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It seems that everyone hates the new Facebook look, even founder Mark Zuckerberg. But, you can actually alter your page to look like it previously did, or get pretty close.
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If you're looking to save dollars this holiday season, prepaid phones offer a variety of thrifty options. If you're unsure of the benefits, or are curious about what they have to offer, here's a guide to help you get started.
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Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently spoke about the future of the Web, and he contends that within five years, the Net will be significantly bigger and faster, with even more emphasis on social media. He also believes that Chinese language content will skyrocket.
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With Schmidt's Chinese assertion, the news that Web addresses will soon include non-Latin alphabet characters, like Chinese and Russian symbols, grows even more significant. The elimination of Web segregation and exclusion coincides nicely with the upcoming 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
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There was a geek rager last night in honor of the Internet's big 4-0, which could explain why Web pages have been loading so slowly all day. Next time, Net, drink a glass of water and knock down a few aspirin before you go to bed. You'd think that a 40-year-old would know that by now.
