When you're a substitute teacher, apparently.

Teacher Faces Jail Over Pornography on Class Computer - New York Times

If you're like me, and you like to listen to Podcasts, Audiobooks, or other spoken word content on the train, you should know what you're missing by using those cute little white ear buds that came with your iPod.

The problem is that spoken words can often be hard to decipher over the clamor of the train.  I used to cup my hand over one ear or play my iPod on full volume (that can't be a good thing for your ears), just so that I could hear the day's news or the exciting climax of an audiobook.

I'm hear to tell you that a decent pair of in-ear ear buds can help immensely.  They feel a little funny, because they have a soft rubbery attachment that sits inside of the outer part of your ear canal, but they do an excellent job of getting rid of outside noise- even the cacophony of the subway.  You can get a decent pair of these at Best Buy for around $40, and it is well worth it if you like to listen to your iPod in noisy places.

A must read… David Pogue's article discussing several services which take your voicemails and convert them to text, which are then sent to your email account.  I am trying out SpinVox, and it is a huge time-saver.  No longer do you have to sit through long winded messages, and you can keep an archived copy of your messages on your computer.  Nothing short of brilliant.

Freedom for Prisoners of Voice Mail - New York Times

In the world of non-geeks, there are a lot of misconceptions about blogs.  Some think of them as a sort of freakish online diary where one stands on a soapbox and pronounces their most intimate thoughts to the world.  Some think of blogs as geek-newspapers, full of hearsay and unreliable information.

Certainly, some blogs fit these molds, but almost everybody can find some benefit from blogging on some scale.  Essentially, a blog is your little corner of the web, that can be periodically and easily updated, even with no knowledge of web programming.

Perhaps this article from the times can help you decide if there's a useful application for blogging in your own life…
So, Who Says That a Blog Has to Blare? - New York Times

Remember Y2K?  We're facing another Y2K-like scare, and most folks aren't even aware of it.  Because of recent legislations, Daylight Savings Time will start a couple of weeks earlier than normal, starting this year.  That means you'll be turning your clocks ahead an hour on March 11, but will all of the computers be hip to the change as well?
PC World - Y2K Memories May Breed Complacency, Problems

From ars technica:

"Are devices such as BlackBerrys and Treos actually chaining Americans to their work instead of liberating them? There has been plenty of speculation on the topic of whether being "always on" is affecting our everyday lives. However, survey data released today from Digital Life America shows that although Americans are split over whether that constant connection is a good thing or not, being constantly connected means more work for many."

Follow the link below to read more:

Survey: Blackberry owners chained to work

Here is a link to an article detailing some ways to reduce eye strain while using the computer…

The Lighting Blog: 22 Ways to Reduce Eye Strain at Your Computer

Mac owners listen up: ever try and clean your keyboard while your computer is on?  You might've been greeted with a ton of errant keystrokes, etc., but now there is a clever little program that does nothing except lock your keyboard so that you can clean it.  So simple, yet so brilliant.
Keyboard Cleaner

PDF's are standard these days for sending out documents, but Adobe's Acrobat Software which creates PDF files is outrageously expensive! Have a look at these free alternatives, which work quite well, and can save you a chunk of money…

Making PDFs with free software | Free Software Magazine

John C. Dvorak, one of my favorite and one of the more controversial tech columnists, wrote this thought-provoking article for PC Magazine about why email auto-responders are an unnecessary annoyance. Although he usually makes a good argument, I can't say that I agree with him 100 percent. See for yourself!

Stop Using AutoReply!! - Columns by PC Magazine