stumbling on something new

I call myself the non-techie girlfriend. It sounds silly at least to most of my friends because they know that I am sort of a geek, a closet nerd perhaps (all the Big Bang Theory jokes and innuendos I comprehend completely). But compared to my boyfriend - well, let's just say all that we are exposed to is only the tip of the iceberg.

Photoshop, flash, adobe premier, mixing music -at a purely beginner's level I can pass muster. But with the internet - and through the help of my boyfriend -I know the possibilities are limitless. Everyday he surfs the internet for something new. Let me tell you some of the things I discovered through him.

1) Stumble Upon - This is the Plugin for Firefox wherein you press a button in a toolbar and it brings you to very interesting web sites. From compilation of silly jokes to generators of your own Picasso paintings this button turns your boring day into something interesting. You can even press a button to "like" or "not like" the web site you StumbledUpon.

2) Undelete your Emptied Recycle Bin - To those people who periodically purge files so that there are more spaces for videos, music and all that, I guess you have encountered this problem. Without even thinking, you have deleted everything in your Recycling Bin and somehow all your vacation photos are in that Bin (buti na lang nakaupload sa facebook or multiply). There is a solution to that problem. Even if it is deleted in the Recycling Bin, it is still in your hard drive. AHA! So to everyone who keeps secret files and even deletes them (PC/Laptop/Cellphone) - don't bring it to a non-descript service center. Lalo na if you are famous. Naku.

3) Bing.com - Microsoft is trying to get a hold of Google's share in the search engine business. They claim that they already have 10% of the market share. And even my boyfriend tells me that Bing.com has a better search algorithm and interface than Google. Do I see a friendster/multiply to facebook exodus for Google users anytime soon? I don't think so.

Again, tip of the iceberg. If you are still skimming and wading in the shallow end of the ocean afraid of what is our there in the internet, you are getting the short end of the deal. Take this grand opportunity to learn and empower yourself.

- Rowena Ricalde (3rd entry)