Profile

Phil Johnson
Member since: October 2008
Phil Johnson is a writer and editor for ITworld.com, after having survived 17 years in the corporate wild as a software/web developer, technical lead and project manager. Along the way he also used to write monologue jokes for David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno.
In his spare time these days, when he's not chauffeuring his daughters to and from school, lessons and Justin Bieber movies (ugh), he enjoys drawing cartoons, tweeting about his life and taking pictures of cranes.
Areas of Interest:
Activity
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If comparing Bing and Google on regular search results isn’t enough, try comparing them based on autocomplete suggestions
1 day 14 hours ago
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A German company has trademarked the term 'hackathon'
2 days 16 hours ago
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Tip-toeing through the tulips of topical tech tales
6 days 10 hours ago
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If you like access to government data, like petition signatures or broccoli crop yields, the White House has got you covered
6 days 16 hours ago
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U.S. labor data suggests that a significant portion of programmers leave the job in middle age
1 week 14 hours ago
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A new study finds that older developers know more about programming than younger ones, including new technologies
1 week 1 day ago
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By joining Tumblr, the Obama White House is continuing its own tradition of participating in social media networks
1 week 2 days ago
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Having a few laughs at the expense of this week’s top tech newsmakers, this week including Apple, Facebook and Pizza Hut
1 week 6 days ago
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One company is offering an unusual referral bonus to attract candidates in the tight Seattle job market for developers
1 week 6 days ago
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According to a new ranking of careers, programming jobs are desirable, but computer support roles not so much
2 weeks 15 hours ago
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If the courts keep ruling that Aereo doesn’t violate copyright laws, it could affect other services that stream content, and might prompt Congress to step in
2 weeks 1 day ago
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Using a fun new tool to take virtual trips to the headquarters and birthplaces of famous technology companies
2 weeks 2 days ago
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Disembodied heads of friends and family staring at me from my phone? No thanks
3 weeks 14 hours ago
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The Wikipedia Live Monitor can identify breaking news stories almost as quickly - and more reliably - than social networks
3 weeks 1 day ago
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By releasing its music app to a small but diverse group of music "influencers", Twitter has succeeded in generating excitement for its upcoming music discovery service
3 weeks 2 days ago
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Reviewing the week’s top tech stories, today featuring Austin getting hipper, NASA getting Armageddony and T-Mobile getting more desperate
3 weeks 6 days ago
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When it comes to small businesses using social media and the web, San Diego, Austin and Phoenix lead all other U.S. cities
3 weeks 6 days ago
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Phil Johnson wrote Fake Twitter followers: One more thing Justin Bieber and Bill Gates have in common More followers on Twitter also means a higher percentage of your followers are probably fake accounts4 weeks 16 hours ago
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A new survey finds out what software developers already know: writing code is only one part of the job
4 weeks 1 day ago
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Almost all member of Congress now use social media, but Republicans use it more often than Democrats - and with more snark
4 weeks 2 days ago
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A goofy romp through this week’s top tech stories and, also, the only time today (or probably ever) that Justin Bieber and Harvard University will be mentioned in the same article
4 weeks 6 days ago
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I was tweeting during the Facebook Home announcement event. Here's what happened
4 weeks 6 days ago
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O’Reilly’s cover designer tells the story of how they came to use animals on the covers of their popular books
5 weeks 15 hours ago
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Recent rulings in the ReDigi and Aereo cases highlight what we already know: it’s high time for Congress to overhaul the copyright laws
5 weeks 1 day ago
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Apple may be close to launching its long-rumored streaming radio service, but we've heard that before
5 weeks 2 days ago
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Friends' Activity
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Mac OS X's FileVault feature, which encrypts your entire user folder, is great for security.
14 hours 49 min ago
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Mac OS X's FileVault feature, which encrypts your entire user folder, is great for security.
14 hours 49 min ago
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dantynan shared Four reasons why you should worry about online tracking (and advertising isn't one of them) on LinkedIn Pay no attention to the advertisers behind the curtain. The real battle over Do Not Track is bigger and scarier than which ads you're shown online.14 hours 51 min ago
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Know what the oldest words on record are? (Hint: They're not BlackBerry or shizzizzle.)
1 day 8 hours ago
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Will science-fiction book fans flock to a movie 27 years in the making?
1 day 9 hours ago
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Will science-fiction book fans flock to a movie 27 years in the making?
1 day 9 hours ago
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dantynan shared Four reasons why you should worry about online tracking (and advertising isn't one of them) on StumbleUpon Pay no attention to the advertisers behind the curtain. The real battle over Do Not Track is bigger and scarier than which ads you're shown online.1 day 10 hours ago
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Mac OS X's FileVault feature, which encrypts your entire user folder, is great for security.
1 day 10 hours ago
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dantynan shared Four reasons why you should worry about online tracking (and advertising isn't one of them) on Twitter Pay no attention to the advertisers behind the curtain. The real battle over Do Not Track is bigger and scarier than which ads you're shown online.1 day 10 hours ago
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Mac OS X's FileVault feature, which encrypts your entire user folder, is great for security.
1 day 10 hours ago
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Check out video from last week's solar plasma eruption.
1 day 10 hours ago
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Check out video from last week's solar plasma eruption.
1 day 10 hours ago
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dantynan wrote Four reasons why you should worry about online tracking (and advertising isn't one of them) Pay no attention to the advertisers behind the curtain. The real battle over Do Not Track is bigger and scarier than which ads you're shown online.1 day 10 hours ago
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pasmith wrote Xbox 720 headed to Gamescom, new Wolfenstein to next gen consoles, but no Battlefield 4 for Wii U Yesterday we got word of another confirmed next gen title launching in Q4 of this year. Plus good and bad news for Wii U owners, and Sony gets even more indie-friendly.1 day 10 hours ago
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90% of passwords are vulnerable to hacking, according to risk-management firm Deloitte. Is yours one of them?
1 day 10 hours ago
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pasmith commented on Xbox 720 always-connected rumor debunked, PS4 share button nerfed, and Wii U to get mobile apps?I take it you're not a fan of Twitch.tv then? LOL
A trifecta of gaming news shorts today, with the most important being about the much-rumored "always connected" aspect of the next Xbox. Never fear, you'll be able to play single player games without being online.1 day 12 hours ago
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The answer to your last question is subjective.
1 day 16 hours ago
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Unless you can get Anonymous on the case, probably not. I'd just turn off the WiFi when you're not using it. If he's truly going nuts with the bandwidth-hogging, that means he's using it a lot. If he finds he can't use it at all for long periods, he might get frustrated enough to get his own WiFi.
1 day 16 hours ago
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pasmith wrote Xbox 720 always-connected rumor debunked, PS4 share button nerfed, and Wii U to get mobile apps? A trifecta of gaming news shorts today, with the most important being about the much-rumored "always connected" aspect of the next Xbox. Never fear, you'll be able to play single player games without being online.2 days 9 hours ago
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Danish runes, tricky terminology, and Polish marketing firms that try to pair you up in malls. Bluetooth is a hoot.
2 days 10 hours ago
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The bond between humans and dogs is strong and unique, despite their insistence on eating poop.
2 days 12 hours ago
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Connect these online storage options to Microsoft Office as alternatives to SkyDrive
2 days 15 hours ago
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I haven't used WiMAX -- and hopefully someone who has will weigh in -- but I found this interesting article about WiMAX vs. LTE:
5 days 13 hours ago
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A large Twitter following can be yours if you follow these guidelines determined by a Georgia Institute of Technology study.
5 days 13 hours ago
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First, according to Microsoft's "My Hotmail account was upgraded to Outlook.com" FAQ, you "can keep using your existing @hotmai
5 days 15 hours ago
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Activity
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