Remember checks? Some of us still use them on occasion. They are those paper things we have to fill out by hand and use to pay for stuff, mostly rent and maybe a birthday gift for the nephew. Just like the U.S. Postal Service is rapidly being replaced by e-mail, checks (and, in some cases, cash) are being replaced with electronic transactions. Virtually every bank has some form of online banking that includes everything from transfers to bill pay -- in most instances, the bank will actually send a check for you. Progress.

For years, the only reliable form of online electronic payment if you didn't have a merchant account -- and only businesses really have those -- was PayPal. It provided a secure way to send money to someone and became the first payment method of choice for Ebay customers. But while merchant services for business expanded rapidly -- today, anyone can use an iPhone or iPad with Square or Intuit to accept credit card payments anywhere there is a connection to the Internet -- the consumer market saw services expand slowly until this week.

More »

The video game industry is massive. Video game sales outpaced music sales years ago and they continue to grow. And Houston has been home to many a video game programmer over the years. Perhaps that's because of the success at the University of Houston. For the fourth straight year, UH is the only school to have more than one team representing them in the gaming category of the U.S. Imagine Cup, a computer programming contest sponsored by Microsoft.

The contest requires students to develop a new game, change a current genre or develop a new visual style of a game using Microsoft software. Team Skyline Studios and Team Lost Spectrum -- not bad geek names! -- are the teams representing UH in the competition.

More »

There is a moment when e-mails are exchanged or phone messages traded that everyone knows what the deal is with a meeting. You have all agreed upon a time and there isn't really anything left to say. Then, someone decides everyone must have an Outlook meeting request. I have never understood this concept. After multiple exchanges, is it really necessary for me to accept and approve a meeting request to go on my calendar?

I understand that many people use Outlook and keep their lives organized with it. I prefer a different approach and that may be part of the problem, but even with different software titles, there are issues that come up, which is why it is time to stop using the invites after you have already made plans with the interested parties.

More »

If you don't follow social media closely (hey, good for you!), you may be wondering what the hell a Vine is and why it has been in the news lately? Good question. Vine is another free social media app for smartphones built to share super short videos in much the same way Instagram shares videos but without the old-school photo effects.

What makes Vine rather unique is that it allows the user to shoot only six seconds worth of video, which Vine's developers no doubt considered the video equivalent of Twitter's 140 characters That makes sense given the app was developed by and is owned by Twitter. The app is EXTREMELY simple to use -- one of my favorite things. Basically, a user opens the app, taps the camera button at the top right and touches the screen to start recording. The video automatically stops recording when you remove your finger, so you can create multiple snippets adding up to six seconds of video.

The results, as with most forms of social media, have been a mixed bag of creativity, inanity and...porn.

More »

As of last week, Microsoft has migrated all Hotmail accounts to their new Outlook.com platform, ending a run that has lasted nearly 16 years. It was a classic. Yes, it was abandoned by most years ago. Sure, when the box wasn't filled with spam, it was filled with semi-lurid requests from porn sites and people wanting to "chat." But it was cool...at least for a while. I mean, it had HOT in the name, which was a big thing in the '90s.

To commemorate the death of what feels like an old friend, I've rounded up five classic e-mail addresses for a tech reunion of sorts. See if you remember these.

More »

Over the years since 9/11, photographers have not enjoyed the best relationship with law enforcement officials. While there has never been any legitimate evidence suggesting terrorists used photos of buildings or targets to assist them with their plots, law enforcement casts a wary eye towards anyone behind a lens seen shooting pictures of something that they can't imagine would be that interesting like architecture.

But after the attacks during the Boston Marathon on Monday, the FBI is turning the tables completely around and actually asking for anyone with photographs or videos that might help with the investigation to give them to the authorities. It's possible that Vine or Instagram or Flickr or YouTube could help catch the people behind the attacks.

More »

Nick Burns, your company's computer guy, totally understands.

Tech junkies can be really annoying. They are often condescending and consistently frustrated, and they sometimes even smell a little funky. I certainly don't condone condescension, and admittedly, stinky people are no fun, but there are plenty of times geeks have every right to be frustrated with you. You heard me.

The fact is, the personal computer is a relatively recent invention. People didn't have computers on every desk in the workplace until probably the late 1980s. There wasn't a PC in most homes until the mid 1990s. Less than 20 years ago, no non-nerd had heard of e-mail and the Internet was just a glimmer in Al Gore's eye. The point is, despite your everyday use of computers, you are likely still a novice and while IT guys might seem annoying, they do a bunch of stuff you should be glad you never even have to think about.

More »

Recently, the IRS has made a broad claim that communications via e-mail are not directly protected under privacy laws. This would seem to be counter to many of the discussions Congress has had over the past few years about tightening up those same privacy concerns.

Whatever the outcome of these ongoing battles, one thing is certain: You really need to be careful what you send via e-mail. As much as we'd all like to believe that e-mails are private, one subpoena will say otherwise. And that's just the legal approach. That doesn't even factor in hackers, identity thieves, angry exes, co-workers, bosses and family members.

And though I know you will probably not heed my warnings, here are things you should never send via e-mail.

More »

Damnit, Worf, I don't want to wear Google Glass!

Who remembers the computer on a watch? No, not the iWatch, which Apple is marketing that will probably bomb, but the terrible little Texas Instruments or IBM computer in a wristwatch that was popular with nerds, geeks, dorks and all the doughy math freaks of the '80s. Not ringing a bell?

That's because, besides being one of the cool kids in your class (whatever, jock!), those watches sucked. They failed. They were no bueno. Now, Google thinks it can master the face computer with Google Glass. Haven't we learned anything?

More »

Courtesy Apple

Does it spin?

Apple has proposed a massive doughnut-shaped campus for their new world headquarters. Nicknamed the "spaceship," this monument to computing (and crazy) was slated to cost about $3 billion initially, but apparently the budget has ballooned to $5 billion.

With cost overruns over $2 billion, Apple has delayed the project and asked architects to find a way to cut $1 billion from the price tag. Look, a billion dollars is a LOT to trim from a budget. Even with this massive scale, that's 20 percent of the price tag. We have some suggestions on what they might consider dropping.

More »