AT&T has taken another step towards making their network even more popular than it currently is. There’s no secret about AT&T having one of the largest networks in the world, and it’s to no surprise that they are dishing out free wifi in Times Square now.

Is this a wise move for AT&T?

In my personal opinion, this is a great move on their part. They have already been known for providing their customers with a massive amount of free wifi hot spots all over the nation.

By providing free wifi in one of the most popular places in the nation such as Times Square, this could give them a ton of positive publicity, thus increasing their presence and leverage when it comes to reeling in even more new customers.

What does this say about AT&T?

Well, we all know that it’s easier and more convenient to provide free wifi than it is to support a quickly increasing demand for cell phone services. This may be one way of AT&T showing that they would rather be in the world of wifi than in the world of mobile phones.

The Bad Side of This Free Wifi

There’s always a chance that AT&T can seriously damage their reputation in a pretty harmful manner. If they can’t support the high demand for wifi on Times Square in New York, the could honestly look dumb.

They are known for having some problems adapting to high usage of their network at once, so they will have some work cut out for them if they wish to actually increase their rep in a dramatic way by dishing out this free wifi to the countless amount of people signing their laptop onto the free AT&T wifi at Times Square.

The New Era of Technology Is Here

When it comes down to it, the need for computers and wireless internet is increasing at overwhelming rates. It wasn’t too long ago that the internet was a luxury instead of the necessity that it is today.

By implementing free wifi in some of the most traveled areas of the nation, our country is simply moving towards the new era of modern technology that’s being demanded more now than it has ever been before.

I can’t wait to see computers being used in the middle of the street everywhere I go. Ok, maybe not literally in the middle of the street, but in safe locations all around the globe.

Problem:

One of the biggest problems I run into is editing music and sounds for my videos and/or websites. Like anything else, there are plenty of software packages you can buy to edit music. Depending on your needs, sometimes freeware is the way to go and I feel Audacity is one of those exceptions.

Resolution:

Audacity is an audio editor that can be used for all types of things. I use Audacity all the time to make ringtones for my iphone, music drops for my videos and to edit sounds for my websites.

Here is the list of features Audacity offers: (From the website)

Recording

Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer, or digitize recordings from cassette tapes, vinyl records, or minidiscs. With some sound cards, it can also capture streaming audio.

• Record from microphone, line input, or other sources.
• Dub over existing tracks to create multi-track recordings.
• Record up to 16 channels at once (requires multi-channel hardware).
• Level meters can monitor volume levels before, during, and after recording.

Import and Export

Import sound files, edit them, and combine them with other files or new recordings. Export your recordings in several common file formats.

• Import and export WAV, AIFF, AU, and Ogg Vorbis files.
• Import MPEG audio (including MP2 and MP3 files) with libmad.
• Export MP3s with the optional LAME encoder library.
• Create WAV or AIFF files suitable for burning to CD.
• Import and export all file formats supported by libsndfile.
• Open raw (headerless) audio files using the “Import Raw” command.
• Note: Audacity does not currently support WMA, AAC, or most other proprietary or restricted file formats.

Editing

• Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete.
• Use unlimited Undo (and Redo) to go back any number of steps.
• Very fast editing of large files.
• Edit and mix an unlimited number of tracks.
• Use the Drawing tool to alter individual sample points.
• Fade the volume up or down smoothly with the Envelope tool.

Effects

• Change the pitch without altering the tempo, or vice-versa.
• Remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background noises.
• Alter frequencies with Equalization, FFT Filter, and Bass Boost effects.
• Adjust volumes with Compressor, Amplify, and Normalize effects.
• Other built-in effects include:
  • Echo
  • Phaser
  • Wahwah
  • Reverse

Sound Quality

• Record and edit 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit (floating point) samples.
• Record at up to 96 kHz.
• Sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality resampling and dithering.
• Mix tracks with different sample rates or formats, and Audacity will convert them automatically in realtime.

Plug-Ins

• Add new effects with LADSPA plug-ins.
• Audacity includes some sample plug-ins by Steve Harris.
• Load VST plug-ins for Windows and Mac, with the optional VST Enabler.
• Write new effects with the built-in Nyquist programming language.

Analysis

• Spectrogram mode for visualizing frequencies.
• “Plot Spectrum” command for detailed frequency analysis.

Free and Cross-Platform

• Licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
• Runs on Mac OS X, Windows, and GNU/Linux.

Check out Audacity…What do you have to lose?

You can find the original article on TechCrunch, but I included the letter that they posted so that you can see it for yourself right here on BYOIT.

First things first, I would like to share my opinion of this incident, being a CEO as well. If I was the one to receive this e-mail, well let’s just say that someone wouldn’t be hearing the end of it, in fact I would probably end up going to jail for assault.

This is a prime example of how you don’t want to handle a resignation from an employee who was totally respectful. This is like a slap in the face, maybe Evan shouldn’t have even been so nice about the resignation.

Whatever the problem was, it doesn’t call for such a hostile response from the CEO himself. Honestly, Mahalo might be a multi-million dollar company, but this still doesn’t give them the free reign to not show respect back to someone who wasn’t rude by any means.

Me, I would personally congratulate the former employee about their new job and wish them well. All I could do was hope that it was a move that they would actually enjoy. If not, maybe they would come back to the company.

Here’s the letter.

Over the last year I have been actively researching ways to create my own website. Not really understanding HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) I started reading books and scouring the internet for tutorials. I found quite a bit on YouTube and learned how to read the language but not being the most creative, I was coming to the reality; you need expensive software or buy into a site that offers all the tools needed to complete your website. I didn’t want to jump in to the pool with both feet until I learned how to swim and rather than put out a big expense, I started looking for alternatives.

PageBreeze

Getting free web hosting is quite easy and most of them have website builders but you are limited without some type of HTML editor. I was determined to find something and recently I came across PageBreeze. PageBreeze is free but it does offer a paid version…I currently use the free version and am quite happy with the results.

Ease of use

With PageBreeze you pick from one of their default templates, use one of your own templates or create one from scratch. Once you have decided on a template you have all the tools you will need to create the perfect website to suit your needs.

With PageBreeze you can:

• View the page normally. (Makes editing a snap)
• Adjust the properties of the page. (Style sheets, Description, Meta Tags, and adjust the overall coloring)
• Look at the HTML code. (With a little experience you can tweak the code to your liking)
• Preview the page in Explorer. (Shows you the exact look in the browser as well check to make sure everything is working.)
• Publish to an FTP site. (With all the correct credentials, this makes uploading you site a breeze)
• Create forms. (From drop down menus to validation codes)

The interface reminds me of Microsoft Word which makes the text editing very easy to use. Check out PageBreeze, it is worth the price.

Be Your Own IT Presents A Virgin America Investigation

Yes, you saw it correctly, we’re launching an investigation on the increasingly popular Virgin America airlines. They are known for their very high quality airplanes and accommodations.

What has really got us going is the features provided when you book a flight on one of the Virgin America flights. It seems like the geeks (yes, we’re all geeks, it’s one of the best things in the world, just ask around) are being targeted by Virgin America.

And no, it’s not for a giant “wedgy” fest because you’re a geek. It’s because geeks are the ones who end up creating success for themselves as well as their families. (more…)