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Jeff Porten

Jeff Porten

Jeff Porten provides consulting services on Mac, IT, and productivity, and is a freelance writer in Philadelphia. His most recent book is Take Control of Your Productivity.

Jeff Porten 7 comments

CES 2011: More Exhausting News from the Future

Jeff Porten braved the miles of vendors at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to report on items of interest to Mac users (and score some discount codes for TidBITS readers in the process).

Jeff Porten 6 comments

(Not) Getting Things Done with Bumptop for Mac

Frustrated by the way the Desktop doesn't work with Spaces for organizing files and folders used in different projects, Jeff Porten takes the desktop replacement Bumptop for a spin. Alas, its representation of the physical world ends up being more trouble than it's worth.

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CES 2010: More ShowStopping Products

ShowStoppers isn't exactly related to CES, but many of the CES exhibitors showed up at this media event, showing off neat products ranging from a GSM-to-VoIP call router to a 3D printer, along with a service that will ensure Jeff Porten never again gets a second date.

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CES 2010: Living in the Past

Covering the cutting edge at CES inevitably leads to a bumpy ride back to Earth. Jeff Porten reflects on how he has glimpsed visions of the future, all while struggling to get a decent Internet connection in the here and now.

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CES 2010: Blending the Future

During the press days at CES, before the exhibition floor opens, some of the most interesting bits of technology are shown to members of the media, like our own Jeff Porten. Read on to learn about laser projectors, minuscule computers, iPhone-controlled hovercrafts, and yes, a blender.

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CES 2010: Rolling the DECE

Jeff Porten returns to Las Vegas to cover (such as is possible) CES for TidBITS, and while trying to figure out what to focus on, he ran across a proposal to make DRM-protected video semi-portable. Whee!

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CFP 2009 Part 1: Threats to Privacy

Ironically, after being detained due to anti-terrorist regulations, Jeff Porten reports from the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy 2009 conference.

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Upcoming Coverage of Computers, Freedom, and Privacy 2009

Interested in issues surrounding online privacy, security, and civil liberties? Stay tuned as Jeff Porten reports back from the annual Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference.

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Digital Rights Misery: When Technology Is Designed to Fail

While attending CES last January, roving correspondent Jeff Porten realizes just how broken technology has become in the name of protecting intellectual property, causing him to ponder the societal costs of such a dependence on technology that is designed to fail.

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CES 2008 Day 3: Robots and Wrap-up

CES is now over, but read on for Jeff Porten's final collection of products, booths, services, and more, along with an explanation of exactly how he ended up asking a Playboy Playmate for information on Tasers.

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CES 2008 Day 2: From iPods to iShoes

Jeff Porten continues to wander the cavernous halls of CES in search of cool stuff... and this time he finds something that could help him get around: the 13 MPH iShoes! (Really. We're not kidding.)

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CES 2008 Day 1: Keyboards, Power, Eyewear, and More

CES is all about gadgets, and Jeff Porten has hunted down some of the most interesting ones, including a keyboard that can change the picture on each keycap, a USB flash drive that backs up files online, a head-mounted display for your iPod, and more.

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CES 2008 Day 1: Finding My Bearings

You may have thought that Macworld Expo is a big trade show, and it's not small. But compared to CES, as our intrepid correspondent Jeff Porten found out, Macworld is small and (luckily) highly focused.

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FileMaker’s Bento: Undercooked and Slightly Fishy

FileMaker Inc. has released Bento, claiming it's "the personal database that's as easy to use as the Mac." Database consultant Jeff Porten takes the preview release for a spin and finds Bento conceptually interesting but unwilling to stray far enough from the FileMaker fold.

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Build Your Own 23-inch MacBook

A couple of weeks ago I began sporting a new laptop: 3 GB of RAM, 200 GB hard drive, dual optical burners, 4 USB and 3 FireWire ports. But the best thing about it is the 23-inch monitor. Yes, it's a Mac