My Rehovot ( ISSN 1817-101X )

"And I thought I had it bad: I look at a closed laptop sitting on the table and I wonder what I'm missing. But that may be nothing: New research is stating that all the gizmos and gadgets that surround us are part of a real, clinical addiction problem for some users. It's a problem that is so bad for some, says the BBC, "that people wake up several times a night to check their emails and text messages." Now that's a problem.

The study focused on just 360 British technology users which suggested, shockingly, that a third of those in the study could suffer from some form of technology addiction. That sounds high, but I'm guessing that addiction in this sense comes in a variety of severities, from mildly neurotic (like myself) to full-blown nutjob (like the people who sleep with their BlackBerry on the pillow next to them).

Researcher Nada Kakabadse notes that modern consumers can become addicted to just about anything, but that the portable, mobile aspect of technology has now made it a far more likely candidate for addiction, since it can now be within arm's reach 24 hours a day.

What are the signals of technology addiction? While later-stage addicts exhibit anxiety, societal withdrawal, and relationship problems, early-stage addicts may actually find themselves more productive than before, as they respond more quickly to text messages and emails. While Kakabadse is studying how widespread this issue is, she is calling on employers to provide training into the appropriate use of mobile tech devices. Naturally, you might consider placing limits on your own use, too, lest you wake up one morning snuggled up with your iPhone.

Source: Researchers: Technology Addiction a Growing Problem Yahoo Wed News (20 Feb 2008) [Original Text & comments]

Labels: Internet Technologies

Are you too lazy to go to the grocery store? Sick at home? Can't get out? Now, there is no need to! You can't go to the Makolet - so the Makolet comes to you! How? Because, finally, online grocery shopping comes to town.

Check it out yourself, click here. Rehovot Kosher grocery store online is no risk shopping - straight from the shelf. Payment is made in cash upon delivery of your order. Delivery is free for purchases over NIS100.

Please note that our Makolet online is very easy to operate, easier than any other conventional online shopping facility. This is because there are no long catalog pages to review, no scrolling down through hundreds of items, no selecting and adding them to your online shopping cart. Also, there is no advance payment, so one is assured of his/her online security. We attempted to make it more simple so that even a computer beginner can manage it easily.

How does it work?

Operating My Rehovot Grocery store is simple: You navigate though the thumbnails of the Makolet shelves (numbered 1 to 31) at the Makolet home page. You then click on a shelf of your choice. This action opens your selection - enlarged and in a separate browser window, enabling you to take a close look and select the items of your choice. Now, you can call Zvia or Nisan at (08) 946-2858, place your order, and have your shopping basket delivered to your door in an hour or so. Or, you can ask them to postpone delivery till you return home after a busy day in the office. The delivery is free for purchases over NIS100. Payment is made, in cash, upon delivery of your groceries. It's that simple! Plus, you shop with confidence, as there is no concern of online advance payment.

Should you have any questions, or are interested in creating a similar online shop, please use the form provided at the bottom of the Makolet home page. Online Makolet business hours match the operation hours of the reality grocery store behind it: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 6 AM - 14 PM and 16 PM - 20 PM, Tuesday and Friday 6 AM - 15 PM.

Of course we welcome you to visit the reality grocery shop too. It is located at H ertzog/Menucha V'nahala and Weizmann/Miller Streets junction.

We wish you easy and pleasant shopping with us!

Labels: Internet Technologies, My Rehovot Online Services, Rehovot Shopping

Did you notice My Rehovot has a feed? Not sure what a "feed" is? If so, you may be missing an important new web information experience. An increasing number of users are using feed readers to keep up to date with their favorite websites. Many online publishers work hard to create quality content, and feeds help them grow their audience as well as let their current readers take a site with them wherever they go.

Google Reader and the Google Personalized Homepage are examples of feed readers that allow users to keep track of updates to their favorite web sites.

My Rehovot is an example of web sites which also offer feeds: we publish feeds with the latest posts.

There are many resources online to help publishers implement feeds on their site. We employ Atom and RSS, the two standards compatible with most feed readers.

We encourage you to take a look at Google pages on Google Reader and the Google Personalized Homepage, to make the most of My Rehovot feeds. If you have any questions, please get in touch via email. Internet publishers may also wish to review Google tips for feed publishers.

This material is based on the AdSense Blog contribution "My Rehovot Feeds for thought" by Nick Baum, Google Reader Product Manager.

Labels: Internet Technologies

This week, we’ve launched AdSense for content in Hebrew. If you're a publisher with a site primarily in Hebrew, feel free to begin displaying contextually-targeted ads on your pages by logging in to your account and generating your ad code under the AdSense Setup tab. As you may know, it can take up to 48 hours for our crawler to visit your site and determine which are relevant ads to display.

Please know that we’re working on making AdSense for content and AdSense for search available in more languages, and we’ll be sure to post any updates right here. In the meantime, we appreciate your patience, and ask that you continue to place the ad or search code only on pages in one of our supported languages.

!מהיום תוכלו להרוויח מהאתר שלכם גם בעברית

Look for an AdSense link at My Rehovot sidebar. Click on it to navigate to AdSense for further details on the program and signup information

Source: AdSense blog @ adsense.blogspot.com (22 Feb 2007)

Labels: Internet Technologies

Google has formally launched the AdSense ad program for content sites in Hebrew. The program, already translated into many languages, enables site owners to add Google text advertisements to their internet sites. A site owner can make a profit each time a visitor clicks on ads appearing on his site.

MyRehovot note: To subscribe to Googles' AdSense program (as well as Google's AdWords advertising) follow the link at MyRehovot sidebar

The program operates very successfully all over the world, and according to Google, about 38 percent of its international revenue comes from AdSense. "Google paid out $975 million last quarter to its registered partners - about $4 billion annually," said Google Israel CEO Meir Brand.

The ads appearing on the site are related to its content. Up until now, Hebrew language sites were able to register to the program but were not formally supported. According to Google, the Hebrew language sites will now enjoy all the features of English language sites. The level of ad matching will improve, and as a result, revenues will increase. "An internet site page with content on the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team will be related to basketball and Maccabi Tel Aviv, but not to the Maccabi insurance fund or Maccabi beer," explained Brand.

Small site advertisers will earn an average of a few shekels to dozens of shekels for every 1,000 exposures. Focus sites containing a lot of content on technology or tourism can earn slightly more because of the higher cost of advertising in these fields. The minimum amount Google will transfer to AdSense users is $100, which is paid by check or bank transfer to the user's account.

Google's main competitor is Walla!, which will be launching its AdVantage system shortly. AdVantage competes directly with Google's AdSense and Google's AdWords (the program that presents ads alongside the results of the search engine) and other smaller companies.

Tapuz has also recently launched a payment system to bloggers, which is based on participation in revenue from ads, and has begun paying registered Tapuz site users NIS 8 for every 1,000 views on blogs stored on Tapuz.

Source: Lior Haner and Ayala Tsoref. Haaretz.com Google launching ad program for Hebrew Web content sites. Haaretz.com (22 February 2007) [FullText]

Labels: Internet Technologies

Free Firefox install: Join the millions of internet users who have already downloaded the Firefox Internet Browser. Firefox allows you to browse the internet faster, more safely and more efficiently than with any other web browser. Now is the time to experience the best in web browsers.

Firefox makes upgrading from Internet Explorer easy by importing your saved favorites, settings and other information from Internet Explorer. You do not need to remove Internet Explorer to use Firefox - You can even use both at the same time!

Chances are you are using Microsoft's Internet Explorer right now to access this website.

Internet Explorer is one of the many browsers available, but because Internet Explorer (IE) is built-in to Windows most people just use it without even thinking of ever using something different. However, one "cannot ignore the fact that Microsoft Internet Explorer is not safe to use," experts say.

The only trouble with IE is that it is full of security holes and other issues that can allow hackers or unscrupulous websites to install all kinds of nasty things on your computer. Many experts such as Leo Laporte, Steve Gibson and The Grown Up Geek recommend that you do not use Microsoft's Internet Explorer!

You have a choice: Get Firefox and surf the Internet with Safety, Security & Privacy

There are many other web-browsers to choose from. Many experts agree that the secure and safe browser of choice is Firefox. Firefox is free for everyone, contains no spyware, and is considered the best free, safe web browser available today.

Firefox looks and functions much like Internet Explorer!

But Firefox has one main difference: Firefox is safer to browse the web with. There is no single, easier, cheaper way to surf the web more safely! Oh, did I mention that Firefox is FREE? No need to worry - Firefox is one of those very few programs that is safe to use and is free! Do what other safe web surfers already do and surf the internet safer with Firefox! Remember, you can download Firefox for FREE and it will help you prevent spyware on your Windows computer.

You do not have to remove Internet Explorer to use Firefox

When you install Firefox there is no need to remove Microsoft Internet Explorer from your PC. After installing Firefox, just double-click on the new Firefox icon to surf the web instead of the Internet Explorer icon. If for some reason you choose to use Internet Explorer, you still can - you can even use both at the same time!

Virtually all internet websites will look and function exactly the same with Firefox as they do with Internet Explorer. About the only website of any consequence that does not function properly is Microsoft's Windows Update web-page. If you ever need to visit the Windows Update website, you'll need to use Internet Explorer. But remember, if you have Automatic Updates set to "automatic", there usually no need to manually visit Microsoft's Windows Update webpage.

Get Firefox now and browse with these features:

Increased Privacy and Security for Your Computer: Help keep your computer safe and prevent spyware

Tabbed Browsing: Save time by viewing more than one page in a window

Built-in Pop-up Blocker: Block annoying pop-up ads

Built-in Proxy Connecions: Automatically connect to proxies

CSS Encoding Removal: View hidden Myspace comments or other hidden items by removing CSS encoding

Built-in Google Toolbar: Enhanced search box makes finding what you want easier

So, why wait. Try this free download now. It is just click away!

System requirements: Windows XP or Windows 2000

Labels: Internet Technologies