Mark Nelson

Bio

I've designed consumer electronic products, major appliances, patient monitors and radiology equipment. My interest in US politics predates Tucker Carlson's long-lost bow-tie.
5 Creative Ways to Avoid Online Ads
By Mark Nelson
If you enjoyed surfing the internet before 1997, then you remember what online life was like before tweets, blogs, and PayPal. The landscape was relatively barren to be sure. This was the era of the primitive and easily-ignored flashy text banner…
The Real Problem With Student Loans Is the Organization Giving Them Out
By Mark Nelson
Drama unfolded in Washington this summer, when inaction by Congress allowed the Stafford Loan rate to double from 3.4% to 6.8%. For the past couple years, an extension to keep the rate at 3.4% had been scheduled to expire on July 1, conveniently…
Why Some Jerk Hacking Free Internet Chess is Actually a Big Deal
By Mark Nelson
Free Internet Chess Server was taken down shortly after a hacker gained access to an administrator account and unleashed havoc on July 18. For eight days players had to wait, or reluctantly join FICS' chief rival, the pay-to-play Internet Chess…
6 Groups That Just Love Florida's New Ban On Internet Cafes
By Mark Nelson
On April 10th, gambling teetotalers in Tallahassee erupted in a burst of high-fives and back slaps, over their success in banning all internet cafes in Florida. This was the culmination of a dust-up early in 2013, when 57 internet-cafe operators…
3 Ways 3D Printing Anxiety Resurrects Unfounded Fears From 2D Printing
By Mark Nelson
Machines that can fabricate physical models on your desktop have come a long way in 25 years, and the implications of having Star-Trek-like replicators in the hands of individuals and small businesses within the next 25 years is starting to…
Facebook Ads Are Now 40% More Effective, And You Don't Even Have to Click On Them
By Mark Nelson
Americans have a very long love-hate relationship with advertisers — mostly hate. Suspicions have been confirmed that, throughout history, mad men have used mysterious new information technologies to control the public, enticing us to buy or use…
Google Glasses: Proof That Google is Finally Out-Innovating Apple?
By Mark Nelson
Google is pinning some big hopes on Glass to outgun Apple on the consumer electronics front of the war these two giants wage for the future. In response to Google's energetic hype and Apple's incremental plans over the next year or two, a herd of…
Florida Red-Light Cameras Bill Represents Victory For Civil Liberties
By Mark Nelson
This past Valentine's Day, a Florida legislative committee courted civil libertarians everywhere on an issue of increasing interest to freedom lovers across the country. By a 10-8 vote, they introduced a bill which would ban cities and counties from…
Apple (AAPL) Stock May Crash If the Company Doesn't Learn From Other Tech Company Disasters
By Mark Nelson
Apple users are mostly happy and satisfied (well, those with stable, functional iDevices). Owners of Apple stock? Not so much. If each current share doesn't return to and exceed its recent high value of $702, what's the point of keeping it or buying…
FCC Asks FAA to Allow Cell Phones On Flights, Unless You Have An Analog Phone
By Mark Nelson
Most of us have had this moment. You're holding Z and Q when a friend plays a word right between the empty Triple Letter and Triple Word tiles, or Fat Pebble has finally gotten big enough to squash a Ground Mouth on Mount Gobble. As you plan your…