Return on Technology columnist
Altom is a third-generation Hoosier who has been a zookeeper, electronics technician, technical writer, small-business manager, information architect, author, analyst and consultant. He has written on subjects as diverse as the appeal of big words and usability as a risk/benefit analysis. He has both an undergraduate and a master's degree from IUPUI, the latter in human-computer interaction, and has a green belt in Six Sigma. Altom teaches human-computer interaction and statistics for IUPUI. He is not a first adopter, but might eventually condescend to employ new technologies in his everyday business life, although he’s likely to remain happily grumpy about it.
E-mail: taltom@ibj.com
Follow Tim on Twitter: www.twitter.com/taltom
Recent Articles
ALTOM: Businesses should be suspicious of app trap
May 19, 2012
Smart-phone app costs can vary by orders of magnitude, just as websites can. The challenge is getting them to pay for themselves.
MoreALTOM: FAA should bring electronic-device policies up to speed
May 5, 2012
The public no longer accepts hollow proclamations with the same naïve grace.
MoreALTOM: Tablet computers, business don't always mix
April 21, 2012
I think a tablet is great if your business involves accessing or sharing information. A tablet isn’t such a great deal
if you have to produce content.
MoreALTOM: What matters most, privacy or convenience?
April 7, 2012
As our devices become more aware of our travels, our preferences, our contacts, our messages, our photographs and even our
dexterity, the line between convenience and spying is crossed without us even being aware of it.
MoreALTOM: Limbaugh controversy comes with social-media lesson
March 24, 2012
The pressure brought on Rush Limbaugh’s advertisers was through technology that wasn’t commonly used back when
the talk radio host was building his successful brand.
MoreALTOM: Does business really need gamification?
March 10, 2012
The purpose of gamification is to apply the principles of gaming to another environment, like education or business. And as
“gamifiers” admit, this is really old hat in business.
MoreALTOM: Technology projects require end-user input
February 25, 2012
As we used to say in a career I had long ago, you can hammer a nail with your shoe, but it’s not particularly efficient.
Unfortunately, too many technology users are doing just that.
MoreALTOM: Political parties use data mining to value you
February 11, 2012
As databases grow fat on information about us, they become extremely valuable for everything from designing product shelving
in supermarkets to predicting ticket sales for professional sports teams.
MoreALTOM: Anti-piracy efforts ignore realities of technology
January 28, 2012
There are times I have to go looking for a column topic, and there are times a topic stalks into my office and does an “Occupy
the Desk” until I write about it.
MoreALTOM: Exploring the Wild West of bookmark syncing services
January 14, 2012
There are five major browsers out there, all free, and all slightly different in how they operate. All store your Web bookmarks
in different places that aren’t generally available to foreign browsers.
MoreALTOM: Few appreciate the power of Microsoft Office
December 31, 2011
I can think of few products that I’ve cursed more soundly over the years than Microsoft’s Office applications.
But I’m also hard-pressed to think of more versatile and powerful tools. Talk about love-hate.
MoreALTOM: You think you have problems? It could be worse
December 17, 2011
Another year has gone by, which means it’s time for my annual gift to you: examples of bumbling, hacking and physical
disaster to make you feel much better about whatever technology snafu might have you disgruntled during Yuletide.
MoreALTOM: What's with the modern-art bar codes?
December 3, 2011
The mysterious little squares are actually “QR” codes, for “quick response.”
MoreALTOM: Laptops evolve to include ports of all sorts
November 19, 2011
If you’ve purchased a laptop lately, you may have noticed it has a few new things in it, most visibly ports that now
come in a rather bewildering variety of types and purposes.
MoreALTOM: Remember, what's new isn't always what's best
November 5, 2011
I’m a technological curmudgeon and proud of it.
MoreALTOM: Examining the pros and cons of Groupon
October 22, 2011
Even Groupon’s proponents sing its praises only warily, and its critics can be scathing in their condemnations. Yet,
Groupon continues to grow.
MoreALTOM: Use savvy searching to track Web presence
October 8, 2011
While finding your name has a certain egotistical appeal, the real value of looking yourself up on social media sites is to
find out what people are saying about you and your company.
MoreALTOM: Business consumer loses when Google, Apple fight
September 24, 2011
Even complementary companies can trip over each other in today’s high-tech market, and cause problems for the business
users who depend on them.
MoreALTOM: Is your company's website worth the money, effort?
September 10, 2011
Too many websites for small and medium-size businesses that don’t sell online are a waste of time and money.
MoreALTOM: Stashing your assets? Find out which safe is best
August 27, 2011
It turns out that safe sales have blossomed recently, because investors fleeing the thrashing stock market are now often sitting
on gold, jewelry and even cash.
MoreALTOM: Most phone hacking is a low-tech, fast-talking scam
August 13, 2011
Given the events of the past couple of months with News of the World and Rupert Murdock, I just couldn’t pass
up the opportunity to write about phone hacking.
MoreALTOM: Ready to toss your old cell phone? Think again
July 30, 2011
Today, the typical cell phone has the productive life of a cockroach: about 18 to 24 months. It’s not that the phones
stop working.
MoreALTOM: Podcasts still have a place in cyberspace
July 16, 2011
A few years ago, podcasts were all the rage on the Web. It seemed like every site had a podcast, and often more than one.
Podcasts threatened to replace e-mailed newsletters.
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Back in my teens/early 20s, Chicago's in Greenfield was a spot where my friends and I ate on a constant basis. Chicago's has always offered good pizza and bread sticks, but after getting married and buying a home, their prices and locations have made it so I would only get their pizza once every three years. They have expanded into McCordsville, but sadly closed the downtown Indy store years ago (this was the coolest layout for a restaurant in my opinion).
Just recently we decided to try Chicago's at the old Greenfield location. While it was clean, they haven't updated much over the last five years or so. Still the same layout, booths, tables, etc.. I made a comment to my wife about how that place hasn't changed in years. Good to see they are doing well enough to build a newer building.
INDIANA CASINOS ARE TIGHT. OTHER OUTSIDE CASINOS HAVE WINNERS ALL DAY LONG. PEOPLE HIT REGULARLY AT OUTSIDE CASINOS, INDIANA CASINOS HAVE FEW WINNERS ESPECIALLY THE LARGER JACKPOT WINNERS. PEOPLE ARE NOT WINNING ENOUGH AT INDIANA CASINO , SO THEY ARE NOT FUN TO VISIT. I,D RATHER TRAVEL TO OUTSIDE CASINO AND TAKE THE CHANCE ON WINNING AND HAVING FUN DOING THAT , THEN TO KNOW THAT YOUR CHANCES AT WINNING AT A INDIANA CASINO AREFAR AND IN BETWEEN.
record low crowd and a record low TV audience.
for an IRL carb day. Like a record tv number,,,,that would be soooo hard
For those of you who think the state didn't do as much as they should...the state did $6M more than they should!!! As a taxpayer I am opposed to the $6M!!!