I never really thought about this much until I saw this infographic today but annoying ringtones do seem to be on the decline. I mean, I can’t remember the last time I heard “I’m too sexy” blaring out in a crowded room or Bohemian Rhapsody making everyone in the bus instinctively start twitching their heads back and forth, Wayne’s World style. But hey, I can’t talk.

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It’s hard to believe but it has been just over 19 years since the first text message was sent from a computer to a mobile phone, and 18 years since the first phones were produced that allowed people to send text messages to one another. These days, text messaging is so common and widespread (especially among the younger generation) that it is hard to think of a time when it did not exist.

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Here at MakeUseOf, we get lots of infographic submissions sent to us on a regular basis. Some fall under the category “EXCELLENT!” while a lot others get deleted right away. A lot also falls into the middle category which I like to call the “meh” category (thank you Lisa and Bart Simpson). The fact is that creating a quality infographic is not an easy task and not everyone can do it properly.

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I remember when I was a child that every Saturday was shopping day. My mum would take my brother and I to this huge shopping center where we would get what we needed and then go for lunch before heading home. This was the 1980′s, a time when there was no Internet and the only way you could buy what you wanted was to go out to the shops and get it yourself. Fast forward 30 years and the situation has completely changed.

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Creative jobseekers are always searching for new ways to distinguish themselves to potential employers. One of the quickest ways to do this is to make your résumé stand out from the crowd. Once you’ve got their attention, they’ll hopefully notice all those great skills you have. In the meantime, you’ve got to turn your résumé into something which looks really interesting. And who’s got the time for that?

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Google may be the dominant search engine on the web but when it comes to finding something specific, many people have no idea how to look and what to type into that search box. Many people I know just plug in random words and phrases and hope, with crossed fingers, that what they need will magically pop up. Well as I like to say to them, it doesn’t work that way.

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When it comes to starting up a tech company, what matters more to investors? A degree from an actual university or a degree from the University of Life? The popular myth is that you can build a huge Internet empire from your parents garage after school in the evenings and by the time you’re in your teens, you’re ready to match Mark Zuckerberg’s bank balance.

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Ever since the Internet began, online piracy has been a big problem with the two biggest casualties being the music industry (RIAA) and the movie industry (MPAA). The Internet made it extremely easy to download whatever people wanted and the music & movie industries responded with copy protection measures, including the infamous and universally hated Digital Rights Management (DRM).

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This infographic made me take a good long hard look at my own keyboard. Especially after I read that a keyboard has about 60 times more germs than a toilet seat. Excuse me while I go and disinfect my hands thoroughly several times as well as go out and buy a replacement keyboard and a new toilet seat. It seems the germs are everywhere and are running rampant around all our houses.

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If there’s one thing which must really piss off Bill Gates to no end, it must be the enduring popularity of Linux and other free software, as it undercuts his “if you want good software, you have to pay for it” attitude. As Linux has shown, it is indeed possible to produce good software and a good operating system, then give it away for nothing to anyone that wants to use it.

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