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“IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition released! Free and open-source. http://www.jetbrains.org/display... cool!” awesome. If only they did this years back!
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15Oct
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15Oct
A brief look into the lives of the Google Street View dudes.
Related posts:
- Idiots Caught Peeing on Google Street View (NSFW?)
- How Google Street View Works – In Stop Motion
- Google Debuts Street View
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15Oct
Shaboopie, a website with lots of web & graphic design freebies, is presenting 80+ good looking & free vector logos.
All logos are very modern, slick & offered in PSD format.
You can check the logos faster with the snapshots:
The website also presents inspirational posts like this or this besides the freebies.
Special Downloads:
Ajaxed Add-To-Basket Scenarios With jQuery And PHP
Free Admin Template For Web Applications
jQuery Dynamic Drag’n Drop
ScheduledTweetsAdvertisements:
Tags: PSD
SSLmatic – Cheap SSL Certificates (from $19.99/year)
Dreamhost $50 Discount Code: WRD
Follow WebResourcesDepot At Twitter And Get More Resources!
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15Oct
At times Wikipedia can seem like the most amazing thing ever, or the dumbest idea imaginable. The same can be said of a new device which puts the entirety of Wikipedia into your pocket.
The WikiReader is a $99 handheld device which contains what’s effectively a copy of the entire website (thought it is “limited” to around 3 million entries). Users can browse the site using just three buttons (search, history and random) plus an onscreen keyboard.
However, because it doesn’t have web access, the entries aren’t automatically updated. Instead there are quarterly updates which users can either download from the web free of charge or receive in the mail as a replaceable plug-in memory card for $29 a year.
So on the one hand, it’s an awesome device, giving you an immense sum of knowledge at your fingertips, and on the other, you not only lose all the benefits of timeliness that give Wikipedia an advantage over printed reference books, but the links to original source material which are theoretically the basis of every article are inaccessible.
To make things worse, the device doesn’t appear to give access to the history or discussion pages for each entry. That means that each entry is frozen as a snapshot of how the page appeared at the moment the data was loaded onto the device. So, to give an extreme example, if the download happened precisely a second after some joke edited a page to say that Germany won the second world war or that the Earth is flat, you’ve got a device that doesn’t reflect the community vetting process that keeps Wikipedia together,
Another obvious problem is that Wikipedia can, by definition, be viewed by any phone with a web connection. Given that it’s largely based on text with a very simple formatting, it will work just fine on virtually any handset. If you’re willing to go for a service agreement, the $99 the WikiReader costs will make a pretty decent dent into buying a new phone. And if you prefer to stick to a prepaid model, $99 will pay for a fairly substantial amount of web use.
The device seems to have a disconnect between its natural markets and its minimum feasible retail price. It would make a decent entry for the type of Christmas gift catalog aimed at buyers who like the idea of gadgets but don’t really know what’s going on in the real world. And it would be a very viable option for people in developing countries where web access is impractically expensive, particularly in schools. Unfortunately, in both these cases, $99 may be too much.
In summary, it’s an overpriced, inherently flawed technical solution to a barely existent problem.
But if somebody offered me one free of charge I’d bite their hand off.
Related posts:
- Wikipedia Censored Over Supposed Child Pornography
- Britannica 2.0, you’re no Wikipedia
- Cell Phone Payment: A Cash Machine in your Pocket
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15Oct
Before the iPhone went gangbusters, it could be argued that the smartphones of choice were likely the Blackberry and Palm. Without touch screens, for the most part, these initial mobile pioneers taught us that, indeed, we could use phones for anything and everything.But for many people, the iPhone didn’t just level the playing field, it blew it out of the water. Though certainly not free from its own problems, like single network availability (just AT&T offers the iPhone in the US), still the iPhone has ushered in a new era for smartphones where, at least from my perspective, the actual phone component becomes second nature to the myriad of available applications.
And in the years since, at least from this humble mobile phone observer’s standpoint (I am stuck in a contract with an abysmally crappy phone, but my husband has an iPhone, and I have the Mock-iPhone, er, I mean, iPod Touch) it’s seemed that every new smartphone has done its best to look and act just like the iPhone. Some even could pass for one at first glance. But it could be argued that none have actually managed to dethrone the mighty iPhone as far as design and usability, in no small part due to the applications available (2,000 for the Blackberry Storm vs. a mind-boggling 85,000 for the iPhone). While RIM still holds a higher percentage of the market share, in all fairness, they’ve been in the smartphone business a lot longer.
Blackberry’s first generation Storm released to fanfare but quickly fell flat with complains of usability and general funkiness (lots of buttons, a weird crack between the display and keys). So, RIM went back to the drawing board, and today announced the specs for the Blackberry Storm 2. PC World’s review says, “This is the Storm that I wish RIM had released last year–the device’s build, the on-screen keyboard, and the software are miles beyond the first generation” but concludes that overall, it’s still a bit unintuitive, especially when it comes to typing.
With speculation that the phone will drop sometime in late October or early November in the US (it releases in Europe today) here’s a rundown of some of the basic specs:
- 3.25″ touch screen displays with over 65,000 colors
- 3.2 MP camera (complete with video recording)
- WiFi support (sort of a no-brainer there, folks)
- Their own SurePress technology which claims to make typing easier
- Long lasting battery/easy access battery (having once owned a Blackberry Pearl, I am well versed in the agony of removing the battery from their devices; a good improvement)
- “Fast network connectivity” (their words, not mine; no actual specs cited yet)
While the Storm 2 might not take the world by… um… storm, it does appear that RIM is making steps in the right direction. Any GAS readers out there had their hand at trying the newest Crackberry? Let us know your thoughts!
Related posts:
- Introducing the BlackBerry Curve
- Geek Support : Using your Blackberry as a voice dictation machine
- Microsoft debuts touchless touchscreen
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15Oct
Making your readers laugh can be a great way to capture attention, create word of mouth, and develop a terrific relationship with your audience.
A lot of writers may think you can’t teach people how to write humor, but I don’t buy it. In fact, here’s a simple technique you can use to get a few laughs of your own.
It won’t turn you into Mitch Hedberg overnight, but it can go a long way to putting a smile on the face of your readers.
First, you write a capital L on a piece of paper. Make it a big L, with long lines. Now, turn that piece of paper on its side, so it looks like the L is asleep or dead.
This is the Sideways L, and it’s a model you can tap into when you want to write something your readers will laugh at.
A joke relies on a setup and a punchline
Both the setup and punchline are their own separate trains of thought. Now look at the Sideways L.
The horizontal line is the setup, and it can be about any topic — any train of thought. Now, imagine that little train chugging along that line like it’s on a track. Suddenly, when it reaches the vertical line, it springs up on the new track and flies to the moon.
The train ride has suddenly become a lot different, hasn’t it? That’s how jokes work. By directing one idea into another in an unexpected way, you create surprise. In turn, that creates laughter.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a professional comedian to use misdirection in your blog post. There are a few shortcuts you can take to create that surprise.
1. Compare your topic to a current event
Late-night talk show hosts are always referencing current events. For example, Jimmy Fallon used this line to talk about David Letterman’s recent sex scandal:
There’s a new book out called ‘Why Women Have Sex’ that says there are 237 reasons why women have sex. And folks, Letterman knows the top 10.
See how Fallon mentioned a book about sex, then used it to lead into a remark about the scandal? That’s a prime example of misdirection at work. With the right lead-in topic, poking fun at current events is an easy way to create surprise.
2. Exaggerate
Blowing something WAY out of proportion is a technique comedians have been using for years. In a joke about her overweight mother-in-law, Phyllis Diller says:
She’s a nice woman, though. Nicest three acres of flesh I’ve ever met.
Everyone knows how to exaggerate. Think bigger and more creative. Bend the rules of logic — compare your topic to the most ludicrous mental image you can imagine.
3. Act subtle
Take another look at that last joke. Notice how Diller didn’t come right out and say, “my mother-in-law is as huge as a plot of land.” Instead, Diller implied it by saying her mother-in-law was “three acres of flesh”. With just a little detail, the audience had to figure out the comparison, but once they did, the surprise was far more powerful.
Let’s use a joke I wrote a while back in response to Facebook deleting a poll with inappropriate content. (Naturally, I posted my joke on Facebook.) I wrote:
Facebook recently pulled a poll asking whether or not President Obama should be killed, and is working with the Secret Service to find out who set it up. Now if only the Secret Service had a problem with Farmville.
I didn’t say that the Secret Service should get Facebook to remove the annoying Farmville application from their site. I suggested it, but you can still understand my meaning, and get an idea on how I feel about the app.
The trick with acting subtle is that you need to give just enough information for people to make the connection. Too much, and the joke is direct. Too little, and no one will understand it. Either way, no one laughs.
4. Get sarcastic
We all know what sarcasm is, so I won’t go into a lot of detail. While sarcasm works better with a voice and attitude, written sarcasm can still be effective. Exaggeration and subtlety can help make a sarcastic remark really burn the readers.
If you’re sarcastic to begin with, then this is easy — just write like you speak. If you’re not sarcastic, then listen to a sarcastic guy and focus on what words he uses. Since print can’t convey the sound of sarcasm, you’ll have to rely on how it’s structured.
5. Get vulgar
You ever hear someone fire an F-bomb out of left field and you can’t help but snicker? No doubt about it — cussing is funny, especially when you don’t see it coming. The humor is in the shock value.
Just remember . . . one, two, or three swears can be funny. Loads of them are not.
Like all punchlines, constant swearing stops being funny after a while. For maximum effectiveness, save the really big, creative curse words for the right moment. I like seeing them at the end of a long rant, myself — after all the buildup, a wild cuss streak is a huge payoff.
(Of course, use your judgment before dropping profanities. If you’re writing for a squeaky clean blog, keep it that way and use another shortcut. Otherwise, go ahead and open your pottymouth.)
The next time you want to add some unexpected humor to your blog post, try one of these shortcuts. It may take a bit of practice at first, but when you land a great one-liner, your readers will love it . . . and they’ll love you, too. Happy snarking!
About the Author: Matt Willard is a freelance humor writer and blogger. When he’s not trying to solve his problems with lightning, he pokes fun at nostalgic cartoons, video games, and books on his blog, Giant Robot Invasion.
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15Oct
Made by Mike Galloway, this amazing custom fiber optic starfield ceiling features over 250 stars with a natural twinkle effect. Check it out:
I initially attempted to recreate constellations, but the perfectionist in me made this a daunting task. If I put up Ursa Minor, it would have to be in proper scale and relation to Draco… which would need to be properly spaced to Hercules and Cygnus and so on. That was way too much work! Instead, we went with a loose-cluster setup and placed the stars randomly. This setup puts out a lot more light than the videos show. We could probably read by this light. Check out the how-to guide on Instructables.com. I hope you all like it.
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- Help me pick my new home theater speakers, and get a chance to win $50
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15OctHTML5 Canvas FTW! - http://ajaxian.com/archive...
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15OctEven Crazier Times: HTML Rendering… in Flash - http://ajaxian.com/archive...
arjo liked this -
15Oct
Not only the networks of all political persuasions that come to mind, but the mindset they represent...
When I was growing up, Eyewitness News always found a house on fire in South Buffalo. "Tonight's top story," Irv Weinstein would intone, "...a fire in South Buffalo." Every single night. If you watched the news from out of town, you were sure that the city must have completely burned to the ground.
Cable news thinking has nothing to do with fires or with politics. Instead, it amplifies the worst elements of emotional reaction:
- Focus on the urgent instead of the important.
- Vivid emotions and the visuals that go with them as a selector for what's important.
- Emphasis on noise over thoughtful analysis.
- Unwillingness to reverse course and change one's mind.
- Xenophobic and jingoistic reactions (fear of outsiders).
- Defense of the status quo encouraged by an audience self-selected to be uniform.
- Things become important merely because others have decided they are important.
- Top down messaging encourages an echo chamber (agree with this edict or change the channel).
- Ill-informed about history and this particular issue.
- Confusing opinion with the truth.
- Revising facts to fit a point of view.
- Unwillingness to review past mistakes in light of history and use those to do better next time.
