Concept-R

How To Generate An ASCII Graphic From A Text?

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 02:14:00 +0000

For those who don't know what an ASCII art is, well according to Wikipedia, "ASCII art is a 20th century art movement that utilizes computers for presentation and consists of pictures pieced together from the 95 printable (from a total of 128) characters defined by the ASCII Standard from 1963 and ASCII compliant character sets with proprietary extended characters".

In short, it means creative text-based art. There are actually quite a number of softwares and apps that lets you create a graphic from a text. One of them is the Text Ascii Art Generator developed by Patorjk. It offers a wide choice (at least 300) of different interesting fonts that you can't even find them in Microsoft Word. Besides that there is an aligning feature that helps you make your graphic on the left, right or center. The default is the boring black text display but this generator is thoughtful enough and allows users to add some beautiful colors in their work.

You can even type in real-time which means that as you type in the text-field, the graphic will appear in the display below almost instantly. After you're satisfied with your work, copy and paste the symbols anywhere you want.

By the way, I've taken some time to search for a few wonderful and amazing ASCII art pieces you've probably never seen before. Here they are -

[VIA]

Toshiba unveils TG01 smartphone

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 02:11:00 +0000

Toshiba has just announced their very own smartphone with a wide screen display of 4.1 inches and a very thin form factor 9.9mm — the Toshiba TG01.

The Toshiba TG01 is not your ordinary smartphone. It’s the first one to have the Qualcomm SnapDragon platform running at a blazing-fast 1GHz processor.

Toshiba TG01 Specs:

4.1 inches (480×800 pixels) full touch screen display
1.0 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD2850
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
3G/HSDPA
Bluetooth 2.0
3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels
GPS/aGPS support
Accelerometer
512MB internal, up to 32GB storage via microSD
Windows Mobile 6.1

The processor can dynamically throttle up or down depending on use so the phone conserves some much-needed juice to last longer. With the SnapDragon platform, Toshiba has not just introduced a phone but another mobile gaming and multimedia device.

The unit will be available by 2nd quarter of 2009 but there’s no pricing indicated. [VIA]

SanDisk reports $1.8 billion loss amid demand slump

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:16:00 +0000

SanDisk reported a net loss of $1.86 billion as it takes steps to reduce output and conserve cash, amid a collapsing flash memory chip market and weak consumer demand.

The flash memory chip supplier's fourth-quarter net loss was $1.86 billion, or a loss of $8.25 per share, compared to GAAP net income of $106 million, or $0.45 per share, in the same period last year. (GAAP stands for Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.)

Charges, including asset impairment and inventory adjustments, totaled $1.91 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008, the company said.

Fourth-quarter revenue fell 31 percent to $864 million on a year-over-year basis but rose 5 percent on a quarter-over-quarter basis. This beat Wall Street estimates of about $767 million.

Total revenue for fiscal 2008 of $3.35 billion declined 14 percent from $3.90 billion in fiscal 2007.

The GAAP net loss for fiscal 2008 was $2.07 billion, or a loss of $9.19 per share, compared to net income of $219 million, or $0.93 per share in fiscal 2007.

SanDisk, like its U.S. flash-memory counterpart Micron Technology, has been reeling from a drop in consumer demand for products that use flash memory and from falling flash chip prices. The Milpitas, Calif.-based company has also been a laggard in the emerging market for solid-state drives, where companies like Samsung, Toshiba, and Intel have taken an early lead.

In its earnings reports, SanDisk cited "slower than expected growth in market demand for our products including, for example, our solid state drives."

Last week, SanDisk said it will transfer 20 percent of its capacity to joint flash-memory manufacturing partner Toshiba for about $890 million. [VIA]

Apple planning dual-core and quad-core iMacs?

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Rather than choosing between dual-core or quad-core processors for an expected revision to the iMac, Apple may have decided to use both.

Shaw Wu of Kaufman Brothers, who just last week opined that an iMac refresh was around the corner, thinks Apple has resolved its dilemma over using quad-core or dual-core processors for the new systems by creating two tiers in the iMac line: a high-end version with a quad-core chip, and a low-end version with a dual-core chip. Apple currently offers two different screen sizes (20-inch and 24-inch) for the all-in-one iMac, and offers two different configurations for each size.

If Wu's sources are correct, Apple could further differentiate the 24-inch line with quad-core chips, or offer a choice of dual-core or quad-core processors for each screen size. The new systems are expected relatively soon, coming off news that Apple has informed resellers that shipments of the existing 24-inch iMacs will grow scarce in coming weeks.

Other news that Intel plans to have new quad-core server processors ready by the end of March could mean a refresh for the Mac Pro around that time. Apple needs to hit on some kind of catalyst for its desktop category, which suffered a 25 percent decline in shipments and a 31 percent decline in revenue during its first fiscal quarter. [VIA]

New Android phones coming your way

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:49:00 +0000

Apparently T-Mobile’s vice president of engineering has spilled the beans -

As the year progresses there will be a significant number of HSPA-capable smart phones. We will be launching more G series phones and other products.

The best part is that its not just going to be a HTC exclusive thing. Another player other than HTC could be releasing an Android phone too. Could it be Sony Ericsson or Motorola? We’re pretty sure Nokia is not going to get off the Symbian bandwagon anytime soon! [VIA]

The once and future e-book: on reading in the digital age

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:47:00 +0000

A veteran of a former turning of the e-book wheel looks at the past, present, and future of reading books on things that are not books.

Rocket eBook (1998), Amazon Kindle (2007)

I was pitched headfirst into the world of e-books in 2002 when I took a job with Palm Digital Media. The company, originally called Peanut Press, was founded in 1998 with a simple plan: publish books in electronic form. As it turns out, that simple plan leads directly into a technological, economic, and political hornet's nest. But thanks to some good initial decisions (more on those later), little Peanut Press did pretty well for itself in those first few years, eventually having a legitimate claim to its self-declared title of "the world's largest e-book store."

Unfortunately, despite starting the company near the peak of the original dot-com bubble, the founders of Peanut Press lost control of the company very early on. In retrospect, this signaled an important truth that persists to this day: people don't get e-books.

A succession of increasingly disengaged and (later) incompetent owners effectively killed Peanut Press, first flattening its growth curve, then abandoning all of the original employees by moving the company several hundred miles away. In January of 2008, what remained of the once-proud e-book store (now called eReader.com) was scraped up off the floor and acquired by a competitor, Fictionwise.com.

Unlike previous owners, Fictionwise has some actual knowledge of and interest in e-books. But though the "world's largest e-book store" appellation still adorns the eReader.com website, larger fish have long since entered the pond.

And so, a sad end for the eReader that I knew (née Palm Digital Media, née Peanut Press). But this story is not just about them, or me. Notice that I used the present tense earlier: "people don't get e-books." This is as true today as it was ten years ago. Venture capitalists didn't get it then, nor did the series of owners that killed Peanut Press, nor do many of the players in the e-book market today. And then there are the consumers, their own notions about e-books left to solidify in the absence of any clear vision from the industry.

The sentiment seeping through the paragraphs above should seem familiar to most Ars Technica readers. Do you detect a faint whiff of OS/2? Amiga, perhaps? Or, more likely, the overwhelming miasma of "Mac user, circa 1996." That's right, it's the defiance and bitterness of the marginalized: those who feel that their particular passion has been unjustly shunned by the ignorant masses.

Usually, this sentiment marks the tail end of a movement, or a product in decline. But sometimes it's just a sign of a slow start. I believe this is the case with e-books. The pace of the e-book market over the past decade has been excruciatingly—and yes, you guessed it, unjustly—slow. My frustration is much like that of the Mac users of old. Here's an awesome, obvious, inevitable idea, seemingly thwarted at every turn by widespread consumer misunderstanding and an endemic lack of will among the big players.

I don't pretend to be able to move corporate mountains, but I do have a lot of e-book related things to get off my chest. And so, this will be part editorial, part polemic, part rant, but also, I hope, somewhat educational. As for Apple, that connection will be clear by the end, if it isn't already. Buckle up.

[VIA]

8 Open-Source Clones Of Popular Web 2.0 Websites

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:45:00 +0000

In past 8 years, the main force of Internet was Web 2.0.There are many platforms which are defined as Web 2.0 Platforms. But nearly none of them can give you the source code, so how can we create a Web 2.0 website easily by ourselves? Never mind, well the Open-Source Community can solve this problem - there are many imitations of Web 2.0 Websites, and a lot of them are Open-Source Web Programs or Web Scripts.

There are many imitations of Web 2.0 Websites, I think only a few people will make a summary about them. Now, I want to let you know these websites and their special functions and features.

1. Imitation of Digg - Pligg

As you know, Digg is the most popular Social News website, and its function is really useful, it changes the way for us to get news. Pligg is a Open-Source CMS that it is quite like Digg.com, and it includes some extra functions like Tag and link to Social Bookmark websites.

2. Imitation of Wikipedia - MediaWiki

I am not sure whether the MediaWiki can be the imitation of Wikipedia, because they are both supported by the same foundation. It is also a very powerful Open-Source Web Program and it includes all functions of Wikipedia, everyone can use this program to build a wonderful wiki-site.

3. Imitation of YouTube - AlstraSoft Video Share

Of course, YouTube is one of the most successful Web 2.0 websites, but it is also a sample for a lot of Video Sharing websites. AlstraSoft Video Share is a PHP+MySQL tool that you can create your own YouTube very easily, and you can also get support (such as servers, bandwidth, etc) from AlstraSoft if your website is creative enough.

4. Imitation of Yahoo! Answers - Askeet

Yahoo! Answers is a really popular Web 2.0 Q&A website. Askeet is completely copy from Yahoo! Answers, but it is Open-Source. The special function is users can digg(vote) and decide the featured questions. You can use it freely according to the MIT License.

5. Imitation of MySpace - PHPFox

MySpace is the most popular online space in US, and of course it can bring a lot of Open-Source Programs. One of the most wonderful one is PHPFox, this is a application which is written in PHP and includes the functions like Groups, Blogs, Forums, Messages, etc.

6. Imitation of Netvibes, Pageflakes - AlstraSoft StartPage

Another project from AlstraSoft, it is a AJAX StartPage, I think you may never heard Netvibes or Pageflakes before, but I think you should be familiar with StartPage. You can add some RSS Feeds, or Widgets very easily to a StartPage. Built-In AJAX can improve the user experience a lot.

7. Imitation of delicious - Scuttle

Of course, the focus of Social Bookmarking is delicious, one of the yahoo websites. I think no one can catch up with delicious in Social Bookmarking in 3 years. But if you want to start your journey with Social Bookmarking, Scuttle is really perfect for you, however, the official website of Scuttle has been closed, but you can get the latest version of this program on SourceForge.net.

8. Imitation of Facebook - UCHome with Manyou App Platform

Facebook, the core of Web 2.0 in past 4 years, is the biggest Social Networks website in the world. If anyone think a website or a platform can be as popular as Facebook, then I believe that must be UCHome, which is the most popular SNs platform in China. UCHome is a SNs website program, and Manyou is a developer network, the target of applications won't be only the users of one website any more. If you write an application for Manyou, then nearly all SNs websites will be able to use your application. They are really wonderful things come from China.[VIA]

Top Reasons Why Subscribers Unsubscribe

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:41:00 +0000

Blog subscribers are just like customers. Without them, your blog's life is down. As said, it is better to have one subscriber than nothing at all.

Every subscriber matters. For new or starting blogs, an increment of one in the subscriber count is a big achievement already in a day. But for popular blogs, a constant increase in blog subscription count is what matters. But nonetheless, whether you're new or a veteran blogger, there's still the danger of losing your subscribers anytime. Would you want to see a drop in your subscriber count? Who does?

I have asked around blog owners who also are at the same time subscribers to other blogs on what usually discourages a subscriber from receiving more updates on a certain blog. To make this description short, here's a list of the common reasons why subscribers quickly unsubscribe to a blog.

Inconsistency of Posts - Some readers subscribe to your blog actually because they like a certain post. If suddenly they receive an update of your blog telling about a topic of disinterest, they'd be a little annoyed. About this time, they wouldn't unsubscribe. But the moment another post comes out and is still a bit far-fetched from what they're really expecting from your blog, they'd probably click the Unsubscribe link any moment.

The keyword is consistency. Blog about what your blog is about. If you are too inconsistent with the topics you post on your blog, chances are readers won't like it when they receive it through their readers or e-mail, more especially if they expect your posts to be about your niche most of the time.

Posting too much - Another mistake some bloggers make. Make posts moderately. Don't overdo updating. A subscriber would either get exhausted of reading all those many posts in one day or will find your updates spammy. Always remember your readers are busy people (most of them) and "serving them 5 courses for dinner" wouldn't be such a great idea.

The secret is to take it slow. Posting once a day is the least ideal you can do. Above that would now depend on the subscriber's patience. Always remember, if you have nothing good to post, don't post anything.

Posting Low-Quality Posts - A problem not only for subscribers but for all your blog readers and visitors. What do you expect them to do? Imagine yourself expecting a great post but end up reading something that's lifeless. The first thing that would come to mind would be "Why am I subscribing to this blog in the first place"? Then there goes the bye-bye subscriber.

Paid Reviews, Ads and Affiliate Links - Some subscribers who know about these stuff would surely be turned off. Blogs doing paid reviews wouldn't get a high subscriber count (I know this one based on my other blog experience). If you also like to advertise a lot on your posts or include affiliate marketing in a very obvious manner, your subscribers would get pissed off.

The cure? Well if you do paid reviews, expect nothing good about your subscription count unless you've got a number of close peers. For ads and affiliate links, moderation is the key. Don't sweat it out. Your affiliate victory would come in no time anyways.

Poor Grammar - This should be just under low-quality posting actually but let's separate it. I know this is mean but some (or most) of us hate reading a post with lots of spelling and grammatical errors. Nobody is perfect, yes, but since you're in this career that's all about writing, why practice correct English first before spreading the word to others? I don't say bloggers with poor English should stop. Just work hard on improvement.

Would you continue reading an e-mail update that says "I don't know if their here already" or "He don't know me". Well sorry, I won't.

Those are the most common reasons why subscribers would leave us bloggers. Actually all of those can be avoided or counteracted. It is within us blog owners to ensure that our subscribers are also happy about what they regularly receive from us. Subscribers unsubscribing on your first few attempts on blogging is actually common. When that happens, you could assess yourself in what aspects did you lack focus on. Through these kinds of experiences, we could actually make our blogs better than before.[VIA]

What would you do with a USB monitor?

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:27:00 +0000

Nope this one’s not a TV display to watch movies inside your car. This is Buffalo’s 7-inch USB monitor. It’s just a lil’ plain monitor that has a 800x480 WGA resolution that you plug into your PC’s USB without the need for external power.

So what can you do with a little USB monitor? Well if you’re a graphics designer you can use this secondary display solely for the tools. You know how it gets crowded with all those Photoshop windows. You can also use this for servers so you don’t have to use a full-blown monitor. Or you can use it to display your IM messages to avoid being distracted by pop-up messages on your main screen.

I guess this gadget is not for everyone but how I would love a real LCD monitor that doesn’t require a separate cord for its power. [VIA]

Top 30 News Websites Using Twitter Based On Number Of Followers

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:23:00 +0000

Follow these news websites on Twitter by clicking on their respective links to receive the latest news update directly on your Twitter profile:

1. CNN Breaking News - 124,184 followers

2. The New York Times - 55,511

3. NPR Politics - 39,508

4. ESPN (sports) - 25,216

5. The Onion - 25,182

6. BBC Click - 24,451

7. BNO News - 22,974

8. CNN - 22,889

9. NPR News - 22,503

10. Macworld (All news about Mac, Iphones, etc.) - 17,063

10. Guardian Technology - 16,042

11. Weird Asia News - 14,223

12. BBC Breaking News - 13,581

13. CNET News - 12,967

14. Fox News - 12,023

15. KPBS News - 10,497

16. Wall Street Journal - 10,223

17. BBC Technology - 8,950

18. Wired News - 8,495

19. Techmeme - 6,990

20. Ars Technica - 6,747

21. GoogleNews (a Twitterbot by urlenco.de) - 5,725

21. ColonelTribune (Thanks Mike!) - 5,725

21. PR Newswire - 5,301

22. NewsHour - 4,910

23. Reuters - 4,874

24. CBC News - 4,492

25. Guardian News - 3,920

26. MSNBC - 3,065

27. HuffingtonPost - 2,887

28. ABC News - 2,772

29. CBS News - 2,394

30. USA TODAY - 1,782

Others: (If you've stumbled across any which I haven't included in this list, please post a comment below. Thanks!)

31. US News - 1,705

32. TIME - 1,301

33. The Real News - 861

34. CyberJournalist - 623

35. AP (Associated Press) - 586

36. Wikinews - 541

37. WriteNews - 505[VIA]

Asus Eee PC 1000HE

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:18:00 +0000

ASUS have announced their latest netbook, the Eee PC 1000HE complete with Intel’s Atom N280 processor. As well as the 1.66GHz CPU and HD-capable Intel GD40 chipset, the 1000HE has a 10-inch LED-backlit display, 160GB hard-drive and WiFi b/g/n. ASUS are suggesting up to 9.5hrs of runtime from the high-density battery and the company’s own Super Hybrid Engine technology.

There’s also a change in keyboard, too, with the Eee PC 1000HE having a new “chiclet” style which apparently allows for quicker and more comfortable typing. ASUS also include 10GB of Eee Online storage space, and the 1000HE has integrated Bluetooth 2.0 and a webcam as well.

You can currently preorder the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE, in both Fine Ebony Black and Blue, through the official ASUS Eee PC Group on Facebook or this page, where it has a introductory MSRP of $399. For a limited time, there’s also an additional $25 instant discount; ASUS haven’t confirmed what the eventual price for the netbook will be.

Press Release:

ASUS Announces the Upgraded Eee PC 1000HE, Available Now for Pre-Order

– First netbook to feature Intel Atom N280 processor, the new Eee PC offers more power, 9.5 hours of battery life, and comfort and style –

FREMONT, CALIFORNIA (February 2, 2009)-ASUS, the innovator who revolutionized the mobile computing landscape with the original Eee PC netbook, today announces its most powerful and long-lasting Eee PC yet – the 1000HE. Available for pre-order from selected online E-tailers, the Eee PC 1000HE is the pinnacle of netbook computing, offering more power, longer battery life, increased comfort and legendary ASUS quality.

World’s First Atom N280 Netbook
With the extra power of the Intel Atom N280 processor, users will be able to boot faster, get work done quicker, and enjoy higher performance compared to other Atom N270-powered netbooks. The Eee PC 1000HE also features ASUS’ exclusive Super Hybrid Engine (SHE) technology, which can boost CPU speed for extra power or lower it to preserve battery life, all at the touch of a button.

Higher Density battery, New Keyboard
The Eee PC 1000HE is equipped with a high-density battery that, when combined with the Super Hybrid Engine, allows for an industry-leading 9.5 hours of battery life*. Using the Eee PC all-day has never been easier thanks to its bright 10” LED backlit display and new “chiclet” keyboard that allows for faster and more comfortable typing.

Wireless Internet and File Storage on-the-go
The Eee PC 1000HE comes with WiFi 802.11b/g/n network connectivity for ultimate wireless accessibility and mobility. Bluetooth v2.0 is also included for flexibility and convenience with any Bluetooth devices.

Additionally, the Eee PC 1000HE is outfitted with 170GB of Hybrid Storage – 160GB of internal hard disk drive and 10GB of file-encrypted Eee Online Storage. Users can store, share and access documents and multimedia easily on the move.

Pricing and Availability
The ASUS Eee PC 1000HE is available immediately for pre-order through the official ASUS Eee PC Group on Facebook at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6297967631. The introductory MSRP of the Eee PC 1000HE is $399 USD. For a limited time, an additional $25 instant discount will apply to the pre-orders. The Eee PC 1000HE will be available in both Fine Ebony Black and Blue in North America.

* Estimated maximum battery life under Windows XP is measured with BatteryMark 4.0.1 (in Eee PC Super Hybrid Engine Power-Saving mode, 40% LCD brightness, Wi-Fi off, BT off, and camera disabled). Actual battery life may vary based on product settings, usage patterns and environmental conditions.

About ASUS
ASUS is a leading company in the new digital era. With a global staff of more than ten thousand and a world-class R&D design team, the company’s revenue for 2008 was 8.1 billion U.S. dollars. ASUS ranks among the top 10 IT companies in BusinessWeek’s “InfoTech 100”, and has been on the listing for 11 consecutive years. ASUS was also selected by the Wall Street Journal Asia as No.1 in quality and service.

[VIA]

The day Google broke the Web

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 06:17:00 +0000

There was some sort of mass panic last night when Google was spewing a warning “this site may harm your computer” on all their search results. People search on Google were shocked and confused as if the search engine itself was hacked.

Connie took a screenshot from her browser of what turned out to be human error from some engineers over at Google:

The incident happened sometime between 6:30 a.m. PST and 7:25 a.m. as Google explains:

What happened? Very simply, human error. Google flags search results with the message “This site may harm your computer” if the site is known to install malicious software in the background or otherwise surreptitiously. We do this to protect our users against visiting sites that could harm their computers. We maintain a list of such sites through both manual and automated methods. We work with a non-profit called StopBadware.org to come up with criteria for maintaining this list, and to provide simple processes for webmasters to remove their site from the list.

We periodically update that list and released one such update to the site this morning. Unfortunately (and here’s the human error), the URL of ‘/’ was mistakenly checked in as a value to the file and ‘/’ expands to all URLs. Fortunately, our on-call site reliability team found the problem quickly and reverted the file. Since we push these updates in a staggered and rolling fashion, the errors began appearing between 6:27 a.m. and 6:40 a.m. and began disappearing between 7:10 and 7:25 a.m., so the duration of the problem for any particular user was approximately 40 minutes.

A single character (the “/”) did all that trouble. One can only imagine if it were a single word/command or a line of code?

[ VIA: YugaTech ]

A Look At Micro-Blogging Sites

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 06:12:00 +0000

Being a blogger, I've always encountered the term micro-blogging. And maybe you too. The first time I learned what micro-blogging is, I instantly realized I was already doing it.

What Is Micro-Blogging?

Micro-blogging, as the name suggests, is blogging in the micro level. To make it clearer, it is sending brief text, photo, audio or video updates through the use of a variety of means. Mobile messaging, instant messaging, e-mail or simply the web are some of the means on micro-blogging. Some people actually term it "shout outs" or simply "updates". Take note that micro-blogging can also be spelled as microblogging (in the blogosphere) but not in the dictionary. Listed next are the most popular micro-blogging platforms.

Twitter

Twitter is the number one micro-blogging site across the web. Well, that's what co-bloggers are also saying. Twitter is both a micro-blogging and social networking site. From Wikipedia, Twitter had by one measure over 3 million accounts and, by another, well over 5 million visitors in September 2008, a fivefold increase in a month.

Twitter is simply great and useful not only for bloggers but for the whole world as well. News has taken a different course nowadays and Twitter is one of those. Twitter is also available in SMS for some countries which makes it easier to send tweets (Twitter updates). Twitter also has a Japanese version which is second most popular to the English version.

Plurk

Plurk is one of Twitter's big competitors though right now, Twitter is far far away from Plurk's level already. Plurk works exactly like Twitter except that updates are not listed ordinarily but comes in a cool timeline. Your plurks (Plurk updates) can also be replied by co-Plurkers thus starting a thread or conversation. In my personal opinion, Plurk is for a network of close friends while Twitter is for a network of business peers or contacts. Twitter's air is sort of serious. In Plurk, I had fun with people.

Jaiku

Jaiku is another micro-blogging and social networking site. It works exactly the same as Twitter but you can ONLY join Jaiku through an existing user's invite. You need to be invited to join the network. I can't say much about Jaiku for now as nobody invited me to join such network. And Jaiku is less heard than Plurk in my observation. I guess the invite-only scheme is non-user-friendly.

Other Micro-Blogging Sites

Indenti.ca - Identi.ca is an open source social networking and micro-blogging service that works like Twitter. Looking at the site, it really looks like Twitter's child. This is based on Laconica.
Facebook - Facebook is more of a social networking site but its 'What are you doing now' feature gives it the micro-blogging touch.
MySpace - Yes, like Facebook, MySpace has micro-blogging as a side dish through its "status updates" feature.
Friendster - Like the previous two, through its "shout outs".
LinkedIn - LinkedIn is a social networking/micro-blogging site made for businessmen and professionals.
XING - XING is a social software platform and is not well-known.
MXit - Mxit is a free instant messaging software app using 3G/GPRS mobile phones. This is used in South Africa.

Final Notes

Those are some of the many micro-blogging sites that are being used by bloggers and non-bloggers alike. Bloggers use it to gain and spread information as well as to gain traffic and exposure. Non-bloggers usually use it to get updated on things.

Micro-blogging is good. I see no huge negative effects in using it. Its potentials are wide ranged. But wide as it is, we must also know how to utilize the features and services in the right and most effective manner.

A micro-blogging site is like your blog's business partner.

[ VIA: BryanKarl ]

MSI Wind Box: The Slap-On PC

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 06:06:00 +0000

Micro-Star International has announced a new model in its Wind PC line — the MSI Wind Box. It’s a thin, lightweight PC that you can attach to any display screen.

The WindBOX is an Atom-based PC geared towards thin clients, POS and digital signage.

Detailed Specs:
Intel Atom 1.6GHz N270
1GB RAM
Intel GMA 950 3D Graphic Engine
3 x USB 2.0 port
1 VGA port
WiFi 802.11 b/g
10/100 Realtek LAN
1 SMA Connector (antenna)
3-in-1 card reader
SATA II Storage

It has the same size and weight as a regular netbook though it’s not indicated what OS is pre-installed. So, instead of a regular video player (or cable TV) hooked up to a huge LCD screen on the wall, you can have this one.

[ VIA: YugaTech ]

How To Share Your Favorite Songs On Twitter?

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 06:04:00 +0000

Twitterers usually share links (using Tinyurl), pictures (Twitpic) and videos (TweeTube). Now with Twiturm, you can share your favorite songs with your friends on Twitter in just 3 simple steps. Using this free tool is useful and saves us some time as some users often head to music sharing platform and upload their songs there. Next, they shortened the link and share it on Twitter. This is way too troublesome!

After entering your Twitter credentials, you can then start uploading your songs. What's so special about Twiturm is that it helps you create a custom profile whereby when you tweet the link, your followers will be able to stream it and even download it (provided you allow them to do so). Viewers can post comments but only limits up to 140 characters.

Another alternative of Twiturm is MuTwee. Although both tools offer the same feature, but there are some slight difference between them. For MuTwee, it only allows users to share an media file that is already located on the Web whereas for Twiturm, you can upload it directly from your computer.

[ VIA: KidTechGuru ]

Peddle YoGen MaxT to keep your laptop alive

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Earlier on we noticed that alternative energy source battery chargers are steadily gaining their popularity. Under alternative energy source battery chargers I mean of course those which use any energy source except for the one coming from the plug. Hence the most popular sources are wind power and solar power. Mechanical (kinetic) power is a bit less popular in portable gadgets but is used widely in modern-day hybrid vehicles. However wind and solar power sound odd in winter so Easy Energy decided to step in with a kinetic power charger. They call it YoGen MaxT and it is up to charge your notebook for a period limited only by your personal physical abilities.

Well actually even when the foot needs some rest, YoGen MaxT can help it with some rest. The paddle it has charges AA batteries, and they in turn power the notebook so it doesn't shut down as soon as the paddle stops. Easy Energy has its proprietary chargers which are very thin. On the picture their cover is seen as two jutting out parts at the both sides of the foot. Underneath the foot there is a tunable high ratio micro-transmission device. The tuning range of power output it provides is a really good thing to have if you are using different electronic gadgets and each requires its specific power input.

The YoGen MaxT folds in a handy box and will not be abusive in a trip even in a short one. In a folded form its dimensions are 170 x 184 x 49 mm. The width and height increase little bit when YoGen MaxT is set to work. Also the number of AA batteries is optional - up 12 of them and in standard it has a number of adapters for the plug and a battery indicator.

It really seems to me that YoGen MaxT is a quality product and as a portable charger will be great at least until it is worm enough for solar chargers. But also it might look hilarious to peddle the box on public and in a video Easy Energy has presented, YoGen MaxT is clattering loud which sure is not good. Such a way then its future will be defined by its price.

[ VIA: Gadgets Review ]

Clone your pet dog for $155,000

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 05:58:00 +0000

This is something I’m particularly interested in — the first commercially cloned dog was featured on Fox News yesterday. See video clip from YouTube to learn more about it.

Only costs $155,000 for the Korean company, BioArts International, to replicate the dog from frozen DNA. I’m sure if this were commercially viable with humans (in the future), even if it costs $1 million, people would grab the deal.

[ VIA: Yugatech ]

Does Google Earth Benefits Us Or Puts Us Into Danger?

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 05:49:00 +0000

This question has been in my mind for quite a while and I'm still not sure how to answer it. Few months ago, the terrorists of the devastating Mumbai terror carnage have used Google Earth to plan and aid their attacks. Not matter how impressive the geographic information program is, some people were furious and blamed the wrong use of the world's most popular desktop mapping software.

Now, people (especially the Swiss cops) praised Google Earth for helping them spot a large marijuana plantation while using it. They were involved in an ongoing investigation of an alleged drug ring in the northeastern state of Thurgau. The officers wanted to use it to find the full addresses of the location and managed to spotted the 7,500 m2 illicit horticultural site quickly. It has then led to the arrest of 16 people and the seizure of 1.2 tons of marijuana with a street value of US$2.5 million.

Norbert Klossner, the head of Zurich police's narcotics unit, said: "It was an interesting chance discovery."

The gang is alleged to have sold up to 7 tons (7.7 US tons) of hashish and marijuana between 2004 and 2008, with an annual turnover of 3-10 million francs a year, officials said.

[ VIA: KidTechGuru ]

The MULE: Multipurpose Logistics Vehicle

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:10:00 +0000

Regardless of your feelings for the quality of the writing or storyline, you have to admit that the TV program “Knight Rider” has helped to plant the concept of a self-driving car into the public’s consciousness. Now that KITT, the self-driving talking car, has returned to the screen in 2008, and with the successes of robot cars in the DARPA Urban Challenge (see Ken Berry's report in our Spring 2008 issue), autonomous cars seem far more plausible, and indeed, inevitable. As a current baseline of where we are today versus the ideal of KITT’s intelligence, we can compare the smart-aleck Mustang GT500 to a current production Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), the U.S. Army’s MULE, or Multipurpose Logistics Vehicle, which is nearing testing and production. The MULE is being built under contract by Lockheed Martin in Grand Prairie, Texas, a company more famous for building fighter jets.

Any robot sees the world through its sensors. UGVs need to be able to sense a wide variety of objects—cars, the terrain, trees, people, buildings, weaponry—and have a variety of sensors to do this job. They also need to understand where they are and where they are going.

First of all, pretty much every UGV uses some form of the Global Position System (GPS) and has on board some type of mapping system that understands roads and terrain to position the vehicle and to plan ahead for the route it is to take. The operators of the UGV assign it “waypoints,” or spots on the map, that describe the route it is to take. While a robot aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can blindly follow GPS steering instructions, obviously, a ground vehicle cannot.

3D Ladar

The main obstacle-avoidance system on board is the 3D LADAR (“Laser Radar”) system. How does it work? Imagine a madly spinning mirrored disco ball illuminated by a bright laser and throwing off beams in all directions. Each beam as it sweeps around hits objects or the ground, and is reflected back to the sensor. By measuring the very short time it takes for the light to flash out and back, the LADAR builds up a 3D view of the area around the vehicle, and it is accurate to fractions of an inch. It is a 3D laser scanner making dozens of sweeps a second.

The onboard computers go through this data and classify the areas around the vehicle as ground (mostly flat), road (flat areas with curbs), trees (tall round things with a halo of leaves), other vehicles (boxy things that move) and people (people-size things that move). Everything else is an obstacle to be avoided. The computer could assign a “mobility cost” to each area, for example, from 0 for a nice, flat road to 10 for bumpy, rough regions and 1,000 for steep, impassable areas or areas with too many obstacles. A path-planning system finds the route through the area that has the least “cost,” and this result is the most efficient path through the terrain.

Occupancy Grid

One of the real technological challenges in navigating a UGV is to combine the obstacle data from the LADAR with the GPS data to divide the world into moving objects and non-moving ones. This is not a simple challenge, as the vehicle is moving all the time, bouncing over ruts and potholes and turning to avoid obstacles. A very precise Inertial Navigation System (INS) is required; this comprises a series of accelerometers (that measure movement) and gyroscopes (that measure turning and tilting). A lot of very clever computer programming reorients the vehicle, the map and all of the obstacles many times a second to keep them all in sync. Robotics engineers call this resulting map an “occupancy grid,” since it divides the world into areas that are occupied by obstacles and areas that are clear.

Multi-Sensor Fusion

As useful as the LADAR is, it does not tell the whole story. One property that can be used to distinguish people and other vehicles from the general group of obstacles is the presence of heat. Humans radiate heat at 98.6 degrees, and cars and trucks are considerably hotter. After all, we need our UGV to distinguish between a log (that it can safely drive over) and a person lying down (which it cannot). The MULE UGV has multiple cameras mounted all around it, providing vision in several modes that include normal color and infrared. As an Army vehicle, the MULE must operate on almost any terrain in any weather.

Other sensors include a combat ID system that tells friend from foe and an acoustic locater array that can tell the remote operator of the vehicle where small-arms fire is coming from.

Telepresence Firepower

There are three variants of the MULE under development. The Transport MULE is a truck-like vehicle that is designed to carry supplies and equipment. The Counter-mine MULE locates buried land mines with ground-penetrating radar and can neutralize those mines. The final MULE is the Armed Robotic Vehicle —Assault (Light), or that carries anti-tank missiles and a heavy machine gun. While the MULE is fully capable of driving itself, it has no ability—none whatsoever—to fire its own weapons. This can only be done by the vehicle’s operator.

Power, Brains & Versatility

One of the most surprising aspects of the MULE UGV is its hybrid electric/diesel powerplant. Each of the six wheels contains an electric hub motor that actually turns the wheel. The diesel engine is connected only to an electric generator. This configuration allows the suspension to rotate the suspension arms through a large range, permitting an amazing maneuvering capability, including the ability to climb over some barriers and cross gaps. The MULE can also lift any two wheels off the ground and still drive or put its body on the ground with all six tires in the air to reduce its profile or to allow maintenance. As part of the Army’s Future Combat System, the MULE is designed to be maintained with only 10 tools, which is sure to be a big relief to future Army robot mechanics.

These electronics and mechanics are managed by a small cluster of Linux-based real-time computers. There are three sets of computers: the Autonomous Navigation System (ANS), the Vehicle Management System (VMS) and the Battle Command system that performs mission planning and talks to the rest of the Army’s systems.

MULEs are designed to fit seamlessly into existing Army doctrine, which means that they must be able to move in formations or in convoys. Any MULE vehicle can be a formation leader, and all of the unmanned vehicles can follow in formation or in a convoy train. Given all this technology, the current UGV capability is coming up hard to match the fictional abilities of KITT, making our Army troops the “knight riders” of the future.

[ VIA: Botmag ]

Tips for Reviewing and Filtering AdSense Ads

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:53:00 +0000

The process by which the Google AdSense program reviews and filters ads for their participating sites is a semi-automated one. Google has put in p lace strict policies for the content o f its ads, including bans on profanity and racially discriminatory content. These types of ads are automatically filtered out and will not be included on any participating site.
In addition to this automatic ad filtering, owners of participating sites are free to block ads they or their visitors may find offensive. This filtering is done through the use o f custom filters, and it is somewhat different than simply blocking a single advertiser (although that is possible as well). These filters are generally easy to use, and Google provides good assistance to their member sites in order to ensure only wanted ads are posted on the member sites.

Although it happens quite rarely, there are times that Google’s auto mated algorithms for determining web site content are not able to make a good match o f ads to the web site pages. In those cases, the publisher of the web site will be permitted to choose his or her own ads. If this does happen and you fail to make a choice, the site will automatically host a number of public service advertisements.
One of the best things about the Google AdSense program is that the look and feel of the ads can easily be customized in order to provide a consistent look and feel to the content on the web site. One of the key concepts of effective web design is to provide visitors to the web site with a consistent look and feel. This includes making sure that the same colors are used throughout all the pages, making sure that the fonts are consistent and being sure to make the navigation of the web site as intuitive and simple as possible.

Fitting the ads served by Google AdSense into this equation is generally a simple process, and a number o f tools are provided to make it easy to customize the look and feel of the ads being served. For instance, the Google AdSense program allows web site owners to customize the color and layout o f the ads in order to be more consistent with the rest o f the site. Web site owners are free to choose from the opt ions provided or to apply a custom layout and color to the ads. The advertisers do not have control over
This process; once their ads appear on your site you are free to customize t he text and control how it looks. This is a big advantage o f t he Google AdSense program, and one that many web site owners would not want to do without.

Since the customization of Google AdSense content is so easy to do, it is important for all web site owners to carefully consider how to format the ads they host. It is a good idea to periodically review the web site, and the targeted ads contained o n the site, in order to make sure that the ads served are appropriate. At the same time, it is a good idea to look at the overall look and feel o f t he web site, not only the ads themselves but how they fit into the overall look and feel of the web site. It is important that the ads not look jarring or out of place. If the ads do stick out, reformatting them to more closely match the look of the web site itself should help a lot. It is best for the ads to be unobtrusive but still easy to notice for the casual web site visitor.

This type of web site testing should be a staple activity for the owner or manager of any web based business. It is important to periodically go back to the web site with the eyes of a potential visitor. Look at things like how easy the site is to use and navigate, how intuitive it is, and o f course how relevant t he ads are to the content. This type of review, of both ad copy and web site content, is a great way to keep the site fresh and relevant month after month and year after year.

[ VIA: Silemot ]

Find Out How Popular Web 2.0 Websites Look Like Few Years Ago

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:17:00 +0000

If you surf the Internet regularly, sometimes you'll stumbled across this phrase - "Web 2.0". So what Web 2.0 means? As the founder of O'Reilly Media - Tim O'Reilly explained, "Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as a platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform." Web 2.0 was also commonly described as "read-write" whereas Web 1.0 was "read-only" and for the future Web 3.0 will be "read-write-execute".

Today, we shall not head to back to what had happened during the Web 1.0 but let's find out how websites evolved since the era of Web 2.0 started. Below are the screenshots of the most popular Web 2.0 websites on the net and how they look like few years ago.

Blogger in 1999 -

Blogger in 2009 -

Feedburner in 2004 -

Feedburner in 2009 -

MySpace in 2003 -

MySpace in 2009 -

Facebook in 2004 -

Facebook in 2009 -

YouTube in 2005 -

YouTube in 2009 -

Wikipedia in 2002 -

Wikipedia in 2009 -

Photobucket in 2003 -

Photobucket in 2009 -

Flickr in 2004 -

Flickr in 2009 -

Digg in 2006 -

Digg in 2009 -

Twitter in 2006 -

Twitter in 2009 -

[ VIA: KidTechGuru ]

Sony PSP 3000 flaunts its new colors

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:08:00 +0000

Sony Japan has announced four new colors for the Sony PSP. Called the “Carnival Colors” collection of PSP-3000, these will be available for sale in Japan from March. The colors have interesting names too:

- vibrant blue
- radiant red
- bright yellow
- spirited green

Interesting names for the colors if you ask me. So how much are these going to cost? The standard package will cost around $220 which comes with the PSP-3000 and its battery. If you choose to get the special edition, be prepared to fork out an extra $60. The special edition includes a PSP pouch, an AD adapter and a 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo. According to Sony Japan, the blue and red PSP-3000s will go on sale first (on March 5th). The yellow and green models will be launched as a second phase.

[ VIA: NewGadgetsGuru ]

Clark Kent Flashdrive?

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:28:00 +0000

image courtesy of ubergizmo

Hmmm… a 2GB flashdrive that looks like a pair of glasses. Are you willing to get one for $29? Not for me, indeed. Besides, it would be pointless to get one as my netbook is portable, yet the flashdrive is one of the least portable in the market.

[ VIA: NetBooks ]

Acer Aspire One 103 Price: Php25,995

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:26:00 +0000

Just 5 days after the new 10″ Acer Aspire One has been formally announced, the new model is ready for pre-oder with a suggested retail price of Php25,995.

Acer Aspire One 103
Intel Atom Processor N280
1.66GHz, 667MHz FSB and 512Kb L2
10.1″ display screen (1024×600 pixels)
Mobile Intel GN40 Chipset
Acer InviLink 802.11b/g WiFi
1.0GB RAM (512MB built-in + 512MB Module additional)
320GB SATA HDD
SDHC card reader
Acer CrystalEye Webcam
10/100Mbps LAN port
Multitouch touchpad
Bluetooth
6-cell battery
MicroSoft Windows XP Home
3G built-in (optional)

Pre-order price: Php25,995

100 units of the Acer Aspire 103 will be available by March 15, 2009 at PCCorner.

This model looks like a good bargain (including the 3G module) and you can always swap that extra 512MB stick with a 1GB or 2GB one for better performance. With all that, I think you still end up with a powerful netbook under Php30k.

[ VIA: Yugatech ]

6 SEO Strategy for beginner

noreply@blogger.com (ArAr) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:25:00 +0000

1. Strategic objectives
• Maximise visibility and awareness of the OU brand and offer relative to our competitors within key international search engines
• Maximise the OU’s share of search within the education category compared to competitors (institutions and other providers)
• Maximise quality of website visitors from search engines, attract those that convert to the outcomes the OU requires when they visit the website
• Maximise the lifetime value of visitors from search engines

2. Visibility and awareness
• Ensure that OU brand is visible and appropriately represented within search engine results pages (SERP’s)
– Search/IA mapping to create keyword hierarchy for OU site
– Identify and optimise keyword entry points/information pathways
– Gap analysis between OU website and potential search terms
– Balance of SEO vs PPC
– On/off page optimisation

3. On/off page optimisation
• Integration of SEO with IA
– Off-Page Factors: domain name, directory structure, filename, URL
• Integration of key SEO factors within style guides and standards and the production process via optimised layout mark-up (OLM)
– On-Page Factors: title tag, meta tags, page content, copy relevancy, text formatting, frequency/density/prominence of phrases
– Off-Page Factors: internal link structure, external link structure
• Link building strategy
– Directory Listings, JISC XCRI CAP project
– Anchor text of inbound links
– Page quality of inbound links

4. Share of search
• Ensure that OU brand is visible against key competitor institution/providers within search engine results pages (SERP’s)
– Identify and monitor search behaviour of competitor institutions/providers websites
– Search term gap analysis between OU and competitor websites
– On/off page optimisation
• Suggested target
– Appear within 2 rankings + same SERP as primary competitor
– Higher frequency of rankings than competitor institution/provider within 1-3 SERP’s

5. Quality & value of visitors
• Ensure that visitors from search engines are those who convert to the outcomes the OU requires when they visit the website and
subsequently engage in an ongoing relationship with The OU
– Identify and optimise best performing keyword conversion/information pathways
– Profiling of search engine visitors
– Profiling of enquirers/students driven by search engines
– On page optimisation, particularly copy relevancy
• Suggested targets
– Reduction in single visit visitors generated by search (Feb 06, 30% of SVV)
– Increase in VVR,PRR & RCR for search (May 07, 1.4, 1.2%,0.6%)

6. Work in progress
• SEO review of primary portals within “Open Portals” information architecture
• Target keyword mapping to “Open Portals” architecture
– Brand (OU Home/About)
– Core/Generic (About/New/Study/Research/Five)
– Specific (Study/Research/Five)
• Integration of SEO requirements within Style Guides and Standards

[ VIA: Silemot ]