Facebook chat is broken

In my spare time, I like to dig through facebook’s code, finding hidden gems and secrets (last year I was the first to expose their video chat plans with Skype). So after hearing everyone complain about how broken facebook chat has become, I decided to challenge myself to fix it.

It turns out there’s an easy fix, and it is buried right in facebook’s own code.

All I had to do was change one line of code in one of facebook’s functions, overriding their default definition, and facebook chat became useful and fun again.

I’ve created an easy to use browser addon which you can run and have it fix the chat for you automatically.

Or for the more techno-geeky crowd, you can try it out by getting the code directly from GitHub, and running it in the browser’s console.

Download facebook chat fix

The object, which is simply called VideoChat, appears to have everything needed to introduce video chatting functionality.

What is even more interesting is that the object has several properties which refer to Skype, and clearly suggest being able to video chat with Skype users, or maybe even associate your Skype id with your facebook identity.

Is this the next move in Facebook’s plan to corral all of our communications into facebook.com

UPDATE: Digging further into the code reveals it checks for plugin support using either ActiveX on Internet Explorer, or using the Skype SDK.

UPDATE 2: It seems that Facebook is currently bucket testing this feature, as it didn’t appear everytime I loaded the page, but only once in a while.

You can see the code yourself on facebook’s servers and it is also mirrored on Green Any Site.

Want to do something good for the planet every time you shop online? Check out Green Any Site.

Airbus A380

But true change must come from innovation and new thinking by aircraft manufacturers. This week, I visited the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, to see firsthand what direction the industry is taking. The general sentiment of the show was summarized by Airbus in 10 foot letters on the side of their new Airbus A380 – “Greener. Cleaner. Quieter. Smarter.”

The A380's bar (image by jjay69)

The new Airbus A380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world, and Airbus boasts that it is the first aircraft ever to achieve a fuel efficiency below 3 liters per passenger over 100 kilometers (a boast which loses some meaning if you take into consideration that all current airlines fly A380 configurations that cater to fewer passengers per flight and are rarely fully booked). The A380 also uses a new wing design and lighter composite materials to improve its performance. Airbus also claims a 50% smaller noise footprint than the 747-400 while carrying 40% more passengers.

Impressive claims. But as I look up at the A380 flying overhead in slow graceful circles, all of those energy saving statistics melt away and all I can think of is the full-sized, fully stocked bar in the plane’s upper deck.

The Bluecopter

Not to be outdone by Airbus, Eurocopter are showing their own idea for a greener future. Their new concept helicopter, codenamed Bluecopter, has a “high-compression engine” that promises to reduce fuel consumption, CO2, NO and NO2 emmissions by 30-40%… That is if they can get it off the ground. It seems that calling it a helicopter is a bit of a stretch, as the bluecopter is currently nothing more than an off the shelf Mercedes-Benz V6 turbodiesel engine with a helicopter shaped box around it painted in blue and green. In fact, it is currently so heavy, it couldn’t get off the ground even if you gave up on the fancy extras such as passengers or a pilot. Not that any of those facts stood in the way of Eurocopter generating a lot of green-buzz around this innovation.

Another recurring theme in the show was increased use of composite materials such as carbon fibers to make aircraft lighter. One notable example was the 4-seater Simba. With a hull built entirely from carbon fibers, Simba weighs less than 500 kg (I’ve ridden motorcycles heavier than that), but can still reach a cruising speed of 220 km/h, and pulled off impressive stunts in the sky above our heads.

500 kg of innovation

After spending a few days looking at the latest and greatest being developed by some of the biggest companies on the planet, it is clear that the current direction is focused on optimizing, refining and improving as opposed to revolutionizing. But in an industry where it can take over a decade to bring a product to market (The A380 took 13 years to develop), is it fair to expect a revolution right now? Or will we have to wait another decade before seeing a true leap in technology? I’d like to believe that current market forces will accelerate the current progress and bring a revolution out of necessity.

But will this be enough to save the industry? 2009 marked the 100th year of the Paris Air Show, and it was quite a somber one, with fewer Champagne bottles uncorking to celebrate big deals, fewer new models and not enough innovation.

Looking at the big airlines, it is easy to draw parallels between the state of the aviation industry, and the stagnation in the American car industry. Perhaps what we need here is an outsider with a fresh point of view to shake the boat… to borrow an idea from Todd Dagres – Perhaps what the aviation industry needs is a Steve Jobs.

Like a Kid In a Toy Store

All cynicism and skepticism aside, the Paris Air Salon is the ultimate place for the kid-at-heart to check out the latest toys in action.

Where else in the world can you see a Eurofighter Typhoon pull off crazy stunts, walk a few meters under the shadow of two huge space rockets to flirt with an F-15 pilot, then turn your head back to the roar of a 50 year old Lockheed Super Constellation taxiing 5 meters from you, its giant wing over your head.

Even a grumpy treehugger like me can’t help but melt and squeal with glee as a F/A-18 Super Hornet prepares for takeoff next to me, the hot air from its jets blasts me in the face like a thousand splendid suns… Burn all the fuel you want buddy, right now I’m an 8 year old with the shiniest toy.

Ready to burn some calories

Cheese and other dairy containers, small salads, yogurts and the occasional hummus container used to make up a large part of my garbage… Turns out, they can all be recycled just as well as the PET bottles I’ve been collecting for recycling. The reason the recycling companies don’t advertise this fact is a sound one. Throwing these containers in the recycling bin (at home or on the street) and having them stay there for days, or sometimes weeks, can be a serious sanitary hazard and health risk. On the other hand, asking the public to rinse all containers before throwing them is a huge waste of water.

If you have a healthy active dog, cat or another pet that is willing to help, you can increase the amount of plastic you recycle instantly.

Ingredients:

• 1 or more pets
• 1 or more plastic containers

Instructions:

1. Place plastic container in front of pet.
2. Watch as your pet helps the recycling effort by making sure that plastic container is so clean, it shines.
3. optional: Grab a camera and take some photos/video. You won’t be disappointed.
4. Collect plastic containers and place in recycle bin.

As always, use your own discretion when deciding what your pet can and should eat. Chocolate puddings are of course out of the question, but so are foods that are too sugary, spicy or contain artificial sweeteners. Many foods are usually fine, especially considering the relatively minuscule portion size your pet gets from just cleaning the container.

If your pet is overweight or obese, this tip is not for you! Obese and overweight pets constitute an estimated 48% of all pets in the USA, I encourage you to learn more about the risks, which include Osteoarthritis, Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and even cancer. Even if your pet is not overweight, you should spend at least a couple of minutes online learning about the potential risks. (ThePetCenter.com has a good article on the overweight pet).

I am still in negotiations with my dog regarding his offer to help make our compost heap smaller… he’s such a helpful character.

Final note: What materials are actually recycled changes from country to country and from town to town. Do a web search for your local recycling rules and see what is actually accepted. Filling the recycling bin with stuff that isn’t actually recycled just lowers the efficiency of the recycling center.

Paul Smith, a blogger on Triple Pundit, a green business blog, and a sustainable business consultant, wrote this in a post titled A Brilliantly Simple Green Business Idea:

As a green business blogger on three sites, I hear about a lot of green business ideas. Today I heard about a near perfect one. Green Any Site.

By making the everyday act of making an online purchase, green or not, have a green impact, they’ve scored a win on all sides. Creating ease in making positive choices is a wise move.

TreeHugger, one of the largest green blogs on the planet calls GAS:

…a smart way to get online shoppers to be a little greener while spending their money.

One of my favorite bloggers, Deane Barker, calls GAS a brilliant idea, and has managed to phrase the essence of GAS a bit more bluntly than I have so far:

So, if this takes off, Tal has essentially forced retailers to give 10% (or whatever) of their proceeds to the environment, whether they like it or not.

Response from GAS users has been enthusiastic, encouraging and so much fun to read… Here are some of my favorite comments:

Folks
I appreciate the spirit of your eforts to help Peace and the Environment. Keep up the good work.
Thank you, Shalom and Salam

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this concept. I buy like 40% of my stuff on the internet. I have installed your bookmarklet and can’t wait to use it!

You are awesome for this!
Gonna use all my amazon.com purchases through you from now on

What a great idea, I will definitely be using this site for my next purchase…

allow me to thank you for that initiative it is excellent and impressive! Thank You

Thanks to everyone who wrote in and shared their praise, feedback, ideas, and sometimes even some criticism.

My inbox is always open to you, so please write me.

My name is Tal Ater, and I am the founder and developer of Green Any Site.

I will be using this blog not only to keep you posted on new developments with GAS, but also as a venue to make GAS completely transparent to you. This will be the place where I’ll be posting complete financial data on all the money we raise through your use of GAS, as well as complete data on where the money goes and what it is used for. That means posting receipts from the charities we support, as well as financial details from the sites we’ve helped green (when that does not compromise their affiliate agreement).

So stick around, and let’s hope we can make this holiday season just a bit greener.