Slothminds http://www.slothminds.com If something's stupid, but works, it isn't stupid. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:48:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 slothmindshttp://feedburner.google.com Google acquires reCAPTCHA http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/slothminds/~3/B90L6WpUcKE/ http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/google-acquires-recaptcha/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:26:09 +0000 Hugo Sousa http://www.slothminds.com/?p=1456 reCAPTCHA, a company that provides CAPTCHAs to help protect more than 100,000 websites from spam and fraud, was recently acquired by the IT giant .

recaptcha-example

A CAPTCHA, according to Wikipedia, is a type of challenge-response test used in computing to ensure that the response is not generated by a computer. This feature is commonly used in log in / sign up panels and comment areas where the developer wants to prevent spammers from using their website to advertise some H1N1 or Viagra pills…

That’s why we’re excited to welcome the reCAPTCHA team to , and we’re committed to delivering the same high level of performance that websites using reCAPTCHA have come to expect. Improving the availability and accessibility of all the information on the is really important to us, so we’re looking forward to advancing this technology with the reCAPTCHA team.

Find out more about reCAPTCHA over at their official website: recaptcha.net.

Source: Official Google Blog

is a type of challenge-response test used in computing to ensure that the response is not generated by a computer.

Related posts

]]> http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/google-acquires-recaptcha/feed/ 1 http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/google-acquires-recaptcha/ The “blog” of “unnecessary” quotes is “awesome!” http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/slothminds/~3/P_4tXhxFYV4/ http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/the-blog-of-unnecessary-quotes-is-awesome/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:47:53 +0000 Hugo Sousa http://www.slothminds.com/?p=1445 summer is great thing and, thanks to Geek Hero Comic’s author (go read it!), I found out about this great and simple that posts photos from around the world featuring “unnecessary” quotation marks!

For those of you in doubt, the proper way of using quotation marks can be found here: UK | US.

For more, visit unnecessaryquotes.com!

Related posts

]]> http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/the-blog-of-unnecessary-quotes-is-awesome/feed/ 0 http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/the-blog-of-unnecessary-quotes-is-awesome/ iPhone Jailbreak users will have to wait a bit for OS 3.1 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/slothminds/~3/Ua3xwyftKMk/ http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/iphone-jailbreak-users-will-have-to-wait-a-bit-for-os-3-1/#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:52:13 +0000 Hugo Sousa http://www.slothminds.com/?p=1439 According to the iPhone DEV-TEAM, users with a jailbroken device will have to wait to update to the new OS 3.1, since the device will not be able to revert the baseband firmware, required for the jailbreak to succeed.

Source: Flickr (Kenneth Hynek)

Source: (Kenneth Hynek)

The PwnageTool will still work and allow you to update your firmware without touching the baseband firmware, as long as you click “no” on the iTunes update request.

If you would like to know more about baseband, PwnageTool or Jailbreak in general, please visit the DEV-TEAM’s official website here.

Related posts

]]> http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/iphone-jailbreak-users-will-have-to-wait-a-bit-for-os-3-1/feed/ 0 http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/iphone-jailbreak-users-will-have-to-wait-a-bit-for-os-3-1/ Apple Announces New iPhone OS 3.1 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/slothminds/~3/JUUIF2X-RUo/ http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/apple-announces-new-iphone-os-3-1/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:49:05 +0000 Hugo Sousa http://www.slothminds.com/?p=1433 iphone31

announced today the iPhone OS 3.1 Software Update, which is mainly focused on user preferences and customization. The features include:

  • Genius Recommendations for Apps
    Get recommendations for apps you might like based on apps you’ve already downloaded.
  • Genius Mixes
    Have iTunes automatically create mixes based on what’s already in your library. You don’t even have to choose a sample song.
  • Download Ringtones Wirelessly
    Choose from thousands of ringtones on the iTunes Store and buy them with a tap.
  • Organize Apps in iTunes
    Use iTunes on your computer to drag apps onto virtual Home screens, then sync them to your .
  • And more!

Some of the new features will also require you to download and install the latest iTunes 9, which also brings some new cards to the table, including Home Sharing (a feature that allows you to transfer music, movies and more between your computers at home!).

ave iTunes automatically create mixes based on what’s already in your library. You don’t even have to choose a sample song.

Related posts

]]> http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/apple-announces-new-iphone-os-3-1/feed/ 0 http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/apple-announces-new-iphone-os-3-1/ HTC’s new toy is called Tattoo http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/slothminds/~3/hG_U5otO8s8/ http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/htcs-new-toy-is-called-tattoo/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:11:18 +0000 Hugo Sousa http://www.slothminds.com/?p=1407 HTC unveiled today their new -based chinless called Tattoo, sporting Sense UI, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a 3.2MP camera and the usual microSD card slot.

UPDATE
Some more specs were announced, including a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7225 CPU, 512MB/256MB ROM/RAM, a 2.8-inch 240×320 QVGA screen, GPS, 802.11b/g Wifi, digital compass and the usual Bluetooth 2.0.

htc_tattoo

According to HTC’s press release, the name is based on personalization taken to the max!

“Everyone wants their own to feel like it was specifically made for them. The Tattoo, with HTC Sense represents an easy way to shape your own distinct experience and really make it your own,” said Peter Chou

The new is expected to be spotted in stores around October, in Europe and could also be a low-cost (possibly even be free, depending on how the carriers are willing to subsidy it)!

Source: Mobile Crunch

Related posts

]]> http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/htcs-new-toy-is-called-tattoo/feed/ 0 http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/09/htcs-new-toy-is-called-tattoo/ Is Gmail on the fritz?! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/slothminds/~3/4J7-XhuV6Pw/ http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/05/is-gmail-on-the-fritz/#comments Sat, 30 May 2009 23:30:22 +0000 Hugo Sousa http://www.slothminds.com/?p=1390 I’m sure that by now you’ve heard all about Gmail’s recent downtime, but this one’s new for me.

Today I logged in on my account as usual and got this weird error message. By clicking “OK” all seems fine except for a few buttons that look a bit weird, until you try to click a message and do the “OMG we’re out of milk” face when you realize that nothing happens…

gmail-error

Using the older or basic HTML versions work but, let’s be honest, who wants to use that?

Anyway, this is probably a javascript compatibility bug between my installation and , since the same problem isn’t happening on any other browser I have installed.

Strangely enough, this problem also doesn’t happen on my work computer, which is running 3.5 .

What about you, any problems with lately?

Related posts

]]> http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/05/is-gmail-on-the-fritz/feed/ 0 http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/05/is-gmail-on-the-fritz/ On-My.TV is an Online TV Calendar http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/slothminds/~3/qDm0HwcZfq8/ http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/04/on-mytv-is-an-online-tv-calendar/#comments Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:10:30 +0000 Hugo Sousa http://www.slothminds.com/?p=1338 onmytv1On-My. is a customizable online calendar with almost every single show currently airing in the major networks.

This very simple online tool allows you to quickly create a user account and customize which shows appear on your monthly calendar. It also let’s you know if there are any new shows added to the database since your last filter update!

onmytv-3

The output is quite plain and simple, with all the main information concentrated in small calendar slots that you can hover with your mouse to get more details.

On my calendar, as you can see in the screenshots, the shows always appear with a 1 day delay, but that’s because I’m in a different timezone (Europe/London).

Today / Tomorrow

There’s also a RSS output on the page’s footer with your account’s today and tomorrow feeds, so you can use it wherever you want like, say, a desktop widget that supports RSS feeds! ;)

Get started with On-My.TV now!

Related posts

]]> http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/04/on-mytv-is-an-online-tv-calendar/feed/ 0 http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/04/on-mytv-is-an-online-tv-calendar/ Power Twitter Enhances Your Twitter Experience http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/slothminds/~3/pKqWGUMbdsQ/ http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/04/power-twitter-enhances-your-twitter-experience/#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:03:13 +0000 Hugo Sousa http://www.slothminds.com/?p=1291 powertwitterPower Twitter is a simple but highly recommended addon for fans who want to view all the information right there without jumping tabs or windows.

The addon works a lot like the popular Greasemonkey scripts, changing ’s web interface in order to improve the user experience.

powertwitter-2Features include:

  • Search and recent searches
  • Search scoped to a specific user
  • Status history peeking on mouseover
  • Facebook status updates
  • Inline , , TwitPic, Maps, song.ly (and more)
  • URL expansion
  • URL translation to page titles
  • Open web update (news feed) mapping
  • Custom settings
  • @mentions
  • Photo uploading
  • Link shrinking
  • #hashtags

tweetdeckA Desktop Alternative…

For those out there who are not completely convinced by this approach, there’s always TweetDeck, a client based on Adobe AIR that allows you to do just about everything on right on your desktop, including (in the last version update) a preview tool for TwitPic!

Download TweetDeck here, for free.

Related posts

]]> http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/04/power-twitter-enhances-your-twitter-experience/feed/ 0 http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/04/power-twitter-enhances-your-twitter-experience/ The Pirate Bay Foursome Found Guilty: 1 Year in Jail http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/slothminds/~3/9_LWxlNPTOU/ http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/04/the-pirate-bay-foursome-found-guilty-1-year-in-jail/#comments Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:21:44 +0000 Hugo Sousa http://www.slothminds.com/?p=1280 the_pirate_bay_logoThe Pirate Bay foursome, founders and administrators of one of the biggest Bittorrent trackers in the world, were handed today a guilty verdict with 1 year in jail included.

“The Stockholm district court has today found guilty the four individuals that were charged with accessory to breaching copyright laws,” the court said in a statement.

“The court has sentenced each of them to one year in prison.”

Popular companies (including 20th Century Fox Films, Sony BMG, Universal and Warner Bros.) were also asking for damages of more than $12 million to cover losses, although the court order the defendants to “just” pay around $3.5 million.

Peter Sunde, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Fredrik Neij and Carl Lundstrom were charged last year  by a Swedish prosecutor with conspiracy to break copyright law and related offenses, but they denied the charges.

“Every time you get rid of one, another bigger one pops up. Napster went, and then up came a whole host of others … The problem of file-sharing just keeps growing year on year, and it’s increasingly difficult for the industry to do anything about it,” said music analyst Mark Mulligan of research firm Forrester.

Per Samuelson (Lundstrom’s lawyer) told journalists they were going to appeal and that “This is the first word, not the last. The last word will be ours.”

Read more here.

Related posts

]]> http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/04/the-pirate-bay-foursome-found-guilty-1-year-in-jail/feed/ 0 http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/04/the-pirate-bay-foursome-found-guilty-1-year-in-jail/ Chuck Norris Wants To Be The First Texas President http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/slothminds/~3/UDEepsJA3Uk/ http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/04/chuck-norris-wants-to-be-the-first-texas-president/#comments Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:27:25 +0000 Hugo Sousa http://www.slothminds.com/?p=1273 chuck_norrisWalker, Texas Ranger star actor and martial-arts master Chuck Norris says that the Texans want an independent state and that he’s the man to run the place!

After being the Texas Ranger Norris volunteered to run as Texas’ first president, after discussing the possibility of the state seceding from U.S. control during a rant on CNN.com’s political .

“I may run for president of Texas. That need may be a reality sooner than we think. If not me, someone someday may again be running for president of the Lone Star state, if the state of the union continues to turn into the enemy of the state.

Anyone who has been around Texas for any length of time knows exactly what we’d do if the going got rough in America.”

So, basically, if Texas really becomes independent it’s first president will be a Martial-arts master who can sneeze with his eyes open!

Related posts

]]> http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/04/chuck-norris-wants-to-be-the-first-texas-president/feed/ 0 http://www.slothminds.com/index.php/2009/04/chuck-norris-wants-to-be-the-first-texas-president/