Archive for September, 2009
Mozilla periodically refreshes its wiki page with what might called public brainstorming of future ideas. In its latest refresh, the popular browser’s developers have posted a number of ideas that they’re considering for Firefox 3.7 and Firefox 4.0 (above). In a nutshell: simplify, simplify, simplify.
“Firefox feels dated and behind on Windows,” the developers have written. “Especially Vista and Windows 7. These issues include absence of Glass, anemic purple toolbar color on Vista, tall and bulky UI footprint, element overload, inconsistent toolbar icon usage/style, lack of a tactile look & feel and perhaps too great of a divergence between the look on XP and Vista/7.”
Some of these changes have been discussed before: combining the “go/stop/refresh” buttons into a single element; using a neutral tone, and embracing the design motifs that Aero Glass and other Windows design elements allow.
But there are also a couple of other interesting design ideas: eliminating the menu bar, and killing off the “home button”. The latter one is actually the most interesting . “The home button at present functions pretty much exactly like a bookmark,” the wiki notes. “Yet it has its own dedicated place in the default set of toolbar buttons. It’s not entirely useful and takes up prime real estate.
“For 3.7 we would like to create a “Home Tab”. Moving the functionality of the home button to a persistent “mini-tab”. This tab, for 3.7, would just take you to your homepage. Any links clicked on this page would spawn a new tab. This would serve as a good introduction to tabs for users not accustomed to them.”
Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing Mozilla’s take on an “iGoogle” home page; it’s an obvious conclusion. Oddly enough, the “Home Tab” seems to appear only on Mozilla’s mockup for Mozilla 4.0, which appears at the top of the page. Here’s an early design for Mozilla 3.7:
You can see the design team’s direction. It’s not set in stone, however: the design is “at the UX team proposal stage, to be approve[d] by drivers and subject for constructive community feedback”.
You may not even notice the other change: hiding the menubar. Like Vista, the Mozilla team wonders whether you need to see “File Edit History…” all the time. But there’s another change hiding there, too: the elimination of bookmarks, which normally might be accessed via the menu, hitting CTRL-B to bring up the sidebar, or other means. Mozilla may replace bookmarks with a “widget”: “create a bookmarks “widget” that replicates the bookmark menu functionality and place that on the bookmarks toolbar,” the developers suggest.
The revisions for Mozilla 4.0 are even more provisional, as the new browser would be farther out, naturally. But there’s a nifty new concept on the drawing board.
You probably have a number of Web pages you refer to on a frequent basis throughout the day: Gmail, Twitter, maybe another Web service or two. If you’re like me, you cue up a series of tabs and assign them to a specific grouping, or maybe a whole new window. Mozilla proposes that those Web services (call them apps) be pinned to a portion of the screen, so that users would be able to quickly access them.
Other changes are equally subtle. For example, at the top of your browser window at title probably announces the Web page. But the tab you’re browsing in does too. Mozilla may eliminate the full title bar from the very top of the screen, letting the tabs serve that purpose. Honestly, I’m not sure that makes sense for someone who surfs with a dozen tabs or more, all open. Likewise, Mozilla proposes combining the search bar and address bar into a single field, which isn’t so revolutionary.
Firefox won acclaim first for its security, and later for its ability to extend its functionality via plugins. We’ll have to see if a simplified layout continues to help Mozilla cut into Internet Explorer’s lead as the most popular browser.
Originally posted to AppScout.
BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST, Uganda (Reuters) – Lurking deep in the mist-glazed forests of east Africa, Uganda‘s mountain gorillas are preparing to ‘tweet’ for their survival.
With the launch on Saturday of the “Friend a Gorilla” campaign, human fans will soon be able to follow the everyday drama of one of the few remaining 720 mountain gorillas online, far from the red ants, mud and tropical rain of their habitats.
When the friendagorilla.org site goes live, users will be able to access videos, pictures and rangers’ blogs through websites like Facebook and Twitter, said Moses Mapesa Wafula, head of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
They will also be able to follow their new friends via satellite tracking.
“By paying one dollar to Friend a Gorilla, everybody contributes to the conservation of this species,” Wafula said.
Not everybody can afford the $500 price tag for a real gorilla trek but the fiber-optic tentacles of globalization will make it possible for anyone to watch a mother grooming her children, juvenile males fighting for dominance or even feel the rush of being charged by a 500 pound (225 kg) silverback male.
Tourist receipts represent Uganda’s second largest foreign exchange earner.
Organizers say the campaign is the first time social networking has been harnessed for conservation and hope it will generate $100,000 in the first three months and a further $350,000 within the first year.
Drafted in to help publicize the campaign, actor Jason Biggs, star of the American Pie comedies, said gazing into the eyes of a gorilla was like meeting an old friend.
“It was pretty surreal. I felt like when I made eye contact with the gorillas, it was like an out-of-body experience,” Biggs told Reuters after a face to face encounter with one of the gorillas at Bwindi. “It was mind-blowing.”
With around 370 mountain gorillas, Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park plays host to roughly half the global population, with the remainder scattered across volcanoes in nearby Rwanda and the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo.
The gorilla’s habitat is threatened by illegal logging for charcoal, timber and agriculture and are also poached for bush meat, UWA staff said.
Although the gorillas remain endangered, UWA has registered growth rates of 12 percent and watched the gorilla population double over the last 25 years, according to Wafula.
He said the money raised by the Friend and Gorilla campaign would contribute toward conservation efforts as well as help promote alternative livelihoods for people living in and around the park.
(Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
I think it is fairly self explanatory don’t you think?
Ok, here is a really silly iPhone App that I just read about, it helps you log your poo – that’s right when you are sitting on the throne you can time it and describe it, so you have a lasting memory of all the business you do.
Here is part of the actual review from an iPhone app review site.
The hilariously named Poo Log is part fecal tracker, part bathroom timer, and part trivia game, and it’s all pulled together in a surprisingly fun app that you can use to create, well, a different kind of poo log than you’re used to producing while you’re on the can. With this app you can time how long it takes to do your business and how often you’re doing it, and to keep you busy there’s a poo-related trivia game.
Source from: http://www.allweirdnews.com/
As some of you may or may not know I have been trying my hand at streaming live video on Ustream (#MSBsWife). Being that I am a Win XP user it seems my choices for good video editors that don’t cost a fortune are few and far between. With that being said I did happen to come across (with a few recommendations from friends) a program called Webcam Max.
Webcam Max is kind enough to allow you to download a FREE 30 day demo version that is well loaded with around 200 effects to really give a good test run of their programing. You can find the downloads via their website www.webcammax.com as well as download.com and brothers.com
One of the features that I really do enjoy are the backgrounds. I know that I don’t always want to show the world the state of my house and this gives me the chance to “cover up” what ever may be in the back ground with a lovely shot of lavender fields or a tropical beach etc. I have found though through trial and error that if you have an auto focusing camera, such as a logician 9000 pro, that you will have a blotchy background unless you do one or two small adjustments prior to taking the background cam shot. First try to have a solid back ground to work with ( any dark colored sheet works very nicely) and give it a bit of lighting. If this is not a viable thing to try then go against the wishes of the “please vacate the shot for 3 seconds” rule and keep a tiny bit of yourself in the view so that it will keep the focus and lighting on you and not the back ground. Also move slowly into the frame shot and try not to move around to much to keep your background consistent.
Another feature that I like is the “Line” effect. This is a great tool if you want to make 2 colored comic styled video’s of yourself. It sure beats trying to make flip books!
Now if you are a fan of fun house mirrors and just want to waste your day away laughing at yourself there are a multitude of distorting mirror to keep you in stitches.
With the holidays coming around you can podcast in the snow with the “Snow” effect. This is a fun effect for the kids as you can get them to hold still to have the “snow” collect on their heads and shoulders then have them “shake it off” only to have them start all over again. This also makes a great game.
If you get tired of that troll in your chat room on your stream you can aim semi automatic weapons at them or have the grim reaper chase after them.
The masks and frames are fun to play with but I’m not sure how useful they are in everyday stream applications. The one gripe that I have with the “Mask” effects is that they are 90% male on the demo version, perhaps with a full version you can download more female characters. You also have to be looking straight on into your cam for them to line up correctly over your face and they have a tendency to shuffle and spin around a bit when you move.
I do like the “Text” feature as you can set your cam shot to “busy”, “be right back”, “away”, and even “on the phone” which is useful when you have to mute your stream for a business call. This option is even customizable so you can make your own sayings!
There is also a “Doodle” mode that will allow you to draw a mustache on your own face or little clouds and such on your background. You can also write notes to your viewers or point out important facts.
Webcam Max also comes with a built in “screen” effect that will allow you to show people what is on your monitor without the hassle of another web cam or moving your web cam and hoping it will focus on your screen properly. I have recently used this particular feature in my ustream video review of the Wi-Fire to point out connection speeds.To see it in action just go to http://www.ustream.tv/channel/msbswife.
Now obviously that isn’t all 200 features because I do want to keep some things a surprise for the next person to discover. Some of you may be wondering “how much of a system hog is this program” and to that I can answer that if you have an older system/processor it will be a bit of a hog (80%-90% power), however, if your system is newer and has a faster processor you can comfortably run ustream and Webcam Max at the same time while only eating up about 35% power.
If you would like to download the demo or purchase your very own copy of Webcam Max for as little as $1.66 a month just go to http://www.webcammax.com/. You will be glad you did!
This photo was taken a few years ago from my parents house. There’s nothing prettier than a good sunset.
REDMOND, Wash. -
Microsoft Corp. says its new computer security program can be downloaded starting on Tuesday.
Microsoft Security Essentials, as the free antivirus software is called, has been available in a beta test version since June.
The software updates daily to stay current with the latest malicious programs, which can steal passwords or turn PCs into spam servers. Microsoft says it won’t make computers run slower.
Microsoft has said it isn’t out to steal business from companies like McAfee Inc. and Symantec Corp., which make popular antivirus programs with more features. Microsoft says it hopes the free program will appeal to people who don’t already run antivirus software.
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On the Net:
Manufacturers are already gearing up for a holiday season, planning to issue an array of new phones, netbooks and toys for consumers. Many of these devices, of course, can also serve a dual use within the corporate world, especially as their form factors become more portable and processing power increases. Hewlett-Packard, Palm, 3M, Asus, Samsung and others recently rolled out a selection of their holiday-targeted gear at a Pepcom event in New York City. Among the trends: more powerful (and more expensive) netbooks, ruggedized and smaller smartphones, and an emphasis on multitouch screens.
- HP Mini 311
Due to be released in October with Windows 7 preinstalled, the HP Mini 311 netbook (which will retail starting at $399) includes an 11.6-inch screen, Nvidia ION graphics chip and a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N20 processor along with 1GB of RAM. - HP Envy 13
The HP Envy 13 occupies the high end of the netbook range, retailing for $1,699. It includes an Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 graphics and a 13-inch screen. - G’zOne Boulder (C711)
This ruggedized cell phone, created by Casio, is MIL-STD 810F certified for immersion, blowing rain, shock, dust, vibration, salt fog, humidity, solar radiation, altitude, high-temperature storage and low-temperature storage. It also makes calls. The Boulder gets up to 207 minutes of talk time and 212 hours of standby time off its lithium ion 800 mAh battery; it also includes a 1.3-megapixel camera with Flash and video-recording capability. - Samsung Go
This netbook looks ruggedized, but the chunky design can’t actually withstand being dropped off a building. That aside, this device features 8-hours-plus battery life, a 1.6GHz Atom N20 processor with either 1GB or 2GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive. - 3M MPro120
This handheld pocket project, once connected to a laptop, DVD player or video-game console, can project an 8- to 50-inch image onto a screen. The projector has a battery life of 2 to 4 hours, depending on the brightness setting, and includes two half-watt stereo speakers. It retails for $349. - Asus MS246H
Asus’ new 23.6-inch high-definition screen includes a 0.65-inch profile. The screen features two dual-lamp LCD panels, which Asus claims can result in power savings of up to 40 percent, and an ergo-fit ring stand. - Palm Pixi
The smaller cousin of the Palm Pre comes with a variety of consumer-oriented features, including the addition of Yahoo and LinkedIn integration to Palm Synergy. The Pixi includes a QWERTY keyboard in addition to its multitouch screen, and a rubberized slip-resistant back cover. - ThinkPad X200 Tablet
The lightweight (3.5 pounds) ThinkPad X200 tablet includes 10.4 hours of battery life and a 12.1-inch panel designed for outdoor use. The tablet includes GPS technology, WLAN and WWAN performance, digital dual-array microphones, and a 1.3-megapixel camera. - ThinkPad T400s Laptop
Powered by Intel Core 2 Duo processors, this laptop can include a 14-inch multitouch display. The slim form factor (21.1mm by 337mm by 241mm) translates into a weight of 3.91 pounds. - TomTom XL 340S
This version of the TomTom navigational device includes IQ Routes Technology, which uses actual average speeds of travel on the route to calculate trip time, as opposed to posted speed limits. The device features a widescreen for easier viewing.
Source from: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/10-HighTech-Gadgets-for-the-Holidays-Include-Palm-Pixi-HP-Mini-TomTom-451127/
The iPhone OS 3.1, introduced during Apple’s recent San Francisco event, delivered new features aimed at pleasing both business users as well as consumers. But the new smartphone operating system brought along a few new glitches along with it.
The new version was supposed to provide a better iTunes experience, a smoother synchronization between Voice Control and Bluetooth headsets and calendar syncing with the Microsoft Exchange Server, among other features.
But now discussion boards are filling up with complaints about issues such as the iPhone suddenly freezing or shutting down, poor battery life, weird error messages, sluggish performance and podcasts being listed in random order.
“Ok, I updated last night without a hitch. But now I get random complete shut downs of the phone,” wrote Headers22 on an Apple discussion board. “Same issue for me. After updating to 3.1 iPhone randomly shuts down,” followed rrahimi. Randy Fast adds: “Same thing has happened to me 5 times, restore has not helped.” The discussion thread regarding “random total shut downs following 3.1 update” is more than 1,000 posts long.
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A separate thread details the battery issues that have followed updates to 3.1 “Since updating my 3G to 3.1 I am getting massive battery charge reduction. I can’t get through a whole day now without the 20 percent warning kicking in around the late afternoon/evening. If I didn’t charge by then it’d be dead by the end of the day. Prior to 3.1 that was never a problem,” writes Recto Bold.
“Same problem for me and I can’t connect to WiFi,” follows a poster called aloron, along with several others. The lone dissenter is Etek, who chimes in, “I’m beginning to think I have a different iPhone 3G after reading all these issues here. No battery life reduced, no shutdowns. Yes, I have the 3.1 installed.”
For a frozen or stuck iPhone, Apple suggests resetting the device by pressing and holding the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button at the same time for at least 10 seconds, or until the Apple logo appears.
Another, more involved option is to restore the iPhone. Before doing this, however, make sure to backup the device. “Although iTunes backs up most of your iPhone and iPod touch settings, downloaded applications, your audio, video and photo content are not included in the backup,” Apple warns. Once you’ve done that, click the Restore button under the Summary tab in iTunes.
According to reports, Apple is aware of the battery issues and the Apple Care help desk has been contacting some posters to its discussion boards and presenting them with a list of 11 questions, regarding e-mail, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and apps. The note also includes an attachment that logs the user’s iPhone battery life.
Ezra Gottheil, an Apple-focused analyst with Technology Business Research
, calls the issues with OS 3.1 “surprising but by no means catastrophic or dangerous.” He feels sure Apple will eventually figure out a fix.
“By it’s very nature, the iPhone demands more [battery juice] than most phones, just because it’s on more than most phones,” he told eWEEK, emphasizing that people use and charge their iPhones more intensely than other phones.
“Secondly, each new version of the OS is doing more stuff … and there are a lot of factors that go into doing an upgrade. It’s likely that some optimization for battery life was not done sufficiently,” Gottheil offers. “But the fact they’re looking for information means they likely know of some concrete problem, or suspect one.” Which is better, he clarifies, than randomly searching for answers.
Source from: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Apple-iPhone-OS-31-Brings-New-Glitches-Along-with-Slick-Features-374717/
Welcome to my virtual home away from home. My little section of the universe to post strange or useful items. I might even share a little bit about myself from time to time.