Google is releasing their own browser tomorrow, called "Chrome." And the announcement initially leaked out as a 38 page comic book.
Pretty cool, and very exciting that this could signal the return of the browser wars...
Official announcement on the Google Blog.
Side by side video comparison of the iPhone 3G TV commercial vs. replicating it on the real 3G network. I love my iPhone, but these guys raise a good point...
Random aside: The use of on-screen stickies as captions is pretty clever :)
(via TUAW)
I never knew about a lot of these. Some pretty cool stuff, though they aren't Gino's famous Surfboard Etch-A-Sketch or the classic "BoRyan and the Magic Sword" Site Search easter egg.
10 awesome Internet Easter eggs
I'm actually wondering why I never tried entering the Konami code on a webpage, since I secretly do it on most DVDs...
And still nobody has found either of the two Timely Persuasion easter eggs, hint hint.
Yet another iNetNow:
Found this on Wikipedia (via nested tangents, read below for that...also, in the following quote, material between [] is added by this post's author for clarity and amusement):
Since May 2008, 118118 [a British directory assistance provider, coincidentally a subsidiary of InfoNXX] has introduced a service where you are able to call and ask any question you want and their info team will find you the answer. From "How tall is the Eiffel Tower?", to "What Bars are open late at night?"
When it comes to finding numbers, we’re the professionals. But that’s not all we can do for you. We can find as many numbers as you need in one call and we’ll put you straight through if you don’t have a pen. We can even tell you what films are on at your local cinema and give you show times. We can tell you what time your next train leaves or let you know what the nearest tube station to your destination is.
In summary, we can
- give you all the numbers you ask for during any call
- find you the business you want and tell you how close it is
- expertly search for business numbers or addresses even if you only have a small amount of information
- put you straight through to the number you want
- tell you what’s on and locate your cinema, give you the times and even tell you who’s in each movie
- give you departure and arrival times from the national train timetable
- tell you the nearest train or tube station to your destination
- give you directions over the phone to wherever you need to go
And if you call us from a mobile, we’ll always text you the numbers you need and for free, so there’s no extra charge and you don’t have the usual scramble for a pen and paper.
It’s no wonder we’re the most called number in the UK every day.
I should put a dummy entry in my HOSTS file for en.wikipedia.org so I get work done.
Democrats Launch McCainpedia
Politically I think this is slightly dirty but necessary.
Comedically I think it's hilarious, and the irony that the Democrats are taking the democracy out of the wiki only makes it funnier.
The web connoisseur in me says either call it something else, or make it a standard, fully editable wiki with a slightly stronger registration policy in place and zero tolerance to ban users by IP who vandalize or violate terms.
And while you're at it, do one for Hilary and Obama too that can be cross linked between parties and issues. Equal time for the 21st Century, and let the smart mobs shake out the true facts.
McCainpedia
PS: For the record, I predict someone will put up equivalents for the Democratic candidates by the weekend.
Neat article on the secret to thriving as an independent artist.
1000 True Fans
Other than aim for a blockbuster hit, what can an artist do to escape the long tail?
One solution is to find 1,000 True Fans. While some artists have discovered this path without calling it that, I think it is worth trying to formalize. The gist of 1,000 True Fans can be stated simply:
A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author - in other words, anyone producing works of art - needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.
March 2 - March 8 is "Read an eBook" week. Timely Persuasion is scheduled to be released February 29 (jury duty permitting.) I think I smell a connection...
In the meantime, I like how this article on eBooks acknowledges (and actually hopes) they never replace paper books, but still manages to give a long list of compelling reasons why both can live together side by side.
30 Benefits of Ebooks
Another side of the debate, from the other side of the pond.
I Hate Macs
"I hate Macs. I have always hated Macs. I hate people who use Macs. I even hate people who don't use Macs but sometimes wish they did. Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults; computers for scaredy cats too nervous to learn how proper computers work; computers for people who earnestly believe in feng shui."
Found this great article about how truly AWFUL the internet used to look WAAAAAAAY back in 1996. Some great screenshots using the WayBack Machine.
"...many of the best preserved ones were created by fast food and soft drink corporations because they were some of the earliest adapters of the internet. They viewed the medium as a chance for inexpensive advertising and invested dozens upon dozens of dollars into it. The results are tremendously humiliating."
"Additionally, very few web designers had even the most rudimentary of aesthetic sensibilities, and nearly half of them were clinically retarded."
Oceanic Air is Back...
www.flyoceanicair.com
And on a related note, the trailer for Season 4 is being shown in theaters and online:
Okay, so this could be hoaxed. But its an intriguing story.
A Norwegian man was working on his kitchen plumbing when he claims he inexplicably travelled into the future and met his future self. Bonus: he has video from his mobile.
Yeah, that could be his dad, I guess. And the story is frustratingly light on the details - like...how did he get back? What did they talk about?
But interesting nonetheless. Maybe interesting enough for Jacob to dig up more...
The debate around the bubble video is getting more and more interesting. Some of the best opinions from both sides:
TechCrunch
Misunderstanding Copyright Law And Ruining Everyone’s Fun
Fair Use Vs. Free Speech in the Internet Age
Plagiarism Today
Analysis on The “Bubble” Controversy
Update: Bubble Video Reposted)
Lane Hartwell (the photographer)
My statement regarding the “Here comes another bubble” video dispute
My statement regarding the new version of the video
The Richter Scales (the band)
Credit and "Here Comes Another Bubble"
DMCA Takedown of "Here Comes Another Bubble"
Announcing "Bubble" Version 1.1
Hilarious, but also pandering a bit if something like this can really have an effect on an election. Have to give them credit for the buzz factor though.
Chuck and Huck: GOP's Delta Force?
Here's a Chuck Norris fact you may not know. If Chuck Norris endorses you and appears in one of your campaign's TV ads, you take the lead in an Iowa poll and your Web server crashes.
(In Huckabee's defense, in the article he says "We didn't seek his endorsement, but we're sure lucky to have it.")
This is great just for how brazenly ridiculous their loose interpretation is:
DirecTV Telemarketing
DirecTV is defending automated sales calls to Do Not Call List subscribers as "informational," and "not telemarketing." The satellite TV provider recently called customers to say: "Because you are on our Do Not Call List, we can't call you with all of our super-awesome special promotions."
Since our calls were informational in nature, and not telemarketing sales calls, they fall outside the scope of the Telemarketing Sales Rule and related federal and state laws and regulations governing telemarketing sales practices. As such, our calls did not violate any of these statutes or regulations.
Found this in a banner ad of all places...
This is an intriguing device that allows you to take video from your computer and play it directly to your tv. Great design - cool integrated USB/Remote control.
Annoying flash intro - skip right to the demo.
Man buys Google Adwords ad for "iphone price drop" and a comedy of errors ensues.
DYH isn’t funny?
Also interesting in how it shows the lack of basic fact checking when blogs become common news sources.
Not sure I fully understand this, but interesting. Seems they'd be able to track popularity and how viral something is relative to it's original source, but getting it down to the individual user would be difficult and/or expensive.
Could Audio Watermarking Help Make MP3s Free?
Audio watermarking involves taking a song and manipulating it digitally to create an audio pattern that is unmistakable to the right software -- such as Activated's -- though undetectable by human ears.
The tracking technology allows advertisers to gather information about the consumer and the effectiveness of the ad. Such data, according to Silberstein, is so valuable that advertisers would be willing to pay five to 10 times rate of a regular ad for an watermarked ad. That data works particularly well with "call-to-action" type of ads, in which consumers, after listening to an ad, respond or click on a link to buy something or otherwise opt in to the advertiser's campaign, Silberstein said.
TSA video counts 'sippy cup' allegation
Summary:
Woman stopped by airport security for having water in her son's sippy cup. TSA says she can't take it and has to get rid of the water and go through security again. In her anger she walks out of security through the exit, intentionally dumps out the water onto the floor, and tries to go back into security through the exit. A larger incident follows, and in the process she misses her flight. After the fact she claims she spilled the water by accident and was sorely mistreated in an abuse of power.
Rather than just take the heat, the TSA posts the security video on their website, calling her bluff and proving she spilled the water in an intentional episode of immature rage. (As you can probably guess, I love that the TSA posted the video.)
Moral of the story:
Even if you are put off by an arguably overzealous and unnecessary piece of red tape policy, lying will only make it worse.
And big brother is always watching...
Perfect score on the website creativity meter:
No One Belongs Here More Than You
via SvN
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