A great new take on Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, an 8-bit version!
For lovers of the old school gaming, this version put together by Doctor Octoroc is a must see.
Check it out here
Made available recently but with so little public fan fare you need to wonder how it was missed. Google have launched their own app store!
If you run Google Apps (as opposed to the basic Gmail and associated services; however it is available on the Standard and Professional editions of the service) you will see a new option in the Services section of your control panel called Google Apps Marketplace. This service provides a range of different web based applications that can integrate with your Google Apps domain.
The range is fairly good and aimed mostly at the business market at this stage. Given the nature of the Google Apps service this is understandable. However the average user will find apps that will enhance their mail or calendar management. A notable inclusion is the Aviary online image editing tool which enables you to create and edit images stored in the Google Docs folders.
Good move Google, let’s see how this develops.
After a little bit of sabre rattling it would appear they have finally done it, or at least moved their services outside of the Chinese government control safely in Hong Kong (!) for the moment at least.
A leaked document from the Chinese government demonstrates the level of control that their media is put under:
All chief editors and managers:
Google has officially announced its withdrawal from the China market. This is a high-impact incident. It has triggered netizens’ discussions which are not limited to a commercial level. Therefore please pay strict attention to the following content requirements during this period:
A. News Section
1. Only use Central Government main media (website) content; do not use content from other sources
2. Reposting must not change title
3. News recommendations should refer to Central government main media websites
4. Do not produce relevant topic pages; do not set discussion sessions; do not conduct related investigative reporting;
5. Online programs with experts and scholars on this matter must apply for permission ahead of time. This type of self-initiated program production is strictly forbidden.
6. Carefully manage the commentary posts under news items.B. Forums, blogs and other interactive media sections:
1. It is not permitted to hold discussions or investigations on the Google topic
2. Interactive sections do not recommend this topic, do not place this topic and related comments at the top
3. All websites please clean up text, images and sound and videos which attack the Party, State, government agencies, Internet policies with the excuse of this event.
4. All websites please clean up text, images and sound and videos which support Google, dedicate flowers to Google, ask Google to stay, cheer for Google and others have a different tune from government policy
5. On topics related to Google, carefully manage the information in exchanges, comments and other interactive sessions
6. Chief managers in different regions please assign specific manpower to monitor Google-related information; if there is information about mass incidents, please report it in a timely manner.We ask the Monitoring and Control Group to immediately follow up monitoring and control actions along the above directions; once any problems are discovered, please communicate with respected sessions in a timely manner.
Addition guidelines:
– Do not participate in and report Google’s information/press releases
– Do not report about Google exerting pressure on our country via people or events
– Related reports need to put [our story/perspective/information] in the center, do not provide materials for Google to attack relavent policies of our country
– Use talking points about Google withdrawing from China published by relevant departments
I don’t think the content of the above would be of any real surprise. It seems along the lines of a PR department directive to company employees after a negative public event surrounding the company….with the exception of course it covers a country of billions of people.
Reference: http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/03/the-latest-directives-from-the-ministry-of-truth-032310/
Categories: Internet, Social Comment, Technology
Calling a tech support radio show…..an interesting action in response to losing your stolen WiFi access.
Leo does take it in his stride however.
Anyone who has owned an iPhone for some time (or really anytime at all for that matter) will realise there are good apps, bad apps, useful apps and useless apps. Sadly the Fart App has been with us for some time not to mention an array of other useless and trivial apps.
Ok, I kind of get it….people want to have fun with their phone and I will admit to downloading some less that useful apps on my iPhone for a laugh (and then generally deleting them shortly after).
However, it would seem that these days may be behind the iPhone user with the refusal of the Duck Phone App. This app will (or rather would have) given you the ability have your phone quack at you when a call comes in. In the grand scheme of it possibly not the most useless app. This app is a reference to the US reality TV show Jersey Shore which features an old fashion duck shaped phone. Have to admit to not having seen the show before not really being a fan of the genre, however here is a clip which I am sure will demonstrate:
My question to Apple is this. Having recently removed all the “Sexy Apps” (with some notable exceptions) and now the “fart app category” of apps, are you trying to create a market for the less regulated apps stores?
Personally this won’t have a great deal of impact on me. I can get through the day without a duck phone and bikini girls on my phone. But the question of where the line will end up does raise itself a little. Who actually owns the individual iPhone? The person who is footing the bill or Apple? I would think that perhaps a little more freedom of choice would not be out of order from the company that took on “big brother” not that long ago:
Or perhaps, this version is a little more applicable today:
An interesting article detailing the appearance of the “web introvert”. Is this a backlash to the always on 24/7 connection that some social networks give you? Will we see more of this develop. Time will tell I guess.
If you are in the habit of taking notes from whatever mobile device you are carrying (i.e. WinMo, iPhone/Touch…. I would also say Android these days but can’t really cover it with any great authority, however I would assume given the growth of the app store for the platform that the same could be said) and want to sync them back to your PC (sorry Apple people, this is unashamedly a Windows orientated site), Evernote was really the only option. However no more! Mobilenoter has entered the scene.
Offering synchronisation between the Microsoft OneNote product and the iPhone, it appears to be a challenger to Evernote. Don’t get me wrong, I have used Evernote in the past for this function and generally speaking love it. But being an Office user, I missed the integration with other Office apps that OneNote offered. Now with Mobilenoter, there appears to be an option.
This application comes in two flavours; either cloud based of wi-fi based. Each option requires a small application to be installed onto your PC to perform the synchronisation. As with Evernote, there is a fee for service but it is generally comparable. There are options for synchronisation which can either be set to automatic (at specified interval) or on a manual basis.
The iPhone app is free and the site offers a free 7 day trial for the service. If you are a OneNote user and user Evernote because you are an iPhone user I would recommend giving Mobilenote a try!
Enjoy
URL: http://www.mobilenoter.com
COMPANY: MS Team
Categories: Software, Technology
The problem with a lot of software designed to tell you what is happening on your computer is that it is usually written for someone who could probably find out without using the utility. LookInMyPC tries to do something about that.
Certainly there is only so much simplification to be made about what is happening within your computer; they are by their very nature technical. However, this utility seems to be written with the non-expert in mind.
Installation is very simple with a single dialog box for the interface. From this one dialog box you just select the reports you want to run (or alternatively run them all, it is fairly quick) and determine if you want to display the report immediately in Internet Explorer, or have it emailed to an external address. This feature itself makes it perfect for anyone doing any remote computer support for a relative.
Next to a number of the terms and reference made in the report are hyperlinks to Google searches on the term or a Wikipedia page.
The utility is free and part of the report displays some advertising, but it is fairly unobtrusive and doesn’t detract from the report at all.
URL: http://www.lookinmypc.com/
COMPANY: Solid Oak Software
Couldn’t help but notice this little wonder last time visiting the supermarket. The quick and dirty iPhone photo probably doesn’t do justice to the impact of what you are looking at. This makes you wonder what percentage of the prices just went on packaging alone! The size of the package is a little larger than A4 and contains a fairly slimline tiny little USB stick.
Waste much Woolworths?
