Thursday, February 28, 2008

Google SITES!

Google sites!. Of course you need admin access to a domain (like novologic.com) to run google apps on - to use it - video tour here.

Example pages: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 10MB file upload limit, 10GB storage - You can insert videos, docs, spreadsheets, presentations, photo slide shows, and calendars directly onto your Google Sites pages. Permission settings let you designate owners, viewers and collaborators (meaning they can edit pages) for your site. And you can make your Google Sites available to just a few people, your entire organization, or the world. VIA: Techcrunch

UPDATE: (still in BETA) The idea behind Kluster is that a group of passionate people working together can come up with better solutions for any decision-making problem than a single person. Whether that is planning an event, designing a new logo, or creating a new product, Kluster believes their system can work. The project you create is not private (may be a BETA change). Signup HERE. VIA: ReadWriteWeb

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Adobe AIR goodstuff

6 Adobe AIR Apps to Check Out
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/some_adobe_air_apps_worth_a_look.php
adobe air applications in the wild
http://www.apollohunter.com/
6 Adobe AIR ActionScript APIs explored, first up File System Access
http://seantheflashguy.com/blog/2008/01/28/6-adobe-air-actionscript-apis-explored-with-example-code/
downloadable showcase applications
http://www.adobe.com/products/air/showcase/
Why don't we use HTML5 (eg. Storage feature) and Prism?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Html5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Prism

misc links of the week

BricaBox - The Beginning of Social Content Platforms? (on your own domain?)
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/bricabox_social_content_platform.php
Orglex: Semantic News, Blog and Job Search for Industry Verticals
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/orglex_semantic_search.php
Where to Watch NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL Online
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/where_to_watch_nfl_mlb_nba_nhl_online.php
the place to buy & sell all things handmade
http://www.etsy.com/
nice charts
http://www.visualcomplexity.com/vc/
With BigCarrot Anyone Can Offer an X Prize
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/bigcarrot_inducement_prize_contests.php
Free Rice: Defeat Hunger 2.0
http://www.worthawow.com/free-rice-defeat-hunger-20/
Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business - The Web is all about scale, finding ways to attract the most users for centralized resources, spreading those costs over larger and larger audiences as the technology gets more and more capable. it's about what that equipment can do.
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/16-03/ff_free
similar in functionality to oDesk?
http://www.sourcekibitzer.com/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome
Technorati Tag Generator
http://www.marketwest.co.uk/tools/index.php
FYI - cheat sheets
http://www.scottklarr.com/tag/cheat-sheets/
http://actionscriptcheatsheet.com/blog/
Multitasking Makes You Stupid and Slow
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/01/27/2221228&from=rss
ribbit & grandcentral
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19999/
Add Notes to YouTube Videos with Overstream
http://lifehacker.com/344901/add-notes-to-youtube-videos-with-overstream
mashable
http://my.mashable.com/invite/invite
http://www.dustindiaz.com/web-1-point-oh-techniques/

Flex Builder 3 is kickin

FYI - apparently FLEX is really huge in India...
a directory of flex components in the wild
Open Source Flex 2 Component Library
http://code.google.com/p/flexlib/
http://code.google.com/p/flexlib/wiki/ComponentList
flexbook
http://www.quietlyscheming.com/blog/components/flexbook/
fun with adobe air (flv,playlist,screenshots,mp3 player)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKzsWH0sQHs
Flex Active Desktop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOPOXSoArWQ&feature=related
flex Q&A
http://www.searchcoders.com/flex
adobe flex resources
http://flex.org/
http://bkflex.wordpress.com/flex-resources/
http://saumyaray.wordpress.com/category/flex/
http://search.techrepublic.com.com/search/Macromedia+Flex.html
http://www.prayank.net/flexblog/
http://www.codeapollo.com
raleigh durham adobe users group
http://www.rdaug.org/resources/flexresources.cfm
http://www.abdulqabiz.com/blog/archives/flash_and_actionscript/some_adobe_flexflash.php
http://www.deitel.com/ResourceCenters/Programming/AdobeFlex/tabid/1682/Default.aspx
http://www.actionscript.org/resources/categories/Tutorials/Flex/
http://www.bm-one.com/Se/j2ee/flex.html
http://jessewarden.com/category/flex
adobe flex 3 planning wiki
http://flexwiki.adobe.com/confluence/display/ADOBE/Flex+3+Planning
flex overview slideshow
http://www.slideshare.net/prayanks/adobe-flex-resources/

Friday, February 22, 2008

misc links...

iPaper: a Simple Way to View and Share Documents on the Web
http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2008/02/ipaper-a-simple.html

Keep Tabs on Hard Drive Health with HD Tune
http://lifehacker.com/357542/keep-tabs-on-hard-drive-health-with-hd-tune

sounds in your head? (continued)
http://blog.wired.com/defense/files/Bioeffects_of_Selected_Non-Lethal_Weapons.pdf

What would it take to send the U.S. economy—and New York’s—into free fall?
http://nymag.com/nymag/features/39952/

My Favorite Speculation in the Coming Dollar Rally
http://www.dailywealth.com/archive/2007/nov/2007_nov_08.asp

Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly in Two Minutes
http://www.mikeindustries.com/blog/archive/2005/07/make-your-site-mobile-friendly

can easily change themes of the site
http://www.mikeindustries.com/blog/archive/2005/07/make-your-site-mobile-friendly

bookplate art
http://bookplatejunkie.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html

http://www.avvo.com
Our mission is to help people navigate the complex and confusing legal industry. Choosing a lawyer is an incredibly important decision? Yet most people have no idea how to go about doing it. Avvo is guided by two basic principles: 1. Focus on the needs of regular people. Avvo was created specifically to help people who know very little about the law and may have no experience choosing a lawyer. 2. Provide information, as well as guidance. We believe that providing open access to information about lawyers, coupled with guidance on how to use that information, is the best way to help people choose the right lawyer.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

misc. links of the day...

Is it possible to embed javascript in flash?
Why would I want to do that? One reason is that I could embed that swf object in a sprout.

FS Command: A Short Introduction
http://www.moock.org/webdesign/flash/fscommand/

Flash / JavaScript Integration Kit (Beta)
http://weblogs.macromedia.com/flashjavascript/

Creating Beautiful Interfaces with CSS - 081806
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-988708193861222512

MIT prof's notorious talk on How to Talk
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/02/19/mit-profs-notorious.html

Next Nature -- a designer's vision of a nature overtaken by corporatism
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/02/19/next-nature-a-design.html
LIFT08 Presentation video
http://blog.wired.com/sterling/2008/02/the-freakiest-m.html

SitePoint CSS Reference
http://reference.sitepoint.com/css

sounds/voices in your head?
http://physorg.com/news122567894.html

If you agree that we should be able to purchase alcohol on Sundays in GA, please click on the link in the AJC article below and sign the petition. http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/02/18/booze_0219.html

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

AVCHD hoop jumping

We got a new Sony AVCHD video camera at the office - and the camera/video is fantastic! But the format is so new, it seems that only newer software/editing tools support it. Before you go out and get it, make sure you have the software to edit it! Could even be more than the camera itself!?! Here is some detailed info on AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition). The codec is now being used by Sony, Panasonic and Canon in their new HD cameras.

CoreAVC, a reasonably cheap($15?) and quick h.264 decoder for Windows, can decode AVCHD as well as a variety of other h.264 formats (info via doom9).

Some peeps are using this $30 converter for AVCHD (windows only).

Supposedly Mac supports AVCHD native with iLife 08 (via amazon). and FYI - the swiss army knife for Quicktime (Mac OS) is the Perian codec.

And in related news... 'DVD Jon' frees your media with DoubleTwist.
*Much thanks to Jeff Gray and Michael McReynolds for info posted here.

embeddable video playlist

Just wanted to test out an embeddable video playlist. Meloop allows users to search for videos, create groups of videos, share (email) with friends, or embed them in websites. I dont know of any other site out there that is making it that easy to do it. If you know of some, send em my way (via the comments section on this blog please). Meloop is still in BETA - so they are still doing many tweaks to the site, but its functioning fine by my accounts...

swfIR / sIFR 3beta2

Question: Is there an html or other device we can download, and it show all the sIFR fonts in my collection? Much like a font book?
Could it be possible to use sIFR fonts in other apps? Like AfterEffects, Photoshop, Illustrator, on your system?
Flash is so prevalent, could it be a better format (than TTF, etc)?

sIFR Flash Fonts Library
http://www.isarie.com/?p=17

convert any TTF font into a SWF Flash file for use with sIFR. (Requires .NET 2.0).
http://digitalretrograde.com/Projects/sifrFontEmbedder/

sIFR 2007: The Roundup (sIFR3 beta)
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2007/04/27/sifr-2007-the-roundup/

swf Image Replacement: sIFR for your Pictures
http://www.swfir.com/

sIFR3 beta2 - FEB 08
http://novemberborn.net/sifr3

sIFR showcase web examples
http://www.alvit.de/sifrbeauty/

More sIFR font collections
http://cg.scs.carleton.ca/~luc/sifr.html
http://www.fortysomething.ca/mt/etc/archives/design_elements/fonts/

Monday, February 18, 2008

Set Top Box/PVR/PC

Why burn content to DVD to watch it on your tv? Media is dead?!? Not yet. This box (Divx Connetcted) is apparently only for watching (windows) divx videos, music and photos (jpgs/bmps). But it does look like there are plugins being developed, however it looks like the plugins are channel/content based? More info on this device here: 01 | 02 | 03
Im not planning spending my money on physical media like Blu-Ray, especially since it will be defunct soon. With online storage and backup available - the only thing holding (most) people back is cost and transfer time. And that may be the tipping point.
I think that a mythtv, dreambox, orb.com, slingbox, or apple tv may be a better solution for now.
My ideal set top box would have:
-internet surfing
-plays most file formats
-storage or usb for external drive
-does videophone
-built in wifi, acts as a router

Saturday, February 16, 2008

THE SIGNAL MOVIE RELEASE

So some friends of mine created a movie (THE SIGNAL), and it premieres this Thursday, February 22, 2008 - at the Plaza (Atlanta GA). Im planning to be at the premiere - and celebrating with them. My buddy Kevin told me about sproutbuilder - so I thought I'd try it out:

Friday, February 15, 2008

grandcentral + gizmo = supafree?

Are free calls to 60 countries possbile? Im trying to find out... GrandCentral adds Gizmo Support!!! (article here) Info on how it works - on GrandCentrals website. More info on free VOIP forwarding. BETA video calls for windows users. *Of course you will need headset to use for phonecalls on the PC. Questions that i dont have complete answers for: -free unlimited international calls? -works with cellphone too? Also checkout ringbranch.com and fring.com.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Web 3.0 ideas/concepts

(in other words, what i (and ideas from others) think the next generation of web needs to be)
-every webpage could be user re-configureable. And a layout/style button. In theory, the last person to modify the page - is the way the next new person would see it. The returning users would view the layout that they have chosen or created (via a cookie). The layout button would be a dropdown, to view all of the various styles in sequential order. This would enable users to potentially make the site more usable to each individual. Elements such as videos/channels and music could also be shown on the page - along with the provided content from the site. Something like - we are promoting this video, here are your collected videos. The user could quickly add this sites video to their playlist or video collection. The same goes for the written content, photos or music. Could the user add elements? Based upon a browser setting, other users could choose to enable or disable this, along with a
Social aspects(facebook) and widgets would also be tied in. I would think that the mobile users would have an impact in this as well.
-content is open and easily portable or collectable
-less keyboard(more 1 click functionality) - easier to use(usability). Using openid for automatic username & passwords, voice entry, (kinda similar to minority report).
-Fully controlling our data and interface. A mash-up, personalization through configuration
-Ease of connectability, thru various hardware advancements
-Semantic -to perform reasoning on user's behalf or machine-facilitated understanding of information in order to provide a more productive and intuitive user experience
-more pervasive??? (technology used by other devices as well - phones)
-applications would be hosted
-more free services & software
-3D paradigm(2nd life web experience) will come of age in Web 4.0

To borrow from businessweek: A web that gives people the tools to craft their own tools, their own software, etc. Why go to YouTube when you can set up your own MyTube, with the same functionality but tailored to the specific purposes of your blog/community website/etc. People will be able to create their own complex online social media tools with a few clicks, but remain linked to other tools and other people through tagging, rss and all that good stuff.

Special Reports Web 3.0

Silicon Valley Entrepreneur & Strategy Consultant Sramana Mitra, after receiving reactions and feedback on her definition of Web 3.0, writes a follow-on synthesis explaining why the Semantic Web can only be implemented in a Contextual Domain. Thus, Web 3.0 according to her, is a Verticalized, Contextualized, Personalized Web. 01 | 02 | 03

From geraldjoseph.typepad.com:
1. gestural and voice computing-with the growing emergence of interaction design, user interface design technology and innovative emphasis software will eventually be operated via gestures of the hand or eye (similar to virtual reality gaming) and voice via certain demands
2. more software embedded in browsers-many new software companies are moving towards the 'always on' model where software operates via a browser and doesn't require any downloading or installation on your desktop or server
3. eventually there will, most likely, be a linkability web app that allows you to use all of your disparate desktop, server, and mobile devices and programs (including telephones, fax, instant messaging, pagers) in a single browser window on your desktop or handheld device
4. you also have to begin to expect the advent of avatar interactions in virtual worlds as a part of social networking and social shopping

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_3

Much thanks to Charlie Deppner, Michael McReynolds for thoughts/input.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Freelance opportunities abound

Had dinner with my friend Kris Sheets the other night - and he mentioned oDesk. Its worth a look. Apparently they made a splash on the scene in 2006. They outsource to Freelancers, IT Companies, Programmers, Web Designers, and more - oDesk. And here is my profile. Articles here: The On Demand Global Workforce - oDesk, oDesk/O'Reilly Tech Visualizations, oDesk Provides On-demand Skills.

I found a huge list of freelancing job sites.

My buddy Bill told me that eworkmarkets.com(now defunct) was what he used, until they folded. They charged $$$ and left a lot of people unpaid, no warning - in 2007. He also had a cool idea - an app that emails you when certain jobs match across several sites. Some might have this function already. Also - if you wrote a very niche app but wanted to know when/if someone was looking for that type of app. There are sites that you can sign up for for "reputation" reviews
like rapleaf and spock. So if some client is on that, and has good feedback/reputation, you have more confidence in them. You can also use these sites: programmermeetdesigner.com
, xing, linkedin, rentacoder, elance. The problem with a lot of these job sites is that they often have mostly low $ stuff.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Edit PDF documents online with PDF Hammer

PDF Hammer
PDF Hammer is an online utility that lets you perform basic edits to PDF files. You can upload an individual file or multiple files and rearrange or delete pages and then export your project as a new PDF file. The site provides a quick and simple solution for combining multiple PDF documents into one file or for stripping away pages you don't need in a long document.

The developer is working on adding additional features like the ability to rotate pages and apply watermarks and stamps to pages. The only thing that would make PDF Hammer easier to use? A desktop client. Sure it's nice that you don't have to register or download anything to use the application. But if you've got a bunch of files to edit, it can be kind of tedious uploading them one at a time. Via: DownloadSquad.com. More info: How to pwn PDF password protection, Convert docs to PDF online -free.

Update: Five Email Addresses that Convert Documents (docx, mp3, wav, pdf, html) and Convert PDF to HTML online.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Music for 18 - Steve Reich

A cool article I heard over the weekend - with some very cool music... At almost an hour in length, the piece unfolds like a slowly shifting dream, with sections of repeated material ebbing and flowing around a cycle of 11 chords. It's scored for strings, percussion, woodwinds and voices, and takes tremendous concentration on the part of the 18 players. To this day, the work is mainly performed by the composer and his loyal group of musicians. Listen Via NPR. Some ok videos on youtube.

Free SEO Tips/Comparison

Want to know how to get your Website high up in natural search results, but don’t want to pay a search engine optimization (SEO) firm just to find out what you are doing wrong? Now you can get a free, automated evaluation of your site on Website Grader. Just type in your Website address, and it will spit out a report detailing what you can do to boost your site’s SEO juice. It even gives you a grade. Part of Hubspot. Via TechCrunch