Nobody really knows what the name means. We do however know the release date of this so called "Facebook Killer"... sometime in September. Now I am an open-source advocate myself and I appreciate anyone trying to support the freedom of software and the net. An open source platform like Diaspora* is clever in its design that the initial developers may never have to continue to develop after the product is released... because the open-source developers will do it for free. But can it really beat Facebook? Now, I'm not much a fan of Facebook trying to rule the web in it's own right, but Diaspora and it's cute little asterisk logo *, will not make a dent. Just like the $.75 mystery flavor Mountain Dew you buy at the grocery store, people will try it, then discard. Why? Primarily because there is no current need to switch social networking sites. Facebook already has hundreds of your friends, so why would anyone want to start all over? I am interested in seeing what kinds of technologies are going to be incorporated. Other than that, can't wait till September to see how these guys do. They seem to have some serious funds and some decent publicity, lets hope its worth the $200k people donated to fund it.
EAVB_JLLKUJBYTJ
Friday, May 21, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Spring Cleaning
So everyone is cleaning their houses/apartments/computers. So here are a few tips I use when trying to refresh that 5 year old computer.
Rebuild the OS: Now often, most people are reluctant to take their computer refresh this far. But it is BY FAR, the best way to bring back your computers potential. Saving all of your videos, pictures, documents aside and reinstalling the Operating System is typically the best way to go. If your computer is 10 years old, consider a Linux distribution, otherwise stick with Windows XP (32-bit only), or try upgrading to Windows 7 (if newer than 5 years old with at minimum 1GB Ram). Rebuilding the OS will wipe the entire hard drive and make your computer act as if it were brand new again.
Remove Bloatware: Bloatware is the software that typically comes with a computer for promotional purposes. This often includes the free trial of Macafee and AOL on your desktop when you started your computer up for the first time. Uninstalling bloatware will also remove start-up items allowing your PC to load the Operating System Faster.
Modify Start-up: Click on 'Start' and then 'Run'. Now type "msconfig" without quotes. A box will pop up. Click the start-up tab. Now remove items that correspond to programs you would like not to start up when Windows boots. If you are unsure of the item, then leave it be, or feel free to check the filepath to see what program it belongs too.
Clean the Registry and Temp Files: Download and run CCleaner , possibly the best PC maintenance tool I've ever used.
Check your Virtual memory: Virtual memory is used by your computer when regular physical memory comes in short supply. Right click on My Computer, click Advanced, click performance, click Settings, click Advanced, click Virtual Memory. I usually set a minimum of around 1024MB and a max of around 2048MB. Older PCs tend to benefit more from Virtual Memory than newer ones.
Upgrade Hardware: I would typically ask someone with a general knowledge of PC components before attempting this one. Purchasing upgrades can get confusing if you do not have a general knowledge of the parts. The most basic upgrades include RAM and possibly a processor upgrade.
Malware Checking: Run an anti-virus check, also consider a Spyware tool. I recommend Advanced Spyware Remover. Its free and very fast.
Defragmentation: Under 'Start', click 'Programs', then 'Accessories', then 'System Tools' then Defragmentation. Run the the defrag on your Hard drive, typically the 'C' drive.
Dust: Go to your local PC or Office Supply store and buy a can of compressed air. Blow out all of that dust!!! (inside and out) Do NOT turn the can upside down when you spray however. Do this in a well ventilated area as it can cause asphyxiation if you breath in too much. Wipe down keyboards, blow out crumbs, clean up the case with a wet paper towel.
Enjoy your computer for another couple of years!!!!
Rebuild the OS: Now often, most people are reluctant to take their computer refresh this far. But it is BY FAR, the best way to bring back your computers potential. Saving all of your videos, pictures, documents aside and reinstalling the Operating System is typically the best way to go. If your computer is 10 years old, consider a Linux distribution, otherwise stick with Windows XP (32-bit only), or try upgrading to Windows 7 (if newer than 5 years old with at minimum 1GB Ram). Rebuilding the OS will wipe the entire hard drive and make your computer act as if it were brand new again.
Remove Bloatware: Bloatware is the software that typically comes with a computer for promotional purposes. This often includes the free trial of Macafee and AOL on your desktop when you started your computer up for the first time. Uninstalling bloatware will also remove start-up items allowing your PC to load the Operating System Faster.
Modify Start-up: Click on 'Start' and then 'Run'. Now type "msconfig" without quotes. A box will pop up. Click the start-up tab. Now remove items that correspond to programs you would like not to start up when Windows boots. If you are unsure of the item, then leave it be, or feel free to check the filepath to see what program it belongs too.
Clean the Registry and Temp Files: Download and run CCleaner , possibly the best PC maintenance tool I've ever used.
Check your Virtual memory: Virtual memory is used by your computer when regular physical memory comes in short supply. Right click on My Computer, click Advanced, click performance, click Settings, click Advanced, click Virtual Memory. I usually set a minimum of around 1024MB and a max of around 2048MB. Older PCs tend to benefit more from Virtual Memory than newer ones.
Upgrade Hardware: I would typically ask someone with a general knowledge of PC components before attempting this one. Purchasing upgrades can get confusing if you do not have a general knowledge of the parts. The most basic upgrades include RAM and possibly a processor upgrade.
Malware Checking: Run an anti-virus check, also consider a Spyware tool. I recommend Advanced Spyware Remover. Its free and very fast.
Defragmentation: Under 'Start', click 'Programs', then 'Accessories', then 'System Tools' then Defragmentation. Run the the defrag on your Hard drive, typically the 'C' drive.
Dust: Go to your local PC or Office Supply store and buy a can of compressed air. Blow out all of that dust!!! (inside and out) Do NOT turn the can upside down when you spray however. Do this in a well ventilated area as it can cause asphyxiation if you breath in too much. Wipe down keyboards, blow out crumbs, clean up the case with a wet paper towel.
Enjoy your computer for another couple of years!!!!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Opening a door with code
On my drive home from work, I started to think about how programming syntax can be used in applications that apply to everyday life. The concept of everything has a purpose or function was something I read about in Language and Myth by Ernst Cassirer. This concept easily applies to object-oriented programming. Weird, huh? For this explanation I will use some VB pseudo code. Syntactically, when a program is written, it is written in the order in which the events should occur. All objects have methods or actions in which they can perform. For instance, a door can open and close. The door also has properties associated to it. For instance the door is wood, closed, 6ft tall. So here is how to open a door in code:
If Door.closed = "true"
Call Door.OpenDoor
Else
Output "The Door is Already Open!"
End If
If User.Height < Door.Height
User.GoThroughDoor
Else
Call User.Duck
Call User.GoThroughDoor
End If
Friday, April 23, 2010
The Facebook Conundrum
Sitting back, enjoying my Blue Shadow (tea), I surfed the net trying to keep up with the latest tech headlines. Between CNN, ZDNet, and HackADay, I tend to get my daily fix. The caffeine soaks into my brain, making every story about the big three (Microsoft, Apple, and Google) that much more invigorating. I tend to be somewhat (very) bias against some companies when news hits. But in a recent news, Facebook was the headliner company. Facebook gets quite a few hits, and at what point even surpassed Google.com in a single day. So when Mark Zuckerberg announced some new spiderweb-ultra-web-collaborative-web-web-web tool for people to "like" stuff anywhere on the web, well... I couldn't believe that someone would think that it's starting to cramp Google's style.
THIS JUST IN! Facebook has become the new MySpace! Should we expect it's death in the coming years? Stay tuned to find out!
Facebook users are happy they no longer have a MySpace account. But wait, doesn't that mean...YES! The MySpacers have arrived and are slowly depriving Facebook of everything great that it could have been. Originally founded as a way for college students (ONLY) to meet and greet, it has turned into a giant Farmville, cultivating a generation of minds that only know how to tell people what they are doing today. As I seek alternatives to Facebook, I ponder what will happen to the future of Facebook after people, like I, decide to move on to something more intellectual.
The new "like" buttons added to millions of websites around the web are only the start of Facebook's collapse. As information shared across the net skyrockets, the security risks tend to increase as well. Companies are already able to access personal information via your profile. And if they can't, what's to stop them from creating a bogus profile of their own with an attractive girl wanting to be your friend? MySpace spammers figured it out and a caffeinated dude at a desk in an Omaha software shop figured it out, so who's next?
Sites like these have a life expectancy. Facebook has grown up and is ruling the web (not really, they aren't even close to Google). We've seen it before and it won't be too long before it will be another web fad that CollegeHumor.com decides to poke fun at. The MySpace fad lasted a few years and died due to security issues and profiles that nobody wanted to visit unless it was their own. AOL had a good run, until ISPs figured out that they could create a faster internet that isn't dependent on a client application (beyond the browser) for service. MSN still has this problem. So when should we expect the initial decline of Facebook? I would give it anywhere from 1 to 2 years. Add another 1 or 2 to that for its eventual death.
Why will Facebook die, everyone is on it, right? Yea, everyone, and their mother, and their grandparents, and their unborn children. User activity on Facebook is generated by people from 12-40 years old. It's a big population. Nothing changes on Facebook. People update their statuses and post pictures and add videos. The limits have been set, and people will naturally move on to something more entertaining and/or something that actually brings a new idea to the table. You can't sell a 10 year old computer to a nerd and tell them it's good enough. They want NEW!
In the meantime, I'm looking for something new that I can drag my real 20 of 220 friends to.
THIS JUST IN! Facebook has become the new MySpace! Should we expect it's death in the coming years? Stay tuned to find out!
Facebook users are happy they no longer have a MySpace account. But wait, doesn't that mean...YES! The MySpacers have arrived and are slowly depriving Facebook of everything great that it could have been. Originally founded as a way for college students (ONLY) to meet and greet, it has turned into a giant Farmville, cultivating a generation of minds that only know how to tell people what they are doing today. As I seek alternatives to Facebook, I ponder what will happen to the future of Facebook after people, like I, decide to move on to something more intellectual.
The new "like" buttons added to millions of websites around the web are only the start of Facebook's collapse. As information shared across the net skyrockets, the security risks tend to increase as well. Companies are already able to access personal information via your profile. And if they can't, what's to stop them from creating a bogus profile of their own with an attractive girl wanting to be your friend? MySpace spammers figured it out and a caffeinated dude at a desk in an Omaha software shop figured it out, so who's next?
Sites like these have a life expectancy. Facebook has grown up and is ruling the web (not really, they aren't even close to Google). We've seen it before and it won't be too long before it will be another web fad that CollegeHumor.com decides to poke fun at. The MySpace fad lasted a few years and died due to security issues and profiles that nobody wanted to visit unless it was their own. AOL had a good run, until ISPs figured out that they could create a faster internet that isn't dependent on a client application (beyond the browser) for service. MSN still has this problem. So when should we expect the initial decline of Facebook? I would give it anywhere from 1 to 2 years. Add another 1 or 2 to that for its eventual death.
Why will Facebook die, everyone is on it, right? Yea, everyone, and their mother, and their grandparents, and their unborn children. User activity on Facebook is generated by people from 12-40 years old. It's a big population. Nothing changes on Facebook. People update their statuses and post pictures and add videos. The limits have been set, and people will naturally move on to something more entertaining and/or something that actually brings a new idea to the table. You can't sell a 10 year old computer to a nerd and tell them it's good enough. They want NEW!
In the meantime, I'm looking for something new that I can drag my real 20 of 220 friends to.
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Death of Apple
The Mac. Known for it's sleek, simplistic designs and media capabilities, the Mac may see its last days within the next decade. Picking a fight with HTC over copyright several months back, created an almost unbeatable alliance. HTC is not a large enough company to survive any attack by Apple. But when Google's android platform and Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform are attacked by copyright infringement, Apple started a war it cannot win. The latest story is about Adobe, however. Apple stated it will no longer support some of the cross-compiler tools from Adobe. BIG MISTAKE!!! People buy Apples for multimedia purposes. With Adobe out of the picture, Apple users will be left in the dust. The Alliance is already starting to form and Apple simply cannot win this war. Adobe looks towards development on the Android and Ubuntu platforms, which could dramatically increase the number of Linux converts. All of this comes only a week after the iPad was released, without Adobe Flash...
Apple FAIL!!!
Apple FAIL!!!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Sapphires are forever...
SO , the weekend is over. My mouse died yesterday. Poor little Logitech Optical... Going hunting for a new one over lunch today. Over the past few weeks, (post Startup Weekend), I have been working on some graphic design. Being the poor college student / Linux nut that I am, I sought out some open-source alternatives to create some sweet graphics. GIMP is by far the most popular open-source graphics editor/creator available. Many even compare it to Photoshop. Never using Photoshop, I assume most features are the same, with a few odds and ends left out of GIMP. But if you are used to paint, and have never used Photoshop, and have never taken a graphic arts design course... even GIMP can be someone complex to use. It is a very powerful tool, but I passed it on by to look and see what other free tools are available. After a quick search of Adobe Illustrator on OSalt.com , I found a tool that blew my mind. Inkscape is a free vector graphics tool that offers the simplicity of MSPaint, with a powerful graphics editing tool. It has become my favorite graphic design tool, and is able to create 3D vector graphics as well as produce some pretty bad-ass logos and designs.
Anyway , I have used my graphic design tool to start building a collection of logos and hopefully some sites in the future... all under the name "Sapphire Digital Studios". Here are a couple of samples I did over the past few days.
Anyway , I have used my graphic design tool to start building a collection of logos and hopefully some sites in the future... all under the name "Sapphire Digital Studios". Here are a couple of samples I did over the past few days.
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