knology internet speed test

My internet speed

linkage: test your speed here

how to get expert linux help – quickly and free

linkage: via qbd

piclens – smooth fullscreen picture and video browsing

Cooliris (already known for their webpage preview when you hover over a link) have a plugin available for you browser called Piclens. After installing, with a single click you will be able to transform your flickr or youtube browsing to a beautifully rendered fullscreen photo wall.

Before

After

update July 2008: WordPress does not currently support the Piclens plugin – however you can still leverage it simply by hosting your pics somewhere like Flickr

It’s is actually pretty simple to get Piclens working on your blog. Simply host all your photos on Flickr (or similar piclens supported website). That way the little piclens play button is just visible and working.

So instead of uploading your picture directly to wordpress – upload them to Flickr (there is a good Batch Uploading tool if you upload photos all the time).

Once on Flickr browse to your photo
Right Click – Copy Address (firefox anyway – Internet Explorer may be a little different). Make sure you have the correct picture size selected ie Not the thumbnail
In WordPress create new post
Insert Image
Paste the URL you just copied from Flickr
Add a description
Add a Caption if you want
Insert Image into Post

Thats it! When you publish your post you’ll now see the Piclens icon for any/all pics you have hosted on Flickr.

linkage: download piclens plugin

rule 34

modern day pirates go arrr

The universe is good at providing a counter for all things. It should come as no surprise that as the wealthy get wealthier, the pirates get more arrr’s in a day. 

linkage: a bigger version via justingerard.com

internet dickwad

images trick

Copy this:

javascript:R=0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI= document.images; DIL=DI.length; function A(){for(i=0; i<DIL; i++){DIS=DI[ i ].style; DIS.position=’absolute’; DIS.left=Math.sin(R*x1+i*x2+x3)*x4+x5; DIS.top=Math.cos(R*y1+i*y2+y3)*y4+y5}R++}setInterval(‘A()’,5 ); void(0)

Search on Google images for anything you want

Highlight the url in the address bar and paste over with the code snippet. Hit enter.

Update:  This script doesn’t seem to work with WordPress formatting. Just click the watch video link below and copy the script from their website

linkage: watch a video

wikipedia protester cartoon

linkage: from xkcd cartoon site

photosynth – multidimensional spaces created from global photo pool

The TED ideas web site has posted a great clip demonstrating Photosynth (and other visualization technologies) and application that composites 3d spacial renderings from the global pool of images tagged with metadata. The example of Notre Dame cathedral is truly boggling. They hyperlink to photos people have taken and posted onto sites like Flickr and position them in a model of real space on top, in front, or beside other identified images. The result is a composite of the real object. The implications are far reaching (unless Microsoft Labs who bought the company that created Photosynth a year ago) fail to deliver on it’s potential.

I think we will see composite software like this ported onto mapping software like Google Earth to model the world (and then the Universe) and forming the basis for a self creating and maintaining VR world. I can’t wait.

linkage: photosynth video demo via ted, try it yourself on microsoft labs

power cursor – tactile web interfaces

Power Cursor is a new style of web interface that uses tactile modeling to represent force feedback, all without leaving the browser.

linkage:  power cursor

links of the day

Flashearth – A browser mashup using flash to display all the major mapping sites satellite photos

2007 Spring Anime Releases – Reviews of the latest anime releases

Permanently Activated Vista Torrent – Download this via Piratebay.com

Scrybe – Ajax web 2.0 personal organizer application to rule them all (Closed Beta)

Forms of Symmetry – Mathematical sculptures

Feel – Seating system

Call Center – A short film

howto download movies and software

So you’re a pretty savvy computer user. You know how to change your desktop wallpaper, you can remove spyware and keep your computer updated with Windoze update. You’ve mastered files and folders, and haven’t lost anything in age. You’ve got the hang of mp3’s, and have watched some video’s online with YouTube. You’ve heard that you can download anything from the Internet but you haven’t had much luck by googling for things to download.

Today I’m going to walk you through how to use Zuedo aka. Azureus, a BitTorrent client to download files from the Internet.

The first thing you will need to do is download the latest version of Azureus (4MB). Install i. If you see this message

then you don’t have the Java Runtime Environment installed – and you’ll need to click the Download (10MB) button to get it. It will install automatically then the Azureus installer will carry on. On all the screens just click next, accepting the agreement when prompted. The install will take a couple of minutes. Click finish and Azureus will start.

if apple released vista

linkage: via i started something

google puts the brakes on development

Co-creator of Google, Sergey Brin, is championing a “Features not, products.” campaign through the halls of Google. They have come to the conclusion that their rapid growth has caused them to loose direction. Their countless applications have started to confuse users and detract from their core service, search.

a new phase of technology approaches

One of the hazards of getting immersed in high tech culture is the inevitability of it permeating further and further into your life. It is debatable as to whether this is a good thing.

Generally the less technology in your life the simpler it becomes. But what happens as the technology becomes completely integrated? What happens when it becomes so transparent that it actually starts making your life easier?

We are [slowly] approaching that transitional period I believe. Miniaturisation is rampant meaning that more and more things will have computers in them rather than standard old school ‘dumb’ electronics components. Technologies are converging. Multi-purpose devices are becoming common place in the West and are marketed as affordable and desirable to the swollen middle class.

The time of always on and connected is approaching. What will it mean for our society when boundaries of physical space are made irrelevant by instant communication with anyone, anywhere? Will we develop a hive mind? Will we bypass government and nationalistic controls and form a truly united global community? Will we start dumbing ourselves down as information becomes instantly available to answer our any question? Will we forget all we have learned? Is that necessarily a bad thing? Will we be able to leave our corporeal form behind entirely and exist in the websphere in our lifetimes? Could that be a form of enlightenment?

So many questions.