| Internet Giving Homeless a Home |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|05:52 am] |
Wired is reporting that many individuals currently without permanent housing still manage to stay connected via a cellphone, laptop, or some other gadget. Many homeless have email addresses and find that it offers them a way to get their foot back in the door of 'normal' society. From the article:
"Hellerich slept on benches but she frequented a women's shelter with a cluster of internet-connected computers used mostly by the children who arrived at the safe house with their mothers. She started blogging and conducting a business. As an independent internet marketer, she was able to maintain bank accounts, nurse existing client connections and forge new business relationships. The business brought in only about $100 a month, but that was enough to help get her life back on track."
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,71153-0.html?tw=rss.index
http://thehomelessguy.blogspot.com/ |
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| Chris Poteet’s 10 Greatest Web Design Taboo List |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|05:49 am] |
Every web designer has a top 10 list of things that piss them off in web design. I helped teach a class on introductory web design, and I constructed the following list to hopefully keep those students from making the same mistakes I did.
1. Be cognizant of other viewers and demographic.
When we design for the web, we must understand that the majority of the time your website will not look the same as you see it on your screen. Web design is a difficult field, because the designer has some many constraints in designing their sites. Here are a few considerations when you are designing:
1. Resolution
2. Screen size
3. Depth of color on screen
4. Potential accessibility concerns
5. Different browsers
6. Using different client-side programming languages
2. Kill the Intro pages.
On the Internet, there are too many web designers who feel that an intro page adds a dimension to their site, and it does—frustration! Most of the time they are done in Flash, have a large file size, and out of scheme with the rest of the site. It’s always best to have the user go straight to the content, and that leads to our next point.
3. Information should be conveyed in five seconds.
This is a liberal estimate actually. Think, “What should my user learn about my site in five seconds?” Think about yourself and the way you browse the Internet. If you come to a page and it takes a long time to download, if it’s hard to figure out what the site is about, or if the site is simply not clear you’re not going to stay to figure it out. In five seconds, a user should know what your site is about and where they can get information.
4. Navigation is clear, not a mystery.
Have you ever gone to a site where you can’t figure out where the navigation is at? Some people hid navigation behind images and set up other navigation hindrances. Make sure that your navigation is clear, able to be seen by the largest amount of viewers, and is always accessible. Also, make sure they always have a way “home.”
5. Design for the global market.
A lot of really good sites, while good in concept, spend much time and effort in conveying a mood or theme through color or other culturally-specific means. While it is a powerful tool, there are things that make this a risky play. For instance, in the global market you might use a color that is of no offense to an American, but a Chinese browser might find it quite offensive. Be sure to always keep that demographic in mind (see point #1).
6. No separation of presentation, behavior, and structure.
Many web design tools such as Dreamweaver, FrontPage, and GoLive, all design in a manner that does not separate presentation and structure in particular. They will use the notorious tag, or if they use CSS it will be inline styles. Make sure your HTML file contains tags that relate to structure. Define the paragraphs, headings, lists, etc. Put your presentation, or the way the page looks, into an external CSS file to make updating easier. And strive to put behaviors (JavaScript, DTHML, etc.) also in external files. Study XHTML to learn more of these topics.
7. Frames: always say no!
Frames are notorious for being on “bad design” lists and for a reason. They often make navigation, instead of clear, more complicated. It is hard to bookmark pages, and it breaks the “Back” button. There is no reason to utilize frames in navigation.
8. Relying on WYSIWYG editors.
WYSIWYG stands for “What You See Is What You Get” in other words when you design in FrontPage, the way it looks in the program is the way it will look on the web. This program, along with Dreamweaver and GoLive are two notorious programs for bad markup. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the code that is actually being written. Always strive to less in design mode and more in the coding mode.
9. No large images, and don’t put necessary content into images.
Many get frustrated that their content looks different from user to user so they go to putting content into images. This is bad for several reasons. First, it adds to the load time of your webpage quite significantly; two, the content cannot be read by search engines or screen readers; and three, often times the images will look different anyway. Strive to put as much content as possible in pure text. It will alleviate many headaches.
10. Design elements to stay away from.
Here are a few design elements to stay away from. These either detract attention from your content, increase the load time, and/or keep potential repeat customers from coming back.
1. Blinking text and animated gifs
2. Background music
3. Needless use of JavaScript (pop-up windows, messages, etc.)
4. Text is not readable on background
5. Flash |
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| Personal-Care Products Can Spur Breast Development in Boys |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|05:46 am] |
Personal-care products containing tea tree oils and lavender appear to cause abnormal breast development in pre-pubescent boys, a new study found.
The ingredients, which have an estrogen-like effect, are found in various shampoos, lotions, soaps and other products.
"There's definitely an association between exposure to lavender oil and tea tree oil and gynecomastia (abnormally large breasts in men)," said Derek Henley, lead author of the research and a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, in Research Triangle Park, N.C.
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/HealthScout/060628/6062810U.html |
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| Sony boss: Microsoft copies everything we do |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|05:46 am] |
Friendly banter between competing corporate executives is nothing new. Sometimes, however, it starts to spiral out of control, and takes on a life of its own. In the days of the Super Nintendo Entertainment system, disagreements (both public and private) between Nintendo and Sony over the licensing of the planned CD-ROM addon for the SNES caused Sony to strike out on their own and create the PlayStation, effectively ending Nintendo's dominance of the video game arena.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060628-7154.html |
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| Should Google have purchased MySpace? |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|05:43 am] |
In the latest (July) issue of Wired magazine, Rupert Murdoch claims that Google…
“…could have bought MySpace three months before we did for half the price. They thought, ‘It’s nothing special. We can do that.’”
So that means Google could have acquired MySpace a year ago for about $290 million. Talk about a strategic blunder… the thought of Google and MySpace, combined, boggles the mind. Instead, Google is left thinking of what could have been. And to add insult to injury, it may turn out that not acquiring MySpace may end up being more expensive for Google!
http://gigaom.com/2006/06/27/google-and-myspace-woulda-coulda-shoulda/ |
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| Hawking says humans must go into space |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|05:41 am] |
The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because there's an increasing risk that a disaster will destroy the Earth, world-renowned scientist Stephen Hawking said Tuesday.
The British astrophysicist told a news conference in Hong Kong that humans could have a permanent base on the moon in 20 years and a colony on Mars in the next 40 years.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13293390/ |
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| Is SETI@home a waste of your processor time? |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|05:38 am] |
"Distributed computing could help researchers studying climate change or Alzheimer's, but SETI@home's search for extra-terrestrial intelligence continues to dominate. Wall Street Journal columnist Lee Gomes says that's a big waste, especially because SETI doesn't seem likely to yield results: 'This continued fascination with living-room SETI comes as professional setiologists concede that early assumptions about the search for intelligent life -- notably those popularized by astronomer Carl Sagan -- have proven naively optimistic. For instance, it's now conceded there is little chance of detecting the "leaking" transmissions of another planet -- its version of "I Love Lucy" broadcasts. Those signals are too weak to stand out from the universe's background noise.' Gomes also traces the origins of SETI@home to Berkeley computer scientist David P. Anderson, and explains that users stuck with the ET search rather than medical investigations in part because of nationalistic competition. Yet Anderson no longer runs SETI@home. 'Instead, he donates his spare computer power to a global warming project. But he doesn't presume to tell others what they ought to be doing with their CPU cycles.'"
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115145653496392561-3YTEjOQhd0ZilADHfEf8hoK4BhA_20070628.html?mod=blogs |
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| Chinese Gamers Circumvent Anti-Obsession Measures |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|05:34 am] |
"A survey by iResearch China shows that the Chinese Government's "anti obsession" measures, reported on Slashdot last year, are being bypassed by MMORPG gamers. While the controls - which force operators of popular games such as World of Warcraft to impose penalties on players who play for more than three to five hours a day - were welcomed by almost half of Chinese gamers, a core of around 14% of players admitted to registering multiple accounts to get around the restrictions. Meanwhile, the government seems to be taking a different approach to the problem of gaming addiction, planning a campaign over the upcoming summer vacation to increase enforcement of laws banning minors from internet cafes."
http://english.iresearch.com.cn/online_game/detail_views.asp?id=7089
http://www.pacificepoch.com/newsstories/66852_0_5_0_M/ |
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| Spain Adds 'Copyright Tax' to Blank Media |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|05:31 am] |
"Just read on Zeropaid that Spain has recently voted in compulsory copyright licensing, levying a tax on all blank media. This includes cd-r, dvd-r, flash media, printers, scanners, cell phones, everything. The tax will be collected by the government and 'given to the copyright holder.'"
http://www.zeropaid.com/news/6672/Spain+Adds+'Copyright+Tax'+to+Blank+Media |
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| Why Aren't Powergrids Underground? |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|05:30 am] |
"It is common knowledge that an underground power grid is less susceptible to the effect of a large thunderstorm. The American Transmission Company cites numerous reasons why it (and other power companies I assume) do not bury their transmission lines underground (e.g. environmental concerns, cost of installation and repair, etc.). Exactly how detrimental are underground transmission lines to the environment? Wouldn't the time spent without a power outage generate more than enough revenue to offset initial costs? Aren't the need for repairs in cities with successful underground power grids rare?"
http://www.atcllc.com/IT5.shtml |
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| Volkswagen’s Automated 20-Story Garage |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|05:28 am] |
Wish you had your neighbors 4 car garage? Well check out Volkswagen’s storage facility. This 20 story garage is located in Wolfsburg, Germany and is fully automated. The garage was designed to be automated to save space as well as prevent accidents caused by human error. In fact because of the automated design 20% less space is needed to store the vehicles. “In a fully automated procedure, your new car is brought down to you from one of the 20-story Car Towers. Large signboards in the Customer Center show you when your turn has come. Then, you’re handed the keys, your picture is taken, the glass doors open and your brand-new car appears. You’re all set to go.”
http://infinitylabs.net/2006/05/19/volkswagen%E2%80%99s-automated-20-storey-garage/ |
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| Google Denies ISP Rumors |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|04:39 am] |
Google denies that it is trying to position itself as an internet service provider, despite wide speculation to the contrary.
"Google has no current plans to be an internet service provider outside of our pilot Wi-Fi projects in Mountain View and San Francisco," said a Google spokesman who declined to be identified. "Our IPv6 allocation simply reflects planning for the day in the future when the services we currently provide via IPv4 will need to be accessible via IPv6."
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/internet/0,71293-0.html |
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| Randomly-generated 'scientific paper' accepted |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|02:14 am] |
"CUTTING-EDGE artificial intelligence it was not, but a student prank still managed to get the better of some human intelligences last week, when a computer-generated piece of gibberish was accepted as a genuine scientific paper.
Sick of receiving spam emails requesting submissions to the 2005 World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics - which charges $390 for each attendee - students Jeremy Stribling, Daniel Aguayo and Maxwell Krohn of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology wrote a program to generate a nonsense paper.
Starting with skeleton sentences, pools of nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs, and a random assortment of computer science jargon, the program produced a grammatically correct yet utterly nonsensical paper titled: "Rooter: a methodology for the typical unification of access points and redundancy". "This isn't artificial intelligence, it's the dirt-simplest way we could think to do this," Stribling says.
The conference organisers say that the paper was sent to human reviewers, who never commented on it, so it ended up being automatically accepted. The conference has now banned the paper. But the pranksters are still planning to give a computer-generated talk at the conference by persuading a human speaker to let them take his or her place.
From issue 2496 of New Scientist magazine, 23 April 2005, page 6"
http://www.newscientisttech.com/channel/tech/mg18624963.700.html |
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| Survey: iPods more Popular than Beer |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|02:10 am] |
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Move over Bud. College life isn't just about drinking beer. In a rare instance, Apple Computer Inc.'s iconic iPod music player surpassed beer drinking as the most "in" thing among undergraduate college students, according to the latest biannual market research study by Ridgewood, N.J.-based Student Monitor.
ADVERTISEMENT
Nearly three quarters, or 73 percent, of 1,200 students surveyed said iPods were "in" more than any other item in a list that also included text messaging, bar hopping and downloading music.
In the year-ago study, only 59 percent of students named the iPod as "in," putting the gadget well below alcohol-related activities.
This year, drinking beer and Facebook.com, a social networking Web site, were tied for second most popular, with 71 percent of the students identifying them as "in."
The only other time beer was temporarily dethroned in the 18 years of the survey was in 1997 by the Internet, said Eric Weil, a managing partner at Student Monitor.
Though beer might soon regain its No. 1 spot, as it quickly did a decade ago, the iPod's popularity is still "a remarkable sign," Weil said. "For those who believe there's an excessive amount of drinking on campus, now there's something else that's common on campuses."
Student Monitor conducted the survey the week of March 6, interviewing full-time undergraduate students at 100 U.S. colleges. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060608/ap_on_hi_te/colleges_ipods_8 |
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| Video Game Detox |
[Jul. 4th, 2006|02:09 am] |
Detox Clinic Opening for Video Addicts
Jun 08 4:12 PM US/Eastern
By FIA CURLEY
Associated Press Writer
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands
An addiction center is opening Europe's first detox clinic for game addicts, offering in-house treatment for people who can't leave their joysticks alone.
Video games may look innocent, but they can be as addictive as gambling or drugs _ and just as hard to kick, says Keith Bakker, director of Amsterdam-based Smith & Jones Addiction Consultants.
Bakker already has treated 20 video game addicts, aged 13 to 30, since January. Some show withdrawal symptoms, such as shaking and sweating, when they look at a computer.
His detox program begins in July. It will run four to eight weeks, including discussions with therapists and efforts to build patients' interests in alternative activities.
"We have kids who don't know how to communicate with people face-to- face because they've spent the last three years talking to somebody in Korea through a computer," Bakker said. "Their social network has completely disappeared."
It can start with a Game Boy, perhaps given by parents hoping to keep their children occupied but away from the television. From there it can progress to multilevel games that aren't made to be won.
Bakker said he has seen signs of addiction in children as young as 8.
Hyke van der Heijden, 28, a graduate of the Amsterdam program, started playing video games 20 years ago. By the time he was in college he was gaming about 14 hours a day and using drugs to play longer.
"For me, one joint would never be enough, or five minutes of gaming would never be enough," he said. "I would just keep going until I crashed out."
Van der Heijden first went to Smith & Jones for drug addiction in October 2005, but realized the gaming was the real problem. Since undergoing treatment, he has distanced himself from his smoking and gaming friends. He says he has been drug- and game-free for eight months.
Like other addicts, Bakker said, gamers are often trying to escape personal problems. When they play, their brains produce endorphins, giving them a high similar to that experienced by gamblers or drug addicts. Gamers' responses to questions even mirror those of alcoholics and gamblers when asked about use.
"Many of these kids believe that when they sit down, they're going to play two games and then do their homework," he said.
However, unlike other addicts, most gamers received their first game from their parents. "Because it's so new, parents don't see that this is something that can be dangerous," Bakker said.
Tim, a gamer who is currently under treatment, agreed to discuss his addiction on condition of his last name not being used. He said he began playing video games three years ago at age 18. Soon he wouldn't leave his room for dinner. Later, he began taking drugs to stay awake and play longer. Finally he sought help and picked up other hobbies to occupy his time.
Symptoms of addiction are easy to spot, Bakker says. Parents should take notice if a child neglects usual activities, spends several hours at a time with the computer and has no social life.
Bakker said parents of game addicts frequently echo the words of partners of cocaine addicts: "'I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what it was.'"
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/06/08/D8I489R80.html |
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