This is actually a test post from the new Flock Web Browser.
I’m working on a project to upgrade my Home Theater and this Flickr photo is version 1.0.
UPDATE: This Blog/Flickr integration is more extensive than I thought. Flock could change EVERYTHING for me. Stay tuned.
I was exposed to three cool new technologies this past week:
Hot Recorder - Actually this is one I’ve been aware of for a while. It is an EASY way to record the conversations you have with Skype (and now Google Talk). There are more traditional ways to record the audio from these Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) apps, but Hot Recorder just makes it simple. $14.95 for the full version which allows you to export a .wav file. Otherwise the receiver of the file needs Hot Recorder to listen.
gada.be - A new meta-search engine with cool results and possibilities, including OPML support. What’s cool is that you can search for a topic by including the term or terms in the URL, as in http://computers.gada.be or http://mary.washington.gada.be . Get the OPML listing by appending opml to the end of the URL, as in http://computers.gada.be/opml . There are a few catagories to search as well such as “social” (use /o at the end of the URL) and “photo” (/p).
Dolby Headphone - The most amazing thing I’ve heard in my headphones in a long time. There are a few demos at the Dolby site, but the cool one for me was the Diggnation video recorded at Dolby labs. At about the 4:00 minute mark they switch briefly to the Dolby Headphone audio and it’s awesome (to borrow a phrase from the kids)!
It is . . . it isn’t . . . IT IS an iPod with video! Steve Jobs has no idea how this is going to change things.
Oh, and the title of this post refers to the name of the device. There is currently the iPod Shuffle, the iPod Nano, and then simply the iPod. Not Video iPod, VidiPod, iVod, iVid, the device formerly known as the Video iPod. Got any others?
My colleagues know my opinions on remixes and mash-ups, but when the remix has an obvious respect for the original, I’m all for it. This brilliant reworking of the trailer for “The Shining” is transformed into a movie that is more like an “About a Boy” prequel. Waxy.org points to this Video which has gotten a lot of press. I won’t spoil anything more. Go watch and enjoy!
I just watched the last video of this series about a teacher in Michigan who is, let’s say, a little down on teaching his high school math class. The final two videos give lots of clues as to what’s wrong with education today and I suspect, and fear, that it is rampant. Best quote from the series:
We had 14 valedictorians, and I think that’s 13 too many.
- Ben Haberek
There are no heroes in this series, only average people caught up in a system that at every turn seems counterproductive. Mr. Haberek is above average in the sense that he cares, but it can be depressing to listen to someone who cares as much, and yet be so down.
There is lots of other good stuff at Human Dog Laboratory, I just wish the “About” link said more than “Hello”. Professor Chris Weagel, tell us more about yourself, and keep up the good work.
This sure looks like a good idea on paper (pdf brochure). It records anywhere from 3 (.wav format) to 18 (.mp2 format) hours of audio, and files can be downloaded, via USB, to either Mac or PC computers. Battery life is stated as greater than 6 hours using 2 AA batteries. The phone output on the bottom of the mic allows it to be directly connected to a sound card. The price is yet to be announced, and it is scheduled to ship in January 2006.
UPDATE: OK. I’m hearing that the retail price is going to be $1200. In short, never mind!
More Google Map silliness. If I dig a hole in Fredericksburg . . .
If you thought Google was a funny name for a search engine, this nostalgic site shows that it was formerly known as Backrub. Phew!
They were looking for the city of Louisiana!
How does the former Commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association get a job as the director of FEMA?
How does Pat Robertson’s Operation Blessing organization get listed right below the Red Cross on FEMA’s website as top organizations to dontate to . . . and then why is it removed?
Why did the Washington Post and Newsweek not check out the false claim that the White House gave that “As of Saturday [after the storm], [Louisianna Governor] Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency?
What good is a National Response Plan, published in December 2004, if it isn’t followed?
What is “Purple Crescent II – Homeland Security Cyber Terrorism Exercise“, and why is it we can prepare for it and not flood walls and levees collapsing?
Why is it that Michael Chertoff claimed that he woke up Tuesday morning and read in the newspapers that “New Orleans Dodged a Bullet”, when the Army Corp of Engineers knew early Monday that the levees had failed, and that the newpapers reported just that?
