Archives: Technical stuff
RSS
I just installed my rss reader -netnewswire- to be able to have a fast overview over the news all around.
All my favorite newssources are implemented, from famous -like BBC- to unfamous individuals -Back to Iraq-
As said in CNN: “Hang on to your hats boys and girls, because your experience of the World Wide Web is about to change, possibly for the first time since Mosaic...”
Apple already recognized the power of RSS and implemented a reader in its new version of Safari -release planned with Tiger-release-
Indeed our world is to change.
Posted on July 6, 2004
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Turn any website into an RSS feed for $2
via Boing Boing Blog: Turn any website into an RSS feed for $2
Bootleg RSS, a service for scraping websites and turning them into RSS, is taking requests. If there's a site you'd like RSS-ified, ping Carlo and he'll make it into a feed for $2.
Now, I've thought about the how. Hosting feeds costs money, scraping feeds is taking time, and maintaining a feed can take some time as well. So, I'm offering you the following service. First read the list of things you get, then see whether you'd be willing to shell out a small one-time fee of $2.[Loic Le Meur Blog]
Posted on July 7, 2004
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NetNewsWire
Oke, I might have been a dumb girl. But from today on blogging has become more easy than before.
NetNewsWire is AWEsome.
You read your news. Whatever you want to comment: select, and post straigt away to your blog.
Creazy.
I wonder if the new RSSreader/browser Safari RSS will contain the same features. (like copying something from a site straight to your blog...)
The program even implements a autonom weblogposter, which means I no longer need Espressoblog. (Well I no longer need it anyway since I am using TypePad now. Yesterday I officially deleted the old blogs from my server)
I keep a keen eye on Userspace, which seems to be the more advanced follow up of 'Espressoblog'. Not yet released though...
Posted on July 7, 2004
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Skype
When-oh-when will Skype release its version for Mac? They are getting into the amazing possiblities to remap the world of phoning since some days you can call to a handset, you can get behind firewalls, and reach a normal number for almost no money...
But when-oh-when can we join in? -Must be one of the first times I regret to have a mac...-
Posted on July 7, 2004
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The sky is the limit...
WiebeTech is now offering its G5Jam in a 1.6 Terabyte model. This unique internal storage system provides G5 users the ability to add a quad drive internal storage system with extremely high capacity and extremely high performance.
[fromMacMerc]
Guess I won't need external drives to keep my photo collections within one computer... ;)
Though not really cheap...
Posted on July 7, 2004
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gCount
Some time ago I was offered a gMail account.
I am not really keen on Yahoo or Hotmail adresses.
And I have enough pop adresses of my own to worry about. So why take one more?
Well, the 1 gb is an easy reason.
When somebody is planning to send a bunch of files it might be a good idea to get it in that mailbox.
So I activated it.
Up till today i never checked it.
But that has changed: gCount is a little application (for mac) that tells you how much mails have arrived in your mailbox.
Simple but effective.
Wish it worked for regular web-mailservices too...
Posted on July 8, 2004
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Wiki's
On request I am figuring out which Wiki seems to be best to apply.
Up till now I prefer TikiWiki because it is running PHP, and its design looks stunning compared to many other wikis that are just too ugly to me.
I downloaded it yesterday and am trying to figure out how to install it on my server.
Will take me some days (It is one of those things that takes you a day or 2 and then you master it for the rest of your days... Was like that before with phpBBForum and 4HomePages)
I wonder if wiki's will become the new way of communicating on the web.
I think its vulnerability is too high.
But in closed environments it might be very interesting for projectmanagement and be an easy solution for too expensive programs that don't do the job at all.
Back to basics is indeed the future.
With one change: the basics are suddenly editable.
Posted on July 8, 2004
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Gmail marketing trick
By now I think everybody has a Gmail account due to the fantastic idea of hyping the mail-thing and the pyramid system of 3 invitations for each member.
I never understood people craving for a mailaccount that 'is allowed to read all your mail' and spam you 'with advertisement adjusted to your profile'.
Yes I have an Gmail-account, it has received 3 mails til now, 2 from Gmail self and one of a friend who I have sent an invitation. Won't be a solution for me I guess.
Yahoo rencently bought another webmailcompany, and will be soon featuring 2gig mail and a good adminsystem. But again spamming and screening of mails.
I'll stick to my little pop-account featuring 50mb space and no worries til now.
Tip:
If your smart, and you want more Gmail-invitations... Send 3 invitations to yourself. And immediately you have 9 invitations..
In case you want 9gb storage, or really want to trade hard.
I have one invitation left.
(The other ones went to Yasser in Daheisheh, who surely can use the 1gb. To them paying for a webconnection and thus popaccount is VERY expensive.)
Some body wants? Give me a good reason why you should receive it.
And you'll get it, for free.
Posted on July 16, 2004
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Get yourself into the searchengines...
BlogChalk has an interesting concept.
Google works with this kind of special syndication. It checks if the words in your meta are coming back in your pages. Google tends to give more attention to your content then to meta-data. But when it comes back in the both content and meta-data, the page is considered more important.
BlogChalking works with this concept, making a meta and creating a code that repeats the info in the html-page.
In other words: a perfect way to get your page syndicated by google and to get it in a higher ranking.
Smart guys :)
Posted on July 17, 2004
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Feedster added
I finally took some time to check Feedster. -Is pretty important for PhotoBlog and BlogFactory-
Well they did some good things, I have to say.
Just added a latest news feed -which to me is nicer than Feedburner- to my site containing only BBC-news on Belgium and Israel, added a search engine and a button to subscribe to me through Feedster.
These tool are the things that will make them popular: easy to handle things, one click away for their users.
Nice.
Posted on July 19, 2004
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Dommel.com verus others
Slowly slowly I am getting a little bit fed up with my hosting provider...
I never had much problems with them, but when I had, the helpdesk was not really comfortable.
It took them some time to answer and then the answers stayed pretty vague.
Seldom they were nice, as if, I was pretty stupid.
I am doing the HelpDesk of PhotoBlog, and I can tell you that there are some pretty stupid answers posed. But always I will have a pretty neutral answer. Only, seldom, in the case of very impolite questions, acting as if they owe the system -for which they exactly not pay- I tend to answer pretty shortly.
So I dare to compare. I pay to Dommel... I ask nice questions. And I know they get these horrible questions all day long.
Yet recently I am considering changing hosting. The returning mails over overuse, and then changing the bills, but before that also changing the backofficesystem that is not so compatible to mac make things not so easy for me.
To me a hosting should be the least of my problems.
This hosting seems to do the trick: cheap! and with an autoinstallsystem for many things...(Blogs- with Nucleus and WordPress-, Portals/CMS -with Drupal and Mambo Open Source, Customer Support, Discussion Boards -with phpBB2-, E-Commerce, FAQ, Image Galleries -with 4images Gallery and Gallery-, Mailing List, Polls and Surveys, Project Management, Wiki and other scripts)
1250 mB whereas for more money I have now only 500 mB, 40gig traffic -now only 15gig-
AND most of all with one click of the buttom, all those applications get installed
-The last 2 days I am working on installing a wiki... imagine the time saving.-
I am starting to test tomorrow.
More to see at readysetconnect
Posted on July 20, 2004
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Firefox versus Safari
Yep, indeed I am a hardcore Apple User. including many of their software -especially iTunes-
BUT I have to say, sometimes it is a little bit too simple. The gadgets of iPhoto are nice, but when it comes to professionality, i prefer iView.
The same thing with Safari. Nice browser. 1000 times nicer then Internet Explorer.
BUT Mozilla beats them all.
A free open source browser, that recently launched Firefox
Me I am switching. No more safari.
Firefox is fast, very very fast, uses tabbrowsing -bless the guy that invented that thing-, includes a google bar that even can get extended with more features.
But Firefox for Mac does something special: it puts the linking tools, stuff that appeared in every browser on Mac, back. No more difference in usabilty with PC. -If suddenly you see a lot of links in my posts, then you know why...-
AND not to forget: the RSS-reader is included, showing is very neat and with a simple click your feeds get checked.
Many more features to come with the extensions.
Even if the new Safari gets launched -with also RSS-... I stick to Firefox. Much more promising due to its open standard.
And PC-users: there is a pc-version of this incredible thing. Switch too :)
Posted on July 23, 2004
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Blogs, PhotoBlogs, Wiki's, RSS, RSSreader, DRM, Exifs,...
Does it happen to you too? Talking about certain things, and people staring at you as if you speak Chinese...
I gave up. Many people in my environment look at me with this strange look, giving me the impression that I must be hit by something, talking Gibbrish.
In 2 years, when what I say now becomes standard, I only can look back and say 'This is old news...'
I am speaking chinese now, you say?
Posted on July 24, 2004
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RSS and Belgian Newspapers
The link is almost non-existing...
But, have to admit: Gazet Van Antwerpen has RSS on some categories!
Congrats.
Hopefully the rest of the newspapers follow you.
Posted on July 24, 2004
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Blogging through IM
Meet BloggerBot
The fine folks at Picasa have worked with us to create the quickest, easiest way for Windows users to send photos to a blog—via IM. That's right, Instant Messaging has gone to the blogs. The IM client they built is called Hello. It's a peer-to-peer networking application that enables users to share photos and text-chat about them live. It's a snazzy little app but it's even more impressive when it's engineered to work seamlessly with Blogger.
Blogger is trying to catch up with TypepAd and Flickr, and they are choosing the right direction...
Posted on July 26, 2004
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Bloggers go mainstream at US conventions
While some of the traditional media are treating US political conventions with contempt, webloggers are being welcomed, writes the BBC's Kevin Anderson. [from BBC News]
Why this is an important thing? Because the source is BBC. No longer the information in blogging is coming out of specialized, blogging resources...
Posted on July 26, 2004
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Broadcast...
TO me the internet has a very logical evolution.
From showing, and very passive content, the evolution is going to interaction -for example through blogging with its comments and usergroups-
But the end result will be a far more 'interactive place' than we can imagine now.
Sharing pictures is one thing.
The next big thing evolving is sharing music.
I have been looking for good software that could share -in its first version iTunes could broadcast, but it was quickly finished with the Apple Music Store opening-
Anyhow today I found NetCast. It might be my solution. Although for 40 box, not so cheap. -The most important stuff is to find other that share too...-
The life broadcast is nice, but I like more the fact that I can access my music collection anywhere.
Tunes At Work has this feature too.
You can browse through somebodies list on a different place, without downloading it.
But I am still figuring out how I can activate all this stuff behind a NAT-server...
From that moment on, whenever you want to browse into my playing list, without having to download everything... just try to get me to give you a password ;)
Posted on August 3, 2004
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The importance of protecting your Wifi connection
As said before, I finally have my small pBook back, brought it to Gent, in the appartment of my sis.
If she has broadband? Nope... And her internet connection is one that is secured by herself. -read password protected, and me not knowing her password-
And yet, I am on the internet now, ain't I?
Wireless internet.... The neighbour seems to have a connection.
Sitting near the balcony, and my airport is catching the waves.
For an investment of 150 euro -or much less- my sis would have free internet... -Hey sis, what are you waiting for?-
Or, a hacker could use this internet connection and hack into something, disconnect and then the owner of the line would be the accused.
The matrix is getting real.
Posted on August 5, 2004
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Quote of the week.
"I recently paid more for my cell phone, than I did for my PC."
(Ouch! Explains why Microsoft and Intel are desperate to get into the "mobility" business, albeit with little success. )
Posted on August 9, 2004
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Little icon in the adressbar
After a little research I found the way to implement a little icon in the adressbar.
Useless, but cute, you have to admit. :)
Posted on August 10, 2004
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Wireless Is the New Platform
Certainly, there is still a lot of room for new ideas. The emergence of wireless as a platform opens up opportunities for small independent developers -- who can hack tiny apps such as an instant messenger or a photo-blogging tool and sell it to millions of users worldwide. The software doesn't have to be aimed at the consumer market either. Metcalfe is funding BridgePort Networks, a Chicago-based startup that makes software to facilitate seamless switching between Wi-Fi and cell-phone networks. BridgePort sells the software to large phone companies.
from [Om Malik on Broadband]
Posted on August 11, 2004
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Early Adopter
These days people can call me an early adopter, I seem to have all the latest features on my computer.
I blame the blogging culture. I need to test, to check for PhotoBlog -and you don't hear me complain-
What is easy, what isn't. What is hyped and why.
Today I found iChatStatus a little ticker that gives some extra info on your iChat account. And yes it works in Proteus
So you wonder why people want to show the iTunes-music that is playing on their computer to the rest of the world.
I don't know either, people freak on it.
Share your world, seems to be the motto.
I don't know if that is a necessity, but I would love to go further into this gadget and offer people the possibility to show which tune is playing, in their PhotoBlog.
Just for the fun of it... Grin.
Posted on August 11, 2004
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Sales of digital cameras going down
According to the research office IDC the sales of digital cameras will increase with another 45%, after this, the major concurrence of the camera phone will decrease the sales of ordinary digi cameras
At the same time another report tells that fast internet seems to have reached the ceiling in Belgium, according to a research of the ISPA.
But is is like that? Or is the guerilla to get more clients through cheap services too much for the user?
Posted on August 12, 2004
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Add live chat to your blog
After reading the post of Joi Ito on Chatango I decided to try it too.
It sucks for me.
You have to log in in a browser window all the time to be able to chat.
Next to that you can't change the lay out of your browser window. And you don't hear when somebody starts blogging with you.
So Loic, I don't agree on your 'It rocks'
It is just a little buzz for an application that could have been sooooo much better.
I won't keep myself busy with logging in every day in another browser window.
I can give you another 25 applications that are worth mentioning.
Posted on August 16, 2004
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Guess who has Skype since one day...
Yep. :))))
Posted on August 21, 2004
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Canon introduces new digital cameras
Canon today announced a number of new digital cameras...
[through MacMinute]
The one I am interested in is this beauty: the 8.2 megapixel EOS 20D digital SLR camera for $1,599, available in September.
My D10 was stolen in Israel last May, and I have to replace it urgently. THis one indeed will be the one.
Dpreview released more teasing:
Canon has today revealed the EOS 20D, the eight megapixel successor to the EOS 10D. The new sensor is however only half the story the EOS 20D has a slightly smaller and lighter body, a brand new 9-point AF system, near instant power on time, 5 frames per second continuous shooting, support for EF-S digital lenses, true RAW+JPEG, a B&W mode and USB 2.0. In total we've counted approximately 30 noteworthy improvements on the EOS 20D. Naturally we have a detailed eleven page hands-on preview. Price on the street around US$1,500
Posted on August 21, 2004
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Cameraphone lense kit
Brando Workshop's groovy camera lense kit for cameraphones and camera-enabled PDAs offers you a choice of Set 1: kaleidoscope, tele, and soft filter or Set 2: macro, distortion, and kaleidoscope. Pop a lense out of the lovely magnetic-close plastic case and stick (yes, they're tacky) it over your cameraphone lense (see the two packages and tele lense attached to a Nokia 6230).
The macro lense (see the up-close-and-pixelated shot of the Bluetooth logo on my Powerbook's menubar) is perhaps the most interesting. And the tele does a reasonable job of bringing things just a small % closer.
Ta, Chris!
[Through MobileWhack]
Well. This is cute, lomolike cam phone might be fun.
Posted on August 21, 2004
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Skype beta
The last new beta of Skype for Mac supports calling to ordinary phones.
Byebye fixed phone.
From now on wherever you have a internetconnections -dial up, lan, dsl, wifi- you can call abroad for no money.
Have to fix my microphone though...
Posted on August 30, 2004
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Skype officially launched
Well... The secret releasing of the alpha's made sure everything went faster and faster.
I guess whole Holland had already the alpha's before the beta's were launched.
Today they launched officially Skype for Mac os X.
Yep, we are smiling.
Posted on August 31, 2004
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Sony Ericsonn
After checking my accounts, I sold my old Sony Ericsonn and bought this beauty.
In black.
Not for the included camera -although I will use it for testing the beta-service on PhotoBlog soon-, but for the bluetooth that synchro's my agenda, contacts and to do's, even with alarm from my computer.
And the nice remote from Salling Clicker is an extra.
Controlling my keynote/PPT presentation from a phone. Is kinda cute, I think.
The big buttons for dialing are a handy extra.
If I need the extra's from a p900? I don't think so, I always have my comp with me, and for writing whole stories is seems a kindof complex.
This t630 will do :)
Posted on August 31, 2004
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Wifi city?
The first wifi city in the world: Jerusalem?
First or not... I am sitting in Tel Aviv... Damn.
(other: Amsterdam is due to become a wifi city, and possibly Philadelphia, which at 135 sq. miles, would become the biggest wifi city in the world.)
Posted on September 10, 2004
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Make your own Pirate Radio Station with an iPod
This was going to be “How-To increase the range of your
iTrip mini”. But after playing around with the new iTrip mini, the FM broadcasting accessory for the iPod (our review here) our little minds got working on some ideas.
Posted on October 15, 2004
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Helpless
How helpless are we without our comp?
I can tell: very helpless....
Considering an early flight back home, because comp crashed.
Nothing to do but curse and feel helpless and useless in a way.
All my work is stored, all my links are inside, all the docs needed as well.
:(((
Short on posts because internetcafe's suck.
Posted on October 22, 2004
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What does one do when computer access is restored?
-Well it isn't but anyway the restriction is not limited to 30min internetcafe anymore-
One:
-checks his email
-updates the corperate blog with some posts
-updates his blog with short update
-answers the 580 helpmails -from which 560 spam...-
-surfs 'important logs'
-takes 5min to surf and see the beatiful picture pod...
Posted on October 27, 2004
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Ecto with NetNewsWire
Ecto with NetNewsWire works fabulous...
Ecto even integrates iTunes, so I guess it is ready for PodCasts and AudioBlogging.
It is soo f* conveniant, I guess this will be the future way of blogging.
Stupid of me not to adaopt this earlier.
Me that early adoper ;)
Posted on October 31, 2004
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Google confirms Google Desktop for Mac
Google confirms Google Desktop for Mac:
According to a Reuters story, Google CEO Eric Schmidt confirmed on Friday that the company intends to build a Mac version of Google Desktop, which enables users to search their e-mail messages, files, Web browser histories, chat logs and more. He admitted, however, that such an undertaking will require the Mac version to be "rebuilt from the ground up" because of the "fundamental differences" between Mac OS X and Windows. No timetable was set for its release. The Windows version was published earlier this month.
It is a funny thing to do, since Apple releases something similar in their Mac Os X Tiger...
Anyhow I am not complaining at all.
-Although I am sure I would prefer Apple's tool instead of Googles, and that is not because I am an Apple-freak, but just because of what Google does with their tools: spy and give you loads of advertisement instead.
Imagine, they will be able to see EVERYTHING that is in your harddisk. Because why else would they do it? Because they like you?-
Posted on November 1, 2004
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NetNewsWire
NetNewsWire took an important decision.
It left its tool to post to a blog out of is update and instead offers a link that opens your preferred program.
Why is it clever? Because from now on, they don't have to spend any time in upgrading this tool, and they can focus on other implements -like integrating podcasting-
Back to basics, it is called. And using the tools of others.
It is something that we at PhotoBlog also prefer.
Why start to integrate another chatting tool, when the best one are already out there?
Why not work together with people that know things the best.
The oly thing which is a necessity is to integrate it in the best possible way.
So your users don't end up into something they don't understand.
And to give a proper manual.
Writing one right now for PodCasting through PhotoBlog, withing days on our helpdesk . ;)
Posted on November 1, 2004
in Projects - PhotoBlog.net, Technical stuff
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Qzoxy, first true Skype value add
If all the apps for Skype are going to be as interesting as Qzoxy, then we got something. Stuart has an elaborate post which outlines the benefits of Qzoxy.
Posted on November 10, 2004
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Skype-to-plain phone
A cool USB dongle that allows you to use any plain ole phone with your PC and Skype. Not as cool as the Siemens USB dongle. More such resources are here!
Posted on November 13, 2004
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Andy's TypePad problems
He is going nuts with a mal-performing TypePad account and is seeking a support group.
I just stick to Ecto and normal blogging. No probs...
Posted on November 16, 2004
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Put PowerPoint on your iPod Photo
This week's How-To is a quick and simple one if you have an iPod Photo and use PowerPoint or Keynote and don't want to lug around a computer; you can just plug in to a projector or a TV. This will also work with a Portable Media Center, or any other photo playing device that can be a video source.
Learn it here
Posted on November 16, 2004
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Nov 25 21:26 Israel - Mobile €0.091 15:16 €1.456
Today I called Israel using Skype, 15 min for 1.456 Euro.
Who can do better???
Quality: +++
Posted on November 25, 2004
in Technical stuff
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Blog Torrent: ideal for videoblogging
Mark Frauenfelder: Dave sez: Downhill Battle has released Blog Torrent to the masses! Blog Torrent is software that makes it much easier to share and download files using the bittorrent protocol on your PHP-enabled web site.
Why does Blog Torrent matter?
Making it easy to blog large video files means that people can share their home movies the same way they share their photos or writings. It lets people create vast networks of truly peer-to-peer video content-- video that was made by individuals and shared with individuals, no bandwidth budget or distribution deal needed. Does this mean that we can do for television what blogs have done for news? Let's find out...
Why use Blog Torrent on your blog or website?
1. It lets you post video or other large files as easily as you post text.
2. Installing Blog Torrent is as easy as uploading a photo to your website or blog.
3. Blog Torrent is the one bittorrent tracker that won't confuse your users.
4. It publishes an RSS feed of all your torrents.
Posted on November 27, 2004
in Technical stuff
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Invoicing for Small Business
Finding an invoicing module for a small business for Mac Os X isn't that easy.
Prices start from 500 euro onwards, or you end up with kind of adapted systems that don't seem to work.
Or Filemaker Pro solutions -which make you buy an expensive FileMaker Pro-
I guess today I found the solution: MacBusiness.
Let's you keep track of your clients, meanwhile handles as a task manager, but has a perfect invoicing module that is way more advanced than iWork.
And it doesn't have multiple windows running in chaos.
The invoicemanager warns you when invoices aren't paid yet, or when you are overdoing the budget. -working with a timer-
Okok, some tags are not working perfect. But for 25 dollar, you don't hear me complain...
Posted on November 27, 2004
in Technical stuff
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MarsEdit 1.0fc3: final candidate release
MarsEdit 1.0fc3 is a final candidate release. Will it or won't it be a serious competitor for Ecto?
Testing now...
Some first remarks:
-I am missing the iTunes tool... :(
-the icons on MarsEdit are surely better...
-Missing the drag and drop for images -working fine in Ecto, although some things are missing there too-
-Adorable image insert, with left, center or right outline, which is missing in Ecto.
-Missing the text tools of Ecto and easy HTML tagging, which is a drop down in MarsEdit: unconveniant...
Overall idea: Ecto: get a better lay out....
Posted on December 2, 2004
in Technical stuff
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Blog defined
Meriam-Webster declared yesterday that based on lookups in their online dictionary, the "#1 Word of the Year for 2004" is (drumroll and eyeroll)... "blog."
Blog noun [short for Weblog] (1999) : a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.
Also-rans include "incumbent,""insurgent,""hurricane," and "peloton," defined as the "main body of riders in a bicycle race."
Link
Posted on December 3, 2004
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Cell Phones Work as Tour Guides
Sightseers in major cities no longer need a tour guide or travel book to point out local landmarks. Several startup companies now offer tours delivered by cell phones.
Imagine being guided through Ghent by Kamagurka, while the gps in your mobile locates you and nice spots and this while Kamagurka is telling you all the buzz.
Yep, indeed, good idea.
Posted on December 8, 2004
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Good Old Phones becoming popular again
They finally understood it: phone bills have to go.
If I am not mistaken, we are on Scarlet already. So Guido, check it out...
Posted on December 9, 2004
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MarsEdit 1.0 Reviewed
The final release...
And yes. Ranchero did keep his promise to change some of the things.
Nice look and feel.
An ITunes script is inserted.
Nice image-import with super maintaining, but misses the drop and resize feature of Ecto. -Although, Ecto misses a resize option of the thumbnail too...-
I would opt to have the preview as a drawer -I hate all those different windows-
And a faster reach to the tags would help -I don't want to select a drop down first...-
But hey, he is convincing me...
Posted on December 12, 2004
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iZoom
iZoom must be the sweetest freeware I found until today.
It is great. A little application of only 293kb that resizes your pix in a blink. Perfect for blogging. No more opening of high res images with PhotoShop, and resize them manually.
Great also for making smal icons in the right size.
Hmmmm. I like.
Only for mac.
Posted on December 12, 2004
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Best downloads of 2004
I guess I too have a list of best downloads.
I only reflect on Apple-downloads, since I don't have another computer.
But after first installing NetNewsWire and Ecto, I have to say I will purchase versions of them, since they are regularly up-dated with the best new features.
My last update of NNW has actually PodCasting, meaning that from now on I don't need Ipodder anymore, which was a fuzz to open it.
NNW is not the best download of 2004 for me.
That is Skype... THE solution for calling my friends abroad. Easy installed
Ecto follows after NNW, since it allows me to easily update my blogs. Only the interface is somehow not so nice.
The icons are ugly and the windows are too small. When there would be an update for this, I guess it is perfect.
BitTorrent is somehow still vague and has to be perfect-ionized, I believe it will become a possible candidate for best download of 2005, since podcast are great, but actually very bandwidth-consuming. BitTorrent is p2p and for that reason a solution.
Firefox could have been one of my favs, but in the release of version 1, I am a little bit dissapointed of the amount of bugs included. Several times Firefox freezes and only a restart can help.
But I have to admit: the fact that it remembers login names and the easy way of browsing and disallowing popup, in combination with a fast speed + better reading of html, makes it my preferred browser.
My favorite freeware is iZoom, easy and perfect for fast resizing of images.
Posted on January 2, 2005
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Bittorrent changing media
"You could think of BitTorrent as Napster redux - another rumble in the endless copyright wars. But BitTorrent is something deeper and more subtle. It's a technology that is changing the landscape of broadcast media.
"All hell's about to break loose," says Brad Burnham, a venture capitalist with Union Square Ventures in Manhattan, which studies the impact of new technology on traditional media. BitTorrent does not require the wires or airwaves that the cable and network giants have spent billions constructing and buying. And it pounds the final nail into the coffin of must-see, appointment television. BitTorrent transforms the Internet into the world's largest TiVo.
One example of how the world has already changed: Gary Lerhaupt, a graduate student in computer science at Stanford, became fascinated with Outfoxed, the documentary critical of Fox News, and thought more people should see it. So he convinced the film's producer to let him put a chunk of it on his Web site for free, as a 500-Mbyte torrent. Within two months, nearly 1,500 people downloaded it. That's almost 750 gigs of traffic, a heck of a wallop. But to get the ball rolling, Lerhaupt's site needed to serve up only 5 gigs. After that, the peers took over and hosted it themselves. His bill for that bandwidth? $4. There are drinks at Starbucks that cost more. "It's amazing - I'm a movie distributor," he says. "If I had my own content, I'd be a TV station."
I talked about this tool in a former post, and seems I am not the only one seeing the possibilities of BitTorrent.
At this moment BitTorrent is still something vague and not very user-friendly.
But this will change surely this year, when more and more of the prices of hosting are focussed on traffic and less on storage.
BitTorrent uses the p2p system, making sure that you don't need any traffic anymore.
Great solution to this problem.
For video distribution, it will become an easy solution.
Posted on January 6, 2005
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Looks like christmas again...
Steve Jobs did Keynote today and NO live coverage...
Yet, several blogs reported live (Thanks Veerle)
Steve Jobs made my christmas....
Flash iPod AND MiniMac AND Motorola Phone.
Now start saving.
Everything on Apple.com (actually veryvery slow now, imagine how many people are following it)
Posted on January 11, 2005
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LaCie's Ethernet Disk mini
LaCie is hopping on the mini bandwagon with a new line of Ethernet Disk network hard drives aimed at small office and home office users.
The drives will be available in 250GB, 400GB and 500GB models (!) with the first two costing $299 and $499 respectively .
We want.
[Via PhotographyBLOG]
I want too.
A harddisk on my network, being able to access and store all my high res pics.
(while my second HD is disconnected as second network free back up)
Hmmm. Yes.
That MacMini will have to wait. (That iPod Shuffle will be mine though...)
Posted on January 11, 2005
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Blogium: pro and contra
Blogium is a new initiative gathering posts of Belgian bloggers. It has a lot of potential and for that reason I like it.
It allows me to quickly see bloggers I wasn't aware of ( and was happily surprised by some fabulous writers out there)
And yet, the structure of Blogium lacks some key-elements, in my humble opinion.
First of all: I would love to see a list of all those active -Belgian- bloggers out there.
Next to that my most important remark is, that probably bloggers will start to copy posts to be in that top 30, because the more is written about a subject, the higher the ranking. -This post should be a proof of that ;)-
So it misses some bloggers that might write little pearls, but don't bother about 'popular subjects' and thus aren't gathered on the main page.
Results: the same bloggers will appear and re-appear on this main page.
Other result: information is a copy of a copy.
This is the main reason, why, at PhotoBlog.net, we didn't want to show 'the most popular pic or the most commented pic. Because it only recurs itself, over and over. The most popular gets more popular, while the others aren't allowed a chance.
Maybe Luc can do something about that... Offer a second page with a different coding.
Anyhow: congrats with that project.
Posted on January 20, 2005
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Ecto got updated
ecto - 2.2:
My favorite blogging tool got updates. Almost perfect.
Posted on January 23, 2005
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Ax for beginners...
Yep I wanted one, a real Airport Express, just to distribute my GB of music to a real music platform, no longer out of the small boxes of this portable. The fact that prices dropped and I can take the Ax to extend other networks -when traveling- is a nice advantage.
So I went to Brussels and bought one, pleased by the amazing packaging of Apple -to all design freaks: this must be the reason why we love Apple. Those details....-
Though..... It took me 5 hours to get it working, and even now I don't have a clue exactly how I got it working!
No points for Apple this time.
-I think the thing got working immediately after a firmware update, but I am not sure at all-
'Yet, I am very happy', she said, while pearls were bouncing through her room in good acoustic:
Now playing Are 'Friends' Electric? from the album "Random" by An Pierle
*Update: it is really worth the money... So great to hear that sound out of good speakers instead of those tiny little things.
And wireless. No fuzz with those cables...
Posted on January 29, 2005
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Interesting use of RSS
Get a notice of all earth-quakes. (Only interesting if you live in an seismologic active area I presume)
By U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Posted on February 3, 2005
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Drag-and-drop .torrent converter
Cory Doctorow:
WritTorrent is a GPLed drag-and-drop tool for converting any file into a .torrent file, suitable for placing on your nearest BitTorrent tracker. This simplifies one of the more difficult steps in distributing a file over BitTorrent.
Well, I said they would simplify the making of torrents...
Now providing an easy upload and good program to easily open them.
And please let an apple freak design an apple version for this.
The thing will be used as crazy. Sure about that.
Via Boing Boing
Posted on February 10, 2005
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Easily send high res pics.
Photoleap is the easy new way to send and receive digital photographs. It works exactly like email - start a new message, add email addresses, a subject and a message. Then add your photos, and click send. That's it: you don't need to resize your photos, you don't need to worry about your email bouncing back or crashing if you send too many.
It integrates seeming-less with iPhoto, and a PC version is available too. Worth the free try.
Posted on February 15, 2005
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Typepad gets new skin
I don't tend to use the TypePad user interface - I prefer Ecto software- but I am surprised by their good looking update.
LiveJournal was acquired recently by SixApart, and I am wondering what this means for the future of TypePad.
When looking at the features of LiveJournal, we see many tools in the paying option - current mood, polls, to-do items, text messaging, friends of friends, and this for the small amount of 25 dollars a year.
TypePad might want to integrate some of these features, we really hope...
Posted on February 22, 2005
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HOW-TO: Use your Gmail account as a personal file server
I don't have PC, but yet, this article is pretty interesting to remember. I am actually advising it to friends I have in West-Bank, to consider to implement it in their project.
For others: enjoy the info.
Oh- in anybody finds the same tool for Apple, please let me know. Might be interesting for some side-projects.
This is a fairly simple and useful trick to score yourself a gigabytes worth of free online file storage. If you already have a Gmail account, you can use it as a central file server that is accessible from anywhere you can access Gmail. We're going to install a shell extension that will allow you to mount your Gmail account as a virtual drive on your desktop, so you can perform basic file manipulation operations without having to go through the web-based interface. Drag and drop, batch copy, create folders and delete files as you normally would in Windows Explorer, and be able to access your virtual drive from virtually anywhere.
Brought to you by Engadget
Posted on March 2, 2005
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Looking for a fast online printservice
I am in search of a good online printing service.
Cheap and fast. -Well, we do aim at the best, we can compromise later...-
In Belgium, by preference...
Any tips?
-Please don't say Spector, because I don't buy it. Their service sucks: bad soft, and no confirmation of whatsoever.-
Considering ExtraFilm now: clear site and nice extra stuff.
Fast = 5 days for them. Doesn't seem that fast for me, though...
All tips welcome.
Posted on March 6, 2005
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Mac on a distance
Scene24 posted this amazing tutorial.
Tx. Just what I needed to know.
Posted on March 6, 2005
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Ineen threat for Skype?
Try ineen, a new P2P IM software with VoIP and Video. It's extremely easy to use and free. It uses SIMPLE for P2P IM and presence. Contrary to Skype, VoIP is supportd by the SIP protocol; the video runs on H.263. Best of all: you can yuse ineen to call over other networks as well (Free world dialup, SIPphone, iptel.org and others).
Brought to you by Baeyens.net
Posted on March 6, 2005
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Skype in!
Skype in is out! Betatesting now...
Yep, almost possible to cancel that Belgacom line...
Posted on March 11, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Skype In
Skype offers a new service: you can actually achieve a local phonenumber.
So people from an ordianry line can call you on a number. When they do, your Skype will start ringing.
Interesting for people abroad. -Imagine being called at my Skype on a local Belgian number, when I am elsewhere. People would always call local...-
It might be a good solution for Moko, who can get an Chinese number, while she, herself is sitting in Canada. Her parents can call local and pay local rates.
Or Ana can have an American number, while being in Brazil...
Skype wrote some days ago:
Does Skype for Mac OS X support SkypeIn?
Yes, the newly released Beta version (Version: 1.0.0.15) is fully compatible with both Skype Voicemail and SkypeIn. Please click here to download before purchasing a SkypeIn number.
So now, I can use the system as well.
Only waiting until they release a Belgian number...
Posted on March 20, 2005
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Camera to iPod
This must be the solution for leaving my Pbook home when shooting pics.
Finally a cheap solution :)
Storing pics perfectly in a 60gb pod. Makes like 17142 pics...:)))
And I can reload 60 times the 1gig card.
Sound splendid to me.
What is it? The iPod Camera Connector
Posted on March 21, 2005
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Free WiFi versus paying.
In many places, you can now see WiFi hotspots. Often against very expensive rates.
And yet... Why not offer it for free?
I wonder what will make you earn more: more customers that come for the free internet and thus more consumption resulting in more profit. Or customers that come for the internet and pay for it, thus resulting in profit through the sales of acces to the network.
I think the latter is a looser if the prices don't drop.
In Tel Aviv, you have several hotspots.
Methuka seems to introduce it now -with paying module- and another bar, near the sea is offering it fro free since several months. I prefer the latter, since I pay and get consumption. In Methuka I pay for internet AND for consumption.
I think the future will depend on those extra (different from free) services.
Posted on March 27, 2005
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Strangest tip ever...
How to make scratched CD run again?
Tip:
Take a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Take a little bit of paste and brush it softly on the CD.
Rinse and dry by softly dipping the cloth on the CD.
Put the CD in the computer, and it should run.
Remark: This tip comes from a forum, you can not take me responsible if your CD doesn't work at all anymore :)
Posted on April 8, 2005
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Flickr Automator Action 0.1
Fraser Speirs: So I quietly released my first Automator action, for uploading to Flickr.
Brought to you by Ranchero
This is why Flickr works fluently: their api. 200% sure about that!
A pity their lay out is soo bad.
Playing around a little with Flickr now.
Posted on May 1, 2005
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Finally bought the extra 400 gb drive
So now I can start indexing everything.
And organize my hard disks.
Will be a full weekend...
Luckily you have to do this only once a year -spring clean up-
After that there is 'You Synchronize' a small tool that keeps all your stuff nicely back upped and synchronized the way you like it.
(Then install Tiger, an looking for files is never a burden anymore... -wishful thinking of my side-)
Posted on May 13, 2005
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SpringCleanUp
Have been running my SpringCleanUp: erase your total computer and reinstall it.
Wow, the little beauty is running like a charm.
-Have to say I like to test all new software available, and installing all these apps make your computer run veryvery slow. A reinstall deletes all this junk left overs-
New system, new year, new habits.
It is like the promises you make at new year: 'I will always back up my stuff.' 'I will keep it organized'...
Well, these days, it is all running by itself. (Thank you You Software!)
A quick configuration for you Mac-users:
I run Panther -in wait of upgrade of Tiger...-
Main programs to advise:
-Skype (rocks! calling was never so cheap)
-Adium
-iChat -though never used it-
-Mail -use as little Micro$$oft as possible-
-Ecto for blogging (also for PC!)
-NetNewsWire for reading RSS
-Firefox /Safari (waiting for RSS version, seems to be much better and faster + less buggy than firefox)
-Calendar -keeps me organized, I tend to forget things-
-Itunes (rules...)
-PhotoShop CS
-Dreamweaver MX
-Transmit (ftp program)
And then the most useful apps:
-YouSoftware: Tunes (control your itunes in the menubar), Synchronize (to back up your stuff).
-Cocktail to maintain your system
-Pod2Go (for your iPod as back up and many more)
-Romeo (using your mobile ad remote for your computer/itunes)
That's it. (You should have seen how many apps I deleted... Actually almost never used them. So why bother)
A ethernet disk as back up and for storing all the iTunes Music to empty my personal HD.
Don't hesitate to send in more veryvery useful apps for Mac I you have some.
Posted on May 16, 2005
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Lacie Ethernet drive returned...
Ok, doubted, saved, almost ordered, not available, and then finally got it.
And it sucked.
Lacie Ethernet drive sucks.
Bought it happily at TWC in Ghent, that took it back without any problem. -Thank you guys!-
Ethernet was actually sloooooooow, and the USB2.0 was fast but lacked some things (sometimes maps disappeared visually, and the only thing to do was remount the device. Not something I feel safe with).
So actually have the 250gb firewire now, and it feels good.
Need to connect it to a computer though. I guess the Mac Mini will finally be ordered then.
Posted on May 21, 2005
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IView Class
Today I had to give private class to some people on IViewMedia Pro.
Up till now it is the best program I found.
I made a little manual on it -summary of what Iview provides, with accent on the things I think are very important or useful-
I will post it in the near future on this blog.
Posted on May 21, 2005
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Skype rules
Today I figured out that some of my friends still don't have Skype.
Didn't you know: skype rules.
I call high quality free to Israel each week!
Click the image and enjoy the free telephone too.
Posted on May 26, 2005
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Video4Skype a new 3rd party Plug-in
For the pc users and early adopters amongst you: Skype launched an API, and thus many apps are being made for skype.
Like this one: Video4Skype...
Nicolas, a fellow beta tester in France, and I just tested the new Video4Skype a new 3rd party API Plug-in
Skype like and slick, one minute to download and install. I really liked its excellent colour renditioning.
I highly recomend test driving this product.
By Skype Journal
Posted on May 31, 2005
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I'll repeat myself: Browse Happy
Skip Internet Explorer and switch!
Posted on June 2, 2005
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Skype rules, part 47
My mom arrived home last night, smile on her face.
'We have now Skype at work'
She means: the computerguy installed Skype, since ALL the office people will be using it for internal use -calling from branches to branches-
'Because it is for free'
And you have head phones?
'Yep, everybody gets these cool head sets.'
Or how a inventive idea can mean a threat to ALL telecom companies WORLDWIDE.
Belgacom feels the heat...
Install your Skype now:
Posted on June 13, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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PhotoBlog of Wordpress
I am busy these days with designing a web managed portfolio system for a client of mine.
I choose Wordpress for the CMS system and since there are no photoblog-templates available, I designed one myself.
Sneak preview here (not working in I.E)
So there you have it: I am stuck with some minor details.
The menu doesn't work in I.E -I.E sucks!- and off course there is a work around with javascript, but I'd prefer the good way...
(Next to that there must be a mistake in my css -some entries don't appear centered-, so will be trying that out in the next days. -i know i know, much junk in that file due to an adaptation of an existing file, will be deleting some tags-)
This stupid Internet Explorer is giving me headaches.
I mean: 90% of the people is using a browser that has so many bugs and is not working according to the standards. Yet, we designers have to work around it. Un!believable.
As if they have no money to make a better browser...
M$ grrrrr.
Browse happy: change your browser.
And if not for you: do it for us, the webdesigners...
Posted on June 16, 2005
in Technical stuff
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mini Cordless Chat and VoIP
Voice chat is nothing new. And by now, Bluetooth isn't that new either. What is relatively new is Mac support for Bluetooth headsets. And now that these wireless headsets have reached affordable prices, things get interesting...
Details here.
Posted on June 19, 2005
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Skype: Ten Billion Minutes Served
Talking about a hype:
Rolls off the tongue.
As of now:
- Total Skype Downloads: 122,940,494 Users Online Now: 2,296,041 Total Minutes Served: 10,001,423,810
Posted on June 20, 2005
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WebStandards...the next part.
Thanks to some tips of people and an excellent tutorial in the CSS Zen Garden book, I finally got my template working fine.
Oh yeah, there is a limitation, not all browsers will deal with the hack. But I kind of made sure links are provided.
I checked my site statistics to see some overall browsers:
1 MS Explorer 6.x 9.650 72.49%
2 Firefox 1.x 1.395 10.48%
3 MS Explorer 5.x 739 5.55%
4 Safari 125.x 558 4.19%
5 Firefox 0.x 196 1.47%
6 Safari 312.x 144 1.08%
7 Mozilla 1.x 84 0.63%
8 Netscape 4.x 78 0.59%
9 Unknown 78 0.59%
10 Safari 412 77 0.58%
So at least 95% of the people should be able to see it properly.
The other 5% has the accessibility.
Dealing with so much different browsers is like having to feed 10 babies at the same time, and knowing that one will not be happy anyway.
The perfect site will only exist if we have the perfect standards being followed by ALL of them...
Posted on June 23, 2005
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Internet in the air...
Why you might want to jump on Austrian Airplanes soon:
The Austrian Airlines Group and the world´s leading provider of high speed internet services on board aircraft - Connexion by Boeing, a business unit of The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) - have signed contracts to install wireless internet access on the Austrian Airlines Group´s long-haul fleet. The agreement was concluded on 16 June 2005 at Le Bourget Airshow. Both Economy and Business Class passengers will be able to use the internet on board Austrian flights.
Wondering how much it will cost ;)
Posted on July 1, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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New TypePad 1.6 is out.
-Increased bandwidth limits (we have DOUBLED hosting and bandwidth)
-New instant message integration
-Comment filtering and approval
-TypeKey support in TypePad
-Your readers can now follow the discussions by receiving an email when there is a new comment
-Comment notification email improved
-15 new design themes
-custom CSS without having to go to advanced templates
-enhanced design area
-automatic publishing
-new preferences page
-Amazon in France and Canada support for adding books
and more...
Learn more, and we're currently rebuilding the blogs, you can check the TypePad status page. This new version is made available simultaneously in all languages.
Well, good to see they have a AIM/Yahoo Status added, which, we at PhotoBlog had ages ago ;)
Checking the design themes now, hopefully they did something with photoblogs...
So Michel, hopefully you'll get happier about their uptime/speed ;)
Posted on July 2, 2005
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Gizmo calling...
Gizmo is a new SIPPhone. It is free and has Gizmo IN and Out, but can it compete Skype -which is actually not the SIP protocol-
Pros: other Voip networks can reach you.
And recording of your conversation.
+free voicemail.
Cons: well, everybody has Skype by now...
Posted on July 4, 2005
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VRT starts podcast
Great initiative BUT: 1 download of 'De Afrekening': 81.3 mb.
Thank you very much...
Like this, their test will be pretty unsuccessful due to unexpected bandwidth usage.
Hey guys, there must be a better way to do this...
Posted on July 6, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Which digital camera to buy?
Recently I get a number of people asking about which camera would be their best buy ( ;) )
So I decided to do a post on it.
As I used to say to people at Fnac:
There is no 'best' camera in general. There are a lot of good cameras and you have to find the one that fits your needs.
So first make a list of your needs.
Secondly I put 2 things as most important on my list:
speed of the camera and the color quality.
Speed of the camera is not really its shutter speed -though this is sometimes interesting- but rather the reaction speed of the camera.
In general the small cameras are pretty slow.
But also in general you want to capture the right moment and you don't to miss it because of a slow camera.
Thus rather opt to spend 100$ more than be very disappointed afterwards.
I know a lot of people that switched to digital, bought a rather expensive camera and are very disappointed on this matter.
The rule is -unfortunately- the more expensive your camera, the faster it will be. Test this in the shop!
-Recent models got a lot better btw-
On color: well to me it is all about capturing a picture, and all the fuzz later on... I don't really like it. I don't mind playing around with PhotoShop, but to change a 100 pics? No thanks.
Check out the camera you want to buy online, and check the color tests. A perfect site is dpreview.com.
Other important rule: don't get fooled by the megapixels.
6megapixel or 8megapixel is approx the same.
The megapixel is only interesting if you want enlargements.
For 10/15 cm you need a 2 million megapixel camera. For A4 you need 4 to 5 million megapixes.
How many people enlarge bigger than this?
Not many, I can tell you.
So if you don't need it that often, don't buy the very expensive camera.
Choose for digital reflex or not?
I'd say yes, because it has many advantages: it is good quality, it is fast -faster than the small cameras- and you can changes lenses.
But it is heavy.
An average tourist wants an easy camera.
So don't fool yourself with the nice big camera, if it will become a camera like you once bought that nice VHS - video cam for filming the kids. I bet it is lying in the highest shelf of your closet.
If you are more than an average amateur, and you like taking pictures and you want to get better in it: definitely go for the reflex.
Again: wonder what you need, and check it out profoundly.
Don't let the marketing people fool you ;)
If you have more questions: feel free to ask.
Posted on July 6, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Grumblgrraargh...
Whole day it is working fine... Till now.
Grumblgrraargh...
Posted on July 7, 2005
in Technical stuff
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JussPress.com
I like to have my pics on 'my hd' or 'my host' rather then spread everything around on different servers.
But regarding video, it is somehow different: video EATS bandwidth.
In the past I mentioned some useful sites, but I guess this one is the nicest in lay out and usability: it appears straight in your blog, no link to another popup or whatsoever.
And no more consuming bandwidth ;)
Thanks D&tC for the tip.
Posted on July 9, 2005
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Skype API for Apple
Mac users, the latest version is Mac OS X, Version: 1.0.0.24. Release date: April 12, 2005.
A Mac Beta version is available for the adventurous. 1.0.0.49. Release date: July 27, 2005. This is a major update, adding multichat, the Skype API and a slew of bug fixes.
This is really good news, it means little apps can make it into skype! Been waiting for that, or rather, anxious to see Apple-developers working on neat apps. And I am sure they will make nice apps // Jyve, VideoSkype and many others...
Posted on August 5, 2005
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News: First family of Windows Vista viruses unleashed
And you thought you were safe... The system isn't available yet, and already viruses.... lol.
The first viruses written for the Windows Vista operating system have been released.
I keep to my rule: the main reason to switch to Apple was the absence of virusses..
Really no joke. And no second regret for that...
Brought to you by MacCentral
Posted on August 5, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Voip to landlines for free
Didn't figure it out very well since it is for PC -few times we'd wish we had PC. But then we remember the blue screens-
but Voip Buster Beta seems to allow you the same service as SkypeOut -calling to landlines- but here it is FOR FREE. (Belgium is!)
Check it out.
-Didn't test the quality...-
Update: You can now make FREE calls to several countries. These calls are limited to 1 minute per call.
If you want UNLIMITED free calls, all you have to do is go to our website and buy 1 euro credit.
Kind regards,
VoipBuster Customer Services
www.voipbuster.com
Posted on August 5, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Prices are dropping in internet-land
I announced it months ago: hosting providers are cheating ;)
But some of them just don't.
And some of those get veryvery big:
MediaTemple for example.
They offer now 2gb storage for only 8 dollars/month.*
That ladies and gentlemen is CHEAP, but only FAIR since the market prices of storage and bandwidth dropped.
I once had a project there, but due to my software that was running php4 (and their servers were only on version 3 something) I needed to cancel the deal.
They gave all the money back.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is called SERVICE.
(I can mention some providers that deal with these things differently.
I won't mention names, because then those people are not pleased.)
Even their dedicated services are amazingly well priced. So go and check it out.
Justy checked the shared and they run:
# Apache: 2.0.46
# PHP: 4.3.10 !!!
# GD: 2.0.28 with freetype support
# Perl: 5.8.0
# Python: 2.2.3
# MySQL: 3.23.58
# Squirrelmail: 1.4.4
Can't wait to get rid of some accounts... and place it at MediaTemple..
(oh and for uber-nerds: check their bandwidth-prices...)
*: Compair prices: at Telenet: 8euro/month=50mb, or Dommel: 9euro/month=200mb
Posted on August 11, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Kubrickr
Promethee pointed me out to Kubrickr: a nice way to integrate a Flickr image in your blog's header -if (adapted)theme by Kubrick-
A must-remember, so I note it down here ;)
Posted on August 11, 2005
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Skype releases Mac OSX API
It is a big day for the Mac Developer ecosystem. The Skype API is now available. It was announced on the Skype Forum a couple of hours ago here.
Jepjep, can't wait to see those developers getting into it. Jihaa!.
On my wish list:
iskoot
jyve alike
skype to sms
online indicator
skype integration in mac os Browsers and AdressBook
a dashboard widget
That and local numbers in Belgium/Israel would be nice...
And a wifi set that is actually just like a phone and not such a stupid headset that makes you look like you are from Mars.
Brought to you by Skype Journal
Posted on August 11, 2005
in Apple, Technical stuff
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DTV for Mac
Nice initiative, but I want to mention another program the same makers release: Broadcast Machine.
Broadcast Machine is software you install on your website to easily publish video files. It gives you the option of using torrent technology to reduce or eliminate bandwidth costs, even when you are posting high quality video to thousands of people. Broadcast Machine is free, open source software, and is designed for easy installation. It features an intuitive interface, integrated torrent creation, and flexible channel management. Broadcast Machine also creates a browsable archive of videos on your website. But the real purpose of the software is to be the perfect publishing tool for our video player that will be released in August-- Broadcast Machine creates channels that, when viewed in the player, give people a TV-like viewing experience.
I like the part: create bittorrents!
Yepyep we are getting there!
More:
Since Broadcast Machine is completely content neutral, it does the same for audio files. We haven’t gotten around to testing it with podcasting programs (let us know if you do), but it should be a pretty good way to podcast, especially if you want to use torrents to save bandwidth (again, if you have ideas about how we can make this work better for podcasting, let us know).
Posted on August 12, 2005
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Portfolio systems...
CottageKitchen.com is a little business on kitchens.
The mission was to do a remake of the site, with a focus on the images.
Since the rest of the site is static, I decided to use the MiniGal portfolio system in combination with static shtml pages.
The Minigal CMS system allows the owners to update the picture portfolio without intervention of the webdesigner.
I managed to make an integration of the CMS with my CSS design.
And Minigal is an easy system to upload images through ftp + online administration panel.
Yet I am still looking for better solution -for future projects-.
Anyone tips?
Posted on August 12, 2005
in Projects, Technical stuff
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Compactflashcard in washing machine
Smart me, I managed to put a CompactFlashCard in the washing machine yesterday. (I found it after the washing.)
Try to dry it and leave it for a night -which seemed safer than putting it in my camera just like that... Wouldn't like to experience dead card + dead camera...-
Today I can test the good name of these cards: will it still work?
Fingers crossed.
Update: it does! All images were still there.
So it is true: strong enough to overcome a ride in the washing roller-coaster. :)
Posted on August 21, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Skype and Apple AddressBook
I asked for this feature a while ago...
And now it is there, nicely hidden: call with Skype in your address book.
And it works perfect.
Jihaa!!!
Update: the callto:// protocol works in Apple -it wasn't like that earlier-, a link in a browser (Safari, Mozilla, Firefox) is accepted and activates the Skype-application. And that's really good news.
Posted on August 22, 2005
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Gizmo Project VoIP immediately follows GoogleTalk
SIPphone Inc. has released Gizmo Project 1.0, a new Voice over IP (VoIP) software app for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux. They've also announced an agreement to provide Google Talk connectivity in future versions.
I think GoogleTalk is a big fuzz for nothing. _Oh jeah they support Jabber and SIP and it will be significant in the near future towards msn and yahoo stuff- but the strength lies in de SIP protocol. I guess the compatibility with other SIP-clients will mean a breakthrough.
Lik some of you mention: we live in 2005, we want only one accesspoint and not 25 messenger-systems.
Gizmo announced future compatibility. Way to go: I'll be able to call with my gizmo account to all gmail users. Platform crossoing and messenger crossing.
That's the future....
Instead of using the GoogleInterface, go for Adium of Gizmo, I'd say...
Brought by MacCentral
Posted on August 24, 2005
in Apple, Technical stuff
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iTunes phone???
Bits and pieces of information on the now legendary, yet unseen iTunes phone keep coming in iLounge now has it that while the E790/ ROKR will indeed be an iTunes phone, it's not gonna be the iTunes phone that will make fanboys drop to their knees.
Months and months people are speculating about the next ITunes Phone.
I think Motorola will be introducing a whole series of ITunes Phones if they are smart.
What is it more than a piece of software inside of a phone? C'mon, many phones can bring songs these days, many phones/pda's have enough cpu and memory.
And one cannot believe it took them 8 months to prepare just ONE phone, right?
Brought by Engadget
Posted on August 30, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Looking for a stereo bluetooth headset.
Who can help me out with this one:
I am looking for a stereo bluetooth headset.
No not the ugly one-sided-ear thing. I am rather thinking of the ordinary headsets (see image) but in bluetooth module.
I want to use it in combination with my computer (for Skype+ITunes) and with my mobile.
It doesn't seem to exist.
The only thing found is the strange Sony Ericsonn HBM 30, which is a MP3 headset. Unfortunately the microphone is somehow hidden in the huge device, and the battery is not rechargeable. (That's why the price dropped from 150 euro to 50 I guess)
But it is stereo, and good for even the iPod.
Better tips?
Posted on August 30, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Qoop and Flickr Photo Books
Qoop printing service lets you create photobooks with images or thumbnails from your Flickr account (see some examples on Flickr).
This is what one needs as a useful tool.
Brought by Patrick Haney, Not a Sausage
Posted on September 2, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Skype LT - 1.0.0.49
Lithuanian localization of Skype
First use of Skype API for Mac, I'd say...
Brought by VersionTracker: Mac OS X
Posted on September 7, 2005
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Apple 'big' press release?
Well, what a bummer...
No wonder the shares dropped...
Heck, the iPod Nano is a beauty -but I have an iPod Photo 60gb so I am not teased by the Nano-
The Rokr sucks: no synchro with iCal or Mail. A little videocam and no word-worthy camera. 100 songs inside of my mobile? Nice but doesn't convince me.
Wifi would have convinced me. (Bluetooth always convinces me, especially with Apple)
My perfect phone:
-Wifi -with Skype-
-Bluetooth -for stereo headset that can be used on my comp-
-Nice integration of iCal, Mail, and AddressBook (last thing works with bluetooth enabled mobiles)
-A cam that can be used as web cam
-A photocam that has min. 4milj pixels. (Or no photocam at all...)
-Oh and maybe, maybe 100 songs, if you insist.
The iTunes 5 version, is according to me, a reason to settle with the microsoft patent fight. It has some nice features which I'll never use. ;)
But tell me, what would be your perfect mobile?
Posted on September 7, 2005
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Tip
For people that want cheaper than the Olympus Skype Deal:
check this.
Topcom with pretty nice features and, good design.
Available in every Belgian Makro.
Posted on September 7, 2005
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Skype Widget - 1.0.2
dial calls, look up country codes, check calling rates
together with a new version of Skype, for Mac Users.
The API is being used again...
Brought by VersionTracker: Mac OS X
Posted on September 8, 2005
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eBay Buys Skype for $4.1 Billion
Xeni Jardin:
A formal announcement is expected within hours. Link (Thanks, Sean Bonner)
Damn?
Brought by Boing Boing
Posted on September 12, 2005
in Technical stuff
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MT Easy install...
Movable Type released a new version and claims an 'easy set up'
Well...
I think I can install 30 Wordpress blogs in the time I install 1 MT.
So far their interpretation of 'Easy'
A better manual would help a lot. Beta docs indeed...
Update: it took me one full day to get through some of the not well explained adaptations -I feel like a moron doing this trial and error-.
But I have to say: I love the new admin of MT, looks so much better than WordPress.
Loads of nice plugins.
-I truly think the strength of blogs lies in the easy and convenient structure of the administration panel. EE sucks for that matter...-
So tomorrow I'll set up some MT's for clients. Faster than hoped.
And I'll try those Stopdesign photoblog templates. -But that will take some time, seeing those instructions...-
Posted on September 13, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Tagging and linking
I'm not a del.icious user, I didn't figure out the use -when clicking on someone's delicious list I get amazingly confused of the disorder...
I'm neither a Technorati user... I think it is useful, but can someone please explain me why? ;)
But I love TagCloud.
Why? I don't need to do anything except for adding some rss feeds. :)))
Check it out.
(My tagcloud here)
Posted on September 16, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Status: one hosting moved totally.
Yep, a buch of things will dissapear, but they were just floating there anyway.
All necessary files are moved.
Second hosting to come in the next weeks.
Savings?: Around 400 euro eventually -through gathering some sites together in a reseller account-. Worth doing it I guess. And certainly as good conditions. I tested their helpdesk today and the answers were accurate and within 20 minutes. Eat that.
I opted for MediaTemple. Why? Because last year, due to some problems -they didn't have php4 and my platform was only working that way- we ended a hosting. They paid me all my money back.
Around the same time another hosting didn't do such a thing, giving me a very peculiar answer.
Wrong bet...( I know they don't need my money, they are big enough anyway.)
All my hostings will be removed by next week, moved to MediaTemple, offering me service and good price.
Thank you very much.
(And, no they don't give me money for saying this here.)
Posted on September 16, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Typetester
A very convenient tool for web-designers.
Posted on September 18, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Copy Your Digital Photos Onto Film
A new backup service is now available: A MINOX laboratory copies your digital photos pixel by pixel onto traditional chemical film.
The world upside down.
I was yesterday in a meeting, in which they asked me my opinion on analogue photography.
I think it will never die, since once we all figure out the things we hate about digital photography. :)
Analogue is real, it is about understanding what photography is about. With digital it is different, it is trial and error. Way different way of thinking...
Brought by PhotographyBLOG
Posted on September 20, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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RSS to PDF
Nice tool: print pdf from rss feed
I can imagine some people who'll like this one: only core information on paper and nothing else.
On the other hand: I don't have a printer since 2 years -buying one again next week due to need to print letters for old fashioned commuinication-, so is it a necessity?
The answer is yes: for informational stuff
RSS rules :)
Link by Hans
Posted on September 21, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Skype on your mobile
Yep, it arrived... Mobile operators be aware.
And for sure it is only one step away from what is to come: dualmobiles with Skype integrated...
The key to IPdrum is the connection between the mobile telephone and the computer. This "base station" mobile telephone will be the link between the Skype connection and the user's phone via a local call setup. Both incoming and outgoing calls can be handled by the system.
The main features of the IPdrum Mobile Skype Cable including:
· Forwarding of incoming Skype calls to PSTN- or mobile phone
· Outgoing calls to Skype subscribers
· Outgoing calls to stationary and mobile telephones using the SkypeOut subscription service
· Synchronizing of contacts from mobile
· Synchronizing of contacts in Skype
· Connecting/Synchronizing contacts with Skype users
The IPdrum Mobile Skype Cable will be available to media from August 2005 onwards.
For USD 69,95 only (the Olympia phone is quite more expensive...)
The catch? You need 2 mobiles to make it running. Yes.. 2 mobiles...
So is it worth it? Nope. -Too much of a hassle to set it up. Only worth it whan you call abroad very often. And still..-
But as I said: a step for what is to come...
Posted on September 21, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Project Comet
Project Comet will launch in early 2006 and will combine the publishing power of TypePad, the community aspects of LiveJournal and the years of insight garnered from Movable Type. Project Comet is focused on creating an advanced weblogging technology platform combining the best elements of all our products, giving people the ability to easily stake out, build and share their own place on the web.
Project Comet will incorporate the latest technologies, some of which include:
* Community Aggregation: Gives you the ability to create individual blogs and share sections of them with other users in an elegant and customizable way.
* Multiple Streams: Provides a single place to keep everything that is important to you. A record of your life is created by incorporating streams from various media, like music, photos, videos and other blogs into a single customized blog with an identity of its own.
* Privacy: Lets you decide who gets to see what parts of your blog in addition to existing password protections for entire blogs.
Yep, TypePad users get it for free...
Posted on September 22, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Randomize pictures
Feel like random seeing pictures from a defined site?
Google it.
I take PhotoBlog as an example, a nice way to see some new talents in no context whatsoever. To discover pearls...
Or the pictures on my blog: here
Posted on September 28, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 - 8.0
MacroMedia 8 is released.
Found on VersionTracker: Mac OS X
Dreamweaver 8 seems to be about
-way better integration of CSS
-way better integration of video/flashmovies -clearly they are taking the path of vido online-
-and way better coding features. -rather than wysiwyg-
-not to forget: a focus on RSS iintegration.
For a short intro, check here (where you can find a 30 day trial)
Posted on October 1, 2005
in Technical stuff
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VoWLAN Phones Coming
Not coming to the US anytime soon (as we still struggle for 3G service), Nokia has announced the launch of its first VoWLAN consumer cellphone. Basically combining voice, data access and WiFi using a hybrid product (think mixing IMS and UMA), Nokia's first product is set to hit stores in early 2006.
You might be interested in this article: Nokia with wifi included.
And nothing more: just a plain good old cellphone, no cam, no fuzz, but with bluetooth and wifi... There's all one needs.
[Om Malik's Broadband Blog]
Brought by Gizmodo
Posted on October 3, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Workflow digital management
I was wondering about your digital management.
On pictures in particular, but on files in general.
Me, I decided to make my workflow in this way:
Filename of a picture:
year_month_date_hoursseconds_country_keyword_ID(my initials).extension
This should result in an unique name -especially the 'hoursseconds' part makes sure I can recognize double items in my library-
My folders are set by for example:
2005 -> subfolder 2005_01 -> subfolder 2005_01_keyword
And I am about to fill in my exif data to make it searchable on keywords, country etcetc.
(I am preparing next coming weeks to do this... What an idea: updating all my old pictures..)
And you? How do you do it?
Posted on October 4, 2005
in Technical stuff
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DAVID
Got a very very good link today (Thanks ;) )
DAVID: Digital Archiving In Practice (I lost the v somewhere...)
In Dutch only...
As for me: I have everything back-upped on 2 FireWire disks. And when this EXIF info finally gets implemented, everything will go on cd once more.
Dries pointed me out to MAM-E CDr's, they are aparently much more reliable than others.
Posted on October 6, 2005
in Technical stuff
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TypePad DropDownMenu's
For those interested in my drop down list I'll share the code.
They are TypePad Specific, but I am sure most of you will easily manage to translate them for other platforms.
For Archives DropDowns:
<MTBlogIfArchives>
<h2><a href="<$MTBlogURL$>archives.html"><$MTTrans phrase="Archives"$></a></h2>
</MTBlogIfArchives>
<br/>
<form>
<select style="width:170px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 5px; font-family: verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" onChange="document.location=options[selectedIndex].value;">
<option value="">Choose category</option>
<MTArchiveList archive_type="Category">
<option value="<$MTArchiveLink$>"><$MTArchiveTitle$> (<$MTArchiveCount$>)</option>
</MTArchiveList>
</select>
<select style="width:170px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 5px; font-family: verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" onChange="document.location=options[selectedIndex].value;">
<option value="">Choose month</option>
<MTArchiveList archive_type="Monthly">
<option value="<$MTArchiveLink$>"><$MTArchiveTitle$></option>
</MTArchiveList>
</select>
</form>
For Type Person List DropDowns:
<h2>Title of your list</h2>
<form>
<select style="width:170px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 5px; font-family: verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" onChange="document.location=options[selectedIndex].value;">
<option value="">Choose an item</option>
<MTList name="TypeList Name">
<option value="<$MTListItem field="htmlurl"$>"><$MTListItem field="name"$></option>
</MTList>
</select>
</form>
For Type Link List DropDowns:
<form>
<select style="width:170px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 5px; font-family: verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" onChange="document.location=options[selectedIndex].value;">
<option value="">Links</option>
<MTList name="Name_list">
<option value="<$MTListItem field="url"$>"><$MTListItem field="title"$></option>
</MTList>
</select>
</form>
Important: the MTList name is the name as stated in the configuration . For example: when your list is called Friends Around, it is exactly 'Friends Around' and not 'Friends around' or 'friends_around'
Be careful, otherwise you'll end up with errors.
For more info on the tags, I gladly refer to the TypePad TagList
Posted on October 8, 2005
in Technical stuff
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TypePad Book Lists
In the past I was a bit disappointed by the fact there was only one way to show your TypeList in your blog.
If you decided to show only 1 item, there was no way to have the same list in another page, revealing all the items of that list.
I didn't figure out how to reconfigure the TypeList so I could show only one item on one page, and all the items on the other.
(Example: in my main blog, you'll see the last book I am reading, on the left. On my linking page, you'll see all the books -at the bottom-)
But one day, the people of SixApart released all the tags of TypeLists.
Normally you'd implement this code in your sidebar:
<!--#include virtual="/lists/name_list/module.inc"-->
When you want all items to appear, without the limit set in your configuration, you can use this code:
<h2>Books read</h2>
<MTList name="Name List" lastn="100">
<a href="<$MTListItemURL$>"><$MTListItemImage$></a> <br/>
<a href="<$MTListItemURL$>"><$MTListItem field="title"$></a> <br >
</MTList>
Important: the MTList name is the name as stated in the configuration . For example: when your list is called Friends Around, it is exactly 'Friends Around' and not 'Friends around' or 'friends_around'
Be careful, otherwise you'll end up with errors.
For more info on the tags, I gladly refer to the TypePad TagList
Posted on October 8, 2005
in Technical stuff
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iView AppleScripting
In the series 'Maybe it can help you out somehow' I release my adapted Applescript to rename files within iView MediaPro.
(Of course I can tell loads of stories on other stuff, like how sick I am these days, or how I couldn't take the bus due to a strike, but they are just boring. So maybe it is your lucky day, and I do write something useful.)
Lees meer "iView AppleScripting" »
Posted on October 9, 2005
in Technical stuff
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New Old mobile
Some months ago my mobile was lost/stolen -didn't figure it out-
but today I got the same one -same model that is- back. WITH bluetooth.
Quite a relief after the prehistoric model I have been carrying around the last months.
Bluetooth is an amazing invention: it synchronizes all your contacts with your computer within seconds. -so no one by one copying or typing on the little keyboard.- Now I have access again to all my contacts.
Bluetooth allows you to send SMS from your desktop through your phone. -Since then, I can appreciate SMS, before I hated it-
Bluetooth also picks up my phone when I am working on my computer.
It even allows me to initiate phone-calls through my computer.
Last, not most important but sometimes convenient: it makes my mobile a remote for my computer: easy for presentations or when watching TV on the computer.
Thank you great engineers that invented this thing.
Thank you so much!
-Way better than those engineers that invented WAP: that was a waste of time guys...-
(And now back to work: fit in wifi and give us high quality video!)
Posted on October 9, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Use TypePad as a presentation tool
Some weeks ago, I started mailing back and forth with Hans Mestrum. He is a screencasting guru in the Netherlands ;)
He was wondering if it was possible to make an online presentation tool.
We decided to change an existing TypePad template in such a way it was possible to use it as an online presentation.
We immediately agreed of making the adaptation open source: you too can use it.
Why would you do such a thing?
- Because your audience has immediate access to your presentation online.
-You only have to make it once.
-Easy to add info -> no need for html knowledge/css knowledge
-Your content is being picked up by search engines and spread over the internet.
-You can even allow a comment page so you get info and feed back in your mailbox.
-The manual explains how you can use the 'blog' for more than one presentation.
(Disadvantages?: You need online access.
It is an adapted blog, so sometimes it lacks some features. Yet I believe it contains all basic necessities.)
Is it easy?
I tried to make it as easy as possible.
I am sure this tool will be used by marketeers rather than geeks.
So the step-by-step tutorial should be easy enough to follow.
Hope you enjoy it.
Posted on October 10, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Linksys CIT200, cool new Skype phone
Cool new SkypePhone. Now make us a driver for Mac...
Posted on October 12, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Fax through bluetooth
Today I needed to fax a document, and I wrongly presumed that the place I was had a fax.
No ordinary phone line, no fax, nothing... But then it popped into my mind that I have a mobile, which is the same as a landline (technically).
How could I connect my mobile to my computer? Bluetooth!
That easy? Of course not...
You do need a GPRS phone -which I have- and a fax enabled account -which I don't have..., and won't take. It adds another 30 euro a month to my bill.-
Other solutions? Yes: fax through internet: EFax has a month free account.
Perfect if you are in a hurry to send a fax. -Don't forget to disable before the month ended, otherwise you'll have to pay... You get a number you like, and it will cost you 11 euro/month-
Here's the trick how to send faxes (for Apple Mac Os X) if you have a phoneline or mobile WITH enabled account.
Posted on October 13, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Request: Skype for Mac
An Skype API for Mac was released a month ago. Funny enough nothing has been done since then.
Am I mistaken, or are only few doing something with it?
I would love to have a Skype solution for Mac that gets rid of the huge window and gets Skype in my menubar, like Plazes does.
That way, I can see who's online anytime, and initiate/close calls in the without the hassle of finding my window back.
Anybody???
Posted on October 17, 2005
in Apple, Technical stuff
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RSS adoption
What is RSS? To most bloggers, this question is answered before asked. But it appears that to many people, the question is quite relevant.
While writing a project proposal for a podcasting idea, I hammered on the fact the podcasting itself should be accessible through the web. It just has to, since most people will not know what podcasting stands for.
They'll push the button, listen, but they'll never know unless they read the accompanying information.
Each site that has podcasting should put an extra page on what podcasting is, in my humble opinion.
Apple did a great deal in integrating it in its iTunes store, but to non-itunes-users it isn't that obvious.
Which brings me back to what Eug said: most people visit blogs online, not in an rss-reader.
My statistics prove that right.
People who have the opposite are probably writing on a very specific topic, aiming at internet-geeks :)...
Interesting:
Only 12% of the internet population has heard the term RSS
Only 4% of the population has heard of AND uses RSS
27% of the internet population uses RSS but doesn't know that its called RSS.
More: Yahoo's publishers guide to RSS. Check this excellent interview with Dave Winer, the 'father' of RSS.
Posted on October 18, 2005
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What about Flock?
Some weeks ago it was buzzing on the internet: Flock flock flock.
Now there is silence...
But not for long! Countdown has begun.
I am eager to see! The screenshots for Mac look great!
Posted on October 18, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Salling Clicker for Windows
Rarely Windows Users have to wait for software to be converted to their platform -I admit, most of the time, we Mac users have to wait-
But this time, things are opposite.
I guess of me of my friends will be happy to hear Salling Clicker has a Windows version now.
Salling Clicker is software that turns your bluetooth mobile into a remote for your bluetooth enabled computer.
Present slideshows with the click of your mobile, change the volume of your iTunes music with one click. And many more things are featured.
Now even with wifi-connectivity (so, your wifi enabled palm turns into a remote for only 30 dollars.)
Handy? Sure: no more extra remote lying around somewhere...
Posted on October 19, 2005
in Technical stuff
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So here's Flock...
Developers version that is, I am not one, but I downloaded it anyway ;)
Update: For those who don't know it:
Flock is a social browser, meaning: a firefox copy but with extra functionalities for 'sharing bookmarks', 'blogging', flickr integration and such more.
Flock has full web 2.0 integration (for those who don't understand web 2.0, like me some days ago, check this. Thanks Britt)
The possibilities are endless, but so are the dangers:
'The most visited stays the most visited' theory:
Flickr becomes the standard and doesn't leave room for others.
Minor players like Buzznet and PhotoBlog/Pixagogo will have to catch up and integrate a good API that works with Flock.
(If they are smart, they immediately contact the developers...)
Integration of 'Blog this' and 'Feeds' will certainly teach people the use of RSS and blogs, but also endangers the tools like Ecto and NetNewsWire -or rather the online services like feedster- if well integrated and useful.
Advanced users will probably stick to their advanced tools.
Over all my most favorite thing is 'shared tagged bookmarks online'
No longer the problem of taking my bookmarks along and switching browsers. I love that idea very much. It is full integration with del.icio.us -not leaving room for alternatives...- but heck, now I have a reason to work with it.
The design looks very much like Firefox, but I guess Jon Hicks' involvement explains a lot ;)
Lees meer "So here's Flock..." »
Posted on October 21, 2005
in Technical stuff
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GPS + PDA + MP3 = Walking Tour?
One for Bart: GPS + PDA + MP3 = Walking Tour?:
Over at Geeky Traveller, Fumio writes with this question:
I would like to know the practicality of PDA-GPS combo for walking tour, not for driving. For example, walking around Venice or Buenos Aires (European cities and South America). Where can I get such info?
That's a darned fine question. I've blogged about a few MP3 walking tours (and I recently saw some on Audible), but nothing that combines GPS data. Good idea. Somebody get on that, eh?
People are brainstorming all over the world, dreaming of possibilities.
Eventually someone will make it.
Posted on October 23, 2005
in Technical stuff
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I need a recording device urgently...
I do have an iPod with recording devices and a nice sony microphone, but the quality sucks for what I need now.
Now, it has to be CD quality.
But damn, the iPod Video currently hasn't got the compatible microphone to work with it.
This is also the first iPod to include the ability to record high-quality voice memos. When you plug in a compatible microphone the iPod offers you the choice to record in mono at 22kHz or in stereo at 44.1kHz (the “CD quality” standard). This could be a huge boon for field recording and for interviewers who currently carry minidisc recorders.
Unfortunately, no such microphone currently exists (compatible mics and adapters will plug into the iPod’s dock connector port) so currently there’s no way to test this feature. When a microphone or mic adapter becomes available,
Playlist will be all over it.
It would be a perfect fit for what I need NOW.
Damndamndamn.
Someone is ready to lend/rent me a Hard Disc recording device for 7 days?
I might opt for
Update: Anyone has experience with this one: PMP-100? Seems pretty damn interesting.
Update 2: I am testing tx Strash!!!:
Fabulous recording: the iRiver 120. True revelation -records wav, but MP3 is as good and cristal clear.-
One minor detail: when recording throguh the internal mic, you hear the hard disc. Very annoying.
Highest score for unefficient menu: iRiver 120.
Highest score for worst recording: iPod Photo
Highest score for easy menu: iPod Photo.
Pretty well, but should test again: recording through the computer.
Problem caused: noise of the hd of the computer.
Problem caused: need amplifier for the mic. -read need iMic-
I also found out about the new Sony MD, which now records on 1gb MD's. The recorder costs about 250 euro, the discs of 1 gb cost 6 euro. You can download the discs through usb 2.0 to your HD and convert to mp3 easily.
And the quality is said to be stunning.
So stunning they are out of stock everywhere...
A pity.
After this research it seems obvious to wait for the iPod Video and a suitable microphone... I guess quality will be comparable to the iRiver. Only I really need one now.
But as I am a lucky bastard, I guess a solution will come my way. If not, I'll opt for the iRiver PMP100. Should check those specs again, but recording in mp3 sounds pretty damn well.
Posted on October 25, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Videos on Social Computing
Very interesting video's on the blog of Charlene Li (Forrester) about social computing:
Charlene Li: "Social Computing -- Bubble or Big Deal?" (29 min. 38 sec.)
Chris Charron: "Innovating In A Consumer Driven World" (8 min. 43 sec.)
Christine Overby: "The Essentials Of Consumer-Driven Innovation" (20 min. 11 sec.)
Tx Hans Mestrum
They all come from Forrester's Consumer Forum. You can also find some video's with Q+A's there.
Posted on October 26, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Photo prints
Flickr did it again: they announce a series of useful applications, one of them printing!
When launching PhotoBlog in the past, printing was one of the things we always wanted, but, just like Flickr did, kept for the last thing to be added -and actually until now never added-
Printing of pictures is a real business model -offering unlimited stock of your pictures for 25$ a year isn't at all, that's just saying: 'big company buy me'-
So if I would be an user of Flickr, I would be damn happy Yahoo bought it, because it means the service will start to offer some -paying but useful- extra's.
Afraid the app will become more expensive: grow up, the sun doesn't shine for free. Flickr could never be able to continue offering their service for free, seeing their bandwidth usage. The user will pay, on one way or another. So hopefully it is trough useful applications like printing, instead of a higher account-price.
PhotoBlog + Pixagogo = (or could mean) printing in the future, since Pixagogo has a coop with a very important printer in the field.
Cross your fingers.
Posted on October 27, 2005
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NetNewsWire to del.icio.us
Ted Leung: Here are two scripts for getting stuff from NetNewsWire to del.icio.us.
Posted on October 28, 2005
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Skype Voicemail installed
Yep, ordered Voicemail today, and again, the feature is so useful.
Now you can leave me Skype messages even when I am not online:
Can I leave a voicemail to my friend/contact even if he is not online?
Yes. If your friend is offline or even if their computer isn't on, you can still leave a message and they can retrieve it the next time they log on to Skype.
Great. Mom, did you see it? You will be able to call me when abroad.
To bad there is no possibility to have a Belgian number + no possibility yet to forward a call to landline -for Mac- (A trick to deal with it, is to activate it on a PC in, for example, an internet cafe.)
Another neat feature to mention is:
Toll-free numbers
Skype now supports toll-free numbers. If your company has a toll-free number, everyone that uses Skype can call you for free, from all over the world! At the moment we support toll-free numbers in France, Poland, UK, and USA, and more countries are coming soon.
It means that you can contact 0800-services in the US for free, like your hosting company or so.
Posted on November 1, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Dailymotion versus VideoEgg
Btw: all my videos were uploaded using DailyMotion, they integrated TypePad and many other blog systems now.
And it is working -more than can be said of VideoEgg-
And it is working well!
So I stick to the webinterface of the first, thank you very much.
-One minor disadvantage: it doesn't categorize...-
Update: there seems to be some problems though. please click on the link accompanying the videos to actually see them.
Posted on November 10, 2005
in Technical stuff
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$100 Laptop a Reality
Though they've been bouncing the idea of a $100 laptop around for a while ($100 Laptop - No Child Left Behind), it looks like it's finally becoming a reality. The lime green laptop is about the size of a text book and with a hand crank to allow it to operate without electricity. Designed at the MIT Media Lab, the project mainly aimed at developing countries where a calculator and Internet access can mean the difference between starvation and a good year. The goal is to allow these kids and even adults to actually own the laptops, though governments or charities will pay for them.
Looks like Brazil, Thailand, Egypt and Nigeria are the choices for the first wave of laptops early next year and each is slated to buy at least a million of them. Though not in production yet, one unnamed company has offered to build them fro $110 each and four others are considering joining the effort. They operate at about half the speed of store-bought laptops and will run on an open-source OS. The screen is actually from a portable DVD player and can be viewed in either color or black and white.
Researchers unveil $100 laptop for schoolkids [Reuters]
Check this movie for information
Posted on November 17, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Dreamhost
I signed up for a DreamHost account.
Quite a difference with some other hosts currently available...
A barely 110$ for a year, and 4800!Mb space + not unimportant: 120 Gb bandwidth.
+ a good service.
At this moment when you register with the promocode 'matuvu', you'll get 20$ discount on top of that.
Worth mentioning I thought...
Posted on November 19, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Strange links
Through TouchGraph you can check your site in relation -a bit like the sexchart in the L-Word but for sites...-
Worrying results appear:
Check monuments in the left, and check 2 steps away right bottom: Mossad??
Utterly strange.
Posted on November 22, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Tip for sending large files
Large files to send? Maybe this is a good tip: YouSendIt allows you to upload files up til 1 GB... That should do I guess...
You can even send a bunch of pics and YouSendIt will create a photoalbum of those pics. Easy for sending a series of pictures to a client...
And the goodie? It is for free.
Posted on November 23, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Orb...
Seems interesting. Only for pc.
Orb Networks, Inc. has developed a brand new way for people to be connected to their digital media all the time from anywhere in the world. Orb? provides spontaneous access to a person's music, live television, videos, photos and other digital content at any time from any device that can connect to the Internet, such as a mobile phone, PDA, or notebook, and create their own personal media portal.
Orb is based on an elegant, robust and scalable architecture and is the first of its kind to allow consumers spontaneous mobile access to all of their digital media - securely and without any restrictions. Using any Web browser, Orb provides a simple, intuitive interface to the user's content located on their home PC. By removing the complexity and limitations of many of today's digital entertainment products and services, Orb's software architecture leverages the best features of today's popular standards while abiding by current digital rights management solutions.
Hmmmm, I can't wait for the Intel based Mac to be released. That way I'll have a pc running for these geeky things.
Actually I truly believe this is going ot be the future: your data at home but accessible all over the world.
VPN/network/own webserver is a possibility, but still a hassle to arrange.
Orb seems a better solution.
Posted on November 24, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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PIP Phone
This is the PIP Phone, a bluetoothe enabled phone that takes Skype away from your headset.
I just love it...
But I am still looking for the perfect Bluetooth set: stereo and in-ear, like the Nokia one, but for Sony Ericsonn..
Posted on November 24, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Drupal
Today I met Dries from Drupal.
I actually planned a meeting after having received a comment by the founder himself some days ago.
And I wanted to meet him before, to hear about the technical possibilities of Drupal.
Due to a lack of time these days, I didn't have the time to test Drupal, so I am still not so aware of its possibilities except from what screenshots reveal.
Why Drupal you ask?
Very short answer: in the recent past I was confronted with some major web companies who use amazing complicated CMS-systems.
Sometimes existing ones, sometimes self made but very bad designed, and sometimes something in between.
I just don't get it: there is so much good open source available.
More over, there is so much good home made open source available.
Drupal and Daisy are Belgian.
But why-o-why major web companies don't use these systems?
Why do they opt for older complicated CMSses and why do they charge way to much for those?
Why don't we use these free alternatives and promote our Belgian IT knowledge rather than choosing for another paid solution from abroad?
Dries and I had an interesting talk on the matter: he discovered indeed Belgium is running behind. Drupal is very popular in the US, he told me about big companies that are running the software, and other big web companies that use the software as CMS for their clients. There actually some that built their business model on installing and designing Drupal-sites.
Drupal is developed and maintained by one person, but worldwide more than 300 developers are working to build plugins and extra's.
And what happens in Belgium?
Nothing... Except for few small sites. (Update: zattevrienden.be)
And why?
No clue.
The Belgian Drupal site is looking for stories of Belgian implementation of the CMS.
Feel free to add yours
Posted on November 30, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Skype 1.4 Beta for Mac
With Call forwarding...
Trying out now.. Looks good, doesn't look bad at all.
Update: they heard my calls: there is an item in the menu bar. Great...
Horrible: the new sounds...
Btw: Skype 1.4 for Windows, with video...
Posted on December 1, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Movable Type: I need some advice...
Any experts amongst you? Anybody?
(Some more details:
I am stuck in their SubCategory stuff.
I have like:
Root
Category1
SubCategory1
SubCategory2
Category2
Category3
I just want to show:
Category1
SubCategory1
SubCategory2
Just don't get it.
Tried to install 2 plugins that should do the trick but I don't get them installed. Grumbl...
Help is welcome. I know it is probably something stupid I am doing..)
Posted on December 6, 2005
in Technical stuff
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The future of the web...
Over the next ten years, we’ll see a wide range of experiences online, from highly structured to nearly formless.
On the conservative side of this experience continuum, we’ll still have familiar Websites, like blogs, homepages, marketing and communication sites, the big content providers (in one form or another), search engines, and so on. These are structured experiences. Their form and content are determined mainly by their designers and creators.
In the middle of the continuum, we’ll have rich, desktop-like applications that have migrated to the Web, thanks to Ajax, Flex, Flash, Laszlo, and whatever else comes along. These will be traditional desktop applications like word processing, spreadsheets, and email. But the more interesting will be Internet-native, those built to take advantage of the strengths of the Internet: collective actions and data (e.g. Amazon’s “People who bought this also bought…”), social communities across wide distances (Yahoo Groups), aggregation of many sources of data, near real-time access to timely data (stock quotes, news), and easy publishing of content from one to many (blogs, Flickr).
The experiences here in the middle of the continuum are semi-structured in that they specify the types of experiences you can have with them, but users supply the content (such as it is).
On the far side of the continuum are the unstructured experiences: a glut of new services, many of which won’t have Websites to visit at all. We’ll see loose collections of application parts, content, and data that don’t exist anywhere really, yet can be located, used, reused, fixed, and remixed.
The content you’ll search for and use might reside on an individual computer, a mobile phone, even traffic sensors along a remote highway. But you probably won’t need to know where these loose bits live; your tools will know.
These unstructured bits won’t be useful without the tools and the knowledge necessary to make sense of them, sort of how an HTML file doesn’t make much sense without a browser to view it. Indeed, many of them will be inaccessible or hidden if you don’t have the right tools.
I think we don't really realize how the web will evolve, but the user experience will be totally different from what it is today.
And RSS will have a big impact in it.
I remember when talking to some investor about PhotoBlog. He said 'Imagine you can show the pictures inside of PhotoBlog on the ad-screens on Picadilly Circus in London.'
That future is near: users will communicate with internet and the content will go beyond.
I didn't get the idea of tagging, now I do -though I still think it should go beyond tags-
Posted on December 7, 2005
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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More seminars...
The i-merge Web 2.0 seminar...
I think I might be going, someone else is planning to go too?
Posted on December 8, 2005
in Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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Free B-Movies for IPod
For iPod Video owners:
More than 500 public-domain flicks -- including classics like Night of the Living Dead -- are just a click away. Plus: Video art lights up iPods.
This is only one of the ways iPodMovie will be used.
I think marketeers can not underestimate the power of making advertising/little movies available as iPodMovies...
Nobody started yet, who'll be the first to offer their movies as an iPod download?
Advertising on Demand...
I see the potential (most of all because it is NOT limited to iPod, or even iTunes.)
Posted on December 10, 2005
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Live TV
Now this is amazing. A friend of mine is working for Victoria Deluxe and tonight they are having a debate, which will be broadcast live on the web. They launched TVDeluxe.be to show all their own broadcasts.
You can see it here (You need Quicktime to do so) tonight at 8PM.
Minister of Media didn't accept the idea of 8 mediachannels for VRT. I do see the potential of downloadable items like interesting documentaries (pay per download) or initiatives like these...
Posted on December 15, 2005
in Linking context, Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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TypePad: trouble
Now, I am kind of a loyal user when it comes to certain brands.
I don't tend to complain and I truly believe I give credit to building companies.
Thus in the past, a slower TypePad didn't bother me so much. This blog ain't the revelation of the year, not a lifesaver for anyone.
But today I am a little bit bothered.
Some weeks ago, you could ask for a remuneration for the inconvenience of the slow servers of TypePad. First of all, I was NOT mailed, second when mailing to the given mail address the mail returned...
So I didn't get anything.
I stopped putting energy in it. I mean, what's a free month of hosting?
Today I try to upload stuff and it doesn't work.
Moreover, all my posts from dec 11 till now are gone and my RSS feed is suddenly dated 'Dec 11 for last post'
Heck, I took a TypePad account for the convenience, for the fact that I pay THEM to upgrade my service, to maintain the servers, to give ME service.
I pay 150 euro a year, which in my eyes is enough (compared with other hosts that offer way much more than 10gb transfer a month)
Truly, if I would pay 50 euro, I wouldn't bother.
But now I do: I pay, so you give me service.
But most of all: keep me updated, communicate with me about the problem, let me know.
(I now am subscribed to their status feed)
So I hope you guys are updating TypePad to Comet.
I hope you get your servers updated soon.
And I hope to get news on it.
And yes, I want a remuneration :)
Posted on December 16, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Web 2.0
This must be the post Tom was waiting for (and a bit afraid from ;)): yep the blogosphere went to The i-Merge web 2.0 seminar.
We were many, and if I 'd be Tom, I would have had the same fear.
It is known bloggers break or praise.
To me in general it seemed i-Merge is one of the first marketing offices that got the message. And I am sure Jan is not regretting having hired Tom.
In general nothing particularly new was told to me in the first (long) part. We all know by now what web 2.0 stands for. We all know it is a hyped word, and we all still believe it is not the word or the hype that matters but the thing beneath: the change of the web from a static context into a dynamic.
These dynamics are transferred to to the people working in it and being aware of the changes.
I guess for those others, who never heard of the hype, it was quite interesting. (I guess some of my friends would, after hearing this lecture, finally grasp what I am talking about.)
For us, the die hards ;), it was a nice summary of what we already knew.
And, after the long lecture, hoping for some drinks, we were asked to stay and listen to someone from McKingsey.
It started all wrong. I mean, really all wrong... Even the 'die harders' 's attention was totally needed to follow that lecture.
The guy played with DTT, DST, OMG and whatever, throwing in some numbers, and showing slides for which we needed binoculars to read them.
But then suddenly it switched to understandable language, and it turned out really interesting.
Mind-provoking. Provoking in the sense of the word, and leaving us with some stuff to discuss about. Just the way it should be.
(For the real content I refer to other blogs who'll probably write about the topics more interesting. I am just too tired to do so today. :P )
Oh, and the food was good. Probably much better than LesBlogs, but then again, I wasn't there ;)
(Pics are online: look for us ;) )
Posted on December 22, 2005
in Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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Scoop: Samsung Launches "AnyFilms.net" ! - Next Generation Film & Web Entertainment
Netanal Jacobsson just sent me this information!
"Samsung mobile will be launching a new cool web initiative called "AnyFilms.net" www.anyfilms.net on Saturday, Dec. 24. However, an agency I work with tells me that the site will be up and running already today. The aim of the the initiative is apparently to challenge the way 'film' is both produced and consumed. I have had a look at it and it is quite amazing. Anyfilms.net features "Ubiquitous Films",...
Some really cool short films produced by young Hollywood filmmakers that can be downloaded on some Samsung mobiles, and "Interactive Films" an amazing interactive experience, through which the user can manipulate films to change the stories and solve puzzles - there is actually supposed to be 11,000 different ways to view the content.. Pretty cool, isn't it?
The films have been assembled by Jon Kilik, known for such productions as Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch, director, Bill Murray, lead role) and Alexander (Oliver Stone, director, Anthony Hopkins, lead role). He has brought along Hollywood filmmakers Mark Dippe & Alex Merklin (Adrian Grenier is starring in his film) to create these films.
It seems like Samsung really believes that movies on cell phones is going to
become very big in the near future."
More information can be found on the weblog of Netanal.
Well well, if this ain't becoming something like vodcasting for mobiles
Posted on December 22, 2005
in Projects - Podcasting, Technical stuff
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FlapiViewer
Now this is cool.
Congrats with the 9/10!
Posted on December 23, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Del.icio.us
I finally installed all plugins for Del.icio.us. And made an account.
Yep, I gave in. I still think it is way to complicated, and rather ugly, but then again, managing my bookmarks on 4 different browsers isn't a perfect solution either...
Any tips on importing all my already existing bookmarks in Del.icio.us are welcome.
Posted on December 28, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Swicki's
Wow, things are moving fast...
Blogging, photoblogging, podcasting, vodecasting, wiki's, and now swicki's.
Last adopter means: training, constant training...
Lol.
Made a swicki today.
But what is a swicki?
A swicki is new kind of search engine that allows anyone to create deep, focused searches on topics you care about. Unlike other search engines, you and your community have total control over the results and it uses the wisdom of crowds to improve search results. This search engine, or swicki, can be published on your site. Your swicki presents search results that you're interested in, pulls in new relevant information as it is indexed, and organizes everything for you in a neat little customizable widget you can put on your web site or blog, complete with its very own buzz cloud that constantly updates to show you what are hot search terms in your community.
Now you know ;)
Posted on December 30, 2005
in Technical stuff
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Yess!: IPEVO shows off USB handset for Skype
Finally, the long awaited beautiful designed Cordless IPEVO.
(Christmas will be in January this year ;) )
IPEVO will be showing off FLY 1 a USB Cordless handset along with Xing a USB Speakerphone. Both, of course, for either the Macintosh or Windows PC. You can see them at the eBay/Skype booth at South Hall 4.
Posted on January 3, 2006
in Technical stuff
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AllPeers
This would have saved me A LOT of time today...
Thank you very much.
If only the future was today and not tomorrow...
AllPeers turns your Firefox browser into a p2p network.
Share your Hard Disk with who you want and when you want it.
Expected problems?: Slow connections
Expected pro: Hey, you can share your music files with someone without doing ANYTHING.
Posted on January 4, 2006
in Technical stuff
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PodBert 3 25-11-2005 "Morgen beter" op Canvas - Het einde van klassieke TV
Klassieke generalistische zenders zijn ten dode opgeschreven. In het programma "Morgen beter" op Canvast verdedigt Bert die stelling.
Thoughts about this:
I don't believe in downloading programs online for the mainstream.
I do believe in Television On Demand: You open up your television, select a program you missed (like Panorama, or a the L Word ;) )
Meanwhile the normal programming would still exist, since most people just want to follow mainstream.
The main reasons why this will take until 2012 before these prediction become reality:
-Law system in Europe (To launch video store of Apple online, there are more than 30 licences needed)
-Internet Speed needs to power up
-Quality of those programs. (I guess it will all start with offering the existing video materials)
-Most people are not interested in such a way of watching television: they don't want to download, they just want to se their program on the fixed hour.
The structure has to be easy, and well working for mainstream.
Your thoughts?
Update: after reading this (6!megs of speed!) it might be here at 2011 ;)
Posted on January 6, 2006
in Technical stuff
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New videoconferencing tool (for Mac+PC)?
Yak looks very much like Ineen (which we remember from months ago...)
Is it better? I guess, because Ineen didn't allow you to call to ordinary numbers...
Yet I didn't find the feature to call other SIP enabled accounts other than Yak.
But I guess it will do to call home from the States and show my face ;)
Other videoconferencing tools for Mac and PC?
AIM Messenger + iChat, Yahoo Messenger.
Posted on January 6, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Adobe announces Lightroom
What is Lightroom?
Well, in Adobe’s own words “Adobe Lightroom Beta is a new, exciting image handler built from the ground up for professional photographers.”
Ok, I have no idea what an “image handler” is, but let me tell you what I think Lightroom is; a robust front-end and back-end for Camera Raw with lots of cool stuff in the middle and in need of some additional tools-which will come.
More info here
Tx Eskimokaka
Posted on January 9, 2006
in Technical stuff
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RSS
Yesterday I was talking with Britt about RSS and other stuff.
It is true, most sites don't need it since they are little companies that use their site as an advertisement that rarely changes.
But you have to admit:
When seeing Rood has an RSS-feed announcing when they have holidays, I think that's easy. Plus, each time something new happens, I suddenly see them popping up in my reader, reminding me I like to go and eat there...
Another example: Vooruit that tells me Zita Swoon is sold out.
It is not the news that is the message, it is the fact of the news itself: I am reminded of Vooruit, and my first thought is: go and see something. Hammering on my head.
Perfect and free marketing...
Posted on January 10, 2006
in Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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Googlhalla...
Gefeliciteerd.
Uw aanmelding voor Google AdSense is goedgekeurd. U kunt nu uw account
activeren en binnen enkele minuten Google-advertenties en het
AdSense-zoekvak op uw site weergeven.
Can't explain. But will enjoy.
Posted on January 10, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Carson Workshop Summit
Thank You!
Your seat(s) have been successfully reserved for the workshop.
We're looking forward to seeing you at the workshop. We believe you'll gain a tremendous amount of knowledge while learning practical skills and making valuable contacts.
Posted on January 13, 2006
in Technical stuff
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TypePad and bandwidth...
Hmmm..
Remember the days I only had 8% bandwidth used...
TypePad is not giving any sign of what will happen, will we be get a bill with bandwidth charges?
Carefully looking out to other possibilities.
Like the Dreamhost 1TB bandwidth.
Posted on January 15, 2006
in Technical stuff
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What happens when you have free time...
What happens when you have free time in NYC?
One walks the city.
One goes to Soho. And visits Apple Soho Store.
One goes to Chinatown and smiles.
And one spends...
I bought a professional Sigma 18-50mm f2.8
(Hey it is for work!!! It is for work!)
And since today, I am the owner of a new Canon SD450. (I guess that make some other people the proud owner of a Canon S40)
Hmmm, and now my money is finished...
(Btw, I am selling a Tokina 17-35mm f3.5-4.5. Anyone interested?)
Posted on January 19, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Cory Doctorow podcast
Cory Doctorow was in the MuhKA some days ago, lecturing on DRM and the dangers. Pretty interesting it seemed to me.
I couldn't make it back then.
Luckily there is a podcast providing his speech online.
(Interesting application of podcasting, this is what I want to do as content manager of the school I'll be working for: add real content.)
More on the lecture
Listen to the podcast
Posted on January 25, 2006
in Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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iPod and PSP as standards
A while ago, I asked Peter to add an RSS icon for iPod Video and PSP, since I believed they would become standard formats in the downloading of video's.
Today I watch video.google.com, where you can download content: 3 options: for pc/mac, for video ipod and for PSP.
Guess I was quite right with my bet.
BTW: for those with video iPods: free downloads on video.google.com ;)
Links to nice videos are always welcome...
Posted on January 27, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Wireless Ixus
I was just about to write that buying my little Ixus Elph sd450 made me make snapshots again.
The only thing missing about the machine is wireless image transfer -hey, I became lazy, everything is wireless over here: wifi and bluetooth-.
And what do I read seconds ago?
The SD 430 is released: wireless wifi connection to your computer...
"With Wi-Fi networking integrated into most new laptops sold today and industry-standard add-on adapters available to easily upgrade older notebooks and desktop machines, the ability to use Wi-Fi to transfer photos from digital cameras is becoming an increasingly attractive option. Though not the first manufacturer to produce a consumer-level camera with wireless capabilities--Kodak and Nikon came to market before--Canon has created a boon for remote-shooting fans with its PowerShot SD430, a 5-megapixel ultracompact that is basically a PowerShot SD400 with a slightly different body and a built-in Wi-Fi transmitter."
It is exactly the same one I have but WITH wifi.
Grumbllll...
Posted on January 30, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Marketing thoughts
How to get your software known fast?
Offer readers to digg your story.
It simply works and gives a fast return...
Posted on February 1, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Carson Workshops Summit: I counted 3 women already*
We arrived in London.. Attending Carson Workshops Summit
A bunch of geeks over here ;)
Interesting links:
Speakers:
iamcal.com/talks/
plasticbag.org
labs.adobe.com : flex
dropsend.com
Bloggers online:
morethanseven.net/carson/
www.timandkathy.co.uk/journal/2006/02/08/joshua-schacter-delicious-what-weve-learned/
*Geeks seem to be mainly male
12.39: count: 3
15.39: count: 8
17.10: count:10
19.21: count:10+ 2 -1 (woops mistake...)
19.22: count:16 (where are they suddenly coming from?)
(that is on 800 attendees!)
Posted on February 8, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Flickr reconsidering...
Apps like these make me want to use Flickr...
Good integration with mac and good re-scaling with high quality.
Might be uploading some images soon ;)
Now tips for the perfect portfolio software based upon Flickr are welcome.
Posted on February 8, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Back home, what's next?
It might be this:
Changing Media Summit 2006
· How will media work in the era of mass-personalisation and the audience-of-one?
· How can media owners and advertisers adapt and survive to thrive in this new world?
· How can my organisation benefit from the promise of device convergence?
· What, if any, are the opportunities for my organisation in social media?
More info on mediaguardian.co.uk/changingmediasummit
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Posted on February 10, 2006
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Carson Summit review
As promised the Carson Summit review: by pilot Peter.
In-depth coverage of the speeches: adactio.com and simon.incutio.com and blog posts about the conference.
Posted on February 13, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Google does matter
While doing some research for my school, I googled 'academie' in Google.
The results? Our school is NOT mentioned in the Google listing until page 6!
Poor result...
Will be sitting with some experts to solve this problem soon ;)
Good tips are always welcome. (No cheating though!)
Posted on February 14, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Israel's Official blog
Check out Israel's Foreign Ministry's new blog, which is all video, and designed to show the world the sides of the country that you don't see on CNN.
It's open to everyone -- any Israeli can send in their video and if it makes the grade, it will be put on the site. It's being put together by the consulate in New York, and its target audience is internet-savvy international youth aged 16-30.
Smart move, as Israel's image problem is bigger with the younger set, who grew up watching intifada pictures on their television screens. I'm sure there will be the cynics who say it won't make much of a difference, but it sure can't hurt.
When will Belgium understand that this is just possible?
Technorati Tags: blog, link, internet
Posted on February 16, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Perfect bluetooth headset
It has finally arrived: the perfect bluetooth headset, which doesn't make you look like a robot:
HBH-DS970
Links to your mobile, but also to your computer, which means you can use it on the 2 at the same time!
Even if there's no music stored on your mobile phone, the multipoint function on the HBH-DS970 means you can enjoy computer-based music yet handle in-coming calls while the headset stays connected to both. Multipoint offers access to the music files in your computer, PDA or other Bluetooth™ devices, playing high-quality digital music wirelessly from your phone or your computer without ever missing a call.
Finally...
Technorati Tags: bluetooth, sonyericsson, technology
Posted on February 17, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Tags
When oh when will TypePad integrate tags??
Technorati Tags: tags, typepad
Posted on February 17, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Broadband in Belgium: what to choose
Peter makes a round up: which internet broadband should you take:
Broadband in Brussels: sustaining that GB/mon habit:
'But now I want to know: do I have the best formula? So I collected some data. On vergelijking.be all the provider formulas are listed, but the list is not up-to-date. I collected all the latest numbers from the ISPs' homepages. I got some real throughput statistics from adslbox.be and ispmonitor.be.'
The conclusion I tend to remember:
If you live in Flanders and your main concern is speed, go Telenet ExpressNet Turbo. If you need loads of GB/month, go Chello Extreme (where possible) or RealDSL.
Technorati Tags: broadband, cable, belgium, technology
Posted on February 18, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Skype Tags and Your Blog
Skype Tags for MT - Movable Type. How to add Chat tags, VM - voice messaging, and "info" tags. Add the code below to your MT templates and you will have active icons. There are a whole range of icons you can activate all using the same basic structure.
I used the "Author Display Name" field in the Author's profile. In that column I inserted for each person on the Skype Journal blog their Skype handle. Thus each time a call for my Skype ID is required I just refer to the MT field contained in . I also named the author template pages after the Skype handles. Thus multi-purposing the use of this display field.
This is the code for the four icons used.
<img title="I am.... !" src="http://mystatus.skype.com/smallicon/<$MTEntryAuthorNickname$>" style="border:0px;" />
<a href="skype:<$MTEntryAuthorNickname$>?chat" onclick="return skypeCheck();"> <img title="Click to chat with me!" src="http://www.skypejournal.com/blog/images/skypeicons/Message_16x16.png" style="border:0px;" />
<a href="skype:<$MTEntryAuthorNickname$>?voicemail" onclick="return skypeCheck();"> <img title="Click to leave me a Voice Message!" src="http://www.skypejournal.com/blog/images/skypeicons/Voicemail_16x16.png" style="border:0px;" /> >
<a href="skype:<$MTEntryAuthorNickname$>?userinfo" onclick="return skypeCheck();"><img title="Click for my Skype profile!" src="http://www.skypejournal.com/blog/images/skypeicons/Info_16x16.png" style="border:0px;" />
Skype Icons available here:
SkypeWebDocumentation - Hard to find on Skype website Available here as Word Document
Interesting, only for PC users for the moment, but Mac is following soon.
Technorati Tags: mt, skype, technical
Posted on February 24, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Democracy Video Player
The world's first open source internet tv system has been launched, and it's called Democracy. It's available free for Windows, Mac and Linux and takes advantage of open internet technologies to deliver an online video experience. Democracy builds on RSS, Firefox and BitTorrent technologies to allow users to watch, share, broadcast and download video over the internet as high digital resolution, full screen, continuous non-buffered play, on an open standards environment free of adware or spyware.
Technorati Tags: democrazy, technical, video
Posted on February 27, 2006
in Technical stuff
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TV On Demand
Missed your favorite item on TV? Did you know VRT offers a re-view of it via VideoOnDemand, a feature available on Telenet Digital, and it will be soon available on Belgacom TV too.
VTM does the same btw, TV On Demand.
It is finally there.
But ladies and gentlemen, it will take money out of your wallet (and so does the recording of it). ;)
Want to play things cheap? Keep your old cable, ad the old vcr/dvd recorder and program it, using your good old Humo.
Want to keep things simple and brand new technology: be ready to pay for it.
When was the last time I really watched tele?
Hmmmmm, must be more than a month ago.
Who needs tele anyway? (I mean tell me, what is on that might take my breath away?)
Technorati Tags: vtm, tv, videoondemand, tvondemand, vrt
Posted on February 28, 2006
in Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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Mashup Mania
Creative applications that can be produced by any Web surfer with time and an agenda are nothing new. In fact, they existed even before the giant search-engine company gave people all over the world the tools to create personal maps on the basis of its system. However, while mashup applications based on the mapping technology of Google (http://maps.google.com) or Yahoo (http://maps.yahoo.com) had previously been perceived as a hobby for computer geeks, now, in New York at least, they have become mainstream tools that serve everyone and do not require any special affinity for technology.
Nice mashup: GarbageScout.com
Read the article
Technorati Tags: mashups, googlemaps, art
Posted on February 28, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Del.icio.us bookmarks search via Spotlight
DownloadSquad has found this sweet plugin for Spotlight that makes your del.icio.us bookmarks searchable. It works by importing your bookmarks to a file on your machine every 30 minutes. That file is then treated like any other file, and indexed by Spotlight.
Very clever, and open source to boot.
(I really need that update to Tiger...)
Technorati Tags: delicious, spotlight, tags, technical
Posted on February 28, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Online TV Recorder
OnlineTvRecorder.com is like TiVo, only that you don't need any hardware (not even a TV) -- all shows are recorded through this service and made available as download afterwards. Registering is free.
Weird and with loads of German stuff on it.
But the idea is pretty nice: you select a program, and it records it for you and stores it online. Afterwards you download it. Handy for people like me who don't have cable..
Trying it out now.
Technorati Tags: online, recorder, tv
Posted on February 28, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Adhese, Flemish Adsense launched
2 weeks ago, we were sitting with the people of Adhese, talking about launching a new adnetwork for Flemish bloggers, since Belgian Asdsense doesn't work as thought.
2 weeks later, and the results are there: Adhese Network launches.
Pre-registering started, and I know some people/blogsites and companies that might be interested...
Be ready, because the market has opened (more of these will pop-up soon)
Technorati Tags: ad, belgium, adsense, adhese, marketing
Posted on March 1, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Message from Peter: Barcamp Brussels: May 2006
Last year we organised a fairly successfull blogger's dinner in Brussels, and now we're gonna try something different:
next May we will have a Barcamp Brussels event.
Technorati Tags: barcamp, brussels, peterforret
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Posted on March 19, 2006
in Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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TV Moves Aggressively to the Internet
News Corp's Fox network has signed a six-year agreement with its affiliates that will allow it to show reruns of its television programs on the Internet.
ABC, CBS and NBC are all making similar experiments, and iTunes has a number of television shows available for download. The space is evolving fast. For example, experiments are being considered that will stop people from fast forwarding through commercials (bad idea) after a new study was published that say people skip ads in recorded shows (surprise!).
This is an area that we are turning our attention to. Expect upcoming reviews of the current state of the market for tv shows and movies on the Internet. And we'll be looking at these in light of the 'free' if illegal services that people are already using.
Technorati Tags: digitaltv, tv, tv
Posted on April 15, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Identity 2.0
Technorati Tags: presentation, identity2.0, web2.0
Posted on April 15, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Download bittorrent podcasts with iTunes
I stated already months ago that the downside of podcasts is their bandwidth usage.
P2P might solve it, so Bittorrent is a nice alternative.
And see: iTorrent arrives
iTunes is a great music player, but it sucks as a podcast aggregator. The most important feature it doesn't have is bittorrent support. I hope that they will add this feature in the near future, but for now iTorrent can help us. iTorrent is a bunch of python scripts, allowing iTunes to download bittorrent podcasts.
More here
via Digg
(in combination with TVRSS, it is a nice thing..)
Posted on April 17, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Microsoft Live Drive may launch before GDrive
Microsoft is building an online storage service, code named Live Drive, says Ray Ozzie in an interview with Fortune:
Microsoft is planning to use its server farms to offer anyone huge amounts of online storage of digital data. It even has a name for that future service: Live Drive. With Live Drive, all your information - movies, music, tax information, a high-definition videoconference you had with your grandmother, whatever - could be accessible from anywhere, on any device.
This lads and lassies, means your data will be stored on an online server.
It is something that already happens in smaller networks (and sometimes larger)
But can you imagine storing all your usable data on a server somewhere?
Your private conversation with your mother, or your lover
I had a nice conversation on the matter with Smetty last night. And off course she's right: it is bound to happen.
Yet it is scary.
Privacy-wise, and also content-wise: imagine the servers go down for let's say 1 hour: no way to access your data anymore.
Stuff to think about...
Technorati Tags: future, livedotcom, windowslive
Posted on April 21, 2006
in Technical stuff
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MediaCenter
Yesterday, at Filip's place, I saw my MediaCenter combination I want for the future. (I had pics of it, but my mobile crashed today...)
The set consists out of:
A (preferably 40 inch, but 32 would do as well...) Sony Bravia screen.
A Intel Duo MacMini (which is ordered, and should be here in some time)
An extra 250/500 GB Iomega MiniMax HD (which arrived today, and I am filling up now with Media)
A wireless internet connection (Airport Express) and wireless keyboard + mouse
Connected to the audio system for surround sound.
Now the fun part is: you can run all your media which is on your HD through FrontRow. You can play DVD's, or CD's
Since it is connected through your stereo, it works like a charm.
But the nicest thing, which really rocks to me: you can surf on a 40 inch television while sitting in your couch.
(Ok, that might set a problem when you are 2, and one has to follow the other. But it is quite fun to sit in the couch instead of on a desk in front of a computer. It just feels better...)
I believe the future will evolve that way, and you will surf on demand to the last episode of Lost ONLINE (instead of on your digital television) and watch it on the internet.
In my eyes, the real nice content is on the web already. At YouTube or Google Video. Or in the iTunes VideoStore.
Who watches all those mind-collapsing television programs anyway?
A bigger screen gives it the real value.
I think I already convinced my mom.
Now convince my wallet...
Technorati Tags: frontrow, mediacenter, sonybravia
Posted on April 25, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Yahoo! Go: The new Front Row
Read today:
Today Yahoo! launched a new product called Yahoo! Go TV for your home TV entertainment, and I must say, this is the freshest thing to hit windows like Front Row is to Mac.
And not only does it do the media on your computer
Indeed, it's integrated with your Yahoo! ID. Got photos on Yahoo!? Wanna share them with the fam in front of the TV? Y! Go is for you.
Got music with Yahoo!? Wanna have that playlist where everyone can see and listen to it? Go is for you.
Got Tivo? Oh yea. Even Go is for you as you can manage your recorded shows with this bad boy.
Clearly it points out the future: your content online
Nuff said, get Go now and check it out for yourself and give some feedback.
Technorati Tags: frontrow, gonow, yahoo
Posted on April 26, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Social Software Conference: June 1
A new wave of into web-based software applications is emerging that integrates collaborative work, knowledge sharing and social network formation. These new technologies build on earlier developments in the fields of computer supported collaborated work, artificial intelligence, online communities and knowledge management.
It is the aim of this seminar to provide an opportunity to present and discuss research projects which are involved in these domains. Topics include :
* Online communities
* Folksonomies
* Social networking systems
* Ontologies
* Network visualisation
* Recommender systems
Date and Time
1 June 2006
Hey Erik, will I see you there?
Technorati Tags: conference, social software
Posted on April 28, 2006
in Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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Ziki Account
I made my Ziki-account (another web 2.0 thing to maintain... lol)
But it is quite fun to see it on one page: all posts, all pics, all audio etc.
Could be almost a very extended vcard, but it misses your linked-in info...
(Apparently I am pretty 'early adopter' in Belgium since there there are only 13 of us...)
Posted on April 28, 2006
in Technical stuff
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PodHive.net
When looking for some resources on photoblogging, the wiki of photoblogs.org helped me out so many times.
It doesn't do anything special: it just gathers all kind of software, tips and tricks.
In fact it is just a list with all possible info gathered by photobloggers themselves.
Thus the perfect place to find the right stuff you need when starting up a photoblog or helping you out when looking for something.
A similar idea popped up in my mind when Bart asked me some info on podcasting.
So here it is: podhive.net: a wiki that gathers all technical stuff on podcasting.
Feel free to add what you know, to help the podcasting community find easily info on the subject.
I know it is still pretty empty. But those things are always pretty empty in the beginning... I am sure you know some stuff you might want to add: please do so, so the site becomes a resource for all of us.
Technorati Tags: podcasting, podcast, podhive.net, wiki, howto, technical
Posted on May 2, 2006
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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How to watch ABC's lost outside of the US... the easy way
Digg digged an interesting article on how to watch ABC's programs outside of the US.
But as the guy says: This is slighty complex but you should get used to the procedure.
Why try difficult when there is an easy way?
Things are much easier when you use Firefox, download and install the extension 'SwitchProxy' for Firefox, and insert in your options a US based proxy (like 192.104.67.250 port:8080)
All in all: 5 minutes of work, and it works perfect.
You are welcome ;)
So please digg me now :)
Technorati Tags: abc, abcoutsideus, firefox, lost, switchproxy, usproxy
Posted on May 4, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Skypecasts
Skypecasts is a new community feature from Skype that's currently in "preview." With Skypecasts you can host live, moderated discussions with up to 100 participants, and all they need is the Skype software. Yesterday Skype launched their Skypecasts Directory, as well as a Widget that lets TypePad users promote upcoming Skypecasts (either their own or Skypecasts they're interested in) on their blog.
Ready to start talking with your readers? Hosting a Skypecast is easy...
- Schedule your Skypecast. Got a topic for discussion? Got a time? Visit skypecasts.skype.com and schedule your Skypecast. It will be listed for anyone to discover and join. Promote it on your blog. Once you’re listed in the Skypecasts directory, promote your Skypecast on your blog. Link to your listing directly in your post, or use the Skypecast Widget for TypePad. Host your discussion. Connect using your Skype client to share your passion with your audience and have a bit of fun.
Sounds fun!
PodCafe should do so, with their excellent comment feature.
Technorati Tags: podcafe, skype, skypecasts
Posted on May 5, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Firefox update
Firefox has a new update and one of the nice cool features is:
extra searchengines, namely on search on wikipedia, and search in the IMDB Moviedatabase.
Pretty neat.
I especially like the wikipedia plugin. It is so convenient to look up things, and now they are only one click away.
Flock might call itself the 'social browser', I still stick to Firefox, though sometimes it's pretty buggy.
(Want to install them? Check it here)
Technorati Tags: firefox, update
Posted on May 5, 2006
in Technical stuff
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iTunes Offers PDF Subscriptions, Ebooks Next?
iTunes Offers PDF Subscriptions, Ebooks Next?:iTunes now allows users to subscribe to PDFs as well as podcasts.
This is funny, already months ago I mentioned PDF as a possible interest for podcasting. (podcasting can in fact have any enclosure, it isn't necessary a mp3, of video..)
Now iTunes integrates PDF's.
No surprise.
I guess they should start considering a new name though.. iMedia?
Technorati Tags: pdfcasting
Posted on May 8, 2006
in Technical stuff
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WoogleCal: Google Calender in your blog
Pretty neat: integrate a Google Calendar in your blog. It is an adaptation of the existing plugin (firstRSS)
You want it too?: Download WoogleCal. When running WordPress check this page for details.
Technorati Tags: googlecalendat, wooglecal, wordpress
Posted on May 9, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Brave New Interfaces
Felix Peters of Plazes gave a lecture at VUB in Uccle.
You can see his amazing keynote here.
Check also their Semapedia...
Technorati Tags: bravenewinterfaces, plazes, semapedia, ui, vub
Posted on May 11, 2006
in Technical stuff
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JobAt
I integrated a Jobat ticker on my homepage (left bar).
The initiative is the first blogad by Adhese Network.
Anyone interested should go and check their site, since you can subscribe too (you need a blog though ;) )
I actually think the ticker is a good idea because 'who reads blogs'? Indeed, students, and the unemployed :) (okok and some geeks who already have a job.)
So students, looking for a job and the unemployed: go click on it!
In general the ticker should show ads for artistic jobs like graphic designers and stuff. (my target group)
Don't hesitate to put your feedback in the comments: do you like the idea or do you hate it? And why?
Technorati Tags: adhese, jobticker
Posted on May 12, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Skype translates
The future, where you call a Chinese guy and speak Dutch to him and he understands you in seconds, has arrived...
Technorati Tags: skype, translation
Posted on May 13, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Skype update
A new Skype update makes it a Universal binary, and gives Mac Users the Web visibility feature.
Cool. Now you can see online if I am available or not...
Be aware: blocked people might see it as an opportunity to check if you are indeed off line ;)
Technorati Tags: skype, universal, webpresence
Posted on May 13, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Situation: Why Google doesn't work for me
Ok now a real time situation:
For a project we have a meeting, and since the weather we find ourselves in a nice cafe in the center of the city. (mostly due to practical reasons: 3 people, from 3 different locations)
All 3 of us open up our Apple portables.
2 of us are perfectly able to check our agenda's (iCal thank you) while the third says: damn, everything is on Google Calendar and I have no access here.
That ladies and gentlemen is why I don't like all these online apps.
If you are not online: you don't have access.
Pretty useless...
Technorati Tags: googlecalendar, quote
Posted on May 13, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Spring Clean Up
I just started my Spring Clean Up for this year (yep, Spring started late...)
It means I am reinstalling my Mac all over.
It is always a little bit risky since I am backing up everything (or hoping I do) and then erase everything, and install a new system.
All the junk of playing around (being an early adopter) will be erased.
And there will be a brand new computer, running smooth again.
I also rename it (My computer was called: Arthur, then Juliette (after Binoche...) He turned she when going into Panther (and thus becoming so more efficient it only could be a lady), after that into Pi.)
Now I have to find a new name...
Anyone coming up with good names (I am into Greek & mathematical stuff these days... Ion appears a good name, but suggestions are welcome.)
Wish me luck all goes well...
(Other names already in use:
-Strabo for my mediacenter
-Ovid for my media disc
-Icarus for my movable disc (he is kind of crashy...)
-Eikasia for my pictures backup disc
-Atlas as main backup disc
Technorati Tags: cleanup, mac, spring
Posted on May 21, 2006
in Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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iView trick
I remembered saying to PJ: Adding annotation information to media items in a iView MediaPro catalog does not embed annotations into the original file. The annotations only exist in the catalog.
To write or embed annotations into a file, use the Sync Annotations function in the Action menu.
This command allows you to embed annotation information from the catalog into the original files.
It also allows you to import annotations, by rescanning files for metadata added outside MediaPro with another application.
The synchronizing function only applies to annotations that are part of the IPTC, QuickTime or XMP metadata standards. This function is particularly useful, as MediaPro allows you to view, classify and batch annotate a large number of media items and then export the changes to the original files, saving hours of time opening and editing individual files. It is also useful for updating annotations that have been modified by applications outside MediaPro.
Annotations that have been written into the file can be read by other applications that can read the IPTC, QuickTime or XMP metadata standards, such as Photoshop or GraphicConverter.
MediaPro supports the export of XMP metadata to JPEG, TIFF and Photoshop formats only.
Be careful: Synchronizing cannot be undone.
I like the feature, because suddenly Spotlight is really interesting to find a pic upon embedded info.
Technorati Tags: annotation, iview, keywords
Posted on May 22, 2006
in Technical stuff
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The reinstall: Remember for next time
to back up also my inbox, which apparently, isn't stored anywhere...
It took me quite a while to reinstall all the programs, one by one.
(I like to do it. Starting from scratch)
But now my machine is running like a train without delays...
Technorati Tags: apple, reinstall, tiger
Posted on May 22, 2006
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Photography and lenses
When reading this technical post on lenses, I just needed to post this short note:
I bought myself a good lens in the States last January, and for me it makes the difference.
Yep Pietel, I have a Sigma 18-50 f2.8. And I love it. In any sense.
It makes my camera better, and makes me love photography again.
It allows me to be the photographer I want to be, the one that controls sharpness.
Last week I had several photo-shoots and due to this fantastic lens, I didn't need to use the flash to often (I hate flash...) but I was able to capture the light.
Although it is horrible weather for May these days, the light is perfect for photography, giving us a nice diffuse light. The sky is one big soft-box these days. It throws beautiful light onto people's faces when sitting in the right way. It kind of gently touches people, makes them look softer.
That's the light that can take my breath away. That makes people look beautiful, the way they are.
Ever wondered why you can see someone in a movie and sometimes find that person beautiful and the other moment just ugly?
I bet you most of the times that's due to the right use of the light in that movie.
In photography school in the second year we had to learn how to use light, how to picture paper as paper, and skin as skin.
And such boring stuff. But it was one of the most exciting moments for me.
(The first time probably was when I saw a white paper turn into a picture in the darkroom.)
Being able to create with light, to learn the language of light must have been my click in photography.
We, photographers, write with light, but we first have to understand it to be able to express ourselves.
Photography is not about taking pictures, it is about seeing mo(nu)ments.
And eventually capturing them.
(And yes a good lens can help.)
Technorati Tags: lens, photography
Posted on May 24, 2006
in Technical stuff
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SkypepCasts
I didn't read so much on SkypeCasts yet on Belgian blogs.
Yet the concept is fabulous.
You decide to have a discussion on line on a certain subject? Create your SkypeCast, pick and time and gather that moment to talk about the subject.
Maybe the meeting might turn out not interesting, but maybe it does.
Like this one: podcasting for education. Chances are rather large you'll hear some interesting stuff over there.
And the possibilities are endless: Milow is interested in having some feedback on his CD: let him schedule a skypecast and the fans will turn up. Mister Kafka is interested to hear what people want to change: let him have his SkypeCast. Politicians are interested to hear what lives amongst their voters. Or Gent.blogt wants to have an online meeting?
Just name it.
One can even record the whole thing.
(Which is tricky also: one can tape it.... Politicians, be aware ;) )
Technorati Tags: communication, podcasting, skype, skypecast
Posted on May 26, 2006
in Technical stuff
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CSS background and float
I have been stupidly watching some stuff over here and didn't get it fixed, until I figured it out.
It is such a stupid thing so maybe other experience the same problem.
Thus here's the solution:
I have a problem with Firefox display of background or background-color tag if using float.
I want to set a background color to the #container in which there are two columns. To make them side by side i have used float left and float right tag in each of them. If I set a background color to the whole container looks just fine in IE, but FF display blank background. Help!
Your problem is that by spec, contained DIV's are taken out of the flow of the document. Because of this, your container div is considered empty by compliant browsers - of which IE is not.
Place the following code at the bottom of your stylesheet:
.clearfix:after {
content: ".";
display: block;
height: 0;
clear: both;
visibility: hidden;
}
/* Hides from IE-mac \*/
* html .clearfix {height: 1%;}
/* End hide from IE-mac */
and then change your html to:
< div id="container" class="clearfix" >
Et voila!
Technorati Tags: background, css, float, problem
Posted on June 8, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Mjammie n80
Tech specs: WIFI!!, Bluetooth, video recording: H.263 I forgot to read the rest.
OK I am sold.
Hey guys from Nokia, I am sold. Hello there?
Technorati Tags: mobile, nokia n80
Posted on June 30, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Jajah...
Jajah, call for free to landlines.
Belgium, belgium works fine.
Belgium and Israel can call for free too...
This is good news... :)
Technorati Tags: free calls, jajah, puppy
Posted on June 30, 2006
in Technical stuff
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FlockRock
When Flock released it's pre-alpha thingy, I wasn't that excited...
I didn't feel the difference with Firefox.
But now the beta arrived. (or is it still alpha?) I like it better. The integration of delicious and flickr are quite cool.
I am still not convinced. (I mean those light weight browsers are only light weight in their first release after that they are quite heavy and the fasted is the relatively un-hyped Opera. and the new Deskbrowse but I am pretty sure social people will love it.
Technorati Tags: deskbrowse, flock, opera, browsers
Posted on July 7, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Mobile Annoyance
My SonyEricsson was in reparation about one month ago. It froze and I didn't manage to get it back to life. The mobile doctor did, and I got an old mobile with a new inside.
Nearly 3 weeks later, strange stuff started to happen: in the middle of telephone conversations, the device cut off my conversations.
Connection (Base) or device?
Who'll tell?
It is back into reparation...
And unlike last time, when I didn't get a replacement cell, this time the guy behind the desk offered me one. (I guess I looked long enough into his eyes, blinking and smiling...)
Meanwhile I also changed my subscription from Base to Proximus.
Reason? Reason enough...
The bill should not be more expensive anyway.
Hope all of this results in me being less annoyed.
Can't wait until Skype offers a version for Symbian Mobiles, and Nokia launches some more affordable Wifi phones.
Meanwhile accessing jajah.com from the mobile could turn out interesting too...
Technorati Tags: proximus, mobile, studio804
Posted on July 9, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Turn your mac into a TV
Looks like a cigarette litter...
Except for: it doesn't lit.
Or maybe it does: it lits your screen and shows digital tv...
The nice part?
It uses your Apple Remote (which in my case is more than enough with the 2! channels Belgium supports in DTT...)
Elgato did it.
Let's hope the antenna shows television over here (many people complain about bad waves)
So how long did we have to wait, you said?
Technorati Tags: tvonyourmac
Posted on July 15, 2006
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Rf id mon amour 1.0
Rf id mon amour 1.0 is a kit that allows designers, artists and architects to create interactive exhibitions without fuss nor any knowledge of programming or electronics.
The tagged can be attached to any object in need of a digital identity. With the kit, you can "map" each rfid tag to a QuickTime video just by placing them on the reader and selecting a file. To associate a file with an object, place the object on the reader and tell the software which file (audio, web page, Flash animation or video) should be triggered.
The kit comes with an USB based RFID player, Mac OS X compatible software, 10 RFID tags and some sample videos.
Developed by Interaction lab.
Technorati Tags: apple, mac, rfid
Posted on July 19, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Apple offers free online seminars for Aperture
Apple has announced two free online QuickTime seminars covering Aperture, their app for professional photographers. "Aperture: Streamline Your Workflow After the Shoot" is an introduction to the app from Product Marketing Manager Joe Schorr and Technical Marketing Manager Joseph Linaschke of Apple, while "Aperture Advanced" offers "an in-depth look at the first all-in-one post-production tool for photographers
[via]
Technorati Tags: apple, aperture
Posted on July 20, 2006
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Gizmo
First it was Jajah with its online web based free calling, now it is Gizmo allowing us to call free to landlines over the computer.
Is this the Skype Killer?
For me, for sure I'll convince some people to install Gizmo...
Technorati Tags: gizmo, freecalling
Posted on July 21, 2006
in Technical stuff
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coComment
coComment is cool. I never bothered to comment on many pages ( I know, not cool...) because mostly people answer on that page. Which means you have to visit that page again to see the comment on your comment.
Not very practical in my eyes.
coComment keeps track of your conversations. Which is really nice.
You can also implement it in your own site, which is even nicer.
People can see what you are busy with, and you can remember 'oh, what would they have answered on that one...'
But there is more:
coComment has upgraded with some new features:
THE COCOCRAWLER
The coCoCrawler has arrived, and will keep an eye on your conversations for you. Remember when coComment would inform you of new comments only when they were made by other users of the system? It’s over now, the most requested feature is up and running (it actually has been running in hidden mode for a month) so don’t be surprised to find many new comments in your conversations.
Cool.
Technorati Tags: cocomment, tracking
Posted on July 22, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Skype Video for Mac...
Skype, today, released two treats for us Mac users: Skype Beta 1.5 and Skype Video preview. Both are basically the same program with the exception that that the Video preview supports video chatting, though it is in it very early stages so it will crash (the Beta is more stable).
New in Skype Beta 1.5 is a totally new (and Macified) UI, detachable call window, the ability to import contacts from Address Book and Entourage, and a bunch more. Check out the changelog for the full dope.
Technorati Tags: skype
Posted on July 26, 2006
in Apple, Technical stuff
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For geeks...
Two big, related announcements are coming out tomorrow - MobileCrunch has the scoop. Sony announced its new mylo (my life online) personal communicator, a wifi device that works in any 802.11b wireless network. It allows instant messaging, internet browsing and emailing, as well as listening to music (MP3, ATRAC or WMA) and viewing photos and MPEG-4 videos. This thing is Skype enabled, and Skype is making a separate release on that functionality.
mylo has a 2.4 inch LCD screen (measured diagonally), 1 GB of flash memory and a slide out qwerty keyboard. You can have it in any color you want, as long as it's black or white. Sony claims the battery will allow up to 45 hours of music playback or seven hours of chatting and web surfing.
It also comes pre-packaged with Skype, Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger and includes JiWire's hotspot directory which lists 20,000 or so wifi networks in the U.S.
Look for it in September, cost will be $350.
This could be the wifi device for Skype that we'e all been waiting for.
Technorati Tags: mylo, skype, sony
Posted on August 8, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Wlan
Apparently I am a mess in choosing phones...
My Sony Ericsson is (again) in reparation for the last 2 weeks.
Unlike last time, the gentleman offered me a spare Nokia.
The Sony will keep on crashing, he assured me, but Sony Ericsson keeps on repairing it instead of replacing it.
Damned...
So I have a good reason to check out the new phones. (No mam, I didn't intended this when buying that phone..)
I have been bragging about it: I want WLAN inside of it. I mean, this is the future.
And Bluetooth. Never a phone without bluetooth anymore -as I am speaking, the replacement doesn't have it, and I never know who's calling, I didn't bother to put all my numbers inside..-
The choices of phones with WLAN and Bluetooth?
Few...
There is the SonyEricsson p990i , if it ever gets released. And it is HUGE...
Regarding my problems with SE... Well, I am not sure.
And there is Nokia:
The N80, the N93 and the E60, oh, almost forgot the N91, but that one is sooo ugly...
The N80 is sweet and small. Would be perfect for me...
But the N93 is nice too, carrying a cute videocam, to play around with. (It would save me the space of my digital cam I always carry around..)
Anyone experience with any of these devices?
They're good? Is there nice soft for Symbian?
Will I be able to Skype with it? Or are there other solutions?
And I was told I can upload to Flickr immediately. True??
Technorati Tags: nokia, phone, mobile, sonyericsson
Posted on August 9, 2006
in Technical stuff
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TypePad Mobile
I wonder if they'll release MovableType Mobile any time soon...
Meanwhile, get that high end mobile and start blogging :)
Only for TypePad owners...
Technorati Tags: typepad mobile
Posted on August 12, 2006
in Technical stuff
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EyeTv Hybrid
This is nice: DTT and analog TV in one stick.
I already threw it in my shopping cart in the Apple store: the eye TV for DTT.
But when asking people, most of them said the receiving was extremely bad. 150 euro for a gadget that would fail on me was too much, so I was hesitating.
And see, today I discover the eyetv Hybrid, featuring both in one stick.
The advantage: wherever you do not have the DTT signal, you're able to receive the old analog signal anyway. Worth the extra 50 box since Belgium isn't covered that well...
Dumping my former cart and filling a new one.
Telenet TV? Naaah. Een and Canvas are more than enough when one can record his favorite programs.
Probably a 150 euro's but not yet on the Apple Store...
Technorati Tags: apple, elgato, eyetv, hybrid
Posted on August 21, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Guba grrrrr
With our sincerest apologies to non-United States, non-Windows and non-Internet Explorer users, in order to enjoy the GUBA Premium service, you must be located in the United States, use Internet Explorer and use Windows 2000 or XP with Windows Media Player 9.0 or higher, which support the Windows Media Digital Rights Management System as required by our premium content providers.
We will add other digital rights management, operating system and internet browser support as soon as approved by our major premium content providers. In the meantime, please check out our thousands of videos in GUBA Free.
Technorati Tags: guba, rent online
Posted on August 21, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Suzanne Vega and Duran Duran perform in Second Life
Last year, I already checked Second Life, but back then you had to give in your visa number and after a while it was paying.
Now the entrance to second life is free.
Checking it out now.
It is certainly gonna be the MySpace from the future, I believe...
Technorati Tags: myspace, second life
Posted on August 22, 2006
in Technical stuff
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AllPeers Opens Doors to Public Today
AllPeers, the much anticipated Firefox plugin for drag and drop P2P filesharing, is going to start offering public accounts today.
Want to start sharing all that cool music and gorgeous vids?
Mail me ;)
Technorati Tags: allpeers, beta, web 2.0
Posted on August 23, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Spamsieve
Don't know about you guys, but recently I get more and more spam.
My Mail Filter got out a lot of it, but not everything, so today I installed Spamsieve, to test it, and hopefully get rid of all the junk...
Don't hesitate to write down your complaints about spam, or to copy paste the best spam messages you received, ever...
Technorati Tags: spamsieve, spam
Posted on August 24, 2006
in Technical stuff
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iPhoto
I was never keen on iPhoto since it was pretty basic. It imported your pictures and then started to make duplicates. It failed several times on friends of mine (and believe me, you don't want your pictures to be totally gone..)
It still copies files (though you can change that in your preferences), and on top of that you don't have much to say about the name of your files (which for me is yyyy_mm_dd_hh_ssmls_country_keyword_ID.filetype)
But there were certainly some major changes, which are pretty neat for RAW adaptation.
WHen you don't need to do a lot of photoshop, but just want to set the colors and the sharpness right, iPhoto can be very fast and preferred above other programs.
To me it looks they implemented some neat features from Aperture, you can play with the cool sliders to set everything right, all from within one panel.
It is not only cool, it is even very handy.
Click done and then export.
Fabulous. Really.
Nver fixed my pics so fast.
And they are raw (ok ok this probably also has to do with the fact this new MacBookPro is so much faster than my former pBook.)
I get to try Aperture in the near future. Which will probably be exactly what I need, adding those extra functionalities I want/need.
More on that later...
Technorati Tags: aperture, apple, iphoto
Posted on August 28, 2006
in Technical stuff
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One laptop per child
Don't they look cute?
At 140 bucks, I reckon there are more people who'll want one.
My mom for example only wants to surf with a portable.
There was a splendid idea, if you buy one, you'd buy one extra for a kid.
But I don't remember where I read that news.
I wouldn't mind paying double the price if that gives the laptop away.
In fact, I wouldn't mind giving 140 bucks in the end of the year to this kind of charity.
Technorati Tags: one laptop per child
Posted on August 28, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Skype on Symbian
According to this message Skype will be released for the Nokia N80 half of September
Skype on Nokia means, I guess, Skype on Symbian 60.
Jihaa :)
(That is: call for from from wifi hotspots using your regular mobile :) )
Technorati Tags: n80, nokia, skype
Posted on August 31, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Reach of your blog....
I like the 'reach of your blog factor'
When looking into for example Peter's statistics it says:
Belstat: 561
Sitemeter: 795
Feedburner: 342 (ok that's only feeds...)
Now, if it were for the 'ad statistics' I'd prefer the Sitemeter thingy ;)
But the real questions stays: what is the real reach of your blog then?
And can one count it in numbers?
Technorati Tags: counter
Posted on September 3, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Mefeedia videoblog queue in SecondLife
I already wrote about the fact I am convinced of the possibilities of Second Life.
This implementation even gets me more convinced....
David Meade send a post to the videoblogging mailing list: he has managed to put his mefeedia queue rss feed in SecondLife, so you can see videoblogs in SecondLife. It's hard to explain but easy to see: the videos play really surprisingly great. You can move around in the room, the video keeps playing, it all works great. Here's a screenshot:
Now lets take it a little bit further:
Das Pop makes good music, makes little movies, and instead of putting them on myspace, puts them on a theatre in SecondLife.
Or ;) a video production company makes a movie theatre in SecondLife, only showing 'their' movies.
Or Coolz0r collects nice ads, but instead of showing them in a blog, he makes his own cinema/slideshow in SecondLife (hey Miel, you owe me for that idea!!! ;p)
Which makes me think, you think could add an rss out of you tube? would be veryvery cool...
Technorati Tags: youtube, secondlife
Posted on September 4, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Help needed from scripting geniusses ;)
I have this page: www.matuvu.nu/vcard.
When click on one of the 6 little images a lightbox thing gets to work, and frankly speaking, I love the effect.
A minor disadvantage is, when you don't click on the image but mouse over, because of the title-tage, a 'post-it' note appears in most browsers.
I don't want the post-it...
Bart already advised me to use ThickBox, but I don't like it so much. It hasn't have the same smooth effects.
Has anyone a solution to my problem?
Thanks.
Technorati Tags: lightbox, problem
Posted on September 5, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Apple iTunes: first test
Now, when Apple announces 'h264' quality for their series/movies I wanted to see.
So I logged in to my account and checked what I wanted to see, Prison Break Second Season Episode 3 appeared to be a good choice.
The new polished menu tells it all:
508 Mb for one episode.
When compared to other former episodes: those used to be around 200Mb.
(I grabbed Flightplan too, just to check, and it already downloaded too. When I started downloading, the new service was freshly released, which might explain the downloading time, still then it went rather fast. -for a 500Mb that is-)
The quality is stunning. I don't have an iPod video, but I am sure it will be plain crisp on those brighter screens.
I do have a 23inch screen and my only interest in seeing Prison Break or any other series, is on that screen.
Quality of former episodes was certainly acceptable on a distance of 4 meter, but the H264 is from a different scaling: it is beautiful.
One can best compare it to the DiVx format.
There is barely no pixilation when sitting on 12 cm from the screen...
Which comes to the next point: 500Mb download for 1 episode is A LOT.
I think of my HD storage, and my bandwidth.
The US might be more advanced than Belgium on this matter, but I might end up paying a lot for these movies: that's an added 0,5 euro for the space on my HD (taking into consideration: 1Gb=1euro) plus the extra bandwidth it might use (only when I pass my limit of 15Gb/month)
One can back up on DVD, but still...
I already referred to Videoshops that offer similar movies for the same price, in real DVD quality.
If you want you can rent your movie over there for only 3 euro.
As for those Belgians interested: run to the nearest Office Centre, they now offer a 250Gb Lacie Porsche drive for 79 euro (without VAT)
That's less than 0.32 euro/GB...
Technorati Tags: apple, itunes, online movies, test, thoughts
Posted on September 13, 2006
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Which blog system to use
Sometimes people/companies ask me which blog-system to use.
Blogger and sponsored platforms are not very useful in those cases.
Scripting your own platform isn't an option either: it is like re-invention hot water with a bowl and a fire, while these days there are already thermostatic tabs... (Or you have a very wealthy client..)
All existing systems were during the years optimized for google and other search-engines. They learned the good things and the bad, they changed and got better.
There are 2 main competitors I advice: Wordpress and SixApart. ExpressionEngine is the third which is certainly for the more needy client, allowing adaptation of all sorts. (Extremely useful tool , but too advanced for most users).
Technorati Tags: blogging, howto, movabletype, wordpress
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Posted on September 15, 2006
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Teleport
Now this is the geek in me speaking: I discovered Teleport
(Actually Harold did...)
This tool switches your mouse from computer. Go to the edge o one computer and move into the next.
Fabulous. And handy...
Technorati Tags: mac, ease of use, teleport
Posted on September 18, 2006
in Technical stuff
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sIFR
You also dislike the way IE and PC shows non smoothed fonts?
Or you just want to implement your own font, even if your users don't have it?
Then try sIFR...
Not that easy to implement, but certainly worth the hassle...
sIFR is meant to replace short passages of plain browser text with text rendered in your typeface of choice, regardless of whether or not your users have that font installed on their systems. It accomplishes this by using a combination of javascript, CSS, and Flash.
Check it out!
Technorati Tags: fonts , css, sIFR
Posted on September 20, 2006
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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The box: Nokia N93: unpacking and first impressions.
So what did the box contain? A new mobile, dropped by the nice people of Nokia.
If I wanted to test one and make a movie. I certainly didn't say no...
I decided to make review too...
Technorati Tags: first, n93, nokia, review
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Posted on September 21, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Nokia N80, N90, N91, N92, N93 Sync tool for Apple Users
The N93 isn't included in the iSync package yet (Apple takes some time to upgrade their iSync tool, so the last mobiles are never included)
Luckily some enthusiast make plugins for those mobiles.
The iSync-plugin for the NSeries of Nokia can be found here.
Works like a charm.
(One needs to understand a bit of German to understand the instructions: which says: Quit iSync, drop the plugin marked in red into the shortcut folder, restart iSync, initiate your bluetooth connection and sync your device.)
(No thanks! ;))
Technorati Tags: apple, iSync, mac, nokia, Nseries, synchronize
Posted on September 22, 2006
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Nokia Podcasting
Now this is cool: yesterday I talked about 'wanting to be able to have an easy sync for my podcasts / music //iTunes'
Today I found this beta of Nokia: A podcasting tool.
For N91, but actually for all N-devices.
Which brought me to this page:
N93 Product Support.
And the Flickr tools. Which actually ar enot working at all. Pietel?
Technorati Tags: n93, nokia, Nseries, podcasting
Posted on September 23, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Parallels rocks
I must have had the fastest uninstall in history: uninstalling Windows and deleting BootCamp (which I actually didn't use anyway) went so smooth and so fast...
I continued and installed Parallels and Windows.
And I am happy.
It allows me to see and test I.E. in a convenient way.
And for what I need, it is actually very fast.
Jihaa.
Technorati Tags: bootcamp, install, parallels, windows
Posted on September 24, 2006
in Technical stuff
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BarCamp: Clo Willaerts: How marketeers can learn from pr0n
Update:
available at Maarten Schenk...
Technorati Tags: barcamp brussels, clo willaerts, marketeers, pr0n, rabbids
Posted on September 24, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Marketing stunts: webcast previews
Just received this in my mailbox (see above)
On the geeky engadgets, gizmodo's and other sites, we try to grasp the new products being released.
Is there finally the perfect phone, will the iPhone be like this or that, will Mac finally come up with the perfect iPod?
Rumor sites, but their popularity is the perfect proof we want to know.
Nokia (hey, they again..) will webcast their new technologies live. To a wider audience. Like an Apple Keynote but only on the web.
Perfect marketing stunt I'd say (knowing how many people follow the Keynote of Apple, I am sure there is still a large audience for Nokia left)
The best thing: you can see all of it out of your lazy chair. :)
Will I be watching?
Maybe.
To see whether they finally release the perfect phone aka organizer aka wifi/voip communicator aka ipod aka ... ;)
Update: what NOT to do: provide a url, and have no 'stop page' there. It gives a mistake for the last 2 hours. I just want to see what I missed guys... Bad marketing that is.
Technorati Tags: marketing, nokia, webcast
Posted on September 25, 2006
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Voip for mobile
I talked about it: what is missing on the Nokia N93 (and many others) is voip.
cheap calling worldwide in other words.
Apparently Jajah is launching a new product: Jajah Just Launched Killer VOIP Product.
Curious...
Unfortunately the n93 isn't supported yet.
Technorati Tags: jajah, n93, voip
Posted on September 26, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Major computer crash
So silence from this front...
Update ARC Dilbeek ROCKS!
Really..
What a service...
Technorati Tags: crashed
Posted on September 29, 2006
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Nokia launched Widsets
Nokia today announced the release of WidSets, a mobile widget platform available for Java MIDP 2.0 phones, including of course non-Nokia phones. Put short, WidSets is for the mobile what Netvibes is for the browser.
I just made my first WidSet: you can now read my feed on your mobile through these Nokia Widsets. :)
Widsets is a way of browsing rss feeds on your mobile (and many more things, I can actually play sudoku now...)
Smart Phones are really becoming cool with these tools.
Check WidSets here.
(and if our newspapers are smart they build quickly there feeds in a widset, I already am subscribed to BBC World and many others..)
Technorati Tags: cool, nokia, widsets
Posted on October 3, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Fon arrived and installed
Fon arrived, and got installed.
Still some major beta problems, but we cannot complain... Not at all...
2 separate wifi networks, like Peter mentioned months ago...
My problem is, my mac mini cannot connect to the private network for some reason or another.
Beta will solve this, I guess
Technorati Tags: fon
Posted on October 11, 2006
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Weird
I just received my computer back, and though all is running well, I am quite suspicious...
While installing I came across the following.
I must have installed Adium for 10 times or so. On none of my mac intels the offered version is working, it always crashes. The beta releases on the other hand works perfect...
-It actually is much better than the ordinary release..-
Anyone the same problem?
Technorati Tags: adium
Posted on October 25, 2006
in Technical stuff
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My DreamApp
This sounds really really cool.
Technorati Tags: portal, mydreamapp
Posted on October 27, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Windows Live on your mobile...
Well well well.
Perfect for teenagers and broken thumbs.
Will become extremely popular I guess.
But please give me a decent keyboard...
Technorati Tags: live, msn, proximus
Posted on October 30, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Elgato EyeTV Hybrid
I bought it few weeks ago, but due to my hectic schedule, I tested it, couldn't reach any channels and lied it aside.
But then Peter came and walked around with the antenna, and apparently something was wrong there. Some kind of interference.
So today I bought an extension cable, placed the tiny antenna near the window, and, jihaa: I have clear DTT now.
Een and Canvas.
The view is cristal clear.
Perfect to do some video recordings and watch them later.
Or to see the news.
-We don't have cable for this reason: to keep away from an appealing screen...-
This export is made for the iPod video format...
Technorati Tags: elgato eye tv hybrid
Posted on October 31, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Web-based or computer-based
I already said long time ago I don't believe in web-based apps nor in web-based data.
Don't trust it a sec...
I need to have a computer and a backup, and then another backup...
Nothing esoteric floating in the air...
I do believe in access on a distance.
Like Mc Nucle.
Access your Mc Nucle from anywhere around the world. As long as you have internet access, your data will be reachable.
The Mc Nucle is a multi-player server. Many different sorts of players can access the Mc Nucle directly: media centers, dvd recorders, PDAs, iTunes, explorers on Windows and Mac, the Nucle Browser.
Any Universal Plug & Play enabled media player is supported by the Mc Nucle. Most new networked media centers, dvd players, dvd recorders and stereo systems will support UPnP. You can then use your remote control to browse your Mc Nucle Server and fetch that latest home movie you dropped in.
29 euro and Belgian...
No more need to convince me.
Technorati Tags: data on remote
Posted on October 31, 2006
in Technical stuff
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SMS in Skype
This is cool..
* Send SMS messages to your friends from Skype.
* Reach your friends instantly whether they are offline or on the move.
* Talk with up to ten people for free with Skype conference calls.
Download the beta.
Update: sending sms to Israel costs me 0, 078 euro, one to Belgium 0,093.
Sending an sms my mobile costs me 0,10 euro...
Tx Skype.
Posted on November 15, 2006
in Technical stuff
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UI
I already mentioned the widsets a while ago. It is a new way of getting information on your mobile. A way to RSS feeds and more.
OK, I am an early adopter and I have all these features and I test them.
And some I drop. Some stay.
WidSets is really interesting in the way it uses UI.
To me it seems the mobile market is evolving fast and all big brands (like Nokia, Sony Ericsson and more) got the message and started to buy software companies.
The real challenge lies in making it useful.
We don't want WAP, or MMS. Nobody uses it.
We don't want the ability to surf full pages on a little screen.
Nope, all we want is usability.
And there comes WidSets: it is darn handy. You manage your utilities online, and it gets synchronized in your mobile. And on the mobile all works with the 'joystick alike things' all mobiles have today.
WidSets predicts a possible way phones will be evolving: simple, cristal clear utilities, allowing you to find all the info you need with a click. On your phone, always with you.
And pre-defined by you.
And in connection with your online life. (Call your skype contacts from within your widset, check your google calendar, or google mail from within)
Posted on November 15, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Yesss. Skype does it
As the Nokia N73 is the only device that will include Skype, it confirms that an initial Skype for Symbian client has to be available in December.
Hmmm, can't wait to call for free on my mobile.
I'll check my phone list for the people I'll call most and I am pretty sure which presents will be under the christmas tree...
Posted on November 17, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Difficult, me??
Ok, a question for the uber-geeks.
I want an audio system for my apartment. Then I think, A dvd player plays CD's too, so I better choose for a Home Cinema System.
And then it starts:
I want to connect my computer to my system, since it is easy to have iTunes in the whole house. Luckily a 5 euro cable and AUX does the trick.
But then it comes: I want to connect my iPod. Another 5 euro cable I hear you say. Well... I mean, I want to have 1 remote. Not 3... I want to be able to change the volume AND the song by using the main remote. And I want to be able to connect both my computer and my iPod at the same moment.
Until now I found:
Pioneer with a dock and apparently I can connect the dock to their home cinema system.
(Pioneer is said to be very good quality. Is this true?)
Kef is another (unknown?) player in the market.
The dock is designed to connect video and audio iPods to Kef's existing Instant Theatre systems. It comes with A/V dock cables, nine iPod adapters and a 3.5mm audio jack for MP3 players and other digital audio media.
I checked Bose, but their design was ugly, and next to that, they have no iPod integration whatsoever it seems.
Although, admitted, Bose is a perfect component system. So maybe they'll reveal something in the near future.
Anyone aware of another system?
Technorati Tags: audio, bose, home cinema, pioneer, KEF
Posted on November 24, 2006
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Send me an Odeo
I already liked the Skype button to put on your site, but today I integrated something I already noticed elsewehere 'Leave me an Odeo voice message'
Now hopefully some cute messages come in.
Technorati Tags: contact, odeo
Posted on November 24, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Audio...
In a former post I said I was looking for a good audio/home cinema system.
I check dozens by now and they are soooo ugly.
Pioneer is releasing something beautiful.
And so does Philips.
But what about their sound?? Anyone?
Posted on November 28, 2006
in Technical stuff
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The perfect home system
I am busy with it for a a while: the perfect home system set up.
I do believe we are busy integrating computers in the living room (saw a lot of those hybrid systems in hotel rooms around, with a keyboard next to the tv, enabling you to surf on the huge flatscreen)
I don't watch tv very often. Actually I watch it mainly to see series. And when I want to see them. So video on demand is a great invention...
So I tried to figure out the best set up:
My living room would contain wireless internet. There would be no cable available, but DTT is flying in the air, and I hate an ugly TV in a living room since it 'fills' the space and 'cries for attention'. In most living rooms I go into, the space is centered around the big box.
'Me don't like at all.'
I do like a nicely designed audio system. WIth very good sound if possible. And I do like the effect of Dolby Surround.
And a tv that is hidden, or doesn't feel like taking up the space. Or by preference, a projector.
Building such an living room used to be very expensive, but these days, prices dropped a lot.
As I see it, I would put a MacMini in my living room, connected to or a computer full HD screen, or a HD flatscreen, or a by preference this projector, using HDMI (computercable, flatscreenconnections). For audio there would be an optical connection with my surround system that allows me crystal clear sound. My iPod would be connected using a dock, towards the surround system.
For sure there would be wireless internet, and a keyboard.
My mac would have EyeTV for seeing DTT (that is Een and Canvas)
The Airport Expresses allow me to stream the audio from my different macs wirelessly toward the audio system while using shared music in iTunes to enable all available audio.
Plugin some extra Airport Expresses around the house would save me an expensive B&O system that I cannot (yet) afford :P
Streaming video wirelessly is still hard, but I would not need it because the files would be stored on the extra harddrive, connected to the MacMini using firewire, the fastest connection available.
The upcoming iTV from Mac might solve a lot of these riddles, but as one sees, my current setup is carefully chosen and can be extended. The MacMini is in the first place a home computer and upon arrival of the iTV, will become a home computer again.
As I am checking what I still need:
-The Cinema System
-The projector/TV (though I can manage with the 23 inch screen for the moment)
-The iPod Dock and some cables.
And someone who is willing to come and sit on the couch to enjoy the movie (and has to bring popcorn)
Mmmm, running to the nearest audio shop nearby...
Useful links:
Thisismobility
Macworld article
Technorati Tags: hdmi, home theatre, ht, set up
Posted on December 8, 2006
in Design, Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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Venice Project
The Venice Project™ is a new venture that combines the best elements of the TV experience with the most powerful internet technologies, in a way that will redefine the way people think about television. It is not a file-sharing application or a video download service.
All located in Leiden it seems.
From the makers of Skype..
Let's start beta testing...
Technorati Tags: veniceproject, skype
Posted on December 13, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Discovery: Pro tips for Mac
Tip of the Week
Instant Slide Shows Wherever You Are
Let’s say you open a window and there are 20 photos in that window. Want to see a quick slide show of those photos? Just press Command-A to select all the photos, then Control-click on any photo and from the contextual menu that appears, choose slideshow. A full-screen slide show of those photos (complete with a nice smooth dissolve transition) will appear onscreen.
If you want to see only some of the photos in a slide show, instead of selecting all the images, just Command-click on the photos you want in your slide show before Control-clicking on one and choosing slideshow. To quit the slide show in progress, just press the escape key on your keyboard.
Technorati Tags: apple, howto, tip
Posted on December 14, 2006
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Photoshop CS3
I thought you'd all like to know that Adobe just released a beta version of Photoshop CS3 for general download. The installer is unlimited as long as you have a valid PS CS2 or Creative Suite 2 serial number else it's a 30 day trial.
From my initial exploration there doesn't seem to be a lot of new stuff in this version, apart from a nice new interface and a new variables framework which I have no idea how to use yet.
Obviously one of the big things for Intel Mac users is that it's a Universal Binary. Finally!
Technorati Tags: cs3, adobe photoshop
Posted on December 15, 2006
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Question to tech savvies
I need to implement a polling for a website.
In general the main concern is cheating of the participants (c'mon, do we really believe 2girls came in so high ;) )
Now there are many ways to try to avoid it:
filtering on IP, putting a cookie.
But can one of the technies amongst you who reads this, tell me which system I should use?
Thanks so much.
Technorati Tags: cheating, online polling, voting
Posted on December 20, 2006
in Technical stuff
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Comment Feed
On request as a late Chrismas present: a comment feed for this site.
Technorati Tags: comment feed, feed burner
Posted on December 31, 2006
in Technical stuff
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2007: The year internet moves to your telly
Still just a beta, this Windows Live Media Center plugin allows MCE owners to use various Windows Live services from the couch. Working with Vista, Windows Live for TV lets you browse your friends Spaces kinda like their blog/MySpace and call or IM your friends via Windows Live Messenger.
Code named "Orbit", this project is still beta and thus, still flakey. If you want to try it out, you can sign up for the here.
Technorati Tags: television, windows live
Posted on January 5, 2007
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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iLife
The only leak for Macworld, is the release of iLife 07. Something we all expected, since Apple releases an update each year.
In the beginning, I wasn't such a huge fan of iLife: iPhoto sucked big time, because of double saving the files, and it wasn't too professional. iMovie was very simple, but I wasn't a moviemaker, and on top of that the themes present were kind of childish. iWeb is another stupid thing: no webstandards, just blinking beautiful templates.
But as I kept on buying Apple computers, I ended up with the latest versions of iLife, and in certain circumstances iLife turned out to be a nice extra: burning a dvd for a client, easy and fast, or as a fast tool to sharpen up some images. And I noticed the tools got better, more professional. Garageband is capable of integrating movies for podcasts, and iMovie turned out to be an easy way to make stop-motion with pictures, while you can control each element.
Sometimes it crashes (and thus I recommend to save inbetween steps) but I can't imagine another program and tend to understand within 3 hours, and make stunning results.
And as video turns out to be pretty common these days, I recommend iMovie: with its transitions, subtitles, image and sound import, you can make that little movie you filmed to be a great home movie.
Today I wonder what Apple will have added to their iLife 07. Hopefully some bug fixes.
But really, I try to see other useful features, without complicating the UI. iMovie already has HD, Garageband pod/vodcasting, and iWeb blogging, iPhoto has RAWsupport, and iDVD imports all stuff above.
So help me out. What can be added except for more themes?
(Webstandards... please give us webstandards :) The ability to add custom CSS :) )
Technorati Tags: imovie, ilife
Posted on January 9, 2007
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Wild Charge Hands-On: Really Does Charge Wirelessly
We've heard tell of the Wild Charge system that replenishes power in cellphones, PSPs, notebooks and iPods, and now we can confirm: It really works.
We played with the system for a while tonight, putting the special cases on cellphones and attachments on iPods, and then suddenly those devices begin charging as soon as you place them on the metallic strip.
How the heck does this thing work?
It uses non-inductive technology to pass the current from strip to device without all that falderal you usually have to go through to charge it.
The company says we'll be seeing the first charging strips for sale in March, and the larger laptop-sized charger will be shipping in June.
50$, that's damn cheap for a universal recharger...
via Gizmodo
Technorati Tags: chargers
Posted on January 9, 2007
in Technical stuff
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iMovie adepts in the neighbourhood?
Any one of you is good with iMovie?
I have a little tiny (HUUUGE) problem:
when importing color images in iMovie, in order to make a slideshow (Burms effect) and exporting the result I get pixelated images. Really pixelated. I tried everything by now (even praying to G*d), but no answer is coming.
Anyone of you ever had this problem?
(Oh, google didn't come up with a good solution either)
Tried: removing the Ken Burms effect, using smaller jpg's, adjusting the images in Aperture in order to change something. Result: in BW pictures I don't have this problem.. But I need the color...
Technorati Tags: imovie, pixelated images, problem, aiaiai
Posted on January 9, 2007
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Pictures and music with iLife
As I am busy with turning pictures together with an interview into a little movie, I'll describe what I did. (Mostly as a reminder to myself... :) )
At first I thought to do everything with iMovie, but I seem to have some problems with the resolution, and since my client gave the info on the very last moment, I don't have time to look things up.
If you are interested in making a little movie with pictures, I recommend these 'how to's': adding images in imovie, animated slideshow.
Know that adding sound in iMovie works perfect, but for perfect control, you'll need Garageband. I had problems with pixelation when using color images, no problem when inserting black and white. This probably has to do with resolution, and a pro-editor told me you need after effects to be without any problems.
Now since this is only a small project and little time, I am not getting into AfterEffects...
An easier way to integrate pictures into a slideshow, when not needing any titles or subtitles is iPhoto: make an album and export it as a movie in the format/size you want. (probably an .mov file)
Unmark the 'add selected music' since it will only add music from iTunes and no edited track.
Then open Garageband, choose 'new movie score'.
Drag your movie into the timeline.
Ad the music you want and start adjusting it, by adjusting the levels and so on (don't hesitate to try, and to open help for some 'help' on the matter)
The cool thing about Garageband is that they made it into a podcasting tool thus allowing you to record straight from your microphone. You can actually mix your own voice into your movie, and adjust it the way you want.
You can also add beats and make your own mix. But I leave this up to the profesionals...
When finished, you need to export your final result.
Choose share. You'll see 'podcast to' which result in a small webmovie, but we want the original export. So choose 'export movie to disk'.
Now it will choose a standard exportformat, you'll need to change this setting.
Go to Garageband preferences, export, and choose your export settings (You probably want 'Full quality')
Go back to 'export movie to disk', save it, and there you have, a slideshow, as a .mov, with music :)
Send it around.
Technorati Tags: garageband, howto, imovie, slideshow, tutorial
Posted on January 11, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Sony's VAIO VGX-TP1DT media PC stack: streams and records HDTV over your home network
You know by now I am an Apple addict, and as long as I find no better system, I won't change.
Though...
When seeing this living room PC lineup I started to doubt: VAIO "Television Side PC" and digital tuner stack.
(Collectively known as the VGX-TP1DT, it consists VGX-TP1 PC and a new VGX-DT1 (bottom cylinder) digital tuner. The TP1 PC loads Vista Home Premium and packs a 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo, 1GB (up to 2GB max) memory, 160GB (up to 500GB) disk, super multi-drive DVD, and terrestrial tuner at its core with HDMI, analog RGB and optical digital outputs, 4x USB and 1x Firewire, memory stick and SD slot, 802.11b/g WiFi, and wireless keyboard. The DT1 digital tuner features the ability to stream hi-def, broadcast television over Ethernet or WiFi for viewing or recording on the TP1 or any up-to-spec PC on your home network. 1080i video is recorded at either 1920x1080 pixels / 24Mbps or 1440x1080 pixels / 10Mbps for half the storage requirements. )
Sounds better than the MacMini.
At a pricing of $1,661 it doesn't though...
But it really looks ok ;)
Technorati Tags: design, macmini, sony vaio
Posted on January 17, 2007
in Technical stuff
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B&O
I bought myself a B&O yesterday, and connected it to my iTunes.
I have to admit: I am hearing stuff I never heard before. As if I have a total new music collection...
The set, a 1900-2 is my sister's age. And it is as stunning today as 27 years ago...
It was designed by Jacob Jensen and is part of the permanent MOMA design collection, since the beginning of the eighties.
I totally freak out on the special push buttons... :)
For the tech freaks: The tuner is connected to 2 second hand Bose 201 (version IV) speakers I found on the web.
When buying B&O, be aware you'll need special speaker connections, you can order online at Conrad.be (738328 - 89) and the tape-output is 5-pin din, going into mini-jack to connect to my airport/itunes. (It even allows me to stream my music wireless to the speakers, which is actually pretty cool.)
Here in Ghent, the B&O shop helped me out really nicely, and fast. And I now have the new collection magazine allowing me to drool on, while thinking 'I'll buy this when I am a real grown-up' (or rather: when I can afford a 15.000 euro set up...)
(Btw, the set up above was a lot cheaper ;) )
Ha! I did a bargain :) I didn't pay 180 euro...
Posted on January 18, 2007
in Design, Technical stuff
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Minority Report Touch Interface for Real
Jeff Han, a research scientist at NYU's Courant Institute, has come up with an future UI interface , which responds not only to touch and gestures, but to varying degrees of pressure. He flips photos across the screen, zooms in, throws them away, and calls up new ones, among a variety of other cool uses of the interface. It looks startlingly responsive and natural, far more so than a standard PC setup. It's hard to describe here how intense and possibly revolutionary the setup is, so you really need to check out the video and article for yourself.
The future is today... And I truly believe touch screens will become more important, resulting in revolutionary UI.
You already see it in the iPhone, but also the Wii is already showing that UI is changing a lot from a kind of static disconnected tool the mouse used to be.
Move your mouse on the table to have your mouse pointer move on your screen, towards point to the screen with the mouse until 'you are the mouse'
Video [Fast Company's FastTV]
Can't Touch This [Fast Company]
Technorati Tags: touch screen
Posted on January 20, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Sharpness of a lens
Since quite a few days I was wondering if my sigma was still as sharp as before.
I still have the feeling when photographing digital, there is so much more to take care for, than taking analogue pictures.
Anyhow, I did a little test.
Imported it in the amazing Aperture.
And the verdict is simple: my Sigma 18-50, F 2.8 is blazing sharp.
No regrets for buying that lens whatsoever.
.
Technorati Tags: objective, sharp, sigma 2.8
Posted on January 21, 2007
in Technical stuff
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iPhone, really a miracle?
I admit, when having the first look at the iPhone, I was fond of it. I loved it. I still do.
The iPhone sells me dreams: it makes me long for the most beautiful mobile out there, featuring new ways to navigate communication.
But then there is the drawback...
The same drawback when figuring out how to make a Media Center out of the Mac Mini: the set up is working *almost* perfect over here.
Almost that is like: it isn't without some disadvantages.
I wonder about the disadvantages of the iPhone.
The first disadvantage I saw, when visiting the site was this sentence:
'This device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.'
All we saw, was a dream.
-Running Mac Os x: yeah right... As if you could run all programs on this little device. It is a reduced version of Mac Os X...
-Widgets: nice, but only Apple produces widgets. So what about my Salling Clicker?? And the rest I certainly would love to have...
-Break through internet device? The UI is revolution, but not the features. My Nokia n80 can do it all. And it even has a similar browser.
-Touch screen: I am not so convinced. I mean it really really has to work really good. Otherwise touch screens are annoying.
-Bluetooth: Rumor is the iPhone doesn't sync using bluetooth... Now c'mon, I'll hope they fix it...
En plus, the iPhone does *NOT* have:
-iChat
-RSS reader
-a blogclient
-Word (not that i used it before)
-Skype
The funny thing is: my Nokia N80 features all above (except for Skype). And pretty well.
I don't love the UI much, and I admit having installed a skin that makes it look like Mac Os X, to make it easier for me to work with (which it really does. I think Nokia should look into their UI, and their icons to make things more clear)
In fact, actually my Nokia features all the stuff I like: I sync using bluetooth, I have a Salling Clicker remote, a blogclient -I rarely use-, and a MSN chat (but no video chat, otherwise it would be used all the time).
It has an MP3 player with a removable SD card (which I like better than the fixed format of the iPhone)
It has wireless internet, which rocks.
And it even has widsets! Plus tons of software you can install.
(I am still waiting for the Skype release for Symbian.)
I admit, the phone I have is the best one I had until now (and I did have a few already...)
So why would I still buy the iPhone?
Because of the UI. Only because of the UI.
The MP3 player on the Nokia isn't easy to work with. It cannot sync my iTunes. I didn't figure out how to change the front panel until someone showed it to me. And somehow I always manage to get a 'are you really willing to delete this person'-warning while I never intended to.
Nokia, use your advantage and grab you chances: look into your UI.
Because I will hesitate to buy a 800 euro device, if I have one that does what it needs to do, and it does it good.
But it can do better.
(With the release of the N95, featuring a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss..., a GPS!, a video with DV quality. Wifi and even USB 2.0, at the same size of my n80, I have to admit it feels like they have a worthy competitor to the iPhone. Especially when seeing the price tag...)
Technorati Tags: apple, n80, nokia, n95
Posted on January 23, 2007
in Apple, Technical stuff
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FlickrExport for Aperture
Since I started testing Aperture for Mac, I am totally fond of it.
It enhances my workflow with 300%.
Most of us photographers don't need all the functionality of Photoshop to enhance an image.
Checking the colors, and sharpness is more than enough in most cases.
And a fast overview to delete the bad ones.
It works pretty fast (though sometimes it seems to freeze the system for a while)
The export functions are numerous, but I was very pleased to read there is a FlickrExport for Aperture.
In installed it, and yesterday, after only 2 try-outs, I bought it: it is fabulous: the sharpening is perfect (I did some test in the past with other exporters which turned out to be blurry), it allows you to batch upload, assign keywords in batch, add it to an existing or even a new set.
In fact it allows me to update my Flickr without even entering Flickr.
(Somehow I don't like the admin of Flickr, it is way to much of an effort. (I have this with any blog, btw))
Read: I love it.
Slowly slowly I start to like this new (well working) work-flow.
In the past opening digital images was a hassle: first trying to get an overview, with thumbnails not revealing anything, opening them one by one on in one or another program. Then adjusting them in Photoshop, since iPhoto was not really 'well', thus renaming all the files in 'YAP' (yet another program')
Today, I open in Aperture, adjust, upload to Flickr, export the masters or the derives. Rename them.
Burn them on a DVD.
I can even make a quite simple iDVD.
And it just works...
Technorati Tags: aperture, apple, flickr, flickrexport, photography, workflow
Posted on February 3, 2007
in Apple, Technical stuff
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Gizmo for N80 IE
I am a huge fan of Skype.
I mean it...
But they don't come up with the Symbian relase for my mobile.
Gizmoproject did!
They released a version for the Nokia N80 Internet Edition.
I have a N80.
Via software updater it would become a N80ie.
Thus the difficult procedure of updating driver software started:
I need a pc (which I have of course), I install PC Suite, I install the latest 'software updater for Nokia',
I try to connect my Nokia...
Nothing happens.
I restart the whole thing.
Yet nothing works.
I'll need to reinstall the whole suite.
I am already busy for 40 minutes.
I give up.
Grubml.
Avid PC and Nokia lovers with installed and working software living in the neighborhood: you are welcome for coffee and helping me out :)
I admit: I am just stupid when it comes to this stuff (C. will remember me trying to install a wifi stick on a pc: I suck)
Technorati Tags: gizmo, mobile, nokia, voip on mobile
Posted on February 4, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Invitations of Joost
Apparently I have some invitations of Joost to give away.
People interested can drop a line ;)
Update: they are gone. I'll update when I have new ones to release ;)
Technorati Tags: joost, tv online
Posted on March 1, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Open Id
Ok, for those who don't like the nerd stuff: skip this ;)
Few months ago, I heard Pascal Vanhecke talking on the need for 'one identity online'. He meant: 'We all have dozens of logins and passwords. But why?
Because we need to register. And we try to keep different passwords.
And then we forget them. And then we get annoyed by the fact we need to look it up again. Or we need to login once more...
So 1 ID would fit us perfectly well, since well, most of us only have one or 2 webpersonalities with accompanying id and lifestyle.
I am sure Pascal is just one of those flying in the buzz, grabbing bits and pieces here and there.
And so do others.
And then some of those just build the platform:
Open Id:
OpenID is an open, decentralized, free framework for user-centric digital identity.
OpenID starts with the concept that anyone can identify themselves on the Internet the same way websites do-with a URI (also called a URL or web address). Since URIs are at the very core of Web architecture, they provide a solid foundation for user-centric identity.
The first piece of the OpenID framework is authentication -- how you prove ownership of a URI. Today, websites require usernames and passwords to login, which means that many people use the same password everywhere. With OpenID Authentication (see specs), your username is your URI, and your password (or other credentials) stays safely stored on your OpenID Provider (which you can run yourself, or use a third-party identity provider).
Great: one ID, one login. (Now the qustion is on which URI o I want my openid to be located?)
I hope the security of this thing rocks. Otherwise some hackers are gonna be sooooo happy...
Read more about it (in Dutch) on Frank
Technorati Tags: openid, net identity
Posted on March 7, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Skype...
Skype turned from a 7mb application into a 40mb program.
But the features are endless:
Free calling, calling to land lines, smssing, videochat, ...
And recently you can buy a Skype Pro account allowing you to call national landlines for free (well after paying a 10 euro for 5 months subscription)
It gives me an extra reason to buy that cordless Philips: free calling to all Belgian landlines...
Technorati Tags: free calling, skype
Posted on March 11, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Gabbly.com
Gabbly is yet another chat service, but it might come in handy on certain moments.
I can imagine some sites can use the service. I think of bwards for example, where you have a lot of visitors and a chat on the matter could be interesting.
I also think of having a weekly chat.
There are certainly enough alternatives, like skype multichat and whatever, but the fact is: with Gabbly, you don't need to have someone's name, and one can chat anonymously...
Moreover, nothing needs to be installed. So perfect for travelers and people with no fixed computer.
Technorati Tags: chat, gabbly, homepage, irc
Posted on March 13, 2007
in Linking context, Technical stuff
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Dowload YouTube movies easily
Still trying to work out how to download You Tube videos? There is actually a really simple way to do it. Just type the word 'kiss' in front of the video URL (it should look like this: http://www.kissyoutube.com/watch?v=tRTk0RPXtW4 #) press the enter key and it'll take you to a site where you can click a download link to save to your computer. Easy!
[via Red Ferret Journal]
Technorati Tags: download, youtube
Posted on March 13, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Virb
OK finally a MySpace that actually looks good.
I am in...
As an early adopter probably leave this within a while ;) but seriously, it is definitely better than MySpace, and in a way a look-a-like of Vox.
Posted on March 14, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Leerstoel Jos Willems
Today I am present at Leerstoel Jos Willems.
Tom De Bruyne gave again a stunning presentation (I have to admit that this morning I thought: Ok let's sleep a little longer, I mean, it must be the 10th time I hear the web 2.0 story, and it isn't the first time I hear it from Tom. But I am glad I jumped out of the bed. Again he managed to add some info that was new to me, or at least made me think in different co-notations.)
(Hey Tom, will you release the notes, the girl next to me really wants them ;) )
Clo rocked again, and apparently her presentation has been released on www.bnox.be.
(Hey Clo, you were hot.)
In the afternoon we opted for the workshop from TheseDays (by my neighbor) which turned out to be a funny and interesting case study.
(Update: I haven't got too much time to write about it, but we had to re-think an actual case for Chiquita. I learned sooo much (though Peter said it was meant for students, some professionals were in it too. I believe they had fun too.)
Yip definitely go back next year.
(Other people presenting were: netlash, smetty, lvb, pietel, ...)
Technorati Tags: clo willaerts, leerstoel jos willems, leerstoeljoswillems, lvb, presentations, tom de bruyne
Posted on March 15, 2007
in Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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Follow your brand
This week I posted something on Saab. And look, the same day I get a comment from SaabUsa.
I guess Jan-Willem is appointed to do such stuff: track what the web is saying about a brand.
According to me it is a good thing to track your brand through Technorati or alike.
I wonder how many brands have a rss-subscription on their keyword in Technorati or alike.
Technorati Tags: brand technorati
Posted on March 20, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Trippermap
Remember my post on tracking a trip online.
I figured out it is cooler to track a trip through pictures.
Flickr has geotagging implemented...
So when googling a bit I ended up at Trippermap.
Cool
Technorati Tags: geotagging, flickr, trippermap
Posted on March 20, 2007
in Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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Fring
I just installed Fring on my mobile (Nokia N80) and it freaking rocks!!!
It allows you to activate your skype, msn, gtalk and some others on your mobile. And if you have wifi like i do, it doesn't cost you a penny.
I am truly blown away by the quality (just called my grandfather.) And I love it, since it enables me to speak to someone like having an ordinary phone call instead of the hassle with computer cams, mics etc.
It's superb and works like a charm.
Mmmm definitely sold...
(Nokia is said to work with Skype on a native skype version but I wonder how long it will take before it works...)
Technorati Tags: fring, mobile, nokia, skype
Posted on March 24, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Scrapblog
Shel Israel mailed me to go and check scrapblog.
So I did (I am always eager to check some new stuff)
(check my first test here)
Now I was amazed to see the 'program yet online' features of scrapblog. You get the whole app online.
Easily to integrate your Flickr or alike. And drag and drop features to make something.
Wonderful.
Yet I am missing a lot...
I don't know about you guys, but I certainly have some blogs floating around...
First of all my main blog, my Dutch one.
And then a Vox, a YouTube, a Facebook, a Virb, a Photoblog, a Flickr, a LastFM...
Admitted: I want to restrict things to my own domains, except for some extra things:
-LinkedIn (which is pretty easy to use, since it integreates perfectly with my site)
-YouTube (again integration)
-Flickr (there is integration, but I don't use it so much, yet Flickr is so convenient to use: it uploads with one click from my Aperture, and it has a bunch of extra apps connected to it, allowing me to make Moo-cards, or photobooks and sofort.)
-LastFM. Again use of comfort, comfort of use: I installed one plgin and the thing is working. Plus I can drag it into my own blog.
The rest I will probably drop in a while. (Or dropped already)
So to the web2.0 builder I'd say: integration and convenient use is key.
Make sure I can integrate my scrapbooks in my blog, and I might use it.
Technorati Tags: web2.0, scrapbook
Posted on March 30, 2007
in Limit of my knowledge, Technical stuff
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Del.icio.us in your blog
Quite a while ago and pretty recently someone asked me how to implement the daily delicious in a blog.
Wordpress and other services very often offer a kind of plugin, but that on just relies on your rss feed.
Del.icio.us on the other hand has an experimental service that posts the last # entries to your blog. You once configure it, and it does everything by itself.
It doesn't come into a sidebar, but it is posted as an entry in your blog.
How to do it?
Login into your delicious. > Go to your settings > Under 'blogging' click on 'daily blog posting' > Add a 'new thingy' > Configure according to your blogservice.
That's it.
Ok, one difficult one for non-technies:
"out_url is the full URL of the XML-RPC interface for your blog, which probably ends in something like mt-xmlrpc.cgi"
I'll list them up some by service:
TypePad: http://www.typepad.com/t/api
Wordpress.com: http://nameofyourblog.wordpress.com/xmlrpc.php (change 'nameofyourblog' in the name of your blog. duoh!)
Blogger.com: https://www.blogger.com/atom/
Wordpress.org: http://www.yourblog.com/xmlrpc.php
MovableType: http://www.yourblog.com/cgi-bin/folderyoumade/mt-xmlrpc.cgi
Feel free to add urls for others, as I didn't check more.
Technorati Tags: daily post, delicious, technical
Posted on April 5, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Google Maps in Wordpress and other thoughts
While I was surfing, (A client of mine asked to check some stuff on templating), I found this recent post on Wordpress.com, announcing they integrated GoogleMaps by Platial MapKit: now you can easily add a googlemap on your blog and put markers on it.
As you check my delicious, you'll see I recently tagged a lot of services offering these things.
It all started by C. asking me how to implement such thing in her blog.
But then I kept on going.
I truly think mapping is the browsing of the future.
We already saw these nice implementations where something got pinpointed on a map (like photoblog users and their locations). But there was ne real functionality added to it.
When at the IT Pro days of Microsoft, I was stunned to see the live photo stitching (photosynth), allowing you to see a place on the map being created photorealistic, due to the input of the users, adding pictures of places.
Imagine all these nice restaurant reviews of gent.blogt (or resto.be for that matter) being tagged on a map. (hey guys, using the platial mapkit, you would easily be able to set that up.)
Would have solved our problem of yesterday in seconds: where to eat in the neighborhood, and what's good?
Or as a traveller: instead of googling hostels, going straight on a map to the city you're about to visit, and choose a layer of 'hostels', so all the hostels pop up. Allowing you to check those hostels, in the neighborhood you prefer.
With of course web2.0 features (meaning, user input, such as rating, and reviews) but also direct skype/AIM/MSN/ mail/contact with the hostel of preference. Thus giving the extra features needed.
Localization and visualisation of your services will certainly become key in the near future.
Update: GigaOm posted something on the matter too
Technorati Tags: maps, visualization
Posted on April 5, 2007
in Limit of my knowledge, Technical stuff
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Restaurants in Ghent
So, what was I saying: location based search and google maps.
So, Google opened up 'My Maps'.
The result is very obvious yet simple:
I just made my map: 'Food in Gent'
But then I saw the shortcomings and decided to try the platial service.
Now I invite you guys to help me fill the map...
Technorati Tags: food in gent, geolocation, google maps
Posted on April 6, 2007
in Living in Belgium, Technical stuff
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Plugins, widgets, bliggets, blogrolls and other stuff...
I am preparing a round up of blogging for a client of mine ( arather large company).
He wants to know the what and why of blogging.
Now blogging mostly starts basic. With a post, a writer, a category, maybe even some tags, a sidebar with the last posts and maybe comments.
But once you started blogging, extra stuff gets involved.
Most of the extra's are gimmicks, but they have very often an extra meaning in 'spreading around yourself'.
While most people like one centralized surrounding, bloggers very often don't.
I mean, those who run their own environment, on their own server space, looking for their own independency.
Same story here. I might be using Typepad, I am not so much into the tools Typepad is offering, nor their ready made stuff.
My blog is a mash-up of several things.
Mainly it is a Typepad thing, but next to that I plug in:
-Flickr
-Plazes (see my contactpage)
-Skype (see contactpage)
-Odeo (see contact page)
-LastFm (for music and music player)
-Del.icio.us (for daily links, see also links)
-43Places (don't use it that much, looking for an alternative, but not found yet)
-The amazon typepad widget enabling me to show books i have been reading
-A simple LinkedIn button
-Creative commons to copyright mark my posts.
-Google translation tool
-Technorati for tagging
-Paypal for people who want to donate to a charity of my choice.
-Feedburner for my feeds.
-Adhese for advertising
-Statcounter and ew others for the stats.
-Youtube for throwing movies on the site.
-Googlemaps for interesting maps. (just starting that one)
Now I guess I am forgetting some tiny things, but that's about it.
(And I admit, recently I decided to go and check some new stuff worthwhile implementing, while others might be removed.)
Can quite count as plugins I guess.
All of them have an account (and a login and password, so I truly welcome OpenID for that) and most of them have their own social network. So actually while I am mainly busy with my own blog and readers, I am inactively participating a bunch of other platforms. (like lastfm, flickr, linkedin, etc.)
I always try to explain this to people interested in blogging: spread your content around the web, and get it centralized in your own site through the API's.
This way you get yourself into different spots, get yourself known by more people. And always link back to your main site (which is often your blog).
Jip, I am pretty aware I cannot escape google anymore, and I am pretty convinced one day my children will be able to read the cache of the internet, including all these stupid posts I ever made... ;)
Technorati Tags: blogging, mash up, widgets
Posted on April 6, 2007
in Technical stuff
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RSS to PDF
Not sure if this is useful for some people, but I guess I can use it in certain areas (like when making a report of our site evolution at KASK.be),
but there is a new site in town, offering RSS to PDF: http://www.rss2.co.uk
They aim at providing webmasters a tool for providing their sites' RSS feeds as a PDF document. It allows aggregating up to 5 feeds into a single PDF document.
You can even choose the font for the PDF. The site also offers tools for adding this capability to any website, much like rss2pdf does but with several advantages over it.
Technorati Tags: pdf, rss 2 pdf
Posted on April 11, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Mobile future
I think internet and computer is moving 2 places: micro and macro, read phone and living room.
As I am researching some stuff for fun, I came across a rather large amount of interesting projects (especially at IBBT.be) but also quite some 'just for fun'.
One to mention is certainly Nokia's Beta Mobile Codes.
Type a text, get it converted to a barcode, and expose it. Your mobile can read it.
Now as this is fun, it is obvious a rather large amount of useful things can be done with it.
Technorati Tags: mobile, software
Posted on April 18, 2007
in Limit of my knowledge, Linking context, Technical stuff
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How long before your google mashups get into a GPS
How long before these things get linked to a GPS that guides you around?
I know I nag about localization a lot lately, and actually today we were talking about it again.
When updating my feeds, and finding this article, I suddenly thought: well that's nice. But not enough...
I want to take this map along in a GPS and have me walked around.
Imagine TourismeVlaanderen releasing walking tours, importing them in your mobile, and have you walk town.
It is like the podcasting tours but then guided through a GPS. (Actually they are doing this, but not yet your own tours..)
I know certain companies that are busy with this idea, and it seems to me Apple's iPhone was already foreseeing these ideas, when making a deal with Google and more specific GoogleMaps.
Nicenicenice.
Technorati Tags: google maps, gps, mobile, tracking
Posted on April 18, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Google Maps
Ok, I take it back. GoogleMaps Directions Belgium got launched.
Who needs GPS? ;)
And nice to see how influential geo-blogging will become ;)
Technorati Tags: directions, geotagging, google maps
Posted on April 20, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Ok, I might sound totally unpopular now, but I don't get Twitter at all.
I mean, what kind of fun is there when someone beeps 'made a mistake in my code, stupid me'
or something alike.
Who cares?
Who cares someone is going to bed or to the toilet or whatever?
Nope I don't get it.
One says I should post, but then I think I wouldn't know what to post.
'Writing a blogpost now'? You'll see on my blog I wrote a blogpost...
'Going for food now'? Who wants to know?
'Sun is shining, good morning!' Hey do I know you stranger?
I am trying to get rid of my internet addictions... Not feeding a new one ;)
So to the Twitters, enjoy it. Me, I am gonna unsubscribe from IM, as really I didn't see anything interesting pop up until now. And frankly speaking, it takes my attention from what I was busy with. (lying in the sun ;P)
Then again, maybe I wasn't to addicted after all :)
(update: I do see advantages like for BarCamp, or other stuff, but not for all the time...)
Technorati Tags: don't get it, twitter
Posted on May 2, 2007
in Technical stuff
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Twitter and the lack of groups
I discussed with Corneel about the Twitter thing. He says it rocks. But then he also says he's annoyed by the overload of boring messages.
Meaning: the concept of Twitter is rock solid, the people spreading the messages are not always.
Or at least the relevance of the content of their messages in relation to the receiver. (Mmmm, would love to think on this one with C...)
I guess that the exact point of my problem with Twitter:
to me it isn't that relevant that Bart Netlash is going to play with his kid (no offense Bart :) ), but I guess some of his followers love to read that kind of information.
And then it comes to the friends part.
During the whole web2.0 upvival, the friends/network aspect became veryveryvery important.
You want friends, you need friends, you want to have the largest network of friends. (Check Myspace, or LinkedIn, or many others for that)
While in Twitter, friends are what they supposed to be: the closest network around. Those people who tell you they go to the toilet, and it makes you smile.
So there is this kind of interference: on the one hand you are gathering friends/network, on the other hand you think 'hey, I don't want to hear you peeing'
So do you delete these people from your list?
I think the thing I would love most and which would make me use Twitter is groups.
I don't want to post the fact that I am going to pee (ok, example can be changed now ;) ) to the whole world. But I guess joking it to a little group would make sense in a way, in a certain context they understand, knowing me, as a irl friend (and not a network-connection)
A kind of group-msn which is open all the time, different from IM/irc, irrelevant to direct contact.
In my group I'd post relevant messages.
While other stuff could be fun to post in the open.
Groups aren't available in Twitter, does this mean I have to start to delete my friends-list?
Posted on May 7, 2007
in Technical stuff
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