WarOfWrath

new location

2006-02-20T15:35:00.000-06:00

[http://linkage.wordpress.com]

I'm learning Dvorak; don't expect any new posts for a while.

Meebo Rulz!

2006-02-16T21:21:00.000-06:00

Just when I thought things couldn't get any better...

via [http://meebo.com]
Meebo members can sign into all of their IM sessions with a single ID! In the (near) future, members will also be able to save preferences (like sounds and appearances) and chat logs.

And it's completely free!

We'll be working on improving this feature in the upcoming weeks and would really appreciate your feedback. Have a suggestion or idea? Drop us a note at comments@meebo.com. Thanks!

By clicking the join! button, you agree that you have read and understand meebo's terms of service and privacy policy.

Spread the word: online messaging is now better than ever.

Squash: Help Wanted

2006-02-16T11:36:00.000-06:00

via: [http://squash.wordpress.com/2006/02/16/squash-is-recruiting-the-case-for-multi-person-blogs/]

Because I do think the most important requirement to establishing a successful multi-person blog is to use writers with similiar styles and outlooks. I’d ever-so-modestly define Squash as being thoughtful, yet irreverent critical analysis with a healthy helping of personality and satire. If you think you’d like to write similiar gear to the kinds of stories you see hear, drop me a line. If you’re writing good gear but are getting frustrated with the lack of traction your blog is getting, drop me a line. If you’re sick of the time needed to keep a blog growing and developing, drop me a line. If you’re interested in seeing how a blog can form the basis of a community or think you’d get a kick with just generally experimenting with a reasonable-sized blog, drop me a line.

How?

...philipsim at gmail.com. Point me to your blog and let’s see if we fit.

Why am I reposting this?

What I would really like is to give this every chance to work, so I’m going to ask a favour. IF YOU’VE EVER READ A PIECE ON THIS BLOG THAT YOU’VE HAD A CHUCKLE AT, OR THAT YOU’VE FOUND INTERESTING OR USEFUL THEN PLEASE THROW A LINK AT THIS POST. IF YOU’RE INTERESTED TO SEE HOW THIS EXPERIMENT WORKS OUT GIMME A LINK. IF YOU’RE A GOOD PERSON AND WOULD LIKE SOME POSITIVE KARMA, LINK ME. I’d like to throw the net as wide as I possibly can, so at least if this flops, it won’t be for lack of giving it a proper go.

another way for bloggers to waste time

2006-02-11T22:43:00.000-06:00

--just a quick note here--

Egosurf is a verb that means to query one's own name in a search engine. This dubious word now has its own particular search engine built just for the purpose of gauging "egoRank." There is a point system that combines with timing to provide descriptive adjectives like "wreck", "bust", "demigod", "stiff", "sloth", "punk", and dozens more.

Entering warofwrath as my name and warofwrath.blogspot.com as my url, I received a score of 2640 and the description "average." I can live with that.

Find your egoRank at [http://w2.egosurf.org]

Songbird; first impressions

2006-02-11T22:21:00.000-06:00

The trumpeted "Firefox of Music Players" isn't much yet, but it's too early to tell what Songbird will grow to become.

The hype is all over the blogosphere. Songbird version 0.1, the public preview release, is finally out. Everyone who thinks they are anyone has already downloaded a copy and spent hours fiddling with it. Songbird has an impressive heritage--an entrepreneurial, opensource venture based largely upon a combination of popular VideoLan and Firefox software. Creating a true "music browser" and all-in-one rival to kingpin iTunes is no mean feat.

But it isn't there yet.

Songbird promises cross-platform functioning, extensibility, and customization of every possible aspect. These things have yet to be delivered, and as planned features roll out so too will the red carpet. For your average user, non-developer, I-just-want-my-tunes consumer...for that guy Songbird is just too complex and lacking all of the promised pizazz. My advice: use iTunes, WinAmp, VLC, whatever you are comfortable with for now. Don't bother with Songbird unless you have an interest in the code. In 6 months or less Songbird might live up to the aspirations of developers and the dreams of savvy music fans. For now, it's just a large pointless piece of software with some nice affiliate links.

Still want to give Songbird an early spin? Check out [http://songbirdnest.com]

*currently listening to "Borderline" by Brad Sucks

Which File Extension Are You?

2006-02-11T17:45:00.000-06:00

I stumbled across this short, mildly entertaining, quiz today: Which File Extension Are You?

My results:

This is pretty comforting, considering that html is the only computer language that I have any proficiency at. Amateurs beware, I am html.

IM to Gmail -- speednotes

2006-02-08T21:58:00.000-06:00

Playing around with Gmail's new "Chat" menu and meebo's Jabber/Gtalk client, I discovered something interesting (well, to some Gmail user's at least).

In three short steps you can turn Meebo into an instant notepad for Gmail:

Step 1: Change a single setting, Gmail>Settings>Chat (don't forget to save changes)

Step 2: Sign onto meebo.com with your Gmail address and password (don't forget the @gmail.com part)

Step 3: Add "myaddress@gmail.com" to your Gtalk buddy list and send a message to yourself or another Gmail account you control

(Don't worry, even though meebo may say that you appear offline, your message has been sent and this is confirmed by the automatic self reply)

Unlike other forms of direct sending, the way that Gmail now interacts with Gtalk guarantees that your message will be sent almost instantaneously. You can easily add more lines to the conversation and these will be stored in the same message, until you log out. This is a great way to synthesize the storage/organization power of Gmail with the convenience of instant messaging and meebo.

Still don't have Gmail? Need more space and less spam? Email me at the example address with "Gmail invite request" in the header.

Scheduled Outage

2006-02-06T20:57:00.000-06:00

I was greeted with this friendly little message when I logged onto my Blogger dashboard:

At this rate they should just scrap the alerts and install a ticking time-bomb into the Blogger navigation bar.

Anyone out there moved blogs before? I tend to just let the old one die, but I've actually built up a slight readership here with some decently well written posts and thus am not too keen on just dropping it. I need to start looking at alternatives and methods to transfer all of my existing stuff. Wordpress is looking like a possibility...

Aggregating The Aggregator

2006-02-05T22:44:00.000-06:00

Like a snake eating its own tail into infinity, so the web consumes and regrows itself in the most fascinating ways.

Plurged [plurged.com]
From the creators of leve1 comes a memeorandum-like website that automatically pulls new content based off of popular stories on leve1.com.

The great irony occurs when one realizes that one is clicking on links provided by other content aggregators before they were posted onto leve1 and then auto-magically extracted by Plurged. In my mind Plurged could be a cross between "splash" and "splurge": one item can make a big impact, but when you add up all the ripples of multiple links you get something more. Sure, the content doesn't change when it passes from one filter to another, but the perception of that content changes and that is what I believe is important. The same NY Times story has a far different readership and generates different responses if it is published in the original paper, than if it is sold to The Star Tribune. The some concept is occurring on a massive scale with the myriad of social news/content gatherers.

More directly related to Jeromy's goal of growing leve1, "plurging" could become an integral part of leve1. Pair Plurge's automatic story-relating tool with leve1's latching feature, and suddenly a loop has been created. I would be very curious to see how well this interconnected system scales once leve1 explodes in user contributions.

Got something to say? Try CoComment.

2006-02-05T21:19:00.000-06:00

I got my beta invite a day after requesting one. The initial diagnosis: this is exactly what I've needed for months.

CoComment is a new service (still in selective beta mode) that allows comments across multiple blogs to be gathered in one spot. This is great for people like me who like to leave comments on multiple blogs. Per all things web 2.0, a user's comments can also become a blog insert and/or an RSS feed. I haven't had much chance to use it yet, but testing shows the interface to be easy enough for veteran bloggers and RSSphiles. This third-party tool functions through a bookmarklet that currently supports comment-copying from the most popular blog/journal platforms.

*currently listening to Emily Deloach's "Sailor Boy" (warning, spontaneous music)

Wikipedia Wannabees

2006-02-04T21:54:00.000-06:00

Can Frogpress and Digital Universe succeed?

Both of these sites recently came to my attention, not because they offer anything particularly novel, but because they both build upon the basic Wikipedia model of user collaboration and contribution.
Frogpress [frogpress.org]
The model of this printed paper is to harness the collective power of online users. Bloggers, journalists, and well, just about everyone with access to the internet can instantly contribute information that will be considered for Frogpress Weekly. The first printing is scheduled for March 1st and copies will be actively distributed in Rotterdam, Manchester, and Toronto. The cost for printing and servers is to be fully funded through reader/organizational donations.
Frogpress is very similar to Wikinews, except that it appears that any editing of stories will be done behind the scenes. If this becomes something successful I hope that it can spread to other cities and give the average consumer one more source for weekly news and culture.

Digital Universe [digitaluniverse.net]
Tired of all the useless trivia and unrequited rumors that plague Wikipedia? Well, apparently some people are. I've read (Tom Mighell's blog) that this project was actually co-founded by a major contributor to Wikimedia. Irony aside, this site has yet to publicly launch any of its forthcoming "information portals." These portals will be managed by specific experts, throwing out the free-for-all-wiki while still allowing the average user to edit and contribute. Whether or not online researchers and the myriad of internet surfers will latch onto this new alternative and whether or not its reception among the blogosphere will affect the formation of a "Digital Universe", well, these things are still totally unknown. My prediction: why switch to a cloistered system like this when Wikipedia is already so comprehensive and well-edited? This site will make a big splash (mostly for it's implied anti-Wikimedia mentality) as it comes online, before the novelty fades into a dim memory by the end of 2007.

As always, comments welcome.

*currently listening to the Search Engine Watch podcast
**Note** This post was delayed by about 5 hours due to massive and widespread Blogspot maintenance. It's a free service, but I still expect more from Google.

Things on the internet I don't like

2006-02-02T21:56:00.000-06:00

This could easily double in size...

Some background: I read an interesting article on a proposal for Minneapolis wifi. The article outlined Mayor Ryback's plan and included feedback from "hipsters", especially bloggers. I looked up the exact article on startribune.com, intending to link it to a post here with my feedback (I love the idea, but hope that it could be sped up to sometime before 2007). The click on a related article link, go back, click on another. But wait, now something has changed. Instead of seeing the story I see "Please register with the Star Tribune." Granted I wasn't losing anything since I had already read the full article in print, but this guerrilla-tactic of giving me the article and then demanding registration really peeved me. Besides all of this I couldn't find any relevant blog entries on Technorati concerning "Minneapolis wifi." The Star Trib is right about one thing: bloggers are hip, too hip to regularly read a paper that continually proves its awkwardness on the 'net.

The List (in no particular order):

Pointless registrations: 'nuff said
Template regurgitation: You know what I mean? those sites that look like a bunch of flashy elements were run through a blender and then cloned about 500 times over into the same predictable pattern? Yeah, I hate those.
Any type of image advertising: Is it a miscalculation to say that approximately 100% of people who buy stuff on the web can read? I don't know about the "please insert adware/spyware onto my computer market" though, such things might appeal to them
Affiliate links: similar to above, but not always advertising and usually of worse image quality. This dislike applies even to fansites. Wow, a cute button with some big text on it--what a great way to convince me to visit that link...NOT!
Cluttered interface/design: Rottentomatoes especially comes to mind. Have you ever been able to just figure out a movie's url for that website and type it in? No, they have to make it complex and offer you five ways (each usually two steps) to get to the content you want.
Advertisement pages: RT stopped this I believe (or they haven't cleared out cookies in awhile), but recently Myspace has been bothering me with these. Luckily, I have Firefox and AdBlock so I don't see a thing as I skip through.
Music that plays whenever you load a page: Great internet, why? Who came up with this monster, I want to know!?
Chat boxes: They should have labels on them "Insert cursing here" just to make their function more clear
Splogs: Spam Blogs, If you haven't encountered one yet consider yourself lucky. These things define ubiquitous and evil simultaneously.
"Top-ten Lists" on blogs ;) (this one is just a joke, in case you don't read emoticon)
Link blogs/cut-and-paste blogs: it's called Intellectual Property, and yes, it still matters
Web oriented blogs criticizing the term "Web 2.0": dare I say "hypocritical"?

That's my list, take it or make your own. Feel free to drop a comment below with your own additions if you feel that I left out something painfully obvious.

*currently listening to: Brad Sucks: Making Me Nervous

a few more reasons to choose leve1

2006-01-31T22:17:00.000-06:00

My favorite news site has recently improved, again

1) more posters--still not at Shoutwire's level, but getting there as more digg refugees arrive
2) an enhanced drop-down AJAX menu for every story (see screen shot)
3) easy "send this story" option, not to an email address but to an internal inbox that every user now has
4) more layout customization available with the "categories" being optional
5) "recommended stories" based on what you have leveled up
6) tagging and bookmarking are fully integrated
8) karma and suspiciosity
7) some excellent features are actively in the works

Firefox sidebar
friends
improvements to the framed window (perhaps built-in level up/down links)

Further reading:
[1](This Is Crap): 7 reasons why leve1 is better than digg [2]leve1, dot-Communities, and related thoughts [3]Which is better? digg or leve1?

An essay on BitTorrent

2006-01-31T20:23:00.000-06:00

Need something to read? How about this research paper that my composition teacher refuses to hand back to me after two months:

A Flood of Torrents: Can File-Sharing Change the World?
BitTorrent is a new method for exchanging files between computers. Since the invention of the personal computer and the proliferation of broadband Internet, many individuals have realized that they can't even begin to keep pace with the barrage of new ideas, technology, and trends. No one can keep pace, but with BitTorrent individuals may now download information from a website just as easily as they might read or view it; thus, the wealth of information produced everyday is several steps closer to the person who seeks it. The majority of file-sharers and those who seek to prosecute them have missed the point. Regardless of the potential for copyright-infringing abuse, BitTorrent's true potential is realized as a tool for promoting innovative technology, free speech, education, and a 21st century entertainment revolution.
BitTorrent works by breaking up a file into tiny fragments, or bits, so that it can be downloaded in pieces...
Read the full essay (free of charge, aren't I generous?)

My grade has already been determined, so any changes I make now are purely for intellectual purposes. If you enjoyed this essay (or thought it was utter dribble) feel free to send me your feedback in the comments section below. If that isn't enough to jog your brain check out sabifoo.com (my url there is http://sabifoo.com/web/msn/lovealtersnot@gmail.com)

The Google Zone

2006-01-28T21:57:00.000-06:00

Google's had a lot of tough media coverage lately, but that's no reason for users to ignore a cool new product.

If you want some news on the subject (assuming you don't already follow everything Google), read this: Trials of an internet giant

If you want to be entertained check out some of the excellent programming available at 1.99 an episode at Google Video. I can personally recommend Twilight Zone - "Where is Everybody?" (still somewhat jumpy after that last scene)

The premium selection is still somewhat limited, but expect it to grow. Google is already reselling a slew of sports games, movies, and television shows. Current shows include Charlie Rose and CSI. As with all things Google the interface is easy, the software simplistic (almost to a fault), and of course everything is conveniently searchable. If you thought downloading video from the web was difficult, you haven't tried it Google's way.

tip: for the frugal surfers out there, Google allows about 30 seconds of preview for each item in its store and has an abundance of quality free videos that can be separately searched

the best music is free music

2006-01-24T16:55:00.000-06:00

I've been spending increasing amounts of time at music sites on the web and I've finally worked out a blog entry on some of my favorites.

Gone are the days of random mp3 swapping; downloading and discovering new music is easier than the big record labels want you to know. *Warning, turn down your headphones, this is some loud stuff*

Magnatune

They really stick to their model of "We are not evil." Only select artists are signed to this modern label that is willing to split profits 50/50 and forfeit DRM for the consumer backstabbing that it is.

Jamendo

Move over legaltorrents, this is one case were focus matters. The motto this time is "Open Your Ears." To what? The astounding quality of a wide array of freely licensed music. Jamendo already has an established community review/tagging system in place so that users can quickly find music matching a specific style, region, or other criteria. P2P distribution methods make for an incredibly fast delivery system and allows this site to scale with the increasing interest for free and legal music.

WebJay

Recently acquired by Yahoo, WebJay is the place where anyone can be an internet disc-jockey. I've described it elsewhere as "social bookmarking meets streaming music." Although some tracks are available for download, WebJay's true value is it's tight integration with RSS. Find a user with similar tastes and keep up with new music they like, or just browse the charts to find out what sound is hot.

Music-only podcasts

Want to discover great music but don't have the time to look for it? Get reviews and previews shipped straight to your desktop with these (personally) recommended music podcasts:

Indiesh: Remixing Pop Culture
IndiePodcasting.com - Indie Music for the Masses (separate feeds per genre)
CC Mixter (for the more open-minded, vocals tend to be warped in favor of amazing electronic instrument overlays)

Not into downloading; enjoy commercial breaks?

Try internet radio. All you need is a computer, a media player, and high-speed access (well, speakers don't hurt either).

*currently listening to Cello Song by Lisa DeBenedictis

4 Questions for the Gmail team

2006-01-20T10:54:00.000-06:00

Gmail just released a great new feature!...a delete button

Question 1: why is it taking the Gmail team so long to roll out new features? Most people are not going to notice or care that Gmail adds one new tiny feature that was already available through Greasemonkey. This isn't even a feature really, it's simply a change in layout. Web Clips was a new feature, but one that most users had to wait months for while it was being tweaked. And Gmail Mobile, well that was useful, but like the delete button there already were third-party solutions.

Question 2: when is Gmail going to leave beta? Instead of focusing on these "new" features wouldn't it make more sense for Google to clear up the down-time issues that so many users have complained of? Why not work harder on translation and interoperability so that Gmail can finally leave its extended stay in beta? They've had time to test and millions of people have used it and given reams of feedback (at least a half-dozen google-groups dedicated to Gmail). It needs to be brushed up and shown off with a nice link from the Google homepage.

Question 3: when is a pro version coming? Yahoo has one, MSN has one, why not Google? The bigger issue for Google is not competition but ad-revenue. With the rise of Firefox being avidly supported by Google, it would make sense that Eric Schmidt begin thinking about the eventual day when browsers using CustomizeGoogle start having an effect on ad-revenue. So far, the only solution has been to insert adds into the Web Clips bar atop the inbox. Considering that most anyone can figure out Gmail's instructions to remove said bar, this is really no solution at all. Either Gmail will have to break the Firefox extension(s) and risk losing a huge bastion of support, or the team will have to come up with some other way of generating revenue from those users.

Question 4: since reopening the webmail market, can Gmail survive the competition? Of course millions (myself included) will remain loyal Googlers, but I can't speak for everyone. When I look at services like Yahoo's new mail beta , Inbox.com , and Webmail.us , I seriously wonder what the future market share of Gmail will be. While it definetely had an advantage over initial competition, more businesses are understanding and adapting Google's model to their own needs.

Anyone think that they know the answers to these questions? Am I way off base? Comment here and let me know what you think.

PS: thanks for another bookmark, this one from del.icio.us user zooper

Updates, updates, updates

2006-01-16T17:17:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy week in the world of Web 2

WRITELY.COM (web word processor)

switch to DHTML windows
layout revamp--far more compact but as an early adopter it will take some getting used to
RSS feeds are back with a disclaimer on privacy
enhanced right-mouse-click options (or I just didn't notice them before)

NETVIBES.COM (customizable ajax homepage)

minor tweaks to rss feeds and todo lists
blogmarks module
del.icio.us module

LEVE1.COM (social news site) (previous posts)

images
now have leveling
their own page
a larger view enabled
user forum--a very simplistic bulletin board
karma (mine is hovering above 100)
bookmarks revamped (but no more del.icio.us export ::tear:: ) - update, this feature is back and being used by several levelers
customized rss feeds
more ajaxian goodness allowing easy access to frame view and tagging

check out this ironic posting on digg: (This Is Crap): 7 reasons why leve1 is better than digg

*special linkage goes out to illegal_op for being the first del.icio.us user (besides myself) to bookmark WarOfWrath IV

*currently listening to 5 Star Fall by Fluid

Technology, bad for music appreciation?

2006-01-12T04:07:00.000-06:00

Music downloading creates listener apathy (BreitBart.com)

I would like to agree with certain points of this article, as the devaluation of music does correspond to similar historical events (books, artwork, drama). However, there just aren't enough facts gathered here to assert the viewpoint that "our relationship to music in everyday life may well be complex and sophisticated, but it is not necessarily characterised by deep emotional investment". This article is a perfect example of how not to conduct journalism--one side and one source.

For a more pertinent piece of news try: Magnatune Reaches Out to Commercial Podcasters (emediawire.com)

The music isn't dead, it's simply reaching a broader audience. As long as some consumers are willing to be selective, culture will thrive. The transition from live performance to instant playback has been an interesting road, but certainly not the spontaneous shift it is often made out to be. (see Wikipedia for more)

*currently listening to Lisa DeBenedictis: "Girl and Supergirl"

What I Learned About the Web in '05

2006-01-07T00:36:00.000-06:00

This post is a tad late, but only because I hadn't settled on a decent topic for my 2005 list. So here it is, The Top Five Things I Learned About the Web In 2005:

1) Open Source rules the free world, the developing world, and everything in between. I've always been a fan of the inexpensive (off-brand Cola anyone?) but this year I was introduced to the open source model when I investigated the linux behind my dad's server.
2) Firefox is the only way to browse. I haven't tried everything, but I've tried enough and read enough about browsing this year to know that when you want stability, speed, security, and functionality in your internet, you want Firefox. This is the true open source miracle, a product that was able to make millions of people see the web in a clearer light. A little much you say? Don't knock it till you've tried it.
3) You can find anything here. Wikipedia, Metafilter, Digg, Slashdot, Del.icio.us, Google Maps, Technorati, CiteULike...People who complain about search engines (especially one that starts with a G, ends in e) need to wake up. There are so many ways to find everything, literally everything that is on the web for free, legally, illegally, or for some sort of subscription. Information of all formats exists here and I hope that in 2006 other people start realizing this fact instead of assuming that watching the occasional special on Discovery makes them educated.
4) Internet news is addictive. Where do I go when I want to know about a current event? The question for me has become "where do I not go?". searching the newest news articles has never been easier. Besides the prolific blogosphere, there is Google News, the techy triad of Digg, Slashdot, Shoutwire (not yet including leve1.com in this list), Reuters, Wired, and a plethora of solid brick-and-mortar sites that are smart enough to not require registration.
5) Feeds are fun. My favorite readers this year are both web-based: RssFwd.com and Gmail's Webclips. I now use RSS in some way every day. The standard introduction to feed technology can be found at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rss.

Metasearch Meets Blogging

2006-01-03T19:53:00.000-06:00

Talkdigger has become my new favorite blogsearch. As a blogger and frequent ego-surfer I love seeing myself in the search results. Talkdigger is one more search option that comes with all the usual features...and then some.

A word to the wise, Talkdigger isn't a keyword-based search. Instead the searcher inputs a URL of interest and finds out the most relevant conversation on that link. Considering how much revolves around linking in the blogosphere and the 'net in general, this is a genius way to approach searching. If this were all that made Talkdigger special I wouldn't be bothering to write this post, after all, why not just use Technorati or Google Blog Search that have the same feature? Don't bother. With Talkdigger you can search them both and more in the blink of an eye. Searchers also have the ability to easily customize search settings in truly useful ways, further prioritizing the rich metadata that Talkdigger makes available.

Blog enthusiasts and rss-addicts rejoice; this one is for you.

leve1 gets the picture

2006-01-02T00:21:00.000-06:00

Check this out:

we're implementing a new feature that will allow users with a total score of 10 or above to post images with their stories. in the future these images will work on the same leveling system as stories and comments: too many votes to level down and the image will be deleted from the database.

I posted the first one that can be found, for now, here: http://www.leve1.com/index.php?q=2

see previous posts : #2 and #3

Can't get that on iTunes

2006-01-01T19:47:00.000-06:00

I've been buying albums from an excellent online music store recently. I found Magnatune through an unlinked reference in a blog comment somewhere on the net. I can't believe that I didn't find it before.
Today I recieved an email that gives one more reason to stick with them over iTunes or Rhapsody:

Hi there -

I just wanted to write a quick personal "thank you," for buying all
three of
my albums! I hope you enjoy them.

Happy New Year!
-Lisa

Lisa DeBenedictis
http://lisadebenedictis.com


Thank you Lisa; I am enjoying them. Thanks also to Magnatune.com for creating a selective yet open-minded label.

Customer satisfaction: it is that simple.

The Ultimate Technorati Tool

2005-12-30T19:02:00.000-06:00

Have you ever searched Technorati and said to yourself "what is that language?" An increasing amount of content on Technorati's main search is coming from Asian and European bloggers. The usual reaction might just be to click the "English" option under the language drop down menu. This is not only tedious, it is stupid. Don't these bloggers deserve to have their opinions heard?
Enter, a brand-spanking-new tool from the creator of my favorite rss aggregator: The Try-Anslator
The real beauty of this app is that it does not require the user to know the language that they want to translate from, just the language that they want to translate it into. The Try-Anslator uses Google's translation tool to give a rough meaning, and reveals what language was translated into the user's native tongue (currently English, Chinese, Korean, Porteugese, Spanish, German, French, Italian, and Japanese are the supported outputs).

Like podcasts? Try Ziepod.

2005-12-27T23:29:00.000-06:00

Podcasting is still a relatively new medium. Thus, there are not too many options in how one can organize and listen to subscribed podcasts:

plug into any rss reader and individually download the desired audio files based on scanty descriptions that may or may not accompany each feed item
make weekly checks to your favorite podcasting websites
use iTunes and worship Steve Jobs
use Juice/iPodder and worship open source software

But now, there is another way to enjoy your favorite audio mix of commercialism and culture: Ziepod.
This nifty little player packs a lot of punch. It is free, but copyrighted, so no derivative works or plugins to confuse people. Also, as a showcase product it strives to be "cool." It achieves this effect be creating a user-interface far superior to Juice's blandness (I can't speak for iTunes, comments welcome) and far more convenient than mixing audio and text feeds. There are actually four distinct ways to arrange the features packed into Ziepod:

Deskbar mode
Player mode
Column mode
Fullview mode

I personally prefer the last as it lets me easily view the date, time, and other info of items within a selected feed.
Ziepod is unique in that it functions solely as a podcast viewer and player, neither more nor less. Like other options one can import and export OPML lists of feeds and use the software itself to locate feeds of interest. One major advantage over Juice (and I assume iTunes would have the same issue) is that by default no episodes are downloaded and I can stream any episode (quite smoothly too) through Ziepod. This lets me save both space and time.
The overall delivery of Ziepod seems to be directed towards the more non-technical users. The main site contains the usual trite "introduction to podcasting" and easy instructions for downloading and installation. At each first use of every mode, a little pop-up gives a diagram on what each button does. The main controls are intuitive and experienced users will certainly notice the plethora of options hidden under the "Preferences" menu. I'll give it a few more weeks, but currently it has impressed me far more than Juice and given me another reason to not bother downloading the iTunes software.
Still don't believe me? Straight from the horses mouth: The Top Ten Reasons to Recommend Ziepod

Sponit Goes Public

2005-12-26T14:21:00.000-06:00

I recieved this email today from a Blake Woodard:

We launched http://www.sponit.com to the public today. We hope you'll visit and post something...

Please tell your friends about us and let us know if you encounter any problems!

Happy Holidays,
The sponit Team

I tried Sponit while it was in pre-release beta and it impressed me with the amount of random content I could find there. This has got to be one of the funnest ways to waste time on the web. Be creative, be silly, or just sit back and watch everyone else do those things. There are few words to describe it, so try it out for yourself , or wait until TechCrunch updates their profile.

---->my spons<----

Search of the Week #1

2005-12-24T00:06:00.000-06:00

Goal: To locate an alternative to my Juice/iPodder PC-based podcast player
Engine: Google
Query: "podcast player" -juice -ipodder
Result: three apparently relevant links on the first page
Success? Yes, with Ziepod I found exactly what I was looking for, no other options discovered

leve1 beats the dupes

2005-12-23T19:30:00.000-06:00

I blogged about leve1 in my previous post . Now, one more feature sets this site apart from the crowd. Stories now include the option of being "latched", that is connected to a new story. One common complaint of sites like digg and Shoutwire is the occurrence of duplicate entries. Both of these sites employ a drop-down menu where duped stories can be marked as such. But how does one differentiate a dupe from a legitimate news story that is advancing a current article? Typically a comment war ensues and the story either continues to ascend or receives enough "this is a dupe" marks to be pulled off the main page. The genius is that leve1's system supports cooperation among similar stories, rather than brutal competition. It actually encourages users to build upon a topic of interest, by recognizing that differing views can coexist and that new information is always coming online.
So what are you waiting for? Get latching!

sick of digg? try leve1

2005-12-19T23:31:00.000-06:00

-The new newest news in social news-gathering-

Leve1 (as in Level 1) is an obvious clone of the popular tech news site digg.com. If, like me, you've gotten fed up with the inane commentary and iPod obsession that plagues digg, you might enjoy the atmosphere at leve1. Currently there aren't more than 50 registered members. This means that new users have an excellent chance to make their mark.
The smallness does have its drawbacks. The response time to newly-posted stories can be a bit slow, but on average a popular story on leve1 can move up much quicker than an excellent digg. This is due to the sites only "claim to fame": the level system. There are three levels for stories, 1, 2, 3. All stories start at level 2 and can either be leveled up to level 1 or, down to level 3. Every demerit and promotion is recorded, unlike digg where down-grading is largely anonymous. Stories also receive a weighted score so that the longer a story stays up and the more votes it recieves, the more difficult it is to sway it in the opposite direction.

My stories on leve1

My New Blog

2005-12-19T17:12:00.000-06:00

I swear, this is my last one! Who am I? I am warofwrath, or Kenneth Jr, take your pick. I'll fill out my profile page later to explain the difference. I created this blog after typo-ing the address of my current blog and discovering that warofwrath.blogspot.com was not taken. This blog was created for three other reasons as well:
1) I do not consider myself a "digg fan" anymore, although I still read the feed via Web Clips
2) WordPress is cool, but it will never be as cool as Blogger
3) I must avenge the death of my last Blogger blog: News-Hack
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Current annoyances: del.icio.us has been down for at least 24 hours and I have over 600 bookmarks stored there. On the plus side, I have almost all of them backed up in Gmail, thanks to RssFwd