Wednesday 17 September 2008

Typing speed

According to Facebook typing speed app, I'm "blazing fast" at 92wpm. Now you might ask - "what accurary?" The answer to that particular question might also surprise you. But then again - maybe it won't. 100% accuracy at 92wpm is not particularly impressive for an every-day internet user. But according to this same app, I'm faster than 96% of Facebook. That's quite a large segment of the population, even if you remember that the user had to install the app to be rated in the listings, and therefore the percentage rank.

Catholic Matching

Now this is a site for all the Catholics out there. If you're tired of trying to meet people on other sites and encountering countless problems, maybe you should try out catholic Dating for a change. The main advantage of it as opposed to other similar sites is the demographic range - it's much more likely to be suited to your needs, if you are looking for a site like this.

Old Computers

Like many others, I am faced with the problem of having far too many old computers resting in my shed. I have at least 5 of them, many missing parts or containing faulty parts. And yet I can't bring myself to throw them away. One of these days I'll take them out, look at them and see they're worthless, and probably sell them as antiques by that time! The oldest system is a pre-pentium model, so they're already pretty rare. Most people have just thrown out any computers as old as that - which is what I should have done long ago!

More Public Records!

Divorce Records are become more and more prevalent today in searching public records. Unfortunately there has been an increasing number of divorces, especially in America. You can search the public records and along with births, deaths and marriages, divorces may come up. Use this site to search the divorce records by name, address, post code, state and more.

Seamless Remote Desktop for Linux

Does anyone know how to connect to a Windows RDP server from Linux, and create a seamless integration between the two (window managers)? I have had a look at VirtualDesktop, rdesktop, SeamlessRDP but can't figure out how to work them. I know it sounds silly, but I can't work out which goes on Windows, which on Linux, where you should stick the IP address - the documentation seems to be made for people that already know what they're doing!

Tuesday 16 September 2008

Stuff

What kind of stuff do police get? tactical pants. These are tough and cheap - just the thing for a busy policeman. Some people think our lives are being made easier by technology today, but that doesnt neccessarily apply to the police. They still have to do a fair bit of rough, tough, on-the-job stuff. These clothes are perfect for situations like this as well as office work.

Sunday 14 September 2008

Blacks Chat

If you're black, and you wanna chat, chances are you'd like to take a look at the new Black Chat Rooms. There's quite a bit to see, including live video chat, all of which is free to register for. Meet and chat with other blacks, share interests, projects and life experience. You might even make those business contact's you've been looking for - they dont' all use LinkedIn!

Time vs Money

Time vs Money - that is the question. For sure, one can spend a heap of time doing a job for yourself, but is it really worth the small saving in money? Usually not. Usually you could have earned far more in the time you spend doing it yourself. But then there's the question of experience. Was it more enjoyable to do it yourself? Did you find the experience valuable? Are you likely to need those skills sometime in the future? These are all questions that I have to ask myself when blogging and completing other computer activities - what's the cost of outsourcing, vs the advantages of doing it yourself.

Meet People, Share Stuff

Emo Chat Rooms are a great place to meet new friends and share stuff with them. It's got features like live video chat - and best of all, it's free! No more paying huge fees to connect with people - this website does it all for you, and in quite an advanced way. So long as you have available bandwidth for video streaming, the skies the limit.

Linux in the mainstream

Some people say that Linux isn't in the mainstream. That it isn't known to a great many people. I tend to disagree. Of course, it's not as widespread as Windows. Everyone agrees with that. But more and more libraries for example are offering free Ubuntu CDs, spreading the love through means of education. And the popularity of the eePC and other mini-laptops have helped as well to spread the concept of a light-weight linux distro as an alternative to Windows. In fact, I have met quite a few people recently who have been asking about Linux as they hear it is "the best OS".

Jewish chat

I've just found a new site dedicated to providing the perfect place for Jewish Chat online. They've got a pretty good feature set, including live video chat. A great place to meet and share with others online. You could then continue to use the features provided onsite or move to another hosted solution such as MSN for your interaction - it's up to you.

Late night experiences

I know there has been a lot of scientific research done into the concept of staying up late at night, but I'd like to get you're opinions too as users of the internet and blogdom in general. Do you find that staying up late improves your concentration? Or the opposite? Are you more cranky during the day after a late night, or more amiable? Post your responses here or email them to me.

Friday 12 September 2008

Public Records Database

One of the most sought-after uses for the internet, in my opinion, is public records resources. Nowdays noone wants to go down to their local library and browse through old archives and books to find out the information they are searching for. Far more convenient is the new option - find national or county public records online.

You can research marriage and divorce records, birth and death records, business information, property records, court and criminal public records, links to employment searches, unemployment benefits and more. It's absoulutely luxury after having spent an afternoon down at your library, as anyone who's been through that experience will know.

The state of Android

I honestly can't wait to get my hands on Android, Google's latest offering in the mobile arena. The interface itself is nothing revolutionary - after all, the iPhone is wonderful in terms of it's GUI. What excites me about Android is the openness of it. The whole platform is open-sourced, meaning that we're not going to have any of the restrictions previously imposed by money-hungry monopolists.

That's not to say that it won't be secure. Of course security measures are built in, and all the apps run on a Java VM. But the owner of the device will have far more control, and if a provider decides to lock you out of particular options - well, rest assured that someone will have a hack available to fix it!

Find out about people - today

I've often wanted to look up some local public records, but not wanted to go down to the local library. Do you feel the same? If so, you might want to check out this site. It's a complete US Public Records search engine. The interface is actually quite clean and uncluttered - an improvement over many public records sites that I've seen recently.

Thursday 11 September 2008

Google and Privacy

Just thought I'd add my thoughts on the Google privacy controversy. Google has certainly made a good stand with their new 9-month anonymization process. Whether they were forced to or not is irrelevant - the key is that consumers are concerned about their privacy, and Google has actively responded to this need by reducing their logs substantially. It's not that long ago that they kept logs for 24-months! I personally like to see this happening before it's brought to a court of law - unlike Microsoft's standard process.

Tattoo Lovers

If you've ever felt lonely because of your tattoos, or have been looking for a place to meet others with similar interests, maybe you should check out Tattooed Match. It's a place to meet and chat with others. You can quickly and easily sign up with the online form, making getting started a snap. If you give it a try, leave some feedback here so I can tell others about your experiences!

Android

Only a week now until the first android device, the HTC "Dream" is released! Although the initial specs of this machine are nothing really impressive, it's Android's first chance to show it's worth. You could call it a "beta" run, but in a live market, with lot's and lot's of competitors watching. And the great thing is - it should be free to upgrade Android whenever you want to - no more "you've got Windows Mobile 5, I've got 6 so I'm better than you" kind of talk - everyone can upgrade their OS - or even customize it if you have the time and knowlege!

Wednesday 10 September 2008

Domain Marketplace

Netfleet - Australian Domain Marketplace. It's the latest craze. The domain marketplace in Australia is now open to all, so anyone can buy a domain that is already registered by someone else (with that someone's consent of course!) Do you want to register cloudcomputing.com.au but it's already taken? Look no further. You can place a bid for this and thousands of other domains at NetFleet. The prices are quite reasonable, and there's every resource available for help understanding the process if you can't quite get it.

Monday 8 September 2008

Man: What is Woman?

LOL! Here's what you get when you try to use Linux to find out what a woman is.
man --whatis woman
woman: nothing appropriate.

Thursday 4 September 2008

Lookup those prank calls!

Ever wanted to find out who those pesky prank callers were? You can use the new Phone Lookup Registry as a step along that path, among many other uses. It's basically a complete US phone registry, including mobile and landline lookups, with segmented search by state, or by phone number. There aren't many features you could think of including in a phone search website, but all of them are in this! I'd recommend checking it out - try looking up your friends, or even yourself. It's sometimes scary what you will find!

Chrome-ating the Web Browser

We all knew it would happen. Google has just announced their own browser - Google Chrome.
Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier
At least, that's the spin on the homepage. I don't think this browser is very revolutionary, except for in the mobile area. It will certainly do well on Android. But they've done the right thing by open-sourcing it.