Short version blurb about search engines: google's an index, yahoo is a directory. Go to google when you want to learn more about a subject, yahoo when you want to find specific information on something you already know about.
Today a 3rd contender has launched: cuil (pronounced "cool"... thank you web 2.0 phonetics). They're deal is that they index, too, but the results are presented in a "magazine" layout. The page is meant to be read left-to-right instead of top-to-bottom, and they wedge in images from the sites that the blurb they show you came from.
From my quick survey of it, it looks interesting and has the potential to fill in the 'research' niche. Let's you quickly browse through pages and figure out what's relevant and what isn't. Also, they're supposedly focusing more on the content of the page instead of page rank for their search results, so the idea is that you're more likely to get pages about the subject your looking for rather than 50 copies of some SEO's honeytrap site designed around getting you to click on a banner ad.
Cuil's also saying they won't be tracking user histories, which raises the question of "just how do they expect to monetize and subsequently profit of their search engine?"
Will be interesting to see how it works out. Don't think it'll replace google, but it's nice to have some options.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
so much for android
Back before The Crash(tm) on the older blag, I had a post about how I was interested in Google's Android platform. Based on Linux, Java APIs for hardware access, and some neat abstraction for stuff like location (can use either geolocation off of wifi network, builtin GPS transcievers, etc)... what wasn't to love?
Except for the fact that it was software without any hardware behind it. Originally, we were supposed to see phones in Q308, but that's starting to look like it'll slip. Providers are being jackasses because they don't want free messaging via XMPP to cut into the if-they-had-a-gun-it'd-be-robbery pricing on SMS. Phone manufacturers are balking at some of the requirements.
And now we find out Google's only issuing updated SDKs to the 50 participants of their Android Development Challenge.
So, nuts to that... It's gonna be the same story, different kernel as all the other phones. Time to give up and snag an iPhone. :)
Except for the fact that it was software without any hardware behind it. Originally, we were supposed to see phones in Q308, but that's starting to look like it'll slip. Providers are being jackasses because they don't want free messaging via XMPP to cut into the if-they-had-a-gun-it'd-be-robbery pricing on SMS. Phone manufacturers are balking at some of the requirements.
And now we find out Google's only issuing updated SDKs to the 50 participants of their Android Development Challenge.
So, nuts to that... It's gonna be the same story, different kernel as all the other phones. Time to give up and snag an iPhone. :)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
dr. horrible is live
Finally got a chance to watch Act I of Dr. Horrible after the site was hosed earlier today.
S'good.
The actors do a good job of selling their emotions and the writing is pretty clever.
I definitely hope this goes on for more than just the 1 episode. :) Can't wait for Act II on Thursday.
S'good.
The actors do a good job of selling their emotions and the writing is pretty clever.
I definitely hope this goes on for more than just the 1 episode. :) Can't wait for Act II on Thursday.
Friday, July 11, 2008
O_o napster support is pretty awesome
2 posts ago, I used Napster as an example of my main beef with DRM: when the provider can't (or won't) authenticate your access anymore, you lose the content and thus you're renting it instead of buying it.
I just got an email from Napster's support team with instructions on how to fix the problem and who to contact if it doesn't work out.
What's amazing is that the previous entry was the only place I'd mentioned the problem... I hadn't created a ticket or anything because I wasn't really concerned with recovering the music. They just found the post, figured out my account and the tracks, setup a ticket, and sent me instructions. Within 2 days.
That's some pretty fscking impressive customer service, fellahs. :)
I just got an email from Napster's support team with instructions on how to fix the problem and who to contact if it doesn't work out.
What's amazing is that the previous entry was the only place I'd mentioned the problem... I hadn't created a ticket or anything because I wasn't really concerned with recovering the music. They just found the post, figured out my account and the tracks, setup a ticket, and sent me instructions. Within 2 days.
That's some pretty fscking impressive customer service, fellahs. :)
let me tell you about my boat
I ran across this story about some folks who apparently haven't learned anything from the Jaws movies (great white sightings + kids regattas = bad news). Eric suggested that I blog about it so I could retain my status as intarweb shark attack expert, but I'm kind of over that.
Instead, here's a video clip from the making of The Life Aquatic by Seu Jorge covering David Bowie's "Life on Mars" for a scene. In Portugese. He shows up in the background doing this a lot in the movie, and it adds a nice sense of surreality to it when you hear something familiar but kind of "alien".
Plus it sounds pretty cool.
Without any further jaw jacking:
Instead, here's a video clip from the making of The Life Aquatic by Seu Jorge covering David Bowie's "Life on Mars" for a scene. In Portugese. He shows up in the background doing this a lot in the movie, and it adds a nice sense of surreality to it when you hear something familiar but kind of "alien".
Plus it sounds pretty cool.
Without any further jaw jacking:
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
back on steam, but the account is empty
Purely digital distribution is nice for a lot of reasons, but the one drawback is huge.
In 2005, I purchased the album "With Teeth" from Napster for $11. Cheaper than buying the CD, but it was great in that 1) it allowed me to make an impulse purchase, and 2) I was able to get the music on my workstation (where I listen to about 95% of music). The drawback was that it was DRM encrypted and that now, 3 years later on a different PC, Napster has "forgotten" that I purchased the album and thus I no longer have access to the tunes -- unlike purchasing a CD, I merely ended up renting the music for a couple of years.
Same deal with Steam. It's an awesome content distribution system that has grown a huge library of available games and has gotten to the point now where you almost have to wonder if Valve is making more money as an online vendor than they did as a game developer. I purchased Half-Life 2 off of Steam the night it was released and was able to play the game within less time than if I'd jumped in the truck and driven to Wal-Mart for some 2am shopping.
The only problem is that now, 3 years later, I have an mild interest in replaying part of the game but am out of luck because I forgot the clever username/password combo, and don't remember what anti-spam address I gave them during registration time. From a self-help perspective, there's no way to recover the account. I don't have a CD and thus no CD key to use. Fortunately, the fact that I thought about all this before consciously making the decision to purchase (I guess "rent" is a better word now) the game and that this was the only game on the old Steam account have made it fairly painless to walk away from.
But it does give me a moment's pause when considering spending $20 on other casual games they have for sale there.
In 2005, I purchased the album "With Teeth" from Napster for $11. Cheaper than buying the CD, but it was great in that 1) it allowed me to make an impulse purchase, and 2) I was able to get the music on my workstation (where I listen to about 95% of music). The drawback was that it was DRM encrypted and that now, 3 years later on a different PC, Napster has "forgotten" that I purchased the album and thus I no longer have access to the tunes -- unlike purchasing a CD, I merely ended up renting the music for a couple of years.
Same deal with Steam. It's an awesome content distribution system that has grown a huge library of available games and has gotten to the point now where you almost have to wonder if Valve is making more money as an online vendor than they did as a game developer. I purchased Half-Life 2 off of Steam the night it was released and was able to play the game within less time than if I'd jumped in the truck and driven to Wal-Mart for some 2am shopping.
The only problem is that now, 3 years later, I have an mild interest in replaying part of the game but am out of luck because I forgot the clever username/password combo, and don't remember what anti-spam address I gave them during registration time. From a self-help perspective, there's no way to recover the account. I don't have a CD and thus no CD key to use. Fortunately, the fact that I thought about all this before consciously making the decision to purchase (I guess "rent" is a better word now) the game and that this was the only game on the old Steam account have made it fairly painless to walk away from.
But it does give me a moment's pause when considering spending $20 on other casual games they have for sale there.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
depressing thought for the day
A lot of hay has been made that President Bush has a low approval rating, shedding 9 percentage points since January 2007 and hitting a current low of 32%.
Now the congress critters have hit single digit approval ratings. Yes, they're at 9%.
That's bad enough by itself.
But keep in my mind that both of the candidates from the major US policital parties that are up for election this year are, indeed, Senators and thus members of that 9% bunch.
Now the congress critters have hit single digit approval ratings. Yes, they're at 9%.
That's bad enough by itself.
But keep in my mind that both of the candidates from the major US policital parties that are up for election this year are, indeed, Senators and thus members of that 9% bunch.
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