Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Compare Google Suggest Results Visually

Source: http://www.labnol.org/internet/compare-google-suggest-results/12544/

Google Suggest is one of the most interesting and useful features of Google. As you type words in the Google search box, it will try to guess what you are looking for and offer suggestions in real-time.

While we don’t know how exactly Google Suggest works, it does offer a peek into what others are asking or looking for on the web.

Google Suggest

For instance, type “how to” in the Google search box and you’ll instantly know that loads of people are looking for information to “how to tie a tie” and “how to lose weight fast”. Google Suggest can also help you understand what others think of a particular product or service. Try the phrase “facebook is” in the search box and you’ll know what people generally think of Facebook.

Google offers search suggestions in a plain drop-down but if you are looking to compare Google Suggest results in a more visual manner, check out Web Seer – this again works as-you-type but the interesting part is that with Web Seer, you can also compare query suggestions for two different phrases.

Here’s an example comparing Facebook and Twitter. Lot of people seem to agree on one these – these networks are a “waste of time.”

Opinion of Twitter and Facebook

The arrow thicknesses in the visualization is an indicator of the number of web pages that are in Google’s index for that query.

The next visualization compares public opinion about Chrome and Firefox according to Google Suggest. The common problem is “speed.”

Firefox and Google Chrome

Compare Google Suggest Results Visually

Originally published at Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal.

When You Have Just One Computer for the Whole Classroom

Source: http://www.labnol.org/software/one-computer-classroom/12572/

Schools in developing economies often have limited resources and students are therefore required to work together on the same computer which may not always offer the best learning experience.

One Computer, Multiple Mice

To help schools get the most out of their limited computing budgets, Microsoft has developed a new software platform called MultiPoint that allows multiple students in a classroom to interact with a single computer simultaneously using their own mouse.

As part of the MultiPoint platform, Microsoft recently released a free software add-in for PowerPoint -- Mouse Mischief -- that would let teachers create interactive presentations with True/False or Multiple Choice questions. When you play these slides on a computer screen (or a projector), the entire classroom can answer the questions using just their own mice.

With Microsoft Mischief, you can quickly create interactive presentations. Your slides can include images which will make your quiz all the more fun for small children. Student can even choose their own avatars using the mouse.

As the teacher progresses through the presentation slides, the students can select the answers of their choice. This is all done in a language-neutral manner, so the software can easily be used in classrooms around the world.

Mouse Mischief for Families

Mouse Mischief is not just for schools with limited resources. Even if classrooms have multiple computers, this software can help teachers get all the students interact together on the same screen. Parents can create quick presentations to help kids practice their homework or you could make interactive game show style quizzes and the whole family can join in!

The current release of Mouse Mischief will only run on Office 2007 and is not compatible with Office 2010. That means you cannot create new quizzes and presentations on computers that are not running Office 2007 but you can still install the player to playback Mouse Mischief presentations on any computer, including one that don’t have Office installed.

Mouse Mischief only supports USB corded or cordless mice; PS2 mice are not recognized by the Mouse Mischief player. Additionally, it does not support videos, transitions, or animations in slides.

Mouse Mischief is one of the many applications that have been created for the classroom using the MultiPoint Mouse SDK. There are couple of other interesting applications like the Amazing Concert that would let students play music together using visual music instruments. For an overview of the research behind Mouse Mischief and the ways it is already being used in education, check this case study.

This is a video demo of a related product -- MultiPoint Server -- that allows multiple users to simultaneously share one computer using their own keyboard and mouse. In case of MultiPoint, students use a single PC display but here, they have their own dumb terminals connected to a single computer.

When You Have Just One Computer for the Whole Classroom

Originally published at Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal.

Why Job Seekers Should Worry About Their Online Reputation

Source: http://www.labnol.org/internet/online-reputation-important-for-jobs/12582/

If you are looking for a job or are a potential job-seeker, be very careful of what you write or share online because HR departments and recruitment professionals are scanning tweets, blog posts, photos, and other online profiles of job candidates before offering them positions.

Why Online Reputation Management is Important

Around 70% of hiring managers in in US have rejected candidate just because of their online reputation. The chart looks at the various types of online information that have led companies to reject candidates.

Why Companies Reject Candidates

Tomorrow is Data Privacy Day and this research (download PPT) was originally commissioned by Microsoft as part of the same initiative.

Other than Microsoft, Google, Intel, AT&T are also part of the Data Privacy Day group. You should also check their site as it contains some excellent resources on how companies, students and parents can better protect their online information.

Why Job Seekers Should Worry About Their Online Reputation

Originally published at Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal.

Watch Bollywood Movies on YouTube

Source: http://www.labnol.org/internet/watch-bollywood-movies-on-youtube/12593/

Some great news for movie buffs.

You can watch some of the popular Bollywood movies on YouTube for free using this page. These are full-length videos so you can just connect your computer to the TV screen, grab a snack and watch movies from the couch with your family.

The collection is currently limited to Hindi movies from film producers like Shemaroo Entertainment, Rajshri and UltraHindi. And like most other YouTube videos, you can embed these movies on your site as well.

For example, here’s one of my favorite Bollywood movie -- Sarkar (the Indian version of The Godfather starring Amitabh Bachchan). I can watch this movie anytime, anywhere as long as I have an Internet connection.

The movies are available in both High Quality and Standard Quality versions. For a list of full-length English movies that are currently available for viewing on YouTube, go to this page. Thanks Brajeshwar for the tip.

Watch Bollywood Movies on YouTube

Originally published at Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal.

Chrome 4 Supports Greasemonkey Userscripts Without an Extension [Userscripts]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/29-ouNnlh3w/chrome-4-supports-greasemonkey-userscripts-without-an-extension

The Greasemonkey extension has long been one of our favorite tools for Firefox, allowing us to bend the web to our will with light and simple scripts written in JavaScript. Now most Greasemonkey scripts work in Chrome, no extension required.

In fact, when you install a userscript in Chrome, it actually installs as though it's a regular old extension. That means, as the original Greasemonkey developer and Google employee Aaron Boodman points out on the official Chromium Blog, that Chrome users now have roughly 40,000 more extensions to add to the list.

Some scripts won't work with Chrome just yet because of differences between Firefox and Chrome, but it looks like that number is somewhere around 15-20%. Not bad, Chrome. It's getting more and more tempting to consider Chrome as a viable Firefox alternative every day.

The improved support for userscripts should work on any Chrome version over 4, which includes the stable version on Windows and both of the beta versions on OS X and Linux. If you'd like to try out a few good userscripts—for Chrome or Firefox—our list of the top 10 Greasemonkey user scripts is a good place to get started.

40,000 More Extensions! [Chromium Blog]

Turn Your Monitor Into a Touchscreen That Can Detect 16 Fingers, Using a Polymer Film [Touchscreen]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/DxFlBbitZMM/turn-your-monitor-into-a-touchscreen-that-can-detect-16-fingers-using-a-polymer-film

What if you could convert the monitor you're looking at right now into a touchscreen? Sounds crazy, but the Portuguese company Displax has created a polymer film that can do just that, for up to 120-inch screens.

It's not just glass that Displax is claiming their film will work with—apparently plastic and wood can be made into an interactive screen, which will detect as many as 16 fingers making shapes on its surface and even recognize when someone is blowing across it.

Wired explains how it works:

"A grid of nanowires are embedded in the thin polymer film that is just about 100 microns thick. A microcontroller processes the multiple input signals it receivers from the grid. A finger or two placed on the screen causes an electrical disturbance. This is analyzed by the microcontroller to decode the location of each input on that grid. The film comes with its own firmware, driver–which connect via a USB connection–and a control panel for user calibration and settings."

While it sounds like vaporware, Displax is claiming the first screens using their technology will be on sale in July, giving us enough time to think of some flat surfaces to turn into a touchscreen. [Displax via Wired]

Turn Your Monitor Into a Touchscreen That Can Detect 16 Fingers, Using a Polymer Film [Touchscreen]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/DxFlBbitZMM/turn-your-monitor-into-a-touchscreen-that-can-detect-16-fingers-using-a-polymer-film

What if you could convert the monitor you're looking at right now into a touchscreen? Sounds crazy, but the Portuguese company Displax has created a polymer film that can do just that, for up to 120-inch screens.

It's not just glass that Displax is claiming their film will work with—apparently plastic and wood can be made into an interactive screen, which will detect as many as 16 fingers making shapes on its surface and even recognize when someone is blowing across it.

Wired explains how it works:

"A grid of nanowires are embedded in the thin polymer film that is just about 100 microns thick. A microcontroller processes the multiple input signals it receivers from the grid. A finger or two placed on the screen causes an electrical disturbance. This is analyzed by the microcontroller to decode the location of each input on that grid. The film comes with its own firmware, driver–which connect via a USB connection–and a control panel for user calibration and settings."

While it sounds like vaporware, Displax is claiming the first screens using their technology will be on sale in July, giving us enough time to think of some flat surfaces to turn into a touchscreen. [Displax via Wired]

Windows 7 gets a thorough SSD optimization guide

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/02/windows-7-gets-a-thorough-ssd-optimization-guide/

We all know we want an SSD, but do we truly know what to do with one when we get it? Sure, you could plug it into the familiar SATA and power cables and consider your job done, but that's not really the way of the geek. To educate us wistful, hopeful, soon-to-be SSD owners, TweakTown have put together a comprehensive guide on optimizing your solid state storage -- starting from the very first step of picking out the right drive. What lies ahead is a full breakdown of the controllers available on the market today, along with helpful reminders of the importance of Trim command and garbage collection support. After you pick out your perfect life partner, you'll be wanting to ensure it plays along nicely with Windows 7 as well, and they've got you covered on that front too. Just hit the source link and get informed. We did, even though we still can't afford to buy one of these mythical drives.

Windows 7 gets a thorough SSD optimization guide originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | ! source

source

TweakTown | Email this | Comments

Olympus intros SP-800UZ and SP-600UZ megazooms, Stylus Tough 8010 / 6020

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/02/olympus-intros-sp-800uz-and-sp-600uz-megazooms-stylus-tough-801/

Aw, yeah. The pre-PMA part is officially on. Olympus is kicking out a foursome of new shooters this fine morning (or evening, for those camped out in the great state of Hawaii), so we'll just get right to it. The SP-800UZ megazoom (which we spotted a few days ago) boasts an almost mind-melting 30x optical zoomer, a 14 megapixel image sensor, dual image stabilization, AF tracking, 720p movie mode, face detection and a 3-inch rear LCD. The SP-600UZ sports a stepped-down list of features, including a 12 megapixel sensor, 15x optical zoom and a 2.7-inch rear LCD. Both cams support SDHC / SD cards and are slated to ship next month, with the big boy setting you back $349.99 and the other guy $249.99. Moving on, there's the "shockproof, waterproof, crushproof and freezeproof" Stylus Tough 8010 and 6020, both of which feature a 14 megapixel sensor, HD movie mode, 5x wide-angle optical zoom, 2.7-inch rear LCD and an HDMI output. The only major difference is the toughness level; the 8010 can withstand a 6.6-foot drop and 220 pounds of pressure, whereas the 6020 can only withstand a 5-foot drop and undisclosed amount of pressure. Check 'em later this month for $399.99 (8010) / $299.99 (6020). Full releases are after the break, per usual.

Gallery: Olympus intros SP-800UZ and SP-600UZ, Stylus Tough 8010 / 6020

Continue reading Olympus intros SP-800UZ and SP-600UZ megazooms, Stylus Tough 8010 / 6020

Olympus intros SP-800UZ and SP-600UZ megazooms, Stylus Tough 8010 / 6020 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Dell Latitude 13: a thin-and-light for big business

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/02/dell-latitude-13-a-thin-and-light-for-big-business/

Dell is serious about its thin and light class of machines judging by its ability to churn out these lovely lappies from its Adamo design studio. Today we've got the Latitude 13. Oh sure, it looks almost exactly like the Vostro v13 for small businesses but this is Latitude brother, Dell's mainstream business brand. As such, it comes fully IT-ified with a preinstalled Citrix client, easier virtualization options, and baked in know-how for system image and software update distribution. So it's not really new, but it's still "the world's thinnest 13-inch commercial client laptop," according to Dell and that's gotta be worth a second look when it begins shipping in a few weeks.

Dell Latitude 13: a thin-and-light for big business originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

source

CNET | Email this | Comments

NEC MultiSync PA241W brings full 1920 x 1200 IPS glory to the well-heeled old schooler

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/02/nec-multisync-pa241w-brings-full-1920-x-1200-ips-glory-to-the-we/

Do you care about color? We mean do you really care about getting the most true-to-life color reproduction on your monitor? Then you'll probably be wanting an IPS panel, preferably with 99.3 percent coverage of the Adobe RGB color spectrum and 100 percent of the sRGB stuff. What's that -- you'd also like more headroom than what these silly new 16:9 ratio displays can give you -- yup, the PA241W has you covered with 1200 pixels of vertical workspace as well. A solid 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 360 nits of brightness, 8ms response time and 178-degree viewing angles flesh out the spec sheet, while a tilt-and-swivel ergonomic stand, USB hub and DisplayPort connectivity figure as the predictable extras. Less foreseeable is the generous 4-year parts and labor warranty, but then you'd want nothing less when splashing a cool $1,079 on a monitor. NEC is ready to ship it to you today, but if you're feeling in a thrifty mood we'd suggest also checking out Dell's competing model, which offers a similar spec at a much lower price point.

Gallery: NEC MultiSync PA241W

NEC MultiSync PA241W brings full 1920 x 1200 IPS glory to the well-heeled old schooler originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

SlashGear | source

source

NEC | Email this | Comments

Google mum on Chrome OS touch support, Chromium devs show us how it might look anyway (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/02/google-mum-on-chrome-os-touch-support-chromium-devs-show-us-how/

Google might be adding touch to Chrome OS, Chromium developers show us how it might look (video)

While those initial leaked specs for a Chrome OS-based netbook unabashedly specified a multitouch panel, Google is remaining shy on confirming just what it's up to in the fingerprint department. When Google's Senior Product Manager of Search was asked pointedly about touch support in the OS, according to TechRadar he looked nervously at a PR manager before failing to provide a concrete answer. Read that how you will, but the open source wing of the OS, Chromium, has gone ahead and created its own vision of what touching chrome might look like, including a very compelling video we've included for you after the break. This includes popup context menus, a selection of finger- and thumb-friendly keyboards, and of course some delicious multitouch support. Interestingly, if the scale of the hands in the video below is anything to go by, the Chromium group expects an eventual Chrome OS tablet to be between three and five feet wide, which might be a little cumbersome for those with diminutive laps.

Continue reading Google mum on Chrome OS touch support, Chromium devs show us how it might look anyway (video)

Google mum on Chrome OS touch support, Chromium devs show us how it might look anyway (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

source

TechRadar, The Chromium Projects | Email this | Comments

Intel said to be cooking up DDR3-lovin' Atom N475 and Atom N455 CPUs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/02/intel-said-to-be-cooking-up-ddr3-lovin-atom-n475-and-atom-n455/

We've maintained that Intel's range of Atom chips were simply too weak to really love and adore the way a slab of silicon should be, but that's probably because of our infatuation with things like "overclocking" and "Core i7 Extremes." Whatever the case, it's beginning to look a wee bit better for the lineup, as Fudzilla has it that the company will be adding DDR3 memory support to the 1.83GHz N475 and 1.6GHz N455. Both of those chips are expected to maintain their current TDP ratings, and both are expected to launch in Q3 of this year. Nah, DDR3 compatibility won't make your next netbook scream or anything, but when we're talking Atoms, we'll take all the baby steps we can get.

Intel said to be cooking up DDR3-lovin' Atom N475 and Atom N455 CPUs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gadget Mix | source

source

Fudzilla | Email this | Comments

Samsung Producing First Integrated Touchscreen AMOLED Panels Starting Next Month [Guts]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/WObbqeotvqA/samsung-producing-first-integrated-touchscreen-amoled-panels-starting-next-month

Samsung Mobile Display has announced that they're going to begin mass production of the world's first 3.3-inch touch-embedded AMOLED panels next month. That means goodbye heavy glass display, and hello thinner, lighter, brighter phones.

The technology Samsung has developed places .001mm thin touch sensors on-cell on a 3.3-inch WVGA AMOLED, between the panel's substrate and the bottom polarizer film. The result is that you don't need the touch-sensing glass panel that currently sits above your phone's display anymore. The technology could also be integrated into cameras to provide a brighter display and/or longer battery life.

We've been enamored with AMOLED before, but this is the first time we've seen such a practical application hit mass production. Exciting! More so when we actually start to see some of these products hit the market—and see how much they cost. [Korea IT Times via OLED Info via Engadget]

Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Flash: The Secret to Cheap SSDs [Ssd]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/R03PBoS6DC4/intel-and-microns-25nm-nand-flash-the-secret-to-cheap-ssds

Intel and Micron's IMFT joint venture's just announced they've started producing NAND flash using 25nm transistors—they're pushing 8GB on a single die—with products shipping sometime this year in fatter capacities (up to 600GB). In English:

Using the smaller 25nm manufacturing process, they can get roughly twice as much storage in the same amount of space as the current 34nm flash manufacturing tech. More storage in the same amount of space, as we learned before, doesn't just mean more storage, it means more storage for cheaper. [Anandtech]

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)