Skype Tripe

I decided to go online tonight to check out what's been happening in the SkypeCast arena.

I went onto this last year a couple of time and really enjoyed the experience talking to lots of different people from near and far.

The SkypeCast I went into tonight was full on out of control. There needs to be a way to control this and make SkypeCasting a real service for real people, not the millions of idiots out there that think it's a kids playground.

McDonald's hires Mom bloggers

via Slashfood by Joanne Lutynec on Jun 27, 2007

Filed under: Restaurants, Business, Trends, On the Blogs, Fast Food

Over the past few years McDonald's has faced some pretty tough criticism about the quality of their food. In fact, the movie 'Super Size Me' single-handedly changed how many of us view the fast food giant - or more accurately, the fast food industry as a whole. Now, in what has to be an attempt at clearing their name from some of the negative publicity, McDonald's has hired six "Quality Correspondent" mothers to visit the supplier facilities, restaurants, kitchens, and attend development meetings - then blog about their experiences.

Really though, it seems pretty transparent. Can you honestly imagine any other outcome from this than the mothers going to visit the various facilities, seeing everyone on their best behavior with everything running smoothly, then undoubtedly rave about how wonderful McDonald's really is? I'd say ask any 15-year old who has ever worked there if you really want to know what goes on.

Personally, I'd love to just see them finally admit what they really are and roll with it. Stop trying to convince us you are healthy. Admit we probably shouldn't eat there five times a week, but it is a good place to indulge every once in a while. I love stopping in at McDonald's once every month or so to enjoy something a little sinful, something that isn't good for me, something that cures my craving for grease and fat and calories. I don't want their salads or their wraps - I want a Big Mac. I want fries with extra salt and McChicken Sauce on the side for dipping. I want a Sausage and Egg McMuffin with TWO sides of hash brown patties. I just don't want it everyday.

If they would just admit that they were a little bit naughty, I'd love them just a little bit more.

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Google Earth Outreach Conference

Google announces a new initiative called Google Earth Outreach at an event held at Google NYC. Features speeches from Elliot Schrage, Google Vice President for Global Communications & Public Affairs; John Hanke, Director of Google Earth & Maps; Jane Goodall, Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute; Kathy Bushkin Calvin, Executive Vice President, United Nations Foundation; and Edward Wilson, President and CEO, Earthwatch.

Author: google
Keywords: Google Earth Outreach Nonprofit Jane Goodall Institute United Nations Foundation Earthwatch
Added: June 27, 2007

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Google Maps + Digg = DiggMap

+ = DiggMap

The Digg Map:

I'm a big fan of real-time Google Maps mashups. A few of my favorites are Dave Troy's FlickrVision and TwitterVision. Each of these maps show you fresh new photos and Twitters being added in real-time and displayed for you by their location on a Google Map. Another Google Maps mashup has emerged courtesy of Alan Spark in this same category, displaying diggs from Digg.com to a live map! It combines the recently released Digg API, the Google Maps API and Google AJAX Search API to make this one mapping app called: The Digg Map. The map will center itself on the geo-location of a Digg user who is currently digging a particular story. It's a fun way to find new Digg stories and also to see what geographies "digg" what..

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Eric Schmidt speaks to the European Media

Eric Schmidt CEO of Google speaks about the company's plans, the future and the core values of the Google business. The classic understatement in this video was, when speaking about the eBay and Google stoush over Paypal vs Checkout, Schmidt said, "Checkout and Paypal are somewhat competitive". I laughed hard at that one.

Technorati Tags: news, google, tech, technology

Googles testimony on H1-B Visa Applicants

Technorati Tags: google, tech, politics, congress

New Device In Movie Theaters Lets You Bust Annoying Viewers

Whether it is a cell phone ringing or a baby screaming, there's always something that has the potential ruin your movie going experience.Regal cinemas say you can now silence those interruptions with the Regal Guest Response System -- a virtual remote control to mute that annoying patron who's ruining your silver screen sanity.



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Don't let people interupt you while you're busy!

Even been busy, yet this one annoying person keeps sending you messages through an IM or email? Send them a link to this page and it should shut them up!



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15 Worst iPhone Product Concepts

The 15 Worst iPhone Concepts from Apple fans who thankfully were NOT on the design team.



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Bill Gates & Steve Jobs Set For Historic Conversation

Although Gates made a famous phone call to Jobs in 1997 and the two shared a stage briefly at a 1983 Apple promotional event, the two industry icons have never had a public conversation.



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Casio's 12 megapixel Exilim Zoom EX-Z1200

12 Megapixels plus Face detection and motion analysis technologies enable the camera to lock focus onto a subject's face and then track it as the person moves... Sounds like something out of James Bond lol...



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Double Standards

Recently Rebekka Guðleifsdóttira discovered that a gallery Only-Dreemin was ripping her off. They'd sold thousands of dollars worth of her images. So she did what anyone with a following on the internet might do and she posted about her frustration and plight on her flickrstream. What's yahoo do? Deletes the image & threatens to terminate account.



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Japan looking to establish wireless RFID island

Japan is planning to take RFID to the extreme by creating an island where there's just no escapin' it. The nation is looking to set up an "experimental landmass" where a smorgasbord of sensors will "allow doctors to remotely monitor the health of the elderly," and in another instance, "monitor the movement of pedestrians and notify nearby drivers."



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5 Techniques for Enhancing Contrast in Digital Photos

Extensive advice for increasing contrast in photos. Very good tips and tricks.



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Sony enters Social Media space with Vaio Nation

But will their recent scandals let them build a community in peace? If Digg, with its stellar reputation had a revolt over a legal issue, will Sony manage to control people trying to post HD-DVD numbers and cleverly embed them into Videos etc?



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How do you become a Beta Tester for software or hardware?

The first question is “Why would anyone want to be a Beta tester?” If you do then here is the way how....A few examples are Windows Vista, the Drobo box and the Slingplayer for Palm. These products all did Beta testing before releasing them to the public.



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Audio Menus for iPods

"Researchers are testing ways to let people listen to gadget menu options instead of looking at them."



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Police use Cellphone Tracking to find Transplant Patient

Police asked Sprint Nextel to locate the mother of a boy waiting for a heart transplant when they couldn't contact him directly. He was found at a jazz concert, and got a standing ovation from the crowd as he left for hospital.



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Your iPods can make your pacemaker malfunction

According to student Jay Thaker, the findings of his study showed that of 100 installed pacemakers, electrical interference was detected 50% of the time when an iPod was held at a distance of 2-inches from the chest for 5-10 seconds.



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Odeo Acquired By SonicMountain

New York based SonicMountain, a new startup, has acquired Evan Williams’ Odeo. The price is not being disclosed but is in excess of $1 million, and the deal was all cash. Twitter is NOT part of the deal, it was spun off into a separate company earlier this month.



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Microsoft Memories - Bill Gates in 1993

"Billg typically has his eyes closed and he’s rocking back and forth. He could be asleep; he could be thinking about something else; he could be listening intently to everything you’re saying. At some point in your presentation billg will say “that’s the dumbest fucking idea I’ve heard since I’ve been at Microsoft.” He looks like he means it.



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Windows Live Hotmail debuts

Microsoft has announced the launch of Windows Live Hotmail globally in 36 languages, complete with AJAX goodness.The new service has been built to be a vast improvement over the previous Hotmail offering, incorporating input from more than 20 million beta testers.



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Top 57 Wiki's By Rank

A comprehensive list of the top Wiki's by rank. Some of the best including: Heroes Wiki, WoW Wiki, WikiHow, and several others.



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Life without google

Could you do it? The story from a paranoid author who does it daily... How would you get by?



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3-D Printing: Holy Crap, It Sounds Cool

Until now, 3D printers have been large, expensive machines confined to the shops and design departments of major corporations and elite design firms. With the introduction of the Desktop Factory 3D printer, priced disruptively lower than the nearest competitive offering, Desktop Factory becomes the leader in high performance low-cost 3D printing



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Ultimate Web 2.0 Layer Styles - Free Download

Photoshop Layer Styles are the easiest way to speed up the design process. I found a lot of styles on the Web to download but none of them were of the today’s trend of Web 2.0. So here is a set of 131 Photoshop Layer Styles I created in .ASL ( Photoshop Layer Style ) format.



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Brian Shaler: "Writing Tools for Digg Users: The Inevitable Digg Effect"

"Digg.com is an ideal target for creating instant gratification content. You can come out of nowhere and have tens of thousands of new users in 24 hours. An inevitable woe is the Digg Effect -- a sign of success and often the key to server failure." Sharing a programmer's experiences with and advice about avoiding the Digg Effect.



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Vista sales propel Microsoft's profits to almost $5 BILLION

Microsoft's profit soared 65% to $4.93 billion, boosted by deferred income from coupons for the new Vista operating system. Revenue rose 32% to $14.4 billion, exceeding the company's forecast.



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Acer Notebook PC - Aspire 3683WXMi

I bought a new notebook PC yesterday and it's fabulous.

For $950 I got exactly what I was looking for. Several months ago this same class of machine would have cost me three large or more !

I am posting this now via a wireless link to my main machine in the compueter and media centre at home, whilst watching TV in a recliner chair. This is a dream and a classic case of not knowing really if you needed the machine until you actually got it.

I definately needed this !!

Power Napping

From www.mensjournal.com

Research is starting to show what most of us have known all along:
naps are wicked good for you. However, there's a difference between a
"good nap" and a "power nap." Mens Journal has written up a practical
guide on how to achieve the mystical power nap:

• The first consideration is psychological: Recognize that you're not being lazy; napping will make you more productive and more alert after you wake up.

• Try to nap in the morning or just after lunch; human circadian rhythms make late afternoons a more likely time to fall into deep (slow-wave) sleep, which will leave you groggy.

• Avoid consuming large quantities of caffeine as well as foods that are heavy in fat and sugar, which meddle with a person's ability to fall asleep

• Instead, in the hour or two before your nap time, eat foods high in calcium and protein, which promote sleep.

• Find a clean, quiet place where passersby and phones won't disturb you

• Try to darken your nap zone, or wear an eyeshade. Darkness stimulates melatonin, the sleep- inducing hormone.

• Remember that body temperature drops when you fall asleep. Raise the room temperature or use a blanket.

• Once you are relaxed and in position to fall asleep, set your alarm for the desired duration.



Now, the nap time that seems to give the greatest benefits is righthere in the 5 to 20 minutes range; however, up to 50 minutes can still give you a bit of a boost. How about you -are you a power napper? How'd you get that way, and what benefits have you seen?

FBI Adds Iomega Hard Drive To Most Wanted List: Plus There's A Reward

Have you seen this drive? The FBI -- you know, the people in charge of your "permanent record" -- is offering up to $25,000 for information leading to the return of a missing "Iomega hard drive." Apparently, the drive contains personal information on "at least a half-million people." It was reported missing from the Birmingham, Alabama Veterans Adm



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Top 50 Coolest VoIP Gadgets

Here is an overview of the coolest/sexiest/most useful VoIP gadgets for 2007, in the following categories: handsets, wireless, mice, headsets, keyboards, mp3 players, adapters, and 'other fun stuff'.



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BitTorrent.com Launches Video Store

BitTorrent Inc has released the final details of their long awaited video store. The store itself will go live this Monday, and will offer movie rentals at $2.99 - $3.99, and “download to own” TV shows and music videos for $1.99. The "BitTorrent Entertainment Network" will start off with 5000+ titles in their collection.



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Coming Monday: The Merlin Show (From Merlin Mann of Twit)

The Merlin Show arrives Monday, February 26th, at thirty theoretically productive frames per second.



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Google Apps: Should You Switch?

Google's new web-based office software suite, which the company announced Thursday, is a swift kick to the teeth delivered squarely in the direction of Microsoft. Or is it?



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iPod Stolen? Have it call home!

Cool new free service that tracks stolen USB gadgets like MP3 players, cameras and USB flash drives etc. When the device is stolen you log into the server, flag it as stolen and the next time the device is plugged into a computer it sends the owner of the device info about that system like IP address, location, username and computer name and more.



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Yahoo Pipes and the Web as a Database

Alex Iskold tests out and explores the emergent world of Yahoo! Pipes. He sees some interesting parallels with Relational Databases in the 90's, concluding that with pipes, the Web essentially becomes a giant database that can be queried and remixed in any number of ways.



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Scanner designed for books

Copyright-Violating Scanner is Designed for Books

Maybe it just might work, but at $318 US it's a big steal (for them)

Computers are about to take a quantum leap into the future

A Canadian company with substantial venture capital backing claims to have built a "quantum computer" that will ultimately solve problems beyond the power of conventional systems - and will demonstrate it over a live link next week.



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