Alright, this is a little bit of a rant post. Just recently Google (in their infinate wisdom) decided to add their Google Suggest feature to every search box on their main google site. This didn’t sound like a bad idea to me, until I started using the search fields on the website (as opposed to my searchbox in Firefox). Google Suggest does not JUST suggest something for you…. it FORCES you to use their suggestions as you type! For example… i was trying to use their built in conversion calculator and by typing “3MBps to Kbps” it felt that the capitals were not needed and changed it to “3mbps to kbps”, which is COMPLETELY different (and in fact didn’t work). This is completely unacceptable behavior Google! You don’t even provide a check box in your preferences to turn it off!
So I’m going to throw this out to the internet in the hopes that SOMEONE out there knows how to turn this abomination OFF! If you do PLEASE let me know in the comments.
Thank you and good night 
There are so many people out there who do one of the following with their computer:
1) Go out and spend $50+ on a packaged version of antivirus (normally Norton or McAffee)
2) Go without anti-virus because they can’t be bothered to pay $50+ on security
OR
3) Just too damn lazy to install an anti-virus
For people in catagory 3 get off your lazy asses! And for the people in the first two catagories, listen up because i have some good news! You DON’T have to spend money on anti-virus. You can get anti-virus for FREE. It’s even GOOD anti-virus. Some may argue that its BETTER anti-virus than the packages you spend $50+ dollars on! So I am here to enlighten the masses (or at the very least the 3 people that actually read this blog) to a couple options for FREE anti-virus.
Oh man I must be a geek because it just took the mere mentioning of ActionScript 3.0 to get me excited! Or am I just a flash geek? Hmm… well I’ll leave that up to you. But none the less we have a new Flash Player 9 Beta with AS3.0 support, as well as a new download from Adobe that allows you to start developing AS3.0 apps in Flash 8.
Learn more about Flash Player 9 here, or download it here.
Learn more about ActionScript 3.0 here or download the preview here.
This is a Mac only tip for my mac buddies out there. I know a lot of you get frustrated at the fact that you can’t fullscreen stuff in Quicktime without upgrading to the Pro version. Well now you can. Macworld has a simple little script hack that allows you to fullscreen your videos easily.
Basically you just enter the following script into the script launcher, save the script as an application, open your video in quicktime, and they run the script you just made… and voila… Bob’s your uncle. Here’s the script:
tell application “QuickTime Player”
present front movie scale screen
end tell
You can see the full tip here.
Filed under: Technology
So i’m sure that everyone that reads this is tingling with anticipation regarding the new Windows Vista operating system (yeah right). Well the powers that be, over at Microsoft, are going to make your buying decision super easy (not). No longer will you have the difficult decision on whether or not to choose between Windows XP Home, Professional or Media Center Editions. Now you have that choice practically made for you with super simple choices like (deep breath) Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, Business, Enterprise or Starter versions! (whew) How much simpler could it be really?! (ummmm..)
For more information on the different versions just head on over and read this article at the BBC about the difference between each.
Long live Microsoft! (gag)
So Google has now put up a service to allow you to host a website on their own server. Sure, its neat, but the stock templates are, for the most part, quite hideous. Although it does look remarkably better than pretty much anything i’ve ever seen on Geocities.
Anyway to make your own page (you need a gmail account) go to Google Pages or take a gander at my BEAUTIFUL page here.
File this under: Way too much time on your hands. The website Jacktracker uses the Google Maps API to add waypoints to a map of L.A. to follow the goings on in the television show 24. At each waypoint they keep track of notes, geographic inconsistancies (such as “there’s now way to get from here to here in 3 mins like they do!), photo’s and body counts. Its all in good fun and if you are as addicted to 24 as I am, it should be a welcome addition to your bookmarks.
Okay, after viewing this photo essay i REALLY want to work for Google. I would also like to figure out why Google is the one huge corporation that seems to have a “best friend” type of feel to it. They’re not big and scary. They’re big and cuddly!
Found an interview with Microsoft Game Studio’s General Manager, and by the sounds of it we shouldn’t be expecting Halo 3 anytime soon. Im predicting (read: guessing) that Microsoft is aiming to have this out in time for the ‘06 holidays. However I don’t think they’re going to be pulling any punches with this release because they need it to be the reason for switching over the the 360. The 360 just doesn’t have any killer titles just to themselves yet and thats what they need.
An excerpt:
Next Generation: Let’s talk about Halo 3. What are we up to?
Shane Kim: I call it The Mythical Halo 3 – we haven’t announced any such game yet! Obviously the Halo franchise is very important to us. When you have Bill Gates being quoted fairly constantly, talking about a game, you know it’s important to the company. But his recent comments reflect the position accurately. Which is that, if there were a Halo 3 we would be careful about how we announce and introduce it.It’s exactly the same way we talked about Halo 2, where people wanted it a year after Halo. That would not have accomplished anything.
Is it coming out this year?
It depends. If it’s the game that everyone is expecting then, yes. For us it’s about making a proper impact on the platform. It has to be something with huge significance, so we won’t be rushed.
Read the full thing here.
Filed under: Technology
An aircraft the size of a blimp (though its NOT a blimp) that will essentially be a luxery liner in the sky! Way too kewl…
This is not a Blimp. It’s a sort of flying Queen Mary 2 that could change the way you think about air travel. It’s the Aeroscraft, and when it’s completed, it will ferry pampered passengers across continents and oceans as they stroll leisurely about the one-acre cabin or relax in their well-appointed staterooms.
Unlike its dirigible ancestors, the Aeroscraft is not lighter than air. Its 14 million cubic feet of helium hoist only two thirds of the craft’s weight. The rigid and surprisingly aerodynamic body—driven by huge rearward propellers—generates enough additional lift to keep the behemoth and its 400-ton payload aloft while cruising. During takeoff and landing, six turbofan jet engines push the ship up or ease its descent.
This two-football-fields-long concept airship is the brainchild of Igor Pasternak, whose privately-funded California firm, Worldwide Aeros Corporation, is in the early stages of developing a prototype and expects to have one completed by 2010.
Check it out over at Popular Science.
