Category: Technology

  • Microsoft Updates Hotmail

    Although Hotmail popularized web-based email, it has fallen behind the competitors Yahoo and Google in features

    Down, but not out, Hotmail is still used by millions of people around the world and is still a critical aspect of Microsoft’s online business strategy, especially as Microsoft moves more into the cloud with its more traditional revenue models like Microsoft Office, which is releasing version 2010 this year. Hotmail is particularly useful to non-english speaking users because of its large language support and according to Comscore its still the most used web email with 360 million users compared to Yahoo’s 300 million and Gmail’s 200 million. Still, Hotmail hasn’t changed much since Microsoft bought it in late 1997. This was after starting up in 1996 and garnering over 9 million users.

    So what is changing?

    Microsoft announced that this summer they will begin rolling out new, advanced features that are akin to what Gmail users are used to:

    • The option for viewing emails as conversations (although the default will still be as single emails)
    • Automatic filter buttons to filter emails from people on your contact list, emails from social networks, shopping sites, and others.
    • Larger attachment sizes, up to 10 GB using Microsoft’s SkyDrive

    One thing that remains the same is the huge banner ads running alongside your email, ala 1996, in addition to the text ad tagged onto all of your emails beneath your signature. That is, unless you pay $20 a year to remove the ads.

    Our First Web Email

    Despite all it’s shortcomings, we still have a spot in our heart for Hotmail, which provided me with my first personal email account, which I still have, back in 1997.

  • Students and Commuters: Hooray for eBooks!

    Students and commuters have something to look forward to both in class and on the bus, train, or plane because of the ereader revolution.

    The first digital nomads, students and freelance entrepreneurs have been mobile computing at Starbucks and other WiFi hotspots for years using first laptops, then smartphones like the iPhone, and now tablet computers, slates, and ereaders. Ereaders are primarily for reading books, but can read magazines and newspapers too, some free, some by subscription, and some by one-time purchases. Some ebook readers like Barne’s and Noble’s nook let you share ebooks using a feature called LendMe. Publishers have not been as willing to sign up for LendMe as much as users would hope, but that trend may change in the future. And now ereaders are starting to be able to do more than just read ebooks. For example, the Nook just got an upgrade to allow it to play games and surf the web, but Apple’s iPad is a computer with an ebook reader.

    Student Life

    One can imagine that students going back to school this fall may have a completely different experience, one which may be missing one heavy staple from the past: textbooks. Instead of carrying large books around in a book bag, one could see students carrying nooks wrapped in their nook covers containing their nook ebooks. This would be quite a contrast, but will publishers buy into it and publish their textbooks in ebook form? Will students buy enough ebook readers to support it? Will schools and teachers allow the ebook readers in their classrooms? We won’t know for sure until later on this year.

    Commuting: More Green Benefits

    Not only do commuters help the environment and their wallet by sharing rides or riding public transportation, but they also help reduce the amount of paper and distribution cost of that paper when they choose an ebook over a traditional paper book. Car drivers everywhere, while they can come and go as they please, have higher costs from maintaining an automobile, create more pollution, and don’t get to relax with a newspaper, whether that newspaper be in paper form or as an ebook. Will subway trains be full of ebook readers in the future? What will people hide behind when they don’t want to look at the person across from them on the train, plane, or bus? Maybe they’ll all just get along a little better, and maybe share an ebook too.

  • From AT&T and the iPhone to Sprint and the HTC Hero: The Journey Begins

    As I write this my wife is in the process of switching mobile cell phone carriers from AT&T, who we have both been with since 2001, to Sprint. My wife is switching from Apple’s iPhone 3GS and I am switching from an LG Shine slider. We are both getting the HTC Hero which has wifi, visual voicemail, video, a 5 megapixel camera, GPS, tethering via USB, a touchscreen, and it runs Android. It’s not an iPhone. It’s more than an iPhone. And it’s not AT&T.

    Plan Pricing

    Sprint offered us 2 lines with unlimited mobile-to-mobile minutes (regardless of carrier), unlimited data, and unlimited texts for $130 a month. For both of us to get an iPhone on AT&T’s network it would cost us around $170 a month for the same plan. Sprint’s plan also comes with 1500 landline minutes. Sprint coverage is so much better than AT&T in our area that it was a no brainer.

    Reservations

    We weren’t without our reservations. Sprint, unlike Verizon and AT&T, still charges for roaming, but we wouldn’t have signed up if we didn’t live in an area with plenty of coverage. And my wife and I are avid iPhone users and fans. In fact I’m typing this article on a first generation iPhone I’m using as an iTouch (it has no phone plan). I was a little worried that my wife would hesitate to give up her iPhone, but once she found out that the HTC Hero had similar features and more she was hooked. I’ll have to post a review of the HTC Hero in the near future to let you know what I think, but because it has 3G, direct to Youtube, and WordPress app functionality, this Internet marketing business analyst entrepreneur is happy. Thank you, wife!

  • How to Podcast

    Podcasting is simply distributing audio content using RSS (really simple syndication) and is a 4-step process:

    1. Create an mp3 file which will become your podcast
    2. Upload the mp3 file to the Internet
    3. Assign an RSS feed to the mp3 location using software like feedforall for 39.95
    4. promote your RSS feed of the mp3 file through one of these podcast submission services (iTunes would be the most popular choice).

    But, WordPress contains a built-in RSS feeder so the process is similar (SEE http://codex.wordpress.org/Podcasting), but listeners would have to subscribe to the RSS feed:

    1. Create audio or video that you want to share (usually MP3 or MP4)
    2. Upload the file to a server
    3. Link to the file in a post in your weblog
    4. WordPress automatically Includes a link to the file in your RSS/Atom feed
    5. Listeners “subscribe” with podcast client application to your RSS/Atom feed and download new files automatically.

    There is also a plugin for WordPress called PodPress: which helps you add detailed information about the MP3 which podcast submission sites might want or
    ask for.

    Good Luck!

  • How to Save Adobe ImageReady PSD as Animated GIF When Only JPG Appears

    Adobe ImageReady Optimize MenuIf what is happening to you is like what happened to me, the Optimize menu got switched to JPG instead of GIF and I couldn’t save my Photoshop document (PSD) as an animated GIF.  It simply wasn’t an option.  I had to Google it, searching for terms like “adobe imageready not showing gif” until I found this quote, which saved me:

    To create the GIF from the psd or even the jpg file, you have to have the Optimise palette open in ImageReady, and have GIF selected under the Format tab. You can then tweak the colour table, transparency, dither etc on the same palette. Then save as optimised… 🙂

    I had to figure out where the Optimize menu was in Adobe ImageReady, but once I did that, I changed it to GIF and I was golden!

  • How to Force an Internet Shortcut to be Opened in a Specific Browser in Windows

    shortcutHow can I open a specific web shortcut in Windows in a specific web browser?

    The trick is not to do it as a HTML shortcut, but as a program “switch”.  You can even copy and edit an existing shortcut to a program just by adding a space and the Internet address after the program path.  Here are some of the most common program paths:
    Firefox
    “C:Program FilesMozilla Firefoxfirefox.exe” http://erichstauffer.com

    Internet Explorer
    “C:Program FilesInternet Exploreriexplore.exe” http://erichstauffer.com

    Safari
    “C:Program FilesSafariSafari.exe” http://erichstauffer.com

    Chrome
    “C:Documents and Settings%username%Local SettingsApplication DataGoogleChromeApplicationchrome.exe” http://erichstauffer.com

  • A Review of Adobe Flash CS4

    Adobe Flash CS4 Professional software is the industry-leading authoring environment for creating engaging interactive experiences. New object-based animation tools make working in Flash easier and more intuitive for beginning and expert designers like myself, while powerful design tools expand your creative possibilities. Flash is the place to bring it all together and deliver to audiences regardless of platform or device. According to Adobe, Flash players are installed on 99% of desktops, so you know that the content is usable most everywhere, but it still won’t work on Apple’s iPhone.

    Adobe Flash CS4 Professional contains hundreds of enhancements over CS3, including an easy-to-customize user interface consistent with other components within the Adobe Creative Suite 4 family of software. I’ve been messing with Flash the past few days, and the IK (bones) tool is my favorite added feature. It makes creating walk cycles easier, and also makes animations more interesting. One thing you should note is that the arms and legs all have to be on separate layers. If you try using the whole body shape, the movements get messed up.

    The 3D tool is nice, but some of the 3D stuff can be done by using the free transform tool. Overall it is a useful feature for what can’t be done with the free transform tool.

    The spray brush tool is also a nice feature. It allows you to not just spray pain with colors, but with symbols also. There are some really cool things that can be done with this, such as backgrounds.

    Overall, this is a very good product that I recommend.

  • My Pet Operating System

    wuwhsrraI don’t know about you, but the OS’s that live inside my Virtual PC feel like little pets to me. I just love to take care of them, update them, install software on them. Sometimes I give them treats (more RAM) or a bigger hard drive. They are fun to take care of and they are helpful tools too. I use them to test software out before running it on my “real” PC. I can also use it to load images of CDs without actually having to burn a CD first. Of course, I can load real CDs too.

    I loaded the same Virtual PC on two of my computers. And like two twins separated at birth, each one has changed looks over time, but they both contain the same DNA at heart. Just like a good dog, they don’t complain, they just love to be played with. They can be good workers too. I’m sure as time goes on I’ll find new uses for my virtual machines and there will be new ways for them to be used. Companies are already using virtualization technology with thin clients to reduce hardware overhead. I wonder where virtualization will head next.

    vmOnPetI wondered if VMware could be installed on a virtual machine being ran inside Virtual PC 2007 and the answer is yes. The program itself runs, but I haven’t tested whether another virtual machine would run inside a virtual machine. What do you think would happen? Do you think we’re in a virtual machine now?

    The Simulation Argument says that (1) the human species is very likely to go extinct before reaching a “posthuman” stage; (2) any posthuman civilization is extremely unlikely to run a significant number of simulations of their evolutionary history (or variations thereof); (3) we are almost certainly living in a computer simulation. It follows that the belief that there is a significant chance that we will one day become posthumans who run ancestor-simulations is false, unless we are currently living in a simulation.

    Regardless of whether or not we are living in a simulation (like The Matrix or The Thirteenth Floor), we do enjoy manipulating simulations in both games like The Sims and in movies. On a side note, check out the similarities between these two movie covers:

    The Matrix Reloaded

    The Thirteenth Floor

    If you enjoyed this article, you might also like 22 Movies that Question Reality.

  • Google Maps Query String Parameters

    The following is a list of query string parameters that can be passed to Google Maps.

    These arguments are helpful if you want to get Google Maps to display driving directions, which are not available under the API.

    Query

    Translation

    q= “q” stands for “query” and anything passed in this parameter is treated as if it had been typed into the query box on the maps.google.com page.
    near= “near” can be used as the location part of a query instead of putting the entire string into q=
    g= “g” is an address or location that provides extra context for the “q” parameter. Google Maps stores the last ran search here, but if it is the first search it can only contain your starting location. This is a potential information leak, so make sure you do actually mean to share the content of this parameter.
    mrt= “mrt” specifies a type of search. The default is blank, which searches for everything.
    start= “start” skips the first (start-1) matches.
    num= “num” displays, at most, the given number of matches. The valid range is 0 to 20.
    ll= “ll” stands for Latitude,longitude of a Google Map center – Note that the order has to be latitude first, then longitude and it has to be in decimal format.
    sll= “sll” Latitude,longitude of the point from which the business search should be performed.
    spn= “spn” Approximate lat/long span. The zoom level will be adjusted to fit if there’s no z= parameter.
    latlng= “latlng” takes three numbers separated by commas. The first two numbers (presumably representing latitude and longitude multiplied by 1000000) are ignored. The third number seems to be a Google internal “Company ID” number for a particular business.
    cid= “cid” is similar to “latlng,” but generating a different map size. It takes three numbers separated by commas. The first two numbers (presumably representing latitude and longitude multiplied by 1000000) are ignored. The third number seems to be a Google internal “Company ID” number for a particular business.
    geocode= “geocode” is a concatination of “geocode” encoded values for waypoints used in directions.
    radius= “radius” localizes results to a certain radius. Requires “sll” or similar center point to work.
    t= “t” is Map Type. The available options are “m” map, “k” satellite, “h” hybrid, “p” terrain.
    z= “z” sets the zoom level.
    layer= “layer” Activates overlay. Current option is “t” traffic.
    lci= “lci” activates layers of tiles and needs to be comma-separated.
    view= “view” can be used to select text view (view=text) or the normal map view (view=map).
    saddr= “saddr” source address. Use this when asking for driving directions.
    daddr= “daddr” Destination address(es). Use this when asking for driving directions.
    mrad= “mrad” gives you additional destination address.
    dirflg= “dirflg” is the route type: dirflg=h Switches on “Avoid Highways” route finding mode. dirflg=t Switches on “Avoid Tolls” route finding mode. dirflg=r Switches on “Public Transit” – only works in some areas. dirflg=w Switches to walking directions – still in beta.
    via= “via” gives a comma separated list of intermediate addresses for directions, that should be ‘via points’.
    doflg= “doflg” Distance Units. (Defaults to prevalent units in country of origin.) doflg=ptk outputs directions in metric (km) and doflg=ptm outputs directions in imperial (miles).
    cbll= “cbll” is latitude,longitude for Street View.
    cbp= “cbp” Street View window that accepts 5 parameters: 1) Street View/map arrangement, 11=upper half Street View and lower half map, 12=mostly Street View with corner map 2) Rotation angle/bearing (in degrees) 3) Tilt angle, -90 (straight up) to 90 (straight down) 4) Zoom level, 0-2 5) Pitch (in degrees) -90 (straight up) to 90 (straight down), default 5
    panoid= “panoid” is the panorama ID, which is the ID of the current nearby panorama object in Street View.
    hl= “hl” stands for “host language”.
    om= “om” stands for “overview map.” The presence of this parameter with a value other than 1 causes the overview map to be closed. If the parameter is omitted, or present with the value 1, then the overview map is open.
    ie= “ie” stands for “input encoding” and can be used to specify the input character encoding set.
    oe= “oe” stands for “output encoding” and can be used to specify the input character encoding set.
    output= “output” is for output format (blank is default).
    f= “f” stands for “form” and controls the style of query form to be displayed. f=d Displays the “directions” form (two input boxes: from, to). f=l Displays the “local” form (two input boxes: what, where). f=q (or no parameter) The default search form is displayed (single input).
    pw= “pw” stands for “print window.” It activates the print mode and initiates printing. Example, pw=2.
    iwloc= “iwloc” stands for “info window location” and specifies where the infowindow will be displayed. In a business search iwloc=A to iwloc=J will open the info window over the corresponding business marker, and iwloc=near will place it over the big green arrow if that’s currently displayed. iwloc=addr can be used on map search to explicitly request the info window to be open on the address, but that’s the default anyway. Directions search supports iwloc=start, iwloc=end and iwloc=pause1
    iwd=1 “iwd” stands for “info window display” and specifies that the infowindow displayed (iwloc=) will be a detailed (expanded) view.
    iwstate1= iwstate1=ssaddfeatureinstructioncard Specifies that the infowindow is in add place mode. Use with ssp=addf and iwloc=SS.  iwstate1=sscorrectthiscard Specifies the infowindow is in edit mode. iwstate1=sscorrectthiscard:ssmovemarkercard The infowindow is in Move marker mode, with the marker bouncing and draggable. iwstate1=sscorrectthiscard:ssedithistorycard The infowindow is in View history mode, displaying a graphical list of marker moves.
    msa= “msa” is involved in My Maps processing. It does nothing without the “/ms” and “/ms” does nothing without the msa=. msa=0 Used with msid= to show a particular My Map.msa=b Activates the “My Maps” sidebar when used in conjunction with “maps.google.com/ms”.  msa=1 shows the My Maps tab directly (like msa=b did). msa=2 Jumps directly to create new My Map form.
    msid= “msid” specifies a My Maps identifier. When used in conjunction with “maps.google.com/ms” and msa=0, the corresponding My Map is displayed.
    vp= “vp” stands for “view point” and the presence of this parameter causes maps.google.com to switch into Copyright Service mode. Instead of returning the html that draws a map, it returns information about the copyright ownership in Javascript format. The vp= parameter specifies the viewpoint (i.e. the centre of the map). Copyright Service only works when the spn= and z= parameters are also supplied, indicating the span and the zoom. Optional parameters are t=, which specifies the map type, and key= which specifies the API key of the site performing the request.
    sspn = “sspn” stands for “Screen span”. Map bounds dimensions in Degrees, to calculate this use: newGLatLng(map.getBounds().getNorthEast().lat() − map.getBounds().getSouthWest().lat(),map.getBounds().getNorthEast().lng() − map.getBounds().getSouthWest().lng()).toUrlValue()

    Here are some reference books on Google Maps programming that may also be useful:

    Google Maps APIMap Scripting 101Google Web Toolkit ApplicationsBeginning Google Maps API 3 (Expert’s Voice in Web Development) [Paperback]Map Scripting 101: An Example-Driven Guide to Building Interactive Maps with Bing, Yahoo!, and Google Maps [Paperback]Google Web Toolkit Applications [Paperback]

    One reviewer said about Svennerberg’s book, “It’s been a constant struggle for me to find accessible Google Maps API resources that not only cover the capabilities of the API, but also explain the JavaScript concepts behind them in a way that I can understand.” You might also be interested in Gabriel Svennerberg’s blog.

    What is a Query String Anyway?

    A query string is the part of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that can contain data (called parameters) to be passed to web applications such as CGI programs. When a web page is requested via a web browser, the remote server locates a file in its system based on the requested URL. This file may be a simple file or a program. If it is a program, the server may run the program (depending on its configuration), and send output as the required page. The query string is a part of the URL which is passed to the program. It’s use permits data to be passed from the HTTP client (often a web browser like Mozilla Firefox) to the program which generates the web page. This site uses software from WordPress which uses query strings to indicate criteria to search for specific posts or sets of posts in the database. This default use of query strings may reduce search engine optimization (SEO) efforts so pretty permalinks are used here instead. I use the /%category%/%postname%/ permalink, which is probably the most popular.