10 of 10

this one counts (it has to, right?)

According to wikipedia, a Blog is "a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video." Based on that definition, I think this should count as an entry. That said...

I am blogging to announce the 10th post to "my blog for ISTM 490." After spending an entire semester posting blogs during lectures, ensuring I absorb nothing during class, can honestly say that blogging has provided no value to me. Looking back on the posts, I will assume the same for any readers as well (and for that I should apologize - but I won't).

10 down. I hope I have met my requirements.

Hooray!

iPhone app black market emerges.

When Apple says no, there are other ways to make your buck with iPhone apps...

Dr. Touch (what a creepy name) developed the "My App Sales" iPhone app that allows iPhone app developers to know how their apps are performing/performing with out the need to download every daily sales report. Since it violates the Apple Terms of Service, the developer needed to devise a new way to get the app distributed and make some money. By selling the source code to developers, he allows them to compile and use the app on their iPhone.

Unfortunately due to section 3.3.7 of the SDK Agreement I will never be permitted to sell this app on the App Store unless I rip out it’s heart and usefullness. But you can purchase a license to look at the source code, compile it yourself, put it on all the devices you like. For just $15 you can do anything you like with the source, just not sell it or use in any other way commercially.

http://www.drobnik.com/touch/my-app-sales/

iPhone (further) augments reality

what happens when the iPhone's battery dies? Do you just go to sleep for the day?

While Apple still isn't officially allowing these apps on the iPhone (via the App Store), this is a pretty cool technology and may actually be the first compelling reason to upgrade to the iPhone 3Gs.

When Apple announced the addition of a compass to the iPhone 3GS, shortsighted onlookers responded with a yawn. Yay, we can find magnetic north.

But iPhone app developers quickly saw an opportunity, and a new breed of "augmented reality" apps are about to be born.

Holding the phone in front of you, locations are plotted on a live view of the world in relation to where you're standing. The apps combine the phone's key features -- camera, GPS, compass and Internet connectivity -- to create a sort of heads-up display reminiscent of first-person shooter video games.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/07/augmented-reality-iphone-apps-subway-twitter.html

Two demo videos of these apps follow...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH6r2tIaRXU&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb0pMeg1UN0&feature=player_embedded

Shocking...

Maybe I'm just an ignorant American, but it's tough for me to believe anyone still uses "treatments" like this for anything.

China bans electro-shock therapy for Internet addicts

http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nm/20090714/tc_nm/us_china_electroshock_life_1

Google Lab's City Tours

Last month Google Labs posted about their "City Tours" app [ citytours.googlelabs.com ]. This sounds cool, but fails in practice. I tried it for my trip to lovely Ottawa Canada next week. I'm not quite sure I want to spend the first day of my weekend as per their proposed schedule...

Canadian War Museum

Canadian Ski Museum

Canada Science and Technology Museum

Canada Agriculture Museum

Also wouldn't exactly plan on walking for nearly 4 hours just to visit the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum (day 2). Maybe next time I'm in town.

Could be cool some day, but not quite there yet.

http://www.googlelabs.com/show_details?app_key=agtnbGFiczIwLXd3d3ITCxIMTGFic0FwcE1vZGVsGK4pDA

not quite exponentially better

Google Squared

Earlier this month, Google announced a new labs product "Google squared" [http://www.google.com/squared].

A quick search in Google squared generates a table of information related to the subject you search on. Results are presented in multiple rows for each column. My first search, "big east football" generated a "square" with 7 of the Big East teams and a bunch of uninteresting info. With a few quick adds and deletes to the columns and rows later, I was able to generate a table with all 8 teams, the coach, mascot, stadium, 2008 record and stadium name.

Did you know that Syracuse's mascot is "Otto the Orange"? Neither did I... I also didn't care. I'm just glad that Rutgers isn't bringing up the bottom of the conference.

Regardless, Google squared is a cool new way to gather and review info available on the web. You can click through on the table entries to view the source, correct or update an entry and save it for future reference. Give it a try. It's loads of fun!

Just say no...

...to Web 2.0

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/03/google_on_washington/

This is a quick bit on what happens when technology runs head first into the immovable wall that is our Federal Government.

Interesting points from Google's Andrew McLaughlin as part of Obama's Technology Innovation and Government Reform group:

• "If the government wants to use a free online service like Flicker or Facebook or YouTube, does it have to go through a competitive bidding process? Even though these apps are free, they're part of a competitive market, so presumably the answer is 'Yes.'"
• "A White House channel on YouTube or a photo stream on Flickr or a page on Facebook can't carry advertising alongside it. Otherwise, it would put it in the position of implicitly endorsing the things that are being advertised. So it would have to come up with some sort of special arrangement with these Web 2.0 services."
• and this is the best one... As per the Presidential Records Act, all documentary materials related to the presidential office must be saved for posterity. "The problem is that everything must be kept on paper," McLaughlin says. "So, government web masters have to sit and print snapshots of their websites on paper."