If I can only persuade you to buy 10 albums...

If I can only persuade you to buy 10 albums that you probably DON'T already own, then let it be these (in order from the best):

1. "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" by Brian Eno & David Byrne
2. "the Ocean Blue" by the Ocean Blue
3. "the Best of Simple Minds (remastered)" by Simple Minds
4. "Apollo" by Brian Eno
5. "Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars" by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
6. "a Clockwork Orange" film soundtrack by Wendy/Walter Carlos
7. "So" by Peter Gabriel
8. "Remain in Light" by Talking Heads
9. "Rogha", "Clannad in Concert" or "the Best of Clannad" by Clannad
10. "the Flat Earth" by Thomas Dolby

My Top 10 Favourite Superhero Characters of All Time

Let me preface by saying that this list only applies to 'heroes' and not 'villains'.

Also, as a kid I subscribed to "the Micronauts", "Spider-Man", "the Fantastic Four", "the Avengers" and "the X-Men".


This list is also in order from my most favoured:

1. the Micronauts
2. the Vision (from Marvel's Avengers)
3. Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym (aka Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath and Yellow Jacket)
4. Nightcrawler
5. the Green Lantern
6. the Fantastic Four (in order the Invisible Woman, Dr. Reed Richards, the Human Torch and the Thing)
7. Iron Man
8. Jean Grey (aka Marvel Girl & Phoenix)
9. Aquaman
10. Storm

Surprising omissions you may notice from this list are not only Spider-Man - but the Batman, Superman and Wolverine. I loved Spider-Man as a kid (like I said I subscribed to the comic) and I have always felt that he and the Batman have BY FAR the best "rogue's gallery" in the genre. I just didn't feel that he could make the top 10 in this case. Also, even though I loved the X-Men, I never really got into Wolverine until I was older (and the very same can be said for the Batman). I liked Phoenix, Nightcrawler, Storm and underdogs like Angel and Banshee. As for Superman, well he was always just a bit 'over the top' for me. I also used to watch "the Superfriends" and was drawn to Aquaman as the underdog character for the same reason.

TOP 5 FREE or OPEN SOURCE APPLICATIONS

1. UBUNTU (OS):  A Linux flavour that is easy to experiment with, includes a number of features right out of "the box" and makes it simple to locate additional applications to expand upon it.  It can also breathe life into an outdated PC or a inexpensive netbook.
2. DIGSBY/TRILLIAN or PIDGIN/ADIUM (IM):  All three clients (Adium is basically the same as Pidgin for Mac OS) are brilliant in some ways, but flawed in others.  Read my earlier post on comparing their features.  In a nutshell Pidgin/Adium is open source, cross-platform and is best for JUST IM - as it connects to virtually every conceivable protocol out there.  Digsby & Trillian are more limited to just the primary networks but also do email notifications, Facebook feeds, Twitter feeds (Digsby has a whole embedded client for Twitter), MySpace feeds (Digsby only) and LinkedIn notifications (again, Digsby only).  Digsby is still currently Windows only however, while Trillian is cross-platform a a bit prettier.  Both attempt to install junk-ware upon installation for funding, so check closely and untick any appropriate boxes.
3. VLC + DOUBLETWIST (media player): The lauded VLC Player can supposedly play ANY media file out there - audio or video, while doubleTwist serves as a brilliant alternative to Apple's iTunes and it's monopolistic grip.  doubleTwist includes such features as the Amazon MP3 store which is nearly as large as iTunes and usually with cheaper DRM-free pricing, a great Podcast search engine and touts itself as "iTunes for Android" - but it is also for nearly every other MP3 player and mobile phone, including iPods themselves!  There is also Songbird out there which was once a Mozilla project. This means it is of course open source and customizable with extensions as well, but it's features and gadget compatibilities are somewhat lacking behind doubleTwist.  I'm not so sure it is as well supported anymore as Firefox, Seamonkey, Camino and Thunderbird.
4. FIREFOX or GOOGLE CHROME (browsers): I have found my configuration of Firefox to be faster, sleeker and to take up less "screen real estate" than Google Chrome, but others swear by Chrome's speed and Firefox's bloated sluggishness or instability.  I believe that they comparing the clean version of Chrome to a Firefox that they have been using for years and jam packed with themes, add-ons and extensions to create an unfair assessment, but that's neither here nor there as both browsers are very well designed and brilliant.  I use them both interchangeably.  There are glitches and failings with Chrome that still annoy me (like certain pages don't render in it, Ad-Block doesn't really work with it as well as with Firefox, no native "Bookmarks" drop down menu button, no "Print" button?!?, no "Print Preview" at all?!? and you can't tile it in Windows) - but the sandboxing of tabs to prevent one page from crashing your entire browser and the amazing security of it's code are very impressive.
5. THUNDERBIRD + LIGHTNING  (PIM): If you don't have or use the FULL Microsoft Office version of Outlook and are stuck with the crappy "Outlook Express" or God help you "Entourage" then you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not using Mozilla's Thunderbird as your email client.  When you add in the Sunbird calendar extension called "Lightning" you will have a full featured PIM just like with Office Outlook!  Speaking of which, just like with Firefox, you can add extensions and themes to Thunderbird to expand and customize it's capabilities too!

the State Attorneys' Generals Going on a Craig's List Witch Hunt

The recent news regarding the States' Attorney Generals going on a witch hunt after Craigslist for it's "adult" (aka prostitution) listings has been so absurd I almost didn't see any need to comment, but it is truly getting me riled up now!

1)  Once again - prostitution, just like with marijuana and most drugs, has no business being banned or illegal whatsoever.  The government has NO right to tell us what we can and can't do with our own property, bodies and business - so long as we don't endanger anyone else (and there are already laws regarding that).

2)   Craigslist is nothing more than the online version of any newspaper or magazine's classified ads.  So to single them out is unfair.

3)  As for the argument regarding women (or men) that have been raped, attacked and killed while prostituting - I refer to #1  They should be fully aware of the dangers they place themselves in not unlike miners, soldiers, commercial fishermen, construction workers, etc.  They take that risk for the chance at easy money and it is still safer than being out on the streets or working for some pimp that beats them.  Also, as mentioned with point #1, there are laws already on the books regarding assault, battery, rape and murder in any case.

4)  At a time when jurisdictions are whining and crying like babies that they are sooo strapped for cash and must cut back on education, social services, police, fire & rescue, etc. - couldn't resources be focused on REAL crime (as in murder, robbery/burglary, rape, etc.)? 

5)  Let's be clear here.  This has nothing to do with morality, protecting women or anything of the sort.  It's simply a political stunt to gain points and say "Look what I did to clean the city up!  Now vote for me again so I can be a career politician!"  ...as said politician hypocritically customs prostitutes and engages in adultery behind closed doors.

http://infoworld.com/d/adventures-in-it/craigslist-state-attorneys-censor-744

An Education for MODERN Conservatives:

The original "Tea Baggers" and American Revolutionaries rightfully fought against Imperialists that sought to rob the people with outrageous taxes in order to fill their coffers and fund their lifestyle, wars, etc.

This, however, has nothing to do with the more Liberal Democratic (or even Socialist, but NOT extreme Communist) notion of improving one's nation for the benefit of all... and our society in general!

This is why I am not so much against Conservationism as I am the modern-day far-right Republican ideology, which seeks to embrace the VERY SAME crimes that historical, traditional Republicans/Conservatives fought so hard AGAINST!

When the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer - all the while the hardest working classes doing the most important jobs are still earning the least - you will ultimately end up with a revolution. Just like with France, just like with the American Colonies, just like with the UK's Global Empire, just like with the Russian Czars... it's only a matter of time before something gives.

TEN RULES TO LIVE BY:

1. If they advertise on TV during the daytime Monday - Friday it's a scam.

2. If you hear a politician or lawyer speaking they are lying.

3. If you hear a priest, preacher, minister, cleric, rabbi, imam, cardinal, pope, scientologist, etc. speaking they are full of shit.

4. Breathe lots of oxygen, drink lots of water, stay mentally & physically active and eat multi-coloured vegetables, 100% whole grains, the odd lean protein and citrus fruit.

5. If it feels too good, hurts too much or has the same negative result over and over again then don't do it.

6. Chances are your grandmother was right. Even if she seems crazy.

7. Speaking of your grandparents - if they wouldn't recognize the ingredients on the label then it's NOT food.

8. Murphy's Law, Moore's Law, Death and Taxes are all a constant given.

9. Emotions, both good and bad, are there to tell us something... listen.

10. The true path to joy is to bring it to others. The true path to bliss is to do what you love. Give & Love.

 

 

Top 10+ Classic Doctor Who Serials

For those that have only recently gotten into “Doctor Who” with the New Series (2004 – present) I thought I should create a list of the best classic Doctor Who stories, starting with one from each of the first 7 Doctors from that era, plus the 8th Doctor’s one-off appearance:

1) the Pilot / an Unearthly Child – 1963

2) Tomb of the Cybermen – 1967

3) Inferno – 1970

4) Genesis of the Daleks – 1974

5) Caves of Androzani (arguably the BEST filmed story of all!) – 1984

6) Vengeance on Varos – 1985

7) Curse of Fenric – 1989

8) the 1996 BBC/FOX telemovie introducing the one-off 8th Doctor

9) the Five Doctors (which was really ‘the Four Doctors’ as Tom Baker, the 4th, refused to take part so soon after leaving his STILL unsurpassed 7 year stint in the role on screen and so footage was used from the incomplete Douglas Adams story “Shada”. Also, the deceased William Hartnell was brilliantly replaced by look-a-like Richard Hurndall as the 1st Doctor) – 1983

10) the Daleks aka the Dead Planet (introduces the Daleks) – 1963


In addition there is:

“the Dalek Invasion of Earth” (long serial with extensive London shots + Susan leaves her ‘grandfather’) – 1964

“the Time Meddler” (first time the Doctor encounters another of his kind on screen, besides Susan) – 1965

“Terror of the Autons” (introduces the Master) – 1971

“The Dæmons” – 1971

“Frontier in Space” (a space opera with Daleks, Draconians, UNIT, Ogrons and the final appearance of the 1st Master/Robert Delgado on screen) – 1973

“the Three Doctors” (also introduces Omega) – 1973

“the Time Warrior” (introduces the Sontarans, first mention of Gallifrey by name) – 1973

“Pyramids of Mars” – 1975

“The Brain of Morbius” – 1976

“the Talons of Weng Chiang” – 1977

“City of Death” (if you like more humour in your sci-fi) – 1979

“Black Orchid” (only purely historical story since 1967′s “the Highlanders”) – 1982

“Earthshock” (return of the Cybermen after 8 years + the shocking ending) – 1982

“the King’s Demons” (odd scheme for the Master, but still well done) – 1983

“Mark of the Rani” (introduces the Rani + has the Master) – 1985

“Silver Nemesis” (modern day Nazis + Cybermen + a Baroque Villainess that seems to know more about the enigmatic Doctor than we do) – 1988

…and pretty much ANY story written by the brilliant Robert Holmes, Douglas Adams (“the Pirate Planet” & “Shada”), Terry Nation or Terrence Dicks.

The unlost, true ‘regeneration stories’ from the original series (basically only 10) are typically pretty bad with the exception of the epic serial “the War Games”, the mid-trilogy “Logopolis” and the near perfect “Caves of Androzani”. Such scripts often play second fiddle to the actual event of the Doctor being reborn again, but they are all still fairly important ones.

Top 5 Reasons I Love Tom Merritt

You can call me a fan (or a fanboy), a follower, a fanatic or even a stalker dammit... I really don't care. Over this past year I have noticed far too many creepy commonalities between us and so, in my own little way, I would also like to pay homage (albeit a bit late) to Tom Merritt's departure from CNET to TWiT with my own Top 5:

1. Tom's also an Anglophile: Most of my friends and family know me as a hopeless, incorrigible and relentlessly annoying Anglophile. UK TV (BritComs, SciFi/Fantasy and Mysteries), UK ales, pubs, UK (especially Scottish) culture, Irish culture, REAL football, New Wave music & Art Punk. Doctor Who and Robin of Sherwood are tied as my favourite TV programmes of all time. The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Highlander are my favourite films of all time. Stanley Kubrick is my favourite director. Oh... and as you can see I often spell using PROPER English! I also say "aluminium".

2. Tom's also a Tech Nerd: Technology is something that I've only fallen head over heels in love with the last decade or so, but it has consumed me in a manner that no other science or art ever has growing up. He is also cross-platform and a HUGE open source advocate, which I respect in anyone!

3. Tom's also a Geek: For my entire life I have been into comics, science fiction, fantasy, Douglas Adams (HHG2G series), LOTR, RPGs (mostly D&D) and quite awhile back console gaming (currently only PC gaming). Tom is both into and knowledgeable of all of that! He also appears to share my interests in sociology, history and cultures! This man has also been to Dragon*Con more than once, while I never have!!! *jealous*

4. Tom also appears to be a bit of a Socialist (or at least politically moderate): I have been a life long Libertarian Socialist and an Agnostic. I could be wrong but it seems like he may the same?!? Sadly, I have no evidence of this.

5. Tom is freaking funny: His mastery of segues and geek/nerd-laden puns is second to none other!

Now this doesn't even include the fact that we appear to be the same age, which I'm not even sure about (I'm not going THAT far to investigate... lol). Sadly, the only reason I might be accused of being just another creepy fanboy rather than an actual friend is simply because I never had the pleasure of meeting him or spending time with him.... so basically he doesn't know me and I don't know him from Adam.... and that always changes the whole interpretation and perspective. :-/

All I can say is that if YOU are a friend of mine or follow my blogs or profiles then you would be doing yourself a great disservice by not also following Tom Merritt's work (mostly in tech podcasting it seems):

http://www.twit.tv/tnt

http://www.tommerritt.com/

http://www.subbrilliant.com/

http://www.subbrilliant.com/emw

http://currentgeek.com/

http://www.fourcastpodcast.com/

http://swordandlaser.squarespace.com/

http://www.cnet.com/profile/acedtect/

http://twitter.com/acedtect

http://www.facebook.com/acedtect

So why do I LOVE Digsby?

So why do I LOVE Digsby?

1) Multi-Protocol IM: Do you have friends, family, co-workers and contacts using multiple IM clients like AIM/AOL, YIM/Yahoo, MSN/Windows Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, Facebook Chat, Myspace Chat and/or Jabber? Do YOU use more than one client of those IM networks to communicate? What if you could combine the same person that uses more than one service (say YIM or AIM and Facebook) into one contact listing?

2) Social Networking: Do you use Facebook, Myspace, Twitter or LinkedIn? Do you like to stay on top of notifications and feeds (and only those you select) and be able to respond or post easily?

3) Email: Do you use another client (like Outlook or Thunderbird) to notify you of new email messages or like being able to delete, mark as read or mark as spam on the fly? Would it be nice to compose an email straight from an IM message window? Would you like to be notified of emails from free services (like Yahoo! & AOL) that won’t link with your PIM client unless you pay for their premium service?

4) Search: Do you like to search on Google, Wikipedia, Bing, eBay, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, iTunes, OneRiot or Technorati quickly and easily?

5) Interface: Do you like an IM client than you can change the skin on, the look of the IM windows, customize notifications, enable to auto-dock and auto-hide?

6) Twitter: Are you interested in a kick-ass Twitter client or currently use an external client for Twitter? Would you like your Tweets to be in chronological (rather than reverse) order to make them easier to follow? Would you also like to create Twitter “groups” to organize those that you follow like you have with the “lists” feature on the Twitter website? Would you like an auto-suggest/auto-fill feature when attempting to tweet someone you are following, but can’t quite recall their exact user name?

7) Status Updates: Would you like to be able to set your status across multiple Social Networks and/or IM Client Networks from one place?

Three important caveats to using Digsby:

1) If you are on an Apple/Mac, Linux/Ubuntu or any NON-Windows PC then Digsby is, as of yet, unavailable. Other excellent options include Trillian, Pidgin/Adium or simply web-based Meebo or mobile-based Nimbuzz.

2) If you use IRC a lot then Digsby also, as of yet, does not support that protocol. Again try Trillian or Pidgin/Adium… both excellent choices.

3) If you are on Windows, don’t use or care about IRC and are interested in installing Digsby be VERY careful upon installation to check and untick any options Digsby might attempt to install toolbars, spyware, “news feeds” or idle bandwidth for SETI projects if you don’t want them. Sadly this is one of their ways of funding the software.

http://www.digsby.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16grAzndW9w

TOP FINANCIAL WEBSITES

The Following Sites are More Academic and Less Media:

1) https://www.annualcreditreport.com/

2) http://www.bankrate.com/

3) http://www.cardratings.com/

4) http://www.choosetosave.org/

5) http://www.federalreserveeducation.org

6) http://www.investopedia.com/

7) http://www.irs.gov/

8) http://www.lendingtree.com/

9) http://www.savingforcollege.com/

10) http://www.socialsecurity.gov/



Very good site for financial management: http://www.mint.com/



The Following Sites Are More Media, But Still Useful:

1) http://www.pbs.org/nbr/

2) http://www.suzeorman.com/

3) http://www.daveramsey.com/

4) http://www.morningstar.com/

5) http://www.smartmoney.com/

6) http://www.kiplinger.com/

7) http://money.cnn.com/

8) http://www.marketwatch.com/

9) http://www.businessweek.com/

10) http://www.ft.com/home/us

I avoided mentioning the Wall Street Journal directly as they have recently migrated to a pay only site.

From Dave Ramsey's Website: "Start a Legacy Drawer"

Part three in our series of getting your life organized is about the Legacy Drawer. If you've listened to Dave for any amount of time, you've heard him talk about the Legacy Drawer. So what is it? Basically, it's a drawer that houses all of the important information your family needs in case something happens to you. Preparing for when you are no longer here is not a fun task, but it's crucial to do this for your family.

Every household needs a Legacy Drawer. It doesn't matter if you're single with no kids or 76 and have 12 grandkids—you need a Legacy Drawer. It's the last gift you will give your family, so make it a good one. If you truly care about your loved ones, you will take the time to create a Legacy Drawer.

The drawer should be somewhere in your home and contain everything your spouse or family needs to know if you aren't around—anything that has to do with your financial life should be in that drawer. You must organize it in a way that anyone can find a specific document in 30 seconds. All files should be clearly marked, in order, and easy for a grieving family member to find. There's no need to go into extreme detail when creating your Legacy Drawer. Simply include the appropriate documents in an easy-to-understand format, and you're good to go!

We recommend that your Legacy Drawer contain 11 things. Although it may seem daunting to gather all of this material together, you will be happy you did once the Legacy Drawer is created:

1. Cover Letter. This is simply a letter stating the purpose of the Legacy Drawer. Nothing fancy, just a way to introduce your loved ones to the contents of the drawer.


2. Will & Estate Plans. All information pertaining to your will and estate, including names of the executor and Power of Attorney should be located in one file.


3. Financial Accounts. Anything that has money in it and your name on it should be listed in the Legacy Drawer. This includes account names, amount and account numbers.


4. Funeral Instructions. All details and specifications for funeral plans should be listed so the family can fulfill your wishes. If you are married, you need one for you and one for your spouse.


5. Insurance Policies. All insurance information, including health, car, disability, term life, etc., should be combined into one single document for easy reference. List the type of insurance, who the policy is for, contact information and policy numbers.


6. Important Documents. Any legal or other important documents you have should be noted in the file. This includes deeds, birth certificates, Social Security cards and titles.


7. Legacy Letters. Since the intention behind the Legacy Drawer is to keep your legacy going after you've passed away, it's a great idea to include letters to your loved ones.


8. Monthly Budget. Add a copy of your written budget, so your spouse or loved ones know how to operate your household once you're gone. This will help your family keep track of bills and focus on more important things.


9. Tax Returns. Keeping tax returns in your Legacy Drawer is like an insurance policy for yourself in the event that you get audited from the IRS. Hopefully you never have to pull them out, but if you do, at least you are prepared.


10. Safe Deposit Box. Keep copies of all your Legacy Drawer papers in a safe deposit box—you can never be too careful. Include information in your Legacy Drawer on where your safe deposit box is and who has access to it.


11. Passwords. Write down all passwords, combinations, usernames and PIN numbers. This information allows your loved ones access to any documents, money or information that is left when you are gone.

If you put your mind to it, you can create your Legacy Drawer in 30 days! It's tedious to gather all of the documents and paperwork that goes into the drawer, but it's a necessary task in order to protect you and your family.

My Dewey Color System® Career Testing Results

Best Occupational Category: You're a CREATOR

Keywords:
Nonconforming, Impulsive, Expressive, Romantic, Intuitive, Sensitive, and Emotional

These original types place a high value on aesthetic qualities and have a great need for self-expression. They enjoy working independently, being creative, using their imagination, and constantly learning something new. Fields of interest are art, drama, music, and writing or places where they can express, assemble, or implement creative ideas.

CREATOR OCCUPATIONS:
Suggested careers are Advertising Executive, Architect, Web Designer, Creative Director, Public Relations, Fine or Commercial Artist, Interior Decorator, Lawyer, Librarian, Musician, Reporter, Art Teacher, Broadcaster, Technical Writer, English Teacher, Architect, Photographer, Medical Illustrator, Corporate Trainer, Author, Editor, Landscape Architect, Exhibit Builder, and Package Designer.

CREATOR WORKPLACES
Consider workplaces where you can create and improve beauty and aesthetic qualities. Unstructured, flexible organizations that allow self-expression work best with your free-spirited nature.

Suggested Creator workplaces are advertising, public relations, and interior decorating firms; artistic studios, theaters and concert halls; institutions that teach crafts, universities, music, and dance schools. Other workplaces to consider are art institutes, museums, libraries, and galleries.


2nd Best Occupational Category: You're an ORGANIZER

Keywords:
Self-Control, Practical, Self-Contained, Orderly, Systematic, Precise, and Accurate

These conservative appearing, plotting-types enjoy organizing, data systems, accounting, detail, and accuracy. They often enjoy mathematics and data management activities such as accounting and investment management. Persistence and patience allows them to do detailed paperwork, operate office machines, write business reports, and make charts and graphs.

Top 5 Firefox Add-Ons

I usually try to keep my Firefox add-ons (extensions) to a minimum few that I truly value and use on a regular basis. If there is one or two that I love but rarely use then I might add it but keep it "disabled" until I find that rare time I need it, which also requires a restart of the browser. By limiting them and not getting gluttonous I can avoid causing Firefox to become far more bloated, sluggish and unstable. One of the reasons other browsers 'appear' to be faster is the lack of add-ons/themes, few if any customizations and the fact that nearly all of them (except Firefox) pre-launch in the background with Windows. Don't believe me? If you have multiple browsers then restart Windows and check your task manager... or better yet check start up services under msconfig.exe

Having said all of that, my top 5 Firefox add-ons are:

1) Ad Block: Does exactly what you think. Often blocks flash and java based video ads as well. More to the point it blocks all the ads flooding a webpage like landmines to accidentally click. Best of all is the speed you will enjoy while using it. I often never realize just how many ads there are on a website until I use another browser.

2) Flash Block: Same principle as above, but for Flash - which is Adobe's memory hog of a internet monopoly (not unlike it's equally piggish and domineering sibling .pdf) I seriously cannot wait for HTML5 to arrive soon enough so we can all put Flash behind us. It prevents all of those animated ads and videos (including on YouTube and MySpace) from auto-launching until you tell it to.

3) Bookmark Autohider: This cool Firefox 3.6 add-on auto-hides your bookmark toolbar. It is also customizable! All you have to do is draw your cursor up to the URL field and then it appears for as long as you have dictated it to. Then it goes away. Too cool. I used to have a userchrome hack to do this, but it never worked perfectly and could not be so easily customized.

4) Coral IE Tab: There are some web pages that just haven't been designed to function outside of Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Now no webpage is off limits and no need to switch browsers... with one exception still - Windows Update (of course). You can, however, also launch said page externally in IE itself with one click as well. It has icons available for the "Tools" menu, the navigation bar, the status bar and the 'right click' context menu.

5) Easy YouTube Video Downloader: If you just absolutely MUST save that video you found on YouTube to keep for posterity, this is your add-on.

Now there are many other add-ons I have tried. Some are no longer necessary when the function was added into Firefox (PDF Tab), some were crap (too many to mention), some are no longer supported or updated for Firefox 3.6 One of my other favourites was Answers... as in Answers.com I don't mean the search engine field plug-in, but an actual extension that enabled you to highlight and click on any word/phrase on any page and use the context menu to look it up on Answers.com - which would provide you with dictionary definitions, a thesaurus, Wikipedia listings, translations, search engine results, conversions... BRILLIANT! Sadly it hasn't been updated for 3.6 The best thing about was I could leave my search engine set for Google AND have the add-on for Answers - both accessible via the same context menu!


Lastly... themes. My favourite theme/skin that I have ever used (and still do) is "Noia 2.0 eXtreme" I used to use the Oulook 2003 Blue Skin and Bartoccelli's Silver Skin, and liked them both before they became out of date and unsupported for Firefox 2.0 and 3.0, respectively. Then I found Noia 2.0 eXtreme which has the silvery greyness of the toolbars and colourful icons that Silver Skin did (plus dynamic)... and most surprising of all is how many additional icons/links I can have on the bookmarks toolbar (or even the main/file/nav toolbar) vs. other themes - including supposed "mini-themes". Yet this one looks as big as any normal theme. Kudos to Kongbeat Kuatrakull! :-)

[UPDATE to my IM blogs with Nimbuzz included]

I have just discovered yet another multi-protocol IM client that features something none of the others do: Nimbuzz http://www.nimbuzz.com

As I mentioned in my previous blogs I have used Trillian, Pidgin, Digsby, Meebo, VoxOx and now Nimbuzz (in addition to single clients like AOL/AIM, Yahoo IM/YIM, MSN/Windows Messenger, ICQ, GoogleTalk, IRC, MySpace IM, Facebook IM, et.al.) When using one of the multi-protocol clients, including Meebo, there is always an issue with mobile phones. The networks block or restrict it's usage assumedly to encourage the $$$ spent on SMS per-text charges, apps or bucket plans. Nimbuzz is the FIRST multi-protocol client (and I think the first IM client period) to get around this, at least for now. So here are my latest recommendations when choosing a client (unless ALL of your friends, family and varied contacts just happen to be on the SAME, single network - like AIM, YIM, MSN or GoogleTalk):

1) Pidgin (Windows)/Adium (Mac) for cross platform, open source and the nearly ALL the networks aggregated into the same client.

2) Digsby for the primary networks with email/webmail (POP, IMAP, AOL, Yahoo, Google) and social network integration (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) - but it's still only available for Windows.

3) Meebo for multi-integrated IM via a web browser when you are on a computer that's isn't your own (work, library, friends/family, etc.)

4) Nimbuzz for multi-integrated IM via a mobile device.

First Impressions of the Apple "iPad"

OK - so the Apple iPad could have been a break-thru device if it wasn't for some glaring flaws and omissions to it's design. I envisioned it as being a device that could replace the netbook or even the laptop when one was in the market for a new one, so long as said person was willing to make that evolutionary leap into 100% cloud computing. But sadly, no dice Apple:

1) No camera?

2) No multi-tasking?!?

3) STILL no Flash support?

4) 4:3 display?

5) I can understand no optical drive today, but no ports to speak of? No MicroSD card slot? No USB or IEEE port? No ethernet? No HDMI out? NOTHING AT ALL?!?

6) That stupid name. Do you have NO women in R&D/marketing/design at Apple?!?

7) What if you aren't near WiFi or have access to 3G in your area for some *ahem* reason? No connectivity would make this device completely and utterly useless - and not useless in a Netbook way, but 100% useless... speaking of WiFi and 3G (which isn't REAL broadband anyway, by the way) that brings us to:

8) AT&T again Apple?!? Have you learned nothing from the iPhone partnership?

the Sad Reason Why Facebook Really Is Beating MySpace

[this is copied over from my older CNET blog]

There is nothing that Facebook and Twitter have to offer that MySpace doesn't do at least as well or even better - and in most cases has done for far longer. Add to that the ability to have complete control of the customized personalization of your profile (which is also a double edged sword when used by those w/o restraint), the options to tweak REAL privacy controls and a "lite profile view" setting to simulate the cleaner Facebook experience, the extraordinary access to media and unsigned artists and the fact that they have enabled their users to have a simple URL (myspace.com/user ID) long before Facebook added the same. A simple ID-based URL profile page which can be, if you chose, viewed by ANYONE who knows it rather they have an account on MySpace or not. Combining all of this in one packaged site it would seem as if MySpace should be dominant and growing.

On MySpace I can add widgets from YouTube, Digsby, Twitter, Meebo - pretty much from anywhere I like to my profile page. Graphics and music players. Donations and support buttons. You name it. There is one simple, killer feature to Facebook that MySpace lacks (which could be one of the top reasons): "the Wall". On MySpace you have your "Blog" ("Notes" on Facebook) and the "Friends' Comments" section. Combined they are still a clumsy second to the Facebook Wall - where not only can you post sharable content but your friends/contacts/fans can as well. Could this be the sole reason why?

Nope - what is killing MySpace is the same thing that regulates which IM client you use most often. Most would agree that AIM is crap compared to Yahoo's IM/YIM and even Windows/MSN Messenger... but most people still are using AIM. Why? Because due to the early adoption of AOL as an ISP, AIM is the network protocol client that most of their friends & family use, even if only occasionally (of course ideally a multi-protocol client like Pidgin/Adium, Digsby, Trillian or Meebo is your best choice today). Same thing with Facebook. I was using and loved MySpace for years but then discovered that almost everyone I knew on MySpace was also on Facebook + A LOT of friends that weren't on MySpace are on Facebook. So I started using Facebook more and more... even though I still love MySpace for all it provides.

That is why Facebook is winning. Ironically it could be the fact that you must have an account to view a profile that started the snowball down the hill - but who knows? Maybe it started with all the absurd bad press over MySpace (see D&D circa mid-late 1980's) or the fact that it didn't introduce a "lite" option soon enough to control those profile creators that seem to never even look at the eyesores they designed. I think it (like with IM) ultimately boils down to where all of your friends & family are. That's what a social network is for after all.