Beware Online "Filter Bubbles"

Let's guide the Internet the right way.

Eli Pariser: Beware online "filter bubbles"

Remember that getting opinions different from your own help you to learn and grow. Be careful of over-personalization.

Dell Streak 7 WiFi Tablet Up for Pre-Order

When I first heard about it, I mentioned the Dell Streak back in September. At the time, I was earmarking the gadget because I knew that I'd someday need to replace my Dell Axim. Since then, I've had the good fortune to get an iPhone and despite loyalty, I'm not sure I'd go back.

That being said, there are new reviews posted regarding the latest version of the Dell Streak, which now has WiFi. Check out the DeviceMAG.com review.

• Android v2.2
• 7-inch display, multi-touch
• 1GHz NVIDIA processor
• Front-facing and rear-facing cameras; 1.3 MP and 5 MP respectively
• 16 GB internal hard drive

Besides the WiFi, the device also includes Bluetooth and GPS. This version isn't yet available directly, but you can pre-order one at Amazon.com.

Fun With My iPhone </SARCASM>

If the following two pages on Apple's site are in front of me right now, you can bet that it's going to be a fun-filled morning.

• iTunes: Backing up, updating, and restoring your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch software
• Update and restore alert messages on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

It is likely that everything that WAS on my phone is recoverable from my hard drive. The second link above makes it clear where the backup is stored. I'm in the middle of running the recovery and update tool. So we will see.

Update

Well, that is now over. And if I could find one image that would express how I feel about the experience...

Seriously, I was making a big baby deal about nothing. I did lose a few apps that I have to reinstall. But this may have had more to do with the network drive at work, and less to do with iTunes or iPhone.

BendDesk

I've previously mentioned reinventing the desktop interface and the kind of changes that might be coming regarding how we use computers. I wanted to share another cool idea in this area that is simply being called a bend desk.

This looks promising.

bend desk is a prototype interactive display that takes the digital workspace from the screen to the desktop by the media computing group at RWTH aachen university. while a typical work setup combines a flat desktop with a vertical computer screen, bend desk combines the two into one single unit. bend desk is a vision for a future workspace that allows continuous interaction between both areas. using multi-touch technology, the display curves from a horizontal plane to a vertical plane. this workspace can be used to display digital content and interact with it directly using multi-touch gestures and manipulation.

The entire setup seamlessly combines a large multi-touch surface on the desk that curves into a multi-touch screen for display. Whereas it probably takes up more physical space than the 10/GUI concept video I linked to above, it resolves all of the same problems conceptually and has the added bonus of looking really cool. Additionally, you can see in some of the pictures on designboom.com that the BendDesk could be used by more than one person at a time. I'm not sure I could choose between the two if presented the option. Based on the video...

I'd say that BendDesk is closer to being a reality. The future is now!

The History Of The Internet (An Infographic)

There's a bit of a trend I've noticed lately where information is being shared in easy-to-understand infographics. They are sometimes a mix of the humorous and insightful along with a well laid out representation of information. I wasn't even born until 1976, so...

The following graphic is a timeline of the major milestones in the full History of the Internet. Some of this history I lived through and can recall, but much of it happened while I was a little oblivious.

[Source: OnlineMBA.com]

Found via Digg.

Apple iTunes Defaults to Ripping .m4a - Thumbs Down

I like Apple. I like iTunes. That's what is going to make this hard (and yet so very easy) to write complaints about them. In yet another argument for never ever updating software ever, a setting that I depend on in iTunes buried deep in the preferences menu defaulted to factory settings. I should note that I'm not sure this happened during an update or for some other reason.

I use iTunes for most of my music right now. I've used Winamp (yay), Windows Media Player (boo) and a few of the online services like Playlist.com. What I find most often is that none of these free tools is fully featured, but depending on what you need at that moment the right tool is available. That's a presumably common thread for free software, right? But for the longest time, Windows MP would not rip mp3s from CDs and neither would Winamp so when need this I used iTunes only. By default, the star software from Apple will rip your mp3s to a ridiculous place on your computer's hard drive.

C:\Users\USERNAME\Music\iTunes\iTunes Music\Music

Really Apple? Isn't "Music" used three separate times a little redundant? And why would I care to separate out the "iTunes" stuff into it's own folder tree? Even if I'd bought it through the iTunes store (*scoff*) I'd just want it in the root music folder organized by artist. Thankfully, you can change this in the preferences to wherever you want. Since I share this PC with the whole family, I usually use something everyone can access.

C:\Users\Public\Music

The folders in this directory are organized by artist and album.

Aside from this, iTunes also defaults to encoding ripped music to AAC/m4a (mpeg-4 audio) format. I'm sure there is some sort of computer music snob --and I recognize I'm throwing stones in my glass house-- that could explain to me the differences and the advantages of .M4A for music files versus traditional .MP3. I prefer mp3s. Since music first became something usable on a computer, they've been the bread and butter standard. And I'll keep on preferring them and reinforcing them as the industry standard.

Again, iTunes preferences allow you to specify mpeg-3 and every file ripped from then on will be right. I've had it set that way for years. However, something recently has reset these preferences to their defaults and if there was a warning or notice about it, I missed it. Later, I went looking for stuff I knew I'd ripped from my CDs and couldn't find the mp3s right away. As it turned out, that's because they were saved in a redundant folder, in a different format than mp3. Even my next step for finding lost files using Google Desktop didn't work, because I narrowed my search to mp3 files.

My Steps to Repair

• Change the settings in iTunes preferences.
• Delete the \iTunes\ folder, and all M4A files inside it. I know that iTunes will recreate the folders when it next starts up, but at least for the moment, they are goodbye.
• Find the CDs I wanted on the computer and rip them again into the right place.
• Consider Winamp once again, as it's pretty good.

That's all, I'm done complaining. Go back to your regularly scheduled whatever.

More Information

• Here are details instructions on how to change the preferences: Ask Dave Taylor!® - How do I have iTunes rip CDs into MP3 format?
• Here's someone on Apple's forums confused about m4a: Topic: Bought song from itunes store for mp3 player but it's in mp4 format??
• Here's more of the same sort of confusion: Topic : .m4a, .mp3, etc questions
• I didn't read these instructions, but they may have helped. They were more specific to "protected" m4a files than normal ones, which was not my problem. Converting m4p to mp3 files

SOFTWARE REVIEW: Recuva

Files get deleted unintentionally. It happens to everyone at some point. Sometimes they can be recovered from the recycle bin, but if they aren't there it's a little-known secret that they can still usually be recovered from the hard drive anyway. The reason for this is that when a file is deleted by the operating system, it only means that the file has been removed from a table of contents that the file system maintains. The data is still there, but the computer has simply stopped tracking it. It might still be there on the physical hard drive media. Over time, the system may write NEW data to that specific location on the media thereby making it impossible much more difficult to recover. But if that hasn't happened yet, special scanning software could find it.

I've been the loudest megaphone that I can possibly be to let people know about this and the free software that is available to accomplish this simple task. Currently, the most recommended tool available that I've seen is called RECUVA. This tool was reviewed positively on Lifehacker and I'd downloaded it upon reading the review.

It wasn't until today that I needed it. And it was for a friend's SD media card. Of course Recuva's details make it clear that it will work on SD and other media cards, so I confidently stated to my friend that I could get it done.

Where this went wrong is that the way that I read SD cards on my computer is to plug them into my Dell Axim. I don't have a built-in or stand-alone SD reader. My camera plugs in directly, but just for reading SD cards this indirect method has always worked.

Except it didn't work in this instance. The recovery software has some options for scanning hard drives, ipods, media cards and other devices. But it failed to scan and locate the media card, even though Explorer could browse to the files on the device with no problem. It seems that it only recognizes drives with letters associated with them (C:, D:, E:, etc.) and since the handheld doesn't get one, then it can't be recognized.

You should still download Recuva and have it in your arsenal anyhow, but don't rely on it to recover files on your Pocket PC, PDA or an SD card inserted in it.

Update: I had a moment after thinking about these steps and I tried the same tool with my camera instead of the handheld. But the results were the same. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

Reinventing the Desktop Interface

Who would have thought that step one would be to completely ditch the mouse? But if you think about it, the due date has perhaps arrived.

10/GUI from C. Miller on Vimeo. Here are more details:

Here it is: my crazy summer project to reinvent desktop human-computer interaction.

This video examines the benefits and limitations inherent in current mouse-based and window-oriented interfaces, the problems facing other potential solutions, and visualizes my proposal for a completely new way of interacting with desktop computers.

There's more information at 10gui.com.

The real point here is that we need a leap-frog move to jump from what we have as an interface now to the next step. I'd like to see this kind of technology as soon as possible.

Top 87 Bad Predictions about the Future

When predicting the future, it is important to keep certain points in mind.

In regards to predicting the future Howard H. Stevenson says, Prediction is at least two things: Important and hard. Important, because we have to act, and hard because we have to realize the future we want, and what is the best way to get there.

The act of predicting the future --both near and distant-- has always been fraught with difficulty. Certainly, it was hard prior to Nostradamus' day. Throughout history and pre-history it has been the purview of witch-doctors and shamans, scientists and inventors, stockbrokers and entrepreneurs. The wisest of the wise and the wackiest of con men have all tried their hand at the proverbial (or literal) crystal ball.

Hindsight can be quite fun here. Looking back and marveling at predictions that came true for those lucky few that said the right thing at the right time can be amusing. But the real excitement happens when someone steps in it big time and inserts their own foot in their mouth. Here's a few highlights from a nicely compiled list.

Everything that can be invented has been invented. - Charles H. Duell, an official at the US patent office, 1899.*

It will be gone by June. - Variety, passing judgement on rock 'n roll in 1955.

The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty, a fad. - The president of the Michigan Savings Bank advising Henry Ford's lawyer not to invest in the Ford Motor Co., 1903.

Would you like more? Check out the full list at Top 87 Bad Predictions about the Future.

*Note: Apparently, this quote from the patent office is a widely recycled misquote. A few of the others on the 2spare.com list are also debunked. Don't believe everything you hear.

Did Your Television Stop Working?

Did you pick up a new T.V. by now? As of today, all non-digital broadcast television signals have stopped. You've probably gotten sick of hearing about it by now. But if you woke up this morning and were surprised to learn that your screen is blank, then it's time to pick up either a new box or a converter. You can learn more at DTV Answers.com.

Don't have one yet? Get a digital television as soon as possible.

Wil Wheaton's keynote at Penny Arcade Expo [mp3]

I bookmarked this over a year ago, but I listened to it again today in full. I checked back through my stuff and realized that I've never linked to it anywhere. It's worth mentioning for all kinds of reasons, mostly for the video game nostalgia trip that you will have if you are over the age of 30. Most geeks our age will recognize the name of Wil Wheaton from his role as Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as Gordie Lachance in the film Stand By Me (a.k.a.the best Stephen King movie ever!) as well as many other great roles. If you haven't seen him recently, he is still working and is active in the online community of bloggers and video gamers.

In 2007, he gave the keynote speech at the Penny Arcade Expo, a hugely successful fan-driven, industry-sponsored festival for tabletop, videogame, and PC gamers. He tells a series of biographical stories starting in his early youth and moving to his role as a parent. Honestly, it's the most topical speech on video games and what they mean to us today. If you have not already heard it, you must hear it now. Give yourself an hour and then hit play.

Wil Wheaton's keynote at Penny Arcade Expo 2007

The following video is only an excerpt of the speech intro but it's coupled with a few moments after the speech as Wil graciously meets with a fan. It encapsulates the reaction a little to see a fan shaking his hand.

Found via Delicious.

More Information

• Article on Stage Select
• Article on Macworld

Why is My Flickr Pro Account Expiring?!!

First the whole digital television thing and now this. My Flickr Pro account is going away. Yahoo! owns Flickr. Since we've been using Yahoo! DSL for the longest time, I've had a Flickr Pro account available to me that I've abused thoroughly put to good use. It would seem by the yellow alert box that I saw in my account today that this will be downgraded to a standard account soon.

AT&T and Verizon Internet Services have reworked their broadband packages and will no longer be offering Flickr pro to subscribers after January 31, 2009.

You can read more about this in the Flickr FAQs.

Update (2009/03/05): I'm not sure what changed, but it looks like my account is now a Pro account again and it says that it will be free as long as I maintain my Yahoo! service. So, this must have changed. *smile*

RAVE: Dell Technical Support

I had a power supply go out in my home computer that I got last Christmas and through some general troubleshooting steps with Dell Technical Support over their chat option, we were able to determine the problem and they are sending me a new power supply. All I needed to do was to enter the Service Tag number from the side of my case and they were able to determine the length of my warranty and help me from there. It took a few emails back and forth to confirm some tests and my new parts were already shipped.

Actually, there's a funny little story about the length of my warranty. At first one of the tech reps emailed me back and typed something to the effect of...

Your warranty has already expired as of December 18^th, 2008.

Considering that this date is still 3 ½ months away, I wrote back politely that of course the problem would be covered. The tech promptly and humbly apologized for the confusion. I really think that he meant to type "will expire" as opposed to "already". Simple mistake.

Why We Know Less Than Ever About the World (Video)

I've become semi-obsessed with the TED conference videos lately, and I just have to share them when I see them.

View the video at TED | Talks | Alisa Miller. The first one of these that I saw on their site was Jeff Han's multi-touch interface. I want one. You will too.

Introduction to the Semantic Web (For Noobs)

This got posted internally at work, and I found it important enough to cross-post where applicable.

Optimus Maximus Keyboard

Add this one to your wish list. How about a PC keyboard that costs almost $1600? This is the luxury model of keyboards. This is really extreme. Check out the Optimus Maximus Keyboard.

Update: You can get this thing from Amazon.com as well: Optimus Maximus Keyboard.

How to make a Sawed-off USB Key

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has a fun project where you can turn a USB cable into a USB thumb drive. This one is funny but useless, which is my kind of project.

Found via iGoogle.

10 Ways the Internet (As We Know It) Will Die - GigaOM

That's right, the Internet will someday die. All it's going to take are one of 10 or more variably possible catastrophes.

We often think of the Internet as a platform for unfettered global communication, where information flows freely, innovators can launch new applications at will, and everyone can have a voice. But it's unlikely that our children's Internet will look anything like what we have now.

My favorite involves zombies (zombie networks). Check out the full list at GigaOM.com.

The Best Online Tools To Help You Know Everything About Web Sites

A large part of web development is research. Learning how one website works or how it was developed can help lead the direction of another project. Also, while curiousity is bad for kittens, it's fun for the average web worker. Here is a nice article with a few more links for your bag-of-tricks.

How do I contact the owner of a website? How popular is my site on Digg or Delicious? What other websites are hosted on my web server? Is my competitor using WordPress or Drupal? Example.com is loading fast, what is the name of their web hosting company? Is my blog accessible from China or Japan?

If you got questions like these in your mind, here are some of the most useful online tools to help you know each and every detail of any website on the planet.

Here are the list of these tools.

• Just-Ping.com
• WhoIsTheOwner.net
• YouGetSignal.com
• WhoIsHostingThis.com
• SocialMeter.com
• Popuri.us
• BuiltWith.com

I haven't heard of any of these, but I'm certainly going to check them out immediately. There is a much more detailed description of each one at the linked article. Of course, it is not always possible to find out everything you might like to know about how your favorite website works. Inevitably, if this information is freely available, it can leave certain high-profile sites vulnerable to zero day security issues. Most web masters with any sense will take measures to hide or otherwise obfuscate this information. And this is another reason to keep these tools handy so that you know what other people can learn about your site. To find out more read the full article at labnol.org > internet > tools.

Found via del.icio.us {tags: web-developer web-developer/tools community domains internet marketing technology articles blogs}.

Phishing Attempt - TechLifeBlogged

The concept of phishing is hard to explain to those that haven't experienced it or seen it up close. It's a very quick innocuous crime with the speed and dexterity of the pick-pocket, but the victim doesn't even know for weeks or months, if they ever realize it at all. Education is the only preventative. Scott does a good job here-

These kinds of email are a dime a dozen but I thought it might be good to have an example I can point to when trying to educate others.

Read the full post about Phishing at TechLifeBlogged.