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diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Fri/blockads.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Fri/blockads.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3945d59 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Fri/blockads.txt @@ -0,0 +1,15 @@ +Yesterday's note about user backlash against YouTube's new in-stream video ads promoted a number of reader to ask, "is there a way to block YouTube's new ads?" The answer is yes, provided you're a Firefox user. + +The extension TubeStop will replace all the video players on the YouTube site with the embedded player, which thus far [do not support the in-stream ads][3]. + +It's worth noting that blocking in-stream ads was not the point of TubeStop. As its name hints the plugin was originally developed to stop videos from auto-playing. In order to do that, TubeStop simply swaps out the site player for the embed player, the ad-blocking feature is really just a happy coincidence. + +Of course at some point YouTube will probably include the in-stream ads in the embeddable player which means this method won't work, but for the time being you're covered. + +Grab the latest version of TubeStop from [developer Chris Finke's site][1]. The extension is compatible with Firefox 1.5 - 2.0.0.x, the latest Flock builds, and Netscape Navigator 9.0. + +[via [Mashable][2]] + +[2]: http://mashable.com/2007/08/23/tubestop/ +[1]: http://www.chrisfinke.com/addons/tubestop/ +[3]: http://www.chrisfinke.com/category/tubestop/
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Fri/installerapp.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Fri/installerapp.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..04c1372 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Fri/installerapp.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Fri/iphonegui.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Fri/iphonegui.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0aaa6cf --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Fri/iphonegui.txt @@ -0,0 +1,16 @@ +Hacking the iPhone just got a lot easier. There's now a GUI package installer available that aims to make it dead simple to get the coolest new "native" apps running on your iPhone. The appropriately named [Installer.app][1] works just like other package managers, once installed it lists the various packages available and clicking any of them will start the installation from the phone. + +Of course not only is Installer.app a beta, hacking the iPhone is potential risky and quite possible a good way to lose your data, void your warranty and otherwise bring a plague upon your house. Consider the following warning on the official site: + +>WARNING: This software comes with absolutely no warranty of any kind. If it should cause any harm to your iPhone or data, we shall not be held responsible. Such is the nature of preview (Beta) software. + +I have not used Installer.app so I can't comment on its stability, but I will say that having a package management system for iPhone apps seems much better than just downloading and installing things willy-nilly. + +If you'd like to learn more check out #installer.app on IRC. + +If you decide to give it a try be sure to let us know your experiences in the comments below. + +[via [Hackszine][2]] + +[1]: http://iphone.nullriver.com/beta/ +[2]: http://www.hackszine.com/blog/archive/2007/08/installerapp_beta_for_iphone.html?CMP=OTC-7G2N43923558
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\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Fri/yahoomes.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Fri/yahoomes.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..416518f --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Fri/yahoomes.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/comcast.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/comcast.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..8436621 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/comcast.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/comcast.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/comcast.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a64f7c5 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/comcast.txt @@ -0,0 +1,27 @@ +Bandwidth throttling and traffic shaping are nothing new in the world of ISPs, but rumors are making the rounds that Comcast is taking it to the next level with regards to bittorrent. + +TorrentFreak is claiming that Comcast users are finding their torrent uploads throttled whenever they connect to non-Comcast users, which means you can't seed torrents outside the network. It would seem that only seeding peers is being prevented, most users are able to upload to others as long as their download is still going, but once the download is finished the upload is throttled. + +Michael mentioned this on Friday and says that he's noticed it getting worse in the last couple of months. I don't have Comcast so I can't say one way or the other. Here's what TorrentFreak has to say: + +>Unfortunately, these more aggressive throttling methods can't be circumvented by simply enabling encryption in your BitTorrent client. It is reported that Comcast is using an application from Sandvine to throttle BitTorrent traffic. Sandvine breaks every (seed) connection with new peers after a few seconds if it's not a Comcast user. + +A commenter on the TorrentFreak post raises another interesting point, with regard to Comcast in particular: + +>Comcast sells internet access. They also sell video subscriptions, charging extra for on-demand and PPV movies. + +If I'm paying to DL a movie from a legal subscription service that uses the bittorrent protocol, and it's blocked, that's anticompetitive behavior designed to get me to use Comcast's services instead of the competitors. + +I'm not a lawyer so I can't say for sure if that's the case, but I included it here because it isn't something I've seen brought up before. + +It's no secret that ISPs don't like bittorrent or other traffic-clogging peer-to-peer technologies. The ISPs argument runs something like this: just because you pay for a connection at 3mbps doesn't mean you can use whatever protocols you want and potential clog the network for other users by using all 3mbps. + +Of course, the natural reaction from many people has been: actually I thought that's exactly what I was paying for. Many users feel the burden of handling the traffic is on the ISPs who, the argument says, need to ensure that the network can handle the traffic. + +In an ideal world, I'd tend to agree with that logic, but the truth is most networks simply could not handle the amount of traffic that would result from widespread torrent usage. Which is why ISPs are up in arms about services like Joost or the BBC's new internet video options. + +Others would argue that ISPs are a business and are free to charge and shape traffic as they see fit. + +And that's the heart of the debate -- should internet access be treated as a private enterprise with the market dictating what sort of traffic shaping is acceptable or should it be treated more like a public utility such as water service? + +It's always a lively debate, so feel free to jump in and have your say. Also if you're a Comcast customer and have seen your torrent's throttled let us know about it.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/djangoiphone.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/djangoiphone.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e40fc15 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/djangoiphone.txt @@ -0,0 +1,24 @@ +Back when the hackers first broke into the IPhone and managed to get [Apache and Python installed][6], we knew it was only a matter of time before someone installed one of our favorite web frameworks -- Django. And yes it has been done, with [Flickr photos to prove it][1]. + +Jacob Kaplen Moss, Python guru and one of the [developers behind Django][5], got the framework installed and used Django's inspectdb to [load the iPhone's call log][4] into the Django admin application. Inspectdb is a handy Django tool that basically reverse engineers an existing database structure and then creates a Django application using that information. + +And to prove you don't need to be a Django developer to pull this off, it's worth noting that another Django user, Jay Baird, also has some [photos of Django running on an iPhone][2]. + +For the moment you'll have to content yourself with the Flickr images as it doesn't seem that anyone has posted a tutorial on the process (if you know of one, stick it in the comments and I'll update this post). + +Here's a few hints though, based on my own digging around: First off you're going to need Jailbreak and then install Apache and Python (presumably mod_python as well which I haven't been able to find anyone who's done that... perhaps they're running Django under WCGI). + +Next you'll need to install Django and point your browser to localhost to make sure it worked. Then if you want to pull out the call data you'll need to find the iPhone's CoreData files, which, as I understand it, are essentially SQLite databases. Once you have those, run Django's inspectdb function and you've got a web interface capable of viewing and editing anything on the iPhone. + +While Jacob's call data application isn't particularly useful, the fact that you can get Django up and running on an IPhone certainly is -- imagine locally hosted iPhone webapps without the speed drag of the EDGE network. That's an iPhone webapp we can finally get behind. + +I imagine similar efforts are underway in the Rails world and other web frameworks, be sure to let us know in the comments. + +[via the [Django Roundup][3]] + +[3]: http://www.djangoproject.com/weblog/2007/aug/19/djangoroundup/ +[2]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/skatterbean/1173984622/ +[1]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacobian/1160698795/in/photostream/ +[4]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacobian/1161717658/in/photostream/ +[5]: http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/faq/#who-s-behind-this +[6]: http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/07/third-party-app.html
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/ffstudents.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/ffstudents.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5cee854 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/ffstudents.txt @@ -0,0 +1,29 @@ +Continuing its string of branded version of Firefox, Mozilla is set to release a "Campus Edition" aimed at students headed back to school. Firefox Campus is a little different that the previous branded versions we've covered (notably [AllPeers][6] and [EBay][5]) in that there's no specific company involved, rather the campus edition of Firefox comes bundled with a number of add-ons students might find helpful. + +The featured add-on in the campus edition are [Zotero][7], [FoxyTunes][8] and [StumbleUpon][9]. Zotero is a research tool which helps collect, manage and cite research sources while FoxyTunes lets you control various media players from within Firefox. + +The StumbleUpon toolbar seems of dubious usefulness for students, though it is no doubt an excellent time waster and a fun way to find random, engaging websites. + +The campus edition page should be [available for download][11] sometime later today. + +While the student bundle is primarily a PR move on Mozilla's part, and a good one at that, we can't help thinking they left out some of the more useful plugins for students. + +For instance, [Research Word][2] gives Firefox a handy contextual menu item to look up words and phrases in a variety of sources. Select the word to lookup and right-click the selection to access definitions from Wikipedia, Google Definitions, IMDb and more. + +For the science majors there's [Biotech][1], which offers some links and tools for people wanting to research the field of Biotechnology. + +Other cool tools for students include [Diigo][3], a web highlighter and sticky note extension and the [Sirsi Library System][4] add-on which is great if your university or school uses the Sirsi Library System. + +[via [Digg][10]] + +[1]: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4473 +[2]: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3803 +[3]: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2792 +[4]: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2460 +[5]: http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/07/firefox-partner.html +[6]: http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/06/firefox_and_all.html +[7]: http://www.zotero.org/ +[8]: http://www.foxytunes.com/ +[9]: http://www.stumbleupon.com/ +[10]: http://www.digg.com/software/Firefox_Campus_Edition_Launching_Today +[11]: http://www.firefox.com/backtoschool
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/fitzpartick.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/fitzpartick.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5eafed2 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/fitzpartick.txt @@ -0,0 +1,28 @@ +Brad Fitzpatrick, creator of LiveJournal and OpenID among others, posted an interesting look at what he call [the social graph][1] -- a decentralized means of handling social data. As we hinted in our [call for an open social network][2], the tools to pull this off simply don't exist. + +Fitzpatrick writes: "Unfortunately, there doesn't exist a single social graph (or even multiple which interoperate) that's comprehensive and decentralized. Rather, there exists hundreds of disperse social graphs, most of dubious quality and many of them walled gardens." + +And end users are increasingly sick of registering and re-declaring their friends on every new social networking site. And rightly so, there has to be a better way. + +Fitzpatrick outlines the steps necessary to begin building an open network and even claims to have working prototypes of some elements. But even he knows it won't be easy. + +>The world won't switch en masse to anybody's "social networking interop protocol", pet XML format, etc. It simply won't happen. This must all work supporting any and all ways of data collection, change notification, etc. Cute new protocols and XML/YAML/JSON formats for cooperative sites will help (and have already started to be deployed with a few early cooperative sites), but by and large, most sites won't be cooperative at first, and some (e.g. MySpace) might not ever ever support this. This is going to happen one site at a time and without everybody speaking the same protocols. + +But perhaps the most interesting part of his plan is that he wants to create a non-profit and open source software "which collects, merges, and redistributes the graphs from all other social network sites into one global aggregated graph." + +The centralized data would then be made available to other sites (or users) via both "public APIs (for small/casual users) and downloadable data dumps, with an update stream / APIs, to get iterative updates to the graph (for larger users)" + +He goes on to say that while this server needs to be centralized in the beginning it also need to "ensure that the design is such that others can run their own instances, sharing data with each other. Think '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_(software)">git</a>', not '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subversion_(software)">svn</a>.'" + +One of the complaints in about my Facebook article was that many people assumed I meant you should open up and share your data with the world, which is not at all what we mean here. However because public data is easiest to work with that's generally where the concept takes off. As Fitzpatrick notes: + +>The social graph contains a combination of public nodes, private nodes, public edges, and private edges. The focus is only on public data for now, as that's all you can spray around the net freely to other parties. While focusing on public data doesn't solve 100% of the problem, it does solve, say, 90% of the problem at 10% of the complexity. Private data can be added later, perhaps at a higher layer. For now, only public data. + +There's also no need to get rid of sites like Facebook, MySpace and other networks. Though, as Fitzpatrick notes this is far more likely to begin with smaller sites. + +>There are both cooperative sites and uncooperative sites. Almost universally every small site I've talked to wants to cooperate, realizing their graphs are incomplete and that's not their speciality... they just need the social graph to do their thing. They don't care where it comes from and they don't mind contributing their relatively small amount of data to making the global shared graph better. + +I would interested to see what prototypes Fitzpatrick has come up with, but so far he doesn't have anything publicly available. I'd also be interested to know what Compiler readers think about this plan -- is it a good idea? Does it solve the main problems of isolated social networks? Let us know your thoughts. + +[1]: http://bradfitz.com/social-graph-problem/ +[2]: http://www.wired.com/software/webservices/news/2007/08/open_social_net
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/flashh264.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/flashh264.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..00bf3c9 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/flashh264.txt @@ -0,0 +1,16 @@ +Adobe has announced a new version of its ubiquitous Flash media player with support for H.264 video, the compression component of MPEG 4 which is also found in HD media like Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. Along with the H.264 support, Flash Player 9 will also support High Efficiency AAC (HE-AAC), which Adobe claims allows audio tracks to be encoded at lower bit rate without sacrificing quality. + +The new Flash Player 9, dubbed Moviestar, will also take advantage of hardware acceleration in graphics cards and dual-core processors for improved performance -- particularly in fullscreen playback. + +The new version of Adobe Flash Player 9 will be available as a beta later today on Adobe +Labs. The final version is set to arrive "later in the fall," according to Adobe. + +With Flash already the de facto standard for online video -- it powers YouTube and other video sharing sites -- the addition of H.264 support could make high resolution video a reality on the web. + +Since Moviestar will be integrated into other Adobe other products like AIR (and apps built with AIR) and the upcoming Adobe Media Player, there's a good chance we'll soon see H.264 video flooding the market. Apple's Quicktime media player also supports H.264 encoding. + +With H.264 encoding already available in Adobe's desktop video editing software -- Premiere Pro and After Effects -- the company is clearly hoping to deliver video creators with a complete workflow, from camera all the way to the web. John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe, writes in a press release that Adobe wants to "allow creatives and developers to produce video and rich-media once, and then deploy that content across the widest array of distribution and playback environments." + +With Apple's new iMovie '08 frustrating many long-time video users who see the new version as a significant step backwards, Adobe could be poised to grab some people in the burgeoning "prosumer" video production market. + +For the rest of us, who content ourselves with being video consumers, the addition of H.264 to Flash Player 9, means that soon YouTube videos might not look so bad on that HD TV after all.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/grandcentral.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/grandcentral.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1276d18 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/grandcentral.txt @@ -0,0 +1,19 @@ +GrandCentral has taken some heat in last few days for informing a limited number of users that their phone number will change on August 25. The e-mail some users received from GrandCentral cites "quality standards" as the reason behind the change, but for a company whose slogan is "one number for life" forcing number changes is bound to raise people's ire. + +In GrandCentral's defense, the service loudly proclaimed itself as a beta and openly warned users not to use their numbers for critical services. GrandCentral says the change effected 434 unlucky users. + +Here's GrandCentral's response to the recent number changes and customer complaints: + +>(1) One of our smaller underlying carriers (which we had been using prior to the Google acquisition), which had been reliably providing similar services for years (and provided numbers and connectivity to lots of other providers) sent us a notice that they'd be exiting certain markets and disconnecting some phone numbers in 30 days. This caught us by surprise and although we were not happy about this, there was no way we could stop them from doing this. + +>(2) We immediately began porting all of these numbers to a one of our larger carrier partners and we were able to get nearly all of these numbers ported successfully. + +>(3) Unfortunately, 434 phone numbers could not be ported over. + +>(4) Once we found this out, we immediately sent an email to these users letting them know that we had to change their numbers to another one in the same area code and we automatically added these numbers to their accounts. We provided a direct email link to help them with any issues or concerns they may have, let users choose alternative numbers more to their liking, and offered any other assistance that would help them. + +We review a lot of beta software, though we try to also point out the beta status in our reviews, but with many sites (GMail comes to mind) carrying the beta label far past the point of critical mass, sometimes it's easy to forget that beta really does mean things can go wrong and the software or web service really is "not ready for prime time use." + +For instance, The Consumerist writes: "we have recommended GrandCentral before, and we use it ourselves; but for Google to change user's phone numbers without consent defeats the entire purpose of GrandCentral." + +While that's true, and no doubt the move has done some serious damage to GrandCentral's image, it also goes to show how often we all ignore the beta warnings in a rush to embrace useful new services.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/handbrake.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/handbrake.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..2effafb --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/handbrake.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/handbrake.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/handbrake.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2ebbc2a --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/handbrake.txt @@ -0,0 +1,23 @@ +HandBrake, the multithreaded DVD to MPEG-4 ripper/converter, has been updated for Mac OS X and Windows. The new version, HandBrake v.09, features a redesigned interface on both platforms with the Windows version featuring a complete, ground-up rewrite. Curiously missing from the update is any mention of the Linux version, which appears to still be stuck at v.08. + +HandBrake's specialty is one-click conversion of DVDs to iPod and AppleTV compatible formats like MPEG4. + +Other changes [listed on the HandBrake site][3] include: + +>* User experience is improved through a re-envisioned Mac interface and a Windows interface that’s been rebuilt from the ground up. +* Picture quality is improved through better image scaling, better deinterlacing, new filters for denoising, deblocking, inverse telecine, and new presets devoted to high quality settings. +* Speed improvements due to updated copies of x264 and ffmpeg. This includes improved multi-threaded encoding for the iPod. +* Compatibility is improved through new presets for devices like the iPhone and PSP. As well, HandBrake now supports DTS as an audio source and has limited support for .VOB and .TS file containers as input. Most excitingly, HandBrake can now output to the Matroska (MKV) file container. +* Stability has been improved due to countless bug fixes. (Including audio drop and mp2 issues). HandBrake also has optional support for MP4 files larger than 4 gigabytes. + +For complete details about all the changes, see the [HandBrake Timeline][1]. + + + +HandBrake is indispensable for the heavy iPod video user and the update adds some welcome features in addition to those listed above. Particularly nice is a ability to set a default preset, which means you can set up your preferred conversion preferences and HandBrake will automatically apply them the next time you rip a movie. + +HandBrake is a must have for iPod video and AppleTV fans and the new update brings more the enough improvements -- recommended for all users, grab it from the [HandBrake site][2]. + +[1]: http://HandBrake.m0k.org/trac/timeline?from=08%2F19%2F07&daysback=120&changeset=on&update=Update +[2]: http://handbrake.m0k.org/?page_id=8 +[3]: http://handbrake.m0k.org/?p=53
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Torvalds is never one to shy from bold statements, in fact in the interview he mentions that he like "making strong statements, because I find the discussion interesting." + +But surprisingly this interview is fairly tame, with the notable exception of the discussion around the GPL v3 which Linus doesn't seem to like, saying "in the absence of the GPLv2, I could see myself using the GPLv3. But since I have a better choice, why should I?" + +However, despite a shortage of fireworks, the interview is a nice peak behind the scenes of kernel development and the Linux community in general. Here's some brief excerpts of some more notable questions, though I would encourage readers to click through and read them in context as well. + +>Q: Linux is free of cost and secure; yet, it has failed to become popular among desktop users. What are the reasons behind this? And what are your suggestions to make Linux more popular among the masses? + +Linus: I think that's just mainly an issue of inertia. It's really hard to make people change their behavior, and you shouldn't expect it to happen overnight. Linux has made huge inroads over the years, and if I actually think back how things were ten years ago -- where we are today is just incredible. And I think that will continue, just because open source really ends up being good for everybody. + +So I think a lot of it ends up being about education, in the sense of making people aware of the choices, and while that won't necessarily make people change on its own, it means that eventually they, at least, won't be afraid of Linux (because they've heard of it), and they might try it. And no, not everybody will be ready to switch, but I think we've seen that a lot of people do end up enjoying the advantages of open source. + +>Q: Is having so many distros a good or bad idea? Choice is fine, but one does not need to be pampered with choices. Instead of so many man hours being spent in building hundreds of distros, wouldn't it be easier to get into the enterprise and take on the MS challenge if people could come together and support fewer distros (1 for each use maybe)? What's your view on that? + +Linus: I think having multiple distros is an inevitable part of open source. And can it be confusing? Sure. Can it be inefficient? Yes. But I'd just like to compare it to politics: 'democracy' has all those confusing choices, and often none of the choices is necessarily what you 'really' want either, and sometimes you might feel like things would be smoother and more efficient if you didn't have to worry about the whole confusion of voting, different parties, coalitions, etc. + +But in the end, choice may be inefficient, but it's also what keeps everybody involved at least 'somewhat' honest. We all probably wish our politicians were more honest than they are, and we all probably wish that the different distros sometimes made other choices than they do, but without that choice, we'd be worse off. + +Q: ''Is this what computers have become,'' is the famous question Nokia has started asking in its N-series campaign. Is there any technology roadmap to make Linux rule the market of the next wave of computing devices, i.e., handhelds and mobiles? + +Linus: I do think that if there is something that will displace the traditional desktop computer, it will be mobile computing. Whether it will be just laptops (still the same basic architecture, just mobile), or the smaller handheld that will take over, I don't know. + +But it's definitely an area where Linux has the undeniable advantage of scaling across a much wider spectrum than any other operating system (i.e., Linux is on about 75 per cent of the top-500 supercomputers at the same time as it's being used by Nokia and Motorola in a cell phone form factor). + + +Q: The soon to be released Windows Longhorn is touted to be Microsoft's answer to the Linux threat, as Windows NT was for Novell in the 90s. Are there any improvements planned in Linux, keeping the technology advancements of Longhorn in mind? + +Linus: I actually don't worry about MS at all. Their strength is in their marketing, and in the (obvious) market share they have. They've never been all that interesting from a 'technical' angle. And since all I personally care about is the technology, I don't end up being all that interested in what MS does. + + + +Q: What do you think about Microsoft's efforts to sign cross-licensing deals with Linux distros like Novell, Xandros and Linspire? How is this going to affect the development of the kernel? + +Linus: I don't really have a hugely strong opinion on it. Business is business, and I don't get involved with it; I worry about the technology. Yes, software patents are certainly worrisome, but I also tend to think that people just overreact a bit whenever MS is involved, and that some of the shrill reactions on the Internet have been a bit over the top. + +Let's see what happens. + + diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/skype.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/skype.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2f0174d --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/skype.txt @@ -0,0 +1,15 @@ +Skype is finally back online after a massive two-day outage which began on Thursday, August 16th and rendered the VoIP service useless for an estimated 220 million users. As we [reported on Friday][1], Skype has denied charges that the outage was the result of an attack, but the company delayed an official explanation until today. + +According to Skype the outage was caused by a massive number of users restarting their machines, which flooded the Skype network with login requests. Skype blames the restarts on Windows Update, presumably large numbers of users rebooting after installing this month's "Patch Tuesday" [Windows patches][2]. + +However, while the restarts may have triggered the problem, they were not in fact the problem. The issue that caused to outage was Skype's own software. According to a [statement on the Skype blog][3]: + +>The high number of restarts affected Skype’s network resources. This caused a flood of log-in requests, which, combined with the lack of peer-to-peer network resources, prompted a chain reaction that had a critical impact. + +>Normally Skype’s peer-to-peer network has an inbuilt ability to self-heal, however, this event revealed a previously unseen software bug within the network resource allocation algorithm which prevented the self-healing function from working quickly. Regrettably, as a result of this disruption, Skype was unavailable to the majority of its users for approximately two days. + +Skype has apologized for the outage, but it remains to be seen how the disruption will effect user's faith in the service. + +[1]: http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/08/skype-outage-bl.html +[2]: http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/08/patch-tuesday-m.html +[3]: http://heartbeat.skype.com/2007/08/what_happened_on_august_16.html
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/torvalds.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/torvalds.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..27cde1e --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/torvalds.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/wikipedialocal.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/wikipedialocal.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..705f3a0 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/wikipedialocal.txt @@ -0,0 +1,20 @@ + +Wikipedia is undeniably the most readily available encyclopedia, not to mention the fact that it's free, but despite being readily available it isn't always available -- no internet access, no wikipedia. Which is why Wikipedia periodically dumps its content so you can load it on your laptop and have a local copy. + +But building a local copy is a time consuming process involving the need for a local database and server set up. If you want to build a search index on that database it can take several days -- surely there's a better way. + +In fact, now there is. Wikipedia fan Thanassis Tsiodras has come up with a much more efficient way of installing and indexing a local Wikipedia dump. As tsiodras writes: + + Wouldn't it be perfect, if we could use the wikipedia "dump" data JUST as they arrive after the download? Without creating a much larger (space-wize) MySQL database? And also be able to search for parts of title names and get back lists of titles with "similarity percentages"? + +Why yes it would. And fortunately Tsiodras has already done the heavy lifting. Using Python, Perl, or Php, along with the Xapian search engine and Tsiodras' package, you can have a local install of Wikipedia (2.9 GB) with a lightweight web interface for searching and reading entries from anywhere. + +Complete instructions can be found [here][2]. I should note that this does require some command line tinkering, but the size and speed more than warrant wading through the minimal code necessary to get it up and running. + +Also, if you're a big Wikipedia fan, be sure to check out [our review of WikipediaFS][3] from earlier this year. + +[via [Hackzine][1]] + +[1]: http://www.hackszine.com/blog/archive/2007/08/wikipedia_offline_reader_put_a.html?CMP=OTC-7G2N43923558 +[2]: http://www.softlab.ntua.gr/~ttsiod/buildWikipediaOffline.html +[3]: http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/05/mount_wikipedia.html
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/zoho.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/zoho.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e381f4e --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Mon/zoho.txt @@ -0,0 +1,26 @@ +Zoho Writer, part of the popular Zoho Office suite, is now offering offline support. For the time being [offline mode in Zoho Writer][1] is limited to read-only mode, but Zoho says it's working on adding more features, including offline editing capabilities, "in the coming weeks." + +Zoho Writer's new offline functionality is built with Google Gears so users will need to have the [Google Gears browser plugin][4] installed. Once the plugin is running an option will appear in the Zoho menu to "Go Offline." The offline features work with Internet Explorer 6+ and with Firefox 1.5+. + +By default Zoho Writer will download fifteen documents, though clicking the arrow next to the "Go Offline" option will let you increase that number up to twenty five. The documents downloaded are determined by your sort order. + +Once the documents are downloaded you'll be redirected to the offline url. To access the offline content direct when you aren't connected to the internet, just point your browser to [http://writer.zoho.com/offline][1]. The offline work screen contains a link back to the online version. + +One of the frequent concerns from people using online office tools like the Zoho suite or Google Docs and Spreadsheets is that, without an Internet connection, they aren't accessible. But as this Zoho announcements demonstrates, tools like Google Gears are quickly removing the access limitations of online apps. + +While Zoho's offline functionality is currently limited and thus not all that useful, when offline editing capabilities are added Zoho will be well ahead of Google Docs and Spreadsheets and leaps and bounds beyond desktop offerings for those that value portability and collaborative editing. + +As for how Zoho managed to beat Google's own office suite to the market with offline functionality (albeit limited) using Google's own tools -- it's anybody's guess. Zoho says it plans to support and contribute to the open source [Google Gears project][5]. + +Google Gears, which we [wrote about back in May][3] when it launched, enables online software services like Zoho Writer to be used offline by adding the online component and its associated data to an offline cache on your PC. Google Reader features offline functionality through Google Gears. + +For more details on the Zoho Writer offline functionality and to see how it works, check out the video from Zoho: + +[1]: http://writer.zoho.com/offline +[2]: http://blogs.zoho.com/general/offline-support-comments-in-zoho-writer +[3]: http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/05/google_gears_br.html +[4]: http://gears.google.com/ +[5]: http://code.google.com/apis/gears/index.html + + +<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="437" height="370" id="viddler"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/4889fb24/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/4889fb24/" width="437" height="370" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" name="viddler" ></embed></object>
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/Facebook.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/Facebook.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3a75714 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/Facebook.txt @@ -0,0 +1,17 @@ +Facebook plans to unveil a new advertising scheme later this fall. According to a recent Wall Street Journal [report][1], Facebook is planning a system that will target ads based on the wealth of information people have placed in their Facebook profiles. + +The WSJ says that Facebook plans to target ads somewhat like Google's AdSense tool, but take advantage of user profile data such as "favorite activities and preferred music." Facebook tells the WSJ that its ad technology will "point the ads to the selected groups of people without exposing their personal information to the advertisers." + +The ads will apparently be inserted into the user's "news feed," and will run in addition to the various banners that surround the page. + +But here's where it gets really creepy, the WSJ's source say that Facebook's ad system will be able to "predict what products and services users might be interested in even before they have specifically mentioned an area." + +Essentially it sounds like Facebook plans to mine your profile for interesting tidbits of data which can be used to serve relevant ads and then compile that into its own profile that the system can use to predict what additional ads you might click. + +Back when I wrote that Facebook should [open up its walled garden][3], the number one response from readers was that they liked the fact that Facebook pages are limited in viewing scope, which makes me wonder how they'll react to having that walled garden opened up and extracted for the purposes of advertising. + +While Facebook may claim that the private data won't be revealed to advertisers, somehow that doesn't seem very comforting. Facebook users already have a [history of revolting][2] when things don't go their way, which leads us to predict the new ads will enjoy all the success of a lead balloon. + +[1]: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118783296519606151.html +[2]: http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2006/09/facebook_yields.html?entry_id=1553092 +[3]: http://www.wired.com/software/webservices/news/2007/08/open_social_net
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/Streetviews.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/Streetviews.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..a9aa48c --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/Streetviews.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/cert.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/cert.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..072188b --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/cert.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/getthefacts.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/getthefacts.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..32d881e --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/getthefacts.txt @@ -0,0 +1,16 @@ +Microsoft has taken down its controversial anti-Linux site, "Get The Facts" and replaced it with a [new kinder, gentler version][2] that only slags Linux distros which haven't bowed to the company's patent threats -- namely RedHat. + +The old site garnered a good deal of publicity when it was revealed that Microsoft tried to influence the analysts hired to perform "impartial" studies comparing Windows and Linux in order to show Microsoft offerings in a more favorable light. + +The new site, which is now called simply, Windows Server Compare, tones down the anti-Linux rhetoric, perhaps in deference to Microsoft's agreements with Novell, Xandros and others. + +Naturally the new site still paints Microsoft as clearly the winner in head-to-head comparisons, but really, who expects an impartial answer from Microsoft? + +Kudos to Microsoft for recognizing that the old site was a dinosaur and spread more ill-will in the Linux world than it did good cheer in the Microsoft world, but we can't help wonder what the point of the new site is? + +If you want impartial information about the pros and cons of open source versus Microsoft try a search engine. Or, even better, download some open source software and try it yourself, after all, it's free and you can always throw it away if it doesn't suit your needs. + +[via [ZDNet][2]] + +[1]: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver/compare/default.mspx +[2]: http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=670
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/iMovie.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/iMovie.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b6fe0ad --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/iMovie.txt @@ -0,0 +1,28 @@ +Apple has released an update for the [recently announced iMovie '08][4]. Apple hasn't given many details about [the update][1], but the company says it solves some problems with iMovie's integration into .Mac's new Web Gallery feature. + +The update does not, however, address the complaints of many users that iMovie 08 is a step backwards from its predecessor. + +IMovie '08 (version wise it's iMovie 7) was a complete redesign of the iMovie program and has seen its fair share of user disappointment. David Pogue recently slammed the new iMovie in his review, saying "I can't remember any software company pulling a stunt like this before: throwing away a fully developed, mature, popular program and substituting a bare-bones, differently focused program under the same name." + +Similar sentiments can be found in Apple's [iMovie discussion forums][2] and numerous readers have e-mailed Compiler to tell us how much they dislike the new version. + +Judging by my experiments with both iMovie 7 and iMovie 6, I will agree that the new iMovie is more or less not iMovie at all, but an entirely new program designed for very a different set of tasks and audience. + +Apple says the iMovie is designed primarily for quickly throwing together a movie and some new features, like one-click export to YouTube, clearly indicate iMovie is not for the sophisticated video producer looking to fine tune edits and add extras like music. At the same time Michael tells me he was able to go from camera to YouTube in 15 minutes. Clearly iMovie 7 is good as at some things. + +The problem is, iMovie 7 *isn't* capable of many of the things. Based on comments here, posts in the Apple forums and e-mails sent to us, the three main contention points most users have with iMovie 7 are: + +>* No timeline. IMovie is (so far as I know) the only video editing software on the market that doesn't use a timeline metaphor for editing and arranging your clips. Consequently it's difficult to determine basic things like where you are in terms of the overall movie at any given point. + +* Audio editing is virtually non-existent. There's no multi track audio support, no manual audio controls in a scene, no ability to extract audio from a clip and the fade-out at the end of an audio clip can't be controlled. + +* iMovie 7 can't even import projects created with previous version. + +* And finally, no plugin support. There are dozens, possibly even hundreds of plugins from third part developers for iMovie 6, none of which work in iMovie 7. + +The good news though is that if you purchased iMovie '08, you can still get the previous version, as we've [mentioned before][3]. Or you could always go super old school, as one witty reader has suggested: "if I was living in Des Moines, Iowa in 1939 I would have more precise editing capabilities with my Kodak movies and some rusty farm tools." + +[1]: http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/imovie701.html +[2]: http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1194&start=0 +[3]: http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/08/apple-is-giving.html +[4]: http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/08/apple-debuts-il.html
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/streetviews.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/streetviews.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6dc498e --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/streetviews.txt @@ -0,0 +1,14 @@ +Google Maps Street View is a stunning display of highly detailed 360 degree views of American cities and hordes of people have poured over it looking for funny and sometimes disturbing things in the backgrounds of the images. But ever since its launch some privacy advocates have been criticizing Google for showing photographs of faces and license plate numbers. + +Yesterday, Google quietly changed it's policy on how the company deals with privacy complaints in Street Views. To address privacy concerns, shortly after the launch of Street Views, Google said that anyone who could identify themselves could ask for the image to be removed. + +Of course, that's not easy given the massive amount of data you'd have to sift through, which is why Google has quietly changed its policy -- now anyone can alert the company and have an image of a license plate or a recognizable face removed even if it isn't you. + +Google says the move is intended not just to protect privacy, but also the "clarify the intent of the product," as vice president of search products and user experience at Google, Marissa Mayer, put it recently at the ongoing Search Engine Strategies conference. + +CNet [reports][1] that Mayer says Google "looked at it and we thought that's really silly because that's not the point of this product. The purpose is to show what the stores look like, what houses look like, if someone says, 'Hey, there's a face here,' ... it doesn't matter whose face it is." + +While it may not have been Google's intent, that doesn't mean users don't love to dig through Street Views, for some highlights check out our earlier collection of the [best of Google Street Views][1]. + +[1]: http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/05/request_for_urb.html +[2]: http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9764512-7.html?part=rss
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/tafiti.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/tafiti.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8437ea0 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Thu/tafiti.txt @@ -0,0 +1,17 @@ +Microsoft recently released an experimental search product, dubbed [Tafiti][2], which combines the company's Live Search offering with Silverlight. According to Microsoft Tafiti, which means "do research" in Swahili, is "designed to help people use the Web for research projects that span multiple search queries and sessions by helping visualize, store, and share research results." + +Primarily Microsoft seems to intend Tafiti as a means of showing off Silverlight and indeed, Tafiti has a gorgeous and slick front end. Search results occupy the main portion of the frame and the right hand side holds a "shelf" where you can save search results via drag-and-drop. + + +On the left is a carousel which allows you to cycle through the various search result options -- Web, Images, etc -- which can also be saved. All of your saved search results can be shared through Windows Live Spaces. + +Tafiti has a great interface and actually makes Silverlight seem like a compelling platform, which is ostensibly the purpose of the project. But unfortunately Tafiti is tied to Live Search, which, let's face it, is a pretty poor search engine next to Google. In my tests Tafiti was dog slow and didn't return nearly as many relevant results as Google or Yahoo. + +And while Tafiti certainly delivers on the eye candy and interface design level, as Google has so decisively demonstrated, users just don't care about fancy interfaces when it comes to searching for things on the web -- we want speed and simplicity. + +Still, Tafiti is a nice preview of Silverlight and we're looking forward to seeing what else developers come up with. + +[via [Liveside][1]] + +[1]: http://www.liveside.net/blogs/main/archive/2007/08/21/microsoft-launches-tafiti-search-and-silverlight-experiment.aspx +[2]: http://www.tafiti.com/
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Google Earth has [unveiled][4] a new feature dubbed Google Sky, that brings constellations, star maps, Hubble telescope imagery and more. + +The new layers can be found in the latest version of Google Earth where you'll see a new button "Switch between Sky and Earth" in the toolbar. + +Sky layers are listed in the left side menu and include options like, Constellations, Backyard Astronomy, Hubble Showcase, The Moon, The Planets, User's Guide to Galaxies and Life of a Star. There's even some animations of planetary orbits. + +All in all the new Google Sky in an astounding amount of data packed into an easy to navigate interface -- well worth upgrading the Google Earth 4.2. + +But Google Earth doesn't have its head entirely in the clouds, there's two other noteworthy new layers. The first is Google Books, which mines the Google Books project data for geographical references and overlays Google Earth with little book icons which bring up the quotes and citation information. + +The [Google Lat Long Blog][2] describes it thusly: + +>For example, let's say that you're interested in Detroit, Michigan. After flying there in Google Earth, you'll find that one of the book icons is for "The Writings of Thomas Jefferson." Clicking on the book icon brings up the pop-up balloon with the following text snippet: + +>"With respect to the unfor-tunate loss of Detroit and our army, I with pleasure see the animation it has inspired through our whole country, ..." + +Regrettably, due to an overlap in place-names between the U.S. in Europe many of the books included clearly aren't referring to the areas Google's algorithms think they are (see screenshot below). + +But wait, that's not all. There's also a new [live traffic overlay][5] which draw on the same data used in Google Maps [recently unveiled traffic features][1]. Once you’ve turned on the traffic overlays, you'll have links to real-time traffic and conditions in select cities. + +Both the books and traffic overlays are available in previous versions of Google Earth, but for the Google Sky features you'll need to upgrade to the latest version. + + + + +[2]: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2007/08/google-book-search-in-google-earth.html +[1]: http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/02/google_maps_add.html +[4]: http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/earthsky_20070822.html +[5]: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2007/08/real-time-traffic-in-google-earth.html diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/gearthbooks.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/gearthbooks.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..75978d6 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/gearthbooks.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/gearthtraffic.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/gearthtraffic.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..06f75ed --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/gearthtraffic.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/gmapsembed.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/gmapsembed.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..ae8b11a --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/gmapsembed.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/gsky.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/gsky.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..404ed0f --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/gsky.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/iPhone.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/iPhone.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2aadd0b --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/iPhone.txt @@ -0,0 +1,9 @@ +The iPhone has received another small update, which brings the current software up to version 1.0.2. The latest update includes in the illuminating words of Apple: "Bug Fixes." No further details are available. + +To update just connect your iPhone and fire up iTunes which will offer to download and install the new software. + +But keep in mind that, as with the previous update, v1.0.2 validates the current iPhone software, which means if you've installed any cool hacks you'll be forced to do a complete restore, wiping out the hacked functions. On the bright side all the hacks seem to still function, which means Apple isn't actively blocking them, at least so far. + +Another gotcha to watch out for -- make sure you download or otherwise back up any images you've taken with the iPhone's camera before you restore otherwise they'll be lost. + +As for what the update does, no one seems to have identified anything noteworthy, which may well be why Apple hasn't said anything. diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/iphoneupdate.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/iphoneupdate.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b501e36 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/iphoneupdate.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/mapsembed.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/mapsembed.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3751895 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/mapsembed.txt @@ -0,0 +1,19 @@ +Google Maps is now offering some YouTube-style embed code which finally gives non-programmers an easy way to add maps to nearly any webpage. The [new code][1] can be found under the "Link to this page" option at the top of any map on the site. + +The resulting map is fully interactive with pan and zoom controls as well as map, satellite and hybrid view options. Each embedded map also contains a link back to the original Google Maps page. The embedded maps can be customized to any size and if you have markers on your map, they will show up in the embedded version as well. + +The only catch is that the Google Maps code uses an iFrame to load content which doesn't work on nearly as many sites as YouTube's Flash embed code. Many hosted pages -- like MySpace -- often don't allow content that use iframes, which means this new embed code isn't going to help you. + +Still, for many, this opens up a whole new way to use maps. Previously embedding Google maps in your page required some programming skills and you needed to register for an API key, which prevent casual users from embedding maps in blogs and other places. + +Interestingly, Yahoo, which uses Flash for the latest version of its mapping service, and could -- at least theoretically -- offer an embeddable Flash movie that would work anywhere, thus far hasn't offered anything of the kind. + +Here's an example of the the Google Maps embed code in action: + + +<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Wired+San+Francisco&ie=UTF8&om=1&cid=37781066,-122395523,9473187990209702968&s=AARTsJrTuwtWb_DgPWxhe8cEbXUX5taOhA&ll=37.790727,-122.3913&spn=0.02374,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br/><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Wired+San+Francisco&ie=UTF8&om=1&cid=37781066,-122395523,9473187990209702968&ll=37.790727,-122.3913&spn=0.02374,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left;font-size:small">View Larger Map</a> + +[Sidenote for the nerds amoung us: if you look at the code below you'll see the URL that the iframe is pulling in, with a little cut-n-paste you can create a link to a pure map page [like this][2].] + +[1]: http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/annc/embed_maps.html +[2]: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Wired+San+Francisco&ie=UTF8&om=1&cid=37781066,-122395523,9473187990209702968&ll=37.790727,-122.3913&spn=0.02374,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&source=embed
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\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/youtubeads.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/youtubeads.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8d206c8 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/08.20.07/Wed/youtubeads.txt @@ -0,0 +1,17 @@ +Google is rolling out a new ad scheme for YouTube videos which the company claims is far more effective than the ads currently in use. The new YouTube ads, which have been running in limited test form for several months, feature a semi-transparent animated "overlay" at the bottom of the player window. + +The ads show up for about 10 seconds and clicking inside the ad box will insert an "in-video" ad over the top of the current movie. If you decide to watch the ad the original video is paused until the ad finishes or you dismiss it with the close button. + +For the time being Google says the adverts will be limited to the videos produced by Youtube's various content partners -- user-generated content will remain ad-free. + +Arguably much of YouTube's popularity stems from the fact that it was fast and had no ads, which Google seems to recognize given its hesitation to put ads in user uploaded content. So while your movies may be safe for now, don't expect that to last forever. + +However, were Google to begin running ads in user videos, it seems likely that users could expect some sort of revenue sharing model similar to those offered by other video hosting sites that insert ads into your content. + +Another thing that may cause Google some pause when adding ads to user clips is that advertisers could find their content running inside clips they don't want to be associated with -- something that recently plagued Facebook's ad service. + +In other YouTube news, Google is now using YouTube as the primary source of video included in Google News. Bringing YouTube content from partners like CBS into Google News is part of Google's continued efforts to integrate the video service with other Google offerings. + +[via [NYTimes][1]] + +[1]: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/22/technology/22google.html?ex=1345435200&en=0625d3df747e5b63&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
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