Regarding That Facebook Phone That Still Isn't Being Developed It's been four days since Facebook denied rumors that a Facebook phone was in development. We still believe that the social networking giant doesn't currently have a branded mobile device in the works, but it's worth re-examining the situation. TechCrunch yesterday conducted a thorough interview with Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding the rumor. A crucial part of the discussion occurs when Zuckerberg says: "…we invest differently in different platforms depending on how big they are, and how many users are there. The statement is a concise overview of Facebook's current approach to mobile, especially as it pertains to hardware. The story should have ended there — but, of course, it didn't. Bloomberg's report was enough to make TechCrunch question its own interview with Zuckerberg. When INQ Mobile released the INQ1 back in December of 2008, the level at which Facebook was integrated led many at the time to describe it as "the Facebook Phone."
Scaling the Microfinance Debate Twitter is NOT a Social Network, Says Twitter Exec Kevin Thau, Twitter's VP for business and corporate development, announced during a presentation at Nokia World 2010 today that everyone's favorite micro-blogging network is not actually a social network. It's not, you say? No, says Thau: Twitter is for news. To those of us in the tech industry, proclaiming that Twitter's main focus is not its social aspects, but its news-delivering mechanisms, is a bit like stating the obvious. Yes, says Thau. "The guy who saw a plane land on the Hudson River right in front of him didn't think to send an email," says Thau. Thau also wanted to assure Twitter users it's OK if you think you're not interesting enough to have your own Twitter account. Twitter is not just its users (although there are 145,000,000 of those), it's also the everyday people who just visit the site and read tweets. Twitter is still growing, too. Just don't call them "social networking" widgets, we guess.
Twitter, Facebook, and social activism At four-thirty in the afternoon on Monday, February 1, 1960, four college students sat down at the lunch counter at the Woolworth’s in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. They were freshmen at North Carolina A. & T., a black college a mile or so away. “I’d like a cup of coffee, please,” one of the four, Ezell Blair, said to the waitress. “We don’t serve Negroes here,” she replied. The Woolworth’s lunch counter was a long L-shaped bar that could seat sixty-six people, with a standup snack bar at one end. By next morning, the protest had grown to twenty-seven men and four women, most from the same dormitory as the original four. By the following Monday, sit-ins had spread to Winston-Salem, twenty-five miles away, and Durham, fifty miles away. The world, we are told, is in the midst of a revolution. These are strong, and puzzling, claims. Some of this grandiosity is to be expected. What makes people capable of this kind of activism? This pattern shows up again and again.
Immortal signals promise perfect web video - tech - 07 September 2010 A perfect stream of video delivered down your broadband connection without irritating blips may seem as likely as uncovering the elixir of youth. Now a team of optical engineers think they have discovered the secret to both. They've devised a way to revitalise light signals being sent down optical fibres, enabling them to send more information down the wires. Bandwidth-hungry video streaming applications are prompting changes in the way that information is sent across the internet via its network of optical fibres. However, light signals are gradually distorted by interacting with the fibre – a process known as attenuation. Mix it up Their device makes a copy of the attenuated incoming signal, and "mixes" it with a laser beam in a length of specially designed optical fibre. The team has demonstrated the technique on signals at 40 gigabits per second, but Richardson says it should handle higher data rates too. Phased approach More From New Scientist More from the web (YouTube) Recommended by
How Long Should We Ban IPs? There are all kinds of reasons IPs get banned. A forums manager might ban an IP because the user at it is spamming. An admin of an email server might also ban IPs for spamming. A web service might ban an IP for using an API in an unapproved way. On this site, we used to ban IP's in the forums all the time (the new forums have been much better in spam prevention). I also sometimes ban IPs from inside WordPress. At the time of blockage, and IP address might belong to Danny Doucher, but after sometime, the IP address might be reassigned and now belong to Susie Supercool. So, how long should we ban IP's for? Most IP addresses should not be blocked more than a few hours, since the malicious user will probably move on by the time the block expires. IP addresses should almost never be indefinitely blocked. I can get on board with that. Anyone else have any theories or research to share? Share On
15+ Flash Websites For Inspiration | Web Design Dev Flash websites have started to get very interesting these days. There was a time when I used to strongly discourage flash but now I think that with time, people have learned how to get more innovative with their ideas. I have compiled this list of 15+ flash websites for design inspiration. Have a look at them, get inspired, and let us know how you feel about them in your comments. Waterlife ( Forza Agency Net ( Yoshinoya ( VOB Nedir – no longer available Grobots The Creative Fridge ( Damman Pearce ( Subspecies ( Dasai Creative Engineering ( ARBOmedia ( Mindsmack ( Kasulo ( This website is fantastic. Oddo Design – no longer up SoInteractive ( DigitalKick (
Obama and team rely on made-in-India software - The Economic Times Padmini Copparapu, TNN Oct 11, 2010, 07.05am IST HYDERABAD: The Indian IT/ITeS industry may lately have been at the receiving end of US President Barrack Obama's protectionist policies, but when it comes to US government websites, Obama and his boys rely on made-in-India software like FusionCharts for data visualization. Surprisingly, FusionCharts is no big-ticket tech firm out of one of India's hot and happening IT hubs. Little known back home in India but popular abroad, this niche software firm is just a 30-member outfit based out of Kolkata from where it caters to its Fortune 500 clientele across 110 countries. Even as some of India's IT biggies await Obama's next move in his increasingly protectionist agenda, a small but rising number of Indian startups like FusionCharts, Zoho, salaree.com, tringme, deskaway, kayako are storming the US and world markets, without so much as moving out of their cubicles in India. Sharad Sharma, chair of Nasscom's product forum, echoes his views.
Evolution of Websites: A Darwinian Tale The web is constantly evolving. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see how quickly new technologies are being adopted and how fragile design trends are. While the web is still an infant relative to other mediums such as print, TV and radio, and still has fair amount of growing up to do, it has already amassed a rich history. Let’s take a look at how the medium has evolved throughout the years. A Matter of Carbon Dating Evolution is inevitable. If we examine any aspect of web design, we can see that trends and technologies being discarded, improved on, or superseded by something better is common. Certain web browsers tend to be more evolved than others! Code The idea of virtual reality and 3D objects fascinated developers. Web Browsing Devices The second core element that dictates the web’s progress are web-browsing devices. Devices come in all shapes and sizes, from cell phones to browsers. Trends and Conventions Finally, we have trends and conventions. Single-Celled Organisms
Are You At Risk For “Toasted Skin Syndrome”? A new scourge threatens a generation of laptop users. “Toasted Skin Sydrome” is the result of having a hot laptop pressed to your skin for hundreds of hours. You say, “sure Devin but can’t they just put a pillow under it?” The Latin name for the syndrome is erythema ab igne, and it’s getting some attention today because the latest sufferer is only 12. First, where are the parents?! Second, it’s interesting that it’s such a young kid — the idea that a 12-year-old spent so much time on a computer is indicative of the huge cultural change the world is going through. The lesson here is really just to take things off your skin when they feel hot; more to the purpose, though, most laptops hover between 110 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit, so it’s always worthwhile to get a mat or pillow under there, or just work on a table. [via CNET; image: IR City]
At 99.5, Sachin Tendulkar's 2010 average matches Don's - The Economic Times Satish Viswanathan, TNN Oct 12, 2010, 01.30am IST BANGALORE: The stats would have you believe that this is the best Sachin Tendulkar has ever batted. And for once, the stats may well be right. On Monday, Sachin posted Test century no. 49. It was his sixth in the calendar year, the most by any Indian ever. And it took his aggregate for the year so far to 1194 runs at an average of - hold your breath - 99.5. On Monday, Sachin finished at 191 not out. But the stats, staggering though they undoubtedly are, don't tell the full tale. In fact, the numbers that really make you marvel are 5, 3 and 1. On Monday, as Vijay battled his way to his maiden Test century, Sachin Tendulkar handed out yet another batting masterclass. All this despite the fact that he wasn't exactly up against a world-class bowling unit which may have motivated him to perform harder. Then again, the Tendulkar of the last two-three years is a much-changed batsman, and definitely more consistent. So what's next?
White iPhone 4 emerges in NYC, delays said to be caused by supplier colour discrepancies 15 October '10, 12:30pm Follow The guys over at PocketLint were in for a surprise when they visited a press event in New York City, happening upon a new white iPhone 4 being used by a mysterious jacketed gentleman. The jacketed gentleman wasn’t all that mysterious, it was the sighting of the long awaited white iPhone 4 that had the guys wrestling to take a sneaky snapshot of the device, to prove that white iPhone 4 units were out in the wild. PocketLint made some enquiries about the device and it appears that Apple has a large collection of white iPhone 4′s at its HQ in Cupertino and that a friend working at Apple had managed to secure a white unit for him to use. The gentleman also stated that the reason for the launch delays was down to color discrepancies between suppliers, who were unable to match the white colour of the home button to the finish on the device itself.
Team India to don new kit from Kochi ODI - India vs Australia 2010 - Cricket Next Kochi: Team India will debut in the new Nike One-Day International kit, which has brighter and bolder blue jersey made from recycled polyester in their first match against Australia at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Sunday. The new jersey is made entirely from recycled polyester, each one produced from up to eight recycled plastic bottles, Ravi Kallayil, Business Director-Cricket Nike India Private Ltd, told reporters here. The new kit is an important step in the process to make all Nike products more sustainable. The new jersey is made entirely from recycled polyester, each one produced from up to eight recycled plastic bottles. Kallayil said Nike continuously strives to bring technology and innovations into the sport and help athletes improve their game. "The new ODI kit not only looks great and delivers performance benefits, but is also made with recycled materials, creating less impact on the environment," he said.