Pluck RSS ReaderAnother RSS reader, this one an IE plug-in. RSS seem clients now come in four flavors:
1. web service/asp: use browser to work with
2. email plug-in, esp. Outlook
3. browser plug-in, esp. IE/FireFox
4. standalone
I think the standalone are unlikely to go too far. I'd like to use a web service that had companion plug-ins for Outlook and FireFox, so they'd share a single OPML file.
Friday, July 16, 2004
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Rocket RSS Reader
Rocket RSS Reader
I followed this link via a Blooger Google ad. It looks interesting, especially since I've been disappointed with bloglines latest changes.
I do like having Google's ads next to my blog posting and my gmail. They're interesting and useful.
I followed this link via a Blooger Google ad. It looks interesting, especially since I've been disappointed with bloglines latest changes.
I do like having Google's ads next to my blog posting and my gmail. They're interesting and useful.
Google and digital image storage
MacSlash | Google Acquires Digital Photo Management Company Picasa
Very interesting! Google has the power to crush the digital image store/sell industry. I wonder if they'll build Google extensions into Picasa then make it freely available. The Picasa web site has links to a tool that facilitates putting images into Google's Blogger blog. Photoblogging deluxe?
Update:I downloaded both Picasa and Hello, Picasa's Chat/peer-to-peer image sharing application with the "bot" interface to Blogger.
Phew! Complex and innovative. I can see why Blogger went for Picasa. Very impressive. I may even pay the $30 for the app, though I suspect it will soon be free (I'll wait a few days before I buy, I'm on a 14 day trial.).
Here's a sample photo. I may switch to this mode of distributing photos to friends and families. I'll create a private photo blog just for that purpose.
Here's an old photo for test purposes ... (Molly, then aged about 3 months, now 14.5 years and on her 7th life ...)
Today Google acquired Picasa, a company that makes digital photo management software. No specifics were given but Jonathan Rosenberg, vice president of Product Management said 'its technologies complement Google's ongoing mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.' Perhaps this means that Google will someday allow you to use some of your GB of storage to host and showcase your digital photo library.
Very interesting! Google has the power to crush the digital image store/sell industry. I wonder if they'll build Google extensions into Picasa then make it freely available. The Picasa web site has links to a tool that facilitates putting images into Google's Blogger blog. Photoblogging deluxe?
Update:I downloaded both Picasa and Hello, Picasa's Chat/peer-to-peer image sharing application with the "bot" interface to Blogger.
Phew! Complex and innovative. I can see why Blogger went for Picasa. Very impressive. I may even pay the $30 for the app, though I suspect it will soon be free (I'll wait a few days before I buy, I'm on a 14 day trial.).
Here's a sample photo. I may switch to this mode of distributing photos to friends and families. I'll create a private photo blog just for that purpose.
Here's an old photo for test purposes ... (Molly, then aged about 3 months, now 14.5 years and on her 7th life ...)
Boing Boing: Sterling's Singularity speech audio
Boing Boing: Sterling's Singularity speech audio
I need to download this sucker then get it on my iPod.
Update: Bleah. I downloaded, converted to AAC, made it bookmarkable, and listened. Sterling caricatures Vinge and mocks much of Vinge's writing. I thought Sperling's arguments were simplistic and misdirecting. He never really deals with Vinge's fundamental theses, but he does well with simplistic rhetoric and humorous digressions.
Stupid and a waste of time.
Bruce Sterling's speech to the Long Now Foundation on the Singularity is a corker. He really is a *hell* of a speaker.
I need to download this sucker then get it on my iPod.
Update: Bleah. I downloaded, converted to AAC, made it bookmarkable, and listened. Sterling caricatures Vinge and mocks much of Vinge's writing. I thought Sperling's arguments were simplistic and misdirecting. He never really deals with Vinge's fundamental theses, but he does well with simplistic rhetoric and humorous digressions.
Stupid and a waste of time.
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
MIT OpenCourseWare | HST.951J Medical Decision Support - Medical Informatics
MIT OpenCourseWare | Health Sciences and Technology | HST.951J Medical Decision Support, Spring 2003 | Home
I scanned the syllabus. Definitely an MIT perspective on medical informatics! I'll likely use some of this material when I teach at the U MN again this fall.
I scanned the syllabus. Definitely an MIT perspective on medical informatics! I'll likely use some of this material when I teach at the U MN again this fall.
Monday, July 12, 2004
Full text search in 10.4 and elsewhere
Daring Fireball: Spotlight on Spotlight
Interesting limitation of both Google and OS X Tiger's full text indexing ignores much past 100K. That's bigger than the raw text content of most documents, but it leaves books out of the picture. For my taste it's the right choice. I hope I can choose which folders NOT to index.
I imagine I'll stay with 10.3 on my iBook -- I just don't have a big enough drive on that machine. Tiger I'll get with my next machine.
... Both metadata collection and full-text indexing depend on cooperating per-file-format Importers, either written by Apple or by third parties. Like Google, no matter how much text an Importer provides, Spotlight only cares about the first 100K of raw text.
Importers are fired on every file the moment it is created, saved, changed, or moved, including when files are made available through a newly mounted drive. Performance is said to be excellent in every case except network-mounted home directories, which are bedeviling on several levels and on which they’re still working.
Interesting limitation of both Google and OS X Tiger's full text indexing ignores much past 100K. That's bigger than the raw text content of most documents, but it leaves books out of the picture. For my taste it's the right choice. I hope I can choose which folders NOT to index.
I imagine I'll stay with 10.3 on my iBook -- I just don't have a big enough drive on that machine. Tiger I'll get with my next machine.
Friday, July 09, 2004
Apple - Discussions - Replacement iPod is INDEED defective
Apple - Discussions - Replacement iPod is itself defective: "Ok, this is now is the third replacement. I've been through four 30GB G3 iPods now.
It arrived very quickly -- expedited service since it was my 3rd return.
I recharge it. Go to use it. The central button doesn't work. I can navigate the top menus, but I can't do anything else. I can reset it, no change.
If anyone wants to discuss this with me directly my email is jfaughnan@spamcop.net."
Wow. This is very impressive. I'm pretty convinced by now that Apple really can't service iPods. Their entire service routine must be a clever scam. They know sooner or later I'll get tired of calling AppleCare for a return.
They are rapidly turning into a seriously scummy company. I'm going to use Minnesota's consumer protection process.
Update:
I called AppleCare and was good and patient. When I was asked to reset I said I'd already done it, but offered to repeat. That was good.
The first time I'd reset by myself I forgot to switch the hold toggle on and off. The hold toggle turns power to the buttons on and off. That was a critical step. With it the reset cleared the problem.
It appears some combination of pressure on the central button (perhaps in shipping) and power drainage can cause the button to be locked out.
So this iPod is now working.
I'll put a hold on my letter to the state attorney general until I see how this replacement does!
updateNope, it's really broken. Lock switch is malfunctioning. Now for replacement number 4, and the letter to the state attorney general.
Update 2: The problem is more subtle than just a bad lock switch. At varioous times, particularly when withdrawing a fully recharged iPod from the cradle, the buttons are totally inoperable. Reinserting into the cradle may restore functionality. I think it's likely a somewhat flaky circuit that can be perturbed by small voltage fluctuations.
It arrived very quickly -- expedited service since it was my 3rd return.
I recharge it. Go to use it. The central button doesn't work. I can navigate the top menus, but I can't do anything else. I can reset it, no change.
If anyone wants to discuss this with me directly my email is jfaughnan@spamcop.net."
Wow. This is very impressive. I'm pretty convinced by now that Apple really can't service iPods. Their entire service routine must be a clever scam. They know sooner or later I'll get tired of calling AppleCare for a return.
They are rapidly turning into a seriously scummy company. I'm going to use Minnesota's consumer protection process.
Update:
I called AppleCare and was good and patient. When I was asked to reset I said I'd already done it, but offered to repeat. That was good.
The first time I'd reset by myself I forgot to switch the hold toggle on and off. The hold toggle turns power to the buttons on and off. That was a critical step. With it the reset cleared the problem.
It appears some combination of pressure on the central button (perhaps in shipping) and power drainage can cause the button to be locked out.
So this iPod is now working.
I'll put a hold on my letter to the state attorney general until I see how this replacement does!
updateNope, it's really broken. Lock switch is malfunctioning. Now for replacement number 4, and the letter to the state attorney general.
Update 2: The problem is more subtle than just a bad lock switch. At varioous times, particularly when withdrawing a fully recharged iPod from the cradle, the buttons are totally inoperable. Reinserting into the cradle may restore functionality. I think it's likely a somewhat flaky circuit that can be perturbed by small voltage fluctuations.
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