websites

Color Me – Julian

July 5, 2023 by noemi

Julian Assange of WikiLeaks fame has graced the front pages of newspapers (the traditional kind), news web sites, blogs, and practically every other kind of web site you can find. Whether you admire him or you detest him, you cannot deny that he does attract attention. How can he not?

Here’s another web site that places Julian Assange in focus – in a different way. The Julian Assange Coloring Book may not be on your list of gifts for your children, but it might give you something to do if you do not feel like working. More so, if you are particularly interested in expressing your creative side, you will find the site a nice distraction.

The concept is the same as that of any other coloring book’s concept: you get pages with sketches that need to be filled with colored. The difference is that you get eight pages – all of them virtual – of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks-related images. You also have a color palette from which you can pick colors. As long as you have a computer, you will be able to color your heart out. Now all you need is a teeny weeny spark of artistic sense in you.

Here’s a sample image that needs some work.

This one is a work in progress.

As you can probably see, I did not spend much time with coloring books when I was a kid. This web site is not bound to change anything for me.

A Guide to the Open Internet: What You Need to Know About Net Neutrality

July 3, 2023 by noemi

You’ve probably been reading/hearing about net neutrality in the recent months. Left and right, people are talking about it – either trying to push for the concept or trying to take it down. What is net neutrality anyway, and why should you bother about it?

Simply put, net neutrality is a concept which places ALL web sites and services on the same level; that is, they ought to be treated as being the same by Internet service providers (ISPs) and mobile phone/cable/phone companies. You may think that this sounds logical, but telecommunications companies are leaning towards the other end of the spectrum. They think that web sites and services ought to be grouped into different categories so that they can apply various charging schemes. You getting my drift?

To make the whole concept easier to understand, some guys have created an excellent web site which explains the “open Internet” and what ISPs want to happen: The Open Internet.

Here’s a screen shot of what a free and open Internet brings.

Get the word out – share the web site and help keep the Internet free and open for all of us!

Boutiques.com: Where Fashionista and Nerd Collide

June 28, 2023 by noemi

Nerds are not exactly known for being fashionable, are they? Then again, thinking about the recent trend featuring geeky t-shirts and all the merchandise that the Nerd Herd is selling, that statement may not be 100 per cent accurate. Still, fashionistas and nerds do not normally “go together” – I think we can all agree on that.

If there is one company that can break the boundaries, though, I think it is Google; and I think that most of you will agree. This is exactly what the Internet giant is doing with one of its newest projects: Boutiques.com. From the Official Google Blog:

“…a personalized shopping experience that lets you find and discover fashion goods, by creating your own curated boutique or through a collection of boutiques curated by taste-makers—celebrities, stylists, designers and fashion bloggers. Boutiques uses computer vision and machine learning technology to visually analyze your taste and match it to items you would like.”

It’s really a shopaholic’s dream come true. Take a look at the image below to give you an idea how you can search for items on the site. Search is Google’s main strength, and hey, they are putting it to good use with online shopping!

Filters, photos, visual searches, and iPad applications – this is where the Google brains come into the pictures. Some of the people who work there may not exactly care what they wear to work, but they surely can come up with one heck of a site that might very well change the face of online shopping.

With only a little over a month left before Christmas, you will certainly have a blast playing around at Boutiques.com!

Domain Sells for $13M: Guess the Name?

June 22, 2023 by noemi

We all know how some people go around buying up domain names like crazy in the hopes of selling them one day for big bucks. Of course, not every domain that you buy will make you money, but every now and then someone gets lucky. And, when that happens, we definitely hear about it.

So going on to this domain name that recently sold for big big bucks…It was originally owned by Gary Kremen, founder of well known site Match.com. He registered it way back in 1994, but then “lost” the domain to Stephen Cohen, a conman, two years later. The domain eventually changed hands and ended up belonging to a group called Escom LLC, which, in turn, went bankrupt. The bankruptcy is the reason the domain was put up for auction mid-way through this year in July.

The highest bid has been revealed at $13 million, and the entity that put in that bid is known as Clover Holdings. Unsurprisingly, not much is known about the company except that it is registered in the Caribbean Island of St. Vincent. The sale isn’t final as of yet – the bankruptcy court will have to give its nod of approval first (October 27 is the date for the decision).

As astronomical as $13 million may seem, this is NOT the highest amount someone has paid for a domain name. The highest recorded price for a domain name sale is $16 million – though you have to admit, at this range, $3 million is not much. This domain is insure.com.

Saving the best for last…what is this domain that just got sold?

sex.com

What can we say? Sex indeed sells.

FontPark: Get Your Fill of Fonts

June 14, 2023 by noemi

Tired of using the same old font forever? There are some people who tend to stick with the same old font for years. However, it is always a good thing to shake things up a bit every now and then. This is especially true if the font you have been using forever does not match the new theme that you are planning to implement in your blog. More so, if your favorite font is not really user friendly, you really have no choice but to use something else that will help your reader.

Now that’s only one group. There are people who just can’t get enough of fonts! Designers, of course, need to have a wide array of fonts at their disposal. And, even if you’re not a designer, you can never really have enough fonts to play with anyway.

If you belong to the second group, here’s something that just might make you feel like a little kid in a candy store: FontPark. This web site has more than 70,000 fonts that you can use. Yes, that’s 70,000 fonts that anyone can download and use. The best part? All 70,000++ fonts are free to download and use. Whether you are going to use the fonts for personal or commercial purposes, you don’t have to pay!

There are actually a lot of other sites from which you can download fonts. Of course, some of the best sites will charge you to download their fonts. In most of these web sites, you will be able to find fonts for free as well, but for the most part, you will have to pay for the nicer fonts. I suppose that’s the biggest advantage of FontPark.

It is easy enough to navigate, like many other font sites. You can browse the collection alphabetically or by category. Alternatively, you can do a search of your own. Oh, and the fonts are not all letters – you can find all sorts of interesting characters as well. You can preview each font so that you can see exactly what it looks like. More so, the fonts can be used for PC, Max, and Linux.

I know now where I am going to go if I need to change my routine a bit!

16 Photo Sharing Web Sites Worth Using

April 11, 2023 by Andy Merrett

Here are sixteen online photo sharing services worth taking a look at.

Got a favourite not on the list? Share it in the comments below.

1. Flickr

We all know Flickr, right? Easy to upload, search, tag and share photos and videos with a premium service available.

2. Photobucket

Another favourite with a nice look and feel.

3. Picasa

You need a Google account to get the most from Picasa, after which you can edit, share, tag, favourite and chat about your pictures. As you’d expect from a Google product, there are plenty of features being added all the time, and extra storage available at fair prices.

4. SmugMug

Not only photos on this great looking ad free site but also HD video on these pay accounts.

5. Shutterfly

The service claims free, unlimited, unrestricted size photo storage and the ability to create a range of products from your own pictures.

6. Webshots

A huge collection of photos including ones from professional photographers, available to purchase electronically and as prints.

7. Piczo

Designed for use by teenagers, with plenty of glitz and glamour, photo editing tools and communities.

8. Tinypic

A registration-free site for storing photos and videos, with unique links offered for each item much like URL shorteners work.

9. Snapfish

A service for uploading and then creating products from photos including standard prints, calendars, canvases and more.

10. Fotki

Upload, browse and rate photos or keep an online photo journal.

11. MyPhotoAlbum

Focusing on greater personalisation of online photo albums, with your own subdomain at myphotoalbum.com, plus real merchandise.

12. Picli

A Digg-style voting system for photos, pushing interesting pics to the front page.

13. Photosnack

Creates photo slideshows from your uploaded pictures and then share them across the web.

14. Glowfoto

A social network with a heavy focus on photos, and a platform for sharing images on other sites.

15. PhotoApe

A photo sharing service with an emphasis on mobile usage.

16. Photowall

As the name suggests, displays a scrolling wall of photos from users around the world.