Nearly Half Of Facebook Users Have Profanity On Their Walls

Did you just swear on your Facebook wall? Perhaps a friend of yours left a profanity laced drunken message for you to read when you woke up? If there is currently foul language on your Facebook wall you’re not alone, nearly 50% of all Facebook users have some type of swear word displayed on their account.

Newly founded firm Reppler which markets online reputation management tools on Monday released a survey of 30,000 users which found that 47% of those users polled had some type of swearing on their wall. Those same responders say that 80% of their accounts have profanity posted from a friend while posts and comments featuring profanity on a users wall come from friends 56% of the time.

According to the report users are two times more likely to post swear words on a Facebook wall than when commenting on previously posted messages, while the most used profanity is the F word followed by sh*t and b*tch.

Do you have swear words on your wall at this moment in time? There’s nearly a 50/50 chance that you do.

Tags: Facebook, Facebook Wall

View the original article here

Facebook: Shortened Status Tags Now Displaying

It’s only a small upgrade but one we welcome with open arms, on Thursday afternoon Facebook rolled out an update which shortens Facebook Status Tags.

If you’re unfamiliar with tags, they occur when a user would input the “@” symbol followed by a friends name, however users are no longer required to use the “@” symbol and can instead type a users name which will then display all possible matches below the status update bar.

Once typed a user can then use the backspace key to delete the users last and if available middle names as they deem necessary.

By using this feature your friends profile will show your status update on their wall, just as it has in the past, however their full name will not be displayed if you used the backspace feature to delete any part of their name.

What do you think about this simple Facebook upgrade? [via AllFacebook]

Tags: Facebook, Facebook Status, Facebook Status Tags

LapTop Laidback can serve as iPad Laidback, too

Over the weekend, Appletell posted my review of the Laptop Laidback stand for relaxed computing. I suggested the device can serve as a substitute for iPadding in a reclined posture, noting that The Laptop Laidback is a disarmingly uncomplicated design, essentially a laptop stand with an adjustable, inclined support tray that forms a "bridge" spanning your torso when you're reclined on a bed or sofa, letting your arms assume the recommended 90 degree elbow angle and resting on the support surface, comfortably relaxed.

However, I didn't cover the Laptop Laidback's potential utility as an iPad stand as well, and Laidback's inventor and president Doug Martell tells me he's personally using an iPad on a Laidback and finds its great for surfing, although for touchtyping he hasn't yet really adapted to the software keyboard.

That would be less of a problem for folks like me who don't touch type (although I do use most of my fingers in an intuitive system I've developed that can support up to about 50 words per minute, but I digress).

Doug Martell says that to type with the iPad on the Laidback, you have to slide the Laidback's support table to almost full height and keep a very steep angle, but he's found it works for him.

Laptop Laidback 3 sells for $89.99.

Product [Laptop Laidback]

See [Laptop Laidback Stand for Reclined Computing]

The World of CSS Frameworks

CSS frameworks are just pre-written CSS files which can be applied to your HTML by using the class names defined in the framework. It can be called as a best practice to to define conceptual routine tasks into generic modules that can be reused. For example, all the font syles can be put together in a file called typography.css. Similarly, all the classes related to layout can be put together in another file called layout.css. After modulating the CSS styles, these files can be called within a single CSS file and further integrated into your HTML file.

There are a number of Frameworks you can freely download and use in your projects. To use them, you will need a fair bit of CSS knowledge, some patience and a fair bit of time to get yourself familiar with the layout. The page layout structure is pretty standard across almost all Frameworks. It could be Header -> Main Content -> Sub Content -> Local Nav -> Main Nav -> Footer. The variations on structure goes on and on. If you want, You can make your own structure using the predefined classes in the framework.

The main benefit I think that CSS frameworks have is that they tend to force you to think about how you’re going to organise you code rather than provide you with indispensable tools for your day to day tasks. They are simply a convenience and as such are good for things like wireframing and rapid prototyping. They are probably also a good way to learn CSS layout as well if you can familiarise yourself with the layout code.

CSS Frameworks provide basic, yet a solid foundation of code to further build a website. You also save precious time as you don’t have to write the necessary CSS styles from scratch. Another major advantage of using a framework is that your website can be easily aligned to web standards and is consistent across different browsers.

Here is a highlight of 10 CSS frameworks that are easy to use and provide the user with good amount of flexibility. It might be difficult to choose one amongst them as every one of them focuses on something different.

View the original article here

Copyright, Trademark and Blog Design

Almost every blogger knows that blog design is important when trying to build a successful site. How your site looks and feels not only sets the tone for your blog, but it also is a big part of what separates it from similar sites and gives it an identity of its own.

However, just as with the content and the domain name of your site, there are ethical and legal issues that come with the theme of your site. Specifically, both trademark and copyright law protect or may protect the theme you’re using right now. But unlike the content that fills your pages, most bloggers don’t create their own theme, at least not from scratch, putting them in the position of using someone else’s work on their site.

That being said, the ways in which copyright and trademark impact Web design is not nearly as simple and as straightforward as with other types of content due to how the laws overlap and what they don’t protect.

So, if you either want to protect your blog’s design or make sure that you’re on the right side of the law with your blog’s theme, here is what you need to know about copyright, trademark and blog design.

Copyright, under the law, protects all “original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression”. This idea of fixing the work into a tangible medium is crucial because copyright law explicitly does not protect ideas and concepts.

This is important because much of what we think of as Web design is actually an idea or concept. For example, the idea to use a three column layout with a red background and a black logo is is just an idea that can’t be protected by copyright law on its own (not to mention that it almost certainly isn’t original enough).

That being said, there are many elements of Web design that are protected by copyright. For example, copyright law protects both software code and images, meaning that the code used to build the site, (HTML, CSS and PHP) are protected under the law as are the images (backgrounds, logos, etc.)

This, in turn, creates a strange situation where you can actually use the design of another site without fear of being a copyright infringer, so long as you don’t use any of the code or images that built it.

However, few bloggers actually code their own themes from scratch. Both the time and knowledge required to do it simply being too great. As a result, most blog themes are actually built upon existing themes, usually those that are freely available, and that can actually open up a completely different set of copyright questions.

Many may remember the dispute from a few years ago that pitted Automattic’s Matt Mullenweg against Chris Pearson, the designer of Thesis. The spat started after Chris Pearson claimed that his theme, Thesis, was not a derivative of WordPress, the system it was designed for, and did not need to be GPL licensed. Mullenweg disagreed. After a public war of wards, Pearson eventually backed down and agreed to license his theme under the GPL. However, not before the issue of themes, the GPL and blogging was in everyone’s consciousness.

The issue was controversial, especially among professional theme developers, because, while the GPL does not prevent people from being able to sell something their code, it gives users the freedom to copy it and make modification of it so long as they use the same license when they distribute it.

The general consensus (though it hasn’t been tested in court yet) is that the core theme files are a derivative of the platform they were built for as they use code from that platform to work. So, if the platform is licensed under the GPL, as with WordPress, those files are as well. However, images, CSS files and JavaScript files that are often included with the theme don’t have any derivative code in them and may be licensed under a different set of terms.

In short, if you want a theme that you can modify and copy freely, you most likely want to find a theme that is fully licensed under the GPL, such as the ones in the official WordPress Theme Gallery.

Finally, it’s worth noting that a site’s design if often a key part of a business’ identity. As such, it may be possible that design could be protected by trademark. For example, if a company is well known for a particular site design and you mimic it so closely, even without copying any code or images, that it might cause others to confuse your site for theirs.

However, given the limited number of layouts, colors, etc. as well as the number of sites that use the same or similar elements without any confusion, this would be an almost impossible bar to reach, especially without already infringing on one’s copyright.

Still, it’s worth noting that you may be able to make your site look enough like another site, in particular one owned by a business, to cause confusion in the marketplace and possibly violate trademark. Though this is more of a theoretical exercise, especially since most companies don’t register or enforce the potential trademark on their site design, it’s worth being aware of when you try to find sites to emulate, especially if you’re emulating a site that you’re competing against.

Besides, if you made your site so close to another’s layout that it caused confusion, it would likely cause more damage to you than them by making you seem like a rip off and a clone.

All in all, Web and blog design is a very interesting area of intellectual property law. Not only is it an interesting mashup of copyright, trademark and unprotectable elements, but it’s also a largely untested area of law. With the Web itself only being of any importance for the past 15 years or so, there have been very few lawsuits or rulings on Web design related issues.

Still, it is important to at least be aware of the issues that surround copyright and trademark in this area. Since every site needs a theme and most bloggers don’t have the time or knowledge to make one from scratch, knowing what the law does say can help keep you out of trouble down the road.

Fortunately, it isn’t nearly as complicated as some make it out to be, especially if you get your themes from solid sources and use them in the desired manner.

Have a question about the law and freelance writing? Either leave a comment below or contact me directly if you wish to keep the information private (However, please mention that it is a suggestion for The Blog Herald. This column will be determined largely by your suggestions and questions so let me know what you want to know about.

I am not an attorney and nothing in this article should be taken as legal advice.

View the original article here

Wallpaper Wizard for Mac OS X review

Category: Wallpaper/desktop utility
Developer: Coppertino Inc.
System Requirements: Mac OS X v10.6
Review Computer: iMac 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM and 2.26GHz 13” Macbook Pro, 2GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM
Processor Compatibility: Intel
Price: $6.99
Availability: Out now

Having a wallpaper program in 2011 seems a bit like having a screensaver; one of those odd, personal touches from a bygone era. The problem with Wallpaper Wizard isn’t that it doesn’t work—it works just fine—but that it has no reason to exist.

Wallpaper Wizard gives you a library of over 100,000 high resolution wallpapers. You can search the categories, choose your favorites, set your desktop image, and even set it to automatically change the picture. If this last part sounds familiar, that’s because it’s part of Mac OS X’s system preferences.

So what you’re paying seven dollars for is Wallpaper Wizard’s gallery of images, which are indeed very good, professionally-shot photos, properly licensed. They’re organized into categories (“Cats,” “Asian Ladies,” “Yamaha,” and lots of female movie stars). You’ll undoubtably find something to suit your tastes…even if you want a promo image from The Rock’s remake of Walking Tall.

Wallpaper Wizard is a fine program, which you can recreate for free using any number of websites (or your own images) and the OS X system preferences.

Scene & Heard for iPad uses Visual Scene Display as communication aid

The iPad is many different things to many different people, but a communication aid? It is now with TBox Apps’ Scene & Heard. Together, Scene & Heard and the iPad deliver the most powerful visual scene display communication aid by transforming personalized photos, video, audio, and included symbols into customized interactive Communication Scenes.

Expanding on existing approaches such as symbol and grid based communication; Scene & Heard was developed and designed specifically for the iPad’s most advanced mobile operating system. The iPad provides an engaging, fun, and affordable, alternative to existing communication devices. Embraced and endorsed by the AAC community worldwide, the iPad, is a essential tool advancing augmented communication possibilities and is rapidly becoming the device of choice assisting anyone with communication needs.

Current iOS based AAC options have not reached the potential that Context based communication is capable of achieving, by providing generic, static, and limited personalization capabilities. In addition, existing Visual Scene Display apps have not used all that the iPad offers, until now. Scene & Heard is the first AAC application that fully utilizes all that the iPad offers, and is the most feature-rich, AAC app on available on the iOS platform.

TBox Apps—a leader in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies—developed Scene & Heard to encourage social interaction amongst children and adults with communication needs. It provides an elegant yet easy and effective method of communicating using more than just a simple, symbol-based grid. Scene & Heard takes using a Visual Scene Display, a communication approach which uses context to aid with learning and communicating. On the iPad, photos, image, videos, text and audio transform from traditional static, communication pieces into interactive communication scenes.

Users, caregivers, teachers, parents, educators, and anyone can create personalized scenes with photos, text, audio, video, preloaded symbol library, tagged with own content and saved in easy to access collections. Scenes can be used for more than communication and can be used to organize the individual throughout the day. The iPad’s slim elegance and affordability factor promotes mobility, and positive attention not the stigma that may be associated with existing clunky devices.

The iPad display size gives users the freedom to simply tap, drag, drop, and swipe to navigate, build, and customize personalized scenes to communicate in a way that is meaningful and personal. Scene & Heard builds upon and includes the common picture and text based communication aids by including in the application a pre-loaded symbol library of over 12k choices from industry favorite, Widgit Software Scene & Heard, and the iPad’s incredibly easy to use, familiar and intuitive interface work in tandem to provide a tap anywhere atmosphere.

Tapping this app gives special-needs users a voice and so much more. The app picks up where others left off, with common grid based scene building and so much more.

Scene & Heard for iPad is available now for $49.99.

Product [Scene & Heard]

5 Things to Check When Reading a Terms of Service

With TwitPic recently finding itself in hot water over a terms of service change that prevented its users from reselling photographs they had uploaded using the service (their TOS has since been changed to slightly less controversial terms), there’s been a great deal of interest lately the terms we agree to when registering new accounts at various site and the time bombs that could be buried in there.

The truth is that very few people take the time to as much as skim the TOS before clicking “accept” and are completely unaware of what is in the legally binding contract they just “signed”. This has the potential to create major headaches down the road when and if these services decide to exploit their rights to their fullest.

So, if you’re motivated to be a little more careful with the terms you agree to, here is a quick primer on five critical things you want to check when accepting a new TOS. While, obviously, this isn’t a complete list, these are probably the things you probably want to look for first in order to best understand what it is you’re signing and what it might mean moving forward.

It’s a truth that sites and companies need to update their terms of service from time to time. Whether it’s to amend it for a new service or even just fix a typo, sometimes changes have to be made. However, there is a great difference in how you are notified of and approve these changes.

Some companies have terms that force you to agree not just to the terms in front of you, but to any changes they make to it in the future. This means, effectively, you have no idea what you’re agreeing to as it could change at any point.

Others, however, will notify you after a change and give you a certain number of days to cancel your account if you don’t agree. Still not a perfect solution, but much more fair.

If you’re uploading your work to the site or service, they need a license to display it, make copies of it, etc. in order for them to do what you want them to. However, it’s important to read the license carefully and make sure you aren’t giving up rights to your work that you don’t intend.

Pay special attention not only to the rights that the company has over your work, but if those rights are transferrable and/or sublicenseable. If either is true, the rights can be sold to another company without your explicit permission. This can be a good thing, for example if the company is bought out, or it could be misused, for example selling rights to your images to third parties without your permission or giving you any revenue.

If you are having trouble understanding this portion of the TOS, take a moment to look up some of the more common terms used in copyright contracts.

Many terms of service require you to agree to a jurisdiction when you agree to the contract. It’s important for you to know what that jursdiction is, usually the courts closest to the company itself, and if the company requires you to go through mediation first.

This might seem to be a small matter, but if there is ever a dispute between you and this company, especially one where they want to take legal action against you, this could put you in a situation where you have to defend yourself in a court that is far, far away from you and, since you agreed to the jurisdiction, there isn’t much you can say.

One of the key parts of any TOS is that both sides are making promises (or not making promises) to one another. Typically a TOS will provide few, if any, guarantees for the user, including no guarantees on service reliability. Most even allow the host or the service to delete your content for any reason or no reason at all. You, on the other hand, promise not to engage in certain activities, many of which are illegal or damaging to the service, and to indemnify the company should you do something wrong.

Indemnification, or indemnity, means that you agree to pay them for any damages you cause in breaking the contract. For example, if you violate the law and get the company sued, they can come after you for the damages and legal expenses.

In short, understand what, if anything, they are promising you and what you’re promising them in return.

Finally, before entering an agreement, you need to know how to end it. Many TOSes terminate on the deletion of the account, others some period of time after that and still others are perpetual, meaning that they never end, even if you leave the site completely.

Obviously, the harder it is to exit a contract, the harder you should think about walking into it. Either way, it’s best to have your exit planned if things become problematic later and, to do that, you need to understand how your contract says you can leave it.

It’s important to remember that, just because a site or company has an overreaching TOS doesn’t mean that they are evil or are going to do bad things with you and your work. It just means that they are protecting their interests and likely went a bit overboard in doing so.

That being said, it’s important to remember that an overreaching TOS does open the possibility for abuse and that, if you agree to it, you’re putting yourself and your work at risk.

That being said, if you’re TOS savvy, take the time to read what you’re agreeing to and make smart decisions about what to accept and not, you can avoid many of the major pitfalls when it comes to dealing with TOSes and be a lot safer in the future.

In short, taking a few moments when signing up for a site can save a lot more headache down the road. Time spent reading a contract, whether online or off, is time well spent.

Have a question about the law and freelance writing? Either leave a comment below or contact me directly if you wish to keep the information private (However, please mention that it is a suggestion for Freelance Writing Jobs). This column will be determined largely by your suggestions and questions so let me know what you want to know about.

I am not an attorney and nothing in this article should be taken as legal advice.

The Social Playbook: Dawn of the Dragons on Facebook

An evil army has invaded the Kingdom of West Kruna, and the people cry out for a hero. Though you are but a simple farmhand, perhaps you are the champion who can save the land from disaster.

The goal of Dawn of the Dragons (DoTD) is to complete quests and kill raid monsters for gear. Doing so earns levels for skill points to make your character strong enough to face other players in PvP (player vs. player mode) or to defeat tougher raid monsters.

Yet, at the start you’re a simple farmhand wielding a pitchfork with little knowledge of warfare beyond attacking weeds in the fields. It all changes when your peaceful town is attacked by kobolds. Instead of running and hiding, you rally the town to defeat them. You then find yourself traveling throughout West Kruna with your companions while becoming a hero by performing mighty deeds. The story is told in the quests you complete. Each area having four or five locations, and each location has five quests that you complete by using energy. Energy recuperates over time (how fast depends on the class you choose), and you can increase how much you have by using skill points and wearing gear with energy bonuses. At the end of each location there’s a boss you defeat to get the ability of fighting it again as a raid monster for even better gear and craft items.

I’ve been impressed by the story so far, and the characterizations of the hero and his or her fighting companions are detailed and interesting. There’s even a story written about Roland, one of the companions on your quests, and how he acquired his weapons in an adventure before he settled down to run a tavern. While I still don’t see from where the hero could have acquired amazing combat and leadership skills, the rest of the story is written very well.

After you’ve finished some quests, you can summon your own raid monsters or join in on someone else’s raid. You use stamina on a general raid monster or honor on a guild raid monster to do damage, determined by how much attack and defense your character has, your gear, the magic that’s used, and the generals and troops you have in your legion. The more damage you do, the higher chance you have of getting more and better loot when it’s defeated. Using honor in addition to energy and stamina is a big difference between DoTD and other similar games on Facebook, because it encourages you to join a guild and play with others. You don’t have to choose between participating in a general raid or a guild raid because you can do both. Not only does this give you more chances at good gear, it also helps you gain levels faster. While there’s a chat room included, and you can leave messages with each raid monster, you can’t really communicate with your guild members from within the game. Fortunately, it’s easy to create a group using Facebook, which many guilds have done in order to share strategies, raid links, where gear can be found, and more.

In addition to raids, there are other ways of getting items. If you finish enough quests, kill enough raid and honor monsters, get your skills to a high enough level, and collect enough gear, you can earn achievement points which you can then use to buy loot bags of various sizes. Some of the bags have powerful items, and others have crafting ingredients you can collect for a set with even more power. There are many items you can make through crafting, including legendary items which take a lot of luck to earn but which are the most powerful and most challenging to find. You can also attack other players in the Colosseum and by earning enough points through victory can qualify for powerful items.

You can send and receive free crafting items and free gear through gifts, so you are rewarded for having many friends, but it’s not required and you can do well with no friends playing DoTD. While you’re encouraged to band together in guilds and join raid monsters started by strangers, they don’t have to be in your friends list if you don’t want them to be, and you don’t need a certain number of friends to unlock any of the areas or do anything else. I think more Facebook games should follow this route instead of forcing you to have 501 or more people in your friends list who play the game just to be competitive.

There are many items to buy with Planet Coins, the in-game currency, such as four limited time offers. If you’re feeling lucky, you can buy an expedition (one item at random from a large selection) or a starting pack with a variety of items every adventurer needs. You can also purchase energy or stamina refills, gold, temporary stat boosts, and a few other items. In addition to buying Planet Coins with money or getting them through offers, you also get one free every five levels; so, you can save up and get what you want without ever spending money for any extras.

You only need to play when your energy, stamina, or honor have filled up if you don’t want to waste any, but since raid monsters have a time limit, you are encouraged to play consistently until they’re done. However, you only really have to play once or twice a day at the most, and can play even less often if you want. DoTD is not demanding of a person’s time, and is a good example of a casual game.

Dawn of the Dragons is a fun game, and there’s a lot to do and many goals to achieve. Having to work with other people in guilds adds a social component that other Facebook games don’t have. There’s also a lot coming soon, including guild vs. guild battles, siege weapons, guild armory, and the guild trophy cabinet. On the other hand, guild jousting (where you use honor to fight people in other guilds) and PvP aside from the Colosseum are rather dull and pointless. At the moment, it does feel like you’re getting stronger just for the sake of getting stronger without many opportunities to put it to the test. However, 5th Planet Games has been good at coming out with regular updates, and it’s likely that all of the missing features will be added eventually, if not sooner.

At the moment, I’d say Dawn of the Dragons is an enjoyable Facebook game, and one of the better ones out there. It has good social aspects without needing to clutter up your friends list with strangers and many goals to accomplish. It’s a fun casual game with a lot of potential.

See other Social Playbook columns.

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Casual Friday Update for May 21 - 27, 2011

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Target’s Memorial Day 2011 ad gives gift cards with select purchases

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May 24, 2011, Macintosh product updates

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Apple defends developers against Lodsys

On May 13th, several developers received legal notices from Lodsys saying they had 21 days to respond or face legal action. Lodsys claimed they own patents covering in-app purchases (IAP) and offered a licensing deal where they would take 0.575% of the application revenue in return for the developers being able to use IAP within their apps. Several of the developers affected appealed to Apple Computer, while others removed IAP from their apps and all worried that they would have to pay to avoid a costly and time-consuming lawsuit.

It took a little longer than most folks wanted, but Apple did respond, and they responded forcefully in defense of the developers. The first paragraph of the letter states clearly Apple’s position on the matter and what it plans to do.

Apple is undisputedly licensed to these patents and the Apple App Makers are protected by that license. There is no basis for Lodsys’ infringement allegations against Apple’s App Makers. Apple intends to share this letter and the information set out herein with its App Makers and is fully prepared to defend Apple’s license rights.

Apple’s letter goes on to say that because the company has licensed Lodsys’ patents, it is “... entitled to offer these licensed products and services to its customers and business partners, who, in turn, have the right to use them.” Apple then uses the examples Lodsys used in the letters it sent out to show the developers are using Apple’s hardware, software, iOS, servers, and interface to provide IAP in their apps. In other words, because Apple has licensed the patents and the developers are using Apple technology, then they’re covered by Apple’s licenses.

Even if you aren’t normally interested in reading legalese, I do recommend reading the entire letter.

Lodsys has not responded to Apple’s letter yet, but has answered questions on their blog rather than directly with the press. Also interesting to note is that Lodsys has targeted Android developers with the same patent infringement notices. Since Google likely has licenses to the same patents Apple does, they will probably want to respond as well.

Via [CNET and MacWorld]

Nisus Writer Pro 2 word processor now available

Using Nisus’ own description, the Nisus Writer Pro word processor for Mac OS X is much like the Macintosh itself: “fast, clean, and with all the power you need.” And with today’s announcement of Nisus Writer Pro 2, it’s more functional than ever. This new version adds a suite of drawing tools (shapes, lines, floating text boxes), watermarks, paragraph-level borders and shading, EPUB export, a customizable “special characters” menu and palette, and saved PDF files create clickable links for cross-references, page numbers in generated TOCs/Indexes, and hyperlinks.

Additions have also been made to the Nisus Macro Language, and a host of bug have been fixed. The new abilities add to an already rich feature set that includes an intuitive interface, multilingual text support, powerful find and replace, easy to use style system, multipart selections, full screen mode, and a native file format (RTF) that almost any word processor can read. A full list of features and enhancements can be found at the Nisus Writer Pro website.

Nisus Writer Pro 2 is available now at the Nisus web store for only $79.00 (USD). An upgrade version is available for $49.00. A three license Family Pack is also available for $99.00. Versions on CD are available for an additional $10.00 plus shipping. Nisus Writer Pro 2 is a universal binary and requires Mac OS X v10.4.11 (Tiger) or later.

Product [Nisus Writer Pro 2]

So Hot Right Now: Top 10 Appletell posts for the week of May 22, 2011

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“The Next BIG Thing” comes to Mac OS X

Think the next big thing to come to the Mac will be at WWDC on June 6th? Wrong. It’s coming June 2nd from Pendulo Studios, and they’d like to introduce you to it today. The Next BIG Thing—from the developers of the Runaway trilogy—is an original adventure game that pays homage to the classic detective movies of a Hollywood past.

The story introduces the couple of charismatic heroes Dan Murray and Liz Allaire involved in an incredible and crazy adventure, full of twists and packed with moments of pure comedy! With “The Next BIG Thing”, Pendulo Studios stay faithful to their unique graphic style that puts their games close to actual animated movies. The Next BIG Thing also maintains Runaway’s popular and beloved ingredients: an intricate story, funny and charismatic characters, wacky mysteries and puzzles, and a definite adult and modern tone.

Packed with hints and references to popular movies and TV shows, the Next BIG Thing also features HD visuals at resolutions up to 1920x1080 with highly detailed characters and backdrops.

The Mac version of The Next BIG Thing will be available for download on June 2nd from the game’s official website, the MacApp Store and Steam.

Product [The Next BIG Thing]

May 25, 2011, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch new releases

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Derwent Capital Markets Opens World’s First “Twitter Based” Hedge Fund

London Investment Firm Derwent Capital Markets is using Twitter to hedge their future bets, quite literally. The company is using their own proprietary systems to examine Tweets before determining where to put investments in their $40.5 million hedge fund.

According to the company they are currently analyzing 10% of the 10 million tweets sent daily. Using specific trading algorithms and sentiment analysis the company then determines where to put their money.

The idea of using Twitter to determine markets isn’t new, StockTwits offers a third party application for market analysis, however Derwent is the first firm to form a full hedge fund for Twitter trading purposes.While the idea may seem extremely radical to traditional traders a paper published by three computer science student at Cornell was able to predict market conditions 87.8% of the time in terms of “daily up and down changes in the closing value of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.”

According to the Financial Times if Twitter isn’t where you want to hedge your future bets a company in Japan is preparing to analyze blog sentiments for the same purpose.

Tags: Twitter, Twitter Hedge Fund

Gear we use: Photo Transfer app - getting photos and video from iPhone to iPad

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Facebook Caught Planting Negative Google Stories

Facebook has taken “credit” for planting stories around the web which bring into question Google’s privacy policies.  The plot backfired however when the Google hired PR firm Burson-Marsteller tried to get a prominent blogger to post the negative information and that blogger posted the emails from the PR firm.

Chris Soghoian, the blogger who was approached by Burson posted the following email from the company:

“Google, as you know, has a well-known history of infringing on the privacy rights of America’s Internet users. Not a year has gone by since the founding of the company where it has not been the focus of front-page news detailing its zealous approach to gathering information -– in many cases private and identifiable information — about online users.”

The email furthers Facebook cause, describing Google’s services as the:

“Latest tool designed to scrape private data and build deeply personal dossiers on millions of users –- in a direct and flagrant violation of its agreement with the FTC.”

When speaking with The Daily Beast, Facebook representative Dan Lyons says the company hired Burson because:

“First, because it believes Google is doing some things in social networking that raise privacy concerns; second, and perhaps more important, because Facebook resents Google’s attempts to use Facebook data in its own social-networking service.”

Why the company decided to hire a PR Firm through back channels, rather than airing their grievances in the public forum as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple and other tech firms have done over the years is still unknown.

On the other hand, Facebook has achieved a level of awareness over Google privacy issues that they probably wouldn’t have received with a simple company sponsored press release.

[via The Daily Beast]

Tags: Facebook, Facebook PR Scandal, Google, Google Privacy

GelaSkins iPad 2 skins review

Provides: Protection from scratches and scuffs
Developer: GelaSkins
Minimum Requirements: iPad 2
Price: $29.95
Availability: Now

Before my iPad 2 even arrived, I was online looking for skins for it. There are two reasons for this. First, I tend to upgrade frequently, and skins help me keep the iPad (or whatever) in great shape when it comes time to sell it off. And second, they allow…well, the iPad 2 is technically my wife’s. I use it a lot, though, and she’s able to lay claim to it by selecting a skin that reflects her personality and tastes, not mine. (She does allow me veto power, but I’ve never really had to use it.)

Regardless, a great place to turn is GelaSkins. They’ve been at this for a while now and support a wide variety of devices, as is clearly indicated by the precision of their fit. The necessary holes are cut out with just enough room to line them up, so little of the iPad shows through where they don’t want it to. The iPad 2’s corners are exposed, but honestly, that’s just about it that shouldn’t be.

Application is thankfully forgiving. With a skin this large, it’s difficult to keep the area up that you’re not directly trying to apply. And although the camera, volume buttons and such make good starting points, that doesn’t mean you’re going to get the alignment you want on the first try. I had to remove and reapply the skin about four or five times before I was happy with what I got. When I did, though, the fit was fantastic and the application was relatively bubble free. Those that appeared we’re easily smoothed out by wiping a cleaning cloth from the center to the outside.

Of all the skins I’ve tried, I like the texture of GelaSkins’ 3M Controltac material the best. There’s a subtle criss-cross pattern that adds a nice overall look and seems to make the artwork more…artsy, for lack of a better term. And that’s something to consider, because GelaSkins is all about the art. They’ve got a custom option and a few licenses (Tim Burton, Marvel, BustedTees, and more), but they largely focus on modern and classic artists.

I like that they do this; they’ve turned me into a fan of some artists I would’ve otherwise never known. And with designs from over 100 artists, you’re bound to like something, too.

The final touch GelaSkins brings is that they carry the design over to the front of the iPad 2. They provide a frame that sits on the iPad screen’s bezel (you can even cover the home button, if you wish). I’ll admit that I don’t use this, though, because it conflicts with my Fling Analog Joystick, and it would have to sit on top of my iVisor AG. If you do use it, though, it also comes with an iPad wallpaper download that perfectly fits in with your design.

Many of the designs aren’t conducive to serving as the backdrop for your app icons, but I’ll let you determine what looks good and what will make your eyes melt if you look at it for too long.

Skins are great. They offer excellent protection from scratches and scuffs, they can be used with third party docking devices and the majority of cases available, they’re compatible with Apple’s Smart Cover, and they allow you to add your own personality to the iPad 2. When it comes time to pick one, GelaSkins is the first place you should look. They may be a bit more expensive than some other options out there, but the quality, precision and wonderful designs will be worth it.

Top 10 Gamertell posts for the week of May 22, 2011

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See early Ark Arena battles in Chaos Rings Ω

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OS X update to get rid of MACDefender and related malware

In a new support document from Apple, the company acknowledges the existence of malware known as MACDefender (along with other variants) that acts as anti-virus software in an attempt to steal a user’s credit card information by persuading them to register the software. Apple has also stated that an update for Mac OS X is on its way to get rid of the malware and warn users should they be brought to a web page where the malware is present.

No more details on the OS X update are currently available, and it could be applied via a security patch or possibly even be integrated within Mac OS X 10.6.8 once it’s ready for the public. For now, Apple offers a manual method of getting rid of the malware should your Mac be infected, which is quoted below:

How to avoid installing this malware

If any notifications about viruses or security software appear, quit Safari or any other browser that you are using. If a normal attempt at quitting the browser doesn’t work, then Force Quit the browser.

In some cases, your browser may automatically download and launch the installer for this malicious software.  If this happens, cancel the installation process; do not enter your administrator password.  Delete the installer immediately using the steps below.

  1. Go into the Downloads folder or your preferred download location.
2. Drag the installer to the Trash.
3. Empty the Trash.

How to remove this malware

If the malware has been installed, we recommend the following actions:

  * Do not provide your credit card information under any circumstances.
* Use the Removal Steps below.

Removal steps

  * Move or close the Scan Window
* Go to the Utilities folder in the Applications folder and launch Activity Monitor
* Choose All Processes from the pop up menu in the upper right corner of the window
* Under the Process Name column, look for the name of the app and click to select it; common app names include: MacDefender, MacSecurity or MacProtector
* Click the Quit Process button in the upper left corner of the window and select Quit
* Quit Activity Monitor application
* Open the Applications folder
* Locate the app ex. MacDefender, MacSecurity, MacProtector or other name
* Drag to Trash, and empty Trash

Malware also installs a login item in your account in System Preferences. Removal of the login item is not necessary, but you can remove it by following the steps below.

  * Open System Preferences, select Accounts, then Login Items
* Select the name of the app you removed in the steps above ex. MacDefender, MacSecurity, MacProtector
* Click the minus button

Use the steps in the “How to avoid installing this malware” section above to remove the installer from the download location.

Note: Apple provides security updates for the Mac exclusively through Software Update and the Apple Support Downloads site. Users should exercise caution any time they are asked to enter sensitive personal information online.

Path Network Announces “Stacks” Proceeds To Sort Your Photos For You

Mobile social networking company Path on Monday announced a new feature which helps users auto-sort their photos for easier in-depth browsing.

Known as “Stacks” the new program arranges each users uploaded photos by “people, places and things” using the users own tags as the blueprint for that organization.

Once organized the three most popular tagged topics in each of those three categories are then displayed on the users profile then simply tap on a stack and the photos inside of it are revealed in a standard photo album setup.

As an example, if you take a vacation to Las Vegas one of your “Places” stacks might realize three photos from “Las Vegas” making it one of your more popular tags and therefore creating a “Las Vegas” stack.

The program is self-learning which means you can go back to Las Vegas three or four times and your Vegas stack will continue to update with more photos from Las Vegas as long as you tag those photos with that “Las Vegas” term.

Path explained the program in a company blog post:

Now, every moment you add to your Path is automatically collected, stacked, and organized neatly on your Profile. With every person, place, or thing you tag, each moment automatically organizes itself into a Stack to be easily accessed and relived, anytime. Telling stories with Path has never been easier.

The company hopes that users will use the Stacks option to gain a better understanding of their friends and family’s “personal interests, preferences, and tastes.

You can also now access Stacks from the action bar to the left of any moment.

Here’s a closer look at Path Stacks in action:

Tags: Mobile Social Network, Path, social network

View the original article here

Pantech Announced World First 1.5 GHz Dual-Core Phone

Pantech Announced World First 1.5 GHz Dual-Core Phone › AndroidGuys@import url("http://www.androidguys.com/wp-content/themes/elemental/lib/styles/print.css");.vvqbox { display: block; max-width: 100%; visibility: visible !important; margin: 10px auto; } .vvqbox img { max-width: 100%; height: 100%; } .vvqbox object { max-width: 100%; } #header {background-image: url(http://www.androidguys.com/wp-content/themes/elemental/tools/timthumb.php?w=960&h=100&src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.androidguys.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F03%2Fag_header_sq_android1.png);}

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Pantech Announced World First 1.5 GHz Dual-Core PhonePosted by: Asad RafiMay 20, 2011

Pantech is one of the leading mobile phone companies in S.Korea, and they always announce some amazing devices but mostly in S.Korea. They are also offering some of their devices in the States via AT&T and Verizon, but all of them are just mid-range devices, and we are still waiting for Pantech to announce their superphones in USA, like the new Pantech Vega Racer. It's the first device to come with a 1.5 GHz Dual-Core Qualcomm MSM8600, 1GB RAM and a blazing fast Adreno GPU. Unfortunately, the device will be available only on SK Telecom later this month. It comes with a 4.3-Inch TFT LCD display with a resolution of 800x480 and the phone is rocking on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. There is an 8 MP camera on the back side and a 1.3 MP front-facing camera. It's only 9 mm thin, features 1650 mAh battery and weighs 120 grams. Pantech is also planning to launch a tablet later this year, so let's see if the tablet is powerful enough to beat XOOM and other tablets.

Well friends, that's all we know about this device. Anyone looking forward to it in USA? Give us your feedback in the comment box below!

Source: Engadget

Anonymous

 Its so funny that I ran across this article. I was just reading about it on a new site that I found at http://www.android-advice.com/2011/pantechs-dual-core-1-5ghz-phone/ .  It looks like its gonna be a sweet phone.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Edmond-Chou/598254704Edmond Chou

 TFT-LCD?  no thanks.

Almahix

I want it now!

http://twitter.com/GreenuityNorman Buffong

I'll wait for the tablet.

http://www.theandroidscoop.comTheAndroidScoop

 I really want me some Android Dual Core.  As fast as my Incredible is, I'd really like to see one of these dual core puppies.

http://profiles.google.com/baggyguy1218Brian King

 Wow did this article get bot spammed or what?

kian popat

pls visit my blog for more android news called android--new.blogspot.com i really need the views and followers

kian popat

pls visit my blog for more android news called android--new.blogspot.com i really need the views and followers

Theweakend

I have a tft in my defy it's more readable then my nexus one with a amoled

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