General Tech – Page 4

Google Plus: Facebook killer? Hitler says maybe

July 2, 2011 by Editor Leave a Comment

Although it’s been done to death, the Hitler Downfall Meme still gives me plenty of laughs. With the ramp up of Google Plus over the past week, there’s been plenty of talk about it becoming a serious competitor or even eventual killer of Facebook.

After 24 hours of using Google Plus myself, I though an addition to the Hitler meme was called for. So without further ado, enjoy Hitler’s take on Google Plus:

For what it’s worth, I’m very impressed with Google Plus so far – it’s certainly had a more promising start than Google Wave and I can see over a year or two it’ll get significant traction. A big thanks to Raulan for the invite and sorry I don’t have any invites to hand out.

Filed Under: General Tech, General Tech, Humour Tagged With: google plus, hitler downfall meme

Reminiscing with a difference: Dear Photograph

June 25, 2011 by Editor Leave a Comment

Yet another website to add to the “I Wish I’d Thought Of This First” archive. Dear Photograph is nothing short of addictive.

Like most great ideas, their premise is simple and powerful. In the case of Dear Photograph, the photographing of an old photo in the same location the original one was shot is the order of the day.

Some of the results are stunning – have a look for yourself. Some of the creativity displayed is amazing and even the most mundane scenes have a real power about them – or maybe I’m just being sentimental on a Saturday afternoon.

If you’re keen, dig out some old photos and submit a few masterpieces of your own. I know I will be.

[via Kat Claxton]

Filed Under: Art, General Tech, General Tech Tagged With: crowdsourced photography, dear photograph

Clarence Clemons: dead at 69

June 18, 2011 by Editor Leave a Comment

According to a source close to the big man, legendary saxophonist with the E Street Band and many other projects, has died at the age of 69.

He had suffered a stroke in recent weeks and was reported as recovering.

Performing on the 2011 American Idol with Lady Gaga:

A 1980s appearance on the Letterman show:

1980s solo hit in conjunction with Jackson Browne:

Bruce Springsteen introduces Clemons on London Leg of a recent tour:

The E-Street Band in full flight in Barcelona:

We’d love to hear about your own favourite memories, so start sharing. Also, check out the brilliant tribute over at Backstreets.

Filed Under: General Tech, General Tech, Music Tagged With: clarence clemons dies

Wii U takes the game up to Kinect

June 8, 2011 by Editor Leave a Comment

For those not in the know, this time of year is huge for the gaming industry. E3 is on and all the major companies are unveiling their latest and greatest. Nintendo has used the expo to unveil its follow-up to the Wii – the Wii U.

In an era where the Microsoft Kinect has broken new ground, it was always going to be a big ask for Nintendo to outstrip that, but I’d argue they’ve achieved just that. Have a watch:

Astounding. Absolutely astounding. What do you think?

Filed Under: Gaming, General Tech, General Tech Tagged With: nintendo wii u

Melanoma: Dear 16 year-old Me

May 29, 2011 by Editor Leave a Comment

If you’ve got teenagers or are a teen yourself, have a watch of this very powerful video. More importantly, after watching it go and do something productive like changing your behaviour, sharing the video or both!

Filed Under: General Tech, General Tech, Health Tagged With: melanoma and teens, youtube melanoma video

Arena rock: the facade

May 15, 2011 by Editor Leave a Comment

If like me you’ve attended the odd arena rock show (in my case AC/DC, U2, Robbie Williams and Bruce Springsteen to name four). Next time you go, don’t assume those walls of speakers are for real.

Of course in a lot of cases they are real, although speaker technology has improved so much that you don’t need as many speakers to pump out more than adequate volume. What will bands use as a backdrop if they don’t have the wall of speakers?

[via KuvatON]

Filed Under: General Tech, General Tech, Music Tagged With: arena rock speakers, music technology

Multi-user dungeons: they’re still relevant

May 1, 2011 by Editor Leave a Comment

I’ve bored friends and colleagues with my stories of discovering the power of MUDS in the early 1990s. I have a massive soft spot for the original virtual worlds (as pictured), but aside from sentimentality there remains a real role for these text-based worlds. Justin Olivetti over at Massively has a great article on MUDs that showcases some of the good ones and the people who play them.

The reason I believe these environments still have relevance is not just because of the dedicated community that still use them. They provide some great lessons in how to create engaging communities and content. Most people tend to think of MUDS as gaming-oriented platforms, which is essentially true. The thing is, their sibling the MOO (MUD, Object Oriented) has that real content creation focus that led to iconic communities such as LambdaMOO. My own experiences were with a MOO used to interact with music collaboration software and its power to engage people was incredible.

So, if you’re interested in getting people excited about a common purpose or just want a great social space, spend some of your development time wandering around a MUD or MOO. I’d also love to hear about your experiences: did you have or do you still have a favourite MUD / MUSH / MOO?

[via Metaverse Journal]

Filed Under: General Tech, General Tech, Virtuality Tagged With: multi user dungeons 2011

Ten great music mashups on Youtube

April 26, 2011 by Editor 2 Comments

All top ten lists are arbitrary, but here’s another one anyway. Mashups are a very creative process, especially so when they result in a quality outcome. Below are ten of what I think are the best mashups to be found on Youtube. Please add your own favourites in the comments, otherwise enjoy:

1. Royals (Lorde) Vs Roar (Katy Perry)