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September 27, 2013

Internet Explorer Toys

I had been looking for a web page highlighter and IE Toys fits the bill nicely.
This is a great add-in for Internet Explorer. I've tested it on IE9 and works fine.

Introducing the Bayden IEToys

IE is a powerful web browsing environment, and with a few simple power-ups, it's even better.  You can add functionality to IE6/7/8 with these tiny tools that take up almost no disk space, and won't slow down or destabilize IE.  Free of charge and free of spyware. 
Download IEToys (123kb)
You must restart IE after installing to see the toys.

Cleanup

Webpage reading tool

You're trying to read a website, but you can barely concentrate because the page is full of unneeded images.  Simply right-click the page and choose "Delete Images" to zap non-text page elements.
For instance, in one-click, you can cleanup Bayden's homepage:
becomes

Define

Web-based dictionary tool

You're reading a website, and you come across a word whose definition you've forgotten long ago. What to do? Grab a paper dictionary? Maybe last century. Simply select a word, right-click, and click Define. The definition will pop up in a window of its own.


Encyclopedia Lookup

Web-based encyclopedia tool

Like the Dictionary tool, this one looks up the selected text in WikiPedia.

HTML Source

HTML source instantly

View the HTML sourcecode for the currently selected portion of the web page.
  • Select some page content
  • Choose "HTML Source"
  • IE7 Clear Tracks

    This IE7 toolbar button deletes all browsing history, cookies, cache files, etc in just one click.

    ImageList

    Easy to use image collection tool

    Need to copy an image, but right-click is broken? 
  • Right click in the page (not on the image).
  • Choose "Image List".
  • Click on the image to Copy.
  • The screen flashes green as the image is copied.
  • Right-click in your document or desktop and click "Paste".
  • Highlighter

    Highlighted text

    Select some text, right-click, and click Highlight to highlight the text.

    Linkify

    Plaintext->Hyperlink

    Some webpages contain malformed Internet addresses which aren't in hyperlink form, forcing you to copy the address, paste it in the addressbar, and fix any typos.  Linkify solves this problem by opening the currently selected text as a hyperlink.  If the HTTP:// at the front of the link is broken (as is done on some web bulletin boards) linkify will fix it.  If you select multiple addresses, one per line, a new window will be opened per address.

    MSN

    Select some text, right-click and search for the selected text on MSN.

    Google

    Select some text, right-click and search for the selected text on Google.

    Broadband Tweak

    Faster performance for broadband users

    This optional tweak can speed up downloads when you have a broadband internet connection.  Specifically, IE will download up to 16 files simultaneously from a server, instead of the default maximum of 2 or 4.  Use for dialup connections is not recommended.

    Note: This feature does not add any buttons or menu items-- IE will just download more quickly.

    AccessKeys

    HTML Accessibility helper

    Some webpages define hotkeys to allow you to more easily navigate the page.  Unfortunately, the hotkeys are rarely mentioned anywhere, and you probably don't know they exist.  This simple little tool scans the current page and displays any available AccessKeys.

    Source: http://www.bayden.com/ietoys/

    7 of the best online collaborative drawing tools

    7 of the best online collaborative drawing tools

    January 22, 20118 Comments
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    Sometimes, the best way to communicate with someone else is to get out a piece of paper, and draw something out in black and white. The web makes collaborative communication easier than ever before, and now you don’t even have to be in the same room as the other person to show them exactly what you mean.
    This collection of collaborative drawing tools are useful for educators who wish to introduce an active web element into the classroom, or business people who want to highlight, scribble or draw to get a point across to team members. For the rest of you, they might just be a great fun way for your kids to doodle an afternoon away online with friends.


    Scribblar

    URL: http://www.scribblar.com/

    Concentrating primarily on drawing tools, Scribblar offers a collaborative flash application, which allows you to setup individual ‘rooms’ to which you can invite participants to draw with you. Inside the app, there are a number of clever additional features, such as the ability to ‘embed’ the room on a third party website and the ability to import ‘assets’, including images, Powerpoint presentations and PDF’s, all of which can be shared with your room audience. A bonus for you web designers out there is the ability to import a live screenshot of any URL on the web – useful if you want to highlight a new design. Live audio and chat is available through the application so you don’t have to leave the browser to keep in touch.


    FlockDraw

    URL: http://flockdraw.com/

    Flockdraw is a completely free real time application with a social element to it. To get up and running straight away, you can simple create a new session which gives you the option to invite friends from your social networks (Twitter and Facebook), or to just continue and invite folk manually. A custom short URL is provided at the top right of the application, which easily facilitates the invitation process. As for image tools within the app, there are the standard drawing tools that you would expect, however, there is no additional functionality for images / jpegs etc.  That hasn’t however hampered the creativity of some of Flockdraw’s users. Check out the gallery for some inspiration. The voting element of the app makes the creation of drawings that bit more rewarding, and competitive folk will have a blast trying to get on the leaderboard.


    NetSketch App

    URL: http://www.netsketchapp.com/

    Netsketch have taken the collaborative drawing concept to the smartphone, and developed the first application which allows you to draw on your iPhone or iPad with other people. The drawing canvas works in true vector, so you don’t get any degradation in quality between platforms and a community element is also present on my.netsketchapp.com where you can share and vote on other artworks. Snapshots of your drawings on your iPhone, can be instantly email to friends right from the application, and for those vector artists, EPS export to illustrator is also an option so you hard work can be continued on the desktop if you so wish.


    Imagination Cubed

    URL: http://www.imaginationcubed.com/

    It’s been around for *years* this one, but is still worthy of a mention. Developed as a viral for General Electric, Imagination Cubed hosts a flash application which simply lets you get up and running without the fuss. Grab your mouse, invite your friends and get scribbling. One of my personal favourite apps as it was ground breaking at the time, its support for image backgrounds, patterns and stamps and the attention to detail shown with the cursor icon changing still makes it a worthy contender for collaborative drawing. The viewport is also big enough to utilise the most of my screen, something some of the other apps here could do with improving.


    Scriblink

    URL: http://www.scriblink.com/

    Although I’m not normally a fan of Java application in the browser, Scriblink provides an image uploader, VOIP and file sending capabilities which are added extras not commonly available through traditional flash applications of this nature. There are also a good selection of mathematical symbols, which may give it the edge in a teaching environment. With the VOIP feature, if you have a mic for your computer, you can automatically connect with your collaborators and talk for free for as long as you like.


    Cacoo

    URL: http://cacoo.com/

    If the majority of the other applications featured here seem to concentrate heavily on fun – Cacoo is definitely aimed squarely at business professionals. Designers and developers alike will love its features which cater for wireframing, prototyping and for developing UML diagrams, all in real time and with collaboration features.  Best of all? It’s free to use for up to 15 users. Commercial plans are available which provide a number of alternative export formats and removal of any limitations.  The collaboration features not only reflect changes to your work in real time, but also allow you to chat back and forth with your colleagues and co-workers to bring together useful and insightful diagrams.


    Twiddla

    URL: http://www.twiddla.com/

    Twiddla is awesome, that’s really all you need to know. If you haven’t used it or seen it before taking a test drive, I’d be pretty sure that you’ll be hooked within five minutes of playing around with their app, it really is that good. Not only can you draw at ease, but there’s no setup involved, so you can get going straight away and start sharing Word documents, web pages, images and collaborative documents. The ability to modify and draw on top of websites alone makes it worth your while checking out, simply input the URL you want to talk about, invite your collaborators, and away you go, you can highlight the parts you like, the bits you need changed, and save your work easily. As with Scriblink, maths formulas are also available, which pretty much ticks all the boxes of a tool that everyone should know about.

    Notable Mentions

    Some of these other URL’s are worth checking out as well.
    http://webcanvas.com – How could I do a post on online collaboration and drawing without mentioning the WebCanvas project? The web’s largest graffiti project with collaboration from artists all over the globe, this project highlights what is possible when art meets tech.
    http://www.drawanywhere.com/ – Draw Anywhere is another application which provides collaborative drawing for network diagramming and server architecture. Might be of use to any server admins out there.
    http://www.lucidchart.com/ – Lucid chart is a useful collaborative application for flowcharting, and diagramming. As with Cacoo it also handles UML diagrams.
    http://creately.com/ – Collaborative prototyping tool that designers may find useful when starting out a new site.
    http://www.queeky.com/ – More of a collaborative art community, Queeky has a built in tool for drawing which is used by members of the community to submit artistic pieces online, and get rated on. Some very impressive pieces created in the browser from collaborators around the globe.
    http://flowchart.com/ – Flowchart.com is an online multi-user, real-time collaboration flow charts service, which requires no plugin and has an active developer API for integration with other software.
    http://www.raizlabs.com/software/apps/whiteboard - Another collaborative drawing tool for the iPad Whiteboard pro.

    You might also enjoy..

    Filed in: Resources
    Tagged with:

    Online Drawing Sites

    http://draw.to/
    Simple webapp that allows anyone to create & share disposable drawings quickly without the hassle of starting up external programs, saving & uploading files, etc. It's intended for drawings done ''in the moment'' e.g. during an online conversation, either for fun or to help communicate when words aren't enough. It's 100% free no signup required. Supports all major browsers and sharing methods. Also supports iPhone/iPad/iPod touch.

    http://flockdraw.com/
    Paint a simple masterpiece. Make a point visually. Do whatever you want. Do it together. Grab a tool. Pick a color. Draw something. Show a friend. Show the world. Share your vision - That is FlockDraw.

    http://www.doink.com/
    DoInk is a place to enjoy art and animation, and make your own. Draw and animate online easily, collaborate with friends and other artists by reusing props. There's an audience here for you - So if you want to be entertained, learn something new, or create something fun, do it on DoInk.

    http://sketchfu.com/
    Sketchfu is a website where people communicate with each other through drawing.

    http://www.wittygraphy.com/
    Wittygraphy is a social network dedicated to caricaturists and caricature lovers. It's a place to share, discuss, and promote the art of caricature.

    http://www.myoats.com/
    Myoats is a community where people create designs using an online drawing application. These designs can be rated, downloaded, and archived. The Most Liked designs are rewarded by being featured on the home page.

    http://www.lovelycharts.com/
    With Lovely Charts's extremely simple and intuitive drag'n drop drawing mechanism, you're able to focus on what really matters. Based on the type of diagram you're drawing, Lovely Charts will make assumptions that will streamline the drawing process in a great way.

    http://doodlewall.com/
    DoodleWall is a online drawing community that provides you with a huge virtual wall to draw on. It's also a great way to browse other drawings on other walls. You can create public walls that everybody can draw (even people who doesn't have an account) or private walls. If you choose private then only the people that you add to your friendlist will be able to draw on.

    http://www.bamboospace.eu/
    The BambooSpace is an ideal repository for everything people want to collect and share, from thoughts and inspirations to projects. Its a private online space for photos, scribbles, video and even websites. BambooSpace users can also invite other people to view or edit their own spaces.

    http://prezi.com/
    Prezi allows anyone who can sketch an idea on a napkin to create and perform stunning non-linear presentations with relations, zooming into details, and adjusting to the time left without the need to skip slides. You can create zooming maps of texts, images, videos, PDFs, drawings, and more.

    http://www.dabbleboard.com/
    Dabbleboard helps people think and communicate visually. Unlike other alternatives, it makes powerful features easily accessible, so that using it feels as natural as using a real whiteboard. Since it's digital, Dabbleboard allows reuse of old drawings, and since it's on the web, Dabbleboard enables sharing of drawings with people anywhere in the world.

    http://goanimate.com/
    GoAnimate, a platform that allows people to express themselves through animation without having to learn to draw or install any software.

    http://www2.shidonni.com/
    Sihidonni is an innovative startup, developing a software based online imaginary world for kids. Shidonni provides a virtual universe, where kids and their parents can create their own imaginary world, play & share games, have fun and interact with each other in a friendly, non-violent environment.

    http://www.drawgreetings.com/
    With Draw Greetings allows you to draw anything, write a personal note and finalize your greeting at zazzle, then send it to someone.

    http://www.tersus.com/
    Tersus makes it easy to create AJAX web applications. To develop an application with Tersus, just draw a diagram of your application.

    http://webcanvas.com/
    WebCanvas is a world-wide collaborative painting project. Anyone with a modern web-browser can move around an 'infinite' canvas. Using available painting tools is its also possible to draw and upload images. Furthermore it is possible to view other users painting if they happen to be painting within the same viewing area.

    http://www.scribbls.com/
    At Scribbls, you can combine thousands of different drawings to create an infinite number of outcomes.

    http://www.qlipmedia.com/
    QlipBoard enables you to make narrated slide shows of your vacation. Show off your home for sale. Get help with your homework. Invite someone to a party. Talk to your friends in other countries without having to wake up at odd hours. The possibilities are endless.

    http://www.scriblink.com/
    Scriblink is a free digital sketchpad that users can share online in real time. Sorta like pen and paper, minus the dead trees, plastic, and the inconvenience of being at the same place at the same time.

    http://offtype.net/
    Offtype is a fast, fun, free and easy way to create your own images online. It allows to draw sketch or road map, to create graffiti, pixel art, drawing, to paint ecard, handwrite message or note. You can share it in your blog, journal, newsletter, message board, email, chat, gallery etc.

    http://home.zcubes.com/
    ZCubes seamlessly integrates browsing, searching, editing, painting, freehand drawing, cursive hand-writing, audio-video media management, publishing, and much more into a pure Browser Based Platform.

    http://www.toondoo.com/
    ToonDoo is a cool, comic-creating tool. ToonDoo is a unique place for free and customizable online games of educational value for children of all abilities. You can now just drag-drop or click to create comic strips that express your views, opinions, angst or to just have fun.

    http://mydrawings.com/
    MyDrawings provides you with a huge and never ending virtual canvas to draw on. Its also a great way to browse other drawings. Simply scroll around the canvas to the left and find a place you'd like to draw. Then just right click and choose edit to begin your drawing.

    http://www.mainada.net/comicssketch
    Comics @ Mainada is probably the first web application in the world to allow users to draw complete comic strips directly online. It’s free to everyone and can be a great showcast for humor sketch artists to show their art : you can draw online and immediately everyone else in the world with a net connection can see it.

    http://drawhere.com/
    Use the Draw Here bookmarklet to draw on top of web pages while you are browsing the web. If you save your drawings, other Draw Here users will then be able to see your drawings when they go to the same page.

    http://www.queeky.com/
    QUEEKY is a Web 2-Tool for people who like drawing and people who love to view sketches. But QUEEKY can do even more: pictures that are painted on queeky can be replayed by the visitors. So you have the possibility to check out how an intersting picture is made..

    Source: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100727105814AAk7L7J

    September 25, 2013

    Google Introduces New Desktop Apps

    A screen shot of the new Chrome app launcher for Windows desktops.  
    A screen shot of the new Chrome app launcher for Windows desktops.

    Even if Google is ready to live entirely online, everyone else might not be.
    To celebrate the Google Chrome browser’s fifth birthday on Thursday, the company expanded its ambitions in computing by introducing a new kind of Chrome app that runs offline and on other operating systems besides Google’s.


    If trying to figure out what that means makes your head spin, you’re not alone.
    Until now, Google’s Chrome Web apps worked only online. The new apps combine the best of online and offline apps, the company says, similar to the apps on a smartphone. For instance, they allow people to work without an Internet connection and plug in hardware like digital cameras. But since they are written in Web programming languages, they can sync across devices, back up to the cloud and receive automatic security updates.


    So far, there are only a few such apps, like Pixlr Touch Up for photo editing and Wunderlist for to-do lists. But the development has important implications for the way we use computers and the way Google competes with rivals like Microsoft and Apple. Microsoft made a  similar move with Windows 8.


    The surprising part is that Google’s Web apps now work not just on the company’s own Chromebooks, but also on Microsoft Windows machines and, soon, on Macs, as long as they have the Chrome browser.


    For Google, it is a way to promote its own services even for people who use computers made by other companies or who have been turned off by the need for an Internet connection to use Google Web apps.


    “It’s really increasing the competitiveness or the appeal of Google Apps for people who don’t want to pay for Microsoft Office,” said Frank E. Gillett, an analyst studying computing platforms at Forrester.


    It is also an acknowledgment that Google’s dream of a world in which  everyone lives on the Web — always with an Internet connection and without desktop software, which Chromebooks do not have — is not a reality, at least not yet.


    “It’s an admission that their original vision was over-simplistic,” Mr. Gillett said. “I agree with the notion that online cloud services are becoming an important part of the experience of using software. But where the Google guys got mixed up was the notion that it’ll all be inside this thing called the Web browser.”


    Though Erik Kay, a Chrome engineering director at Google, said in a blog post that the company still believes in the Web, he said it also acknowledged that people need some of the functionality provided by software installed on devices.


    Though low-end Chromebooks, which Google has shifted to marketing as a second computer just for Web access, have sold well, the Chromebook Pixel,  Google’s $1,300 laptop and MacBook competitor, is a hard sell because it has no hard drive or desktop software. The new Chrome apps could change that.


    “Even though the P.C. market is in decline, the form factor isn’t going to disappear,” said Brian Blau, a research director at Gartner who studies consumer technology. “Google has a lot of goals in trying to get businesses and education and markets like that, and having the laptop form factor could be important for them.”


    Google’s move seems mostly aimed at courting software developers, Mr. Blau said. Instead of being forced to choose among operating systems, they can just write apps for the Web that run on a variety of systems.


    Google’s message to developers is, “This is one more reason that app developers should come and use Google products over their competitors,” he said. “That’s the bottom line.”

    Source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/google-introduces-new-desktop-apps/


    Today we’re unveiling a new kind of Chrome App, which brings together the speed, security and flexibility of the modern web with the powerful functionality previously only available with software installed on your devices. (Think apps designed for your desktop or laptop, just like the ones for your phone and tablet.) These apps are more powerful than before, and can help you get work done, play games in full-screen and create cool content all from the web. If you’re using Windows or a Chromebook, you can check them out in the “For your desktop” collection in the Chrome Web Store (Mac & Linux coming soon).

    A new breed of Chrome Apps



    Here’s what you can expect with new Chrome Apps:


    • Work offline: Keep working or playing, even when you don’t have an internet connection.
    • More app, less Chrome: No tabs, buttons or text boxes mean you can get into the app without being distracted by the rest of the web.
    • Connect to the cloud: Access and save the documents, photos and videos on your hard drive as well as on Google Drive and other web services.
    • Stay up-to-speed: With desktop notifications, you can get reminders, updates and even take action, right from the notification center.
    • Play nice with your connected devices: Interact with your USB, Bluetooth and other devices connected to your desktop, including digital cameras.
    • Keep updated automatically: Apps update silently, so you always get all the latest features and security fixes (unless permissions change).
    • Pick up where you left off: Chrome syncs your apps to any desktop device you sign in to, so you can keep working.
    • Sleep easier: Chrome apps take advantage of Chrome’s built-in security features such as Sandboxing. They also auto-update to make sure you have all the latest security fixes. No extra software (or worrying) required.
    • Launch apps directly from your desktop: To make it quicker and easier to get to your favorite apps, we’re also introducing the Chrome App Launcher for Windows, which will appear when you install your first new Chrome App. It lives in your taskbar and launches your apps into their own windows, outside of Chrome, just like your desktop apps. Have lots of apps? Navigate to your favorite apps using the search box.
    The new Chrome app launcher

    Of course, even with all this great stuff happening behind-the-scenes, the apps are what really matter. We know many of you doing enjoy things like photo editing, checking off your to-do’s or unwinding with games, so here are a few Chrome apps to get you started: 

    Explore and create

    Pixlr Touch Up lets you quickly touch up, crop, resize and adjust photos from your computer or Google Drive. If you’re feeling dramatic, you can also choose from a variety of film-inspired effects to apply. And it works offline, so you can get a head start polishing up your vacation photos on your flight home.

    Other creativity apps worth checking out: 

    Get stuff done 

    Wunderlist is a beautiful and simple to-do list, which features voice dictation and desktop notifications, which remind you of timely tasks and team updates. And for those on the move, you can take your tasks with you from computer to computer, and manage them even if you’re offline.



    Other productivity apps worth checking out:

    Be entertained

    Cracking Sands is an action-packed racing game that lets you speed your way past your online or computer opponents through beautiful 3D courses. And for those looking for more precise control, you can even connect your Xbox controller via USB.


    Other games worth checking out: 

    We hope you enjoy what you see in the Chrome Web Store. And please share your favorite new Chrome Apps in the comments below.


    Posted by Erik Kay, Engineering Director and Chrome App-ologist

    Source: http://chrome.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-new-breed-of-chrome-apps.html

    September 22, 2013

    7 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Twitter

    Twitter has now been with us for seven years and counting, having celebrated its seventh birthday on March 21, 2013. This was seven years to the day since Jack Dorsey sent out the first tweet in 2006, at a time when the micro-blogging social network was known simply as twttr.
    Twitter was originally an internal service for employees of Odeo but entered into the public domain in July 2006. By 2007 early adopters and tech bloggers had started to use Twitter, and the service has grown every year since then. In 2009 it benefited from the Oprah Effect, hitting the mainstream in a big, bad way. Those who are interested can read Twitter’s full origin story.
    However, despite now boasting more than 200 million active users Twitter is lagging a long way behind Facebook and its userbase of 1 billion-plus. Those who haven’t yet succumbed to the lure of Twitter seem unlikely to ever do so, and they’re missing out on an exciting and intoxicating experience. Which is a crying shame.
    What follows are seven reasons why you should be using Twitter, the ‘seven’ representing the number of years Twitter has been around for. Even if you have so far rejected the social network either out of ignorance or a lack of desire, I urge you to read on and at least consider giving it a go.

    Interesting People

    why use twitter
    We all want to surround ourselves with interesting people, don’t we? Sadly not all of us get the chance to do that in the real world. You’re tied to your family by blood, and while other people are your friends for a reason (meaning you should get on with them extremely well) that doesn’t mean they’ll have anything particularly interesting to say.
    Twitter is meant not for friends and family but for people you actually want to communicate with. You can follow anyone and anyone can follow you. There’s none of the mutual agreeing to be friends required by Facebook, so if you want to follow 500 complete strangers then that’s your right. If none follow you back then it doesn’t matter a jot.
    TL;DR: Twitter is full of people with things to say, and you can listen.

    Breaking News

    why you should use twitter
    Twitter has proved its worth in recent years as a platform for breaking news. The simplicity of the site means that the first think many people at the scene of a developing news story do is to tweet about it. A few retweets later and the news has spread. This has led to Twitter beating traditional news outlets to a story on many occasions.
    Even if you don’t want to actively tweet yourself, you can use Twitter as a source for breaking news. By following news aggregators, rolling news channels, and journalists, you can get the inside scoop of a story long before it hits the mainstream news outlets.
    TL;DR: Who needs newspapers when Twitter usually beats them?

    Tracking Trends

    why you should use twitter
    As well as breaking news Twitter is a fine resource for tracking online trends. If a YouTube video is going viral then it will be getting shared on Twitter. If a new meme is spreading like wildfire then it will appear on Twitter. If a celebrity has done something newsworthy but has managed to avoid the news leaking to the mainstream press it will likely appear on Twitter.
    Hashtags also figure into this, and most of the Trends listed on Twitter use this simple method of assigning a particular subject to a tweet. You can tailor Twitter trends to suit you, switching from ‘Worldwide’ to those emerging from a particular country.
    TL;DR: Trending hashtags can tune you into the zeitgeist.

    Company Contact

    using twitter
    Companies love Twitter. Your favorite brand is highly likely to have a presence on the site, whatever product they sell or service they provide. Twitter is a great tool for brands to promote themselves and their products, but they are unable to push their wares onto consumers without consumers pushing back.
    Twitter represents one of the quickest and easiest ways to contact a company to get instant customer service. The response you receive may not be as fine-tuned as you would get by speaking to a person on the phone, but at least you won’t be kept on hold for hours before you get that attention.
    TL;DR: Get a quick response by embarrassing a brand on Twitter.

    Celebrity Access

    using twitter
    Celebrities love Twitter too. While not every famous person is present on the site, a high percentage are. The celebrities get another platform to promote themselves and their latest film/television show/book/perfume, and in return their fans gain a new way of accessing their heroes.
    While those who are really keen on certain famous people have always found ways to talk to them, Twitter makes it very simple indeed. If a celebrity is on Twitter then anyone else on Twitter can send a message to them. They may even respond. Indeed, I’ve communicated with several celebrities on Twitter in this way.
    TL;DR: Tweeting a celebrity beats stalking them.

    Creative Outlet

    using twitter
    Most of the entries so far have outlined reasons to follow other Twitter users, such as girl geeks and popular scientists. But you can easily turn this on its head by instead creating a Twitter presence that others want to follow. You’re only limited by your creativity.
    You can start a Twitter account about anything, as long as you abide by the rules set forth by the company. You may want to parody a famous person, write short poetry, recount witty anecdotes, or tell lame jokes. Twitter gives you a certain sense of anonymity to plumb the depths of your creativity.
    TL;DR: Be imaginative with themed tweets.

    140 Characters

    why use twitter
    If you’re anything like me you have a short attention span. You can read novels, in-depth features, and articles several thousand words long, but there are times when you’d rather not have to. This lack of attention span is why TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) became so popular, and it has also certainly helped foster the popularity of Twitter.
    You only have 140 characters to say what you want to say in a tweet (excluding URLs). This means people are forced to get to the point quickly, paring the facts down to their core essence. Sure, there may be a link to a longer news story, but it’s surprising how much information you can consume purely from reading tweets.
    TL;DR: 140 characters makes TL;DR redundant.

    Conclusions

    If you’re already a fan of Twitter then do you think this list sums up the best reasons others should try the site for themselves? Is there another, perhaps better, reason why? If you’re not on Twitter yet has this article made you consider signing up to see if it’s for you? If not, why not? What is the one thing holding you back?
    Anyone who signs up to Twitter as a direct result of this article is guaranteed at least one follower… me. If you join Twitter just tweet me at @DavePee telling me as much and I’ll follow you… though I reserve the right to unfollow or block you at a later date for any reason whatsoever.

    Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-reasons-why-you-should-be-using-twitter/

    September 17, 2013

    Firefox 24 arrives today

    Firefox 24 arrives with option to mass close tabs ‘to the right’, WebRTC support and NFC sharing on Android

    Mozilla today officially launched Firefox 24 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. Improvements include a new option to mass close tabs “to the right,” as well as WebRTC support and NFC sharing on Android.
    The new desktop version was available on the organization’s FTP servers last night, but that was just the initial release of the installers. Firefox 24 has now officially been released over on Firefox.com and all existing users should be able to upgrade to it automatically. As always, the Android version is trickling out slowly on Google Play.



    Desktop

    Compared to Firefox 23, this isn’t a big release for the desktop. Mac users will notice a new scrollbar style on OS X 10.7 and users of the browsers social features will appreciate the ability to tear-off chat windows by just dragging.
    The biggest feature addition is probably the option to close all tabs to the right of the current tab. You can read more about it here and access the new option in the right-click tab menu:






    Here’s the official changelog for Firefox 24:
    • NEW: Support for new scrollbar style in Mac OS X 10.7 and newer.
    • NEW: Implemented Close tabs to the right.
    • NEW: Social: Ability to tear-off chat windows to view separately by simply dragging them out.
    • CHANGED: Accessibility related improvements on using pinned tabs (see 577727).
    • CHANGED: Removed support for Revocation Lists feature (see 867465).
    • CHANGED: Performance improvements on New Tab Page loads (see 791670).
    • DEVELOPER: Major SVG rendering improvements around Image tiling and scaling (see 600207).
    • DEVELOPER: Improved and unified Browser console for enhanced debugging experience, replacing existing Error console.
    • DEVELOPER: Removed support for sherlock files that are loaded from application or profile directory.
    • FIXED: Replace fixed-ratio audio resampler in webrtc.org capture code with Speex resampler and eliminate pseudo-44000Hz rate (see 886886).
    • FIXED:
      24.0: Security fixes can be found here.
    If you’re a Web developer, you should probably check out Firefox 24 for developers.



    Android

    Mozilla may not have added much to the desktop side of things, but it did add a slew of new features on Android. First and foremost, WebRTC is now enabled by default.
    Firefox 24 for Android now supports mozGetUserMedia (added in Firefox 20 desktop), mozRTCPeerConnection (Firefox 22), and DataChannels (Firefox 22). This means developers can capture camera or microphone streams directly from Firefox Android using only JavaScript. Users meanwhile can make browser-to-browser calls (audio and/or video) and share data (no server in the middle) to enable peer-to-peer apps (including text chat, gaming, image sharing during calls, and so on).
    Next up, Firefox for Android now includes a new feature that makes it easy to “quickshare” your favorite websites, articles, or videos with family and friends. If you share often via Twitter, Facebook, SMS, or email, Firefox for Android will automatically add your most frequent sharing service to the menu button.
    More importantly, Firefox for Android supports bump sharing on NFC-enabled devices. This means you can share open tabs with your friends that have Firefox by just tapping your Android devices together.




    Last but not least, the built-in Reader has received some improvements: it lets you change fonts, long tap the Reader icon in the URL bar to add an article to your Reading List, and save all content offline. You can also switch to “dark mode” (dark text on a light background) or “light mode” (light text on a dark background) as seen below:




    Here’s the full Firefox 24 for Android changelog:
    • NEW: Enabled support for WebRTC.
    • NEW: Ability to share open tabs between NFC-enabled phones.
    • NEW: Easy access to your favourite share application from main menu. Read more in the blog post.
    • NEW: Added support for Braille, Popup announcements, Door hangers retain focus and a lot more for TalkBack users.
    • NEW: Better night reading experience with Night mode functionality in Reader.
    • NEW: Added Swedish, British and Catalan to Android multi-locale builds.
    • DEVELOPER: Removed support for sherlock files that are loaded from application or profile directory.
    • CHANGED: Baidu is now the default search engine for the Chinese locale.
    • FIXED: Can’t write accented characters on HTC devices (see 906506).
    • FIXED: 24.0: Security fixes can be found here.
    If you’re having difficulty keeping track of all these updates, don’t worry. Firefox 25 will be out in October.
    Top Image Credit: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

    Source: http://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/09/17/firefox-24-arrives-with-option-to-mass-close-tabs-to-the-right-webrtc-support-and-nfc-sharing-on-android/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheNextWeb+%28The+Next+Web+All+Stories%29

    September 3, 2013

    Forbes: 150 Million People Have Decided That Standard Web Browsers Aren't Safe Enough



    When FORBES last spoke to AnchorFree in August 2012, CEO David Gorodyansky put forth a modest goal for his 7 year-old company: “We want to be the way the whole world browses the Web,” he boasted. In the last year, the company’s trajectory has matched its lofty ambitions. A year ago 70 million people used AnchorFree’s HotSpot Shield, a sort of browser overlay (a virtual private network, or VPN, for the tech-inclined) that protects web surfers from malware, viruses and hackers. Since then, after NSA scandals, high-profile hacker attacks and the rise of Anonymous, 80 million more have signed up. Two hundred and fifty thousand new accounts get created each day.



    “It’s really going mainstream,” Gorodyansky assures me. Why yes…yes it is. The 60-person company, which made an undisclosed profit on $25 million in sales last year, raised $53 million from Goldman Sachs in May 2012. In the last 12 months it’s secured 50 billion webpages. The mobile version of HotSpot Shield, which launched on iPhone at the end of 2011 and on Android last summer, have protected the privacy of 2.3 billion messages on services like Facebook, Snapchat, WhatsApp and Skype.


    The product works by encrypting each webpage accessed by users, hiding IP addresses and compressing data sent across networks. It essentially transforms every HTTP page into a bank-worthy HTTPS page. The free version of the product is supported by banner ads that display at the top of secured pages. A premium, ad-free version costs $30 per year or $5 per month.


    Though the company is only about two years into its mobile offering, Gorodyansky intends to focus on mobile security going forward. Mobile traffic accounted for just 2% of HotSpot’s overall traffic one year ago. Today it accounts for 25%. Gorodyansky expects that trend to continue as mobile devices proliferate and become more powerful. Because smartphones and tablets are more likely to access unsecure, public wifi networks–the preferred haunts of hackers–they’re also more likely to benefit from the protection offered by HotSpot.
    The data compression that HotSpot employs has another benefit for mobile users: it saves money on data plans. The company has saved 30 million megabytes of data for its users in the last year.


    In the meantime, HotSpot Shield also acts as a sort of international Internet wormhole. Users in the UK, for example, can access Pandora through the VPN, even though that product is restricted to U.S. residents. This is particularly helpful for web-addicted travelers and expats. It also means that the 1.5 billion people who surf the web from regions with censorship can gain access to blocked sites like Facebook and Twitter. During the Arab Spring in January 2011, the company found that nearly 1 million Egyptians had signed up for the service overnight.
    Because of the scale of the company’s traffic, Gorodyansky admits that AnchorFree often receives government subpoenas for user information. “We don’t keep any of the data,” he shrugs, “so we have nothing to provide.”


    10 Incredibly Simple Things You Can Do To Protect Your Privacy


    Password Protect Your Devices

    Choosing not to password protect your devices is the digital equivalent of leaving your home or car unlocked. If you're lucky, no one will take advantage of the access. Or maybe the contents will be ravaged and your favorite speakers and/or secrets stolen.



    Put A Google Alert On Your Name

    This is an incredibly easy way to stay on top of what's being said about you online. It takes less than a minute to do. Go here: http://www.google.com/alerts and enter your name, and variations of your name, with quotation marks around it. Boom. You're done.


    Sign Out Of Your Online Accounts When You're Finished Using Them

    Not only will this slightly reduce the amount of tracking of you as you surf the Web, this prevents someone who later sits down at your computer from loading one of these up and getting snoopy. If you're using someone else's or a public computer, this is especially important. Yes, people actually forget to do this, with terrible outcomes.


    Don'??t Give Out Your Email, Phone Number, Or Zip Code When Asked

    Obviously, if a sketchy dude in a bar asks for your phone number, you say no. But when the asker is a uniform-wearing employee at Best Buy, many a consumer hands over their digits when asked. Stores often use this info to help profile you and your purchase. You can say no. If you feel badly about it, just pretend the employee is the sketchy dude in the bar.


    Encrypt Your Computer

    Encrypting your computer means that someone has to have your password (or encryption key) in order to peek at its contents should they get access to your hard drive. On a Mac, you just go to your settings, choose "Security and Privacy," go to "FileVault," choose the "Turn on FileVault" option. Boom goes the encryption dynamite. PC folk need to use Bitlocker.


    Turn On 2-step Authentication In Gmail

    This simple little step turns your phone into a security fob - in order for your Gmail account to be accessed from a new device, a person (hopefully you) needs a code that's sent to your phone. This means that even if someone gets your password somehow, they won't be able to use it to sign into your account from a strange computer. Google says that millions of people use this tool, and that "thousands more enroll each day." Be one of those people.


    Pay Cash For Embarrassing Items

    Don't want a purchase to be easily tracked back to you? You've seen the movies! Use cash. One data mining CEO says this is how he pays for hamburgers and junk food these days.


    Change Your Facebook Settings To "Friends Only"

    Visit your Facebook privacy settings. Make sure this "default privacy" setting isn't set to public, and if it's set to "Custom," make sure you know and are comfortable with any "Networks" you're sharing with.

    Clear Your Browser History And Cookies On A Regular Basis

    When’s the last time you did that? If you just shrugged, consider changing your browser settings so that this is automatically cleared every session. Go to the “privacy” setting in your Browser’s “Options.” Tell it to “never remember your history.” This will reduce the amount you’re tracked online. Consider a browser add-on like TACO to further reduce tracking of your online behavior.


    Use An IP Masker

    To hide your online footprint, you can download Tor or use an easy browser-based option like HideMyAss.com.



    Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jjcolao/2013/08/27/web-security-goes-mainstream-goldman-backed-company-boasts-150-million-users/

    Follow me @JJColao and on Facebook.