the online surfer
Google Chrome 19 is now out. The latest release give users the ability to synch their open tabs across all devices. Whether they are on their desktops, laptops or Android devices, they can now share theiropen tabs across different platforms.
The only requirement is, you have to be logged in to Google Chrome to synch your open tabs. You can download Google Chrome 19 directly from Google Chrome’s website or update to Google Chrome 19 via the Tools menu within the Google Chrome browser.
Who needs Photoshop if you can have Gimp for free. Let’s face it. Not all of us are graphic designers. Photoshop is this all and powerful graphic editing software. But, it’s also comes at a cost. It’s very expensive.
A typical user might need a quick and dirty graphic editor to fix a photo or maybe touch up a graphic. Maybe add some text, watermark, some drop shadows or change orientation of a photo. Gimp might be for you.
Why purchase Photoshop CS6 for $650 if you can get Gimp for nothing. Gratis. Well, at least give it a try. I’ve been using it for years. It’s great. I don’t need Photoshop.
In addition, Gimp 2.8 is available in all flavors of Linux, Windows, and Mac OS. Anyways, give it a try. Download.
Have you ever watched a horse race with two horses running neck to neck while a third horse lags far behind? Yea, that third horse is Windows Phone, trailing behind the iPhone and the Android by a wide margin.
It’s hard enough to play second fiddle. How much more a third wheel. I think the sooner the better it is for Microsoft to realize that this gap is too wide to make up to make this a competitive race.
Dropping out of the race might be a smarter option for Microsoft, but then again smart choices and Microsoft sometimes don’t belong in the same sentence. Microsoft has made many flopped ventures. Who hasn’t!
Clearly this is a two-horse race, and it’s not changing anytime soon.
As you are aware, development of Windows 8 is in full force. Microsoft has already started to market its next operating systems by making it available for anyone to download. A recent look at what options are available reveals a dizzying array of options. Tom’s Hardware compiled a list of Windows 8 options, and they are:
This doesn’t even take into account more options if you take into account 32-bit and 64-bit CPU architectures. This list is quite lengthy. The list can potentially change come release time. As a comparison, Linux Mint has 7 different versions. But, if you take away the 32-bit and 64-bit stuff, it essentially comes down to just 4 different versions.
Do you think there are too many Windows 8 options?
Create your own Google+ ID card at Hangout Graphics. If you haven’t joined Google+ yet, sign up. To get your own ID card, you will need to provide your Google ID number, and the date you joined Google Plus. Hangout Graphics will then spit out an image after you click submit. Finding out your Google ID number takes a little bit of searching. I found mine under Google+ Settings > Privacy. Getting the date when you first joined Google+ is the tricky one. I ended up digging in my email to look for then message when I first got the Google+ invitation.
Get your own Google+ ID card.
This article will show you how to use Google Voice on your Ubuntu Desktop. If you don’t have a Google Voice yet, you can sign up for free and get your own local number. I’ll assume you already have Google Voice, and your computer has a soundcard. In addition, you will also need a headset with a microphone.
Once you have those requirements squared away, you will need to download the Linux plugin for Google Voice. By the way, the plugin is also available for Windows and Mac users. Once the Google Voice plugin installed on your system, you can then start making phone calls.
Here’s a screenshot when dialing out with Google Voice. With Google Voice, you can call any landline or mobile phone in the US and Canada for free. Google Voice has competitive international rates as well, for those wanting to call outside of the US.
I recommend that you do an actual test with your cell phone before calling friends, clients and others. This is just to make sure you can actually hear voices on both ends of the line.
Twitter recently has turned on Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) by default to users who are logged in to Twitter.com. Once users are authenticated, they will be able to see the familiar HTTPS and an image of a secured lock (on Chrome) next to it in the browser’s address bar.
HTTPS provides encrypted communication and secure identification of network web servers. Encryption has been used for many years by payment processors, banks, and many other websites. It uses the TLS/SSL protocols to authenticate web servers. HTTPS uses port 443 by default, as opposed to port 80 for the standard HTTP.
The standard HTTP protocol is not secure and is subject to eavesdropping attacks, thereby letting attackers gain access to website accounts and sensitive information. To secure a website, administrators issue a public key certificate assigned by a trusted certificate authority.
By turning on HTTPS by default, Twitter is forcing users to use secure communication when logged in to Twitter.com. This is a positive move towards securing Twitter.com. In addition, Twitter still encourages users to use strong passwords with at least 10 characters, using a combination of letters and numbers.
I just received an email from Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix. Reed initially apologizes for the confusion the last few weeks regarding Netflix’s subscription pricing hike and explains the reasoning behind the increase. He also explains the emerging separate businesses of streaming and DVD. Reed later introduces a new name to DVD business called Qwikster. Here’s an excerpt of the email.
So we realized that streaming and DVD by mail are really becoming two different businesses, with very different cost structures, that need to be marketed differently, and we need to let each grow and operate independently.
It’s hard to write this after over 10 years of mailing DVDs with pride, but we think it is necessary: In a few weeks, we will rename our DVD by mail service to “Qwikster”. We chose the name Qwikster because it refers to quick delivery. We will keep the name “Netflix” for streaming.
Qwikster will be the same website and DVD service that everyone is used to. It is just a new name, and DVD members will go to qwikster.com to access their DVD queues and choose movies. One improvement we will make at launch is to add a video games upgrade option, similar to our upgrade option for Blu-ray, for those who want to rent Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 games. Members have been asking for video games for many years, but now that DVD by mail has its own team, we are finally getting it done. Other improvements will follow. A negative of the renaming and separation is that the Qwikster.com and Netflix.com websites will not be integrated.
You can read the post from Netflix’ blog. You can place comments there as well.
Time flies. I can’t believe it has been 10 years since 9/11. I remember it vividly like it was yesterday. I had just woken up before 6am Pacific time. I went online to check my email and noticed that Yahoo was crawling. It was painfully slow. Yahoo’s home page eventually showed up after a couple of minutes. And there it was the top story. I don’t remember exactly what it said, but something similar to “Plane crashes into the World Trace Center.”
I immediately turned the TV on. Moments later, I saw the second plane hit the second tower. I also saw both towers collapse. I reluctantly showed up at work at 1pm. I was angry, dazed, and confused. It was a day that forever changed our lives. We lost loved ones. We also lost a large part of our freedom that day. We do things a little differently now, when we fly, and when we cross our borders. That was 10 years ago.
We moved on. And we must, but we should always remember 9/11.
The SF Port Authority has shut down Pier 38, home of numerous startups including Automattic, the company behind WordPress. SF Port Authority says the building is unsafe and must vacated in the next 30 days. I wonder if Automattic has to move at all, since the office sits right outside of the pier. I’ve been to that office numerous times for WordPress meetups. The good thing is, most of Automattic employees work remotely and are hardly in the office anyways. Anyways, all tenants must move out of Pier 38 by September 30. It will be interesting where Automattic is moving if at all.
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