31 Aug 2010

4 Great & Inspiring Sites For Creative Writers To Visit

Writing is diminishing in these modern, online times. Most of what’s written online is “scanned”, rather than read. Rather than being incompatible though, the web and (creatively) written words are perfectly compatible. Don’t forget that the Internet started out as just a bunch of text. As a creative author – professional or aspiring – the web can be a wonderful place. Below are some of the best and most inspiring places a word doctor can go.
Writing.com
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Since being founded in 2000, Writing.com has grown out to be the single largest writing community site on the web – and not only thanks to the convenient web address. Even after a relatively recent design overhaul, the website still looks a bit old school. At times, browsing the website can feel a bit stiff, but what it misses in UI, it makes up for in content. writing sites Users can hone their pen by writing within a number of subgroups, embedded in the Interactive and Non-interactive categories. Non-interactive documents are one-document short-stories, poems, essays, interviews and (despite the article subject) even non-fiction. Sadly, a premium membership is required to use the multiple chapter book templates. The non-interactive categories include interactive stories, campfire stories (spinning stories in a group of close friends), and even quizzes. Writing.com is the largest, and quite possibly the most feature-rich writing community. Because of its size, evidently not all writing hosted on the writing site is quality material. But the rich interaction, and support for independent formats, makes it a worthy place to try your pen.

Storybird
Storybird is a rather interesting collaborative storytelling project, focused around picture books.

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Ordinarily, two or more people connect over the site, and write part of the picture book in turn, in a robin go round style. Additional people need to invited by the one who started the story, so the collaboration is aimed on friends and family – perhaps a parent with child. If you want, though, you can write the entire story on your own. writing sites The pictures are supplied by a small army of artists. Before you hit off, the site asks you to pick a work of art from the gallery, or browse by art themes. Starting off from your initial pick, the Storyboard story maker, depicted above, is filled with a jumble of other drawings by the same artist. You can drag these drawings on the canvas, and add text. Finished picture books can be shared online, made public on the site or (in the future) even printed!

Protagonize
Protagonize is a modern, aesthetic writing community that’s been around since 2008, and has received much acclaim. It’s entirely based around collaborative storytelling, and is perhaps the only one of these kinds of writing sites that actually feels good to use. Central are the interactive stories, or so-called addventures. These stories consist of small chapters, after which a choice is presented to the reader. The reader can effectively direct the character through the adventure. It’s by all means not a new concept, but the web has given it a whole new dimension. It’s not just directing the story anymore. You can start, or continue on a whole new branch of the story, and everyone can contribute! story writing sites

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Apart from the addventures, you can also start a collaborative linear story, where other writers are able to add new fragments, but can’t branch off. If you’re not all the community-animal, you can opt for solo stories as well, but believe me when I say you’re missing out on a lot of fun.

Bibliofaction
Like Protagonize, Bibliofaction is focused on one kind of storytelling, but it’s not interactive. Instead, they believe in the power of the short story, it being “perfect for this busy day and age”.

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The main goal of Bibliofaction is to re-promote creativity to a generation that has been lulled by fixed-format reality TV, or for that matter, any kind of entertainment. story writing sites Like that, Bibliofaction is becoming the modern home of the short story, a day where writers and readers meet, and share experiences. Another nice incentive are the short story competitions, which are held by Bibliofaction. Show off the true might of your pen, and you might even win a couple of attractive prizes. What do you think of the above writing sites? Do you know any alternatives, that we shouldn’t have missed? By all means, let us know in the comments section below.

 

29 Aug 2010

Mulher americana casa com o robot R2-D2 do StarWars

Amplify’d from www.bitrebels.com

This has got to be one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever written about, but I just couldn’t resist. I know that sometimes people do things just to get attention, but c’mon girl, did you have to do this?

I knew before today that @bonniegrrl was a big time geek. After all, she is a writer for Starwars.com. However, geek or not, marrying R2-D2 was just over the edge in my opinion.

Girl, I can relate. I know that many humanoid boys don’t understand a geek girl’s ways, but don’t give up hope. Turning to a droid is not the answer. However, I have to admit, in droid standards, at least you chose the best one to marry. I’ve always had a little crush on R2-D2 myself.

I guess in the end, what you wrote in this article is true, “Sometimes a girl just has to follow her heart no matter where it may lead.” I wish you and R2-D2 a lifetime of happiness, joy and Wookie roars together. You can check out the couple’s complete wedding album here. If you would like to see a video of the ceremony, you can go here.

Read more at www.bitrebels.com

28 Aug 2010

Create Video Playlists and Embed Them Anywhere | Embedr

Amplify’d from br.wwwhatsnew.com

Nos últimos anos já comentei muitas opções que podem ser usadas para adicionar um chat num blog, desde as mais simples, como ajaxchat para Wordpress, até as mais sofisticadas, como a barra do meebo.

Aqui tem uma excelente lista de opções que publicaram faz algumas horas no sixrevisions.com, espero que alguma delas seja a adequada para sua web.

1. Chatango

Chatango

Este componente permite que cada usuário tenha seu próprio avatar e suas permissões de acesso, sendo ótimo para fóruns de discussão.

2. Meebo me

Meboo.me

Meebo me é um produto do Meebo.com, a famosa plataforma de mensageiria instantânea. Este chat é compatível com Gtalk, AIM, Yahoo! Messenger e Facebook, sendo ótimo para quem não gosta de criar cadastros adicionais.

3. JWChat

JWChat

JWChat é um script que usa JS e HTML, sendo muito rápido de instalar e executar. Não tem grandes funcionalidades, mas funciona perfeitamente.

4. CBox

CBox

CBox se integra em qualquer web como um chat dinâmico e muito simples de usar por qualquer um. A versão gratuita é limitada em funcionalidades, mas atente à maioria de blogs.

5. Mibew Web Messenger

Mibew Web Messenger

Mibew Web Messenger é opensource, construído com php e mysql, sendo relativamente simples de integrar em qualquer web.

6. AjaxChat para WordPress

AjaxChat for WordPress

Um pequeno script feito para usuários de Wordpress que permite ler as conversas sem necessidade de atualizar a página.

7. AJAX Chat

AJAX Chat

Pode ser usado para enviar mensagens aos leitores. Qualquer um poderá deixar sua mensagem em poucos minutos, sem necessidade de cadastros adicionais.

8. phpFreeChat

phpFreeChat

Chat baseado em PHP que permite criar salas de chat independentes, enviar mensagens privadas e personalizar o aspecto usando CSS.

9. iJab

iJab

Usa o Google Web Toolkit e tem o aspecto de um cliente para desktop. Oferece um chat muito semelhante ao do Facebook.

10. Ajax IM

Ajax IM

Ajax IM também é opensource e mostra um chat na parte inferior da página, sendo também muito similar ao chat do Facebook.

Read more at br.wwwhatsnew.com

27 Aug 2010

Android Device Database

27 Aug 2010

evolution of Android (part 3)

Amplify’d from techshake2.blogspot.com
How many versions does Android have? 
Technically, the answer is very simple, but theoretically speaking it’s a bit complicated. The simple answer is 4 versions of Android OS, namely 1.5 Cupcake, 1.6 Donut, 2.0/2.1 Eclair & 2.2 Froyo. The complicated answer is that many phones were running a lot of developer versions of the Android OS. For example, 1.1 was to first to show up on prototypes. However, the phones started showing up in the market only with 1.5 Cupcake, as the earlier version was unstable. So also is the case with the versions from 1.7 - 1.9. I tried very hard to get you some pictures of the interfaces but it seems it looks quite similar to its next successful version. 

You can also look at the Android OS version wise distribution on the Android Developers page here.

November, 2007 - Android 0 - Android 1.1

A preview release of the Android software development kit (SDK) was released in November, 2007. Several months later (mid-August 2008) the Android 0.9 SDK (software development kit) beta was released. The following month (late-September 2008) the Android 1.0 SDK (Release 1) was released. Still in the prototype stage, it was a very primary stage with layers of APIs included was just bout 2. 


Six months later (early-March 2009), Google released version 1.1 for the Android “dev phone”. The Android 1.1 system image delivered an updated version of the framework API.


April, 2009 - 1.5 Cupcake

Android OS 1.5 (Cupcake) based on the Linux Kernel 2.6.27, officially released on the 30th of April, 2009, to developers and the SDK was available for download on the Android Developer site. This OS was an updated version of the prototype 1.1 and boasted of many new features including a brand new User Interface. 


Other additions included video recording and playback (MPEG-4 & 3GP formats), sync to Google account and upload to YouTube directly, Bluetooth A2DP support and improved home screen animations. Auto complete and text predictions were available but not fully accurate. 

September, 2009 - 1.6 Donut

Based on the Linux kernel 2.6.29, 1.6 Donut surely was a better running, improved performance and an enhanced feel Android OS. The main improvements included expanded search framework, text to speech engine and an improved and faster Android Market. 

The Gesture framework and GestureBuilder Development tool was one of the main enhancements of this version. Android 1.6 also provided a much faster camera experience. Compared to the previous releases, launching the camera became 39% faster, and there was a 28% improvement in the time from completing one shot to the next. This version was also a turning point for developers as the API level was 4 and the platform was more tightly knit with the apps running on it. 

October, 2009 - 2.0/2.1 Eclair

Eclair was based on the same Linux kernel as with 1.6 Donut, but was a completely refreshed look and feel UI. Enhancements like Microsoft Exchange support, multiple accounts support, support for more screen sizes and resolutions, conversational style messaging etc. The platform was also optimised to use the hardware better and thus improved the performance and the speed of the OS overall. 

The UI was revised, and the browser now supported HTML5. Backgrounds had a better white-black ratio and the display was accelerated and crisp. An updated version of Google Maps (3.1.2) was offered along with the update. Other additions include live wallpapers, Bluetooth 2.1 and an enhanced virtual keyboard as well as the enhancement of MotionEvent class. The 2.0.1 SDK was released on 3 December 2009 and the 2.1 SDK was released on 12 January 2010. Most Android handsets today run Android 2.1, and it is considered to be of the most stable build of the Android arsenal. 

May, 2010 - 2.2 Froyo

On 20th May, 2010 the 2.2 Frozen Yogurt (Froyo) SDK was released, at the Google I/O Summit. Based on the Linux Kernel 2.6.32, Froyo’s biggest hype as yet, is it’s support for Flash 10.1. Froyo will also bring Increased Microsoft Exchange support like security policies, auto-discovery, GAL look-up, calendar synchronization, remote wipe etc. apart from the significant performance and hardware optimizations, Froyo will be the only Android OS to have full integration with Chrome’s VB JavaScript engine, into the browser application.
 

The best part is that Apps2SD functionality will finally make it possible for apps to be directly installed on the SD card rather than the phone memory. USB tethering and Wi-Fi hotspot functionality coupled with Voice dialing over Bluetooth are some of the coolest features that Froyo has. Nexus One and Motorola Droid have already been updated to Froyo and many others should be updated to the latest version of Android, in the coming weeks/months. 

I really hope that you have thoroughly enjoyed this extensively researched ‘History of Android’. You can always get all this information and more detailed specs on each Android release on the Android Developers page. Let me know what you feel about this article.
Read more at techshake2.blogspot.com

27 Aug 2010

evolution of Android (part 2)

Amplify’d from techshake2.blogspot.com

There were so many prototypes seen around this time, but not until the Google I/O conference 2008, where T-Mobile HTC G1 touch screen phone, running a Qualcomm 200MHZ processor, 256 MB of flash, and 128 MB of RAM was unveiled, did people actually see it in action. This phone was among the first to run the Android OS 1.0. The G1 has been upgraded loads of times ever since, and the latest version runs the 2.1 Eclair.

December, 2008 - The Neo Freerunner


Openmoko, a phone company, announced that it would be implementing basic Android features into its phones, the Neo FreeRunner and the Neo 1973. This version of the device had a 640×480 Touchscreen, an ARM9 Processor running at 400 MHz, both 2D and 3D acceleration, Triband GSM, 1200 mAh battery, 128 MB SRAM, 256 MB NAND Flash, microSD Slot, 2.5mm Headset jack, external GPS antenna connection, Wifi (802.11 b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 and 3axis motion sensors. A pretty impressive device if you ask me.

January, 2009 - World’s Second Android phone


The Kogan Arora and the Kogan Arora Pro from Kogan Technologies, an Australian phone manufacturer, announced that these Android run phones should be available by January 29th, 2009. They advertised it as world’s second Android phone, but I highly doubt that claim, and so do many others. 

Both the Kogan Arora and the Kogan Arora Pro featured 262K color QVGA touchscreen displays, QWERTY keyboards, quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G (HSDPA) support, Bluetooth 2.0, FM radio and a microSD memory card slots.

February, 2009 - HTC Magic does the magic!!!


HTC, the founding members of the OHA, released the Magic on networks across US, Canada, & Europe. Guess what? It becomes an instant hit! This Android handset ran initially on Android OS 1.5 Cupcake and later due to much hype coupled with demand they released them with 1.6 Donut. Very similar to the G1 except for the slide out QWERTY keypad, also an upgrade from the G1 specs.

April, 2009 - HTC Hero a.k.a. Droid Eris 
The Hero has two design versions. The original design is similar in form factor to the Magic, while the U.S. release design is more curved at the edges and has the controversial "chin" removed. Both use HTC's customised UI called HTC Sence, which looks absolutely advanced from the earlier HTC phone versions.
 


Both these devices ran on Android OS 1.5 Cupcake and till recently could be upgraded to the
 later versions of Android, but HTC isn’t sure whether these will get Android 2.2 Froyo.

November, 2009 - Motorola Droid/Milestone & Google Nexus One
Android finally received a big boost with Motorola’s Droid and Google Nexus One, entering the US and European markets at a time when IPhone was the coolest thing around. Originally running on Android OS 2.0 and then released with versions of 2.1 Eclair, both these phones made an irreversible dent in the smartphone market owned by Apple, Nokia, Blackberry and Microsoft.


The Google Nexus One officially became the first phone to be sold as a Google phone since the rumours that started back in 2008. It was also the first phone to receive the first ever update of the Android OS 2.2 Froyo.
 

So you’ve seen the evolution of handsets. Let’s now finally look at the Android OS itself in Part - III
Read more at techshake2.blogspot.com

27 Aug 2010

History and evolution of Android (part 1)

Amplify’d from techshake2.blogspot.com
Have you ever had some basic questions like how did Android begin, or what were the earlier versions of Android like? Through this article I want to dig deeper into this by going back to what happened and how things turned the way it did. Hope these questions help you understand more about Google's crown jewel, 'Android'.

What is Android and was it invented by Google?
Android is a Linux based mobile OS, originally created and owned by Android Inc. a small software company based out of Palo Alto, California. The 'then' version of Android was basically built on the motto of providing a basic, flexible and upgradable OS to mobile phone providers and carriers. But not for long, the innocence of the original team and agenda was lost forever, due to these coming up events.

July, 2005 - Google Acquires Android Inc.
Google's ambition to enter the mobile market was then thought of as a foolish move as companies like Microsoft and Apple were already in the middle of a war and Symbian was almost the most commonly found mobile OS. Post the takeover, rumours after rumours generated with news of Google is to launch its own handsets, with its own proprietary OS. It did not catch on much until....

November, 2007 - OHA Formed


OHA short for Open Handset Alliance was a partnership of 65 hardware, software, and Mobile Carrier companies, including big-wigs like HTC, Motorola, Qualcomm, Intel, T-mobile etc, and of course Google whose objectives were set for  higher open standards for mobile devices and smartphones.

November, 2007 - Android Announced 
With the news of this alliance of industry biggies, Google popped the cherry and announced its initiative on Android. Android, a mobile device platform built on the Linux kernel was a promise to the world that it will be the first Open Source Mobile Operating System.

October, 2008 - Android is Opened up


Delivering on it’s promise, Google finally, released the code of Android under Apache License, a free software and open source license, starting October 2008. Under the Apache License, private companies could now add on their own applications and extensions and sell them, without having to submit them to the open-source community.

So, now you know how Android became the Android of today. Next, we will look at the earliest versions and the earliest phones.Read more at techshake2.blogspot.com

26 Aug 2010

Create Video Playlists and Embed Them Anywhere | Embedr

Amplify’d from www.emergingedtech.com

o Teach with Twitter

by K. Walsh on February 7, 2010

These resources actually provide over 110 ideas for, and examples of, using Twitter in the classroom.

It’s been almost 8 months since I published the post, “6 Examples of Using Twitter in the Classroom”, about uses of the popular micro-blogging tool in the instructional setting. This post generated a lot of traffic, and continues to attract hundreds of viewers every week.

TwitterLogoSince that brief posting, I’ve come across a lot of articles containing examples and suggestions for using Twitter in instructional applications. I’ve combed through many of these and tried to boil down the redundancies to create a rich set of idea-laden resources. While there’s still going to be some overlap in the concepts presented in these articles, they clearly meet the goal of providing a thorough set of ideas and examples for leveraging Twitter in the educational process. (I follow this new listing with the original set of articles cited in my June ’09 post).

I also want to mention these 100 Serious Twitter Tips for Academics, which are worth reviewing to learn more and plan your approach to using Twitter in (and out of) the classroom.

——————————————————————
Click here for a PDF version of this article,
which provides a clean, uncluttered copy 
for printing or e-mailing to friends and
colleagues!
——————————————————————

Here are the original “6 Examples” from last June’s post:

  • I’ll start by providing links to two articles (here is one, and here is the another), about teacher Monica Rankin using Twitter in instructional application at the University of Texas at Dallas. These are a few of many stories about Professor Rankin’s efforts (this highly covered case is what really triggered my perception that there were a lot of articles about Twitter in the classroom in recent weeks).
  • Here is a video about Twitter (and other technologies) being used at Roosevelt HS in Minneapolis.
  • This article from The Chronicle of Higher Education discusses instructor Cole Camplese’s use of Twitter, streaming Tweets from students on screen during lectures, as part of the instructional process.
  • In this Vlog, Christine Morris explains how she experimented with the technology with her higher ed students, tapping into Tweetdeck to get the most out Twitter.
  • In this blog posting, David Silver explains how Twitter replaced three other technologies he was using in the classroom.
  • Last, but certainly not least, here is one of countless articles about Professor David Parry’s work with Twitter, from early 2008. This is the first Twitter in the classroom story that I came across and it has been discussed and posted about many times on the Internet.
Read more at www.emergingedtech.com

26 Aug 2010

Create Video Playlists and Embed Them Anywhere | Embedr

Amplify’d from www.bitrebels.com

n does it become too small? That might be a question that pops into our heads. Well, never!

Designer Cornelius Comanns has some ideas on how to make your entire life fit into a tiny three wheeled car. It shouldn’t be possible, but as you can see from the pictures, he managed to cramp down space so much that it actually doesn’t look like a bad idea. If you’re thinking about hosting dinner parties, gatherings and an occasional movie night, I can with certainty tell you this is not the way to go.

This concept car named “Bufalino” is nothing less than a marvel. Thi

Designer Cornelius Comanns has some ideas on how to make your entire life fit into a tiny three wheeled car. It shouldn’t be possible, but as you can see from the pictures, he managed to cramp down space so much that it actually doesn’t look like a bad idea. If you’re thinking about hosting dinner parties, gatherings and an occasional movie night, I can with certainty tell you this is not the way to go.

This concept car named “Bufalino” is nothing less than a marvel. This mini-RV has the capacity to seat two people, a stove to make your dinner, a foldable bed, a fridge, a basin that acts like a sink and a tank for water. The car is also equipped with a ton of storage space for you to bring with you whatever you feel you can’t be without during your travels. Sure, there is no shower, but that can probably be taken care of with a portable shower that you can buy at pretty much any hobby store located close to you. A life in a car, imagine the freedom! Imagine the claustrophobia. Whatever be thy choice.

t’s like people actually are trying to fit their whole living space into a tiny box. By the looks of it, that accomplishment shouldn’t be too far off. We have seen everything, even people making their 2 bedroom apartment into a 27 room mansion. We have seen tiny houses on wheels, and also some rather interesting geek traveling options including foldable living quarters. However, when does it become too small? That might be a question that pops into our heads. Well, never!

Designer Cornelius Comanns has some ideas on how to make your entire life fit into a tiny three wheeled car. It shouldn’t be possible, but as you can see from the pictures, he managed to cramp down space so much that it actually doesn’t look like a bad idea. If you’re thinking about hosting dinner parties, gatherings and an occasional movie night, I can with certainty tell you this is not the way to go.

This concept car named “Bufalino” is nothing less than a marvel. This mini-RV has the capacity to seat two people, a stove to make your dinner, a foldable bed, a fridge, a basin that acts like a sink and a tank for water. The car is also equipped with a ton of storage space for you to bring with you whatever you feel you can’t be without during your travels. Sure, there is no shower, but that can probably be taken care of with a portable shower that you can buy at pretty much any hobby store located close to you. A life in a car, imagine the freedom! Imagine the claustrophobia. Whatever be thy choice.

Read more at www.bitrebels.com

26 Aug 2010

Create Video Playlists and Embed Them Anywhere | Embedr

antonius alves's Space

Licenciado em Línguas e Literaturas Clássicas.
Professor.
Interessado em: tecnologia, arte, viagens, música eletrónica, animação, cinema...