Whilst attending a meeting for SEO yesterday, I was demonstrating examples of other search engines (yes there is more than Google as I hear you gasp), one of which is Searchme.  It's coverflow inspired presentation style of web pages allowing users to flick through a small rendered preview of each search result is pretty cool, if not a bit useless.

Linky

- Scott

Forgive me for sounding less than enthusiastic after Google announced their long awaited browser called Chrome.  Google have released under the fabled beta tag and you can now download and use it.  It's a multi-platform (Windows, OSX & *Nix) open source browser (good for some), which has borrowed quite a bit from Apple's WebKit and unsurprisingly Mozilla's Firefox.

Initial use of the browser would indicate a similar speed to Firefox, and sometimes faster with JS, but some sites can be slower than you are used to.  Of course to differentiate themselves from other browsers, chrome have brought some new idea's to the table like process isolation per tab (surprised this doesn't already exist in others), and all in one search/address bar.

Will I switch? Probably not as I love all my extensions in Firefox like Adblock, mouse gestures, firebug that are just not available for chrome.   What it does however mean for me and other web developer is yet another browser that we have to support/test for.  I now make it 5 major ones with Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera and now Chrome. And of course Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8 as companies are so stubborn (and security lapsed) to bother upgrade it.

What does it mean for Firefox though?  Mozilla recently announced an extension of their deal with Google who pays Mozilla a substantial sum.  In 2006 alone the total amounted to around $57 million, around 85% of the company's total revenue. The deal was originally going to expire in 2006, but was later extended to 2008 and will now run through 2011.  Imagine if you will Chrome taking enough market share from Internet Explorer and Firefox, they could invariably sever their deal with Mozilla leaving them struggling for operating costs.

- Scott

A couple of weeks ago I was one of just a few girls to attend a very busy midnight launch of GTA IV at a local store, queuing up to purchase a copy of the game seconds after release. (Or in my case, keeping someone who wanted to buy a copy company!)  It truly was a glimpse into the world of the ‘Gamer’ – a world to which I’m something of a stranger.  

 

The knowledge that only a precious few copies of this highly anticipated game were available at the launch really got the adrenalin going, and for someone who didn’t particularly care or have an opinion on the game a week before, I ended up more tense and anxious about the possibility of my companion coming away empty handed than he did!!!

 

Could it be compared to the latest Next Sale or similar? - for which my flatmate, bless her, will quite happily queue up and wait hours just to get one particular item? Maybe not, but I really did get caught up in the moment…. I can’t imagine a guy getting quite as anxious over losing a bargain at the Next Sale! But you never know!

 

(I would post a link to GTA IV or possibly Next, but let’s face it, the die hard fans of either will already know where to find them!)

 

Jo

It's rare that I get this excited about a computer game launch... but on Tuesday the 29th April, Rockstar Games launched Grand Theft Auto IV onthe Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Now I know I'm a geek. I've know that for a while, but even I was shocked at how far into the realm of the Geek I have gone: 23:59 in Tescos at the back of a 50 geek queue waiting for the release!!

Of course after all that excitement I got home and my Xbox broke, but I can still say I was there!!

At least I wasn't stabbed!!

Al

It’s funny how often this happens in my team: one of us hits a brick wall with a coding problem. All avenues lead to errors and it feels like you’ve forgotten the basics of programming.

Calling a colleague over to discuss the issues leads to finding the answer while trying to explain the problem. Does this happen in other industries? Do doctors do the same thing when stumped with some unknown medial complaint?

Al

I am, and always will be, a Director user.

It's the API I used to learn how to code. It's where I cut my teeth in the world of MultiMedia. Then Flash turned up and everyone seem to jump ship... well not me!

So when Adobe released Director 11 I was so happy! Ok, it's version 11 and still only has one level of undo, and the Xtra manufactures haven't kept up (come on INM - Where's secureNet?? I could have really done with that this week!!) but it works properly on Vista and OSX 10.5.

So, why doesn't any one care? Even Adobe forgot to mention it on their homepage when they released it! The first Director release in 4 years and you have to hunt for it on the website...

Anyway, it has a reworked 3D/physics engine and I hope to be doing some fun stuff with it soon! All of you thousands of readers be patient!

Al

We've all seen the Excel easter egg's in the past, but this is something home made using some maths and some macro script.



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Looks like after so many years at the top (13 or so) poor Bill (Gates) has been finally ousted at world's richest man as he finds himself 3rd. He's also unlikely to get back to the top as he stepping down from Microsoft in June this year as well.

Well, can't feel to bad with that much surely?

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- Scott

Yes. It's true; You really can make money by doing nothing!

This guy is staying in bed until he is rich. And he's well on his way having made nearly £4K in under 3 weeks!

Check him out and give him some more cash (he earns money through advertising hits!)

www.slapendrijk.nl

Al

 

I just notice that no-one blogged here on the 29th of Feb...

Only 4 years to wait for the next chance!!

Al