http://nlp.fi.muni.cz/~xsvobod4/amanita/plantage/
Polyphonic
Sandoz?
Amazing Flash?
Author: james
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The Next Killer App
Do you have an IM program? Do you go to websites or use plugins to manage a blog? Do you email files to friends or have an account on Friendster or LinkedIn? Do you play head-to-head games over the internet with friends or strangers? Do you chat? Do you listen to streaming music like WOXY? Do you like to use your broadband connection for cool video content like guys dancing? Do you like to share pictures online? Do you have a library of digital music?
You’ve probably been using lots of different applications and websites to do these things. Maybe you’re using Snapfish or Flickr to share pictures, Miranda or GAIM for IM (or AIM) and YouTube for video. Have you tried delicious for managing links (and the community)? Maybe you like to pass yor time playing Puzzle Pirates against other people. You probably listen to music using iTunes, WinAmp or somesuch. If you’ve got a blog you’re probably using Blogger or WordPress to manage it. If you’re sophisticated you might be streaming music using Shoutcast or Icecast.
Recently a few applications have emerged for Windows (there may be Mac analogues but I’m not aware of them – please post in comments if you’re aware of any) that have been bundling a lot of this functionality. I’ve been trying them out with friends and the’re very exciting. Here’s a synopsis of three feature-rich (and free) apps:
- Grouper bundles picture and file sharing, streaming audio between users, messaging, and the concept of “groups” into a polished interface. Groups are basically communities that you can set up with their own permissions where you can share your pictures, music, documents and whatever else with the other members of your group. Of course, all the other members have to have Grouper to participate.
We liked the Grouper interface a lot. But, we didn’t like the absence of a universal instant messaging client so that we could use existing AIM/MSN/ICQ/Yahoo accounts to IM one another. In addition, Grouper, undoubtedly terrified of the RIAA and MPAA lawyer-army, restricts music sharing to streaming only in certain formats. So, I can connect to my groupmates’ machine and listen to their music, but I can’t actually download it from them. While I understand the effort to preserve the rights of the artist, it’s an ultimately false one because a determined user can simply convert said files into another format or archive it in order to share it over Grouper.
- Qnext bundles universal IM, streaming audio, online game-play, videoconferencing, remote PC access, picture and file sharing, group chat and ICQ and VoIP internet calling. It’s a pretty phenomenal feature set and it has taken hold among our group.
The user interface is pretty good and where Grouper has groups, Qnext has shared “zones” where you set up who gets access to what. The photo sharing is great – with zoom/pan, slideshow and save functions but image tagging like Flickr would make it better. The streaming audio “jukebox” zone allows the user to define what quality level stream to provide, either 64kbps or native quality, or both, thus enabling a cap on bandwidth usage for this function. Of course, this could be better with more support for the smaller audio formats. The universal IM client works but is a bit kludgy and slow and isn’t as configurable to your own personal habits as other clients like Gaim (with plugins) or Trillian.
Google image sharing?
Regardless of what app you’re using, the major barrier to taking full advantage of this software is adoption. While you’ll find your net-savvy friends with always-on broadband may jump right in, you’ll more likely find them wincing at having to download and install something, paranoid about privacy, or just “not getting” the concept. In addition, opening the proper ports to use these apps is a major hurdle – I’ve got several friends that have vociferously expressed interest and have waged war with the XP firewall and their own routers to no avail. While some utilize UPnP, support for UPnP is mixed and in my real-world experience it has been no help.
- Grouper bundles picture and file sharing, streaming audio between users, messaging, and the concept of “groups” into a polished interface. Groups are basically communities that you can set up with their own permissions where you can share your pictures, music, documents and whatever else with the other members of your group. Of course, all the other members have to have Grouper to participate.
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The Hands of Leslie and Leigh Keno – a Haiku
fluttering around
butterflies alight loving
upon their fetish -
Useful but Forgotten: Styptic Pencil
For years I had been tearing little bits of teepee off and pasting them to my face to plug self-inflicted shaving cuts. Then, I go to my moms for dinner with one of these little white paper scabs and she asks me “why don’t you use a styptic pencil?” Styptic what? She explains that “in the old days, everyone used it for shaving cuts – I still use one for my legs.” So, I take a look at my local pharmacy and lo and behold, they still sell them! So I bought one and from that day onward I have never applied a tissue corner to my face. If I get a cut, I moisten the end of the styptic pencil with some water then apply it to the cut, which stops the bleeding almost immediately. Now, let there be no sugar-coating, the application of a styptic pencil to a cut is, shall we say, an ‘acquired taste’ sort of like how wasabi mustard and suicide wings are an acquired taste – it burns. But it only burns briefly and the closure of the cut is almost always permanent and invisible. I’ll take a quick burn over a fruity bit of tissue clinging to my face any day. Besides, if you’re shaving you ought to be tough enough to handle a little burn, girlie-man (&/or manlie-girl)!
Wikipedia has an explanation of the chemistry of the styptic pencil here. Also, as far as I can tell, these things must last forever – nice when they cost about $1.50. Not to be confused with the Vicks Inhaler, an equally useful reliever of discomfort that no one except ravers seem to use.
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Note to a friend about tasty Franziskaner Weiss Beer
So last Sept @ Oktoberfest there was a brand represented that brought universal praise: Franziskaner Weissbier. Then, at the Main Line festival there was a Spaten tasting and part of it included the company’s corporate video (starring a well-coiffed-and-spoken mod German), touting the merging of Spaten and Franziskaner – both well-respected München beers (Spaten holds the honor of being the first beer tapped to hearld the beginning of Oktoberfest each year).Being a big fan I was still surprised to see Hans’ video about “gaining market share for the Spaten and Franziskaner family” manifested at a beer store a couple of weeks ago with $22 (24x12oz) cases of Franziskaner. I’m of the opinion that Franziskaner far outshines Hoegaarden for summer weissbiers, but cases of Hoegaarden are ~$35+. Just had a Franziskaner tonight with dinner and I gotta tell you it’s sublime. And for $22/case it’s a total bargain. Highly recommended especially for summertime – it’s a light wheat that’s full of flavor but goes great with an orange or lemon garnish. Also, there’s a cheerful monk on the label and that counts for something in my book.
Note: the $22 case may have been a random promotion but wasn’t marked that way – online Hoegaarden and Franziskaner are about the same price. Still tasty beer though.
Update: I’ve seen $4/case Rebates for Franziskaner in three different locations. -
Candy Tasting and Reviewing Fun
So the wife and I were up in New York this weekend to see our friend John performing in in La Forza Del Destino, the Moscow Cat Theater, and some other fun activities including a visit to Dylan’s Candy Bar.
A fun and playful 2-story candy store, Dylan’s was too crowded for my taste but included a collection of obscure and old-skool candies that made it worth the trip. We wound up spending about $30 on candy bars at ~$1.50 a pop. Below we shall review them as we eat them – look for regular updates.
#1: Nut Goodie
A milk chocolate medallion with peanuts on top and (more…) -
Power Point Stupidity
David Byrne says PowerPoint’s medium is the message and Edward Tufte says PowerPoint is Evil. David Coursey has some good tips on using it (after surmising “does PowerPoint make us stupid?”) But, his tips are really for advanced users. Let’s start simple.
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Remember, trees die for your slides (assuming you print them). If I see another slide with a single sentence on it in 48-point font, I may cry. Not because of the excruciating boredom, nor the overwhelming stupidity (more…)
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Ian’s Best of 2005 Music List
As you might know, I am almost as obsessed with year-end music lists as I am with music. Let me know if you have something I need to hear or lovingly crafted your own year-end list.
Love,
Ian1. The Hold Steady-Separation Sunday
2. Wolf Parade-Apologies to the Queen Mary
3. Okkervil River-Black Sheep Boy/Black Sheep Boy Appendix
4. Antony and the Johnsons-I Am A Bird Now
5. Deerhoof-The Runners Four
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Victory Brewing Company
Victory Brewing Company is a brewery in Downingtown, PA that produces some of the most hearty, delicious and strong beers to be had in our fine nation today. Your author is privileged and grateful to be able to drive only a few minutes to savor Victory beers from the tap, sample their menu, and bask in the camaraderie of their brewpub clientele. But, there is one incredibly massive fly in the Victory ointment, and I aim to address it here – not because I’m upset about one meal but because I am proud to support this great local business and it grinds my gears that I can’t reliably take friends or family there to dine because the foodservice is horrible! (more…)
