Monthly Archives: August 2006

Reviews

IconSurf: the visual search engine

I’ve been meaning to post about IconSurf for some time. It’s a cool site/search engine that lets you search for other sites based on their favicon graphics – you know, the .ico files that reside at the root level of sites, they show up in your browser’s address bar, next to the URI. What’s stopped me is that the site loads very slowly. I thought its author would do something about it, but since nothing’s changed in a few months, I guess that’s about as fast as it’ll get.

Still, as frustrating as it is to use, it’s an interesting concept. You can alphabetize the sites in its directory (over 40,000 at the time of this writing) by TLD (top-level domain), by starting character (a, b, c, d, etc.) or search by a keyword or phrase within the URI. Obviously, this is a basic sort of search functionality, but it does let you narrow your search, and as I said, the site is interesting-enough overall to make you forget about its limitations.

Just think about the possibilities! If a proper image-search engine is put in place, you could organize the sites by color schemes (primary colors, pastels, etc.), by shapes (round, square, oval, etc.), by colors (ex: find a site that uses red in its favicon). This engine has possibilities!

I encourage you to give it a try! Go to it, then step away from the computer for a couple of minutes while it loads. When you come back, you’ll have a nice surprise. Enjoy!

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Thoughts

Apple's WWDC 2006 Keynote Address

Yes, I know the keynote address was given a few days ago, and this post is late, but something’s bothered me ever since I watched it. There were two things, actually, and both had to do with Steve Jobs:

  • He seemed thinner than unusual, and tired. His face was pale, and slightly haggard. Was it just the usual overnight prep for the presentation, or is it something else? Is the big guy alright, health-wise?
  • He shared the stage with three other presenters (all Apple guys). Did you catch that? Let me repeat it: he SHARED the stage. More than that, he had this game of tag going on with one of them (Scot Forstall, VP of Platform Experience), that went on throughout the presentation. Was he trying to send a message – as in, hey, at some point I’ll step down, and these are three of the people I’m thinking about, or did it have to do with his health (see first bullet above)?

As much as I dislike the guy for some of the decisions he’s made over the years, Apple wouldn’t be Apple without him. Plus, he looks like my dad (if my dad were to let his facial hair grow for a week), so I’ve got an extra soft spot for him.

Oh yeah, one more thing… Whatever happened to that? I don’t think I was the only one surprised by the lack of extra product announcements. Did Steve want to make sure people focused on the Power Mac, Leopard and WWDC, and not get distracted with extra cool stuff? After all, Intel’s releasing their Merom line (Core 2 Duo processors for laptops) at the end of August. Apple’s got to make an announcement about putting those chips in the Macbook Pro laptops at some point until 8/31, right? Plus, I’m still waiting for the new iPods, in whatever flavor they come: Nano, widescreen, with phone, etc.

Methinks we’ll have an Apple News Event before the end of this month.

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How To

Mechanical locks on the way out?

At least their current iterations, anyway. Turns out a $1 bumpkey – a key whose every notch was cut to its lowest setting can easily open any lock of a given brand. (You need a bumpkey for each brand/kind of lock). Basically, this bumpkey then becomes the master key for all of the locks that use a particular kind of key. Since there are about a dozen kinds of locks on the market, all a thief needs to carry around is a dozen or so bumpkeys, and he can get into your home in less than a minute.

It gets worse: insurance companies don’t reimburse for theft due to bumpkeys, because no damage is done to the door. They can’t determine that someone forced their way into your home, and they’ll simply assume that you left your door open, or are trying to scam them.

Both Make and Engadget are talking about this, and there’s a video as well. You won’t believe your eyes!

Lest you forget, you can open “tough” bicycle U-locks with a BIC pen.

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Lists

Oldies, but goodies

As news go, these are weeks, and even months-old, but they sure are good. Stumbled onto them in a folder full of bookmarks. Enjoy!

  1. Full of nostalgia for the 80’s? Try Engadget, cca. 1985.
  2. Want to donate your old computer? Better wipe that drive first!
  3. The generational gap can be seen in the workplace, too. Seriously, it’s rude to get up and walk out in the middle of a conversation.
  4. Kawaii Not – the web comic for cute gone bad! Cute indeed, and witty to boot!
  5. Want to get a small PC?
  6. The 25 worst tech products of all time, according to PC World.
  7. Ever thought of public spaces as dance floors? “You’ve got to move it, move it… MOVE IT!”
  8. Check out photos of Chicago from the 40’s to the 90’s.
  9. Want to get the scoop on classic movies? Then check out Reel Classics.
  10. In love with USB? Check out this list of flashy USB accessories, like a bra with a USB clasp.
  11. Want the latest in wiretapping devices?
  12. How will the newspaper look in just a few short years?
  13. You thought invisibility cloaks were a sci-fi thing, right?
  14. Great advice on advancing your career as you start over, move, take a part-time job or have money problems.
  15. Video sites, comically analyzed and summarized.
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A Guide To A Good Life

The decline of personal hygiene

I’ve come across so many pungent body odors lately that I’m led to assume personal hygiene is no longer important to people.

Just yesterday, I was in a department store, and two different people smelled so bad I almost vomited as they walked by me. They’re not isolated incidents, either. I’ve seen people of all walks of life and ages whose body odor was so powerful, so acrid, so stomach-turningly revolting, that I was left speechless every time. If you can stand it, let me reassure you this isn’t the smell of sweat after a hard day’s work. No, these people truly stink, as in a medieval, once-a-year bathing, wearing the same clothes for weeks kind of a stench.

How is it possible that in this day and age and country, when a hot shower and a bar of soap are so accessible, that so many people forego this daily necessity? How can it be?

Then, seeing people use the bathroom and not wash their hands (before and after) seems to be an almost daily occurrence. How grown men can handle their private parts after they’ve touched all sorts of nasty things (keyboards and mice being among the filthiest, even more so than toilet seats), is beyond me. And then, leaving the bathroom without washing their hands is an even more disgusting sight. To think, these ninnies then go on to shake other people’s hands, and to pat them on the back, or worse, lend you their pens, or touch your door handle, sit down at your desk to type at your keyboard… The possibilities are mind-boggling.

I’m not germ phobic, and I don’t wash my hands countless times every day – just when I use the bathroom or when they’re dirty. I don’t use hand sterilizers, either. I don’t have cans of Lysol spray lying around, ready to be used. I don’t think I’m cuckoo, but it seems that I see more and more people (no, filthy beasts) acting as if it’s perfectly alright to smell like a pig and have the bathroom manners of one as well.

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