Openbook

http://youropenbook.org/

Wed May 26 19:25:12 +0000 2010

by Ralph Averbuch

It looks like Facebook might be listening to the chorus of complaint about just how difficult it is to control your privacy on its platform. With this in mind, depending on how quick the company is to react, this week's web pick may have a limited shelf life. Called Openbook it's been set up by three web developers concerned about privacy. It runs with the byline "Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life. Whether you want to or not." Looking very similar to the real service its intent is to show you just how much information is out there to be picked up by friends and many others too. As the site explains, "Facebook's ... very complex settings causes many users to post messages intended for their friends to 'everybody'. That's the entire planet, for all time. This privacy-malfunction could have serious consequences if you're looking for a job, applying for college or medical insurance." Go give it a try.

YouConvertIt.com

http://www.youconvertit.com/

Wed May 19 17:50:13 +0000 2010

by Ralph Averbuch

Wouldn't it be great if those confusing formats, image types and video files you've accumulated on your PC could all be easily converted into something you could actually play on your PC or phone, without having to download yet more software to make it work? Well your prayers just might have been answered. Currently in beta YouConvertIt.com claims it's the world's most complete file conversion site. And the site's well designed too. You simply select up to five files to convert, specify the format you want to change them into and you'll receive an email when they're cooked. You can also get it to convert online video by pasting in, for example, the relevant YouTube web address (make sure you've permission from the copyright owner). Handily you can also tell the service who else should be alerted when the conversion's complete. So simple it's a delight. Another classic case of, why's no-one thought of this before?

Paper.li

http://paper.li

Thu May 13 07:29:13 +0000 2010

by Ralph Averbuch

Twitter is one of those services you either 'get' or you don't. There's really no happy middle ground. Whilst it's a great means of getting short and sweet snippets of information, a key drawback is when you reach a critical mass of people/companies you're following and get to the point where you just can't manage the sheer volume of information coming your way. Paper.li aims to deal with some of those drawbacks by tapping into your Twitter account and reorganising your incoming tweets into a more digestible form. It uses a newspaper metaphor, rearranging tweets into thematic pages based on people, keywords and lists it detects in your tweet-stream. It's a similar idea to the Feedly bolt-on for Google Reader but exclusively for your Twitter traffic. This service will be particularly useful to those who follow a large number of people and can't monitor incoming tweets 24/7. If you're a heavy user, this is a service you ought to check out.

Rhett & Link

http://rhettandlink.com/

Thu May 06 07:36:45 +0000 2010

by Ralph Averbuch

We all need the occasional bit of nonsense in our otherwise all-too-serious lives. What with the current doom and gloom of financial melt-down across Europe, the boys at Rhett&Link.com are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Rhett & Link are a North Carolina-based comedy duo consisting of long-time friends, Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal. Self-proclaimed “Internetainers” they have a growing archive of spoof music videos. Our current favourite is "In the 80's" with the Facebook Song coming a close second... so go get internetained.

iFixit.com

http://www.ifixit.com

Wed Apr 28 10:27:59 +0000 2010

by Ralph Averbuch

Initially started with a focus on Mac products like the iPod and iPhone, iFixit.com has begun to branch out by offering site visitors step by step photos of how to repair a growing range of digital detritus. Repair guides now range from mobiles to cameras and computers from a variety of well known brand names. So, if you've got tech gear that's simply become digital junk, here's a chance to breathe new life back into it. It's both environmentally friendly and might save you having to spend yet more cash replacing something you can make serviceable once again. Of course, if it's still under warranty you might want to try that route first!

Tales of Things

http://talesofthings.com/totem/

Thu Apr 22 06:58:16 +0000 2010

by Ralph Averbuch

Here's a web 2.0 way of telling a tale. With taleofthings.com you can now take any object that has a story behind it, snap it, tag it with a QR code (a type of bar code) and allow others to discover what that piece of information is. They simply point their camera in their mobile at the QR code on the object and will be able to discover the tale from there. Still in beta, this project is a collaboration between a number of universities and Art colleges. The site provides a platform, "for users to add stories to their own treasured objects and to connect to other people who share similar experiences. This will enable future generations to have a greater understanding of the object’s past and offers a new way of preserving social history." There's already an iPhone app to make the whole process as simple as possible. So if you've got a lot of stuff with a tale to tell, you now have the tools for the task. Follow the project @talesofthings

Please Rob Me

http://pleaserobme.com/

Wed Apr 14 13:48:21 +0000 2010

by Ralph Averbuch

It's surprising just how blasé we have all become with our personal data over the last 15 years. That's about when the first viable web browser appeared with Netscape. Since then the web has grown exponentially and it now sits in our pockets on location-aware devices which can pinpoint your position to within a few metres. Marry this with our compulsive need to share information with friends and colleagues and you create a heady brew. Problem is, it's also easy for the unintended to sip from your personal outpourings. To try and highlight the dangers we have the rather excellent site Please Rob Me. Whilst tongue-in-cheek it's trying to remind all of us that there are very real dangers in sharing your information on the open web. As PRM puts it, "The danger is publicly telling people where you are. This is because it leaves one place you're definitely not... home." The site used to show people posting messages via Twitter, telling anyone where they were. Recently that's come down, the site owners feeling the point's been well made. So if you haven't yet considered the downside of all this locational openness go read up on how to protect your most important information from eyes you'd rather weren't looking.

BuddyPress

http://buddypress.org/

Wed Apr 07 21:13:08 +0000 2010

by Ralph Averbuch

If you've dabbled with blogs then chances are you already know about WordPress (WP). WordPress started as a blogging engine and it's free to use. But over time it's grown into a fairly mature Content Management System. And because it's freely available there are a huge number of free plugins and ways to customise it; so much so that a huge number of new websites opt to use WP to set up and maintain their content. But WP always lacked a really good forum bolt-on and social tools. Not any longer. BuddyPress is designed to fill that gap and turn anyone's WP-driven site into a Web 2.0 wonder in a few easy steps. So if you want a bit of social for your site, go check out what BuddyPress can do for you and take a peek at some of the sites that have already buddied-up.

Save time in the morning with "In the papers," free from ENN. For a summary of the top tech news by email, just mail itp@enn.ie with 'subscribe' in the subject.

Mybody.ie

http://www.mybody.ie

Fri Apr 02 09:17:47 +0000 2010

by Ralph Averbuch

Perhaps the problem all hypochondriacs now face is ready access to endless sources of medical information, which helps fuel the fears over every imagined symptom. But it is a two-edged sword. Reliable, good-quality medical information which is easy to access can also help alleviate unfounded fears and ease concerns. That's where Mybody.ie comes in. Utilising Flash, the site presents visitors with a pop-up window of the human body. You can then click on, for example, the throat to begin delving into your symptoms. A great interface and highly usable - even though this reviewer's symptoms (a sore throat) were diagnosed as a prolapsed disc! Can't win them all.

Save time in the morning with "In the papers," free from ENN. For a summary of the top tech news by email, just mail itp@enn.ie with 'subscribe' in the subject.

CitySounds.fm

http://citysounds.fm

Wed Mar 24 20:32:08 +0000 2010

by Ralph Averbuch

We're so spoilt when it comes to ways of discovering new music today. Gone are the days of hearing a song on the radio and going to buy a black piece of plastic requiring a needle. Some will lament that passing, but the global village we now enjoy gives us access to music we might never have heard, promoted by a vast array of specialist sites and music blogs. Added to this comes a service called CitySounds.fm which, rather than allowing selection by artist, album or music style, lets you pick cities and listen to tracks most recently uploaded. It's an aural lucky dip. If you're a fan of home-brew music you'll enjoy this latest way to listen to tracks being created all over the world, or just your home town. And don't forget the obligatory iPhone app too...