http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/index/ Making the 'Net a better place to be! en netopwibby@pw-software.com Copyright 2008 2008-07-03T07:38:00-05:00 http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/sites_and_sounds_and_sights/ http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/sites_and_sounds_and_sights/#When:07:38:00Z Wow, such a throwback ... I was looking around my server to back up PW Software for a possible upgrade and I found some sounds I recorded from my Nintendo DS. Of course, they are not the best quality but I think I was really trying at the time [maybe a year ago?]. Anyhoo, you can pick them up here. While also contemplating this redesign, I took a look at Mint. From the site: Mint is an extensible, self-hosted web site analytics program. Its interface is an exercise in simplicity. Visits, referrers, popular pages and searches can all be taken in at a glance on Mint’s flexible dashboard. In short, it allows you to track activity on your site [assuming you have any, lol] so that you can see what exactly it is the generates more visits. The interface is quite nice as well. No matter how helpful or cost-cutting an application or program may be, if it is not user-friendly or it has an ungly interface, people are not going to want to use it. Plain and simple. Speaking of interfaces, HP’s new “TouchSmart” PC looks a lot like a cross between an iMac and a TV ... and that’s the point [the TV capabilities anyway]. Here’s a pic for those who haven’t seen this yet: Instead of bore you with jibber jabber, why don’t you see it in action for yourself? Enjoy! Web 2008-07-03T07:38:00-05:00 http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/3g_iphone_on_june_9th/ http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/3g_iphone_on_june_9th/#When:00:51:01Z This was expected. There is always “one more thing” that Steve Jobs throws in at every keynote and if Gizmodo is to be believed, Apple will announce a 3G iPhone next month. Also, going 3G was the only way that Apple was going to really bring the fight to RIM [Blackberry manufacturer]. We’ll see what other newfangled gadgets they’ll come out with. Check out the rest of the article [here]. Apple 2008-05-22T00:51:01-05:00 http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/blender_v246_is_available/ http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/blender_v246_is_available/#When:14:45:00Z The newest version of Blender is out! One of the great implementations [and one I have been waiting for] is an image browser. Of course there’s more and you can check them out [here]. 3D 2008-05-21T14:45:00-05:00 http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/microsoft_interested_in_open_source/ http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/microsoft_interested_in_open_source/#When:14:34:00Z Yeeeeeah ... I don’t think so. Anyhoo, I am sure that you may know about a nifty [and free, open-source] 3D modelling program that goes by the name of Blender. The Blender team was recently contacted by a rep from Microsoft stating that they would be interested in “helping” the Blender devs in intergrating Microsoft’s file formats better. Well, I guess I better let you read for yourself: With respect to Blender, what can you tell me about your community/user feedback that you have heard regarding file formats?  Specifically, Microsoft is slowly shifting toward a more open standards based approach to its file formats.  The ISO standard Office Open XML is an example of the direction we are moving towards. A good user experience of Blender on Windows is good for your project/community and good for Microsoft.  What we are trying to understand is what file formats, which are not open or not fully open, are impeding the optimal experience with your community. If this is an important issue to your users then it also accrues to the experience in Windows. I would like to know what feedback you might have received regarding the files your users most often import and those they might be having a sub-optimal experience with.  Please also include in that list any Microsoft files that you might have trouble with. It is quite clear that Microsoft doesn’t know what open source truly means. It seems like they are trying to buy up every awesome company and their programs/apps so they can come out on top again. Don’t get me wrong, I use Microsoft’s apps [Visual Studio, XP, etc.] but this is a joke. You can check out the source of the story [here]. Microsoft 2008-05-17T14:34:00-05:00 http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/learning_web_design/ http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/learning_web_design/#When:04:40:06Z Gah, I’ve been busy as hell for the past couple of weeks. Just getting out of a creative slump is tiring also. Anyhoo, just a quick post ... I am going to try and make a dynamic website from scratch that utilizes javascript, CSS, and all the good stuff. It will be for a music site [my own actually!] and I want the interactivity to be flawless. And as luck would have it, Veerle posts about it on her blog. Even if you are pretty web-savvy, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look! Web 2008-05-01T04:40:06-05:00 http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/now_this_is_web_20/ http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/now_this_is_web_20/#When:15:51:00Z The Internet is getting an upgrade! How much so? Well, how about being able to download a feature film ... in mere seconds. Apparently, the people who pioneered the ‘Net in the first place are trying to find out the theoretical particle that makes mass - the Higgs boson. I don’t know if this new Internet is gonna keep it’s name, but for now it is being called, “The Grid”. This sounds like a technological thriller in which all this technology starts developing a consciousness and deems us humans dangerous. Or, the second coming of the Matrix. I’d like to think of a more Ghost in the Shell-esque world. Whichever the case, you can check out the full story here. Web 2008-04-06T15:51:00-05:00 http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/appleprint_wallpaper_pack/ http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/appleprint_wallpaper_pack/#When:02:34:00Z Apple 2008-03-31T02:34:00-05:00 http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/apple_flagship_store_in_boston/ http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/apple_flagship_store_in_boston/#When:01:11:01Z Well, I just had an interview [or should i say “seminar” interview] with the new management team that is going to be heading the Apple Store to be opened on Boylston Street in downtown Boston. This was actually my second Apple Retail Store interview but I was really excited for this one. Besides the obvious cool factor, just having the chance to be a part of something as monumental as helping open a flagship store - the biggest in North America by the way - is just way to awesome to pass up. I got to the interview and met some cool people too. Of course, there are a bunch of people to compete against for a position, but it will be a pretty big store, so I’m pretty confident [and hoping!] that I get it. Oh, and I will be going for the Mac Genius position. A hell of a lot of training but I love gadgets and technology ... so this would be learning for fun. And I would get to do it e v e r y d a y. Who else can say that? I think that I have a second interview because I just checked my GMail and I got an email from an Apple representative about completing some background information. They wouldn’t need that unless they were going to hire you, right? d[^__^]b Wish me luck peoples! And even if I don’t get it, I’ll just reapply. Tech is my verb, it’s what I do. EDIT: After the interview I was actually able to get Rough Guide’s Macs and OS X 10.5 Leopard book at the local Barnes & Nobles FTW. EDIT #2: I’m invited for a second interview! I am SO getting this job, just watch. Apparently, I didn’t have enough work experience to have the required “people skills” ... since when did jobs become the only way you interact with people? Don’t you do that everyday? Meh, whatever. Blogging 2008-03-29T01:11:01-05:00 http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/medusa_apripoko/ http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/medusa_apripoko/#When:14:01:00Z First of all, I didn’t even know what HDMI stood for [although the HD was obvious]. The only reason why I am posting about the Medusa HDMI Hub is because I wish all hubs looked like this. I mean, wow. It’s sleek, it’s shiny, and if I could change one thing, it would be that the brown part be made of wood [or at least look like it]. Check out the pic and the full story courtesy of Akihabara News [click on the pic!]. Also reported from Akihabara News, a talking voice-activated universal remote controlled robot for your desktop called ApriPoko is available from Toshiba [wow, that was a mouthful!]. I love peguins and this robot looks like one too! It understands your commands but I’m thinking that it understands Japanese only [it is made in Japan]. Check out the cool pic and story [again, click on the pic]. Gadgets 2008-03-26T14:01:00-05:00 http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/blah_blah_blah/ http://pw-software.com/index.php/site/blah_blah_blah/#When:02:08:00Z Well, once again I feel like I want to completely remodel this site [yes, probably for the 25th time]. There’s a really cool CMS called sNews and it’s extremely lightweight. I’ve actually known about this for quite some time, but only remembered it last week. Meh, I’ll remodel my Fresh Beats website to use with sNews. Oh, and by the way, you can get it here. Tell ‘em Paul sent you! ... actually, they don’t know me but try it anyway! In gaming news, the long awaited and eagerly anticipated Super Smash Bros. Brawl has come out for the Wii but am I playing it? ... no. I want to play it [duh] but I don’t have a Wii [or even time to play it]. Oh, and for Megaman Starforce fans [yup, all 5 of you in the back], the second installment will come out this June [of ‘08]. A ginormous fan of MMBN, I was hoping to feel the same sort of fanatical enthusiasm for Starforce but it’s just not the same. Sure, the battle system, chip collection, and beating down bad guys and viruses are there but there’s no more Lan and Megaman. The Capcom team could at least throw in some hints and tie-ins as to how life was for Lan and Co. at the end of MMBN6 [the last MMBN game]. I made a replacement icon for a program called Celtx [which you can get here]. I won’t get into the whole explanation of what the application does here since I’ve provided the link but if you are a script writer or do production for plays and such [or if you’re embarking on a highly ambitious MMORPG project ... like myself], then you will find it most handy. Anyhoo, back to the icon. When you create a project file, the icon for it looks rather bland, and I was tired of seeing it, and so I made one. I emailed the Celtx team and they liked it so, hey! Maybe this will be the start of some freelance work? Blogging 2008-03-26T02:08:00-05:00