3 New Browser Tools You Should Know About: Embedly, Cortex, Readon.ly

The browser is a beautiful thing, but it can be made so much better with the right tools. In the screenshot posted here, you can see new two tools in action - both of which you should check out right away.

What you're looking at in that image is the page for a single Tweet, viewed using the brand new Chrome browser extension from Embed.ly, which displays embedded previews from 165 different publishing platforms and previews of any web link posted on Twitter. It's a must-have. Overlayed on top of that? The rapid sharing tool Cortex - probably the fastest way to post links to Twitter, Facebook, Instapaper and Tumblr. Click your mouse, hold for two seconds and that circle shows up. Move over one of the sections and you're on your way to sharing a link.



Embedly makes beautiful use of web standards. Cortex is still a little rough around the edges; it could use a character count-down for Twitter, for example, and it takes some getting used to before it's easy to control. It's worth trying for a while, though.

What's the third? ReadOn.ly, a simple little bookmarklet that makes it easy to share links with fly-out quotes and tags that can be navigated to view all the most interesting quotes on a given topic found by other users. It's a really cool little service. There are others like it, see Sniply, for example, and each of them brings a different design element to the nascent field of content curation. There's clearly a whole lot of room for development in the field of curation and sharing.



from ReadWriteWeb

10 Web Browsers You Probably Haven’t Heard Of

Firefox. Internet Explorer. Chrome. Safari. Opera. We’ve pretty much all heard of them by now. They’ve been fighting for market share for the past few years (Internet Explorer has been fighting for it for a lot longer than that), and it’s unlikely any of them will ever come out the absolute winner. They try to be all things to all people. And that’s great.

Except…

What if you’re looking for a browser that does just the things you want to do online? What if you’re sick of all the browser-war hubub and want something that’s truly unique and different (and, maybe, works better than the mainstream options)? What then?

Well, there’s good news. There are more than a dozen excellent alternative browsers out there if you’re looking for something distinctive. Below are ten such web browsers, along with why you might want to consider using them.

1. Stainless

Stainless is a browser created in response to Google Chrome. It utilizes multi-processing architecture like Chrome (which, at the time of inception, wasn’t available for OS X), but also has some excellent features not found in other browsers. One of the most interesting features is the ability to log into one website using two different accounts in separate tabs.

Why you should consider it: The ability to log into a site with different credentials in different tabs makes this an excellent option for many. It’s especially useful if you have, say, work-related Gmail accounts and personal Gmail accounts.

Current release version: 0.7.5

Operating systems supported: OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard.

2. Maxthon

Maxthon is a highly configurable browser that places an emphasis on security. It has a built-in Ad Hunter that blocks most ads, as well as security features to prevent spyware, malware, and viruses. It lets you fully customize your browsing experience (you can choose between using menus, hot keys, word aliases, toolbars, or mouse gestures, plus there are more than 1,400 plug-ins to add functionality). It has filters available to block irritating or offensive content.

Other Maxthon features include a built-in screen capture tool, URL aliases for faster surfing, a built-in feed reader, an online favorites service, advanced proxy rules, and an anti-freeze feature.

Why you should consider it: If you want a customizable browser, Maxthon might be what you’re looking for; it’s built specifically for power users. Between plugins, skins, filter packs, and other customizable features, it truly lets you personalize your browsing experience. For parents concerned about their children’s’ activities online, the filters for blocking content can be reassuring.

Current release version: 2.5.11 (the Classic Version is also available: 1.6.5)

Operating systems supported: Windows

3. Sleipnir

Sleipnir is very popular in Japan with a majority share in the country. It’s a profoundly customizable browser that maintains speed and performance despite customizations. There are skins and plugins available for it, letting you change the design and settings of the browser to suit your needs. And as all good browsers should, it stresses on security and usability, and allows for tabbed browsing.

Why you should consider it: Sleipnir is an option if you want a highly customizable browsing experience.

Current release version: 2.9.2

Operating systems supported: Windows 98 and newer

4. Swiftfox

Swiftfox is an optimized build of Firefox that’s faster and more cutting edge than the regular Firefox distribution. It works with Firefox plugins, making it remarkably extensible. The overall user interface is similar to Firefox, but is a bit more minimalist and clutter-free. Most other features are in line with what Firefox has to offer.

Why you should consider it: If you love Firefox but want something faster and lighter, then Swiftfox is your best bet.

Current release version: 3.5.6

Operating systems supported: Linux

5. Lunascape

Lunascape is the world’s first and only triple engine browser. That’s right: it’s a hybrid browser that runs on Gecko, Trident, and WebKit. It supports plugins and add-ons from Firefox, Internet Explorer, as well as their own plugin platform. It’s touted to be faster and lighter than many other browser options.

Why you should consider it: If you find yourself constantly switching back and forth between browsers (either for cross-browser testing of web designs or because of add-ons available only to Firefox or Internet Explorer), Lunascape is a perfect fit for you.

Current release version: 6.0.1

Operating systems supported: Windows

6. Konqueror

Konqueror combines web browsing, local and remote file management, and a universal viewing app that lets you view documents without having to launch other programs. It’s open source and HTML 4.01 compliant. It embraces Netscape plugins (like those for Flash or RealVideo). Konqueror also has a built-in FTP and WebDAV support.

Why you should consider it: If you’re a Linux user who wants a browser that can multitask, then Konqueror is definitely something to look into. It’s especially useful for those who want to be able to manage files right from within their browser.

Operating systems supported: Linux

7. SeaMonkey

SeaMonkey is developed by Mozilla and is an "all-in-one" internet suite of apps. While the browser within SeaMonkey is pretty standard (and not unlike Firefox), what sets it apart is that it has integrated email, newsgroups, an HTML editor, IRC Chat, and web development tools. The mail feature offers tabbed reading and supports tagging and alternate views for better email finding and reading. The HTML editor renders CSS and gives you dynamic image and table resizing. For web developers, you can take advantage of the JavaScript debugger and a DOM inspector.

Why you should consider it: For developers and designers, SeaMonkey has a plethora of useful built-in features. It’s also a great option for people who like to run the bare minimum number of apps.

Current release version: 2.0.1

Operating systems supported: Windows 2000 and newer, Mac OS X 10.4 and newer, and Linux.

8. OmniWeb

OmniWeb is a WebKit browser created by the same people who created OmniGraffle and OmniOutliner. It aims to be fun and easy to use (like other Omni products) and shares a similar user interface. It has all the standard browser features we’ve come to expect (including tabbed browsing, bookmarks, and ad blocking), but also includes Workspaces, which lets you save browsing sessions to open later and includes an auto-save option and a built-in RSS reader.

Why you should consider it: For Mac users who want a browser that’s efficient and easy to use, OmniWeb might be just what you’re looking for. It’s appropriate for power users too, and the Workspaces feature is especially handy.

Current release version: 5.0.1

Operating systems supported: Mac OS X 10.4.8 or newer

9. Camino

Think of Camino as a Firefox build specifically for Macs, built on the Gecko 1.9 rendering engine. It includes phishing and malware protection, tabs (including a tab overview function that lets you see all your open tabs at once), "annoyance blocking" (which blocks ads, pop-ups, and Flash animations), Keychain support (to save your browsing credentials), and download notifications. It also includes AppleScript support, feed detection, session saving, recently closed tabs, and full keyboard access.

Why you should consider it: Camino is a great browser for Mac users who like Firefox but want something built specifically for the Mac.

Current release version: 2.0

Operating systems supported: Mac OS X 10.4 or newer

10. Flock

Flock is probably better known than many of the other browsers above, especially if you’re a social media addict. Flock was created specifically to make managing your social media activities easier from within your browser.

Flock focuses on staying connected through social media by making sharing and publishing things easier. It integrates directly with Facebook, Gmail, Digg, YouTube, MySpace, Flickr, Twitter, WordPress, Blogger, Delicious, Bebo, TypePad, Picasa, and more. Special features include a People sidebar, a Media bar (to browse photos and videos from your favorite sites), a built-in feed reader, a photo uploader, a blog editor, and more. There are also extensions and custom themes available for download.

Why you should consider it: Flock is a great choice for social media power users who want to be able to connect with all their social media accounts from one place.

Current release version: 2.5

Operating systems supported: Windows, Linux, Mac OS X

by Cameron Chapman

from SixRevisions

Slurpr: WiFi aggregator, with a (big) catch

Slurpr may sound like another “Web 2.0″ site, but it’s actually a piece of networking hardware. The beastly device, designed by Dutch hacker Mark Hoekstra, is designed to aggregate a bunch of Wi-Fi access points into one big fat high speed connection.







The device automatically seeks out the six strongest open Wi-Fi channels, connects to all of them, and combines the signals into a massively fast ‘net connection.

Of course, we all know that using open wireless access points is against the law in many countries, so you and I would never use such a device. However, for those of your into defying authority, you can read more about the Slurpr here.

from Technabob

How Top webpages of the world looked when they were first launched?

Kids today have no clue what technology looked like back in the day. They just log on to their favorite websites and share pictures or chat away and not a care in the world what it was like dealing with those prehistoric, snail-slow loading webpages . Well, take a look back in time...

Google

This snapshot was taken on December 20, 1998.



The fully functional old interface can be found on a link here.

Yahoo

This snapshot was taken on October 20, 1996.



The fully functional old interface can be found on a link here.



The fully functional old interface can be found on a link here.

Hotmail

This snapshot was taken on December 10, 1997.



The fully functional old interface can be found on a link here.

YouTube

This snapshot was taken on July 1, 2005.



The fully functional old interface can be found on a link here.

MSN

This snapshot was taken on October 22, 1996.



The fully functional old interface can be found on a link here.

Twitter

This snapshot was taken on October 6, 2006.



The fully functional old interface can be found on a link here.

Wikipedia

This snapshot was taken on March 31, 2001.



Flickr

This snapshot was taken on May 22, 2004.

ebay

This snapshot was taken on March 1, 2000.



fully functional old interface can be found here.

from Techified

Firesheep - Hacking made easy and how to protect yourself

I know for some, this is old news and yes, as a matter of fact, it is! But its will definately hold true for some also that this is fresh hot news....Anyway, Firesheep is a script/addon on Mozilla FireFox written to hijack session cookies on popular sites like Facebook, Amazon, etc. Read on below...



The internet has been alive with talk about Firesheep a Firefox plug-in that allows you to capture session cookies from sites like Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Dropbox, Flickr, tumblr, wordpress, Yahoo, Google, and more. The method has been around for a while, but there simply hasn't been a piece of software widely available and as easy to use, that can accomplish the task, with little to no knowledge of how it works.

Most websites will encrypt the login portion of the site, but once logged in sends the session cookies over in plane text. The session cookie is what tells the website you are logged in. So Firesheep simply takes the cookie and allows you to use the website as if you are logged in as the other user. Websites could protect themselves from this by simply encrypting everything sent on the site but many simply don't and this why the creator of Firesheep has released this software. It brings attention to the problem and forces websites to encrypt their data and protect their users.

For now there are several ways you can protect yourself. The easiest in my opinion is to use Hotspot shield. It's a little application that you install that basically connects you to a proxy server that encrypts all your data for you. The only down side to this application is that it places a small banner at the top of every page for advertisements, but hey it's free and it works. I tested it with Firesheep running and it does indeed prevent the cookie from being stolen.

Another simple solution is to use HTTPS everywhere extension for Firefox. The extension which only works for a couple sites forcing them to encrypt the data sent over the network and preventing applications like Firesheep from intercepting them. It works for popular sites such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter. So as far as those websites and a hand full of others are concerned you are covered. If you are the geeky type you can write your own rules which can allow the plugin to work for any HTTPS enabled site.

The more complete way of protecting yourself without ads is to simply use a SSH Proxy server to encrypt your data. Everything is sent to you from the proxy encrypted so nothing will be captured from programs like Firesheep. You can also use a VPN to encrypt your traffic with applications like Hamachi.

Another interesting plugin that popped up this morning was one called FireShepherd. It basically exploits a weakness of Firesheep by flooding it with nonsense cookies causing it to crash. This could of course be patched by the developer or users of the plugin, but the developer of FireShepherd has said he will continue to find ways of defending against this plugin.

Update October 29, 2010
I just wanted to make sure that my readers don't get the wrong impression. FireSheep is most definitely illegal to use in the US and the UK. If you use it on a public Wi-Fi it's the same as placing wiretap, which can only be done by the authorities and only with a warrant for information. So even though it's really easy and cool it's not a good idea to go around using it. Just thought I would reiterate that for you guys out there.

from BlogVersity

3 New NoSQL Tutorials to Check Out This Weekend

This week saw the publication of three new introductory tutorials on three different NoSQL databases: one on CouchDB, one on MongoDB and one on SimpleDB.

If you've been meaning to check out one or more of these databases, these tutorials could form the basis for a good weekend project.

How to Move from MySQL to CouchDB: Part 1

If you're interested in migrating a MySQL database to CouchDB, or just want to learn more about how CouchDB works in comparison to a SQL database, check out this tutorial from the CouchOne blog:

If you have a database built using MySQL, you might be wondering if, and more importantly how, that database (and your application) can be moved to CouchDB. The biggest stumbling block is not the technical aspects of creating the CouchDB or storing your information (although they are important), instead it's about looking at your data in a different way, and then knowing how that changes how your application works.We're going to start by looking at how you can turn your MySQL database structure into CouchDB, and how querying your database in CouchDB differs from the methods used in MySQL.

MongoDB: Basic Queries

Above is a video tutorial on basic MongoDB queries from ThinkVitamin. There are other videos in this series, but you'll have to sign up for a ThinkVitamin membership.

Introduction to Amazon's SimpleDB

Amazon.com has a somewhat overlooked NoSQL database called SimpleDB. As Tom Borthwick points out in his tutorial, there's more "no" than just NoSQL: "No datatypes (except utf-8 strings), no transactions, no joins, no indexes, no schema, no administration, and no cost for minimal usage."

from ReadWriteWeb

In 2020 We Can Wear Sony Computers On Our Wrist

Our present need for internet connectivity is so profound that secondary devices like the Nextep Computer are bound to happen. Developed to be worn as a bracelet, this computer concept is constructed out of a flexible OLED touchscreen. Earmarked for the year 2020, features like a holographic projector (for screen), pull-out extra keyboard panels and social networking compatibility, make the concept plausible. Ten years from now is not too far away, so how many of you think we’d be buying such gadgets?











from YankoDesign

Hacker’s Guide to Tea

Korean Hwang Cha (Yellow Tea)

TL;DR:

• All tea comes from the camellia sinensis plant. If you are drinking something that did not come from this plant (chamomile, mint, tulsi, rooibos, etc) it is not tea).


• White, Green, Oolong, Yellow, Black and Pu-erh teas all come from the camellia sinensis plant and the type of tea is determined by the processing methods used on the plucked leaves.


• Tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid that promotes mental acuity. The combination of L-theanine and caffeine creates a sense of “mindful awareness.”


• Tea can be prepared in any vessel by steeping the leaves directly in hot water as long as you strain the leaves out of the water before drinking.


• The more oxidized the tea leaves are, the hotter the water temperature should be when steeping.

TL:

In addition to caffeine, tea contains an amino acid called L-theanine. “Several studies from Japan and the UK have shown that consumption of 50mg of L-theanine increases alpha wave activity in the brain, with the maximum effect occurring about 80 minutes after consumption. This amount is equivalent to approximately three cups of tea. Alpha waves correspond to a relaxed-but-alert mental state, and believed to be an important part of selective attention (the ability to choose to pay attention to something and avoid distraction by other stimuli)” [source: http://www.teageek.net]. L-theanine in tea produces a type of “mindful awareness” not evident in coffee. This is what prevents the 3pm “coffee crash.”



Theanine

This makes tea an important tool for maintaining mental perspicacity for hours of coding, late night performance, or for getting through those bleak morning hours.

Let’s get this out of the way – tea bags suck. Actually, most mainstream tea sucks. Mainstream tea is low quality, blended, and sometimes contains cheap flavorings. There are countless tea shops out there that buy directly from small farmers that produce small crops each season and likely process the tea by hand.

What You Need to Know

Camellia Sinensis: The Tea Plant

• All true tea comes from the camellia sinensis plant [photo above]. White, Green, Oolong, Yellow, Black, and Pu-erh teas all come from this plant.


• Loose tea can be steeped multiple times. Some teas can be re-steeped 20 or more times. The flavor is gradually extracted from the leaves with each subsequent steep.


• When shopping for tea, look for companies that offer information about where the tea is from, how it was processed, who grew it, and most importantly—when the tea was harvested.

When steeping the tea, be sure the tea can flow freely through the water, this rules out tea bags, tiny tea infusion baskets, tea balls, etc. Ideally, pour water directly over the tea and then strain before drinking. If you must use an infuser, a large finum strainer [photo left] works nicely and still allows for proper water flow.

Depending on the type of tea you are steeping there are two important variables you must pay attention to: water temperature, and steeping time. I’m assuming you are using good water, as tea is 98% water – using a strong chlorinated water would be a bad idea. In general, hotter water must be used for highly oxidized teas. Remember, you are preparing a drink that you should enjoy, so always take tea instructions with a grain of salt. Experiment often to discover the “sweet spot” with your teas and remember—a good tea is a forgiving tea. If your tea is bitter, reduce the steeping temperature. If your tea is too weak, increase the amount of tea leaves used or increase the steeping time.  Here are some guidelines I send out with orders for Chicago Tea Garden

Tea	Water Temperature	1st Steep	2nd Steep	3rd Steep	4th Steep
White	150-160ºF	1 min	1 min	1.5 min	1.75 min
Green	170-180ºF	1 min	1 min	1.5 min	1.75 min
Oolong	190-195ºF	30 sec	30 sec	45 sec	45 sec
Black	212ºF	1 min	1 min	1.5 min	1.5 min
Pu-erh	212ºF	30 sec	30 sec	45 sec	1 min

It is not necessary to get real serious about the steeping temperatures, for 195, boil water, take it off the stove, and wait about a minute. For 170, wait longer. Remember, experiment often.

If you want to get serious about steeping your tea, use a yixing pot, or a gaiwan. If you need energy, consider drinking matcha — a suspension of powdered tea. You are actually consuming the leaf so the health benefits and energy received from matcha are greater than that in other teas. If you need peace, study thegongfu tea ceremony [pictured below]– it is a great way to relax so you can enjoy and appreciate the tea.



Gong Fu Tea Ceremony

A fresh tea should have a shelf life of approximately two years, a lightly oxidized tea might become stale quicker. Store your tea away from light, heat air, and any strong scents.

by Tony Gebely

read more from WorldOfTea

An early look at Chrome OS

Although you can download beta, unbranded versions of Google's nascent operating system now, Chrome OS won't be ready for mainstream use until the middle of 2011. That doesn't mean we can't show you some of what to expect. Check out this gallery for an early look at the cloud-based operating system.

A quick look at Google Chrome OS (photos)

by Seth Rosenblatt

from Cnet

Thin Film Solar Catching Up To Crystalline Panels On Efficiency?

The National Renewable Energy Labratory (NREL) recently tested thin-film solar modules made by MiaSolé, and verified that their energy conversion efficiency rate hit 15.7 percent, up from 14.3 percent last year.

The company boasted about the number, and several news outlets touted the results. Does it mean the performance gap between thin-film and crystalline solar modules is closing? Could thin-film take a bite out of the market for crystalline panels in the U.S., soon?

Clean tech analysts and engineers believe that thin-film solar is not likely to catch up to crystalline in terms of efficiency any time soon. Neither will thin-film solar modules steal market share from crystalline in 2011, they predict.

Thin film solar modules are made by a huge number of companies today including: Abound Solar, Best Solar, First Solar, Konica, LG Electronics, MiaSolé, PrimeStar Solar, Nanosolar, Sharp and Uni-Solar. Not all thin-film solar is created equal, however.

Today’s typical thin-film modules look like sheets of glass (image, below). Crystalline modules also look like sheets of glass but are thicker, and framed in metal (image, top of post). Uni-Solar’s thin-film modules, interestingly, are flexible and have a stick-on backing.



A senior analyst with Lux Research, Ted Sullivan, points out that there are a variety of thin-film solar cells in production today: MiaSolé uses copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar cells in their product; FirstSolar uses cadmium telluride (CdTe) cells, which are dominant sellers in the U.S. thin-film solar market today; while Konica and Sharp use silicon cells.

Of all thin-film technologies, CIGS modules demonstrate the greatest energy conversion efficiency, and power output per square meter. CIGS cells require less energy for production than crystalline cells. Thin film in general requires less expensive semiconductor material, and fewer process steps than it takes to make crystalline modules, according to NREL research.

Manufacturing costs keep the price of thin-film modules comparatively low, today. Solar analyst Sullivan explained, however, that thin-film solar manufacturers face a different challenge:

“There’s kind of a consistency issue for all [thin-film] players. Ideally, you want modules to be produced identically, so there is no variation between each module [especially once they're installed out in the field].

CIGS thin-film solar production is the most highly variable as it involves four metal alloys and processes where impurities and other things can have a negative impact on the resulting product.”

MiaSolé’s 15.7 percent rating, he noted, is important because it illustrates that CIGS thin-film solar technology is comparable to the current, low-end potential energy of silicon polycrystalline panels.

But thin-film solar manufacturers have to procure a greater variety of metals from sources far from the United States (mostly China today) leading to market concerns over trade war potential, a shortage of metals, and unfair labor and damaging environmental practicesof mines.

Meanwhile, crystalline module prices are coming down a bit as production ramps worldwide. A solar engineer at GridPoint in Houston, Texas, John Gardner says both technologies have their uses, even in a world where they cost about the same.

GridPoint sells and installs software, hardware and services to help organizations switch to clean energy in any form that will work best for their facilities and operations. Gardner says the company uses both thin-film and crystalline solar for client projects, but more crystalline so far, including in power generating systems they’ve installed for federal agencies, retailers and restaurant chains.

Gardner outlined some of the best uses and limitations of each technology:

“In a typical home installation, you’ll have a certain area, or amount of roof space where you want to place solar panels. If there’s a limited space, you’ll probably want crystalline to get the most power per square foot.

Structure or aesthetics sometimes dictate what you are able to install, though. We worked on one project involving a roof that could not handle the weight of crystalline panels.

Or let’s say you’re building a skyscraper with a glass façade. If you integrate thin-film type solar panels there, your building is now generating power with the same skin that was otherwise just glass.

If you have near unlimited space, say to build a solar farm out in the desert, you could consider thin-film because the modules cost less per watt. That said, labor costs to install a higher number of modules could offset the price difference, and crystalline might make more sense.”

On Monday, the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels— SunTech Power Holdings Co.in Wuxi, China— announced it expects to have crystalline modules that have 22 percent conversion efficiency out in the market in the next three years.

That’s one more reason, Sullivan suggests, crystalline panels will remain dominant in 2011, especially in applications where space is limited. “Most of the thin-film technologies out there today will never get to silicon crystalline efficiency, which has just been around longer and is still seeing improvements,” he concluded.

CIGS panels image via: Department of Energy Solar Decathalon


Crystalline panels image via: Wayne National Forest

by Lora Kolodny

for the rest of the story -> TechCrunch

Minority Report has arrived, via the Kinect

Ok, a little more tweaking here and there for say, the next 5 years and we will be fighting pre-crime using one the offsprings of this here...

Gingerbread Ported to HTC HD2

In all honesty, my favorite all time phone is still the HTC HD2. It's a pretty strong machine and has been proven to port all sorts of Mobil OS's and sometimes Desktop Operating Systems too. Here, read on..

Developers on XDA have apparently managed to get Android 2.3 Gingerbread booting on an HTC HD2, just a day after the OS was launched and the SDK released. Several members had independently been working on a port since user spbeeking uploaded a copy of the Gingerbread system.img file extracted from the SDK, but it was DarkStone1337 who provided the final piece of the puzzle in the form of a modified inti.rc file. However, since DarkStone is unable to release any actual builds due to time constraints, he is leaving further development up to the rest of the community -- meaning that no simplified package yet exists for end users to boot the platform's new version.

Apparently that's just as well, as many of the HD2's hardware components are incompatible with the current image, and that won't likely change until the Nexus One's OTA Gingerbread update arrives and gets dumped in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, Leo users will probably have some sort of 2.3 action to play with before then, but any build based off the SDK is never going to be much more than a proof of concept.



from PocketNow

Why Teens Don't And Won't Tweet

Guest author Michael Moore-Jones is a sixteen-year-old who has grown up globally, but is currently based in Wellington, New Zealand. He is passionate about technology and business, and is involved in numerous startups. You can read his thoughts on his blog atmmoorejones.com, or follow him on Twitter at @mmoorejones.

I'm 16 and, unusually, I use Twitter quite a bit. I say unusually because perhaps you've heard that teens don't tweet. This first came to light last year when a 15-year-old Morgan Stanley intern wrote a report [PDF] where he explained that teens "realize they are not going to update it," and that "no one is viewing their profile, so their 'tweets' are pointless."

Teens' lives are entirely built around their actual friends. Quite simply, why would teenagers bother using Twitter when Facebook exists, and offers so much more? Teens want a platform that allows easy, fully-functional communication to an exclusive social circle. That is, solely to their friends and peers. Twitter is a platform built for inclusive broadcast (to everyone), and to teenagers it offers no obvious value.

Can you think of some reasons as to why your average Twitter user keeps tweeting? Self-promotion and the ability to follow interests immediately come to mind. For example, Robert Scoble uses Twitter to share his insights and knowledge on the tech scene, as well as to receive instant information on those areas of his interest.

Now let's compare these reasons against the reasons teenagers use social networks: They use them to extend their real social connections onto the Internet, so that their social lives can continue with a larger group of friends, even when they can't physically be with all of them at once. Self-promotion isn't a high priority for most teens as they don't have professional lives to think about, and the interests that they have are fed to them by their real friends.

Teenagers don't usually care about being updated in real time on current events, and those events that are big enough, or relevant to them, will be shared by their real friends. It's the simple fact that Twitter isn't solving a problem that teenagers have, so there is no need for it.

The medium that teenagers use to communicate to their friends is actually very important, as it says a lot about what type of communication is to come (whether it's a long conversation, or just a quick question). Twitter does not offer any alternate mediums of communication. Tweets themselves are usually impersonal, and @replies and Direct Messages do not serve as methods of communication that have any advantages to teenagers over methods offered by Facebook.

Facebook already has almost everything a teen could want in terms of communication and social networking, and it's about to get even better with Facebook Messages (which will be a huge success amongst teenagers). Again, Twitter just offers no value to teenagers.

In terms of actually discovering interesting things that friends have said, Facebook offers a fantastic proposition - News Feed with the algorithm for pushing "interesting" content to the top. To teenagers, who don't constantly watch information flowing in, this tool alone is a reason to never need Twitter. News Feed in real-time mode does exactly what Twitter does, except with media displayed in-feed (pictures and videos, rather than just the links to them).

However, there are hundreds of thousands of teenagers who do tweet. Most of my friends who do use Twitter have very specific interests they are building a following around (myself included, with interests being technology and business).

Whereas most teenagers only have an audience of real friends, teens with specific interests have a basis on which to target a separate, specific audience. The moment a sports-mad teen gets on Twitter, they know who their audience is and therefore see a reason for people to read their tweets. The majority of teenagers who don't have specific interests realize that no one would read what they have to say, so don't even bother creating a Twitter account.

Considering all these reasons that are holding teenagers back from using Twitter, it's easy to wonder exactly how useful it is to the adults who use it. In a sense, it reminds me of Bebo and MySpace. Maybe it's a fad for the older generations. It's addictive, sometimes useful, and more often than not just a time-waster. It offers no great value proposition over existing services (Facebook) that offer much greater functionality. Is there any staying-power to it? Does it do anything that Facebook can't implement in a way that is more useful to the masses?

from ReadWriteWeb

Facebook Photo Zoom

For me personally, I don't really like the thumbnail type pictures you see of people trying to add you on Facebook and I; in truth I don't feel like clicking on their picture to find out if I actually do know them before accepting after the fact that I don't recall their names. I'd like to say; I am a lot better with faces.

So, here is this new JavaScript tool/extension on Google Chrome or Mozilla FireFox made by Regis Gaughan, III  that would solve this for you. It's as simple as hovering your mouse cursor over the thumbnail and presto! You would see the orignal image in its actual size.



chrome web store

Tips For Fighting Social Engineering Attacks

Social engineering attacks are, in essence, very straightforward -- and the more insidious for that, particularly in the age of social networking.

What is the straightforward part? It’s the same in the digital age as it was a hundred or a thousand years ago: Convince a mark (your co-worker or someone with access to your network) that the crook isn't a crook, but someone who has a legitimate professional reason to access sensitive business information.

The rise of social networking and constant communications, however, has made this sort of attack even more insidious. We share so much information today with so many people that the lines between appropriate and inappropriate activity start to blur.

It’s a process that can turn into a vicious cycle. And it’s up to your IT organization to break the cycle and protect your information assets.

Whatever form the social engineering attack takes -- a live attacker posing as someone he or she isn't, phishing and similar e-mail and digital communications attacks, or social networking and other "conversational" attacks -- there are several things you can do to defend against them:

Define clear policies. A strong, detailed, clear employee communications and Web usage policy should include instructions and descriptions of appropriate -- and prohibited requests for company information. This includes detailing the types of requests, such as unsolicited e-mails or unexpected telephone calls, to which employees should never respond.

Train your employees. A policy only works well if it's deeply and thoroughly understood. Training -- with ongoing reinforcement and continuing education materials and instruction -- has to be part of your security strategy.

New media require new rules. Social networks, blog posts, tweets, IMs, and other new media formats bring new opportunities for social engineering attackers. This relates directly to my previous point: Continuing education is central to an effective defense against social engineering and other attacks.

Trust (or don't) but verify. Below a certain level in the organization, consider requiring a sign-off or other verification when an employee receives an unexpected request for information, no matter how official it looks or sounds. And above that level? Well, considering how security-clueless some non-IT executives are, maybe you should require two sign-offs. Seriously, social engineering attacks pose a threat at every level of an enterprise, and you should design your response accordingly.

Remind employees to exercise common sense online. Whether in online groups, forums, and other digital gathering places, or at conventions, conferences and trade shows, industry and peer group gatherings are good places for social engineering crooks to look for marks. Reinforce your security and confidentiality rules before authorizing the travel vouchers and per diems.

By: Keith Ferrell (10/28/2010)

from Dell

Mobile Virtualization Bringing One Phone for Both Work and Play

LG Electronics and VMware today jointly announced a partnership to bring virtualization to smartphones in the enterprise next year. With VMware’s technology on Google Android handsets from LG, one smartphone can be used securely in the workplace with personal and enterprise accounts kept completely separate on a single device. This effort can help I.T. departments who face a growing number of employees wishing to choose or carry their own mobile phone without needing a second device for work.

The concept of virtualization isn’t new; users have run Microsoft Windows simultaneously on a Mac computer in a virtual machine since Apple moved to Intel processors in 2006, for example. The idea is that software can act like hardware and effectively create a virtually working computer environment within a physical one, which can save on hardware costs. These virtual machines are fairly common today on powerful desktops and notebooks, but are now about to filter down to handsets thanks to improved processing power of smartphones.

Today’s announcement from LG and VMware follows just months after we held a mobile virtualization panel at our Mobilize conference in September. At the time, Srinivas Krishnamurti, senior director for mobile solutions at VMware, suggested there wasn’t yet a use case for widespread virtualization on mobiles. But smartphone sales are quickly rising;they’re expected to surpass computer sales by the end of 2012. As enterprise workers buy personal smartphones, they’re not likely to find it appealing to carry both their own phone and a work phone. I’d say Krishnamurti has found his use case.

Using personal devices in the workplace adds support and security challenges to the enterprise, however, which is why corporations often standardize their computing and mobile device choices. Supporting and maintaining a fleet of similar — or exactly the same — devices is more cost-effective than attempting to do so with a vast range of hardware and software throughout the enterprise. Mixing personal accounts with work accounts on a single device today increases data security risks, as well. This video demo from Engadgetdemonstrates how the virtualization software effectively keeps work and personal lives separate on a single phone.



In theory, VMware’s mobile virtualization solution resolves both support and security issues. Some LG Android devices in 2011 will be capable of running “a work account in isolation from a user’s personal account on a single mobile device,” said LG in today’s news release. One tap of the screen, for example, effectively changes the entire look and feel of a smartphone with virtualization When in “enterprise mode”, the phone signs into an employee account and only shows workplace apps, contacts and data. Another tap can pause the virtual machine for work and revert back to the native, personal handset.

To be sure, LG and VMware aren’t making the first attempt to use one device for both work and pleasure; T-Mobile recently began to offer a similar solution, but with a different approach. The company worked with HTC to create simple profile switching on its myTouch 3G Slide earlier this year. That may work for some, but the solution isn’t as secure as virtualization, which truly acts like multiple machines, each with separate data.

In any case, both types of solutions are likely to become more prominent as employees look for ways to bring their personal device into the workplace without causing support nightmares or security breaches. The fact that LG and VMware chose Android isn’t all that surprising, but it’sworth noting as well. Because of the platform’s open-source and Linux underpinnings, it’s likely the best candidate for such solutions.

from GigaOm