Well Spam karma 2 is really doing the job at keeping spam comments at bay. So far it has killed spams 100% successfully ie, non got through the net and no real comments were killed. So for anybody running Wordpress I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Over on the Digg front page is an AJAX implementation which displays the output of an iTunes plugin called NowPlaying. This simply means that the page updates itself to show the most recent track somebody has played in iTunes.
Well not to be outdone I have shoved it on right here. You might notice that the album art (on the right!) may change every now and then displaying the art of the album I am playing right now without any refreshing. I got rid of the fade effects though, that just flickered and pissed me off.
I might have to anchor the side some how though, it jumps around too much.
Update: If it balls up in IE, well to be honest, I dont care.
I love the new Boards of Canada album. It’s actually really cool for driving too, compared to my heavy rock driving has had a mellower feel.
Now the way I listen to this is using the Griffin iTrip, a small FM transmitter that fits on top of my iPod. Switch it on, tune in the car radio to the frequency it is broadcasting on and boogie. Finding the right frequency takes a bit of work but for my journey I have found the perfect one where no other radio stations get in the way. However there is one slight draw back. A taxi firm on a short stretch of road on my way to university use it. So every now and then whilst my music is playing I get “What’s the traffic like in Clayton?� or “errrrrr we have a pick up in castle, any takers?� It’s pretty funny and when listening to some electronic music by Aphex Twin as it can actually blend in pretty well.
Bill Thompson, BBC Blogger and contributor to Go Digital recently reported on GetSafeOnline, a UK government backed website promoting online security. Overwhelmingly this is great news, however Bill took a swipe at e-commerce sites and software vendors for being insecure.
I also think that the software companies, internet providers, computer manufacturers, website designers and e-commerce sites are really to blame, because they have built a network which is fundamentally insecure and open to fraud, theft and abuse. Making the users do all the work is adding insult to injury.
I would like to point out to him that transaction online between users/customers to e-commerce sites such as amazon and banks such as natwest are very secure. Customer PCs are the weakest point in any transaction as the customer is not a security expert. Banks and shops however tend to be. Therefore the only way to protect against most forms of criminality is to get customers/users to update their machines as this is where most virus and attacks take place. Users must install anti virus software and firewalls in addition to learning how not to be duped by scams on the internet. Perhaps the entities mentioned by Thompson should be more involved with this, as Thompson would agree, but ultimately the user has to secure it themselves just as the home owner cannot expect the police to install padlocks on the garden shed.
Podcasting is a nice way people on the internet can make a radio show, put it online and with the wonders of magical elf called Really Simple Syndication computer programs then download a new episode when it come available.
“That sounds cool! ROLF LOL!!11 eleven” you might say. However, as with websites, podcasts are full of 14 year olds mumbling on about shite. So have a short list of what I listen to.
2600: The Hacker Quarterly RSS | iTunes | Homepage
This podcast has two shows on it, first is “Off The Hook” and secondly “Off The Wall”. Now as the name suggests these shows are fairly technical with lots of people discussing technical issues. The main reason I listened to these shows was that I study the underbelly of the internet, and with a cast of some ex cons it is sometimes a good listen. Off The Wall is basically a show where the Emanuel Goldstein (aka Eric Corley) goes off on random rants about anything that is on his mind. It can get a bit tedious, but when he recorded his shows going around the world it was actually kind of interesting. Off the Hook however tends to keep to the area of technological innovation and security. These shows are also broadcast on the FM dial in New York area (WBIA and WUSB).
Diggnation RSS | iTunes | Homepage
A humours technology podcast which runs down the most ‘dug’ stories from the social bookmarking news site, dig.com. Kevin Rose (of Systm and The Broken fame) sits along side Alex Albrecht, drink beers, and chat about tech, that’s about it. It is a pretty good listen and you can get it as a video download (a vidcast? Who knows what they are called).
This WEEK in Tech RSS | iTunes | Homepage
A bunch of people talking about Tech. Apparently this is the most listened to Podcast on the planet. It is interesting at times, however, I find it a bit too self congratulating and chatting about “how cool this is�. Rather like bloggers posting about the act of blogging. Its worth a listen though.
BBC Go Digital RSS | iTunes | Homepage
The BBC World show online. They have some interesting shows again about technology, however at times it can fall into childish behaviour like the episode when they all went 20 years into the future. *shudder*
Acecast RSS | Homepage
As mentioned earlier, a nice mix of ‘podsafe’ music.
Cactus Killer Radio RSS | iTunes | Homepage
Again mentioned earlier on this weblog. I actually enjoy listening to this as at the end of each instalment of electronic music we get to here a list of bands/groups which have wonderfully random names.
BBC Mark Kermode’s Film Reviews RSS | iTunes | Homepage
BBC Radio 5 Live’s in house film critic talks about films. I like this guy because he enjoys a film and can talk bollocks about them for an age. It’s a little bit strange as he is along side a regular DJ who always sounds like he doesn’t really care about films.
KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic RSS | iTunes | HomePage
Nic Harcourt hosts a wonderful ad free and normal radio show simply playing live music. Mainly guitar based and a great listen. The show is also broadcast on KCRW a public radio service, so no ads but pledge drives.
I have listened to a fair few podcasts recently. Two that are particularly of interest is Acecast, of which the latest show is a wonderfully weird mixture of indie music to electronic and is simply a joy to listen to. Another is the all music (no DJ) Cactus Killer Radio which again has a strange mixture to listen to.
I think these shows and my top 40 list show that electronic music is having a greater impact on my life. For the first time ever I am looking forward to release of an album not preformed by a bunch of scuffy people holding guitars. This being the Boards of Canada latest, “The campfire headphase� which you can grab a listen or even buy the downloads from the very funky bleep.com as an mp3 release free from shitty DRM.
In exchange for an iMac I am willing to give up my right eye because this new Apple machine appears to be the coolest thing on the planet. If anybody is interested, my right eye is 22 years old and has a fetching brown iris. The condition is excellent, for example the tear duct (included) is barely used due to a quite happy childhood. All lenses seem to be in good working order and have recently passed an optical exam.
I would also consider selling the following to gain the £1,199 needed for the 20� model.
1 leg: would make a great art installation. A real talking point
1 kidney: you can never have too many!
Hair in assorted textures and flavours.
I was going to write a whole load about my respect for Apple and my beefs with Microsoft but it would be a bit shite and boring. So it will stay mostly unwritten, however here is a quick summery.
Apple have innovated in the past few years, developing the iPod, iTunes, iPhoto, Mac OSX and its hardware range. In comparison Microsoft have added some adverts to MSN messenger and released some security updates. The only reason I still use Windows is for Word.
That is all.