The Google Car Drives Itself!?!

Yeeeaaah! I don’t think I would trust it yet! Can you imagine a blue screen of death being a REAL blue screen of death? Yeeshh!

Google Car Test Drive

“You didn’t actually think that you’d need to drive the next wave of cars, did you? The seemingly all-conquering Google has announced that it’s road-testing cars that steer, stop and start without a driver. The cars use video cameras on the roof, along with radar sensors and a laser range finder to ‘see’ other traffic. The aim? To ‘help prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time and reduce carbon emissions’ through ride sharing and ‘the new ‘highway trains of tomorrow,” project leader Sebastian Thrun wrote Saturday on Google’s blog. Engineers told the New York Times that venturing out to the highways was pretty much incident-free, save from a bump when the car was reportedly hit from behind at a traffic light. The cars have so far covered 140,000 miles, taking in the likes of San Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge (as well as the city’s sloping streets) and Lake Tahoe.”

A FEW Reasons Why Android Beats the iPhone

Here’s a FEW Reasons Why Android Beats the iPhone (iOS)

“On iOS, you can’t move a picture from a friend’s computer onto your phone.

On iOS, you can’t shoot a movie with a video camera, move the SD card onto your phone, and copy the movie onto your phone.

On iOS, if you’re in a hurry and need to move a song from your computer to your phone quickly, you still have to launch iTunes and sync, because iOS doesn’t allow drag and drop from a computer folder.

On iOS, you can’t move your Word/Excel/Powerpoint document from your computer, work on it on your phone/device, save it, and move the updated document back onto your computer.

On iOS, you can’t use your phone as a storage device.

On iOS, you can’t say ‘Dial Blockbuster near [your zip code]’ and have your phone go to the web, find the number, and dial it, all without typing anything.

On iOS, you can’t make your own song, or use your own remix, as a ringtone.

On iOS, you CAN have a browser that’s slower at showing a web page.

On iOS, you can’t use Flash for your internet. Therefore, you can’t see content on BILLIONS of web pages, from videos, to animation, to games.

On iOS, you can’t use SWYPE, the Guiness world-record holder for fastest way to text.

On iOS, if you don’t like your touchscreen keyboard, you can’t download an app to replace your touchscreen keyboard.

On iOS, you can’t have your touchscreen keyboard vibrate everytime you type a letter to give you better feedback.

On iOS, you can’t receive notifications about your apps, your texts, and other usage items unless that app is on.

On iOS, you can’t check the weather without launching an app, because widgets are not allowed.

On iOS, you can’t turn on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, by clicking on a customized screen button, or widget. You have to go into settings.

On iOS, you can’t see updates to your social networking websites, like Facebook, unless you launch an app, because iOS doesn’t allow widgets.

On iOS, you can’t pick a different size screen.

On iOS, if you want a real keyboard, you can’t get one.

On iOS, you can’t get a phone with a faster processor.

On iOS, you can’t get a phone with more RAM memory.

On iOS, you can’t get a phone with an HDMI port so that you can connect your phone to your TV and watch a movie you downloaded from Netflix/Blockbuster in HD.

On iOS, you can’t have more buttons in case you’re faster with buttons.

On iOS, you can’t use your device as a wireless internet router so your laptop can get online. Hot-Spot capability is unavailable.

On iOS, if all your family and friends are on wireless carrier [X], you can’t use that carrier, because your phone/device is available on limited carriers.”

(From a post by “Ahmad” on an Android forum)

Based on my Droid X (which I just upgraded to Android 2.2 [Froyo,] I would have to agree!)

Playing With Dragon!

This is a test… How can you type without using your hands? That’s a good question. The answer is Dragon NaturallySpeaking! I’m currently using the version 10 edition of Dragon NaturallySpeaking and it is very accurate and it works very well. The amazing thing about using the software is, in fact, how easy it is to use. Once you get into the style of speaking slowly, and clearly, and ending using punctuation marks… then you begin to get into a “flow” of using it… and I can see where something like this would make it easy for writing short articles of things that normally you have to type. You can just talk!

So, the key to using Dragon NaturallySpeaking is both to train it to recognize your words correctly, and to train you to speak clearly, to enunciate well, and to use punctuation marks. And, as a matter of fact, I’m using the software to write this article right now. So, there you go! The amazing world of voice recognition! Indeed, what will they think of next!

By the way, Dragon NaturallySpeaking is a product of Nuance, and I have provided their website address below:

https://www.nuance.com

Being Hacked… Grrrrrrrr!

And why was I looking for a way to mount my FTP site local to my PC? (See previous Geek Software of the Week post)? Well, my web sites got hacked. Yes… I was the victim of a hacker. And, what do I think about it? Well, I suggested, in the midst of the two days of recovery in the process, that the hacker should be shot by a firing squad, but denied a blindfold, just so he’d see it coming! Oh yeah… I was… shall we say, “miffed!” Dewd. I had a nice, quiet Sunday all planned… but, NO! It was not to be! ALL my sites were referring people to a page that said, “Your PC is infected, click here to get cleaned.” Which, of course, if they did click, it really DID then infect them. Arrrrrghhh! By the way, you wouldn’t be stupid enough to actually click through, would you? Didn’t think so.

But, thanks to a friend and co-worker, who has asked to remain anonymous… and who is a super-amazing script guru in Linux (as well as other scripting methodologies) we were able to clean my sites, and purge the evil from my system! Hallelujah! Good triumphs over evil! And, make no mistake, EVIL is what it is. I am perplexed that such people exist. And, I firmly wish that they did not. (If you get my meaning.) However, let this be a warning to you… Do the necessary security steps to stay safe… or it will be you whimpering in the corner! Sigh!

How Well Does YOUR Browser Support HTML 5.0?

Mine rocks in at 197 with 7 bonus points! (Google Chrome!) Check out yours! By the way, Internet Explorer 8.0 was a pitiful 27 with NO bonus points… figures!

HTML 5.0 Test Site

“The HTML5 test score is only an indication of how well your browser supports the upcoming HTML5 standard and related specifications. It does not try to test all of the new features offered by HTML5, nor does it try to test the functionality of each feature it does detect. Despite these shortcomings we hope that by quantifying the level of support users and web developers will get an idea of how hard the browser manufacturers work on improving their browsers and the web as a development platform.

The score is calculated by testing for the many new features of HTML5. Each feature is worth one or more points. Apart from the main HTML5 specification and other specifications created the W3C HTML Working Group, this test also awards points for supporting related drafts and specifications. Some of these specifications were initially part of HTML5, but are now further developed by other W3C working groups. WebGL is also part of this test despite not being developed by the W3C, because it extends the HTML5 canvas element with a 3d context.

The test also awards bonus points for supporting audio and video codecs and supporting SVG or MathML embedding in a plain HTML document. These test do not count towards the total score because HTML5 does not specify any required audio or video codec. Also SVG and MathML are not required by HTML5, the specification only specifies rules for how such content should be embedded inside a plain HTML file.”

Google Chrome 5.0 Has Been Released!

Google Chrome 5Go get it! Faster, cooler, built-in Flash support! Rock on!

Google 5 Chrome Released!

“Google announced today the official release of Chrome 5 for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. It arrives less than a month after Google made the new version available through its beta channel. This release reflects Chrome’s rapid pace of evolution and Google’s strong commitment to advancing Web technology and performance. Chrome 5 brings significant performance improvements, including a major increase in JavaScript execution speed. It also brings support for important HTML5 features, including Web Sockets and drag-and-drop. The JavaScript acceleration and robust compatibility with emerging standards are important capabilities that will enable developers to write richer and more sophisticated Web applications. Google has enhanced the browser’s cloud synchronization framework, extending it to support browser preferences and themes in addition to bookmarks. Chrome 5 ships with the Flash plugin included by default, an addition that was made possible by Google’s recent partnership with Adobe. This release marks a significant milestone for the browser, because it is the first official stable release of Chrome for Mac and Linux. Chrome was previously only distributed for those platforms in the form of beta and developer builds.”

Citrix XenApp 6.0 Announcement

Big news in the Citrix world… XenApp 6 was announced… check out these features:

Key Facts and Highlights (via Citrix):

* Simplified Management – XenApp 6 dramatically simplifies desktop computing with AppCenter, a powerful new management console that makes it easy for IT to centrally manage all applications enterprise-wide from a single location.
* Unparalleled Scalability – XenApp 6 has been verified to scale up to more than 100,000 concurrent users in a single farm, giving customers unprecedented levels of cost savings and datacenter efficiency.
* Expanded Microsoft Integration – Seamless integration between XenApp 6 and Microsoft App-V makes it easy for customers to centrally manage applications using whatever mix of local and hosted solutions best fit their unique requirements. XenApp 6 also includes full support for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, adding a broad range of platform enhancements including simplified provisioning, easier automation, and more efficient power consumption.
* Self-Service Apps – Through its integration with Citrix Dazzle, XenApp 6 gives users an entirely new level of flexibility and mobility, allowing them to choose the apps they need on-demand, without costly manual IT support. Apps available to users through the Dazzle “storefront” can include those delivered by XenApp or Microsoft App-V, as well as IT supported SaaS or web applications.
* Mac and Smart Phone Support – In addition to supporting PCs, thin clients and laptops, XenApp 6 now makes it easy for users to access Windows apps from Macs and popular smart phones such as Apple iPhone, Google Android and Windows Mobile.
* Enhanced High-Definition HDX Technology – XenApp 6 includes broad new HDX technology enhancements that allow customers to deliver real-time media applications like voice and CD-quality audio with a rich, high-definition user experience. New HDX enhancements in XenApp 6 also expand support for a broad range of USB devices, including webcams, microphones, digital cameras and scanners.

Announcement of XenApp 6.0

Behold the Power of “New Media!”

Check out this article, and be sure to watch the videos with it! This is good stuff!

Understanding the New Media

“So, how does an unknown anthropology professor from Kansas make a home movie on a ‘cheap computer’ in his basement that beats out all the $3.6 million Super Bowl ads and transforms him into a Web 2.0 rock star? It begins and ends with the free and open user- generated media-scape.”

DrBill.CC Website is Now Mobile Phone Ready!

You can now visit www.DrBill.CC on your mobile phone, and the content will be auto-magically converted to PDA format. Rock on! The WordPress plugin that does it is located here:

WordPress Mobilepress Plugin

“MobilePress is a free WordPress plugin which turns your WordPress blog into a mobile friendly blog when viewed on a cell phone. MobilePress also allows you to create custom mobile themes for different handheld devices and mobile browsers such as the iPhone, Opera Mini and Windows Mobile.”

Lucy, You got some ‘splainin’ to do!

Like the old “I Love Lucy” show… it seems that I have some ‘splainin’ to do! I have had several folks ask me if I am going to “revive” the Dr. Bill podcast. Weeelllll, kinda! I plan to do a semi-occasional VIDEO podcast for the Dr. Bill show… and I hope to have one “in the can” soon. Still funny, still techie, but not as “rigid” in format. So, look for it soon. And HANG IN THERE!

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