May
12
Powerset: Search Engine? No Search Engine.
Filed Under Computers, Internet, Technology | Leave a Comment
Powerset is something I’ve been watching for a little while, sparking a bit of curiosity. If you’re not quite sure what Powerset is, you may want to cruise on over to the official Powerset website to learn what the fuss is all about. San Francisco based Powerset just launched their first product which is a new type of searching experience for those who are interested in searching content on Wikipedia.
You’re able to search Wikipedia article using several methods, one method being the use of questions. You can also produce varying search results using specific phrases along with your basic keywords. The search results are more enhanced than standard search results from Wikipedia, offering something a bit more unique. The results are almost condensed and formed in a way that can reduce the amount of time one spends searching through irrelevant information.
There has been a considerable amount of progress in the development of Powerset, and I’m looking forward to see how things continue to move along. I’m quite positive there are good things to come from Powerset, but of course all that remains to be seen.
Apr
28
Animoto: Feature Your Photos in Movie Trailer Format
Filed Under Computers, Entertainment, Photos, Reviews, Videos, Web Design | Leave a Comment
Photo galleries on the internet have become quite boring in my opinion. Yes, there are plenty of options to choose from when you want to feature your photos online, but they all seem to lack creativity. How many photos can you browse through before your mind becomes numb with boredom? I believe this problem has become more noticeable since the advancement in social networking, more so on sites that are geared toward customized profiles.
Thankfully there are new projects on the horizon. Animoto is a new and exciting alternative to the same old boring photo galleries and slide shows we have become accustomed to. This new photo experience combines both music and photos, creating a unique video in a movie trailer format if you will.
Users of Animoto upload their photos and pick an appropriate song of their choice from the online music library. Animoto will then analyze your images and incorporate them with the music, creating a one of a kind music video using the photos you have uploaded. No two videos are alike when you use Animoto. This makes the whole creation process even more interesting. Looking for an upbeat video? Or how about a mellow and relaxed collaboration of photos? Animoto has it covered.
The finished product can be shared with you friends and family through email, websites, blogs, etc. This type of format is very suitable for social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook. The whole process doesn’t even take that long to complete.
There are other exciting opportunities offered at Animoto as well. If you are a musician that is interested in featuring your music in the music library, you have a chance to submit your tunes. Animoto is in beta, so changes are to be expected throughout the site. Check out the official website of Animoto to learn more about this new and interesting way to feature your photos.
Apr
27
Web Design Refresher, Simple Tips and Techniques
Filed Under Computers, Internet, Technology, Web Design | 1 Comment
I spent the past few days taking a few minutes at a time to simply take an overview of my existing websites which I have acquired over time. I was thinking back when I first was learning basic web page design. The whole experience was a lot of fun, especially when you could tell some of your friends that you had your own homepage. Things remained fun for a while, adding goofy looking graphics and all. I think it wasn’t long after that I really got bored with the whole homepage thing.
I took it upon myself to learn more so that I could keep up with all the changes that were beginning to take place on the internet. Going from a free website that was hosted on my internet provider, to actually creating my own website from scratch through a text editor like notepad was a huge step. I familiarized myself with HTML so that I could do all sorts of things with my website, always trying to stay one step ahead of the others.
My job at the time would require me to stay current with everything going on in the world of computers, and I must say that really helped me stay focused on all the changes taking place. One thing I have began to notice more recently with the introduction of Web 2.0 is the lack of simplicity. I’m one who truly believes that you don’t have to have the most flashy and graphic intense website to appeal to your visitors.
If you are using the internet to market and sell a product, I think it’s really important to learn the basics of web design. Not only learn the basics, but remember the basics. Those who overlook some of the most simple key parts of web design are truly missing out. I have always tried to remember the simple web design tricks and techniques which I have learned a while back. If I find myself forgetting basic things, I will do a refresher to remind me of the web design methods that have brought me to where I am today.
With all that said, this past week has been one of those times where I thought I would remind myself the web design techniques I have learned years ago. Anyone can do this, either by reading a book on web design or watching video tutorials. I think video tutorials are fantastic, because you can actually see everything and follow along at your own pace. In fact, I believe it is essential to learn and remember the basics before going any further.
Since I enjoy selling things online, I always learn what there is to know in internet marketing. In order to apply basic web design techniques towards web pages that will sell things, I have gotten access to a huge library of step by step videos that show you just about every web design trick you need to know. You can even see the first series of these web design video tutorials for free if you want to know what I’m talking about. They are extremely helpful, and much less time consuming than trying to follow along with a book.
I must say, my little refresher course in web design still allows me to find things I have overlooked in the past while designing pages. And now, since I have spent too much time on this, I’m going to go for a walk and get some fresh air. Some days it’s just too nice to be sitting behind the computer screen.