Download Squad http://downloadsquad.switched.com Download Squad. http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/downloadsquad.switched.com/media/feedlogo.gif Download Squad http://downloadsquad.switched.com prods@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Producers) support@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Web Support) en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. View our terms of service here: http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/ Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[BREAKING: EC response raises more questions for 'Gang of Six' browsers]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/03/05/breaking-ec-response-raises-more-questions-for-gang-of-six-br/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/03/05/breaking-ec-response-raises-more-questions-for-gang-of-six-br/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/03/05/breaking-ec-response-raises-more-questions-for-gang-of-six-br/#comments EU Browser Choice Screen
The European Commission responded earlier today to the petition submitted by the 'Gang of Six' web browsers seeking "any of a myriad of small changes" to alert users of the 7 browser choices not initially displayed on Microsoft's new European Browser Choice update dialog. In an email to CNet writer Stephen Shankland, EC spokeswoman Amelia Torres writes:

"The elements of the Choice Screen were published on the Internet and attention was drawn to them both through a press release and a notice in the EU's Official Journal, in all the languages of the Union. Two of the signatories made submissions in response to this market test, but did not raise the suggestions they advance now. Nor did any other market participant. The elements in question therefore remained unchanged when the final commitments were made binding on Microsoft by the Commission's decision of 16 December 2009."
(emphasis added)

Torres' response leaves little room to argue the merits of the 'Gang of Six' petition. I contacted Flock's Shawn Hardin for a response to Torres' remarks.

"Microsoft informed us on 12/16/09 that Flock had been selected for inclusion. This was the first time Flock received any official information about a decision that Flock would be participating in the program. Prior to this, Flock was never identified or invited as an "interested party" by the European Commission"

(emphasis added)
The EU comment period ends on December 16th when the agreement became binding -- Immediately following which, Microsoft announced the results of the convoluted ranking calculation which defined the 12 browsers to be included.

In contrast to Torres' response on behalf of the Commission, the Directorate General of Competition has responded by scheduling a meeting to discuss the petition with the signatories for Monday.
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BREAKING: EC response raises more questions for 'Gang of Six' browsers originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> analysisbreakingBreakingNewsbrowser choiceBrowserChoiceeceumicrosoft Grant Robertson Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:50:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA['Gang of Six' browsers petition EU for immediate review of Browserchoice screen]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/03/05/gang-of-six-browsers-petition-eu-for-immediate-review-of-brows/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/03/05/gang-of-six-browsers-petition-eu-for-immediate-review-of-brows/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/03/05/gang-of-six-browsers-petition-eu-for-immediate-review-of-brows/#comments EU Browser Choice Screen Six of the twelve browsers chosen to be a part of the EU "Browser Choice Screen" petitioned the European Commission on Thursday, asking politely -- very politely -- that the Commissioners "consider any of the following suggestions which could be easily and quickly implemented and would allow users to exercise choice."

"Ok, seriously? Already? WTF!", was my immediate reaction. Browserchoice.eu has been circulating for a little over a week, long enough for some armchair statistical analysis and at least one report of a stunning increase in Opera downloads.

So what's the big deal?

I spoke with Flock's CEO Shawn Hardin by phone, and -- to be quite frank -- he changed my mind.

Continue reading 'Gang of Six' browsers petition EU for immediate review of Browserchoice screen

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'Gang of Six' browsers petition EU for immediate review of Browserchoice screen originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> analysisEUEuropean unionEuropeanUnionfeaturesFirefoxflockIEinternet explorerInternetExplorer Grant Robertson Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:30:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Fugly Friday : Aiseikai Hospital has no opthamologist on staff]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/06/fugly-friday-aiseikai-hospital-has-no-opthamologist-on-staff/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/06/fugly-friday-aiseikai-hospital-has-no-opthamologist-on-staff/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/06/fugly-friday-aiseikai-hospital-has-no-opthamologist-on-staff/#comments
With all the hullabaloo over medical reform in the U.S., you might wonder what health care looks like in other parts of the world. At this hospital in Japan, your care comes with a healthy side order of flashing, blinking Lucky Cats, and a prescription strength dose of animated gifs.

Warning: If you're epileptic, we take no responsibility for what may happen if you click to view this Fugly Friday. And, for once, we're really not joking.

Granted, I don't read Kanji, but I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb to say that this site is in need of some time in the emergency room. Even if the visible text were eloquent and poignant -- and I could read Japanese -- the overwhelming and incredibly inappropriate use of crazy color combos, frames and the dreaded solid black background of doom makes this a Fugly Friday to remember -- and avoid.

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Fugly Friday : Aiseikai Hospital has no opthamologist on staff originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fuglyFuglyFriday Grant Robertson Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Steam Games - Machinarium Trailer]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-machinarium-trailer/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-machinarium-trailer/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-machinarium-trailer/#comments

This isn't much here that you won't already have seen in the flash-based precursor Samorost. But it's pretty, and you get an idea for the kind of puzzles you'll be solving in Machinarium.

Steam Games - Machinarium Trailer originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Grant Robertson Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:01:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Steam Games - Trine Trailer]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-trine-trailer/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-trine-trailer/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-trine-trailer/#comments

This trailer of Trine should show you just how beautiful this game is, how well thought-out, how refined. It's also available on the PS3 which shows you that this is more than just a mere adventure game curio. Probably the best game on the list (but I prefer World of Goo!)

Steam Games - Trine Trailer originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Grant Robertson Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:01:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Steam Games -- Plants vs. Zombies Trailer]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-plants-vs-zombies-trailer/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-plants-vs-zombies-trailer/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-plants-vs-zombies-trailer/#comments

While you could easily be watching a low-fidelity version of a Warcraft 3 tower-defence mod, don't let it fool you! This is Plants vs. Zombies, one of the most addictive games released this year. Blow up zombies... with plant cannons and rockets. What more could you want...?

Steam Games -- Plants vs. Zombies Trailer originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Grant Robertson Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:01:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Steam Games - World of Goo Trailer]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-world-of-goo-trailer/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-world-of-goo-trailer/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-world-of-goo-trailer/#comments

Marvel at the cuteness and stickiness of the little Goos that you must manipulate and utilise in World of Goo! Save the Goo, save the world!

Steam Games - World of Goo Trailer originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Grant Robertson Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:01:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Steam Games - Braid Trailer]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-braid-trailer/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-braid-trailer/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/11/05/steam-games-braid-trailer/#comments

The Braid trailer, for the Steam games holiday gift guide! Master time and space in this puzzle-solving platformer.

Steam Games - Braid Trailer originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Grant Robertson Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:01:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Fugly Friday returns next week, until then enjoy this lazy roundup]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/16/fugly-friday-returns-next-week-until-then-enjoy-this-lazy-round/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/16/fugly-friday-returns-next-week-until-then-enjoy-this-lazy-round/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/16/fugly-friday-returns-next-week-until-then-enjoy-this-lazy-round/#comments Fugly Friday: Cybertown
Do you tire of your humdrum, meatspace world? Does Sony's PlayStation Home look too real? Are there too many flying penises in Second Life for your taste? Well, strap on your hippie goggles and... Fugly Friday : Yvette's Bridal
My optometrist was insistent that I not remove the bandages for another 24 hours. He also said I might have done less damage to myself if, instead of searching for today's Fugly Friday, I'd tried... Fugly Friday: Old school website atrocities from Microsoft
Back when I graduated high school, most websites hadn't begun thinking about design terms like glossy, grungy, or even "not a complete trainwreck." Heck, plenty of them didn't give aesthetics a... Other Fugly we liked


The doctors all say my cornea are healing nicely, and I should be back to cursing and screaming at poor design within the week, although my insurance company did ask that I take our a new rider for something they call "Ocular Occupational Hazards."

Whatevs. They's just a bunch of haters, yo.

Fugly Friday returns next week with new highs about all the lows out there in the dark dusty corners of the web. Until then, enjoy this look back at a few of our favorite Fugly Friday finds so far.

Fugly Friday returns next week, until then enjoy this lazy roundup originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fuglyfridayroundupwhy yes maam I would like to stick that fork in my eyeWhyYesMaamIWouldLikeToStickThatForkInMyEye Grant Robertson Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Troubleshooting with your Teddy Bear]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/16/troubleshooting-with-your-teddy-bear/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/16/troubleshooting-with-your-teddy-bear/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/16/troubleshooting-with-your-teddy-bear/#comments My buddy Dave once shared with me a bit of computing wisdom which I've since found invaluable.

"Proper troubleshooting requires a Teddy Bear."

As it was told to me -- long ago in a university computer lab not so far away -- there was a sysadmin who became frustrated with the number of questions he was asked by student developers. It wasn't that the questions were invalid, or that the students weren't thinking them through. Rather, his frustration was with questions which found their own answers.

Students seeking his help would begin to explain the problem they were working on. More often than not, they wouldn't finish explaining before having an "Aha!" moments; That tiny moment of clarity every developer, admin or desktop analyst seeks as a part of their job.

Being forced to explain the problem had some effect which thinking about the problem alone didn't. How can you achieve the same mind-altered state without bugging the sysadmin, or taking a handful of Adderol and Xanaax*?

The weary sysadmin found a brilliant solution. He attached a teddy bear to his desk, and forced anyone who wanted to ask him a question to address the bear and explain the problem.

So, the next time you're halfway through asking a collegue a question and find yourself saying, "Wait, I think I just got it, never mind!", remember to thank them for being your teddy bear.

* Download Squad does not condone the abuse of Adderol, Xanaax or any other prescription drugs. Just sayin'.

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Troubleshooting with your Teddy Bear originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> coolgeekteddy bearTeddyBeartrickstricks-of-the-tradetroubleshooting Grant Robertson Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Excited about 128 bit "Windows 8"? Don't hold your breath.]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/08/excited-about-128-bit-windows-8-dont-hold-your-breath/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/08/excited-about-128-bit-windows-8-dont-hold-your-breath/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/08/excited-about-128-bit-windows-8-dont-hold-your-breath/#comments I got a message yesterday directing me to some groundbreaking post on Ars Technica, in which the long-winded and storied tale of an in-development 128 bit version of Windows unfolded like something out of a geek spy novel.
Robert Morgan is working to get IA-128 working backwards with full binary compatibility on the existing IA-64 instructions in the hardware simulation to work for Windows 8 and definitely Windows 9.
Bullpuckey, I said. Shenanigans, I mumbled. "It must be fairy tale time over at Conde Nast", I thought to myself, and quickly moved on. I never in my wildest dreams would have figured this had legs. Surely I wasn't the only one to spot the giant hole in the middle of this story.

Today, I read it on Slashdot. So, before Windows 8 for IA-128 becomes the digital equivalent of Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster, I figured it was prudent to point out the itty, bitty, tiny little problem that's keeping this story from having any basis in reality.

There is no IA-128. The Abominable Snowman and the Easter Bunny could hold a press conference about the lost sex tapes of The Tooth Fairy and it would have more credibility than this rumor. In fact, calling it a rumor lends too much credence to the story. There may be a Robert Morgan, there certainly is a Windows 8, but there is no IA-128.

IA-64 was Intel's joint venture with HP to create a next generation 64 bit server processor. Finally released far behind schedule, the Itanium line has been beset with problems. Poor performance, a lagging upgrade path, and poor vendor uptake have all conspired to create what John Dvorak recently called, "one of the great fiascoes of the last 50 years""

So, while the editors at Ars are busy explaining to Emil Protalinski that there is no Santa Claus, it's probably the right moment to point out that you shouldn't believe everything you read on forums. Or, Slashdot. Or apparently Ars, for that matter.

Move along folks, nothing to see here.

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Excited about 128 bit "Windows 8"? Don't hold your breath. originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> hardwareIA-128IA-64John DvorakJohnDvoraknewsosupdateswindowswindows 8Windows8 Grant Robertson Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:05:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Preemptive FAIL : Five easy things Verizon isn't doing to fix Android]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/06/preemptive-fail-five-easy-things-verizon-isnt-doing-to-fix-an/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/06/preemptive-fail-five-easy-things-verizon-isnt-doing-to-fix-an/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/06/preemptive-fail-five-easy-things-verizon-isnt-doing-to-fix-an/#comments It's all over the place; Verizon is embracing Android. Google loving apologist geeks everywhere are heralding the 85 million new customers -- who are obviously ready to try Android, if only Verizon would let them -- as the beginning of a new era in mobile phone competition. The cries of panacea are all I've heard all day:

"It's going to be a floodgate of new users! "

"Death to the iPhone!"

And, as one particularly difficult to satisfy commenter on another blog wrote:

"Get over yourselves apple and make a new product."

I'll have to admit, as a current G2, and previous G1 owner, I was a little excited myself. Then I read one thing from the joint Verizon/Google press call which made me crestfallen.

"Verizon also has no plans to make any changes to the Android Market."

And with that, all my dreams of an Android controlled world ran away like so much sand through my fingers. This is an enormous mistake, Verizon. Care to know why? The Android Market is terrible. It's worse than terrible, it's horrible.

Horrible, and just a little bit dangerous.

I've got a list of five things Verizon must do to the Android Market if they're to have any hope of even modest success.

Continue reading Preemptive FAIL : Five easy things Verizon isn't doing to fix Android

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Preemptive FAIL : Five easy things Verizon isn't doing to fix Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> androidbad ideasBadIdeasFAILG1G2iphonelistsmarketnewsopensourceverizon Grant Robertson Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Eolas v. Everyone you've ever heard of]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/06/eolas-v-everyone-youve-ever-heard-of/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/06/eolas-v-everyone-youve-ever-heard-of/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/06/eolas-v-everyone-youve-ever-heard-of/#comments
Tireless patent troll Intellectual Property holder Eolas has filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against, well.. nearly everyone. The issue at hand deals with two patents in Eolas' possession -- the first of which was the subject of a successful lawsuit against Microsoft back in 2004.

The second patent, what Eolas refers to as "a continuation of the '906 patent" claims to hold as the sole intellectual property of Eolas, "fully-interactive embedded applications [...] through the use of plug-in and AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) web development techniques." The second patent is so far untested in court -- and ostensibly covers more popular websites than you can shake a knock-off Louis Vuitton handbag at.

I haven't had time to delve into the language of the patent, but this reeks of utter nonsense to me so far. In my layman's oppinion, Eolas may have made a crucial mistake however, taking aim at so many large targets at once -- with one untested patent, and another which Microsoft already came rather close to beating.

Take the leap to read the whole extortion demand press release, and see the enormous list of publicly traded web firms included.

Continue reading Eolas v. Everyone you've ever heard of

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Eolas v. Everyone you've ever heard of originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ajaxeolaspatentpluginstrollweb browserweb devWebBrowserWebDev Grant Robertson Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:15:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Did the FTC just mention something about blogging?]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/06/did-the-ftc-just-mention-something-about-blogging/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/06/did-the-ftc-just-mention-something-about-blogging/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/06/did-the-ftc-just-mention-something-about-blogging/#comments So that we're not the only single blog in the known universe and beyond who misses the chance to comment on the FTC's boneheaded guidelines requiring bloggers, celebs, reviewers and others -- basically anyone who you might read online -- to disclose any "material relationship" with companies they review.

I tend to look at everything in terms of Pros and Cons. Here's the list I came up with.

The bad
  • The FTC has passed an over-reaching regulation which is unenforceable at best, and is a violation of free speech at worst.

The good
  • The FTC has passed an over-reaching regulation which is unenforceable at best, and is a violation of free speech at worst.
There are about a million better things the FTC could be doing with its time. Even if you wanted to narrow the to-do list to just Internet related issues, the list is still enormous. How about click-fraud? Noni Juice? Teeth Whiteners? Loose 200 pounds in 37 seconds? And all those hot single girls who are looking for a man like you -- and happen to be conspicuously located in teh same city as what geo-location returns for the IP of your upstream router?

There's a significant amount of misunderstanding of how Internet publishing works in this regulation, but this is the moment where I find the clue train leaves the station with absolutely no-one aboard. AdAge reports that Richard Cleland, assistant director- division of advertising practices at the FTC interprets the regulation to include, "posts on review sites such as Yelp or online stores such as Amazon."

Does that mean when I drop a review on Urban Spoon of my favorite eatery -- who happen to throw me a freebie every once in a while for being a loyal customer -- the FTC will sick it's blogger enforcement team on me? When they figure out exactly how to enforce this, call me.

Until then I'll be driving the Windows 7 box graphics wrapped Porsche Cayman that Microsoft sent me. *

* Kidding. But Ballmer, if you're interested, drop me an email and I'll send you my address

For what it's worth, take the jump to read my quick diatribe on Weblogs, Inc gimmies policy -- which is likely the strictest in existence among blog networks.

Continue reading Did the FTC just mention something about blogging?

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Did the FTC just mention something about blogging? originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bloggingboneheadendorsementsFTClawnewspolitics Grant Robertson Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:40:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Larry Ellison does near-standup comic rif on cloud computing]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/05/larry-ellison-does-near-standup-comic-rif-on-cloud-computing/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/05/larry-ellison-does-near-standup-comic-rif-on-cloud-computing/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/05/larry-ellison-does-near-standup-comic-rif-on-cloud-computing/#comments I've come out pretty strong against the fad of "cloud computing", which has spent the better part of the last year at the top of my most-hated buzzword list. In private, I've even been known to threaten that the next PR person to send me a release using the word "cloud" was going to get it, right between the Prada frames.

So, imagine my glee while watching one of my heroes -- Oracle's chief samurai warrior and jet pilot, Larry Ellison -- drop effortlessly into a riff on cloud computing while talking to a room at the Churchill Club.

Ellison makes a pretty solid argument that cloud computing isn't just the future, it's also the present and the past. This from a man who just bought Sun Microsystems -- a company which sported "The network is the computer" as its slogan, more than a decade before the first marketroid said cloud.

In Soviet Russia, cloud computing makes fun of you.

Take the leap to see Lawrence "Shecky" Ellison in action.

Continue reading Larry Ellison does near-standup comic rif on cloud computing

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Larry Ellison does near-standup comic rif on cloud computing originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cloud computingCloudComputingellisonoracleshecky Grant Robertson Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Drew Carey bids 25k for @drew -- Cancer gets scared]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/04/drew-carey-bids-25k-for-drew-cancer-gets-scared/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/04/drew-carey-bids-25k-for-drew-cancer-gets-scared/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/10/04/drew-carey-bids-25k-for-drew-cancer-gets-scared/#comments
I've written before about Download Squad friend, Drew Olanoff, and his creative way of kicking cancer in the behind. Count up one more point for Drew and his fight -- Drew Carey just bid 25K for his Twitter name, @drew. All proceeds of the auction, which ends on November 9th, will go directly to The Lance Armstrong Foundation - Livestrong.

Better still, if Drew Carey gets 100k Twitter followers before the auction ends, he'll quadruple his bid to $100,000.

While Twitter's Terms of Service expressly forbids selling your Twitter name for personal gain, there is no express prohibition against selling it for charity. Just to be sure, Olanoff checked with @ev, one of Twitter's founders, who gave his blessing before the bidding began.

If there was ever a time for Drew Barrymore to get a clue about social networking, this is it. Fortunately for Carey's wallet, Barrymore was pretty emphatic on Regis and Kelly when she ranted, "I don't know what Twittering is! [...] People keep trying to explain to me and I'm like, I don't wanna know. I don't wanna know how it works, I don't wanna know how to do it, I don't want to know anything."

Barrymore made the comment in April -- just months into Twitter's meteoric rise. If the crowd of other twittering celebrities haven't softened her, maybe kicking cancer's tail will.

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Drew Carey bids 25k for @drew -- Cancer gets scared originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 02:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> BlameDrewsCancercancerDrew Careydrew olanoffDrewCareyDrewOlanoffLance ArmstrongLanceArmstronglivestrong Grant Robertson Sun, 04 Oct 2009 02:08:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Huffington Post proves newspapers aren't dead, yet.]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/30/huffington-post-proves-newspapers-arent-dead-yet/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/30/huffington-post-proves-newspapers-arent-dead-yet/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/30/huffington-post-proves-newspapers-arent-dead-yet/#comments What's been on the Internet 12 hours too long, is 5 years too old and demonstrates the gaping chasm between blog journalism and credibility? This Huffington Post piece pointing to a five year old YouTube video as footage from yesterday's tsunami in American Somoa.

Are you getting all your news on the Internet? Constantly cruising a mix of major and minor media sites, or sucking them all in at once through an aggregator like Google News? Pointing fingers at blogs, Amazon's Kindle, Google News and Youtube has become a popular habit of once healthy -- and now hurting -- newspapers and broadcast outlets both great and small. even Twitter fell complicit, with both @huffingtonpost and @Alyssa_Milano tweeting it to nearly 200k followers each, both without a hint of retraction.

Mistakes do happen, and no one is saying that major media gets it right 100% of the time -- or prints retractions and corrections in the same size font point and weight as the stories they seek to correct. But, it's near certain that 5 year old incorrectly attributed footage wouldn't still be airing on any national news service -- 12 hours after it was first run.

This would be different if we were discussing any third tier blog running in the streets with a wildly incorrect and unvetted story -- heck, Newsmax and Michelle Malkin practically invented that strategy. But this is Huffington Post -- the number one blog in the world according to Technorati, and an oft-cited source in the old media universe. Pitiful.

So, still ready to write off all of those old media institutions of the Fourth Estate and pin the murder on teh Intarwebs?

Update 2:42am: HuffPo has removed the video as of a little after 2am EST. The original YouTube video in the post was here. Still no response from Huffington Post, and no public mention of the incident.

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Huffington Post proves newspapers aren't dead, yet. originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blogscredibilitydead treesDeadTreesearthquakenewsold mediaOldMediatsunamitwitterunvetted sourcesUnvettedSourcesyoutube Grant Robertson Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:35:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[CNN makes bigger mobile push with new iPhone app]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/28/cnn-makes-bigger-mobile-push-with-new-iphone-app/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/28/cnn-makes-bigger-mobile-push-with-new-iphone-app/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/28/cnn-makes-bigger-mobile-push-with-new-iphone-app/#comments

Gallery: CNN iPhone App Launch

Media heavy, for mobile broadbandCoverflow for newsiReport allows you to push news to CNN from your phone

The wait for an official CNN app on your iPhone is over, and it looks like it was worth your patience. Available on the iTunes store soon -- Download here -- CNN's new app represents a serious investment in mobile news delivery, a 55 million user market according to Neilsen, and adds a few game changing features which may leave rivals MSNBC and Fox News scrambling to catch up.

I spoke with CNN's Louis Gump, VP, Mobile today by phone. CNN's iPhone app takes advantage of 3.0 SDK features and is an attempt to "reinvent news applications on the iPhone". Integrating a huge library of video clips -- as well a live stream during breaking news -- directly into the app, the focus is obvious, taking CNN's global news brand and putting it just that much closer to your fingertips.

The most compelling feature, from by brieding and screen shots -- I wasn't allowed early access to the app itself -- is what Gump called, "Coverflow for news." A feature which lets users swipe through pictures and bullet points, looking for points of interest in the days popular headlines.

Positioned as a premium app, you'll have to fork over $1.99 for the goods, and tolerate just a wee bit of advertising mixed with your content. From what was relayed to me -- and I pressed -- none of the advertising sounds particularly intrusive, with a total lack of preroll video advertising, and sponsor adds appearing inline with, but visually separated from, the textual content.

Also on tap, breaking news alerts for interests you've defined, the ability to store news for later (airplane mode) and of course, social sharing on Facebook, Twitter and via email. And, when you get sick of reading the news, you can make the news -- via iReport -- with mobile uploads of video and images. "People in the field really do have access to the most compelling content, whether that be photo or video", which will be vetted as the current web version of iReport is, both by user filtering and "a small percentage" by human editors at CNN for airing on the network, or publishing on the main CNN site.

CNN was a bit coy about future plans, but said in uncertain terms, "This is not a hobby for us." Adding, "As happy as we are with this app, and we worked really hard, there is a lot more where this came from."

Asked about a possible Android or Blackberry version, "We will definitely be rolling out premium apps in the future", although Gump declined to talk specifics. "We're experimenting" said Gump, sounding like a proud father, "we're putting a lot more resources into mobile."

Update : I wasn't positive at publish time, but yes -- Push updates! More screenshots coming, now that I have my hands on the app!

Update 2: The gallery above is shots provided by CNN. The gallery below contains our first screenshots of the app in action. Take a look for more detail on how the app works and looks.

Gallery: This, is CNN

Push Based services!The main news screenLocation based servicesHow to follow topics



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CNN makes bigger mobile push with new iPhone app originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> CNNfeaturesiPhonemobilereviews Grant Robertson Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:25:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Don't try this at home - Tetris tribute on tiny wheels]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/27/dont-try-this-at-home-tetris-tribute-on-tiny-wheels/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/27/dont-try-this-at-home-tetris-tribute-on-tiny-wheels/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/27/dont-try-this-at-home-tetris-tribute-on-tiny-wheels/#comments

Every once in a while, someone actually sneaks something cool into the YouTubes. Tetris lovers of the world, unite!

via @arnteriksen

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Don't try this at home - Tetris tribute on tiny wheels originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> awesometetris Grant Robertson Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:35:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[DEMOfall09 - Pyrix, social payments with deep tracking]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/22/demofall09-pyrix-social-payments-with-deep-tracking/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/22/demofall09-pyrix-social-payments-with-deep-tracking/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/22/demofall09-pyrix-social-payments-with-deep-tracking/#comments
Piryx is payments for the social web, but with a host of intelligence and data mining features only available to huge companies and campaigns in the past. With roots in political fundraising, Piryx has a track record that's somewhat impressive, having recently rolled out a site to accept donations for Rep. Joe "You Lie!" Wilson, and claiming another 150 payment taking users nationwide.

The social media element comes to play as users track their incoming payments. By using custom generated urls, users can track where, who and why their customers and contributors took action and slapped down the credit card. Was it that Twitter retweet campaign, a sympathetic blogger or just another happy customer referral? Piryx helps you track the success of the efforts within your campaign.

Piryx is launching publicly with a better payments experience than the common payment sites, but they're looking to own much of the upstream marketing that funnels and fuels eventual payments, as well as providing backend analytics, compliance, and reporting functions which until now necessitated another piece of software and a larger commitment of effort. .

The fee structure of Piryx is higher than that of Paypal, but creating the same tracking and analytics with Paypal would cost far more in effort and time. At 4.5% for first $100k, and a sliding scale running down to 4% for intake of over $1 Million.

Of course, it's 2009 and "there's an app for that". Piryx's DEMOfall presentation includes a developer market, allowing third parties to build and market integration of Piryx with other services and tools. Currently available at launch are apps for Linked-In, SMS, Twitter, Facebook, with more to come.

Also launching with Piryx is a campaign for the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, raising money with the platform to combat homelessness and poverty in our nation's inner-cities.

Gallery: Piryx - Fundraising and payments for the social web



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DEMOfall09 - Pyrix, social payments with deep tracking originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> checkoutdemofall09fundraisingmoneypaypal Grant Robertson Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[DEMOfall09 - Gelato is online dating meets social search]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/22/demofall09-gelato-is-online-dating-meets-social-search/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/22/demofall09-gelato-is-online-dating-meets-social-search/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/22/demofall09-gelato-is-online-dating-meets-social-search/#comments Online dating is a somewhat static market. You have premium players Match.com and eHarmony, who seem to suggest at every commercial break that the person you've been looking for your whole life just signed up a few minutes ago. At the other end of the spectrum, there's Plenty of Fish which, although vastly improved from a few years ago, is still one of the least visually pleasing and user friendly sites on the web. PoF does ridiculous volume and traffic, is free, and doesn't do a stitch of marketing.

Enter new kid on the block, Ge.la.to. Launching today, Gelato takes online dating and mating to the social web. Incorporating your lifestream into the process of getting to know you, while paying a keen eye to keep privacy at a reasonable level.


Continue reading DEMOfall09 - Gelato is online dating meets social search

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DEMOfall09 - Gelato is online dating meets social search originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> DEMOfall09lifestreamingonline datingOnlineDatingsocial mediaSocialMedia Grant Robertson Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[DEMOfall09 - For those of us stuck at home]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/22/demofall09-for-those-of-us-stuck-at-home/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/22/demofall09-for-those-of-us-stuck-at-home/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/22/demofall09-for-those-of-us-stuck-at-home/#comments For those of you lucky enough to still squeeze your boss for a travel budget in the tough economy, San Diego's weather for DEMOfall09 today will be a balmy 90 degrees with what Weather.com refers to as "Abundant Sunshine"

From where I sit, I'm only slightly more jealous of the weather than the lineup of presenters I'm going to miss in person.

I spent the better part of yesterday getting early previews of a whole slew of DEMOfall 09 companies. I thank whatever higher power you hold dear that not one single company I've talked to has made me wretch with the term "cloud computing."

So what's this year going to be about? Data. As we march forward into the third coming of a brave new data enabled world, squeezing every last drop of relevant info from everything becomes more crucial, less cumbersome and opens to a wider field of players.

Don't feel bad if you couldn't make the flight. Grab some popcorn, and a healthy dose of skepticism over the next big thing and tune into the live stream starting at 8:30 Pacific. And, for my take on some of the companies I checked out yesterday, keep watching the demofall09 tag on Download Squad!

Best of luck to everyone presenting. Now, bring on some new Internet hotness!

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DEMOfall09 - For those of us stuck at home originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> demofall09 Grant Robertson Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:10:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Keep hype alive : Twitter raises more pocket change]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/16/keep-hype-alive-twitter-raises-more-pocket-change/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/16/keep-hype-alive-twitter-raises-more-pocket-change/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/16/keep-hype-alive-twitter-raises-more-pocket-change/#comments Twitter -- everyone's favorite plucky little micro-blogging service -- is making room in the bank for another $50 Million dollars in venture capital money. In and of itself, that's not all too surprising. What is shocking -- utterly mind blowing in fact -- is the valuation at which Twitter raised all that new scratch.

In case you're unfamiliar with venture capital, valuation and all this money raising mumbo-jumbo --and, I wouldn't blame you if you were -- let's look at what that $50 million means. When VCs buy in, they're taking a chunk of ownership for a price. If you had a company and I gave you $100 for 1% ownership, your valuation -- what we agree the company is worth -- would be $10,000 (100% times $100). Twitter's one billion dollar valuation means that 1% of the company has an agreed value of ten million dollars.

Big deal right? Twitter is *hot*. Why am I hating on Twitter for raising some ducats, you ask? Well, I'm as big a fan of Twitter as the next guy. Heck, I even got engaged on Twitter. But a billion dollars is a whole lotta dough.

One billion dollars is:

Certainly anyone pulling such giant purse strings must have done their research. Is there any possibility that Twitter is actually -- or will ever be -- worth this much?

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Keep hype alive : Twitter raises more pocket change originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> crazydr evilDrEviltwitterventure capitalVentureCapital Grant Robertson Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:30:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Danny DeVito is a little late to Twitter]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/07/danny-devito-is-a-little-late-to-twitter/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/07/danny-devito-is-a-little-late-to-twitter/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/07/danny-devito-is-a-little-late-to-twitter/#comments You're sick of hearing about it, and so am I. Ashton, Demi, Oprah, Miley, etc, etc, yadda, yadda, ad nauseum.

Just a year ago Twitter still belonged to the geeks and a small army of fake "social media experts" so new only a few of them had been removed from their original plastic packaging. Now Twitter is the plaything of A through Z-list celebrities clamoring to validate their position in the universe. And then there was The Danny DeVito.

Frankly, Danny DeVito doesn't need your foolish Twitter to validate his worth. With a career spanning four decades, he still has his finger on the pulse of edge comedy and angsty twenty-something movies. Nevertheless, he's recently begun twatering, or whatever you hip kids are calling it.

So what's he doing on Twitter? The same thing everyone else does; serving up inane, navel-gazing commentary on his day to day adventures. He's not particularly prolific, but he is quite poignant. In his very first tweet, he alerted the public that his testicles were, "on fire." Information like that -- offered in real-time -- is what the Interwebs are all about.

In case you've forgotten just how much fun DeVito can be, take the jump to watch his five drunk minutes on The View -- also known, rather uncoincidentally, as the best five minutes The View has ever broadcast.

Continue reading Danny DeVito is a little late to Twitter

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Danny DeVito is a little late to Twitter originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> danny devitoDannyDevitotwittertwitter celebritiesTwitterCelebrities Grant Robertson Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Fugly Friday : MSY Technology]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/04/fugly-friday-msy-technology/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/04/fugly-friday-msy-technology/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/04/fugly-friday-msy-technology/#comments Every week, I abuse myself for your amusement by seeking out yet another horribly constructed web site and poking fun at its awfulness. Doctors and Optometrists write in each week to warn of the damage I'm doing to myself. My shrink is buying a new beach house on the expected revenue to be generated by my nervous breakdown. But still -- glutton for punishment that I am -- I continue to seek the holy grail of websuck.

This week's bin of bargains brought me to MSY Technology (Pty. LTD.. whatever that means). MSY will probably never top a greatest hits list of horrible websites -- with a total lack of dancing house pets, no click the Mel Gibson games, and colors that won't cause psychotic episodes. Those are the nicest possible things you can write about them, in every other respect MSY is awash in sin.

Take this price list for example. If you can make it through 2 colorful stanzas without clawing at your own eyeballs, you're a braver man than I.
by the time you scroll through the second page, you're asking God to bring on the E-bomb to mercifully send us back to paper, quills and candlelight.
Somehow, the marketing genius who crafted this abomination in Microsoft Word felt you'd have the stamina to endure twelve whole pages. That's twelve pages of nearly random font size changes, the word "HOT" next to every line item, and an entire page of warnings, disclaimers, addendum and notes in prologue. By the time you scroll through page one, you've forgotten what you were looking for -- and, by the time you scroll through the second page, you're asking God to bring on the E-bomb to mercifully send us back to paper, quills and candlelight.

What's worse? Customers on one Australian review site not only call MSY untrustworthy, unhelpful, filthy and even downright rude but -- one reviewer warns -- if you call them asking for prices, they'll refer you to their website!

Have faith, Fugly Friday Fan. If there is a just and righteous God in our midst, then certainly there is a giant gift basket of FAIL waiting for MSY's web author on his arrival in hell.

[Via Digg, circa 2006]

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Fugly Friday : MSY Technology originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fuglyfridayoh my eyesOhMyEyestypographyyouve got to be kiddingYouveGotToBeKidding Grant Robertson Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:15:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[USPTO neglects to hit the "obvious" button on Google's newest patent]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/03/uspto-neglects-to-hit-the-obvious-button-on-googles-newest-pa/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/03/uspto-neglects-to-hit-the-obvious-button-on-googles-newest-pa/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/09/03/uspto-neglects-to-hit-the-obvious-button-on-googles-newest-pa/#comments If you needed just one more scrap of proof that the U.S. patent system is completely and utterly broken, then you might want to click the "I'm feeling lucky" button. I have a sneaking suspicion that the reviewing agents at the USPTO couldn't tell the difference between a "Graphical user interface for a display screen of a communications terminal" and a hole in the ground.

Patent number D533561 was granted to Google on Tuesday, after a 5 and a half year battle. The examiner is also responsible for such deep and philosophical patent examinations as "Foot and toe washer", "Combined ice scraper and brush" and, "H style harness doggie vest."

Depending on the angle at which you hold this patent up to the light, Google may own the ticket for having a search box smack-dab in the middle of a page, or the concept of having two buttons under the search bar. Really, given the state of U.S. patent litigation, what you have here is a license to annoy, molest, harass and waste the legal fund of any company who dare tick off a Google lawyer. If asked for comment, I imagine even the guy who "invented" the combined ice scrapper and brush would think this one is a little over the top. Whatever happened to, "Don't be evil"?

Now, if you'll excuse me; I'm very busy working on my own design for a search box with *three* buttons below. Soon, I will build a third search button powerful enough to enslave you all! Muahahahahaaahahah, cough, ahem.




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USPTO neglects to hit the "obvious" button on Google's newest patent originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> do no evilDoNoEvilgooglenonsensepatentsearch Grant Robertson Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Alternate marketing slogans for Windows 7]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/08/29/alternate-marketing-slogans-for-windows-7/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/08/29/alternate-marketing-slogans-for-windows-7/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/08/29/alternate-marketing-slogans-for-windows-7/#comments
Normally, I wouldn't do this. A source deep within Microsoft -- who just happened to owe me a favor -- passed along a list of new Windows marketing slogans which, for one reason or another, just didn't make the cut. After careful consideration and soul searching, I've decided to release them to the public.

Frankly, I think a few of them deserved more contemplation.



Alternate marketing slogans for Windows 7 originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Grant Robertson Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:30:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Fugly Friday : Bannock County Bluegrass Festival]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/08/28/fugly-friday-bannock-county-bluegrass-festival/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/08/28/fugly-friday-bannock-county-bluegrass-festival/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/08/28/fugly-friday-bannock-county-bluegrass-festival/#comments Oh Idaho. We love your delicious baking potatoes, the mouth feel we get when we say "Boise", and, uh, whatever the third thing to love about Idaho might be. In any event, that third thing to love about Idaho probably isn't quality web design.

Poor layout, dancing graphics, overuse of capital letters; I've learned to forgive quite a bit. What bothers me most about Bannock County Bluegrass Festival is their complete and utter disrespect for the trichromacy of the human eye. Purple, Cyan and Green should never have existed in the same universe, much less a single web page.

In fact, the only single point upon which those three colors should converge is in a low-rent stripper's eye makeup. As Marge Simpson's mother once said, "Ladies pinch. Whores use rouge."

Nevertheless, if you happen to be near Pocatello, Idaho this weekend -- and I'm sure you must have your reasons. S'ok, we won't question your judgment -- check out some Bluegrass and beer. But, if you run into this guy, for the sake of everything holy and decent, please offer to buy him a color wheel.

[Thanks Peter!]

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Fugly Friday : Bannock County Bluegrass Festival originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> color wheelColorWheelFugly FridayFuglyFridaypurpletrichromacytrichromaticweb designWebDesign Grant Robertson Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Fugly Friday : Yvette's Bridal]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/08/08/fugly-friday-yvettes-bridal/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/08/08/fugly-friday-yvettes-bridal/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/08/08/fugly-friday-yvettes-bridal/#comments My optometrist was insistent that I not remove the bandages for another 24 hours. He also said I might have done less damage to myself if, instead of searching for today's Fugly Friday, I'd tried something safer like scouring my own eyes with a gentle bath of rock salt. He also said something about a fork. As I laughed, encased in my world of darkness and unable to see his face, a chill came over the room and I suddenly realized he wasn't joking.

So, before clicking on the misery that is Yvette's Bridal, just remember, you've been warned. According to the source, Yvette's was crafted (or rather, bludgeoned) into existence using Yahoo SiteBuilder. Once my eyes heal completely, I'll be mounting a campaign to have SiteBuilder banned as a dangerous munition.

From what I'm told, in more socially conscious jurisdictions, possession of SiteBuilder is already highly criminalized, or at least relegated to downtrodden neighborhoods where it can be segregated from productive society. Sure, they provide prophylactic templates -- and many of them don't take visual assault to an aggravated degree -- but, given SiteBuilder is capable of constructing maliciously eye-gouging wonders like Yvette's, it should at the very least require a background check, and a three day waiting period before you're allowed to download.


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Fugly Friday : Yvette's Bridal originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fuglyfugly fridayFuglyFridayyahoo Grant Robertson Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:30:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Ever wonder who your hard drive's father is?]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/27/ever-wonder-who-your-hard-drives-father-is/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/27/ever-wonder-who-your-hard-drives-father-is/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/27/ever-wonder-who-your-hard-drives-father-is/#comments
Do you ever think about the family lineage of your hard drive? Heck, do you ever think about the history of your hard drive at all? Of course you don't. Hard disk storage has become so ubiquitous, so reliable, and so inexpensive that most of us never give it a second thought. But where would Download Squad be if you didn't have all that cheap, seemingly endless space to download your prize finds to?

Nowhere, that's where.

So hard disk drive, we salute you. These videos, which I found on the Magnetic Disk Heritage Center are true gems. The first, an IBM marketing film-strip ca. 1957, dramatizes the invention of the hard disk at 99 Notre Dame, San Jose, California by IBM engineers in the early 1950s. The entire concept of storing data in such a way that it's directly addressable, and accessible at random is so heady and incomprehensible for the time, they explain it over and over again. It even demonstrates how they built a marketing tour bus and went on the road to demo the new hotness to customers across the USA.

The second is a true geeky-pleasure masterpiece. A very technical discussion of the inner workings of IBM's second generation of hard drives. Possibly intended for engineers who serviced the units -- which look larger than your washing machine and dryer put together -- it's as dry as a bread sandwich, but it shows some amazing footage of the inner workings doing their thing. Amazingly, those inner workings haven't really changed *that* much in principle, they've just gotten a whole lot smaller, faster, cheaper and densely packed with bits and bytes.

Grab some popcorn and click through to check out both videos.

Continue reading Ever wonder who your hard drive's father is?

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Ever wonder who your hard drive's father is? originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ephemerahard diskHardDiskhddIBMretrocomputingstorage Grant Robertson Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Washington state Rep. says no to data center, suggests Amazon S3]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/24/washington-state-rep-says-no-to-data-center-suggests-amazon-s3/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/24/washington-state-rep-says-no-to-data-center-suggests-amazon-s3/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/24/washington-state-rep-says-no-to-data-center-suggests-amazon-s3/#comments

A $300 Million dollar data center project to house IT operations for the state of Washington has come under fire by two state legislators as half-baked, inefficient and unsound. What's the alternative? Why, putting all of the state's data center operations "in the cloud", of course!

Cue: Circus music, dancing children and an end to all of humanity's ills

This is the part where the Big Brain appears but Leela arrives with an urgent message to Fry and saves the day, right? Right?

Calling the proposal a "$300 Million dollar mistake", Rep. Reuven Carlyle suggests that the state, "Utilize cloud services from commercial providers such as Google, Microsoft [ or ] Amazon."

So, you're just going to stick all the state IT in the cloud because in anecdote, it sounds less expensive? Heck, if this really is the future, why don't we outsource "the cloud" itself to a cloud computing company as well? There's really no need for any organization to own infrastructure at all! We'll just sign up for an Amazon S3 account, push the big magic "upload" button and call it a day. Problem solved!

Seriously, do these knee-jerk armchair IT guys think they're the first to look at saving money by not building a new data-center? Do they even understand that much of what the state likely runs would need massive rewriting, porting, new development and a huge testing effort to assure that this wouldn't just be a giant money-sucking fiasco?

According to the letter Carlyle sent to Washington Governor Gregoire, "Public sector IT experts predict that within just a few years up to 50% of government agencies nationwide will outsource most data to the cloud." If that's the reality, someone pass me the blue pill and put me out of my misery.

Cloud computing is certainly here to stay, there's no arguing against that. But, that doesn't mean the data-center is going the way of the Dodo bird. There's a pretty good reason you don't see the Fortune 500 rushing to do this with mission critical or customer facing operations; Control. As a consumer of government services, I should have the right not to worry about the ultimate safety, security and reliability of state data services. As idyllic as "the cloud" is in concept -- unlimited availability, ubiquitous hot and cold running backups and seemingly boundless performance -- the reality is quite different. It takes a massive amount of effort to make things look effortless.

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Washington state Rep. says no to data center, suggests Amazon S3 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cloud computingCloudComputingdata centerDataCenterwashington Grant Robertson Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:30:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[How powerful was the Apollo 11 computer?]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/20/how-powerful-was-the-apollo-11-computer/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/20/how-powerful-was-the-apollo-11-computer/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/20/how-powerful-was-the-apollo-11-computer/#comments With all the buzz about the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing I got to thinking, how powerful were the computers that "took us to the Moon?" It turns out, they were nothing short of amazing. If you've never had a nerdy bone in your body, feel free to skip this post. But, if you ever laid on your back under the stars and thought about Mercury, Gemini, Apollo or the Space Shuttle, read on and see if you're as geek-struck as I was researching this.

Continue reading How powerful was the Apollo 11 computer?

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How powerful was the Apollo 11 computer? originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Apollo 11Apollo11hardwarehistoryreal time operating systemsRealTimeOperatingSystemsretro computingretrocomputing Grant Robertson Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:30:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[World's Oldest Time-Waster? Lunar Lander]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/20/worlds-oldest-time-waster-lunar-lander/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/20/worlds-oldest-time-waster-lunar-lander/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/20/worlds-oldest-time-waster-lunar-lander/#comments It won't win any beauty contests, and it has a pretty weak storyline unless you have a magnificent imagination, but Lunar Lander may well be one of the oldest time-wasters in existence.

High-school student Jim Storer, obsessed with the Apollo missions -- and obviously inspired by what he'd witnessed along with the rest of the world, 40 years ago today -- took his inspiration to class in the fall of 1969. The result was a very simple text-based game for his school's Digital Equipment Corp. PDP-8. "It had 8 Teletypes, a small hard drive, and 12KB of main memory, where 8KB was used by the system and 4KB time shared by the users."

Storer, can lay claim to the first primitive game but, what about the graphical Lunar Lander we've all known and loved on one platform or another? DEC consultant Jack Burness developed the first known graphical Lunar Lander as a demo project for the DEC GT40 console in 1973. It certainly wasn't the first video game, but it definitely holds its place in video game history.

Feel like wasting a little time day-dreaming about the 40th aniversary of the Apollo moon landing? Flash versions of Lunar Lander are easy to find, but I especially love this one -- which is incredibly true to the Atari arcade version I remember as a kid wandering the halls at the Cumberland Science Museum.

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World's Oldest Time-Waster? Lunar Lander originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> apollo 11Apollo11ataridecflash gamesFlashGameslunar landerLunarLandertimewasters Grant Robertson Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Fugly Friday - The Most Amazing Website on The Internet]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/17/fugly-friday-the-most-amazing-website-on-the-internet/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/17/fugly-friday-the-most-amazing-website-on-the-internet/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/17/fugly-friday-the-most-amazing-website-on-the-internet/#comments
Sometimes you're presented with something so illustrative of a concept that it stands completely on its own. For example, if I wanted to present the concept of bad music to someone, I could simply mail them a copy of Miley Cyrus' latest album. Without presenting any supporting evidence or explanation, the message would be universally received. The Most Amazing Website On The Internet is much the same for the concept of smart-ass high-school students forced to take an HTML class..

The site -- apparently designed in answer to a school project which offered no concern as to visual appeal, or safety for epileptics -- nails the concept. An auto-starting MIDI file, dancing cats, an oddly disembodied and highly mobile Mel Gibson, and a (late season) full cast photo from Full House are all used to spectacular effect.

Regular readers of Fugly Friday might accuse me of taking the easy way out this week. Hitting a low hanging piece of fruit with a cheap shot before turning to run. I beg to differ with those naysayers and hand-wringers. This is indeed low hanging fruit, but it also may be the absolute ugliest site on the web, and that in and of itself is an amazingly difficult task.

Click through. I dare you. But first, let me warn; There are some things in life that, once seen, cannot be unseen.

[Thanks to Oldmanhorton for the tip]

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Fugly Friday - The Most Amazing Website on The Internet originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fugly fridayFuglyFridayIm being paid by your optometrist.ImBeingPaidByYourOptometrist. Grant Robertson Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Google announces multi-platform Chrome OS, shipping in late 2010]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/08/google-announces-multi-platform-chrome-os-shipping-in-late-2010/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/08/google-announces-multi-platform-chrome-os-shipping-in-late-2010/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/08/google-announces-multi-platform-chrome-os-shipping-in-late-2010/#comments Google enters the operating system space, for reals.

Chrome OS will be "fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds." Targeted at Netbooks, Chrome OS will be available on new systems by the second half of 2010. "The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the web", according to the Official Google blog.

And, lest you think "Chrome OS" to just be fancy rebranding of Google's Android mobile OS, Google's VP of Product Management makes it abundantly clear in the release, "Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks. Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems."

Corporate espionage being what it is these days, there have likely been some sleepless nights around Redmond recently. With the full faith and credit of Google behind a radically new "cloud" OS -- relieving users of tedious things like backing up files, or installing applications -- Microsoft's quest to tie up the netbook market, without allowing it to compete for the low end of desktops, could face significant challenges in the years ahead.

Google announces multi-platform Chrome OS, shipping in late 2010 originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> chromegoogleoperating systemOperatingSystemosweb osWebOs Grant Robertson Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:42:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Fugly Friday - The Solutions Network]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/03/fugly-friday-the-solutions-network/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/03/fugly-friday-the-solutions-network/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/07/03/fugly-friday-the-solutions-network/#comments
I didn't think it was possible to fall out of the ugly tree and actually hit every branch on the way down. I thought that was just a figure of speech. One of those idiomatic expressions we use to describe something without really describing it. The Solutions Network proved I have a thing or two to learn about metaphors.

Imagine a site so jumbled with affiliate links, so riddled with primary colors, so overbearing in its use of tables -- filling every last inch of visible space with something you could click on, NOW! -- that any pretense of goodwill towards your fellow man you've ever held evaporates like so much dew from the top layer of a landfill in the morning sun.

It's a trainwreck of html, a prank played entirely in font tags. It simply must be.

The only thing the designer failed to use is BLINK. I'm going to guess that failure was either an intentional oversight -- one tiny concession to good taste in a sea of disgust -- or that he was so overwhelmed by the site himself that he fell dead at the keyboard before adding that one last cardinal sin of bad web design.

But wait, there's more. Immediately after your browser loads the last site you'll ever want to visit, a voice comes booming from your speakers, proclaiming that you've reached "the busiest site on the internet!" The irony is nearly enough to kill a man.

The cherry on top? Even the favicon is animated. I'm not even sure how you'd go about animating a favicon. You know why I'm not sure? Because, even without seeing an example of an animated favicon, my brain attempts to suck my own eyeballs deep within the recesses of my skull upon the very mention -- a physiological response I can only imagine was developed through generations of evolutionary genius as a last-ditch defense mechanism to prevent serious brain damage from spreading among the population.

If The Solutions Network is your personal key to making money on the internets, I highly reccomend that you begin scouting for a sturdy cardboard box in which to live at your earliest opportunity.

[Thanks Andrew for the tip. My shrink will be sending you the bill for my next 3 visits]

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Fugly Friday - The Solutions Network originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fugly fridayfuglyfridayOhMyEyesTheGogglesTheyDoNothing Grant Robertson Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Ubiquity gets better parser, some commands yet to be upgraded]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/06/23/ubiquity-gets-better-parser-some-commands-yet-to-be-upgraded/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/06/23/ubiquity-gets-better-parser-some-commands-yet-to-be-upgraded/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/06/23/ubiquity-gets-better-parser-some-commands-yet-to-be-upgraded/#comments
Mozilla's Ubiquity dazzlingly cool preview release promises to make commands a great deal easier to remember and use by removing those annoying hyphens. With a totally updated parser -- unimaginatively referred to as "Parser 2" Ubiquity also promises support for a ton of new languages.

"[The old parser] was based on a lot of assumptions about English that are not necessarily true in other languages", explains the preview release announcement. Spaces between words, or noun-verb ordering are more flexible under the new parser, opening Ubiquity to a non-English speaking audience and getting rid of those picky little hyphens for Anglophones.

Unfortunately, that also means a great many commands you might be used to are currently incompatible. The new version greeted me with a warning, notifying me that some commands -- known in Ubiquity parlance as "verbs" -- didn't load because of incompatibility with Parser 2. A quick look shows old verbs like "flip-page" and "desaturate-image" are in need of an upgrade.

Still, for fans of Ubiquity's slick hands-never-leave-the-keyboard workflow, this is an upgrade that's been a long time coming.

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Ubiquity gets better parser, some commands yet to be upgraded originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> firefox-addonsmozillanatural languageNaturalLanguageproductivity toolsProductivityToolsubiquity Grant Robertson Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:15:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[City of Bozeman requires social logins and passwords in exchange for job]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/06/18/city-of-bozeman-requires-social-logins-and-passwords-in-exchange/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/06/18/city-of-bozeman-requires-social-logins-and-passwords-in-exchange/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/06/18/city-of-bozeman-requires-social-logins-and-passwords-in-exchange/#comments
Bozeman, Montana -- a city just 5 miles to the east of freakin' nowhere -- as part of a more thorough set of background checks, is asking job applicants to, "list any and all, current personal or business websites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc."

Federal law states that you can't ask about religion or marital status when interviewing you for a job, but both of those things are conveniently available in most Facebook profiles. Added to which, giving a prospective employer all your logins and passwords gives them access to direct and private messages, and in the case of most social networks, indirect access to the information of other people who never granted the city access. The whole thing violates just about every social network's Terms of Service, and just generally feels slimy.

In an interview with local news, the city's attorney says it isn't "trying to find out all kinds of information about the person that we're not able to use or shouldn't use in the hiring process."

Current job listings for Bozeman include a Water/Sewer technician so, presumably, with a high school diploma and a clean Facebook record, you could get hired to dig around in something that smells almost as bad as this hiring policy.

[via BoingBoing]

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City of Bozeman requires social logins and passwords in exchange for job originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> aint no wayAintNoWaybozemanfacebookinsanemyspaceprivacy Grant Robertson Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Intego exaggerates Mac virus threat, misinterprets Apple PR to scare you into buying their anti-virus package]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/06/10/intego-exaggerates-mac-virus-threat-misinterprets-apple-pr-to-s/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/06/10/intego-exaggerates-mac-virus-threat-misinterprets-apple-pr-to-s/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/06/10/intego-exaggerates-mac-virus-threat-misinterprets-apple-pr-to-s/#comments Intego, a "leading internet security and privacy software" publisher dropped a press release on my inbox this morning that might as well have read, "Hey, Apple.. Gotcha!"
Beyond recognizing the malware threat to Macs, Apple goes further, admitting that the techniques it includes in Mac OS X aren't enough to fully protect Macs from viruses and malware. The company provides security advice, as Intego has said for many years, saying, "since no system can be 100 percent immune from every threat, antivirus software may offer additional protection." (emphasis Intego's)

Complete with footnotes, Intego uses the feature list for Apple's upcoming OSX 10.6 release to essentially say, "There, we told you so! Apple put thought into securing its operating system therefore it must be vulnerable!"

How does an enumeration of security features imply a susceptibility to malware? That's like calling GM to the carpet for agreeing that a car parked in a locked garage is more protected than one parked on the street. The very concept of a garage offers additional protection, it however doesn't imply that the protection is actually necessary.

Maybe it's me. Maybe I expect too much from a company who sent out a press release about Conflicker which read in part, "This worm, which affects Windows computers, has no effect on Mac OS X; at least not yet. Intego's Virus Monitoring Center is on full alert in case a Mac OS X variant of this worm should appear"

Wait, is this thing going to magically change from a worm written directly to the vulnerabilities of Windows into some shape shifting super worm that defies the all the reality of modern computing, as well as all common sense and logic? Does anyone else picture Intego's "Virus Monitoring Center" as some overweight bald guy trolling Slashdot while eating Cheetos?

My advice? Save your money for magic beans. And, if the nagging voice inside your head absolutely won't be quiet until you buy quasi-useful anti-virus software for your Mac, don't buy it from Intego.

Intego were contacted for comment, but failed to respond prior to publication

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Intego exaggerates Mac virus threat, misinterprets Apple PR to scare you into buying their anti-virus package originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> integomacop-edyour pr sucksYourPrSucks Grant Robertson Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST Download Squad <![CDATA[Dev Chair : Beanstalk is Subversion without the hassle]]> http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/06/09/dev-chair-beanstalk-is-subversion-without-the-hassle/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/06/09/dev-chair-beanstalk-is-subversion-without-the-hassle/ http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2009/06/09/dev-chair-beanstalk-is-subversion-without-the-hassle/#comments Subversion is arguably the world's most popular source control system, and many a developer's best friend. It keeps things organized, it helps you gracefully recover from your mistakes, and it makes managing branches and versions of your projects dead simple. What isn't always dead simple is setting up or managing the Subversion repository. Sure, the software is free but, your developer's time definitely isn't. If you've delegated the hassles of managing your source control to one of your senior developers, you're likely making a crucial mistake that is costing you money.

Beanstalk takes the burden of setting up and maintaining Subversion out of the equation. For $15 a month and up -- or free for a tiny project not needing per-commit backups -- Beanstalk gives you Subversion as well as integration with Twitter, Basecamp, Campfire, and more. Use any Subversion client you want! Cooler still, if you're using Beanstalk's SVN to manage a website, they've made it super simple to set up FTP deployment on commit, so every time you commit a change it can go live on your domain.

For cost to hassle ratio, I personally have to say spending $15 bucks a month for someone else to worry about keeping my Subversion server running and backed up might be the best $15 I've ever spent.

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Dev Chair : Beanstalk is Subversion without the hassle originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> dev chairDevChairsubversionversion controlVersionControl Grant Robertson Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST Download Squad