Insomnic Dreams

Google just released it’s newest service called Buzz. It integrates directly into your Gmail account and is Google’s entry into social networking. Watch the video below for an overview:

There’s also a lot of mobile integration so here’s Google’s short feature video about the mobile specific functions:

If you’d like some more details, check out Lifehacker’s run down on this new service as well. It actually isn’t a way to beat Twitter or Facebook but help you reign it in and access the data you want to access in one place. In the meantime … it’s time to play with a new Google toy.

UPDATE: If you don’t want Buzz to bother you in Gmail just follow this easy Lifehacker guide.

Google Chrome is the new browser on the block and it’s garnering a lot of attention. The main reason – it’s fast. The second reason – it’s secure. Today, the latest stable release came out and you can grab it here for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The latest version includes the long awaited extension support and bookmark sync (as well as lots of fixes and security updates).

Here’s my favorite creative video about the features:

So why switch to Chrome from Firefox or Internet Explorer?

Well the IE question is easy to answer – Internet Explorer just doesn’t work as well as either Chrome or Firefox. It has worse security, lack of standards compliancy, short on features and in general just isn’t very snappy. It is best for use in a business environment because of it’s compatibility with Sharepoint and other MS specific services but otherwise it just doesn’t compare – though to be honest, Internet Explorer 8 is probably the best version of IE ever created. So if you are scared about switching please at least update.

So the bigger question is why choose Chrome over Firefox. Well… there it gets tricky. I am choosing Chrome because it’s faster than Firefox on my Mac and has more standard extensions than Safari. On my PC it’s faster than Firefox and the extensions are lighter than Firefox add-ons so it doesn’t hit my resources as hard. The built in bookmark sync with storage in Google Docs is also nice to have. Plus, if you are already using Google services it works very well with them and the official Google extensions only make it better.

A reason to keep Firefox is the extensive add-on support and tried and tested website support. Firefox is a more mature browser; similar to IE in that it’s become better supported over the years. Firefox keeps on trucking and the latest release does provide some increased speed and security.

A last reason to switch to Chrome is because of the HTML5 compliant video function. Sounds really boring right? Well, what it means is better control and playback of video on the web. YouTube and Vimeo now offer it and the playback is much smoother and much friendlier (especially for accessibility users).

So which extensions do I prefer? Here’s a quick list:
AdBlock: Good adblocking (and Google is okay with it).
Chrome Reader: Google Reader RSS subscription extension
Google Similar Pages: Good for finding, well, similar pages…
Google Mail Checker: Basic checker and link
Google Voice Checker: Check Google Voice account and also activates numbers found on pages.
Send from Gmail (No Button): Sets Gmail as default for composing when you click on email links

If you want a few to try out just head over to the extensions page and check out some of the “Featured” and “Most Popular” ones.

So there you have it – a whole new browser to play with and see if you like. Oh – I forgot to mention – it will automatically bring over your bookmarks/favorites and settings from either IE or Firefox so you can be up and running in no time. So give it a try and see what you think – worse that could happen is you don’t like it and go back to what you were using.

I’ll be surprised if you do though…

So I’ve had the weekend to play with the new Google Chrome OS (thanks to the virtual disk provided by GDGT). My opinion – it will be an excellent OS for a secondary computer or someone in a well connected city. Watch the following video for a quick overview of the idea behind Chrome OS.

So what you see is that this OS will be good for people who are pretty much based on the internet. It’s only been out for a week and it won’t be officially released for a year – and as you’ve noticed, more and more is becoming internet (or “Cloud”) based so this makes pretty good sense.

Maybe next year all you’ll need is a browser … in which case all you’ll need is Chrome OS. Google has posted a few other case uses for Chrome OS and Lifehacker has some interesting commentary about other people’s experience.

Even if it isn’t for you – it certainly does seem like an interesting take on where computers are heading these days.

Today, TPB announced that they are going trackerless. This is a newer function of BitTorrent sharing that allows a site to provide links to torrent swarms without actually hosting torrent files – so it’ll be even harder to prosecute sites for peer-2-peer sharing because they host even less data. It also allows for cheaper site hosting without loosing some of the beneficial functions such as file details and comments.

This is all done using a function called magnet links. This allows you to join a torrent swarm without truly using a torrent file or a centralized tracker. TPB has converted all of their torrents to magnet links. TorrentFreak has a good article about the changes. This is why many people will be commenting about “problems” at The Pirate Bay. It’s not a problem but a change – a major change for the site but for most people it won’t affect them much at all.

Many of the popular clients can already use magnet links so the change won’t mean much for those using Azureus/Vuze or uTorrent, but those using the popular client Transmission on OS X and Ubuntu may have to grab a different client for use with TPB (and uTorrent is still working some bugs out of magnet link usage).  You can also try Magnetiser, a Firefox extension for using magnet links.

Other sites may be switching over as well (torrentz.com site started with a trackerless system), especially with TPB’s considerable influence on the peer-2-peer community. Hopefully client development will quickly include the magnet link function.

TL;DR – it’s a change. Grab a client that works with magnet links and The Pirate Bay will be back to normal for you.

UPDATE: Transmission devs have already stated they are reworking the new 1.8 version to include magnet link function. That was fast.

Barnes & Noble has come out with their own eBook reader to compete against the Kindle and it was officially announced today. It is called Nook.

Here are the main features the Nook has over the Kindle.

• The Nook has Wi-Fi which besides being a fast connection also is enable to allow full book browsing while on the B&N wireless network in store.
• The Nook has touch screen navigation and a color LCD for library browsing and other display and navigation options.
• The Nook has an expanded memory slot to increase the storage space if necessary (or for managing sets of books).
• PDFs can be read natively (Kindle has to have the PDF converted – unless a hack is applied).
• Custom images for the “screen saver” (Kindle also needs a hack to do this).
• Multiple device sync for books including iPhone/iPod Touch, Blackberry, and Computer (Kindle only has iPhone/iPod Touch and Computer).
• Digital book lending is possible which could possibly allow for library ebook borrowing systems.
• The battery on the Nook is replaceable and there are some harware customization options (like colored backplates).
• The Nook runs an Android OS which could allow for many future development options.

The e-Ink displays are almost identical so the readability will be the same but this is true of almost all eReaders that use e-Ink technology so the difference in devices really does come down to features.

The Nook also has AT&T 3G built in just like the Kindle has the Sprint 3G so depending on your area, one wireless service may be a better option than another.

The only real winner here for the Kindle is the battery life (14 days vs 10 days) and the backing of Amazon… but the book prices are about the same and currently Barnes & Noble is boasting an opening digital library larger than Amazon’s so it will be interesting to see how that aspect shapes up.

The price is $259 and will be available in November. Barnes & Noble stores will be putting up displays in the next couple days so you can check out the device yourself and pre-order one if you like. That is also an advantage for the Nook – the ability to check it out before you buy it.

This device looks very cool and has many of the features that some Kindle owners have complained about lacking (which would be why they are on this device). It has good bookstore backing and already has accessories. I see no reason this device couldn’t outshine or at the very least provide excellent competition for the Kindle – and in technology, competition is a good thing for customers.

Every once in awhile people ask me how I find fun videos or pictures or already saw popular email chain jokes. It’s really quite simple. I use Google Reader and site RSS feeds to keep track of multiple sites easily and many of those sites have that “fun” kind of content.

For help using RSS and Google reader check out the following videos from Common Craft.

RSS in Plain English:

Google Reader in Plain English:

You can use other RSS readers, there are plenty around, but Google Reader is one I highly recommend.

Now that you have an idea how to use RSS, you need some of those fun RSS feeds. Well, once you have your Google Reader account setup just add these RSS feeds:

CelebLOL: http://feeds.roflrazzi.com/ROFLrazzi
DVICE: http://dvice.com/rss.xml
FAIL Blog: http://failblog.wordpress.com/feed/
Geekology: http://www.geekologie.com/index.xml
Insomnic Dreams: http://www.insomnicdreams.com/feed/ (of course)
Lamebook: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Lamebook
Not Always Right: http://notalwaysright.com/feed
Penny Arcade: http://www.penny-arcade.com/rss.xml
That Will Buff Out: http://thatwillbuffout.com/feed/
There I Fixed It: http://thereifixedit.com/feed/
XKCD: http://xkcd.com/atom.xml

That should cover you for quite some time as far as fun feeds go. There are lots more out there so just look around for that RSS icon and subscribe to a few… it’s fun.

Microsoft has just released their own antivirus and malware software called Security Essentials. It provides free anti-virus and spyware protection and cleaning for Windows XP/Vista/7 computers. This software supercedes the previous Windows Defender software that was Microsoft’s previous anti-malware application – but it didn’t have virus protection.

I’ve been a big proponent of using free antivirus solutions (such as AVG and AntiVir) and Microsoft’s entry does seem like a very good option. It ties in well with the OS and first reports show it is just as effective as any other scanner out there.

For a detailed rundown on Microsoft Security Essentials, check out the Ars Technica review.

Be aware that anti-virus scanners don’t play well together so you’ll want to disable or remove any other anti-virus programs before installing Microsoft Security Essentials.

Gmail recently fixed up some of their security to help keep sites like eBay and PayPal from being used as phishing attacks. They do a double check on the origination and if it isn’t right it gets removed – not even spammed, just gone.

They’ve now added a Gmail Labs function that can let you know when an email is from a verified secure sender (currently it’s eBay and PayPal only). It puts a little key by the address to let you know that the sender has been checked and verified. Just another helpful little notice that it’s a safe email to open. Just go to your labs options in your Gmail settings to turn it on.

Check out more about this updated function at the offical Gmail blog post.

So now all over the air (OTA) TV broadcasts are in a digital format and you’re wondering what you need to do to watch your stories. Well… to be honest there isn’t much you need to do. It isn’t nearly as complicated as it might all sound.

First of all, if you have cable or dish services you don’t need to do anything at all. Everything will move along the same as always.

The only thing that changes is the OTA reception. In order to get digital OTA you need to have 2 things:

1. An antenna
2. A TV that can translate the HD signal

Lets take care of part of that first issue right off the bat – if you already have an antenna that can receive UHF then you are done. There is no such thing as an HD antenna. All antenna’s work the same – the only difference between antennas is their reception range – which was always true anyways. The HD antenna thing is just a marketing spin to help sell antennas.

If you don’t already have an antenna and you want to receive OTA HD then you’ll probably want to pick one up. A site to check before purchasing is AntennaWeb. They are a non-profit site that helps you find what channels are in your area and what style of antenna might work best for you. Click on the “Choose an Antenna” button and enter your street address and zip code (the rest is up to you but it really needs those two things). Once it gives you your channel listings mark the “Show Digital Stations Only” option to see what HD broadcasts you can expect. The color codes match with standardized antenna ratings to match different distance levels and reception requirements. You can also click on the “View Street Level Map” to see which direction those channels are broadcast to help with orienting your antenna (if necessary).

When it comes time to buy an antenna, I recommend Antennas Direct. They have many models to choose from and a very helpful guide to help you choose what will work for you. Their ratings and information also match well with Antenna Web so you can use them together pretty easily.

Now you need a TV to watch those beautiful HD broadcasts on… or maybe not. If your TV is already HD  compliant (check your manual) then you are all set. If your TV says “HD Ready” then it can show high resolution video but it can’t decode the transmission – you’ll need a tuner. If you are planning on using a Tivo then your tuner is in there – otherwise you’ll need to purchase a tuner.

Now what about if you aren’t ready to buy a new TV and just want to use your old TV with the new DTV signal? No problem. The government is here to help (don’t hear that too often when it comes to technology). What you need is a converter box which will translate the digital broadcast signal into an analog signal.  Luckily you get two $40 coupons to help with that purchase. To get your coupon go to the coupon request site at DTV2009.gov and fill out the information. You’ll get your coupons in the mail in about a week. Once you get the coupon, you can check DTV2009 for a local retailer and compatible models but I found the easiest way is by using Amazon. They have a special page dedicated to the redemption and I was able to pick up one of the top Consumer Reports rated models called the Zinwell ZAT-970A for the low price of zero dollars thanks to the coupon and the free shipping. Once you receive the box you’ll hook the OTA antenna cable to the box and then a cable from the box to your TV and you’ll be all set.

Hopefully this has cleared up some of the HD confusion and not just added to it. If you need more information though, the DTV2009 and AntennaWeb sites are excellent resources without any marketing spin or you post in the comments and I’ll try to help you out. I did get OTA working at my home with mixed TVs and I’m very happy to not be paying a bill for excellent quality broadcast TV (nothing like getting 16:9 widescreen with 5.1 surround on Big Bang Theory).

Google has just updated their services to allow you to reset your password and get the information via SMS. This is a big help since previous password recovery options were extremely limited. Just head over to your account management page and you can set your mobile number. This is a minor, but very useful update.