Jan 28

YouTube To Pay Users A Share Of Ad Revenue?

Posted in: Google, Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on October 12, 2006 by CyberNet.

YouTube Advertising Money Apparently Google’s acquisition of YouTube may have done more good than we thought? I guess there are now talks about sharing advertisement revenue with users who upload videos. You would supposedly get a portion of the advertising money that is generated only from the videos that you upload.

I started to think about how much money they would offer users and if YouTube gave you a penny ($0.01) for every view that your video got you could go on to make $10,000 for each 1,000,000 views! That is probably a little high but even if you got $0.001 for each view that would still be $1,000…all for sharing a video that you probably would have anyway!

In the top 100 videos on YouTube 95 of them have over 2 million views. The number one video has nearly 34 million views and shows us the evolution of dance. This is a must see :D :

Despite that video being 6-minutes long once I started watching it I felt compelled to finish it. It is a little bit off the technology news topic but amazingly I worked it into the story. :)

I think it would be really cool if YouTube started share a portion of the advertising revenues with the users, but I can’t imagine it would be that much money. Maybe Google has some sort of advertising campaign planned that will really bring in the big bucks?

News Source: Daily Mail

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Jan 27

Use Twitter to Track your UPS, FedEx, USPS, and DHL Shipments

Posted in: Today's Chili, twitter, Web Sites

This article was written on June 12, 2008 by CyberNet.

Despite the fact that Twitter was despised (and still is) by many people when it first came out, it has actually managed to become pretty useful. There are countless different Twitter applications and websites available which allow Twitter users to add more functionality to the service.

One such website is called Track This and it allows you to track your packages over Twitter. If you check Twitter pretty regularly, this will be the perfect way to keep track of your packages. The best part is that you initiate the tracking right from Twitter, so everything is done without needing to visit other sites.

Here are the steps you need to take to start following your packages via TrackThis:

  1. Go to Twitter and follow “trackthis.“
  2. “trackthis” will immediately follow you back.
  3. Send a direct message, not a reply, to TrackThis with your FedEx, UPS, USPS, or DHL tracking number in it. You can also include a little note about what the package is for.

Example: You just bought RAM for your computer and it’s being delivered via UPS. You start following “trackthis” and then “trackthis immediately follows you back. Then you send a direct message to them with the UPS tracking number in it, something like: 1234567890 RAM.

Now any time the location of the package is updated, you’ll receive an update that would look something like this:

trackthis example update.png

This just proves that there is more to Twitter than the social/stalking aspect.

Source: jkOnTheRun

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Jan 19

Online Photoshop Express Image Editor

Posted in: adobe, Features, Photos, photoshop, Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on September 07, 2007 by CyberNet.

online photoshop express screenshot
Click to Enlarge

Adobe announced back in March that they intended to create an online Photoshop that is geared towards home and casual computer users. The solution that they came up with, called Photoshop Express, will offer a simplistic interface that is free for everyone to use. However, it will be ad supported (I’m guessing that’s what the box in the bottom-right corner of the screenshot is for).

The online Photoshop Express is not yet available, and all we have to go on at this point is the screenshot that has been provided by John Nack, the Senior Product Manager of Adobe Photoshop. Aside from the screenshot the only feature he mentioned was being able to  "adjust an image just by rolling over the different versions shown at the top, previewing the results & then clicking the desired degree of modification."

I think I’ve been able to draw some fairly accurate conclusions by analyzing the screenshot of Photoshop Express:

  • Options available in the sidebar:
    • Crop and rotate photos
    • Auto correct is available (hopefully this is as good as Photoshop’s)
    • White balance adjustments
    • Tuning – probably adjusting hue, saturation, exposure, etc…
    • Details – might be some basic filters from Photoshop, such as blurring
    • Touchup – probably things like removing red eye and fixing small imperfections in the photo
    • Fun – probably for adding shapes, callouts, etc…
    • Recent – things you’ve recently applied to the image?
  • Zoom in and out
  • Undo/redo or reset the photo back to the original
  • A history of your edited photos is kept in the sidebar
  • A history of changes to the current photo is in the top bar
  • You can save an image, or export it (probably to Photoshop)

So that’s my best guess of what the online Photoshop Express will have at launch, and all of that is based solely on the screenshot. One of the more interesting things that I’ve noticed is missing from it is a lacking of layer management. One of Photoshop’s strongest features is being able to manage insane amounts of layers, but I see no section dedicated to that type of feature in the online version.

I would say that the best online Photoshop clone has got to be Fauxto. The interface is extremely close to that of Photoshop, and it has an extensive list of features available (including layer management). I would say that Adobe should have just acquired this site instead of making their own version of Photoshop online, but I have a feeling that Adobe wouldn’t have been comfortable with Fauxto since it is a bit too close to the real deal.

Source: Adobe Blog [via CrunchGear]

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Jan 18

It’s Official, Hulu Has Launched!

Posted in: Movies, Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on March 12, 2008 by CyberNet.

At 1:46 AM today, Hulu launched to everybody in the United States after 18 weeks of private beta testing. Many of you have already been enjoying Hulu as one of their beta testers and so for you, this is no big deal. But to the thousands upon thousands of people who are just now hearing about this new way to watch TV shows and over 100 full-length movies for free, it is a big deal. At this point the service isn’t perfect, but it is a great way to catch up on shows that you may have missed.

As mentioned, at this point it’s available only to those living in the United States. This is obviously one of the huge downsides with people Internationally showing interest in the service.  So far there’s been no word from Hulu on if or when they intend to make this service available to those in other countries. Another thing that some see as a downside is that the shows aren’t available for download.

hulu launch

Content on Hulu comes from providers like Fox, NBC, MGM, Sony Pictures, Warner Bothers, Lionsgate, and more. In all, there are over fifty different providers which NewTeeVee lists. The shows and movies that they provide aren’t exactly high quality, but they’re not poor quality either.  To make money, ads are displayed for several seconds throughout the show. The one ad I remember seeing when using the service was from Nissan, but other advertising partners include Best Buy, Intel, State Farm, DirecTV, and Chilis.

Overall, I’ve been impressed with what Hulu offers. I think they have a great thing going here and it’ll be interesting to see if they’re able to succeed. Now that they’re open to the public, hopefully they’ll be able to keep up with the demand because there are already reports that the site is going a little slow today.

Source: Hulu Blog

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Jan 16

Hands-On with YouTubeDesktop

Posted in: Google, Today's Chili, videos, Web Sites, YouTube

This article was written on August 23, 2007 by CyberNet.

I just spent some time hands-on with YouTubeDesktop which makes viewing and interacting with YouTube videos much like what you’d experience with a desktop application, except it’s web based. While YouTube videos are simple and convenient to watch as-is, YouTubeDesktop does give you a unique experience, and offers a simple-to-use interface.

What can you do?

With YouTube Desktop, much like a window open on your desktop, you’ll be able to drag, resize, and minimize windows to a tray. You can also create players and drag and drop videos between those players. And just like YouTube, you can search for videos, or browse them. When you first visit YouTube Desktop, it will display some of the videos that are currently popular.

Youtube desktop

Other features include:

  • Watch multiple videos at the same time or have multiple players open at a time
  • Download Videos as avi, MP4, mov, wmv,flv,exe – “converted on the fly”
  • Change themes
  • Share videos via email
  • View recently played videos

At first I wasn’t really quite sure how this would be beneficial to the typical YouTube user. However, after playing around with it, I see it as a “distraction-free” way to view movies.  They don’t display any comments which some may see as a draw-back, but I’d actually rather do without all the comments. This would be perfect if you’d like to watch/listen to a bunch of music videos or movie trailers as well because you can find all the ones that you want to see, and just add them all to your playlist.  Once one video is done playing, it will play the next one in queue.

Down-sides

The first problem I see with YouTubeDesktop is actually the name. Because there’s YouTube in the name, I would bet that YouTube’s lawyers will eventually require them to change their name.

Another issue as Last100 points out is that they allow users to save the YouTube videos to their computers. YouTube actually has it written in their terms and conditions that third parties are not to allow users to save the videos.

Overall it’s a service that would be great for those of you who regularly watch a lot of YouTube videos. If you just watch a video here or there, it’s probably not worth using it.  Remember, it is web-based so there’s no downloading involved, which makes it convenient to use.

Currently YouTubeDesktop is in private beta and an invitation is needed. They’re not giving away any invitations right now, but when they do, we’ll let you know!

 

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Jan 14

Digital Universe, The Anti-Wikipedia?

Posted in: Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on July 25, 2006 by CyberNet.

Digital Universe, The Anti-Wikipedia?
More likely than not, you probably haven’t heard of Digital Universe which is also being called the Anti-Wikipedia. Who would develop such a thing you ask? Afterall, Wikipedia is the go-to encyclopedia on the web (although semi-controversial). You can find heaps of information on just about every topic from A to Z and of course it is a wiki which means content is added and edited collaboratively by people just like you and I. Digital Universe was started three years ago with a goal of assembling information on the web much like Wikipedia (with some differences), but it is backed by experts instead of the general population.

The founder of Digital Universe, Joe Firmage says their core mission is information you can trust. While Wikipedia is collaboratively written, I’ve never come across information on Wikipedia that gave me the feeling it was unreliable. There are countless non professional ‘experts’ that contribute to Wikipedia with more information in one place than I’d ever be able to scrounge up in one source elsewhere. Sure, information can be inaccurate sometimes, but that’s what is so great about it. The community of users acts as the editors and removes inaccurate information.

Firmage has sought out scientists and academics, otherwise known as experts in their fields to help him achieve his goal. A full version is expected in the Fall, and for now a pilot version can be found at www.digitaluniverse.net. The public is still able to contribute, however the experts review, create context, and ensure accuracy of the content. Additionally, using Digital Universe is a bit more like scanning a table of contents than it is searching for particular words.

I think the general population who browse the 3 million+ articles over at Wikipedia won’t be so quick to run over and see what the experts have to say. What does Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia say about this ‘anti-wikipedia?’ “I think it’s extremely unlikely they will be successful,” he said. “If they don’t put together an open system, they are going to have a really hard time getting participation. Their arrogant view of experts is going to turn off a lot of contributors.”

The idea just doesn’t excite me too much. Do we really need another source for expert information?

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Jan 07

Windows Live Mail Milestone 7 Released

Posted in: Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on July 25, 2006 by CyberNet.

Windows Live Mail Milestone 7 Released
It’s been a busy couple of days in the world of Windows Live! Last night, Microsoft released the newest release and upgrade to Windows Live Mail Beta- Milestone 7. An official list of the newest changes has not been released. A week ago, an early preview was posted at liveside.net. The expected changes are:

– Loading indicator
– Storage Meter
– Recently Updated Spaces
– Return of Checkboxes (just like Hotmail)
– Drag & Drop Improvements
– First Run Improvements
– Ability to turn on/off Spell Checker
– Signature Rich Text Editor
– Print Contacts
– Contact Import
– More Languages
– Search Contacts
– Performance Improvements
– Improvements to basic version
– Return of the Photo Upload Tool from Hotmail
– Search structured query syntax

At first glance, it appears as though the expected changes listed above have been implemented. Windows Live Mail is currently being used by 6 million people, and they continue to increase the number of beta users. It is important to remember that it is still in beta, and while it is a big milestone, everything probably won’t run perfectly yet.

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Jan 05

Technorati Launches New Web Site Design

Posted in: Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on July 24, 2006 by CyberNet.

Technorati Launches New Web Site Design

While taking a stroll over to Technorati today I noticed that it has received a nice upgrade with an easier to navigate homepage. They have put together a movie for those people who want a walk-through of what is new or you can read through their blog post about the upgrade.

One of the coolest things that they have now is a Discover page (the link is located in the upper-left corner of the Technorati homepage). This allows you to see what some of the most popular news is around the Web in various different categories. This almost reminds me of the Del.icio.us Popular page where you can see what everyone is talking about right now.

I really like the new design and the Discover page is going to be really useful. The only thing that I wish they had on that page was the ability to subscribe to certain categories via RSS. That would make it even easier to find out about hot news. They do have that feature I was just a little blind (read the comments below). Oh yeah, and let’s not forget to wish Technorati a happy 3rd-year anniversary!

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Jan 04

iTunes Movie Rentals on the Way?

Posted in: Apple, Gadgets, ipod, itunes, Movies, Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on September 10, 2007 by CyberNet.

It appears as though movie rentals from iTunes are on the way! This is one of those things that just makes sense for Apple to do. They already sell movies on iTunes, and they sell Apple TV which they promote as "iTunes to Apple TV, wire free," so why not rent movies to make Apple TV and their iPods capable of playing movies that much more appealing?

The image below is what you’ll see if you were to use iTunes problem reporting system, and this is where Apple slipped-up to reveal movie rentals. All you have to do is view your account purchase history, click to report a problem, and then click on a purchase that you made and you’ll notice all of the problems you could report for renting a movie like "did not receive," "accidental purchase," "duplicate purchase," "wrong version," and "Bad Metadata."

itunes rent a movie

I’d also assume that Apple would rent movies that are formatted appropriately for iPods, especially with their new line-up of iPods capable of watching movies. This would definitely be a good move for Apple because many people, including myself, prefer to rent movies instead of buy them. And if Apple could offer some type of subscription service like what Netflix or Blockbuster are able to offer, well then it’s just icing on the cake!

Souce: WinBeta.org

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Jan 03

Is Twitter Becoming a News-Wire?

Posted in: Today's Chili, twitter, Web Sites

This article was written on July 31, 2008 by CyberNet.

Twitter is one of those services I just can’t make up my mind about. On one hand it provides a simple and quick way to get information about what’s going out there whether it be updates from friends or news from my favorite sites. On the other hand, it can get annoying when people use it for the simplest mundane types of things like, “I see an ant.” Then of course there are the times when Twitter simply doesn’t work which has happened on more than one occasion. Complaints aside, one area where Twitter shines is when it acts as a news-wire when something big happens. This week Twitter was more of a news-wire service when the earthquake occurred earlier this week in the Los Angeles area.

The Tiwtter blog took the time to point out how it took only seconds for the first Twitter update to appear saying there was an earthquake in California. It took several minutes after the quake before official news started to emerge. At that point there were already thousands of people who had “Twittered” about it. The real-time aspect of Twitter is what makes it something completely unique and different from what other news services are able to offer, and Twitter updates are first-hand accounts.

Twitter put together a graph that shows when the earthquake occurred, and then the surge in Twitter updates that followed. The graph also points out how it took about 9 minutes after the quake before the AP wire sent out the news to other news agencies. Take a look:

twitter news wire.png

Is Twitter becoming a news-wire? In this situation it was certainly a popular form of communication during the earthquake, and surprisingly enough, it was able to with-stand the influx of Twitter updates without problems. If anything, this earthquake showed just how powerful real-time micro-messaging services like Twitter can be.

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