An Eclectic Mind

Interesting links for August 2007.

• Video: RSS in Plain English
  A great video that explains RSS in a way that anyone can understand. Thanks to Andy Piper for pointing this out. On CommonCraft.com.
• Annals of Technology: Damn Spam
  An excellent article about the history of spam. In The New Yorker.
• popuri.us
  This one-trick pony displays rank for any URL on about a dozen different ranking sites, including Google, Alexa, Yahoo!, and more. You can link to results if you have rank worth bragging about.
• Expired – But Not Gone
  Ever wonder what happens to expired domain names? This article fills you in. On the Daily Domainer.
• Clean CSS
  An online utility for Web designers and bloggers that optimizes CSS.
• What Is Google PageRank? A Guide For Searchers & Webmasters
  A detailed article that explains how Google PageRank works. On SearchEngineLand.com.
• 43 Web Design Mistakes You Should Avoid
  Hmmm…I think I make at least 10 of these mistakes in my blog. But heck, at least I know what they are! On DailyBlogTips.com.
• Visible Earth: The Blue Marble
  A great image of the western hemisphere from NASA. It’s my new desktop picture.
• DownloadSquad Discovers Splogs. Welcome to 2005, Guys.
  Some more commentary about splogs. On Deep Jive Interests.
• Stay Away from In-Text Advertising
  This is an article I wish all bloggers would read. In-Text advertising has to be the most annoying type of advertising on any blog. On Daily Blog Tips.
• 12 U.S. Laws Bloggers Should Know
  The title says it all. If you blog in the U.S., you should be familiar with these laws. On Daily Blog Tips.
• The Future of RSS
  Another excellent article about RSS. On ReadWriteWeb.com.
• Google – The Ultimate Money Making Machine
  Remember college economics? This great article explains supply and demand as it applies to the real and online world. Interesting stuff! On Read/Write Web.
• Free Hugs
  This Rockeboom video made me feel GOOD. And thanks to Miraz for her post about Rocketboom.
• The Ultimate Guide to Productivity Group Writing Project
  A meme for sharing productivity tips. Lots of links, lots of ideas. On the Instigator Blog.
• 20 WordPress Themes That Don’t Disappoint
  Some great themes for WordPress users. On share.clarklab.net.
• Blog Plagiarism Q&A
  Some good information about splogging and other plagiarist activities on the Web. On Daily Blog Tips.
• Impossible: M.C. Escher’s Waterfall Now in a 3D Sculpture and LEGO, Too
  Photographs of a 3D model and Lego construction of Escher’s famous waterfall image. Amazing stuff. On Gizmodo.
• Twitter Is Now An Extension Of My Blogging
  Interesting article by Scott Karp on Publishing 2.0 about how he’s using Twitter as part of his blogging routine.
• Server location, cross-linking, and Web 2.0 technology thoughts
  An article on the Google WebMaster Central blog answering a few Webmaster questions about how Google works.
• CSS tips and tricks
  Some CSS basics. On the Blog Herald.
• CSS tips and tricks, Part 2
  A followup to a great basics article about CSS. On the Blog Herald.
• 10 Minute Blog Tips: Making a Good First Impression
  A good article about how to design your site’s pages to make a good first impression on new visitors. By Chris Garrett on The Blog Herald.
• 101 Essential Blogging Resources
  Excellent list of 122 (and counting) resources for bloggers. On Blogtrepreneur.com.
• Not Worried About the Future
  Scott Adams gets some fan mail from an exceptional 10-year-old. Be sure to read the following blog post, where Adams tries to assure readers that it isn’t a hoax — or at least he don’t think so. On the Dilbert Blog.
• The Bobby Hoax?
  I figured I’d better link to this, too. There IS hope for our future. On the Dilbert Blog.
• Neil Tyson on exploring space
  Good discussion of Neil Tyson’s recent Parade article about why we explore space. On Bad Astronomy.
• Why America Needs to Explore Space
  A look at the big picture. By Neil Tyson in Parade magazine.
• LA Fire Department all ‘aTwitter’ over Web 2.0
  A real life GOOD use of Twitter. On pcworld.com.
• The Genesis of Online Publishing, or: Adam and Steve in the Garden of Readin’
  Excellent article looking back at the dawn of electronic publishing. Although this piece dates from 2002, it’s still chock-full of interesting information. On RandomAccess.com.
• Jeffrey Zeldman: King of Web Standards
  Great article on Business Week about the history of Web standards. Thanks to Tony Hung on Deep Jive Interests for bringing this to my attention.
• Monday Madness: I’ll have my scientists one-dimensional and without opinions, please!
  Excellent rant by blooger/podcaster Karl Mogel fighting back against commenters who try to tell bloggers what they should write about or what their opinions should be. Thank you! On The Inoculated Mind.
• Poster Child for Cognitive Dissonance
  An excellent explanation for the difference between atheists and agnostics and the sameness of weak atheists and agnostics. On the Dilbert Blog.
• Versions, builds included with Intel-based Macs
  A good reference document for support people. From Apple.com.
• Versions, builds included with PowerPC Macs (since 1998)
  More good reference material for support personnel. On Apple.com.
• Back to the Tap!
  An excellent podcast on Skepticality.com that discusses the truth behind tap and bottled water. Features discussion with Kelly Comstock, an Environmental Engineer who works with water purification.
• 12 things you need to watch the Perseid meteors Sunday night
  I’ll be out there, but I don’t think I’ll need the blanket! On the BadAstronomy blog.
• Why Can’t We Stop Spammers?
  Great podcast episode about spam and stopping spam. On NPR Talk of the Nation.
• iWork Trial
  Download a 30-day trial of iWork. On the Apple.com Web site.
• Video: Social Bookmarking in Plain English
  Another excellent how-to video from the folks at Common Craft.
• What We Call the News
  Another funny animation by JibJab. Well, it would be funny if it weren’t so true.
• Nuckin’ Futs! – Best of 2006!
  One more JibJab animation. The world IS going nuts!
• The Eternal Debate Rises Again
  Full or partial feeds? The debate has reared it’s ugly head again. I like Tony’s take on the “militants” who demand full feeds OR ELSE. I need to tackle this issue again. On Deep Jive Interests.
• New .Mac iDisk sizes gobble up drive space for those who sync
  If you use iDisk sync (as I do) and noticed that your hard disk seems to have a lot less available space these days, it’s because your iDisk is 10 GB bigger — and it needs that same 9 GB of space on your hard disk. This explains it. On the Unofficial App
• Review: Apple’s new 24-inch iMac (aluminum)
  A thorough review of the new iMac. On AppleInsider.
• Apple Screen Sharing App Makes its Debut in Leopard
  Some early information about the Screen Sharing feature in Leopard. On 9 to 5 Mac.
• Eye-tracking: implications for writing web content
  Great article about writing for Web page design. On Quality Web Content. Thanks to Miraz for this informative link.
• Apple stirs controversy with iMovie’s ’08 overhaul
  I’d heard some rumblings, but it’s evidently worse than I thought. I just bought iLife, but not for the iMovie component; I switched to Final Cut Express earlier this year. It should be interesting to see how this plays out. On AppleInsider.
• The dangers of Copy and Paste
  Ever use a public computer? Read this. Some eye-opening points and advice on TiKouka.
• 3rd BlogDay coming Friday 31st August
  Some thoughts about the upcoming BlogDay and linking out to other sites. On the Blog Herald.
• 10 Minute Blog Tips: How to Get Everything You Ever Wanted
  Chris Garrett’s greatest blog tip — and some good advice. On the Blog Herald.
• Overheard on Twitter . . . the New Entertainment?
  More positive commentary about the benefits of Twitter. On the Blog Herald.
• Navigating The Five Stages Of Blogging Fatigue
  Excellent article, must-read for all serious bloggers. Some good advice on how to stay enthusiastic about your blog. On The Blog Herald.
• Blogging Ethics: When And What Should Bloggers Disclose?
  Very thorough article about disclosure and blogging. On Read/Write Web.
• Rethinking ‘Crossing The Chasm’
  Interesting business article about the “gap that exists between the early adopters of any technology and the mass market.” Good examples within. On Read/Write Web
• Personalized Search Primer – And Google’s Approach
  Informative article on Google Personalized Search. On Read/Write Web.
• Could Google be Taking Plagiarism Lightly?
  Very disappointing yet not unexpected response from Google regarding splogs on Blogger. On Daily Blog Tips.
• 34 Reasons Why Readers Unsubscribe from Your Blog
  Excellent poll results summarizing why people unsubscribe from blog feeds. On Problogger.net.
• Pro Blogger Test
  Think you know a lot about blogging? Want to make money at it? Take the test to see how you rate. On Daily Blog Tips.
• Measuring Sticks for Blogs: Do They Matter?
  This article discusses the most commonly used rank/stats services/features that bloggers use, their pros and cons, and why you might or might not want to use them. Very complete. Interesting read for any blogger. On Daily Blog Tips.
• 7 Habits of Highly Efficient Bloggers
  Great tips for being more efficient. This isn’t just for bloggers, either — it’s for anyone who writes. On Daily Bllog Tips.
• Amazon Launches Lulu Competitor
  Interesting article about a new print operation launched by Amazon.com. (I’m trying to figure out if this replaces their old one.) On Read/Write Web.
• Pentagon Paid $998,798 to Ship Two 19-Cent Washers
  Stuff like this makes me sick. With people not getting proper medical care and others struggling to make ends meet, the U.S. Government blows our tax dollars on fraudulently submitted invoiced submitted without oversight. On Bloomberg.com.
• Mac OS X: Mac OS Extended format (HFS Plus) volume and file limits
  Learn the limits for files and volumes on disks that use the Mac OS Extended format (HFS Plus) in Mac OS X, including journaled HFS+ volumes. On Apple’s Support site.
• LOT OF POKEMON CARDS THAT MY KIDS TRIED TO SNEAK BY ME
  I don’t know how long this page will remain on eBay, but it includes a great story by the mother of six who sold the cards. Thanks to @desertlibrarian on Twitter for the link.
• #4337 Blog by Email: No content is assumed
  Patch for WordPress 2.2 not recognizing content of post by e-mail. On WordPress.org.
• Write First, Edit Later
  Excellent advice for anyone who writes. On Daily Writing Tips.
• Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style
  A review of this classic writer’s guide. I recommend the hard-covered, illustrated version. On Daily Writing Tips.
• The Elements of Style
  Searchable, 3rd edition of the classic book, “The Elements of Style.” On Bartleby.com. With a tip of the hat to Daily Writing Tips for the link.
• Flash Earth
  My house from space. On Flash Earth.
• 25 Signs That Computers and the Internet Rule Your Life
  What’s scary about this is how much it actually applies to me. On WebUpon.com.
• Senator, Arrested at Airport, Pleads Guilty
  Republicans like waving the Bible and denying homosexuals rights to get votes from the Christian right. But what they do in private is another story. Hypocrites! In the New York Times.
• Synchronicity
  Scott Adams of Dilbert fame predicts tomorrow’s headlines. I’m willing to bet he gets them right. On the Dilbert Blog.
• Apple faces new class-action suit over locked iPhones
  As an Apple stockholder, I wish people would stop suing Apple. But as an Apple product user, I wish Apple would stop trying to be like Microsoft. (Think monopoly.) On Apple Insider.
• Dig Into Your Blog’s Statistics
  A good article about what you should be looking at when you examine your site stats. On ProBlogger.net.
• Why does my Feedburner Subscriber Count Fluctuate?
  Finally, an explanation! On ProBlogger.net.
• Apple confirms “Special Event” on September 5th
  Apple will probably announce new iPod products. Not good news for me. I might have to buy one of these to write about it in my Leopard book. (I already have three iPods and don’t want another one.) On Apple Insider.
• 7 Lessons Learned 2 Years After Katrina
  Read a first-hand account from a New Orleans resident. By Jonathan Bailey on Plagiarism Today.
• Newseum | Today’s Front Pages | Gallery View
  Interesting site that displays the front page of hundreds of newspapers every day.
• Moments Frozen In Time 4th Part
  Some neat photos. On Novak’s Blog.
• Webmaster Guidelines
  Google’s instructions on how to get your site listed in its search results. If you manage a site or blog and haven’t followed these instructions yet, what are you waiting for? On Google’s Webmaster Support site.
• Associated Press delves into legalities of iPhone unlocking
  It appears that it might be LEGAL to unlock an iPhone for your own use but ILLEGAL to do it for a fee to someone else’s phone. It should be interesting to see how the unlocking situation develops. On Apple Insider.
• Check for a dead battery in a Mac’s remote control
  Great little tip for checking the power in a Mac’s remote control. On MacOSXHints.com.

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