Posts from May 2004

Apple released Mac OS X v10.3.4 update today. Key enhancements: Improved file sharing and directory services for Mac (AFP), UNIX (NFS), PPTP, and wireless networksimproved OpenGL technology and updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics driversImproved disc burning and recording functionalityiPods connected via USB 2.0 are now recognized by iTunes and iSyncAdditional FireWire audio and USB device compatibilityUpdated Address Book, Mail, Safari, Stickies, and QuickTime applications...

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Vividence has a semi-annual report on the search industry. PDF link to report. In its May report Google received top rank for customer experience and satisfaction, and last for ad activity. Customer experience and satisfaction rankings: GoogleYahoo!Ask JeevesLycosMSN Ask Jeeves and MSN had a similar pre-search brand image, but MSN did not deliver the same post-search experience. 75% of users say they have one primary search engine. "Although actual search results returned by the leading five search engines do not differ substantially by some measures, Google users reported a higher perceived rate of success and satisfaction with search results."...

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Space.com: "The Federal Aviation Administration's Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST) is expected next month to certify that the Mojave Airport Civilian Flight Test Center as a non-federal spaceport to handle horizontal launches of reusable spacecraft."...

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ResponDesign plans to release Yourself!Fitnesss, a virtual personal trainer for your Xbox. Choose a backdrop and music track while Maya, your personal trainer, works through some of her 600 exercies. Eric Taub of the New York Times profiles Yourself!Fitness in today's New York Times....

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Google is reportedly preparing to release desktop search software: project Puffin. CNET News.com analyzes Google's move to the desktop, similar attempts by other companies past and present, and why Google needs to make this move well before Longhorn ships....

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Kendall Grant Clark, faculty research associate in the University of Maryland's semantic web lab, wrote an interesting XML.com article about the courtship of Atom and who's courting whom. FOAF plus Atom (or FOAF plus your favorite RSS flavor) is to the Semantic Web what home pages were to the Web. A machine-readable description of a person, plus a machine-readable version of that person's web space, is enough Semantic Web for us to do really great things, whether or not the hard KR stuff ever amounts to anything at all. This idea is exactly what I was trying to get Technorati...

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Next month's Apple Worldwide Developer's Conference features a bird of a feather meeting on RSS, Web Services and Online Content in Cocoa Apps. I do not have a conference pass, but I will try to attend the exhibits and this BoF. This BoF discussion delves into recent developments in desktop applications that integrate with content and services on the Internet. Such applications include RSS readers like Shrook and NetNewsWire and weblog editing tools like Ecto and Xjournal. Come get answers and share ideas about rich network client design and implementation....

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John Battelle and Tim O'Reilly have one whopper of a conference planned in October: Web 2.0. The speaker list is incredible, especially if you are interested in search technology. $1695 for the conference sessions only if you register before June 7. Registration is currently by invitation only. If I know you and you are interested in an invitation send me an e-mail....

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Adam Baer of The New York Times writes about the MusicPad from FreeHand Systems. You simply touch the 12-inch LCD display or use a remote control to switch pages. In much the way that portable digital audio players have changed the way people consume tunes, tablets like the MusicPad are changing the way musicians use sheet music....

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I attended the Technorati Developers Salon tonight in San Francisco. I arrived at a non-descript side entrance and rang an unlabeled call box. Kevin Marks answered the door, and I knew I was in the right place. After an hour of mingling, pizza, salad, and Anchor Steam, the group of about 40 people headed downstairs. Sputnik wireless access covered the entire two story office space. The office space is very large, considering Technorati employs only 8 people. They should be able to expand to 50 people at least in this office space. Dave Sifry started things off. Technorati picks up,...

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