Randy's Blog

Wolfram|Alpha

2009-05-16T07:56:00.002-05:00

A brand new service was just released last night, and its called Wolfram|Alpha, a "computational knowledge engine". I only have to use one word to describe it: "wow." I've never seen anything like it. It is like an endless pit of knowledge, geared towards high level math and science, but having other subjects as well. It if a must use for any advanced high school student and definitely college students. Go check it out: http://wolframalpha.com/

Back to Blogging

2009-05-06T18:41:00.002-05:00

Its been quite a while since I've last posted a blog post, almost a year actually. A lot has happened since I stopped blogging (here at least). I've become a co-founder of the web service SendItHome (http://sendithome.net/), and its parent company Carbon Wave Technologies (http://carbonwavetech.com/). I'm just a few weeks away from finishing my junior year of high school, and I am itching to get out and start summer break.

For now, I'll stay on this blog, but look out for a personal website of mine coming out in the next year or so!

Firefox 3 Official Release

2008-06-17T10:55:00.003-05:00

Today, at 10am PDT or 1pm Eastern, Mozilla will unveil the official release of Firefox 3. Go to spreadfirefox.com to help the record breaking attempt of most downloads in a 24 hour period. If you are unsure about the update, read my review on the late beta of Firefox 3.

I just joined Webcast Academy!

2008-06-12T21:43:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to let everybody know that I have signed up to participate as a webcast intern in the 3.x class of Webcast Academy at http://webcastacademy.net/, part of the Worldbridges network. I must say that I am really excited and cannot wait to start. If you have any suggestions or advice for me, leave it in the comments!

SmallWorlds: Now in Public Beta

2008-06-03T21:54:00.009-05:00

SmallWorlds, a new virtual world developed by New Zealand based Outsmart, was finally released into public beta today after over 18 months of private beta testing. SmallWorlds is a virtual world which integrates popular web2.o services such as YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, and Last.fm into a beautifully designed world where you can do such activities as dance, play games, or just hang with friends. I must say that I have never seen such a well designed and amazing service.

Using "pixel perfect" 3D-isometric graphics, SmallWorlds easily surpases the hardly decent graphics of Second Life and has the best graphics, by far, of any compition it may have. In addition to having stunning graphics, SmallWorlds also boasts integration with YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, and Last.fm through a variety of "widgets". These widgets come in the forms of flat screen TV's that play YouTube videos, picture frames cycling through Flickr images, and boomboxes/steroes/DJ stands that play music from Last.fm or Seeqpod online music services. Integration with more web2.0 services is high on the priority list for the development team, so expect more services appearing as development continues.

On top of all that, I am thrilled to say that the development team do come into the world with sparkling avatars with the last name of SmallWorlds. They are easily identified and always very friendly and helpful with anything concerns or comments that you have. I had the priviledge to sit down and talk with one of the moderators, in SmallWorlds, about the current development of SmallWorlds and we discussed other possible features and services that they could add. If you ever see any of them, let them know what a great job they've done and don't be afraid to ask questions or make suggestions, you may be surprised to find that what you suggest may already be there!

I went around the virtual world and took a handful of screenshots and posted them on Flickr. Use the links below to view the screenshots or visit the SmallWorlds website and create yourself an account. If ever end up on SmallWorlds, look me up (my name there is Webb Masters).

Links:

Flickr Screenshots:
http://flickr.com/photos/25949879@N02/sets/72157605421089904/

SmallWorlds Site:
http://smallworlds.com/

Adobe AIR Apps

2008-05-13T19:27:00.003-05:00

With the school year closing and exams coming closer and closer, I have been bogged down with homework and had little time to get on the computer. But I have been able to play with some Adobe AIR apps. Adobe AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) is a relatively new product from Adobe that helps bridge the gap between desktop programs and web apps. Some of the more popular AIR apps are Twitter apps such as Twirl.

Since the release of FriendFeed, I have been looking for a good AIR app to replace Twirl as my AIR app of choice. Not too long after FriendFeed's release did I find Alert Thingy, which is now quickly surpassing Twirl, which I haven't used in a long time now. I also have tried MySocial, unsucessfully. It would not connect properly and I cannot seem to get it to work. I really enjoy Pandora internet radio, and I found a cool PandorAIR app that allows me to listen to Pandora without opening my browser (a godsend).

There has been a lot of talk about if desktop programs such as MS Office and the like are obsolete compared to online web apps, like Google Docs. I haven't really taken much of a side on this debate, but this is my opinion and feeling on the subject:

I cannot stand keeping a browser window open for all my online services like Google
Reader, Pandora, Twitter, FriendFeed, and the like. I have tried to find services such as
Pageflakes to keep everything in one place, unsucessfully. When I heard of AIR, I was
very excited to have this new product coming from Adobe. It has really impressed me,
and I hope that it will grow more mainstream so that there are more apps available.

My favorite aspect of AIR is that all the programs are super light and have an almost unnoticable footprint on your RAM and computer performance.

Are there any other great AIR apps that I have failed to mention?

My Tech News Sources

2008-05-03T19:23:00.008-05:00

My key to staying current with web2.0 and technology in general is subscribing to the right sources: popular tech blogs and tech news sites. I use Google Reader to subscribe to the following posts, then I go on Digg and Diigo to find other links, sometimes.

These are my sources:

	2¢ Worth
	http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/feed/
	David Alison's Blog
	http://www.davidalison.com/feeds/posts/default
	PC Magazine Office Tips and Solutions
	http://rssnewsapps.ziffdavis.com/pcmagofficetips.xml
	http://feeds.ziffdavis.com/ziffdavis/pcmag/dvorak
	PCM Breaking News
	http://feeds.ziffdavis.com/ziffdavis/pcmag/breakingnews
	Skype Blogs
	http://feeds.feedburner.com/ShareSkypeEn
	TechCrunch
	http://feeds.feedburner.com/Techcrunch
	http://feeds.feedburner.com/Webtools-Desinet1?format=xml
	ZDNet News - News Page One
	http://news.zdnet.com/2504-1_22-0-20.xml

You can see my shared posts on Googler Reader if you don't want to keep up with everything. Hope this list helps you keep current with web2.0 and tech if you aren't already doing so.

Firefox 3 Beta 5

2008-05-01T19:49:00.006-05:00

I have been testing the new Mozilla Firefox 3 Beta 5 for about a week now, and I am very impressed. Typically, I wait until the final release to download and install, but after all the hype and good reviews it has been getting, I decided to try it out. Here is how I rated it:

Rating: 5/5, Excellent!

Favorite features/changes:
I really like how you can now go to the right end of the address bar and open up a small pop-up showing all bookmarking options, or just "star" it which does a quick bookmark of the page. The first bookmark on the "link bar" is now a folder called "Smart Bookmarks", and it shows you your most visited and recently bookmarked pages, and it updates automatically.

Overall, I think the biggest, most noticeable improvement is the bookmarking system and how it is incorporated into several places to make the feature more effective and easier to use. They also changed up the interface a little bit, but I am growing to like it.

For those who are familiar with Firefox 2, version 3 will be a must get once it is finalized (sometime this summer). For those feeling brave enough to try the last beta (beta 5), you can download Beta 5 here: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-beta.html.

Transition from Drupal

2008-04-28T18:55:00.002-05:00

Since I first started blogging, I have used my school system's Drupal site. But now that traffic there has really slowed down and I am getting the hang of blogging, I made the decision to start a blog here on Blogger where I will hopefully get some traffic.

For those who don't know me, I am currently finishing my sophomore year at Manteo High School on the OBX (Eastern NC). I am a real technology enthusiast and design and maintain websites as a part time job. My personal website is still under construction and I hope to finish it by the end of the year. My web design portfolio currently consists of http://obxlax.com/ and the OBX Hokie Club's website (undergoing redesign and temporarily down).

This blog will be a continuation of my blog on my school's Drupal, and you can check out my previous posts there at http://drupal.dare.k12.nc.us/?q=blog/7.