Lively from Google going the way of the dodo
Filed under: Fun, Internet, Google
Not that we were huge fans of Lively to begin with, but I'm sure someone out there loved it. Right? No? Perhaps that explains Google's announcement that, "despite all the virtual high fives and creative rooms everyone has enjoyed in the last four and a half months, we've decided to shut Lively down at the end of the year." So grab those screenies before 2009 and your avatars and rooms go dead.
One or two of you may cry out in anguish as a few million vertices are silenced with the click of a mouse: "why Google, why?" Well, I'm sure it wasn't the fact that it was PC-only (and Firefox or IE7-only). Or that it wasn't the most stable thing Google has produced. Or that it was, ya know, like Second Life Lite but for chat. Because, clearly, the world needs a few zillion more Second Life-style chat clients, right?
If you are to believe Google, it's because they want to focus on their core business. You know, search and ads and apps that don't look like Animal Crossing. Besides, they can always roll this into Sketchup, so you could have a virtual barn raising. We can dream, can't we?
Lively from Google going the way of the dodo originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsAdobe releases alpha 64-bit Flash plugin for Linux
Filed under: Internet, Linux, Adobe, Beta, Browsers
It's been a long time coming. For ages, users have been forced to use nspluginwrapper to enable the 32-bit Flash player in their browser. With the official alpha release from Adobe, there's light at the end of the tunnel. Adobe's increased attention to Linux may have something to do with the fact that nearly a quarter of all Firefox crashes on Linux systems are related to the Flash plugin.
Availability of the 64-bit version is yet another boost for Flash on Linux. Version 10 made significant strides in terms of performance and compatability.
Linux users can get their hands on the plugin from this page at Adobe Labs.
Since I've recently installed Vista Ultimate x64 on my workstation, I'm hopeful that Adobe will do the right thing and roll out a Windows version as well. The company has stated that next major release the plugin will feature 64-bit versions for all three major platforms.
[ via Ars Technica ]
Adobe releases alpha 64-bit Flash plugin for Linux originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsFree CrossFTP handles basic FTP chores on any OS
Filed under: Internet, Utilities, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Freeware
Both apps download and run in a flash. All of the functions I need for most FTP chores are available in the free, basic version: upload, download, site/connection manager, rename, delete, CHMOD. CrossFTP also remembers your browsing history and supports favorites, which makes queueing bulk uploads a breeze.
The server works nicely, and can be set up with minimal fuss. It's extremely configurable and an easy way to quickly provide FTP access to any system's files.
As with MuCommander, memory usage is an issue: the client consumes about 40mb and the server another 70mb. That's substantially more than FileZilla ( 11mb / 5mb ).
The pro version provides additional functionality, like support for SSL and SFTP and the ability to move remote files instead of deleting and re-uploading.
While I'm not going to forsake FileZilla for this one, it's a nice app to bookmark just in case.
Free CrossFTP handles basic FTP chores on any OS originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsInLinks makes it a bit tougher to trust everything you read online
Filed under: Internet, Blogging
Now there's a new ad service called InLinks which automates the process of placing in-text links that don't look like ads on a web site. While this may come as good news for a handful of advertisers and web publishers who want to resort to this tactic, if the practice catches on, it could erode people's willingness to click any links at all. After all, if you can't tell the difference between a relevant text link and an ad, there's a good chance you'll err on the side of ignoring all the links.
On the other hand, the inLinks example image shown above leads me to believe that it won't be that tough to spot the fake links on a web site. After all, what blogger would really bother placing a legitimate link under the words "gadget" or "widget?"
What do you think? Is InLinks providing a useful service that will help bloggers make money, or is the company ruining the internet for the rest of us?
[via ProBlogger]
InLinks makes it a bit tougher to trust everything you read online originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsMufin launches public beta with Facebook and iTunes support; licenses patented audio ID technology
Filed under: Audio, Web services, Mobile
Last month I wrote about mufin.com's music discovery engine. Unlike traditional music discovery services like last.fm or the Genius Mode in iTunes 8, mufin analyzes the actual musical structure of a song. This is great for music lovers because it can really open up more opportunities to discover new bands.
Co-developed at the Fraunhofer Institute (the creators of the MP3 format), mufin uses audio recognition technology to analyze the actual musical characteristics of a song. Mufin creates a unique "fingerprint" for each song, using 40 characteristics like tempo, instruments, rhythm structure and sound density. Then, when you search for a song in mufin's database, an alogrithm compares the fingerprint of that song against the database and presents you with results of songs that are similar in structure.
Today, mufin is officially entering public beta. If you missed out on the private beta, you can now sign up for the service and give it a whirl. Even better, mufin's public beta now supports both Facebook and iTunes.
Mufin for Facebook is pretty similar to the existing mufin widget for MySpace. You have access to the mufin discovery engine and song catalog from within Facebook and you can add your discoveries to your profile or share them with friends.
Mufin launches public beta with Facebook and iTunes support; licenses patented audio ID technology originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsGet the "Obama effect" in Photo Booth with the Obamafy plugin
Filed under: Design, Fun, Games, Photo, Video, Macintosh
Although the presidential election is over, Obama-inspired design seems to have made a lasting imprint on American culture. If you loved those Shepard-Fairey-designed HOPE posters that the whole Internet seemed to be making parodies of, you can have the effect for yourself in Apple's Photo Booth. Here's how to do it, using the Obamafy plugin. Once you've downloaded the .qtz file, move it to Compositions in your Library folder. Once you've done that, open up Photo Booth and click effects. You might have to cycle through to the last page of your effects to find Obamafy, but it should be there. It took a little bit of experimenting for me to find the right lighting to get a result that looks like the posters, so don't give up without playing around a little bit.
Get the "Obama effect" in Photo Booth with the Obamafy plugin originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsStrewth! YouTube's Monty Python channel gets official
Filed under: Fun, Internet, Video, Google
Though there are currently only two dozen clips available, many have been uploaded recently. It's likely only a matter of time before favorites like the Cheese Shop, Fish Slapping Dance, and Nudge Nudge surface on the channel.
Don't fret - they quintessential Python clips are already there: the Black Knight, the Lumberjack Song, and even Pilate talking about his "vewwy good fweind in Wome," who shall remain nameless. Better yet, they've promised to upload HQ versions of the most popular clips.
Just what are they up to? The welcome message is honest enough: "None of your driveling, mindless comments. Instead, we want you to click on the links, buy our movies & TV shows and soften our pain and disgust at being ripped off all these years."
Works for me, I've been a supporter for ages (I think I still have my copy of the old Complete Waste of Time "game").
Official HQ Python on YouTube: the videos have been posted, and there was much rejoicing.
[ via gHacks ]
Strewth! YouTube's Monty Python channel gets official originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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