There’s been something bubbling in D.C. for the past year or two and more recently, it’s become boiling hot: the convergence of the technology crowds from around the area. It’s something that I’ve been pushing for at least two years and a number of other people have been supporting as well. Something that has increasingly become apparent is that there are simply people that get it and those that don’t. In one panel I was sitting in on earlier this week, a group of individuals were fairly critical of the government’s ability to become less bureaucratic and more quick to...
In November 2007, we listed 10 Semantic apps to watch and yesterday we published an update on what each had achieved over the past year. All of them are still alive and well - a couple are thriving, some are experimenting and a few are still finding their way. Now we're going to list 10 more Semantic apps to watch. These are all apps that have gotten onto our radar over 2008. We've reviewed all but one of them, so click through to the individual reviews for more detail. It should go without saying, but this is by no means...
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...
Looks like Google’s webmail service Gmail is getting a little more colorful — users can customize their accounts with themes. Not all Gmail users can see it yet, but it looks like I was one of the lucky few. (I saw it on TechCrunch before the feature appeared in my own account.) Google is well known for the quirky logos displayed on Google.com to commemorate special occasions, as well as the themes offered for its iGoogle homepage, so it’s no surprise that the Gmail themes are cute and fun — much more interesting than, say, the customizable colors offered...
Two bits of interesting news on the Facebook front this evening. Nick O’Neill at All Facebook noticed that the social network has created additional ad inventory for sale on their sidebar, and we received details on the Application Verification Program that was announced earlier this week. Both signal a move by Facebook to get serious about utilizing as much of their highly used social network to bring the company closer to profitability. Platform Reloaded: What Does That Mean? Facebook gave us some information on what they meant when they issued their statement of guiding principles for developers to get their...
Filed under: Software, Macbook Pro, MacBook, MacBook Air There are several applications available that will help find a lost or stolen Mac. Here at TUAW, we've talked about LoJack for Laptops, Orbicule's Undercover, MacPhoneHome, and iAlertU from Slapping Turtle. Most of these apps "find" the computer by determining the IP address of the machine, and using that data to narrow down the physical location where the laptop is in use. That information can be shared with police and ISPs to find the thieves, recover your laptop, and make an arrest. There's a new Mac recovery app available called MacTrak that's...
by Michelle Lentz I love puppets. I love Muppets. And I love the idea of owning my own Muppet. FAO Schwarz has made that all possible. Using their interactive web site, you can build your own Muppet. Now, there aren’t any frogs or fuzzy bears, but I think I recognized some Piggy eyes and hair in there. You can clothe your Muppet any way you wish, although I noticed that they are already sold out of several noses, eyes, and outfits. It’s a custom Muppet you know. The prices aren’t that bad, either. My Muppet, whom I’ve proudly named Lenny...
TechCrunch calls Facebook's new Application Verification Program a "protection racket." Verified apps will get a green checkmark.(Credit: Facebook) That's a bit harsh, but the marketing behind the move does smack of The Godfather: "Yes, my son, you could use that unverified application, but you don't want ......
by Michelle Lentz PhotoJoy is a free application that lets you easily create all sorts of toys with your photos. You can create desktop widgets (toys), 3D photo screensavers, wallpaper collages. Their theory is that we take the photos, store them in an archive somewhere or upload them to Flickr, and then never look at them. Photojoy figures you should, well, enjoy them. Uploading your photos to PhotoJoy quick and simple, and it even works with your Flickr account. You can choose to upload photos saved on your computer or any photos from your Flickr account. In addition, PhotoJoy also...
Glam Media, a company targeting content and ads mainly at women, is letting advertisers launch full-fledged widgets and applications on the Glam site. Just like Facebook lets developers create applications that run freely on its site, Glam is doing the same for advertisers. The main difference is that these advertisers get to have their display ads run front-and-center throughout their applications or widgets. The apps they create are designed to be integrated into the blogs and other publishing sites in Glam’s network. The product ensures that advertisers can “own” their space, something that they have a difficult time doing on...
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