Google Video: New Web Uploader

I have some friends who experiment with Blender animation in their spare time and like to post their results on Google Video for the world to see. One of them is on dial-up and has had some trouble getting the upload tool to work on his slow connection. I saw today that Google has a new web based upload page, so hopefully that will work better. For those of you with problems with the uploader (like a different OS in my case or slow connection in my friend's) you can find the new upload page here.

If you aren't familiar with Google Video, you should really give it a look. If you are looking for something to start you off, you can find some government archives here, or check out GVOD

Citations

I'm guessing most of the people this applies to already know about the Citation Machine, but for those who don't it is a useful enough tool to be worth a mention. Citation Machine is a website that takes in citation information and gives you a proper citation without trying to understand the picky syntax required by academic organizations. If you are writing some sort of paper, its defiantly worth a look. The Citation Machine can do MLA and APA style citations.

Back to my paper ;-)

Free Calls to POTS Phones from Skype

Two posts in one night!

Catching up on my email for a minute, I noticed that Skype had sent me a note saying that they were offering free calling to POTS (land line) and cell phones until the end of the year.

If you aren't familiar with Skype, it is a free VoIP service, offering free calls between computers and calls to normal phones for a fee. They also offer you the option of registering an incoming number for a fee as well. I did a round up of VoIP services quite awhile ago, which you can view here.

Skype is very simple to use, just install it (they have installers for most common operating systems/platforms) and you will be prompted to create an account. From there you can dial the echo tester (echo123), or during this promotion any other phone number (you will need a microphone/speakers or a headset). Skype is P2P based, and usually works very well. If you use the Windows version you can try out a large 100 person voice chat, similar to someplace between a conference call and live radio. Some versions also support webcams and file transfers, check out the Skype website for more info.

Give Skype a try, but I would encourage you to check out some of the other options if you are looking for VoIP, I like FreeWorldDialup, but its hard to setup. GizmoProject is another good option, and is easier to work with. Unlike Skype, both are based on the open SIP protocol, allowing you to use your own client if you want to.

Edit: More info about the promotion from a blog on Skype.com here.

Ibiblio

I don't have time for a big post right now, so I thought I should point out a lesser known source of information on the web.

You may know ibiblio.org as a Sourceforge mirror, but it also hosts a variety of other projects, as well as some books and informational websites. To get an idea what is available, visit the homepage or look at the index. Of particular interest to readers of this site, is the computer section with tutorials for many open source programs as well as some books on programming. If you are looking for something else, I found the Open Source Cookbook (pdf here) interesting (before I was on a restricted diet, I read the .4 version, but I see there is a new one out now).

If you are looking for even more (research oriented) content written by the community, everyone should know about Wikipedia, a huge web encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

For now, enjoy your evening!

Windows XP Startup Screen

A friend of mine was asking about changing your Windows boot splash screen (the black one that says WindowsXP when you first turn on your computer). I was going to write a howto of my own, but a quick google turned up this site, which has a fine one. Note that if you use the resource hacker method, and are clever you can change many of the other logos too, just explore!. You may find that you can make interesting changes in other executables too, or at least change their icons, just be sure to have a backup first.

Enjoy your afternoon, and give it a try ;-)

Google Analytics, Instructables

I thought you might be interested to know that I am transitioning this site to Google Analytics from CqCounter now that Google has sent me an activation code. I am going to try to write a review type thing on both services tomorrow, but I'm busy dealing with the end of the school year and helping a friend setup a new computer at the moment.

Meanwhile, if you are looking for something to do, check out Instructables. Instructables is a community driven (basically a wiki) for DIY engineering/electronics projects. For example, check out these instructions on how to control an R/C car with a computer (using an Atmel micro controller and a max232) that Make linked this afternoon. Along the same lines, HackADay and DIYLive track some of the more interesting projects that people post on the web.

Google SketchUp

I mentioned Google SketchUp when it was released the other day, but I only just got a chance to try it. For those with a short memory (I haven't been posting much lately), SketchUp is a very easy to use 3D modeling program for Windows (Mac version coming?, hopefully Linux eventually?). I find that it isn't nearly as powerful as some other tools I have used (Blender, Alibre Design), but it is great if you want to draw something quickly. SketchUp comes with some tutorials, which seem to cover the basics very nicely, though it took me a minute to figure out what tabs they were talking about (look just below the top tool bar). I also found that the animations in the tutorial were a little choppy, even on my fairly fast computer, but maybe its my older video card's fault (feel free to comment). Once you get it figured out, they have a "warehouse" where you can exchange models. I also noticed that you can import from a couple different CAD formats, but there are very few export options. An interesting feature is the option to import and export to/from Google Earth, though I can't seem to get it to work.

If you have greater needs, you can also buy a "pro" version that supports animations and some more file formats, but I would look into Blender and Alibre (as well as some of the bigger CAD packages, depending on what you are looking for) first.

At any rate, Google SketchUp is an interesting program to play with, and great if you want to draw something in 3D quickly. Worth a look!

Lack of posts (again)

Just to let everyone know, this is the week for AP (advanced placement) exams so I am fairly busy with review classes, etc. I should be back posting more regularly in a couple days. Wouldn't want anyone to think I had died or something and stop reading the site for no reason ;-)

Gaming, Intelligence

BBC News has an article on Nintendo games that are intended to up your smarts ( found via Lifehacker). This is not a new idea, and beyond so called educational games, many games have at least some benefit. From time to time, you hear about the First Person Shooters improving people's observation skills and reaction times. The once popular text (ASCII) adventure games have been shown to greatly improve reading and vocabulary. This doesn't mean computer gaming doesn't have its drawbacks, but if you do some research many games are very beneficial.

Enjoy your evening, and go try a text adventure or MUD

SketchUp

Awhile ago, Google bought a company called SketchUp, which sold a 3D drawing program. They have now released a free version. I have yet to try it out (only 1.5 more weeks of AP test prep), but I'm guessing a few of my readers might be interested.

Get it here or Check out the Official Announcement.