<body><script type="text/javascript"> function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) { if(window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener('load', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }); } } </script> <div id="navbar-iframe-container"></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> gapi.load("gapi.iframes:gapi.iframes.style.bubble", function() { if (gapi.iframes && gapi.iframes.getContext) { gapi.iframes.getContext().openChild({ url: 'https://www.blogger.com/navbar.g?targetBlogID\x3d17569914\x26blogName\x3dAny+Arb+Stuff\x26publishMode\x3dPUBLISH_MODE_BLOGSPOT\x26navbarType\x3dBLACK\x26layoutType\x3dCLASSIC\x26searchRoot\x3dhttps://bossmanthe.blogspot.com/search\x26blogLocale\x3den_US\x26v\x3d2\x26homepageUrl\x3dhttp://bossmanthe.blogspot.com/\x26vt\x3d-2890284097217351463', where: document.getElementById("navbar-iframe-container"), id: "navbar-iframe" }); } }); </script>
 

Microsoft PopFly

Microsoft have launched a new tool and service (combined) called PopFly.

Pop Fly is a plugin for Visual Studio 2005 (even express edition) and it helps you build and share web page source code and applications and its code.

You can, according to the hype, ".. build and share mashups, gadgets, Web pages, and applications."

Popfly consists of two parts:

1

Popfly Creator is a set of online visual tools for building Web pages and mashups.

2

Popfly Space is an online community of creators where you can host, share, rate, comment and even remix creations from other Popfly users.





However critisism levelled at Microsoft is that these kinds of gadget and mashup sharing have been around for ages in Google and Yahoo!



Here is an extract from their FAQ page:



Q. Aren't you just copying Yahoo, Google, or [insert startup name here]?



A. If anything, we're going back to our roots in 1975 when Microsoft originally
launched BASIC for the Altair 8080. Tools like BASIC and Visual Basic 1.0
democratized development by enabling users to easily build applications on DOS and
Windows. We believe we can make Popfly a great tool for building and sharing
applications on the Web.




In other words Microsoft can't answer the question honestly!




The only really good thing about PopFly is the new Silverlight technology integration.



Link to M$ PopFly Site

By: RexMan | Tuesday, May 22, 2007 at 8:59:00 AM | |

Pac-Man's Skull



Here, artist Le Gentil Gar çon collaborated with palaeontologist François Escuillié to create this resin vision of Pac-Man's skull, which was based off human and predatory animals.



read more | digg story

By: bossmanthe | Monday, May 21, 2007 at 4:48:00 PM | |

This has got to be the funniest piece of spam I have ever seen (thanks Steve).


Hello, my dear friend
I am looking for a man. I want to get married and to
live happily.
Life is passing by and I am looking at it like from the window
of a moving train... I feel lonely in my heart... this loneliness is causing
pain to me... I know only one remedy - it's love... love that only a man can
give to a woman...
What about me? I am good looking, kind, attentive,
caring... maybe you'll ask why I am lonely then?... I'll tell you! My life was
hard here, in my country, I am disappointed with men here and with life in this
country... I feel my second half is not here... Maybe it's you?
If you wish
to get to know me... http://xxx/

Waiting
for your answer
Irisha P.


You got any funny spam?

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By: bossmanthe | Thursday, May 10, 2007 at 3:48:00 PM | |

Squid squirting ink



[via]

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By: bossmanthe | at 3:17:00 PM | |

Very cool business cards


Click here to see plenty more...

[via]

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By: bossmanthe | at 3:14:00 PM | |

Google analytics v.2

Yes...you read right! It is live and happening.
New features include:

Email and export reports: Schedule or send ad-hoc personalized report emails and
export reports in PDF format.
Custom Dashboard: No more digging through
reports. Put all the information you need on a custom dashboard that you can
email to others.
Trend and Over-time Graph: Compare time periods and select
date ranges without losing sight of long term trends.
Contextual help tips:
Context sensitive Help and Conversion University tips are available from every
report.

go to google.com/analytics

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By: bossmanthe | at 3:03:00 PM | |

Lethal Dose Of Herbicide Found In Bob Woolmer

A source close to police in Jamaica has said that a lethal dose of weed killer was found in the stomach of late Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer.

While initial forensic tests indicated Woolmer was likely poisoned in a Kingston hotel March 18, the source told the Times of London that the coach of the Pakistan national cricket team had ingested a deadly amount of the herbicide.

The report said that traces of the weed killer were found in both the inside and outside of a champagne glass inside Woolmer's room.

"Everything was contaminated," the source said. "The stomach content, the glass, everything. There was enough to kill him."

The source said that the weed killer was not available for purchase in Jamaica, the Times reported.

While some forms of weed killer have no smell or taste, a poisons expert from Britain said the item's use is extremely rare in relation to homicide.

The report said it had yet to be determined whether the deadly chemical had found its way into the champagne bottle as well.

[Via]

By: RexMan | Monday, May 7, 2007 at 5:34:00 PM | |

10 Techs That Give You Superpowers


Admit it — you've fantasized about soaring through the sky like Superman or swinging from building to building like Spidey. Unfortunately, superheroes exist in only comic books, cartoons and movies. And then it usually takes being doused with radioactive waste or belted by gamma rays to hear a gun cock from a mile away or crush cars like soda cans.

But with scientists apparently drawing inspiration from the comics they read when they were kids, the line between science fiction and science fact has become blurred. Superheroics suddenly seem like a viable career option. Follow the link to see to see how you, too, with today's technologies, can spin webs and get superhuman strength.

The full article is here.

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By: RexMan | Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 9:20:00 AM | |

Pandora blocks non-US users

 
  
 Pandora, according to Pandora.com:
Pandora is a music discovery service designed to help you enjoy music you already know, and to help you discover new music you'll love.
Basically you can choose the specific genre or style of music you wish to listen to and it automatically begins to serve you your preference. Pandora uses the Music Genome Project. The Genome Project was started in early 2000 and works with the "DNA" of songs using a large group of highly skilled musicians. Unfortunately anyone outside the US will not be able to take advantage of this brilliant product until such a time as online copyright and licensing issues are resolved
Delivery of Pandora is based on proper licensing from the content rights holders - we have always believed strongly in honoring the guidelines as determined by the artists, labels and publishers. In the U.S. there is a federal statute called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that provides this license for all the music you hear on Pandora. Unfortunately, there is no equivalent license outside the U.S
Click here for more detail

By: bossmanthe | Thursday, May 3, 2007 at 4:16:00 PM | |

Busta Rhymes busted - again!

New York - Busta Rhymes was arrested on a drunken driving charge early on Thursday, police said, marking the latest in a series of recent legal troubles for the rapper.

Officers stopped Rhymes at about 00:40 because the sport utility vehicle he was driving had overly tinted windows, Sgt Mike Wysokowski said. He said officers then smelled alcohol on the rapper's breath.

Rhymes, 34, was taken into custody on a charge of driving while impaired, Wysokowski said. An arraignment was expected later on Thursday.
A lawyer for Rhymes, Scott Leemon, declined to comment early on Thursday, saying he would address the charges in court.

A telephone message left early on Thursday at the New York office of Rhymes's manager, Violator Management, was not immediately returned.
Rhymes, whose real name is Trevor Smith, has had several law enforcement run-ins since last year.

He is tentatively scheduled to go to trial on Tuesday on two assault charges.

Full Story

By: RexMan | at 3:40:00 PM | |

Teen girls abuse more drugs

Teenage girls in the United States are more likely than teenage boys to abuse prescription drugs, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Officials said Monday that nearly one in 10 teenage girls used a prescription drug, such as tranquilizers or antidepressants, to get high at least once in the past year, compared with one out of 13 teenage boys, the Associated Press reported.

Females account for 55 percent of emergency room visits involving prescription drugs, but only 35 percent of ER visits involving illicit drugs.

When it comes to the use of illicit drugs, males have much higher rates than females. Unique pressures faced by girls may explain why they're more likely than boys to abuse prescription drugs, federal officials said.

They noted that women abuse drugs and alcohol to boost their confidence, lose weight, or reduce tension, while men do so for the sensation, the AP reported.
(HealthDayNews, May 2007)

By: RexMan | at 3:35:00 PM | |

Google's new iGoogle customization

If you have loaded up www.google.com today, then you would have noticed the "iGoogle" link in the top right of the page.


You can now set up a fully customized home page for yourself. With custom news and weather. This tool is called "Gadget Maker".

Kinda strange that they have taken so long to mature this service, since www.excite.com has had this feature for years.


The nice thing is Google detects your location and delivers custom content based on where you are. Not like other personalized news portals where you end up viewing tons of rubbish before you have fully customized your view of the world.


Well done Google!


Full Story

By: RexMan | at 10:16:00 AM | |

World is walking 10% faster.


A couple African countires are up on the list...


The pace at which city dwellers walk has increased by 10 per cent in the last decade, a new study has shown.



read more digg story

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By: bossmanthe | at 6:39:00 AM | |

Me on Digg - Where are you?

Map of the Digg Community - Interactive Data Visualization by Brian Shaler

Similar to the Opte Project's maps of the internet and Matthew Hurst's map of the blogosphere, this map of the Digg community shows the "connectedness" of Digg's users. Type in your user name to see if you were popular enough to be included on the map. If so, a pointer will indicate where on the map you are located.



read more digg story

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By: bossmanthe | at 6:30:00 AM | |

Digging for Fire!

I am sure most of Any Arb's readers have used or participated in Digg at some point or another. Hey it is one of the "biggies" of the Web 2.0 era.

Well yesterday Digg decided to remove any posts containing the encryption key for HD DVD. No big deal you say...well Diggers went ape. Filling the entire front page exclusively with stories relating to this topic.

It has highlighted an issue that has been long time coming. Digg used to be about user moderated content. I understand this cannot be sustained with the amount of spam sites auto posting and paying to be dugg up, but it is a nice eutopian ideal. This proves the extent of the moderation by the Digg elite.

However check out the post by Kevin Rose himself and it seems like he is listening to users!

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By: bossmanthe | Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at 12:56:00 PM | |