Reebok's new slogan is "Run Easy", they point at that a 10 minute mile is just as far as a 6 minute mile - but completely ignore the health benefits from running faster. If you listened to their logic you could simply walk everyday, which means all those people I see running everyday (including myself) are just wasting their energy. Unfortunately for most of us, I have a feeling that this self-rationalizing, self-defeating campaign will be a success for Reebok.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Reebok says it's OK to be slow
The Consumerist has some pictures of the new marketing campaign launched by Reebok. While Nike and Gatorade market to hares with their "Just do it" and Gatorade Sweat commercials, Reebok has chosen a campaign apparently aimed at the tortoises.Reebok's new slogan is "Run Easy", they point at that a 10 minute mile is just as far as a 6 minute mile - but completely ignore the health benefits from running faster. If you listened to their logic you could simply walk everyday, which means all those people I see running everyday (including myself) are just wasting their energy. Unfortunately for most of us, I have a feeling that this self-rationalizing, self-defeating campaign will be a success for Reebok.
Reebok's new slogan is "Run Easy", they point at that a 10 minute mile is just as far as a 6 minute mile - but completely ignore the health benefits from running faster. If you listened to their logic you could simply walk everyday, which means all those people I see running everyday (including myself) are just wasting their energy. Unfortunately for most of us, I have a feeling that this self-rationalizing, self-defeating campaign will be a success for Reebok.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Vista Start Menu in Windows XP
Kyle over at LifeHacker has a new download today called ViStart. ViStart is a freeware replacement for the Windows XP start menu that makes it look and act like the new start menu in Vista.ViStart not only gives you the visuals of Vista (which may or may not be an improvement depending on your opinion), but it also gives you the new Quick Search function. ViStart is also a very lightweight application, free, and skin-able.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Google Docs & Spreadsheets Makeover
After hinting at it yesterday on the Google Docs & Spreadsheets blog, Google has released a serious makeover of the online office app.
The major new features are a complete graphical makeover, better organization with folders (finally!) and a Google Suggest like 'search as you type' functionality. All your old tags are automatically converted into folders, and a document/spreadsheet can reside in multiple folders.
The sharing system has also been greatly improved, so that you no longer have to invite every member of a mailing list or know the email address associated with someones Google account.
The update for Google Docs & Spreadsheets seems to be across the board, as it has also been updated for Google Apps for Your Domain users. You can try it out at http://docs.google.com.
The major new features are a complete graphical makeover, better organization with folders (finally!) and a Google Suggest like 'search as you type' functionality. All your old tags are automatically converted into folders, and a document/spreadsheet can reside in multiple folders.The sharing system has also been greatly improved, so that you no longer have to invite every member of a mailing list or know the email address associated with someones Google account.
The update for Google Docs & Spreadsheets seems to be across the board, as it has also been updated for Google Apps for Your Domain users. You can try it out at http://docs.google.com.
CNN thinks Syria is Afghanistan
Bob Harris of Prisoner of Trebekistan fame sends some screen captures of a recent CNN broadcast. While Anderson Cooper is going on about Refugees in Crisis, CNN brings up a graphic of the Middle East, attempting to show where Afghanistan is located.
But instead of showing Afghanistan, CNN decides to highlight Syria - Afghanistan isn't even on the portion of the map they are showing, it's about three countries to the east right past Iraq and Iran. But nobody ever mentions those countries, so I could see how CNN could make that mistake.
Clearly some graphics guy (hopefully) or geographer (let's hope not) screwed up, but CNN is continuing to run the segment without a correction or disclaimer so apparently they don't mind.
But instead of showing Afghanistan, CNN decides to highlight Syria - Afghanistan isn't even on the portion of the map they are showing, it's about three countries to the east right past Iraq and Iran. But nobody ever mentions those countries, so I could see how CNN could make that mistake.
Clearly some graphics guy (hopefully) or geographer (let's hope not) screwed up, but CNN is continuing to run the segment without a correction or disclaimer so apparently they don't mind.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
People already in line for the iPhone - Spots available on Craigslist
It looks as if people aren't taking any chances with regards to getting an iPhone. Even though the device does not go on sale until 6 P.M. on Friday June 29th, the line has already started at New York City's Midtown Apple Store. With people waiting over 100 hours in line for a phone, Apple's promotional campaign will surely go down as a great example of viral marketing. It seems as if the first person in line already has his own blog and is a veteran line-sitter, he was also first in line for the PS3.
Gizmodo also has a brief video interview with the man, who doesn't seem to be the type of person they would expect waiting in line for an iPhone. It also appears as if the man has been using the spare time on his hands to make signs as if he was homeless.
If you don't have the time or patience to waste four days in this type of line, it appears as if spots in line are already becoming available on Craigslist. The going rate seems to be around $200 and up. You can see some examples in NYC, LA, and SF.
At least there is only four more days of this...
Gizmodo also has a brief video interview with the man, who doesn't seem to be the type of person they would expect waiting in line for an iPhone. It also appears as if the man has been using the spare time on his hands to make signs as if he was homeless.If you don't have the time or patience to waste four days in this type of line, it appears as if spots in line are already becoming available on Craigslist. The going rate seems to be around $200 and up. You can see some examples in NYC, LA, and SF.At least there is only four more days of this...
Protect your PDFs with pdfauxinfo
Kyle at Lifehacker has a new post about the program pdfauxinfo. This is an Open Source terminal program (with a very basic GUI front-end) for Mac OS X which can add some basic protection features to your PDF files.
Along with password protecting a PDF, pdfauxinfo can also prevent the file from being copied or printed. Here is an example of the command to password protect a PDF:
sudo pdfauxinfo -i /input/File.pdf -o /output/File.pdf -u mypassword
Although no PDF security is perfect (or even decent in some cases), at least this utility lets you add some basic security which could help stop some simple attacks.
Along with password protecting a PDF, pdfauxinfo can also prevent the file from being copied or printed. Here is an example of the command to password protect a PDF:
sudo pdfauxinfo -i /input/File.pdf -o /output/File.pdf -u mypassword
Although no PDF security is perfect (or even decent in some cases), at least this utility lets you add some basic security which could help stop some simple attacks.
Monday, June 25, 2007
What generation are you really a part of?
Penelope Trunk over at Brazen Careerist has created a simple test to help you determine what generation you probably best fit in with. It was created with the help of Margaret Weigel, who has done digital media work at both Harvard and MIT.
Do you have your own web page? (1 point)
Have you made a web page for someone else? (2 points)
Do you IM your friends? (1 point)
Do you text your friends? (2 points)
Do you watch videos on YouTube? (1 point)
Do you remix video files from the Internet? (2 points)
Have you paid for and downloaded music from the Internet? (1 point)
Do you know where to download free (illegal) music from the Internet? (2 points)
Do you blog for professional reasons? (1 point)
Do you blog as a way to keep an online diary? (2 points)
Have you visited MySpace at least five times? (1 point)
Do you communicate with friends on Facebook? (2 points)
Do you use email to communicate with your parents? (1 point)
Did you text to communicate with your parents? (2 points)
Do you take photos with your phone? (1 point)
Do you share your photos from your phone with your friends? (2 points)
0-1 point - Baby Boomer
2-6 points - Generation Jones
6- 12 points - Generation X
12 or over - Generation Y
Apple now third biggest music seller
Eric Bangeman over at Ars Technica has news of Apple becoming the third biggest music retailer, now surpassing Amazon.
Here's how the list from NPD Group shakes out:
Apple is the only retailer dedicated to digital music sales, so this is a great example of how the traditional music market is changing and the music downloads are increasing. Also interesting is that this follows on the tail of EMI beginning to sell DRM-free music downloads. Sales of Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head are up 115%, while sales of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon are up a whooping 272% since EMI dropped the DRM.
More information can be found here.
Here's how the list from NPD Group shakes out:
| Retailer | Market Share |
| Wal-Mart | 15.8% |
| Best Buy | 13.8% |
| Apple | 10.0% |
| Amazon | 6.7% |
| Target | 6.6% |
Apple is the only retailer dedicated to digital music sales, so this is a great example of how the traditional music market is changing and the music downloads are increasing. Also interesting is that this follows on the tail of EMI beginning to sell DRM-free music downloads. Sales of Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head are up 115%, while sales of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon are up a whooping 272% since EMI dropped the DRM.
More information can be found here.
Put your Mac to sleep with 'Midnight'
Kyle over at LifeHacker points out an interesting new freeware app called Midnight for Mac OS X. It is a dashboard widget used putting your Mac to sleep with a single click, much like Deep Sleep, but has some additional customization and features.Midnight can be configured to hibernate when clicked, or can be set to put the Mac to sleep - this is what happens normally when the lid of a Macbook/Macbook Pro is closed. Midnight can also be configured to logout before hibernating or suspending, which can be useful for those who have multiple people sharing a Mac.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Apple uses big-handed model to "shrink" iPhone
Mark over at BoingBoing highlights some "creative" marketing by Apple. Previously when you visited the site, this is the image of the iPhone that you saw:
Now when you visit the iPhone website you will notice that the iPhone looks much smaller, but if you check the dimensions released by Apple it's size has not changed.
Now when you visit the iPhone website you will notice that the iPhone looks much smaller, but if you check the dimensions released by Apple it's size has not changed.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Bigger Alt+Tab thumbnails in Vista
Ryan over at CyberNotes has a handy tip on how to increase the size of the thumbnails shown when you switch applications using Alt+Tab in Windows Vista.
The tweak involves editing the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AltTab registry key.
This is what the thumbnails look like before the changes:
This is what the thumbnails look like after the changes:
This is what your registry key will look like after you make the changes:
The tweak involves editing the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AltTab registry key.
This is what the thumbnails look like before the changes:
This is what the thumbnails look like after the changes:
This is what your registry key will look like after you make the changes:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AltTab]If you aren't happy with the changes you can delete the registry key and Vista will revert back to its default settings.
"OverlayIconPx"=dword:00000023
"OverlayIconDXPx"=dword:00000000
"OverlayIconDYPx"=dword:00000000
"ThumbSpacingXPx"=dword:00000014
"ThumbSpacingYPx"=dword:00000014
"SideMarginPx"=dword:00000014
"BottomMarginPx"=dword:0000000a
"MinThumbSizePcent"=dword:00000064
"MinWidthPx"=dword:0000012c
"TopMarginPx"=dword:0000003c
"MaxThumbSizePx"=dword:000000d2
"MaxIconSizePx"=dword:0000015e
"TextBottomPx"=dword:000001f4
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Yet another reason to get rid of inkjet printers
Ken Fischer over at Ars Technica has news of a new report on "empty" inkjet cartridges. The interesting part? The cartridge and the printer disagree on when it is actually out of ink!
Epson commissioned TÜV Rheinland to conduct the study, which looked into the efficiency of both single and multi-ink cartridges. The cartridges were measured before and after use and were considered empty when the printed reported they were empty. The Kodak EasyShare 5300 ranked worst in the study, indicating it was out of ink where it was still actually 64% full! Epson ranked highest, leaving an averaging of only 20% of the ink in their cartridges when they were reported empty.
Epson's motivations behind the study where not only to highlight their own product, but also to emphasize the difference between the single ink cartridges they (and others) sell and the multi-ink cartridges Lexmark, HP, and others sell. The ranking of the results was no surprise considering a multi-ink cartridge will report it is empty as soon as any one of the colors runs out, but the actual results are quite surprising. While I would never recommend an ink-jet printer for any situation (no matter how infrequent the usage) due to their quality and costs, it turns out that they are even worse than expected!
This is an excellent example of why you should always look at low-end color laser printers (like the Xerox Phaser 6110) or dye-sub photo printers (like the Kodak EasyShare 300) before you waste money on an inkjet! I recommend the Phaser 6110 and the EasyShare dye-sub printers only because I have purchased at least two of both of them and never been disappointed.
Epson commissioned TÜV Rheinland to conduct the study, which looked into the efficiency of both single and multi-ink cartridges. The cartridges were measured before and after use and were considered empty when the printed reported they were empty. The Kodak EasyShare 5300 ranked worst in the study, indicating it was out of ink where it was still actually 64% full! Epson ranked highest, leaving an averaging of only 20% of the ink in their cartridges when they were reported empty.
Epson's motivations behind the study where not only to highlight their own product, but also to emphasize the difference between the single ink cartridges they (and others) sell and the multi-ink cartridges Lexmark, HP, and others sell. The ranking of the results was no surprise considering a multi-ink cartridge will report it is empty as soon as any one of the colors runs out, but the actual results are quite surprising. While I would never recommend an ink-jet printer for any situation (no matter how infrequent the usage) due to their quality and costs, it turns out that they are even worse than expected!
This is an excellent example of why you should always look at low-end color laser printers (like the Xerox Phaser 6110) or dye-sub photo printers (like the Kodak EasyShare 300) before you waste money on an inkjet! I recommend the Phaser 6110 and the EasyShare dye-sub printers only because I have purchased at least two of both of them and never been disappointed.
The new economics of the middle class
Elizabeth Warren and Leo Gottlieb of Harvard University recently testified before the Senate Finance Committee. Looking through the PDF of their testimony reveals some pretty sobering information. Hopefully this will start to open some peoples' eyes regarding savings and debt. The report also talks about rising costs and stagnant wages due to two-income families.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Clean up Firefox with autoHideStatusbar
The autoHideStatusbar Firefox extension allows you to hide the status bar when it's not needed. You can also customize its settings for your preferences. I have mine set to immediately show the status bar when hovering over a link. In all other cases it is only shown when the cursor is within 5 pixels of the bottom of the Firefox window for more than 500 milliseconds.
I wish there was an option for something like this in Safari, which defaults to never showing the status bar (resulting in a cleaner look and more screen space) or always showing it.
autoHideStatusbar
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