GeekLikeMe.net

State of the GLM: Yes, Im still here. No, Im not dead.

2010-07-07T13:20:51Z

You may have noticed that GLM has gone rather quiet for the past two-three months or so in terms of any and all content on the site. This post serves as a status update to alleviate any fears that GeekLikeMe is gone for good. Quite the contrary my dear friends. And yes, while I could run down the list of excuses as to why the site hasn't been updated, I'm sure they would just bore you to tears. To save us all some time I shall sum up in two words: work and parenthood.

For work I have been diving into the grand world of Objective-C programming for the past six months and I still haven't managed to come up for air. Hopefully when I'm actually able to take a deep breath I'll have an array of iPhone and iPad apps to show for it. Also on this note I'd like to state that I very well may have taken the most ass-backwards route in getting into a new programming language. Nevertheless, it's been a rewarding and infuriating process thus far but I'm learning a lot and I think it'll turn out well in the end.

I don't think I have to say much about parenthood other than sleep is a sought-after commodity and there are only so many hours in a day. This has turned out to be a major contributing factor to the current lack of posting. Shocker.

But now onto much better news: a new version of GeekLikeMe.net is in the works yet again and I've decided to make a design choice right off the bat. I recently took a trip down memory lane courtesy of archive.org's wayback machine. After feeling somewhat nostalgic about the old GLM design I decided that maybe it was time to return to the minimalist roots yet again. More details and information about the new site coming soon!

P.S. You can also follow me on Twitter even though I have yet to tweet anything. Oops, scratch that.

Brand new computer algorithm actually capable of detecting sarcasm.

2010-05-18T15:53:47Z

...the team scanned 66,000 Amazon.com product reviews, with three different human annotators tagging sentences for sarcasm. The team then identified certain sarcastic patterns that emerged in the reviews and created a classification algorithm that puts each statement into a sarcastic class.

Next installment of Pirates of the Caribbean to be filmed exclusively in 3D.

2010-05-18T15:45:54Z

Yes, the next you see Jack Sparrow on the big screen you'll be able see him in multiple dimensions. Filming in 3D offers up obvious some advantages over adding useless effects in post - though you may up seeing a bevy of Avatar-like effects (not necessarily a bad thing). POTC4 will be swash-buckling into theaters May 2011.

Microsoft to give Hotmail service a makeover at some point this summer.

2010-05-18T15:39:42Z

...users will encounter a first screen that’s on overview of new messages, sorted into categories, with e-mails from known contacts in the top heap, updates from services like Facebook and Twitter at the bottom, and a bar up top that lets you send a status message.

A handy tutorial on how to create your very own realistic soda bottle in Photoshop.

2010-05-18T15:34:01Z

An interesting tutorial for those interested in dabbling with some photo-realistic effects from scratch. When all is said done you'll be way more familiar with the pen tool as well as the ancient art of dodging and burning. Now if you'll excuse me, I am in dire need of a cool glass of Crystal Pepsi.

Everything you never knew about ball lightning hallucinations.

2010-05-18T15:28:13Z

For hundreds of years eyewitnesses have reported brief encounters with the golf ball- to tennis ball-size orbs of electricity. But scientists have been unable to agree on how and why ball lightning forms, since the phenomenon is rare and very short-lived.

Square Enix did quite well this year with their multi-million selling titles.

2010-05-18T15:25:39Z

One of those titles happened to be Final Fantasy XIII, a game that literally makes you literally click one button for ten plus hours and nothing else. On the flip side, if you manage to stick it out past the twenty hour mark the game begins to get somewhat enjoyable.

YouTube now gets about two billion hits on a daily basis.

2010-05-17T10:06:50Z

YouTube has decided to share this information just as they turn a whopping five years old. According to the source article, the first video ever posted to the service can still be found on their site to this day (and you can view it here). Congratulations and a happy birthday, the Interwebs have enjoyed many a rickroll thanks to you.

Apple beats out Whole Foods and Nordstrom for best shopper experience title.

2010-05-17T10:00:48Z

Factors that contribute to a good shopping experience, according to the survey, include having customer-centric store design, maintaining shopper history data, creating ambiance, and carrying and displaying a well-organized, 'rationalized' product assortment.

PopCap offers up Mac gaming bundle, get your Peggle and Zuma on.

2010-05-17T09:56:01Z

Got fifty bucks laying around and don't know what to do with it? Why not put it to some mind-numbing addictive casual video game use. As an added bonus some of these games can be quite therapeutic after a long day of work.

Ten ways to upgrade your morning routine according to Lifehacker.

2010-05-17T09:43:16Z

Covers everything from contemplative morning thinking to ditching the morning java and cranking out some push-ups. Fun fact: for the past five years GLM was exclusively done as a morning blog. Don't look so shocked.

Google may have been accidentally snooping in on your wi-fi connections.

2010-05-17T09:37:50Z

Let this be a lesson to you all to never leave a wi-fi network unsecured. The good news is that Google has agreed to stop collecting this data, at least for now.

Venus and our moon align for one brief Kodak moment.

2010-05-17T09:33:23Z

During spring time, Venus shines brightly, and as these photos show, Venus appears as a bright object before it disappears behind the moon and then reappears on the other side in a game of celestial hide-and-seek.

A gallery of the worlds worst playgrounds through the playful eye of Photoshop.

2010-05-17T09:27:25Z

As a kid did anyone ever actually play a game of Tic Tac Toe on one of these things? Who thought this was a good idea? Oh, and be careful going down that twisty slide, you may get wet.

HTC asks for ban on Apple products after filing patent complaint.

2010-05-12T18:33:57Z

Engadget is taking a deeper look at just what patents are involved here between the two companies and the implications of the federal lawsuit (which HTC has filed along with their patent suit). Should be an interesting battle - or about as interesting as Nokia versus Apple.

Twenty fresh high-quality free fonts courtesy of the folks from Smashing Magazine.

2010-05-12T18:29:23Z

Every designer knows that it can never hurt to have some quality fonts laying around in your design arsenal for a rainy day. Having too many shitty fonts in your library and using said shitty fonts often, well that's another story.

Scientists have discovered that Jupiter somehow managed to lose a stripe.

2010-05-12T18:21:13Z

The band was present at the end of 2009, right before Jupiter moved too close to the sun in the sky to be observed from Earth. When the planet emerged from the sun's glare again in early April, its south equatorial belt was nowhere to be seen.

Apple seems to have lost yet another iPhone prototype.

2010-05-12T14:39:11Z

Here we go again - not sure how Apple would've been able to make the same mistake twice given the publicity of the last prototype that was lost. A teardown of the device has revealed an Apple branded microchip, just like the iPad.

Marvel and Disney character mashups through the mutated eye of Photoshop.

2010-05-12T14:33:06Z

Mike Wazowski is Bruce Banner as The Incredible Myopic Hulk - and there's your plot for The Incredible Hulk 2 (or 3?) and/or Monsters Inc 2. The scary part is that legally, this can actually be made (Disney owns Marvel) and someone in Hollywood probably thinks its a good idea.

Rogue star mystery finally deciphered thanks to Hubble Space Telescope.

2010-05-12T14:25:36Z

The massive, hot star seemed out of place when astronomers first spotted it in 2006, and now thanks to Hubble, we know why. The misfit, 30 Dor #016, appears to have been ejected from a cluster of even heftier stars, pinging off of them and off into space at tremendous speed.

Google will probably have an e-book store of their own in the near future.

2010-05-12T14:21:24Z

Interesting news when combined with the all-to-recent rumors of an Android tablet coming to Verizon. And apparently Google has already even gotten approvals from roughly 25,000 authors and publishers.

Eight websites you need to stop building according to The Oatmeal.

2010-05-12T14:16:36Z

After carefully perusing this comic (and laughing a little bit too loud for office-level volumes) I was a little discomforted by the fact that the Pork'd mock design looks ridiculously similar to the current version of GLM. I guess I was a little generic with this iteration, might be time for a redesign methinks.

A handy tutorial on how to make your very own vinyl record bookends.

2010-05-12T14:06:32Z

Another awesome quick four-step tutorial from the fine folks over at Instructables. Simply boil up some of your old vinyl records and bend them, mold them, shape them into retro bookends. Really, when you were going to listen to those old polka albums anyway?

Verizon would like you to know they are working on a tablet device with Google.

2010-05-12T14:00:30Z

Few will be surprised at the notion that Google and Verizon are heading down this path: The New York Times reported last month that Google was working on a slate-style Android tablet along the lines of Apple's iPad.

A photo gallery from inside the Pavilions of Expo currently underway in Shanghai, China.

2010-05-11T17:22:25Z

Go on in and have a gander at some photography of the event courtesy of Popular Science. You'll see some interesting things such as the world's largest IMAX screen followed by the world's largest baby (relax, it's only a model).

Scientists discover that colossal squid is actually just a lazy pink blob.

2010-05-11T17:08:13Z

The researchers found that the colossal squid would have had a slower metabolism and so moved slower than expected, waiting for prey rather than running it down. 'Everyone thought it was an aggressive predator, but the data suggests otherwise,' Rosa told LiveScience.

Have a peek at some near-final screenshots of the Windows Phone 7 interface.

2010-05-11T16:59:54Z

I find parts of this user interface to be very depressing (granted it's not final but near-final sounds like their pretty close). The data entry screens are bland, colorless, and lifeless. Almost as if you're signing a death warrant on someone when you want to add them as a contact. Not very inviting.

A showcase of blogs with unique post designs for your viewing pleasure.

2010-05-11T14:23:09Z

It seems like these days everyone is using the same old blog template or the same tired Wordpress theme (although I've seen some pretty amazing Tumblr themes). Regardless, I'm a sucker for blogs that don't actually look like your average blog and stray from the formula. The end result is what some are calling a 'blogazine'. Enjoy.

IBM pulls the curtain back on brand new social media analytics tool.

2010-05-11T14:01:04Z

This new software will allow companies, marketing groups, and advertisers to track 'consumer sentiment' on various social networks. Just one more thing to be be aware of as you romp through daily social networking sites. It can even analyze product names, industry jargon, slang, even emoticons. :-/

Fifteen things about Star Trek that you may not have previously known about.

2010-05-11T13:55:29Z

I had no idea that a) the main tag line of Star Trek (to boldy go, yadda yadda) was lifted from a White House pamphlet on space exploration and b) the entire sentence is grammatically incorrect. Lets hear it for split infinitives!

Experts figure out that eating more nuts is key to lowering your cholesterol.

2010-05-11T12:56:54Z

It is not yet clear why nuts have this effect, although one suggestion is that it is down to the plant sterols they contain, which are thought to interfere with cholesterol absorption. Lead researcher Joan Sabate said increasing nut consumption as part of a healthy diet should be recommended.

Microsoft would like you know that Natal will launch this October.

2010-05-11T12:28:55Z

Get your imaginary baseballs and soccer balls (anything imaginary will do really) ready because Project Natal will be available for your beloved Xbox 360 this October. Microsoft hasn't nailed down an exact date that month but they think they'll have that ironed out by the time E3 rolls around.

Wikipedia may get a facelift in the near future.

2010-05-11T12:04:50Z

The new design promises to to make things easier for our users and introduce simpler editings tools - which should make spreading false information about a subject even easier! You can learn more about the changes that are being planned on their FAQ page.

Rumors swirling that Apple might make their MobileMe service free for all.

2010-05-11T12:00:43Z

This is an interesting rumor and would certainly make a lot of sense given that most, if not all, of the current functionality of MobileMe can be done elsewhere - for free. If this happened, I'd drop some of current Google services I currently use in less than a minute.

Twitter glitch that allowed anyone to follow anybody quickly resolved. Phew.

2010-05-11T09:41:35Z

For a brief couple of moments yesterday it was possible to have anyone follow you on the micro-blogging service. That wondrous feeling was countered by Twitter setting all accounts to zero followers - to which a collective gasp across the Interwebs could be heard miles around.

The recently announced Nintendo 3DS will have a 2D switch, just in case.

2010-05-11T09:30:36Z

Details about Nintendo's 3D handheld gaming device have been scarce since it was announced in late March. But the company's president says it will have a feature that lets gamers turn off 3D functionality and play in standard 2D.

The top eleven signs that Facebook has violated your privacy.

2010-05-11T09:27:56Z

If any of the aforementioned signs from this link have happened to you it might be a good time close out your Facebook account. If you're still unsure, check rule number one on the list before proceeding.

Instruments + Animals + Photoshop = Instranimals

2010-05-11T09:22:42Z

Start your morning right with a little bit of Photoshop and you'll see what happens when an entirely new species is created. All glory to the hypno-trumpet-toad!

FYI, Windows 7 compatibility checker currently masquerading as trojan horse virus.

2010-05-11T09:19:46Z

Once a victim has installed the software, criminals can pretty much do whatever they want on the PC, Cosoi said. That could mean installing a keylogger to steal banking credentials or even gaining full access to the hacked system.

Borders joins the e-reader party, taking pre-orders for Kobu device.

2010-05-10T18:37:26Z

Let's see - so now we have a Kindle, a Nook, an iPad, and a Kobu. I'll admit that I see many a Kindle on the morning commute into Manhattan and I've spotted the Nook on the subway just once in my travels. I'll also admit that the name Kobu sounds like something you'd eat for dinner.

Seven simple and useful command line tips just for you.

2010-05-10T18:36:37Z

Ever had a hankering to dive into some Terminal-related tasks? This post serves as a good guide (or refresher for some of us) for those looking to get back into some command-line action. Go ahead, have a bash.

Ten cool gadgets you cant buy in the United States just yet.

2010-05-10T18:24:34Z

This particular list is rife with iPad and iPhone alternatives (all of which seem to be running some flavor of Android). The two lone and notable exceptions in my opinion seem to be this tiny camera, pictured in thumbnail to the left, and the ever peculiar Ant Watch (fifth slide in).

Five awesome indie games for the price of... whatever you want.

2010-05-10T17:28:48Z

Well, this is pretty neat treat for a Monday; you can net yourself five great indie games at whatever price you want and proceeds go to charity (and the devs). I've been hearing great things about these games so this is pretty much a no-brainer for me. And yes, you should pay more than a penny for these. Thanks to Ant for the heads up.

An interesting writeup on iPad usability from Jakob Nielsen.

2010-05-10T17:04:37Z

This post contains most of my reasoning as to why I haven't purchased an iPad just yet. I can't seem to rationalize how the device fits into my overall usage scheme. The iPhone seems to do everything I would use an iPad for - and it does a heck of a good job at everything it already does.

A new crop of images have surfaced online for the upcoming Tron sequel.

2010-05-10T16:58:47Z

I'm loving the upgrades to some of the items from the original Tron and seeing how they've been reimagined for this generation. C'mon, you know you'd want to take a ride on a light cycle. And remember kids, Tron Legacy is due in theaters this December. END OF LINE.

Scientist verifies that the human brain contains a master switch.

2010-05-10T16:52:47Z

Shin believes his discovery may be useful in understanding brain malfunctions such as autism, epilepsy and others. While researching brain function, Shin has previously shown that taking statin drugs to lower cholesterol may actually inhibit some brain function.

Ten sites that every developer should have in their bookmarks file.

2010-05-10T16:49:44Z

No matter what kind of development you do, at least three of these sites will be helpful to you in some kind of programming endeavor. I've just recently discovered the browser sandbox over at Spoon.net (though I'm a still little partial to IETester).

An insightful TED video on why people seem to like Apple products so much.

2010-05-10T14:48:23Z

This is a great video that will challenge your common mode of thinking just three minutes in. The method doesn't only apply to Apple (other inspirational leaders are referenced in the video as well) but it serves as a great example for the entire concept. Mental note to self: watch more TED videos.

Android manages to outsell the iPhone in smartphone sales for the first time.

2010-05-10T14:42:00Z

Verizon (30%), T-Mobile (17%) and Sprint (15%) make up the bulk of the rest of the market. The numbers may also reflect the late lifecycle of the iPhone 3GS compared to the newer android devices. Apple is also widely expected to revise the iPhone in the next month.

Some new programming jargon that you may not have previously known about.

2010-05-10T14:08:34Z

This should be a fun read for all my fellow code-monkey development friends out there as you'll be able to identify with more than a handful of these all too common issues and concepts. Yoda conditions, you may have.