Below is a visual history of “search” and search engines; hopefully it’s both a trip down memory lane and a useful resource for anyone looking to learn a bit more about the history of Internet search engines.
Infographic by WordStream Internet Marketing Software
(Source: Wordstream)
It’s basically a quick way of throwing a song together, and all you have to do is click a bunch of chords and instruments. You are not likely to make actual music with this, but I actually don’t think you should be trying to.
Personally, I can see myself using this tool to communicate my song ideas to some of my friends who actually have a clue about music and can play an instrument. As a musically illiterate person, it can be very frustrating when I have a clear idea for a tune that can go well with some lyrics I wrote, but I have no way to communicate it to a friend of mine who wants to compose the song (because I don’t know any chords and I can’t even hum it properly).
JamStudio lets me play around with a bunch of chords until I come up with something that sounds right, and then I can just show it to my musically skilled friends, and they’ll get a clear idea of what I would like the song to sound like.
(Source: Download Squad)
online-ConVert looks suspicious. The formatting is wonky, the name is poorly capitalized, and the whole thing looks really unreliable. I almost didn’t cover it.
But then I decided to go ahead and give it a chance, and I was pleasantly surprised by how thorough the service is. I tested it by converting a small MP3 file to Ogg. It offered me sensible options (like the option to set the bitrate and a few other parameters that I could set if I wanted to), and then it uploaded the file, crunched it, and spit it back out within a matter of seconds (it was a small MP3 – about 1.3MB).
I also tried converting a Docx document to PDF. The PDF converter lets you specify a “target device” so that, for example, you can produce PDFs that are specifically aimed at the Kindle.
There’s also a hash generator that can produce a file checksum (or just a text hash) by using a ton of algorithms, an image converter, and a whole bunch of other converters. I was unable to test them all, but I was pleasantly surprised by the options that I did try. The next time I need to convert a rare format, I may just use this site instead of seeking out a specific tool.
(Source: Download Squad)
Here’s an old Scrooge McDuck comic book photo from 2002 that tells the story of criminals who break into Scrooges dreams to steal his secrets. Scrooge and Donald just want to go home, but the physical world around them is constantly changing and shifting.
If that sounds like the plot of Inception, it should. Christopher Nolan just replaced the Beagle Boys with Leonardo DiCaprio and then made it all fancy by spinning the camera around and whatnot.
Seriously, there are NO original ideas left… so get that out of your mind.
(Source: Gone Hollywood)
Mirage is one of the most talented new rock outfits from Pakistan, formed by Saad Hayat, Hasan Mahmud and Rehan Nazim in 2003. With their unique sound and blend, unusual compositions and inspiring lyrics, accompanied by a solid live act Mirage is all set to release their debut album in August/September 2010 [Fire Records]
Seriously, this is the future that China’s envisioning: huge friggin’ buses engulfing smaller cars on the road. Despite the silly picture and the eccentric “3D Express Coach” branding, this cunning project by Shenzhen Huashi Future Car-Parking Equipment actually makes sense. The idea is to make use of the space between regular-size cars and bridges, thus saving construction costs as well as minimizing congestion impact by allowing cars to drive underneath these jumbo buses. Fancy hitching a ride? You better start planning your move to Beijing’s Mentougou district, which is where Huashi will commence building its first 186km of track at year’s end. For now, enjoy the Chinese demo video after the on Engadget.
(Source: Engadget)
LAHORE: Rock stars and their fans from different corners of Lahore gathered at the World Fashion Cafe on Friday night, to set the stage for a Karachi-based rock band Mirage.
The basement venue did not go along with the nature of the event but active participation by the audiences and energy by the rock stars filled the space.
Three Lahore-based rock bands also performed before Mirage took the floor. What came as a surprise of the night was an underground band Aag, whose performance was received extremely well by the audience. The quartet, comprising of frontman Haroon Sheikh, Usman Sheikh, Nabeel Hussain and Amir Ali, was the first to perform and set the stage for the following bands. They started off with their title song “Aag” and later sung covers including “Pehla Nasha” which turned out to be one of the highlights of the night. Though the band often missed the high notes, the surge of energy filled the lack of rhythm.
Following Aag was Medical Rejects, another young band. What set the members apart was their appearance in lab coats, usually worn by medical experts. “Our parents wanted us to be doctors but we became singers,” the lead singer explained before starting off. The band sung “You are Right” and “My Favourite Song”.
Lithium, another band, was the only one to sing Sufi Punjabi songs. Though the artists did not take much care about the notes, they were appreciated for doing indigenous numbers.
The main band of the night Mirage received a very positive response by the audience. Kami Paul, the man on drums, said that the Lahori crowd was different from that in Karachi. “Here people don’t really shout or taunt singers. In Karachi, they do. I find this crowd a lot more encouraging and sober,” he said.
The lead singer Rehan Nazim told The Express Tribune that this was his first performance in Lahore and he had enjoyed it. He said that their album would be launched before Ramazan, adding that it comprises of 10 tracks having most dealing with soft rock.
Ahmad Hasnain, one of the audience members and a drummer himself, said that such events were very important to provide relief to the people, especially the youth. He said, “It’s good that a young band from Karachi has come to perform here. I think this should continue and the bands from Lahore should go to Karachi and from there bands should come to perform here”.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 3rd, 2010.
(Source: Trubune)
For quite some time, rumor had it that RIM has been wanting to get into the tablet game, and who can blame it? Microsoft has had a long history in the market, Apple’s iPad has proven popular, and it seems that just about every other manufacturer is trying to cram Android into the form-factor. A couple of days ago, we heard that RIM had acquired Blackpad.com, and the world collectively cringed at what we hoped was a purely defensive move to keep domain squatters at bay. Now, according to Bloomberg, there is confirmation that RIM plans to call its 9.7-inch tablet the Blackpad.
According to “people familiar with” the situation, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-capable device will be unveiled in November with front- and back-facing cameras. While there is no indication of when the Blackpad will find its way into customers’ hands, the RIM tablet is expected to cost about as much as the iPad. Like our friends at Engadget, we’re seriously hoping for a Microsoft-like change of heart when it comes to the name.
(Source: Switched)
Omlette-du-fromage 