Random Ramblings – Page 32 – Blah, Blah, Blahg

BellSouth hates Firefox

I’m not sure why, exactly, after years of amazing growth, the Firefox community still faces crap like this:

I’m trying something simple – I want to see if I can get a DSL connection for my mother’s house. She doesn’t need a cable-connection and it’s associated $40/month, so I was looking for a simple $20 connection I could get hooked up for her. Shoot – I was even going to tie the account to my credit card, if the company would let me. Instead, I find that BellSouth hates Firefox.

[tags]BellSouth hates Firefox, Internet Explorer still sucks, BellSouth, DSL[/tags]

Google reader gripe

I’ve been using Bloglines as my RSS reader for a long time now. While searching for something totally unrelated on the big, wild, intarw3b, I found this LifeHacker article singing the praises of Google Reader. Intrigued, I decided to take a look. First, let me point out that the LifeHacker article, so full of praise for Google Reader, doesn’t even include a friggin’ link to Google’s reader offering. So after studying the proselytizing for Google Reader, I can’t even go straight to the tool and check it out. I have to spend extra effort to find and hit Google Reader myself. Yes, it’s a triviality in the grand scheme, but if you are trying to sell folks on a new idea, you have to make it as easy as possible.

Kinda like Woot.com‘s Stupidly Big Button (sign up at Woot and buy something sometime to see – it’s a stupidly big button to complete the purchase process), you want to make getting your final point across as clearly as possible. This Keep it Simple, Stupid philosophy is why I *TRY* to make the first link in every article I post or the last link before a blockquote the link of relevance/intent for my stories. When I want you to check something out, I try to make it easy by putting it the first link you see in the article or the link immediately before the quote I’m pulling from the article. I’m not successful every time (this article being a prime example of failing to simplify what link is the most relevant for the story – the LifeHacker link and the Google Reader link are to main two I will focus on here).

That said, let me now lay in to my interface gripe about Google Reader, which ultimately is what I wanted to write about. After finding and visiting Google Reader, I see a nice, Googlishly simple front page (resized here).

google-reader_resize

Hey, it’s simple. That’s the Google style. Since I want to try this out right away, I hit that stupidly big button labeled “Get started by adding subscriptions.” Now, we get this screen for adding a subscription.

google-add_feeds_resize

What’s missing here? The stupidly big box labeled “Feed URL” Here’s what Bloglines gives you when you say “Add Feeds”

bloglines-add_feeds

But Google, in a bafflingly non-Google manner, has chosen to not give you a simple screen like this for entering the address. In an apparent attempt to dumb down the interface, Google has made it harder for a knowledgeable user to user the tool. No, to get my feed in there when I already know what feed I want, I’m forced to click another button labeled, bizarrely, “Add Subscription.” But, um, isn’t that already what I’m trying to do? Didn’t I already hit a button to add subscriptions? Why should I have to tell the reader again that I really want to add a subscription? This is, for lack of a better term, Microsoftian interface design. So, if I click the not-stupidly-obvious Add subscriptions link, do I get the current page refreshed? Do I go to another screen where I can put my feed address? No, I get a little AJAX pop-open box.

google-real_add_feeds

Now I can finally add my feed and get the news I want. But why do I have to click add subscriptions from the add subscriptions page? Shouldn’t there be a stupidly big box the first time I say add subscriptions? Has Google decided to forget smart interface design after years of leading the industry with easy access interfaces?

I’ve been on a big interface annoyance fling after reading a lot of Joel’s commentary on software lately. I highly recommend the two books of his I have read, if you want to learn a little about good software and interface design.

I may end up trying out Google’s RSS reader offerings some time, but for now, I’ll stick with the stupidly easy interface that I find at Bloglines. I’ll let all you really smart folks use Google Reader. Maybe in the future, I’ll be smart enough to catch up. Also in the future, look for a brief annoyance based post about Windows Live Writer, since that is the tool I now use for writing to the Blahg. And maybe the Amazon affiliates program link builder, since it’s annoying to try to get Amazon links, in my not so humble opinion. In fact, I enjoy criticizing the works of others enough, I may just do it for other programs and web sites I deal with.

[tags]RSS, Google Reader, Bloglines, Google, Interface criticism, Interface annoyances[/tags]

My plea for help

Folks, I’m hoping someone smart can help me out here. My 8-year-old son has ADHD, pretty much just like I do, only his is much closer to incapacitating. We’ve cycled through a number of medicines. He has a problem taking pills, but the liquid ADD medications wear off in just a coupe of hours – we end up on three doses a day, and they don’t last long enough for him to function well to the next dosing time. We’ve done a patch, but it irritates his skin so badly that he can’t stop itching it. We’ve used Concerta, which works, but only for 3-4 hours. We’re on a new medication (forget the name, and can’t grab the bottle right now to check it). It’s a larger capsule than the Concerta, so he has even more trouble swallowing it.

If we don’t figure some way to get his focus problems under control, he’s going to be kicked out of his current school. It is a very good school, and his teachers have been great since we’ve been there. I know the counselor at his current school thinks he’s just not that bright, but I know that isn’t the problem – she wants him evaluated for a learning disability. I don’t know if it is boredom (which was my problem with school), or if he is setting himself up to fail intentionally because his handwriting isn’t good and he thinks he can deflect from that problem by making it appear to be another problem. He has an absurdly sharp memory, so anything that gets through to him sticks. It’s a matter of getting his attention and getting the information into his head.

I need some advice on how to help him take his medication, so we can make it a less stressful event and make sure it happens every day. I am hoping for some advice as well on how to help him focus better. I’ve never gotten my ADD under control except through medication, but mine isn’t as severe as his and I can function fairly well even when I’m having troubles focusing. I don’t know how to help him get better, and I don’t know what information on the web is actually worth consuming.

Please. Anyone?

Thanks.

[tags]ADD, ADHD, Help[/tags]

Time to buy those airline tickets, folks

If you’ve ever sat and thought “Where can I get a sex change operation if I don’t have a lot of money?” – it looks like the Brazilians have you in mind.

Brazilian judges have ruled that a sex change is a constitutional right, so the government says it will provide the operation and treatment Ã¢â‚¬â€ gratis.

Unfortunately, some of you won’t qualify. To find out if you can catch a ride on the “I want to play for the other team” ride, hit the full USA Today story and see what the rules and requirements are.

[tags]Brazil, Free sex change, Just a sweet transvestite[/tags]

Dungeon Runners update to add the one feature I needed before paying

If you aren’t familiar with the game Dungeon Runners, you should probably check it out. You could probably most understand it as an online-only Diablo-like RPG. It’s free, so there is a very low threshold for entry – just create a free account, download the client, login, and play. If you like it, you have the option of paying $5 per month for extra capabilities, but you can play free as long and as much as you like if it doesn’t seem worth $5 per month to you.

I was in the beta of the game for a while. It was enjoyable, but the biggest problem for me was a limitation of one character per account. My older son likes the game, and it seems at least moderately age-appropriate, so I let him play. With only one character for an account, that meant I couldn’t have and develop a character – I let him delete and create characters as he liked, because he played it more than I did. It looks like that limitation is about to go away, however, as news of the upcoming patch and content upgrade will add in a 3 character per account allowance.

Free-to-play dungeon crawler Dungeon Runner is expected to get its next big update this week. I chatted briefly with lead designer Mark Tucker earlier today about what we can expect to see from the update, labeled Chunk Number One.

In a nutshell, the update will add player versus player worlds, multiple character support per an account, in-chat item linking and a new high level dungeon.

My brother already has a paid account. When this update hits, I’ll probably join, as well. I might even get 2 accounts – one for me and one for my older son. And if you wonder how a free to download and free to play MMO works:

While NCSoft is still hesitant to talk about the profitability of the mostly free game, you can pay for access to a small set of exclusive features and a new members only server, they do say they are quite happy with how the game is shaping up.

‘We are tracking well compared to other NC Soft titles,” Tucker said. “The development team has a goal in terms of number of subscribers. There is a point when we become profitable and it’s not a very big number. At that point we can grow the development team.”

NC Soft spokeswoman Opal Lertutai said they have 120,000 active accounts and that they have about 75 percent of the $5 a month paid accounts needed for the game to break even.

So it looks like they are pretty close to getting their target number of minimum paid accounts to keep the game alive and growing. Like I said above – once this update comes out, you can add me in to that base, as well. The single character limitation was all that kept me from getting more into the game.

[tags]Dungeon Runners, NCSoft, Gaming, MMO, MMORPG[/tags]

Games you just don’t want to hear are in development

As a hardcore gamer, there are some things you just don’t want to hear in reference to games. Anything referring to Barbie is bad. Barbie and Horse appearing in the title is much worse, because you know only one way that could be a good game, yet you also know there is no way Barbie would be in a bestiality pr0n game. Though Mary Kate and Ashley are hotties, seeing their name on any game is a sure sign you’d want to pass it by. But we’ve got a couple of new entries into the games-you-never-want-to-see-developed category.

Did you know there’s actually a Barbie MMO? BarbieGirls.com is the kinda thing that makes hardcore gamers groan, but there is — a pink-festooned, dolls-getting-manicured, ‘tween girl-focused MMO, and moreover, it’s ridiculously popular. In its first 60 days, it signed up three million users. Now it’s up to four million — that’s half of what Second Life has drummed up in its entire lifespan — and growing at a rate of 4500 a day.

. . .

Not to be left out of the competition, the freaky skank dolls of Bratz are getting in on the action with Be-Bratz.com, another ‘tween girls’ virtual world with a real-world component — you buy a $29.99 Bratz doll-slash-USB key, and it comes with some pink computer peripherals (a mouse and pad) that look like Japanese sex toys.

Please – if you ever hear that I’m playing these games in any serious manner, just shoot me. Neither Barbie nor Bratz should ever exist in a game title that references MMOs.Ã‚Â (via Kotaku)

[tags]Barbie, Bratz, beastiality, horses, MMOs, gaming[/tags]

Rubik’s cube – 26 moves or less

It’s astounding what one can find on the science blogs, isn’t it? How about information the insight that a Rubik’s cube can always be solved in 26 moves or less? This work beats out last years 27-or-less moves proof.

Daniel Kunkle can solve a Rubik’s Cube in 26 moves. Or at least his computer can.

Kunkle, a computer scientist at Northeastern University in Boston, has proved that 26 moves are enough to solve any Rubik’s Cube, no matter how scrambled. That’s one move below the previous record. In the process of cracking the cube, he developed algorithms that can be useful for problems as disparate as scheduling air flights and determining how proteins will fold.

Rubik’s Cube has approximately 43 quintillion possible configurations. Even a supercomputer can’t search through every possible configuration to find the quickest way to unscramble a given starting arrangement in a reasonable amount of time. So Kunkle and his advisor Gene Cooperman developed some clever mathematical and computational strategies to make the puzzle more manageable.

The article discusses in brief some of the work done to generate this proof. And as noted in the above snip, these algorithms could well have applicability to other work dealing in problems with massively large numbers of permutations. (via boingboing)

[tags]Rubik’s Cube, World record, Algorithms, Science news, Science[/tags]

How not to find the perfect partner

After finding the perfect woman online, Des Gregor travelled to Mali to meet his beautiful, blushing bride-to-be and collect a rather generous dowry. Naturally, we wouldn’t want to cover it on the Blahg if it ended there and everyone lived happily ever after.

An Australian farmer who was kidnapped and beaten in Mali after walking into an Internet bride scam has pleaded with people to be careful looking for online love.

. . .

“I was tied, bound by the legs, and that was only probably for a couple of days because they knew that I was going to cooperate. There was always one bloke sleeping at the door, there was no way out,” Gregor told Australian media.

He is back home and safe other than the lasting mental trauma of the ordeal. Read the full article for how he escaped and his words of wisdom to all future online love-seekers.

[tags]Mail, Looking for love, Online love trouble, How not to find the perfect partner[/tags]

Blade Runner Ultimate Collection DVD set

I must admit, I missed this movie when it was first out in theatres. I didn’t catch it until a few years later when I got the video and then again a couple years after that when I got the DVD. Now, I can get the Ultimate Collector’s edition DVD set of Blade Runner for a mere $55. That’s not bad, considering all the geeky greatness you get.

In celebration of Blade Runner’s 25th anniversary, director Ridley Scott has gone back into post production to create the long-awaited definitive new version. Blade Runner: The Final Cut, spectacularly restored and remastered from original elements and scanned at 4K resolution, will contain never-before-seen added/extended scenes, added lines, new and improved special effects, director and filmmaker commentary, an all-new 5.1 Dolby(r) Digital audio track and more. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Edward James Olmos, Joanna Cassidy, Sean Young, and Daryl Hannah are among some 80 stars, filmmakers and others who participate in the extensive bonus features. Among the bonus material highlights is Dangerous Days, a brand new, three-and-a-half-hour documentary by award-winning DVD producer Charles de Lauzirika, with an extensive look into every aspect of the film: its literary genesis, its challenging production and its controversial legacy. The definitive documentary to accompany the definitive film version.

The Ultimate Collector’s Edition will be presented in a unique 5-disc digi-package with handle which is a stylish version of Rick Deckard’s own briefcase. In addition, each briefcase will be individually numbered and in limited supply. Included is a lenticular motion film clip from the original feature, miniature origami unicorn figurine, miniature replica spinner car, and collector’s photographs, as well as a signed personal letter from Sir Ridley Scott.

That qualifies for w00tness in my book. Hit the Amazon item link for the disc-by-disc details. The disc 3 offerings look most interesting to me.

[tags]Blade Runner, Ultimate Collector’s edition, Harrison Ford, Ridley Scott[/tags]

Woman calls cops about her fake drugs

More news that makes us happy to have our “Stupid” category now on the Blahg. In Georgia, a woman called the cops for help getting money back because her crack cocaine wasn’t good enough to suit her tastes.

Juanita Marie Jones, 53, called Rochelle Police late Thursday night after she purchased what she thought was a $20 piece of crack cocaine, according to police reports.

She told officers she broke the rock into three pieces and smoked one, only to discover the drugs were “fake.”

I guess one should be wary of $20 crack rocks, now. (via boingboing)

[tags]Drug buy gone bad, Cops help buyer of bad crack to jail[/tags]

Approval ratings

Just in case you forgot to check these out lately:

For the record, the link to the Congressional ratings points to CongJob.htm, but I really believe ConJob.htm would be more appropos.

I would guess the truly spineless nature of the Democrats in bending over, lubing themselves up, and spreading wide open for Bush and his hatred of American freedoms, allowing him to take away more of our rights every chance he has, probably play heavily into the approval ratings for Congress sitting below those of the President.

[tags]Approval ratings, Congressional approval ratings, Presidential approval ratings[/tags]

Rove to retire at end-of-month

Just saw this, so I have no idea how old it is (although I believe it to be very recent) – Karl Rove has announced he will retire as deputy White House chief of staff at the end of the month.

Mr. Rove was one of the last remaining senior members of the team that followed Mr. Bush from Texas to the White House in 2001. But increasingly he had to work with newcomers brought into the White House by the chief of staff, Joshua B. Bolten, to help navigate a new era in which the White House has often had to seek accommodation with its political opponents – and Republican Congressional allies – where it once was able to run past them.

I know it is fashionable to insult Rove, blame him for all the ills of the world, and so on. I really know little about him, so will just pass on the news and sign off.

[tags]Karl Rove, Rove to retire, Politics[/tags]