Daily Bits

Have You Ever Cussed at Your Computer? Be Honest!

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computerheadbangYes, be honest. Have you ever gotten so frustrated at your computer that you simply had to vent by uttering a few cuss words? If you haven’t – or have made yourself believe that you haven’t – then you are actually part of the majority. According to a survey conducted by Avira, 61 per cent of computer users have not cussed or even yelled at a computing machine that is failing to cooperate. Out of 14,284 users who took the survey, only 39 per cent admitted to having “lost it” because of a malfunctioning computer.

The survey included several other questions including the following:

  1. 39% – Cursed or yelled at the computer out loud?
  2. 38% – No! I would never yell at my computer, it is too sensitive. (I friendly try to encourage it working again…)?
  3. 11% – Thought Wished for catastrophe to strike the company that makes your operating system software or computer?
  4. 9% – Hit your computer with another object (fist, baseball bat, etc.)?
  5. 3% – Actually thrown the computer to the ground or against a desk or other piece of furniture?

I am not really surprised about the low numbers for the last three items. After all, computers do cost money, and unless you’re totally in need of anger management therapy, you would not want to throw money out of the window. Either that or you have a huge wad of cash stowed away somewhere and you don’t care if you had to buy a new machine.

So now, really, be honest – have you ever done any of these things above? I know have at least uttered a word of frustration or two!

Last.fm Mobile No Longer Available for Free

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last-fm
I have had a Last.fm account for a long time, but unfortunately have used it only very sparingly due to the fact that the service is not available for free where I am based. For those in the US and the UK, though, Last.fm is probably the best thing to have ever happened to music lovers. And, with the popularity of mobile devices, Last.fm’s mobile application has also caught the attention of those who just can’t get enough of their music.

Just like many other free web services, Last.fm has been able to get along without charging users a fee due to advertising. However, starting next week, things are going to change big time – at least for the mobile users. Instead of seeing ads and not paying anything, mobile users will have to pay 3GBP a month and enjoy ad-free service. The paid service will then allow users to listen to personalized radio stations but will still not offer the option of picking out individual songs.

While it is understandable that some people will react negatively to the move, the price is not that bad. It is already close to what Last.fm charges for its web service in other locations. More so, using Last.fm via the computer will remain free in the UK.

Last.fm’s official stance is that they believe that this is the right move for the company. They also say that they are NOT losing money, but that this is just the logical thing to do. Of course, the move will only bring in more revenue for the company, but I think the fee is reasonable, don’t you?

FarmVille for Dummies

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FarmVille for DummiesIt is no joke – there is a new book in the Dummies series, and it is titled Farmville for Dummies. Now I don’t know about you, but I think some of the books in this series are quite useful.  They make things easier for the average person who may not be as savvy as others.  But what about if the topic is NOT hard to begin with?

That’s exactly what I thought when I heard about FarmVille for Dummies.  If you think about it, FarmVille is one of the easiest games that you can play out there.  It practically guides you every step of the way, and if you have a question, you can simply ask your friends who are probably as addicted to it as you are!

So why the need for the book?  Is there really a market for FarmVille dummies out there?  Perhaps.  This is the argument from the perspective of co-author Kyle Orland:

Sure, FarmVille isn’t a particularly difficult game—it practically holds your hand in telling you how to play, and there’s a limited amount of strategy to playing…Some of the sections of the game—especially the farmer’s market and some aspects of animal tending—require multiple, time-lapsed steps to complete successfully, and the game only gives one screen of text-heavy explanation for how to go about them.

I guess that there will be some people who will appreciate all the tips and tricks put together in one handy reference.  Then again, if you have to go through that hassle to be a success in FarmVille, I guess dummy is the appropriate word.  Or am I being too harsh?

The book is available on Amazon on a pre-order basis.

Possibly the Ugliest Bike You’ll Ever See

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There are innovations that are real works of genius that you are left speechless – in a good way. Then there are those things that are supposed to be innovations and also leave you speechless, but only because you can’t say anything else but WTF. Pardon me, but that is exactly what went in my head the moment I laid my eyes on the StreetFlyer.

The StreetFlyer is supposed to be the latest thing in recreational sports, and it will allow you to fly like a bird without taking off the ground. Why anyone would want to fly like a bird and stay grounded at the same time does not make a lick of sense to me. Do you get it?  Here is the StreetFlyer in action.  Maybe someone can make sense out of it.

StreetFlyer4
To be fair to the creator, Dr. Carsten Mehring, he conceptualized the idea with people who may have an aversion to heights or flying in mind. Then again, I think that if you have that fear, then you might be better off spending your time playing with a simulator. Maybe I am being too harsh, so let’s take a look at several more photos of the StreetFlyer.
StreetFlyer1 She looks as if she were thinking “What the heck am I doing?”
StreetFlyer2She may be smiling, but she doesn’t look comfortable.  Not at all.
StreetFlyer3This position seems workable, but then you do not need a bike that will give you the illusion of being a bird (when you’re strapped onto a three-wheeled contraption), do you?

Do you want more?  Visit the homepage of StreetFlyer.

What the Heck Happened to Optimus Prime?

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I Am Optimus Prime
I seem to be running across a lot of videos these days. The first week of the month is barely over, and I have spent more time watching all sorts of videos than I have in months. Perhaps the Year of the Rabbit is bringing out the creativity in more people, but whatever the reason, I wish that this particular video portrayed Optimus Prime in a better light.

Everyone’s favorite Autobot – well maybe not everyone – just got downgraded to a dancing guy clothed in tons of padding. Don’t get me wrong. I am pretty sure that a lot of people will disagree with me – the “Likes” and comments on Facebook and YouTube will attest to that – but I just don’t get it! Before I watched the video, I had a totally open mind. A parody of “The Time” by The Black Eyed Peas – how can you go wrong?

See what I mean? Optimus Prime is too dignified a character to be portrayed like that, isn’t he? Or am I being stuck up? Then there is the girl. The girl. She is hot – no one can deny that, but sorry, I still don’t get it. Am I missing something here?

There is something good to be said about the video, though: the lyrics are funny. I think the last stanza is my “favorite”:

Well, I came here on The Ark
Looking for the All Spark
You can’t stop a Transformer
Just by putting it in Park
I’m fighting Megatron
With Megan Fox (not anymore)
Robot in disguise
More than meets the eye

If, unlike me, you found the video cool, you can see more from Angie and Chad – no offense guys, just airing out my thoughts – in their Facebook page.

When Rubik’s Cube and The Joker Collide

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Rubiks JokerRubik’s Cube is always a hit with nerds, geeks, or whatever label you want to use. Admit it, as a kid, you probably spent a considerable amount of time trying to one-up your friend in solving this puzzle. Decades later, Rubik’s Cube still holds irresistible attraction for kids of all ages. Of course, with the changing times, we also see all sorts of new things that people do with Rubik’s Cube.

Here’s a perfect example of what one can do with hundreds of Cubes. Sometime last year, artist David Alvarez decided to come up with a mosaic portrait of The Joker – the Heath Ledger version, of course. He used about 300 Rubik’s Cubes to create a pretty good representation of arguably the best Joker ever. Lest you think that it is a simple matter to put those multi-colored cubes together, I ought to tell you that Alvarez had to give his brain a little work out. Before putting the Cubes together, he first had to twist them into the appropriate color patterns.

Since I have never tried to create artwork with Rubik’s Cubes, I really don’t know difficult that is. I do think, however, that it might be a viable alternative to having to solve one of those darned puzzles. Check out the video and let me know what you think.

Here’s another video of the same artist creating another mosaic. This is an older video, actually, and he uses dice to “draw” Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. How cool is that?