Login with username and password (forgot your password?)

Goodbye, Google Reader by Paulo Brabo, on Flickr

[should not be read]

Obviously we shouldn't trust the official reasons Google offered for killing Reader. The demise of Reader is a massive statement on how Google believes the internet should not be read: [1] as a private, unmediated experience (as opposed to a "social" reading experience, say facebook, twitter or Plus) and [2] with an open standard (RSS) serving as a direct link between reader and content producer.

I use Reader A LOT - more than any other Google product, but I'm kind of grateful for the wake up call. It reminds me that Google won't hesitate before cancelling any other service, even one that feels as "natural" as, say, blogger. Blogging is declining in usage as much as Reader, I guess.

Sorry guys, but I've got to agree with Dave Winer on this one. By Google killing its own RSS, suddenly there's new competition for that software space again, and one less space that Google won't control or censor.

This guy I mentioned before is even more on the spot, I'd say:

Google, destroyer of ecosystems

[Google, destroyer of ecosystems]

Two more:

Google, destroyer of ecosystems

The truth is this: Google destroyed the RSS feed reader ecosystem with a subsidized product, stifling its competitors and killing innovation. It then neglected Google Reader itself for years, after it had effectively become the only player. Today it does further damage by buggering up the already beleaguered links between publishers and readers. It would have been better for the Internet if Reader had never been at all.

How the Shutdown of Google Reader Threatens the Internet

As one example, many people now rely on social media as a primary news source.  In many cases–especially with “bi-directional” services like Facebook ($FB) or LinkedIn ($LKND) where people only connect with “friends”–social media only surfaces content from people who are likely to share common viewpoints.  Plus, those posts are culled by mysterious algorithms (such as the algorithm controlling Facebook’s newsfeed) that further reduce exposure to diverse viewpoints.

How long before feedburner goes down the drain? Or even blogger and blogspot?

Blogger may survive a few more years, but at the very least it will stop serving RSS.

[It’s Not Just Reader – Google Kills Its RSS Subscription Browser Extension, Too]

That's my take too. Another related article:

It’s Not Just Reader – Google Kills Its RSS Subscription Browser Extension, Too

But now the extension is gone, and the message is clear: Google is getting out of the RSS business. It’s more than Google just shutting down a product that never gained mainstream traction and moving resources elsewhere – it’s about distancing itself from the RSS community as a whole.

It’s interesting that the extension has been removed ahead of the end date for Google Reader, since up until that time, Reader’s core audience will likely still be subscribing to new feeds. And it’s worth noting that the extension also supported other blog-reading services besides Google’s.

Aha, found the answer here:
http://forums.majorgeeks....m/showthread.php?t=197158  

I saved the code below as a .bat file, which must then be run as administrator. The number after "skip" is the number of files you want to keep. Older files in the folder that exceed that number will be deleted.

[copy or print]
@echo off &setlocal
set folder=C:\desired-folder-name

pushd "%folder%"
for /f "skip=3 tokens=*" %%i in ('dir /a:-d-s /b /o:-d') do del "%%i"
popd

Needless to say, use with the utmost caution. Somewhere, somehow, something's gonna be deleted.

Hi friends, help needed!

Here's the setup: I use Macrium Reflect to make daily images of my system drive, which I save in a backup folder in two different backup locations. My problem is that the folder where I save these images gets huge really fast, and I want to limit the number of saved images to, say, 4 or 7. I currently use Belvedere to delete files *older than* – but that can be a problem if, for instance, I travel and spend one month without using the PC (and so without creating new automatic backup images). When I come back and turn on the PC all images will be deleted because *older than*, and I will be left without any backup image.

What I'm looking for is an app or code that may limit the number of files in my backup folder. Something like "if there is more than 'n' files in this folder, delete the oldest file and keep the 'n' newest ones". I'm sure there's more than an easy way to do this, but I can't code and my searches led me to nothing.

Thank you for any hints! Windows 7 Home Premium.

Paulo

http://lifehacker.com/341...tes-your-self+cleaning-pc

Long story short?

IE > Netscape Navigator > Opera > Firefox > Firefox > Firefox (that's many faithful, star-eyed years of Firefox) > Chrome > Firefox

I was lured by how blazing fast Chrome used to be, and was converted when it got many of the extensions I used on Firefox. But then Chrome started to *feel* slower and slower, and Firefox started to *feel* leaner and leaner wherever I tried them (desktop PC, notebook, netbook).

Firefox, my darling, Chrome didn't mean nothing to me. At all. Please take me back. 

I would still love to take a look at a hi-res scan of the original film.  

Guess I'll have to accept that NASA offer to work for them after all.

[Piece of thermal insulation tile floats near the Shuttle Columbia]

By the way, the official description is

Piece of thermal insulation tile floats near the Shuttle Columbia

A small piece of thermal insulation tile floats in space near the Shuttle Columbia. The cloudy surface of the earth is used as a background.

http://images.jsc.nasa.go...amp;photoId=STS61C-31-002

But since when NASA can be trusted  

Heh, ignore me, there's another photo. The truth is out there.

http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/s...ry=ISD&ID=STS61C-31-3

[attachimg=1]

I'm pretty sure it's swamp gas, though. Or Venus. 

Judging from the film strip info below it doesn't look as this was put together from several images. But then the left and bottom sides of the triangle seem too perfectly aligned, don't they?

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

By the way, version 11.90 free today on Giveaway of the Day.

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

Java 7 update 11 with security fixes available since yesterday evening:

http://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

"Oracle said on its security blog on Sunday that its update fixed two vulnerabilities in the version of Java 7 for Web browsers...

"HD Moore, chief security officer with Rapid7... said it could take two years for Oracle to fix all the security bugs that have currently been identified in the version of Java that is used for surfing the Web.

“The safest thing to do at this point is just assume that Java is always going to be vulnerable. Folks don’t really need Java on their desktop,” Moore said."

http://dawn.com/2013/01/1...-experts-say-bugs-remain/

Anyone feeling brave  

What, no Ethervane Echo? 

Thanks to tranglos, as far as I'm concerned the search is over!

http://www.tranglos.com/echo/ 

"I don't like Windows 8" is a perfectly acceptable position. "Windows 8 can't do something Windows 7 can" absolutely FALSE every time.

I think the point is not what Windows 8 can't do; it's been proven it can do what Windows 7 does and lots more. The points are [1] for the desktop user it's clearly not so easy/natural to reach the usability one took for granted in Windows 7 and [2] since the desktop user can't readily profit from the Modern/Touch new material (the "lots more" part), why does the OS make it so hard for the said user to circumvent the UI he's [quite possibly] not interested in?

Making it hard for the user to go past what he's not interested in should be considered bad design EVERY time. Even Clippy one could get rid of, for crissakes.

[LastPass Pocket]

If you already use Lastpass you should check LastPass Pocket, their little-known standalone/offline desktop client.

"LastPass Pocket
Provides backup capability and offline access for your LastPass vault."

Chose "Windows" (I presume) instead of "Recommended" and then scroll to the very bottom:
https://lastpass.com/misc_download.php

Thread superclosed?  

Renegade, I feel humbled.

Sometimes it takes a Cynic (in the best, and maybe only, sense of the word) to take action and show true, tangible compassion while people with rosy, tender values stand there doing nothing.

Be glad that it re-started your computer without first asking; otherwise you would be without any change to restore your system! And they inform about this on their page, just about an inch below the normal download link, and in the FAQ.

*is exceedingly glad*

They did ask in their own way, didn't they?

I tried it... no popups for me and it seemed to be working as advertised, but I got nervous when the system restarted without warning right after installation. I can't trust a program that does that, can I?

Uninstalled promptly and had to manually re-enable System Restore.

Installed TimeFreeze (free, different beast though) instead.

I use Teracopy myself (on XP, Vista and 7), and for the reasons given.

What I find interesting, though, is that we all tend to treat what are in theory copy acceleration utilities as real-life copy management utilities. And if Samer is right (and I believe he probably is) copy management has a speed cost in Windows.

My original question remains: is a *real* copy acceleration utility for Windows theoretically possible? How come none of the available utilities seem to achieve the acceleration it promises?

Hey guys, long time no talk, but lurking daily.

I'd love to hear your take on this: Samer from freewaregenius concludes that copy acceleration utilities on Windows make things actually worse:

http://www.freewaregenius...speeds-our-tests-say-yes/

[attachimg=1]

What now? Do copy acceleration software works? From a technical standpoint, can it work?

Mouser,

I've been using Cloudberry Desktop Backup for some time now (two years. maybe?). You buy the standalone app once (30 dollars, you are allowed to use it in a couple of pcs) and it uses Amazon S3 for storage, which is notoriouly cheap. I have recursive local backups but I use the program with the same scenario you described in mind (fire, robbery. etc). It's light, automated and transparent.

http://www.cloudberrylab....torage-online-backup.aspx

As far I can see Cloudberry Backup features everything you are looking for, and some more, if you're interested... things like (optional) file versioning and (optional) real-time backup.

Cheers from Brazil

Paulo

Tranglos,

This is just to say thank you. This is so elegant indeed; such a handsome UI and a perfectly flowing experience. Instant favorite, using it everywhere.

Paulo

[Microsoft burying skype for US $8.5 Billion]

I swear I read       Microsoft burying skype for US $8.5 Billion