Over the last couple of days, it has come to my attention that there are many problems with the server and hosting package being used to host the Technically Motivated website, that is making it less functional than it should be. For example, I recently discovered that my host’s restrictions on the use of mail services makes TM unable to send emails through the site, making things like Password Resets, Email Subscriptions and the Contact Me form completely non-functional. I have also found that files are constantly failing to be transferred correctly using FTP, resulting in large amounts of broken or missing files – a problem that has occasionally had a negative effect on the site. These are problems I consider unacceptable.
To top it all off, I have now discovered that a problem with my host’s Database Management system means that backing up the databases may actually be an impossibility. This is TERRIBLE SERVICE and means that if anything goes wrong, the whole site could effectively be wiped without any hope of recovery!
For this reason, I have decided that for the benefit of both the site and its users; and to be able to make the site work a lot better than it does now, I am moving the entire site to a completely new server and host. While this happens, I will not be updating the current Technically Motivated website, save for posting further information about the move. Also, some functions may be disabled without warning. I ask all current users not to make any new posts or comments while the move is in progress.
Unfortunately, it appears the transition will not go very smoothly. Because I may not be able to transfer the database, a lot of information will have to be recreated at the new server, so it will take some time before the move is completed. It also means that all the comments made up to now, on all the posts, will be lost at the new location – sorry! Thankfully we shouldn’t lose much else, because I should be able to move over the actual site’s files without trouble.
Another problem is that, while the actual website’s address will remain the same – technicallymotivated.co.cc – I will need to reconfigure it to work with the new server, which means for a short while, the URL may not correctly work. I will have more on this when I know more.
Microsoft is suing Motorola alleging it has infringed nine patents in its Android phones, in that certain functions of said phones – including but not limited to synchronizing e-mail, calendars and contacts – are based on Microsoft technology.
Microsoft said Motorola licensed some of its mobile technology from 2003 to 2007 but continued to use the technology without renewing the license. So they have now filed a lawsuit in a federal court as well as filing one with the International Trade Commission.
Its court filing specifically mentions the Motorola Droid 2 and the Motorola Charm smart phones, but Microsoft claims that the infringements were not limited to those devices.
A Motorola spokeswoman said the company has not yet received a copy of the suit, but based on its strong intellectual property portfolio, plans to “vigorously defend itself”.
Google has released developer tools for a new image format that Google believes could replace JPEG as the ideal photo format for the Internet. Called “WebP”, the new format – invented by Google themselves – would offer improved performance while maintaining image quality. Google claims that files compressed with the new format would be as much as 39 per cent smaller than those compressed in the current JPEG photo format.
According to Google product manager Richard Rabbat, the open-sourced format is an attempt to cut the size of “lossy” compressed images, reducing file sizes and data traffic loads for networks with slower connection speeds such as mobile broadband platforms. “Most of the common image formats on the web today were established over a decade ago and are based on technology from around that time,” Rabbat wrote in a blog posting. “Some engineers at Google decided to figure out if there was a way to further compress lossy images like JPEG to make them load faster, while still preserving quality and resolution.”
The company is currently offering developer tools to help developers add WebP support to their applications. The company also plans to introduce support for the format with the next version of its Chrome browser.
Some time ago, Google launched its own URL shortening service – a service that turns long website links into shorter, more manageable ones – to not only help the site promote its own products through services like Twitter, but also help others with theirs. Dubbed Goo.gl, the service was previously available only with certain other Google services, including the Google browser toolbar, FeedBurner RSS service, News, Blogger, and Maps. But now, since last night, the service has its own website – http://goo.gl/ – where it can be used all by itself.
Google says its URL shorter is all about “stability,” “security,” and “speed.” Matt Cutts, a major Google player, had this to say about the service (spelling in context): “Google needed a url shortener for its own products where we knew the shortener wouldn’t go away. We also wanted a shortener that we knew would do things the right way… and that would be fast, stable, and secure.” That “right way” includes permanent redirects.
From the new goo.gl site, you can not only shorten URLs, but monitor traffic to your URLs after you shorten them. Google provides top referrers for each link as well as visitor profiles. “This can be a great way to better understand who’s interested in your links, how they’re finding them and when they’re reading,” the company says.
Thanks to various news sources for the Matt Cutts quote and for confirming the feature list!
There is one thing about GMail’s web interface that makes it stands out compared to other email solutions, and it’s the thing they’re both praised and criticised for in equal measure. Unlike most email clients, which stack your emails in chronological order and make no obvious links between the conversations they relate to, Google GMail has since the very start had a feature that groups all the emails in the same conversation together into one “thread”, making a whole conversation easy to find and read through in it’s entirety. This feature, called “Conversation View”, has split opinion. Threading enthusiasts say they spend less mental energy drawing connections between related messages and that their inboxes are much less cluttered. On the other hand, email traditionalists like many former Outlook users think conversation view just complicates something that has worked for years.
Today, Google has announced it is finally introducing a new option to cater for those in the latter side of the argument. Read the rest of this entry »
For the past four years now, over a million users – myself included – have been using XMarks, a brilliant free service that syncs bookmarks, passwords and other data between other computers – and browsers – automatically, only requiring that the XMarks add-on is installed on the computers and you log in to your XMarks account (which can be made automatic after the first time).
Today, however, I am sorry to report that there is bad news regarding the service. In fact, probably the worst news you could hear if you’ve made heavy use of the service. If you, like me, have been a loyal XMarks user until now, you either already have, or will shortly be receiving the following email which explains what I’m talking about: Read the rest of this entry »
The failure of security that caused the infection of more than 190 thousand users on Orkut has been fixed by Google. In a statement, the American company says the cause of this problem was a code in the ‘New Orkut’, which was modified by the developers of social network.
“We took swift action to correct a vulnerability to cross-site scripting (XSS) in orkut.com which was discovered a few hours ago. Our analysis of the script code does not reveal any malicious activity. The problem is now resolved, but continued studying Vulnerability to help avoid similar problems in future, “Google said in a statement.
The flaw led the users to be included in the community “Infected by Orkut Virus”, without any need for approval. The group came to be deleted by the site staff in the early afternoon, but the hackers recreated using the same loophole. Besides becoming a member, the user started sending malicious code to your contacts through the network message.
Users who were infected by the code should clear browser history and delete temporary files. It is further recommended that the password for access to social networking should be replaced.
Have you heard of the Shweeb? Me neither. But apparently, it’s a rather fun little tourist attraction located in Rotorua, New Zealand. Basically, it’s a monorail system. Unlike traditional monorails, however, this one has numerous cars, each of which can hold one person comfortably. What’s more, each car is pedal-powered, so the passenger is actively keeping the car going.
More than 30,000 people have hopped inside the Shweeb and raced around its track in Rotorua, with users stating that it feels “different” and “exhilarating”. The idea first came to a frustrated commuter trying to navigate the streets of Tokyo – “I tried cycling here but that turned out to be a pretty dangerous activity so the idea just occurred to me to be able to cycle over the top of it,” says Shweeb creator Geoff Barnett. And after spending six years combining monorail and cycling technology, the Shweeb was born. Unfortunately councils couldn’t commit to making an untested technology into a means of public transport, so instead it went to Rotorua, where it became an adventure tourist attraction.
Now though, the Shweeb may become a viable means of public transport after all – thanks to Google. Read the rest of this entry »
A year ago, Google announced Chrome Frame, a project intended to bring the standards support, HTML5 features, and speed of Google’s Chrome Web browser to Internet Explorer as a plug-in, rather than requiring users to download a separate application. Now, Google has taken the “beta” tag off and announced Chrome Frame’s first stable release, bringing Chrome’s features—and speed—to Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8, without requiring users to replace their existing browsers.
We’ll have more information about this story as soon as it is available.
I have just discovered that a bug with the site layout currently being used by Technically Motivated does not work properly when viewed on the Wii Internet Channel – in particular, part of the left side of the content is cut off and cannot be seen, even when zoomed in or out. This bug is being investigated. Until then, we recommend not using the Wii Internet Channel to view our website.
If you have noticed a similar bug in other browsers, please post it in the Comments as soon as you can, as it may help us isolate and fix it.