Room 117

Obama can win Georgia

2008-09-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

In the primary, more Democrats turned out than Republicans by a slight margin. (1,060,851 to 963,541). The last time this happened was in 1992 when Clinton edged Bush I to win the state.

In the democratic primary, Obama received 704,247 out of 1,060,851 votes. In the Republican primary, McCain received 304,751 out of 963,541 votes. This bodes well for Obama.

In 2004 Bush, rec'd 1.9 million votes to Kerry's 1.36 million. I believe that Obama will need 1.8-2 million votes to win. Not an impossible task. I estimate that 2.3 times more people will turn out for the General Election than did in the primary.

Finally, there are just 21 days until October 6th (the LAST DAY to register to vote)!

Top Five Dead or Alive

2008-07-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

Ludacris & DJ Drama Talk New Gangsta Grillz Mixtape

God Bless You, Mr. Totem

2008-07-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

Phenomenal stuff.

Status Update

2008-07-07T21:41:00.000-07:00

"Progress does not march forward like an army on parade; it crawls on its belly like a guerrilla." --Michael Lewis

New Girl Talk: Feed the Animals

2008-06-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

Name your own price :)

Emoticons for Gmail

2008-06-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

Finally: a greasemonkey script for gmail that transforms raw emoticons like :-) into their image-based counterparts.

Feeling lucky? Click here to install the script. It's a work in progress, but I'm excited by the results so far and want to begin testing on a macro-level. If you install this version, check back soon for an updated version.

Lots of work left to do. Among other improvements, I will add an 'emoticons bar' to the compose menu so users can insert icons with the click of a mouse. But this is a start. The code is complete with comments and contains a 'to do' list and a list of known bugs.

For a 'key' to the emoticons supported by this script click here.

SUMMARY: Google search bar hacks

2008-06-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

I amended the file "nsSearchService.js" to introduce two new functions to the Google search bar in FireFox:

1- Search the current site with the syntax "site:this"

2- Conduct a Google Image Search with the syntax "img:"

To install this hack, re-name your current 'nsSearchService.js' file (just in case you want to remove the hack) and replace the original with this one:

New and improved 'nsSearchService.js'. See lines 733 and 855 for the edits.

On Vista (and presumably XP), 'nsSearchService.js' is located in this directory: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\components

On Linux, the file is located here: /usr/lib/firefox/components/nsSearchService.js

This solution is not very modular; the file must be installed or deleted manually. However, it does offer some advantages:

- Functionality is directly integrated into the Google search bar so there is no need for a separate search engine

- No need for a custom bookmark/search via the location bar --- this keeps the suggestions from the Google tool bar in tact. (You can add the special syntax to the end of your search terms.)

- No need for a special button; just type the command in the search bar.

- No need for Google's Advanced Toolbar for Firefox. (Google's Advanced toolbar has buttons for searching the current site and conducting an image search; however, there is no syntax that I know of to automate this procedure. In addition, for searching the current site, the regular expression used in my hack removes the 'www' from the current domain which enables a broader search. Google's Advanced toolbar does not do this; it searches 'www.stanford.edu' rather than 'stanford.edu'.)

UPDATE: Greasemonkey Script for Right Click Menu in Gmail

2008-06-12T11:13:00.001-07:00

The original version of this script subsumed the default right click menu. The revised version makes room for both.

This script has been added to userscripts.org. You can install it by following this link.

A FireFox Hack: Google Image Search from Google search bar

2008-06-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

Include the string 'img:' alongside search terms in the Google search bar and Google image results are returned. The code snippet is here, but since a picture (or should I say 'img:') is worth 1000 words...

This hack is similar to 'Search the current site with Google' for searching the current site in that it alters the file 'nsSearchService.js'. You are welcome to insert this code into 'nsSearchService.js' yourself. However, I recommend that you re-name your current 'nsSearchService.js' file and replace it with this one:

New and improved 'nsSearchService.js'.

The above file contains the 'site:this' hack and the 'img:' hack.

On Vista (and presumably XP), 'nsSearchService.js' is located in this directory:

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\components

On Linux, the file is located here: /usr/lib/firefox/components/nsSearchService.js

Anyway, navigate to this folder, rename the original 'nsSearchService.js' file (so you can revert back to this file if necessary) and replace it with the one at the above link.

I would expect nothing less from the person "who prints everything on the color printer."

2008-06-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

ABC news reports that Hillary will drop out of the presidential race on Friday.

I'm not complaining but... Is this not the equivalent of getting fired, then showing up to work the next day and telling your boss "I quit"?

Obama '08.

Art School Dropout

2008-05-31T00:16:00.000-07:00

Greasemonkey Script for Right Click Menu in Gmail

2008-05-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

This greasemonkey script shows a special "right click menu" (also known as a "context menu") when using Gmail. Currently, the menu lets the user navigate around the site. He or she can jump to "inbox", "compose new", "sent messages", "contacts", etc. More advanced functionality is coming soon, including separate menus for various pages and the ability to issue commands (e.g., "Delete this message").

Here's a link to the script:

http://www.room117.com/gmailrightclick.user.js

One goal of this script is to place some of Gmail's extra functions such as "Filter messages like this" in a sub-menu that is close by at all times. Another goal is to access keyboard short cuts using the mouse. The menu could show the corresponding keyboard shortcut for each action and train users to use keyboard shortcuts instead.

Screen shot:

Risky Business

2008-05-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

I love this maneuver for its risk: even a small bump or wobble could ruin the night. (I couldn't imagine a worse fate than accidentally spilling your own beer all over yourself for the sake of a party gag.) Thankfully Megan is cool under pressure. :-)

A FireFox Hack: Search the current site with Google

2008-05-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

Google lets users search within a single domain by using the syntax"site:" followed the domain. On its Search Features page, Google gives this example:

Here's how you'd find admission information on the Stanford University site:

I extended this concept so that it can be used with the Google search bar in FireFox to search the current site with the syntax "site:this". Here's two screen shots to show how it works (click to make the picture bigger):

I inserted this code into the file 'nsSearchService.js' right after line 734. (This file is located inside FireFox's components folder on your local machine.) The beauty of this technique is that it could be applied in other ways. For example, users could preface a search with "images" to conduct a Google Image Search from the search bar in FireFox.

I believe the solution I propose above is the fastest and most direct way to integrate "search this site" functionality into FireFox. Nonetheless, it bears mention that similar solutions exist; in the form of a separate search engine or a custom bookmark/search via the location bar or even a special button. In addition, Google's Advanced Toolbar for Firefox enables users to search within the current site. However, a special button is required; there's no syntax that I know of to streamline this process.

*** Note: code revised June 11, 2008 ***

One-Armed Bandit

2008-05-21T22:33:00.001-07:00

I tried, but could not find, the world record for longest handstand and or the world record for the longest one-armed handstand. Thus I am going to throw my hat into the ring with a time of about five seconds; just long enough to snap a photo.

Out: BuzzPost, In: NinjaPost

2008-05-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

The ninjapost.com domain name has been secured. I was surprised (but pleased) that it was available. Good domain names are increasingly hard to find. This means BuzzPost will soon be re-branded. Though I was happy with the BuzzPost moniker, despite my best efforts, I could not obtain the buzzpost.com domain from the current squatter.

Quote of the day

2008-05-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

Quoting Gina Trapani from "Crowdsourcing a Better Gmail" Presentation Slides and Notes:

"Like most great ideas I've had about the web, someone else had the exact same idea months earlier, built it, released it, and moved on."

I swear I was on my way to long-lived internet fame and glory until I found that a DragAndDropUpload Firefox extension for Gmail files (FF Add on page here) already exists.

It works very well---I highly recommend this extension. :-)

Ninjawords

2008-05-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

Ninjawords is fantastic! Too bad there's no thesaurus that's just as versitile. (Note that ninjawords sometimes provide links to synonymns, however.)

The domain makes me think that I should re-brand BuzzPost as "NinjaPost." I guess everyone reaches that crossroads where they decide whether or not it's time to throw their lot in with Ask a Ninja, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT), Ninja Burger and Ninja Gaiden. Well, I'm standing at that precipice right now.

"Guaranteed delivery in 30 minutes or less, or we commit Seppuku!"

Jeopardy!

2008-05-14T17:22:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I get the impression that Alex Trebek would know all the answers (er, questions) even if he didn't have the entire board on note cards in front of him. I would love to see how well he would fare in an actual game of Jeopardy! But the problem is that if Trebek were playing, there would be no host. Who could possibly fill the void? No one; Jeopardy wouldn't be Jeopardy without Alex Trebek. But what if you had to pick a replacement? I mean, absolutely had to pick someone to take over. Megan says Bob Barker (if he's still alive). I'm gonna go with Stephen Hawking.

The Deathly Hollows Symbol

2008-05-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia:

"The circle represents the Stone of Resurrection, the triangle represents the Cloak of Invisibility, and the line represents the Elder Wand."

Until I looked up the Deathly Hallows and re-read the Tale of the Three Brothers I had essentially forgotten its meaning; it a took a while to jog my memory. It makes me think there should be a little reading (or viewing) comprehension quiz for popular books and movies and even newspaper articles. Something like that could help reinforce the author's main points. Plus I always wonder how well information that I read once stays with me and I wonder how my reading comprehension skills compare to the average person.

I recently found myself in the same situation with the movie Reservoir Dogs---I forgot how the heist played out in the end. Praise Jeebus for Wikipedia:

Joe points a gun at Mr. Orange as Mr. White points his gun at Joe. Eddie then points his gun at Mr. White, posing a Mexican standoff. Joe shoots Mr. Orange and is then shot dead by Mr. White; Eddie shoots Mr. White, who shoots and kills Eddie. Mr. Pink, who stayed out of the shootout, takes the diamonds and flees. There is some ambiguity as to what his fate is. Some barely audible dialogue suggests he was subdued by the police. Mr. White cradles Mr. Orange in his arms and Mr. Orange reveals that he is a cop, devastating his friend. Mr. White puts his gun to Mr. Orange's head just as the police enter. Mr. White defies the warnings of the police and shoots Mr. Orange; the police, in turn, shoot Mr. White, killing him.

NY Times: In the Age of TiVo and Web Video, What Is Prime Time?

2008-05-12T09:14:00.000-07:00

Article from today's NY Times: In the Age of TiVo and Web Video, What Is Prime Time?:

Who stole six million viewers?...Some of the six million are still watching, but on their own terms, thanks to TiVos and other digital video recorders, streaming video on the Internet, and cable video on demand offerings. So while overall usage of television is steady, the linear broadcasts favored by advertisers are in decline.

This article states the obvious: the practice of "time shifting" via DVR is growing ever more popular; prime time television is losing some cache but TV advertising remains a $9B business; young viewers networks are willing to absorb their favorite shows via the web or iTunes, etc. No surprises here. (Well, except for the fact the author does not mention MythTV in this context, though perhaps that's more disappointing than surprising.)

In any event, what is surprising is that neither the author nor the executives quoted in the article perceive the threat that bittorrent and sites that illegally stream television shows (e.g., Surf the Channel, WatchTVSitcoms, ChannelSurfing.net, etc.) pose to the traditional TV advertising model. And even for the emerging DVR model: there is always that show that you wanted to see but forgot to record.)

It seems that any popular show (or song or movie or book) is bound, to some degree, to suffer from something similar to the Streisand effect where attempts to censor or remove a piece of information backfires, causing the information to be widely publicized. Understanding how the S.E. affects DRM and digital media should hasten networks to place more content online cede more control to users over when, where and how content is consumed. It's a classic case of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

Though it should be noted that TV execs have at least one ace up their sleeve: if viewers watch fewer commercials, then the ones they do watch become more valuable. It's so easy to become immune to a multitude of advertisements. But with fewer ads, the ones that come through are more meaningful to the viewer. This could increase the cost networks charge per ad and possibly offset some losses wrought by the shift to DVR and give the consumer more content for his or her time.

A friendly reminder

2008-05-12T08:50:00.000-07:00