Technigma

Generate Web 2.0-style Diagonal Lines @ StripeGenerator.com

Technigma — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 19:32:30 +0000

So the Photoshop tutorial was too hard, huh? Or do you want them bigger, smaller, alternating colors, with a shadow, or the other direction? Well then, this is the site for you! StripeGenerator.com — make stripes, and nothing else.

A Gallery of Windows Splash Screens

Technigma — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:41:10 +0000

Splash screens from Windows 1.01 to Vista have changed a lot, see for yourself at ZDNet

More New Search Engines, and an Updated Mac Pro!

Technigma — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:21:25 +0000

Yeah, I am kinda crazy about new search engines. Yahoo!’s testing grounds, which is very similar to Google’s, was launched into public beta on the 4th. The name? Alpha. In beta. Everywhere the logo is “Alpha (beta)”. Confused yet?

To add to the confusion, they let you put in an additional search engine to search from, which would appear in a Netvibes-esque drag-and-droppable mini-window. They use a technology called OpenSearchRSS, which lets users search the search engine from an RSS feed or something…I don’t really understand it. Another thing I don’t understand is why it won’t work with OpenSearchRSS, it always says there is an error. Oh well, that’s why it’s in beta.

Another search engine I recently discovered is one called AfterVote (Younanimous). It seems like the principal is very much the same as Url.com; you search Google, MSN, and Yahoo! then rank the results so other users searching for the same thing will see the site that was what you wanted sooner.

In other news, remember that modded Mac Pro with 8 cores I blogged about way back in November? Well, Apple has updated the Pro and it is now configurable with 8, yes 8, cores. The top configuration costs more than some cars, but hey, bragging rights for the neighborhood is good too.

New Mozilla Addons Site Released!

Technigma — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 00:27:37 +0000

Ha ha April Fools! Regarding that last post, we weren’t really hacked!

Well, otherwise, the new Mozilla Addons site was released a few days ago. It was updated with some Lightbox, a new UI, and a few other upgrades. Check it out

w00t! joor haxx0red!!!1

Technigma — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 16:55:32 +0000

U got h4ck3d by teh uber 1337 j_mac34. he pwned teh server and now pwns teh site!!!11 all ur base r belong 2 me!!!!!1

Best Cars for Under $25k

Technigma — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 15:30:04 +0000

MSN Cars has a list of Consumer Report’s top rated automobiles that cost less than $25,000. Most of the top-rated ones are close, though, at around 23k, while some are under 20k. Check it out

Win the Ultimate Toilet!

Technigma — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 22:28:33 +0000

Roto-Rooter is giving you a chance to win a “Pimped Out John“. It features a 20-Inch LCD TV, hooked up to an XBox 360 and a DVD Player; An eMachines laptop; Resistive Pedal Exerciser; Megaphone; Dual-Sided Magnification Mirror; Mini Fridge with Beer Tap; USB Powered Beverage Cooler and Warmer; Tivo; Roto-Rooter service button; and an iPod Dock with Toilet Paper Dispenser. Oh, did I mention a toilet? How this will fit in a bathroom, I don’t know!

A Post…

Technigma — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 16:49:44 +0000

After, what has it been, a week? With no new post, I kept on nagging myself to write something, so here is that something. Although it may be old, and you may have seen it already, here’s a video proving that VISTA DID NOT COPY OS X!!!1

Bittorrent goes all legal

Technigma — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:49:23 +0000

Our favorite source for h4xxored stuff, Bittorrent, is now all legit. They announced their move to being unillegal a month or so ago, and implemented it yesterday. Similarly, Last.FM was down last time I went there, but they say they’re just cleaning out their database. You can still get h4xxored torrents from Yotoshi, but you didn’t hear it from us…

Customize.org EVO launched!

Technigma — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:28:16 +0000

While, after seeing the “EVO Launch Sequence Initiated!” story on the front of Customize.org for 17 days, they finally followed through. Customize.org Beta, which is available to members only at this point, is a big upgrade. On the front page, the news and latest discussion is on the left, with shiny RSS buttons for the feeds, while the latest and greatest submissions greet you on the right. Popular links are on the top, tab style, and the other ones, like profile settings, sit at the bottom. Everywhere you go, tag clouds are there (yeah, yeah, I’m working on it for this blog). When you click on a preview, the background fades and up comes a snazzy Lightbox image. When you click on “Browse”, a tag cloud appears with the categories. Users can add skins to their favorites (‘Like it’ or ‘Love it’) and the like. One thing that’s really interesting: sorting skins by color. They draw the most populous colors from the screenshot, and then list them. You can search or browse by color, a very innovative method. I finally was able to upload Vista Cal 2, and another skin I made, LH Aero, and Vista Cal 2 got a comment about 1 minute after the upload! I gotta go upload a screenshot, so keep an eye on my gallery. Check out a screenshot for non-members after the break.

Sneak Peek: New site

Technigma — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 17:56:11 +0000

I am making a new site for skinning. It will host links to skins, show off my own, and have guides for n00bs. I’m planning on having it go live sometime this week. If you’re interested in helping with it (writing guides or posts, putting up links, etc.), leave a comment. Check out a preview after the jump!

Slow weekend…

Technigma — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 19:42:38 +0000

*YAWN* it’s been a slow weekend for something good to post. Customize.org has initiated their 2.0 launch sequence, keeping me from posting Vista Cal v2, Intel demoed an 80-core processor, and Patrick Star is running for President. I had time to make a new header (look above) and do nothing. Hopefully something exciting will happen tomorrow…

100 Different Search Engines

Technigma — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 17:17:56 +0000

Have you ever dared yourself not to use Google when you search? I have, for a while now. Along the way I’ve discovered a bunch of different engines, but not as many as the list of ‘100 Alternative Search Engines‘ at Read/WriteWeb. They aren’t listing ‘classics’ such as AltaVista because, to make the list, they have to have been updated within the past year. (I cannot believe I get to use the ‘100 Things‘ tag again!)

When you’re done checking out Ask X, look at some of these off the list:

Like – it finds stuff (mainly clothes) by comparing them to what’s in a photo.

SearchMash – Google’s testing grounds, it has Google’s results in an updated interface

WhoNu? – I’m going to be trying this – it puts site-specific tools from engines like Google and Ask all together, plus a plethora of other tools that I have no idea what they do. They also let you search a ton of different engines from their site, all in a shiny AJAX interface.

Url.com – a little like the late search engine Huckabuck, it searches a few Google, MSN, and Yahoo!, but the results are ranked by users. Apparently, my site gets a ‘Bullseye’, which means that when you search for ‘technigma’, it registers as the number one result on all three engines. Also, it seems that if you register (which I might be doing later), it will take you directly there. Kinda like ‘I’m feeling lucky’, but more betterer.

Windows Start Button: From Then to Now

Technigma — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 23:50:54 +0000

With Vista having been released a few weeks ago, some people may have forgotten the reason why it’s called the ‘Start Button’: it used to say start on the button. I do say the Vista flag orb looks better than its predecessors, but there is less area for you to click. Anywho, check out a look back thru the start button versions.

iPhone = LG KE850 = Google Switch = Samsung Ultra Smart F700 ???

Technigma — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 23:32:32 +0000

Yeah, it’s true. By the time iPhone gets released, it won’t look so futuristic anymore. Another iPhone ~~ripoff~~ competitor has been unveiled by Samsung, called the Ultra Smart F700. Looks like the iPhone, doesn’t run OS X, blah blah all the usual “not the iPhone” garble. Check out pics here.