Brian Hall

Find Free, Creative Commons Images with Google Images

2009-07-09T16:21:00.002-06:00

Google announced a new feature in Google Images that will allow you to search for free, Creative Commons-licensed images easily. This is particularly handy if you are a blogger and you want to spice up your blog posts with some free stock photography and not have to worry about licensing or purchasing stock photos. The features can be accessed from the Advanced Image Search link on the Google Images page, which allows you to specify usage rights for the images that turn up in your search.

Pics and Details of Google's Chrome OS Leaked? Nope!

2009-07-09T07:23:00.004-06:00

An unnamed supplier for computer manufacturer Acer apparently got a sneak peek at the upcoming Google Chrome OS and posted some interesting information. Obviously, Google Chrome OS is still in the early stages of development, but this early report sounds promising. The report states, "This beta was extremely stripped down. However, it was amazingly fast. They did one reboot and it rebooted from Desktop to Desktop in about 25ish seconds." The early preview of Google Chrome OS also notes a clock and a search box on the "Chrome bar" along with large icons similar to the Mac OS X dock, and a Chrome logo button that mimics the Windows start menu. So, Google is "re-thinking what operating systems should be." Hhmm. (Sources: Chrome OS Leak, Electronista)

UPDATE (21:29, CDT): It turns out that this was a hoax. Lame!

Google Chrome OS Announced

2009-07-08T06:12:00.002-06:00

Google announced it will release its own operating system called Google Chrome OS. According to Google's announcement, the new operating system is Google's attempt to "re-think what operating systems should be." Google Chrome OS will be open source with an emphasis on "speed, simplicity and security." The project will be open-sourced later this year and netbooks with Google Chrome OS will be available the second half of 2010. Google Chrome OS is a separate project from Android, which is its mobile phone operating system, but will overlap in some areas.

Bring Back My Equate Medicated Acne Gel!

2009-07-02T14:32:00.005-06:00

Pardon the personal and embarrassing nature of this post. For years, I have used Equate: Medicated Acne Gel (10% Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Cream) which I purchase at Wal-Mart for about $1.86 and came in a 1 oz. tube with a pink label. For the last few months, I haven't been able to buy it at any Wal-Mart stores as it is always out of stock. After months of searching Wal-Mart stores, I found out that the product has been recalled due to a bacteria-tainted sample. Equate: Medicated Acne Gel, which is manufactured by CSI USA, Inc. of Gallatin, TN, and sold at Wal-Mart, Dollar General, and Kroger stores, was found to have the "Burkholderia Cepacia bacteria, which is also known as Pseudomonas Cepacia." Yikes! Apparently I'm not the only one who loves this product, and can't find it anymore. I'm glad CSI USA, Inc. has issued the recall on themselves, but I hope that they clean it up and get it back on the shelf soon before I get mistaken for a 13 year-old. (What? I have an oily T-zone, OK?)

Here is the content of the recall from the FDA's site:

PRODUCT
10% Benzoyl Peroxide Gel marketed under the following brand labels: 1) Equate Maximum Strength, 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Gel, 28g (Net Wt 1 oz); 2) Kroger Acne Gel, 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Medication, Net Wt 1 oz (28g); 3) DG Maximum strength, Acne Medicated Gel, 10% Benzoyl Peroxide, Net Wt 1oz (28g); and 4) Hill Country Essentials, Medicated Acne Gel,10% Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Medication, Net Wt 1 oz (28g); Recall # D-129-2009
CODE
All lots
RECALLING FIRM/MANUFACTURER
CSI USA, Inc., Gallatin, TN, by letters on October 31, 2008 and November 13, 2008 and by press release on November 13, 2008. Firm initiated recall is ongoing.
REASON
Product may contain the bacteria Burkholderia cepacia.
VOLUME OF PRODUCT IN COMMERCE
741,314 units
DISTRIBUTION
Nationwide

(Sources: Aboutlawsuits, Acne.org, FDA)

Listen to Live Scanner Feeds Free on iPhone

2009-06-28T20:34:00.002-06:00

Just a little tip here. In my previous post, I mentioned the Emergency Radio app for iPhone/iPod Touch. If you want to scan police, fire, and EMS action in your area, but don't want to pay $1 for the full version of Emergency Radio, you can visit the mobile version of RadioReference.com. You must have iPhone OS version 3.0 in order to listen.

Emergency Radio iPhone App Lets You Monitor Police, Fire, EMS Without a Radio Scanner

2009-06-24T10:08:00.005-06:00

When I turned 13 years old, I got a CB (Citizen's Band) radio for my birthday. It was my first hands-on experience with radio communications (other than toy "walkie-talkies"), and since then I have been a radio fanatic. My radio hobbies have evolved over the years from CB radio to scanning/monitoring (I currently own a Uniden BCD-396XT) and later into amateur radio and shortwave monitoring. You can imagine my excitement when I learned about the iPhone/iPod Touch app Emergency Radio by EdgeRift, which allows you to tune in to live radio scanner feeds (police, fire and EMS) from all over the country. Emergency Radio pulls the live streams from ScanAmerica (Now part of RadioReference). While you can already listen to the feeds on RadioReference, having a slick and portable interface on the iPhone/iPod Touch is very handy and can be very useful especially if you are visiting a city and you want to find out what's going on.

The free version, Emergency Radio Lite, lets you listen to Chicago, Denver, Miami, New Orleans, and San Jose, while the full version provides access to over 1,000 frequencies. There are a handful of radio scanner apps available, but Emergency Radio has the highest rating (3.5/5 as of today). (Sources: Emergency Radio, Macworld)

OTOY Set to Revolutionize the Gaming Industry with Cloud-Based Gaming

2009-06-17T09:39:00.005-06:00

This is amazing! A company called OTOY has developed a server-side technology that allows a user to play a video game through a web browser with super high quality (without any extra software or browser plug-ins). The technology is still being developed, but early previews show very playable, and fantastic-looking game play that could conceivably be played on any platform with a web browser. This technology has the potential to completely revolutionize the video game industry. The only concern here is the dependence on "the cloud." Since all of the processing takes place on a remote server, what happens when your Internet connection is down? Regardless, this technology looks very impressive, and could easily become a new source of subscription revenue for video game publishers. Take a look at the video demonstrations. Thanks Brandon! (Source: TechCrunch)

New Aluminum Unibody iPhone on the Way?

2009-06-16T14:40:00.005-06:00

Kevin Rose, who has been pretty accurate in his predictions (specifically regarding Apple rumors), tweets today, "rumor: apple working on a unibody aluminum iphone (like the macbook pro)". A unibody aluminum iPhone/iPod touch would likely be less susceptible to getting scratched. And, one can easily see Apple extending the design further into a larger, tablet-like mobile internet device (according to rumors about Apple releasing some sort of larger touch device) in order to compete with the exploding net book market.

Get the Windows 7 Look in Windows XP

2009-06-16T09:02:00.004-06:00

Are you diggin' on the Windows 7 taskbar and other features, but you are stuck on XP and unable to install the free Windows 7 Release Candidate? Well, now you can get the Windows 7 look and feel with ViGlance. A video demonstration shows how easy it is to install and get that handy Windows 7-style taskbar with task grouping.

If that isn't enough, use Desk Topmost for Aero Peek features, and Power Resizer for Window Snap abilities. Or, just download Windows 7 Release Candidate for free, which is good until June 2010. (Via: End User)

Apple Announces $99 iPhone 3G

2009-06-08T13:36:00.005-06:00

Apple just announced the $99 iPhone 3G today at its annual World Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC). The $99 iPhone 3G is the same iPhone model that existed up until this week, and is competitively priced with the Palm Pre and other similar touch phones. The new iPhone 3G S that Apple announced today is priced at $199 and boasts performance of twice that of the iPhone 3G, and features a 3MP auto-focus camera. (Source: Apple)

Apple Announces MacBook Updates at WWDC

2009-06-08T13:00:00.004-06:00

Apple kicked off its annual World Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC) today by announcing updates to the MacBook line, featuring built-in batteries that last five years and apparently provide 7 hours of battery life. I suppose that after 5 years you could always just plug it in if the battery didn't hold a charge. MacBooks have been upgraded with faster processors, more RAM capacity (up to 8GB), bigger hard drives, and back-lit keyboards. The regular MacBook line includes only the white plastic MacBook ($999), and the MacBook Pro line now includes the 13", 15", and 17" aluminum unibody models. The MacBook Pro line also now features a built-in SD card reader--and it's about time! (Source: Ars Technica)

Tetris Friends

2009-06-06T15:58:00.003-06:00

The Google logo today honors the 25-year anniversary of the wonderful game of Tetris. Upon clicking the logo, I found the awesome Tetris Friends site where you can play all manner of Tetris games online (10 different variations). You can even play Tetris 1989 in all its monochromatic glory! Oh how that soundtrack takes me back!

The Palm Pre

2009-06-04T11:58:00.001-06:00

When you first run the Palm Pre, here is the video you see:

PSP Go Features Slide-Out Controls, Bluetooth

2009-06-01T07:17:00.004-06:00

With 16GB of internal memory, Sony's new handheld gaming device, the PSP Go, will support Bluetooth (with possible voice chatting features), and will no longer supports the UMD disk format. Details on the PSP Go were recently leaked, and it is anticipated that Sony will officially announce more details at E3 this week. (Source: Electronista)

Mario-Themed Paint Job on Russian Car

2009-05-28T16:39:00.002-06:00

Here's a sweet photo of a Mario-themed paint job on a Russian Lada car. (Source: Bowser's Blog)

Super Mario Bros. on the Theremin

2009-05-25T15:22:00.000-06:00

Awesome Time-Lapse Exposure Video of Milky Way

2009-05-22T08:49:00.002-06:00

Here's an awesome time lapse video showing some beautiful detail of the Milky Way. It was captured over approximately 9 hours in 20-second exposures from Fort Davis, TX. Thanks Brandon! (Source: Gizmodo)

Galactic Center of Milky Way Rises over Texas Star Party from William Castleman on Vimeo.

Jim Gaffigan on Bacon

2009-05-12T22:54:00.001-06:00

A Roomba's Path

2009-05-09T17:00:00.003-06:00

(Source: Doobybrain)

Super Mario Bros. Graffiti

2009-05-06T22:48:00.002-06:00

(Source: Smashing Magazine)

NYC Street Art

2009-05-06T22:43:00.005-06:00

(Source: Flickr)

Nerdy Pillows

2009-05-04T13:17:00.002-06:00

Windows 7 RC Good Until June 2010

2009-05-01T12:24:00.005-06:00

Windows 7 RC (the final Release Candidate before the official release), which will be publicly available to the public for free download May 5, will run without expiring until June 2010. I'm looking forward to installing Windows 7 RC on my MacBook since I'm currently running Windows 7 Beta, which expires in August. The official release of Windows 7 is rumored to happen some time in October of 2009, in time for the holiday shopping season. (Source: Electronista)

New Wearable Feedbags Let Americans Eat More, Move Less

2009-04-29T14:13:00.005-06:00

Cat and Printer

2009-04-28T14:32:00.000-06:00