Monthly archive: March 2008

Here are the websites I bookmarked into my del.icio.us account over the past seven days:

• Introducing Woopra. You're Gonna Want It.
  'Woopra provides exciting, LIVE data about your visitors as they explore your site. [...] data streams to the interface in the form of lush looking maps, charts, graphics and text.'
• Finally, Sync Any Calendar to Any Calendar
  With FuseCal you can sync any calendar with any other type of calendar, with no applications do install, all through an intuitive web interface.
• Make Your Computer Look Like OS X
  'Here is a brief tutorial on how to set up your Windows installation to look like OS X.'
• GeoNames
  Database of geographical names with data (latitude, longitude, elevation, population, administrative subdivision and postal codes) freely accessible via web services and database export.
• Download the Digital Footprint Calculator
  '[...] questionnaire that calculates your impact based on the responses to questions about your computer usage, email usage, digital camera/camcorder usage, web downloading habits, potential surveillance areas, and geographical info'.

To climb with difficulty, especially on all fours; scramble.

Read more about clamber at Answers.com

Of or on a shore, especially a seashore.

Read more about littoral at Answers.com

To furnish, fasten, or secure with battens (narrow strips of wood used especially for flooring).

Read more about batten at Answers.com

Here are the websites I bookmarked into my del.icio.us account over the past seven days:

• BBC guidance on personal use of Social Networking and other third party websites
  '[...] when someone clearly identifies their association with the BBC and/or discusses their work, they are expected to behave appropriately when on the Internet, and in ways that are consistent with the BBC’s editorial values and policies.'
• How to backup Google Docs and Spreadsheets
  Backup scripts using the Greasemonkey Firefox extension to download your Google Docs to your local machine (MS Office or Open Office supported among other formats).
• How to unlock the supersecret Administrator account in Vista
  Vista has a secret Administrator account that is different from the normal administrator account. It is a kind of superadministrator, not subject to UAC, that is by default turned off and hidden. Here's how to unlock it.
• Make it work
  Cool shirt for Project Runway fans.
• The Blessing and Curse of the iPod Touch
  'It seems my non-mobile phone [iPod Touch] is better than my mobile phone in every way, except voice. But in this digital age of email relationships and chat-enabled offices, the human voice and my interaction with it is becoming less and less necessary.'
• 10 Ways to Get More Out of Friendfeed
  Tips and tricks for Friendfeed, which can act as your feed reader, social network, and twitter-style mini blog all in one.

Abnormal vibration or wobbling, as of the wheels of an automobile. A dance popular in the 1920s, characterized by rapid shaking of the body.

Read more about shimmy at Answers.com

Massive pillow fight in Leicester Square yesterday afternoon:

I had to join in, even if it means I almost dropped my camera. I also have some photos of the pillow fight on Flickr.

It was very pointless, yet exhilarating, and it put a smile on my face – until I thought of whoever would have to clean up the mess.

A short, complete summary; an abstract. A list or collection of various items.

Read more about compendium at Answers.com

A snap or light blow made by pressing a fingertip against the thumb and suddenly releasing it. One that is trivial or of little importance.

Read more about fillip at Answers.com

To condemn openly. To depreciate (currency, for example) by official proclamation or by rumor.

Read more about decry at Answers.com

During the last six months I have developed an interest in social network aggregators (solutions to bring together all activity performed on several sites online, in one single location that people can subscribe to).

While performing my investigations I signed up for nearly every single available service, until I lost track of what I was feeding into what else, and created quite a fair amount of duplication along the way.

Then a few weeks ago I started using FriendFeed, thinking it was going to be yet another lifestream/aggregating service. I fed it all my other services' feeds and left it alone for a bit.

After a couple of weeks I noticed that there was something unique about it, namely the possibility to merge together your friends' feeds in a river of posts, then comment on their activities or simply give them a thumbs up (a 'like') on what they have written.

It would be fantastic if these comments were saved alongside the original posts (in Twitter, Google Reader shared items, or blog posts, for instance, instead of within FriendFeed as it happens now). Apparently, you can do so with Socialthing (I have not yet checked out Socialthing myself).

So now I feel that my research is going somewhere, I can forget about certain aggregators I have used but that I do not need to track any more – and I definitely do not need to include in FriendFeed, unless I want to create a self-referential infinite loop. The casualties are:

• Tumbler
• iStalkr, which seems to be down at the time of writing
• intuuch, which now shows a message in German saying that the project is closed
• Suprglu
• profilactic
• tumblr
• Jaiku

To praise highly; exalt.

Read more about extol at Answers.com

Today I decided to stop logging my food intake. I have done so on and off all my life, and without interruptions since August 2005.

This is a very big step for me, and there are three reasons behind it:

1. it is taking up far too much precious time to maintain it,
2. logging what I eat does not stop me from overeating occasionally, especially under stress, and
3. I have come back from two and a half weeks in Australia with a list of everything I have consumed in local weights and measures, and I do not think I have the animus to sit down and figure out what schooners and kilojoules are.

I will from now on only record my weight once a week. I will probably miss looking at all my complex charts illustrating weight fluctuations over the years. I will also probably gain some time to do something a little more useful.

Hungry; greedy.

Read more about esurient at Answers.com

To cause humiliation or disgrace to by making malicious and false statements.

Read more about traduce at Answers.com

Characterized by extremely brutal or cruel crimes; vicious. Infamous; scandalous.

Read more about flagitious at Answers.com

A lover of learning; a scholar.

Read more about philomath at Answers.com

To break or wrench apart; sever.

Read more about sunder at Answers.com

Light good-natured talk; banter. Light or frivolous manner of discussing a subject.

Read more about persiflage at Answers.com

Readily taking on varied shapes, forms, or meanings. Exhibiting considerable variety or diversity.

Read more about protean at Answers.com

Of or relating to a numen; supernatural. Spiritually elevated; sublime.

Read more about numinous at Answers.com

Wealth or riches, especially when dishonestly acquired.

Read more about pelf at Answers.com

An object that serves as a focal point of attention and admiration. Something that serves to guide.

Read more about cynosure at Answers.com

Crudely or loudly assertive; pushy.

Read more about bumptious at Answers.com

Abusively detractive language or utterance; calumny

Read more about obloquy at Answers.com

A love potion. A magic potion or charm.

Read more about philter at Answers.com

To melt away. To disappear as if by melting.

Read more about deliquesce at Answers.com

Troublesomely urgent or persistent in requesting; pressingly entreating.

Read more about importunate at Answers.com

To weaken or destroy the strength or vitality. To remove a nerve or part of a nerve.

Read more about enervate at Answers.com

Characterized by or indulging in vulgar, lewd humor.

Read more about ribald at Answers.com