ctrl.altered.mind

My account request for Google Page Creator got accepted yesterday, and I started off with a test drive of Google’s new publishing tool - here’s my Google Page. True to their claim, this is a really easy way for anyone to create and publish useful and pretty attractive pages (yes, you choose from templates), in minutes.

If you’ve grown accustomed to Gmail’s RTF interface, you would have no problems getting around the publisher interface with Google Pages - and all the useful features like auto-save. Although the tool integrates with your Google Account ID, there’s a separate 100MB limit for pages and uploaded files. It would be nice if Google could later tap into a user’s unused Gmail space to store content.

In case you’re wondering why someone would want this tool over, say, a blog (that also allows standalone webpage creation and independent links to posts), well - not everyone needs a journal type publishing system. I’d also like to think of this as a tool that people could use to create virtual flyers and such.

Google clarifies that web pages created using Google Page Creator will never receive any preferential treatment of any kind in Google search results.

Sameer Aidoor’s GooglePage

Screenshot

Yahoo! Finance has a story reporting that GoDaddy.com , the world’s leading domain name registrar, plans to migrate its Linux server portfolios to Windows-based hosting, in an effort to maintain providing low-cost solutions. As a highly satisfied Linux-hosting services customer, I’m having a mixed reaction towards this decision. GoDaddy.com currently offers ASP and .NET support for Windows-based hosting, and PHP for Linux-based hosting services. Hopefully, they would be able to offer PHP support for no extra cost on Windows, and I’d be really happy. Anything else would not make much of a difference to me, its not like server downtime would affect me in any way - I’m not running an internet business here.

GoDaddy.com to Migrate Entire Hostname Portfolio Onto Microsoft Solution for Windows-Based Hosting

Found this interesting Wired.com article on how Hollywood can be leveraged to (hopefully) attract young minds to science and engineering. Apparently, an effort has been underway since 2004 (by the Air Force Ofice of Science Research), to have real-life researchers develop film scripts. While it would be nice to see watch movies that are technically sound, but its debatable whether a scientifically correct script can pull off a blockbuster, without some element of sci-fi - like uploading a virus into an alien mothership.

Amongst the ideas featured, the movie I’d go watch is Drexler’s Laboratory
Wired Story

I was surprised to find a special package when I went to the clubhouse to pick up some other stuff. Funny!

(I blanked out the addresses to avoid hate mail and potential lawsuits )

Val Landi, author of the book A Woman from Cairo, has a novel idea for enhancing reader networks by means of a P2P/word-of-mouth approach. He is offering a free autographed copy of his latest novel to everyone who writes about the book on their website/blog. So, here’s my entry about the book. I’m sure this idea has worked well, for Landi has had more than 5,000 unique click throughs/visitors to the A Woman from Cairo website over the weekend from more than 20 countries.

Val Landi’s Weblog: Free Copy of A Woman from Cairo

Buy the book from Amazon.com

I saw this video several months ago, but came across it again and thought I’d post back. A classic re-enactment of a host following Pac Man is a welcome study break! I’m sure this would have had to be U of Michigan’s engineering library.

Link to Boing-Boing’s post on this on Dec 21, 2005.

I saw this featured on Rocketboom, and found the video on (where else, but) Google Video. Simply amazing!