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Filed under: Internet, Blogging, Web services, Beta, web 2.0

Microbloggers Rejoice: Ping.FM Opens Beta to Everyone


Brad first reviewed Ping.FM back in march, and the service has come a long way since then. Today, they announced that they're ready to do away with invites and open up the service to the public.

Before getting my beta code, I really wasn't all that interested in any of the microblog/status sites that exist. There are just too damn many of them, and I don't have time to update a dozen sites every time I read or post something interesting. Ping has made that chore so unbelievably easy that I'm now getting some use out of my Twitter, Pownce, Plurk, Friendfeed, Rejaw, Facebook, and myriad other accounts.

Apart from using the dashboard on the Ping.FM website, you can also update via email or IM. All you have to do is add Ping as a buddy in your favorite app, enter a verification code, and any messages you send will be sent to your default list. If you're an iGoogle user, Ping's got a gadget for that, too. I've talked about their mobile version as well, which I love since it'll run on any old handheld with wifi access.

Ping is a great service, and I can't imagine trying to do manually what their service does for me. It's a winner.

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

CiviballsI have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

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