Filed under: Audio, Web services
ajaxTunes: Ajaxy music player widget
ajaxTunes is a new product from Michael Robertson's ajaxLaunch (also known as Ajax 13, also responsible for ajaxWrite, ajaxXLS, and ajaxSketch) that lets you stick a little music player on any web page, similar to Flash MP3 Player but, of course, with Ajax. The player is attractive and works as advertised, but the ajaxTunes web site does a very poor job of explaining how to use it with your own playlists and music. The instructions are on this page and require you to code your own playlists in XSPF, an open XML playlist format. ajaxTunes also comes with a "music locker" service that gives you access to some 40,000 tracks from independent (read: uknown) artists. ajaxTunes isn't as customizable as Flash MP3 Player, but if Flash isn't your thing (and Ajax) is, it might be worth checking out. Update: Reader Kim points out that ajaxTunes does use Flash, which makes that last sentence pretty much moot. Thanks, Kim.
The criticisms are, in part, the same problems you find with any web-based application. Namely, keyboard shortcuts
don't always work (or get implemented), browser-specific technology (in this case, Firefox 1.5), and of course some
folks raise security issues with the whole ajax thing... But Extremetech gets very specific in 
With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet.
They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...
