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Filed under: Web services, Social Software, Troubleshooting

Confused about Google Wave? Now you can read the bleeping manual.

Google Wave is an innovative new communication tool, but part of innovation is that it's not always intuitive to use. Early adopters have been jumping into Wave with little guidance on how to take advantage of all its features. I guess you could watch the 90-minute Wave video, but that's not exactly a quick-start guide.

Well, there's a saying almost as old as computers themselves, and it goes: RTFM. Read the, um, flippin' manual. Now Google Wave has a flippin' manual that you can read, but it's not from Google: it's from Lifehacker's Gina Trapani and Adam Pash. Sounds a lot better than "watch the frickin' 90-minute video," eh?

Gina and Adam's guide is quickly making the rounds on the web, being promoted by the likes of Mashable. I'd like to add Download Squad's endorsement to the list. The Complete Guide to Google Wave is a straightforward, well-organized volume that goes a long way toward demystifying a new and complex tool. It's available to read online for free, but you'll be able to buy it as a DRM-free PDF soon, and in print in January.

Still don't have Wave? Go throw your name in the hat for Download Squad's Great Google Wave Invite Giveaway.

Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters

Paper Pong - Time Waster?

Paper PongRemember Pong? Wouldn't it be great if rather than playing it on some kind of video game system or computer, you could just play it like a Choose Your Own Adventure book? Like, literally in a book. Cool, eh?

I suspect a few of you just thought "wow, cool!" while many of the rest of you thought "um, what?". It's okay, I'm distinctly in the "um, what?" camp, but I can see why someone might really get a kick out of Paper Pong. Basically, it's a book you can buy on Amazon that lets you play through what must be an incredibly repetitive game of Pong.

If you're really interested in trying it out, they've made a web-based version, which recreates the analog experience frighteningly well. Each page shows a position for the ball, and each of the two paddles. You then have the option of moving up, or down, and to do so you change to the page number given for that direction using an awfully long drop-down list.

Time Waster? I don't know how much time anyone's actually going to spend playing this, but it's certainly a unique way to present a video game. Now if they could only turn Doom into a playable book like this.

Filed under: Internet, Kids, Open Source

The Kids Open Dictionary Builder: Do they define better than they punctuate?

Vieux Bandit's bookshelves with lots of books. Click to FlickrLower your geek radar detector. You got me. I am a tech blogger. I also have a degree in library science. Guilty as charged, just put me on a cell block with wireless and a supply of graphic novels.

I am a librarian who is really okay with wikis. Would I accept every entry in one as gospel? No, but questioning is good in print, too. I believe wikis are, by and large, a decent starting point for further research, like any encyclopedia. If you're writing your doctoral thesis using only wikis, we seriously need to talk. Now.

Wikis, online open encyclopedias, I can deal with. The Kids Open Dictionary Builder makes me fear the future, and not because of all the talking monkeys and flying robots, either. Yes, I said The Kids Open Dictionary Builder, and I typed it just as the name appears on the Creative Commons blog. The blogger there typed it as it appears on the project's home page. Grammatical structure is not the writing skill that comes to me most naturally, but, guys, when you're educators pushing an open dictionary, it is comforting to see the name punctuated correctly.

Read more →

Filed under: Design, Internet, Kids, Text

Create books with friends at Mixbook

Create books with friends at Mixbook

Forget about Google Maps mashups, why not enter the new world of book mashups.

Mixbook is an online tool that allows friends to collaborate and create pages for a book, then mash them up all together and create one loving publication. Layouts and backgrounds can be put together with images and text to create these 8x8" books that can be both printed and viewed online.

Nothing is more meaningful than giving a book, let alone a custom one. Book prices start at $9.99, and get increased August 15th to $12.99.

[via ehub]

Filed under: Audio, Internet, Web services, Search

The Internet Archive launches Open Library

Open Library
While Google and Microsoft race to digitize every book they can get their hands on, the Internet Archive has been working on a less controversial project by avoiding copyrighted works.

The Open Library aims to reproduce the experience of reading a book online. Right now there are only a handful of public domain titles available, with many more coming in the next few months. The website is currently in demo mode, with an official launch date in October.

Flipping through the scanned book images is about as close an experience as you're likely to get to reading a dusty old novel without that musty book smell. You can even see library notations and used book prices penciled into the images. It takes a moment for some of the pages to load, and it's arguable whether it's more efficient to read these books in image or text form.

Each book is searchable. Since the books are in the public domain, you can also download each title as a PDF file, or send it to Lulu to order your own personal bound and printed edition. There's also a listen link next to each book. Click it for an audiobook version when available.

[via Future of the Book]

Filed under: Design, Developer, Fun, Internet, Web services, Social Software

Make your own comics with HyperComics

comic book creator When creativity is snooping around inside your head, where can you go for an outlet? If you're into comics, then HyperComics could be your space.

HyperComics is a social network built around comics, naturally. It's a way to network with like minded comic book creators, and get in contact with industry resources. Members can showcase their original material and have other members discuss and comment on creations.

HyperComics uses a desktop application to build comics. It would have been nice if the software was available online, but hey, it could be nice to be able to work where there might not be a connection as well. The application is available for PC's only, and is a whopping 140 MB. So sit back with your favorite drink because this could take a while. When the 30 day trial wears out, the software is $29.99. Licensed comic art is also available on the website as free downloads, and from $2.99 - $9.99 per set. The art sets allow users to drag and drop all kinds of starter artwork, templates, and action imagery into their storyboards. Of course if you are a veteran, you can upload your own creations from scratch into one of the many layout templates. After the comic is made, upload it, publish, and unleash it to the world.

Aspiring comic creators might also want to check out StripGenerator.

Check out some HyperComic screenshots.

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Text, Web services

Read stories on your mobile device with Wattpad

stories on mobile devices with wattpadIt's great to read emails, short RSS headlines, and instant messages on your mobile device, but what about reading novels? Has that just pushed the line?

Wattpad has introduced a mobile client that gets novels, like proper novels, onto mobile devices in text form. When users have the client installed on their devices, it makes it possible to download additional stories and read them offline. They might be a little eye straining on smaller devices, but I would imagine that when viewed on Blackberry's or Windows Mobile device it could be tolerable.

The application is a free download, either through a mobile website, or through a download link that you can load onto your device. There is a huge list of books available on the site with user comments and number of people that have read it through Wattpad. The books are surprisingly free with full text versions available online. So if your mobile screen gets a little small you can always just read it online, or print it off.

[via GigaOM]

Filed under: Internet, Web services, Freeware, Social Software

Take your stikkits with you

Yea, I know you're already bringing your stikkits with you on your notebook, but I'm talking about putting them in your pocket using that 'paper' stuff.

Aaron Straup Cope has whipped together two PHP files that can query Stikkit (which we're growing fond of) and create a printable, foldable and ultimately pocket-able version of all your stikkits. In a detailed post describing his thought process, Aaron links the necessary files with a description of what exactly is going on. When all is said and done,

To me, this sounds nice and all, but I think I'll wait for the iStikkit desktop application before I start whipping out my PHP chops.

Filed under: Internet, Web services, Google, Social Software

Google mashes self, begins mapping locations found in books

Google products are no strangers to mashups from all forms of enthusiastic users and 3rd parties, but you know something cool is brewing when Google mashes up two of their most visionary services: Maps and Book Search. Recently on the Google Book Search blog, David Petrou announced this cool new feature, which they've added to the "About this Book" section of books you find in Google Book Search. Now, not all books will that have text about a location or two will get a map link (at least for now), but the ones that do will also include links to the actual pages of the book where a mapped location is mentioned.

If you want to see how cool this all is, the announcement post includes links to quite a few examples of books they've already mapped, such as Around the World in Eighty Days, Illustrated New York (1888) and The Travels of Marco Polo.

Filed under: Internet, Text, Mozilla, Browser Tips

Firefox 2 Easter Egg

Mozilla

Mozilla has made Firefox 2 all spiritual for us, by planting an easter egg that quotes from a little known religious text called the "Book of Mozilla." Here is what it says: "And so at last the beast fell and the unbelievers rejoiced. But all was not lost, for from the ash rose a great bird. The bird gazed down upon the unbelievers and cast fire and thunder upon them. For the beast had been reborn with its strength renewed, and the followers of Mammon cowered in horror." All the geeks laughed. I love it, mostly because it proves that Mozilla has a sense of humor and can take a joke. There is no end to the Microsoft bashing by a rival, which isn't all that new. To view this enigmatic text for yourself, open up your Firefox 2 and type in "about:mozilla" to see it. As you might imagine, this doesn't work in Internet Explorer.

Filed under: Business, Developer, E-mail, Productivity, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!

Mapping Addresses in Yahoo! Mail

yahoo mail addressThe folks at Yahoo! have added a little feature to Yahoo! Mail that recognizes addresses and phone numbers. The new features will automatically recognize and underline all phone numbers and addresses in mail messages, and easily get directions or view locations. The new feature will also allow for the ability to instantly add addresses to your address book. Google's Gmail has had this feature for a while, however they have taken a much more subtle approach by tossing a link in the corner. So with this new Yahoo Mail feature, I hereby announce the start of email wars. Challenging Google, Yahoo!, and MSN to come up with and release some additional helpful features for its users. What would you like to see added to online email applications to make your communications easier? How about some folders in Gmail? Or a notepad?

Filed under: Audio, Internet, Text, News, Windows, Web services

Library allows digital audio-book downloads

Downloadable booksIn Warren, Ohio the public library is allowing their patrons to download digital copies of audio-books in an unabridged format so listeners can get the full "text" of the book they want to listen to. Listeners must have a valid library card to download the books, that patrons can listen to for 21 days. At that time the books erase themselves. There are currently 1100 titles in the library's archive available for download. To listen to the audio-books you have downloaded, you must have a Windows Media 9.0 or higher compatible device. The citizens of Warren will benefit from the library's advanced digital book-borrowing service, that should increase by about 30 titles a month. Here is proof that Libraries and the Internet are not enemies, or at least don't have to be. They compliment each other quite nicely in fact.

Filed under: Internet, Text, Web services, Social Software

BookRevyoo: Social book reviews

book revyoo social book reviewBookRevyoo is a social book review community where books can be added and reviewed by members, and also rated. Books that users enter into the system are tagged with keywords relevant to the book, allowing easy categorization, and browsing. The built in RSS feature lets you keep track of user's comments on the book you might be thinking about reading. I look forward to watching this online social book review site develop, since they are currently in beta, I expect there will be a few more features added.

Filed under: Business, Internet, Web services, Google

Google to Offer Free Novels

google old bookGoogle is planning to offer Google Book Search users the ability to download and print selected classic out of copyright novels as PDF files for free. Google's CEO Eric Schmidt says he believes that this project will introduce many people to books that they would never have normally discovered.

The free novel program started life as Google's giant initiative to put books online in a searchable format. Through an outside project known as Gutenberg, volunteers have been scanning public domain books for many years to text files that can in turn be used for printing or reading. Google is acquiring this information, and will allow users to access these books in a print ready format.

UPDATE: To find out-of-copyright books that you can download, select the "Full view" radio button when you search on books.google.com

Current available titles include:
[via BBC]

Filed under: Google

Google is ordered to disclose information

google high court rulingA high court ruling in a copyright violation case is ordering Google to disclose the information of one of its advertisers. Google has refused to comply due to Google's confidentiality agreements.

The case in question had to do with a copyright violation for an upcoming book. The author clicked on an ad that led her to a service that offered a free download to an early draft of the book, and violated the copyright on her upcoming book.

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The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

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