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Filed under: Audio, Video, Productivity

Transcriptions: free, lightweight Mac transcription app


If you're a journalist, a social scientist or even just a blogger, you've probably been through the process of transcribing a recorded interview. I do a lot of transcription, but I had always done it the hard way: with a text editor open in one window, and my audio in the other. I should have just downloaded Transcriptions, which handles the whole transcription process in one app, with a lot of cool extras.

It supports both audio and video, with adjustable playback rate and automatic or manual time stamping. I don't have a foot pedal, so I haven't been able to test this, but it apparently supports those, too. I know there are other, more elaborate transcription apps out there, but this one is free, easy to use, takes up under 1MB of disk space. It makes my work a lot of less of a pain than it was when I was using Quicktime and TextEdit to do the job of this one neat little app.

Filed under: Video, Features, sxsw

SXSW 2009: Nova Spivack talks Twine and the semantic web



Twine is a service that lets you track your interests and discover new content that you care about, based on the bookmarks of the other 100,000 users who use it. On top of that, there are a million people who just read Twine every month, which means it's on track to be bigger than Delicious soon. Learn more about the human-curated web straight from Twine's Nova Spivack at SXSW.



Filed under: Video, Features, Blogging, web 2.0, sxsw

SXSW 2009: Blinging your blog with JS-Kit



Chris Saad tells Grant how JS-Kit works as an advanced commenting system for your blog, including stuff like OpenID and Facebook Connect. But it's also more than that: it provides widgets for comments, ratings, polls and chat across a network of 600,000 blogs. Basically, JS-Kit is an all-purpose system to cross-pollinate your comments and other info across sites in the network. These aren't all small sites, either: I Can Has Cheeseburger and Jetblue are some of the well-known sites that are on board with JS-Kit.

Filed under: Video, Features, web 2.0, sxsw

SXSW 2009: Catching up with DataPortabiity



Grant Robertson catches up with the Data Portability project to see what they've accomplished in the past year. Turns out it's quite a lot. Internal governance mechanisms are in place, so the project can go forward and get more sites on board with its vision of interoperability and user control of data. If you don't know what Data Portability is and does, this video is a good primer.

Filed under: Business, Video, Features, Productivity, sxsw

SXSW 2009: Meet the small business web with Shoeboxed, Freshbooks, Outright and Batchblue



Download Squad's fearless lead blogger, Grant Robertson, has got his hands full in another interview from SXSW. Grant gathered a group that represents everything you need to run your small business or freelance practice, from tracking your expenses, to invoicing clients, to managing your contacts. Check out this interview to learn more about what Shoeboxed, Freshbooks, Outright and Batchblue can do for you.

UPDATE: Check the comments on this post for some excellent clarification from Ben Curren of Outright about how all these services work together. Thanks, Ben!

Filed under: Business, Video, Features, sxsw

SXSW 2009: Rudder is not Mint, here's why



Grant talks to the team from Rudder, a new financial-tracking service that sounds a lot like Mint.com. The Rudder guys tell him how they distinguish themselves from Mint by focusing on planning for the future instead of tracking the past. Learn about the cool features that let Rudder turn finances into a game that you play with yourself. Can financial management seriously be fun? Find out in this video.

Filed under: Video, Features, sxsw

SXSW 2009: talking about blog-fueled search with Lijit's Micah Baldwin



Download Squad's Grant Robertson has been interviewing up a storm down at South by Southwest. He just hooked up with Micah Baldwin of Lijit to talk about how blogs and trusted friend networks can lead to more relevant, more personal search results. The biggest surprise to me was that Lijit isn't supported by Wordpress yet. Micah's encouraging everyone to email Automattic and get them to change that.

Filed under: Features, News, Blogging, Open Source, DLS Interviews, web 2.0, Web

WordPress 2.7 is released




I'll give Brad a pass on being a tad premature with the WordPress 2.7's announcement, because I know that he -- like many of us who use WordPress to power our self-hosted blogs -- was just super-excited about the new release. Well, the wait is over and the official release for WordPress 2.7 is now available from WordPress.org.

WordPress 2.7, named "Coltrane" in honor of the Jazz legend, is a pretty significant step forward in WordPress's history. As Brad noted in his first look at the 2.7 beta, most of these changes are on the backend, but they are designed to greatly enhance your productivity and speed in maintaining your blog. On the front-end side, threaded comment support and support for "sticky" posts make it easier for readers to communicate with one another and access important information.

You can check out the WordPress Codex for 2.7 to see some of the technical details behind the new changes. I had a chance to talk to Mark Jaquith, one of the lead developers for WordPress .org, about the new release and some of his favorite features.

Gallery: WordPress 2.7

  • Login
  • WordPress 2.7 Dashboard
  • WordPress 2.7 Dashboard Icon Only
  • WordPress 2.7 Dashboard View Options
  • WordPress 2.7 Comments

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Filed under: Features, Linux, Novell, Open Source, DLS Interviews

DLS Interview: openSUSE's new Community Manager, Joe Brockmeier

Joe Today, Novell announced that Joe "Zonker" Brockmeier is taking the reins as openSUSE's Community Manager. Those familiar with the open source world might recognize Joe from his work with various Linux and free software publications.

A long time open source advocate, Joe began using Linux in 1996, after purchasing a set of Slackware CDs at a local store. He says, "...I was blown away by the concept of 'free as in beer' software. The idea that you could share software, and even modify it and distribute it, was (and is) extremely exciting to me.

"I also find the community aspect of Linux and free and open source software particularly compelling. I love the fact that people around the world can come together and build useful tools, and then make those tools available for anyone to use. I knew pretty early on that I wanted to be part of that community."

We recently got the chance to talk with Joe about Linux, Novell, and the direction openSUSE (and open source) is headed.

Read more →

Filed under: Internet, Security, Utilities, Features, Web services, DLS Interviews

DLS Interview: OpenDNS Founder and CEO David Ulevitch

We are long-time fans of the free DNS-lookup service OpenDNS, which serves as a replacement for your ISP's DNS. We recently got a chance to ask the founder and CEO of OpenDNS, David Ulevitch, for a quick history of OpenDNS and for an update on the service.

DLS: What got you involved in DNS?

David
: When I was a freshman at Wash U. in St. Louis, I started becoming more active online. I went to buy a domain name and in the process, learned of the need for a solid, reliable DNS service. I was already running my own server, so I took the obvious next step and wrote my own DNS management software. The need became even more obvious when word about my software got around and several people wanted to use it. The software eventually became a service, EveryDNS.net, that's still operating today.

Read more →

Filed under: News, Microsoft

Engadget interview Bill Gates

Say whatever you want about Microsoft and/or Bill Gates, it cannot be argued that the company and its co-founder have had a truly monumental impact on the world as we know it. Bill Gates is retiring from his full-time position from Microsoft (he will remain Chairman) on July 1, 2008 to focus on philanthropy. On Sunday, he gave his twelfth, and final, CES keynote address. Over at our sister site, Engadget, Ryan Block had the opportunity to sit down with the man, the myth, the legend, and interview him about his future role at Microsoft, Vista, his foundation and Microsoft's overall role in the industry.

It's a great interview with very candid and enlightening responses from the big man. We cannot imagine a world without Microsoft, and frankly, we wouldn't want to. For all the pot-shots we can take at Vista and corporate hegemony, Microsoft is still the industry leader and technology and software Bill Gates has helped create have changed the way we live and interact. OK, sappy time is over. Read the interview and get on with your daily tech snark.

Filed under: Business, Internet, Web services, Social Software, Beta, web 2.0

Preparing for an interview with the help of InterviewUp

Preparing for an interview with the help of InterviewUpGetting ready for interviews can sometimes be tricky. You just never know what to really expect, but want to stay on your toes and be prepared for anything. That's where InterviewUp steps into place.

The InterviewUp online community allows people to share, ask, find and search interview questions and answers. If InterviewUp manages to attract a strong user community, this could be a great tool for anyone out on the job hunt. The website will be dedicated to interview questions and answers and guide users along the path to doing well in an interview to get the job that are qualified for.

Too bad its currently only in a private beta, and accessible by invitation only.

Filed under: Fun, Features, E-mail

Download Squad Q & A with 3D Mailbox creator Robert Savage

When Robert Savage, creator of the recently released email client 3D Mailbox, commented on our post about his new product, we invited him to participate in an email interview with us. Here's what he had to say:

DS: What gave you the idea to create 3D Mailbox?

Ideas just come. Hard to dissect. William Faulkner wrote The Sound and The Fury after seeing a girl's white dress.

DS: Does your company plan to develop any new types of software using the technology you've created for Visitorville and 3D Mailbox?

Yes!

DS: What's the target audience for this product?

Read more →

Filed under: Business, Fun, Google

Want a job at Google? Don't forget your GPA


If you're interviewing for that dream job at Google -- like Amazon evangelist Jeff Barr -- don't forget your GPA. Jeff writes about his interview in Mountain View, "They were almost ready to make the "can't refuse" offer but the process became bogged down when I couldn't recall my college GPA. Given that I earned my degree in 1985 and have been earning a living by writing code since I was 15 or 16, this didn't seem all that essential."

Jeff goes on to make a strong point of irony, "Funny thing is, I now have several more emails in my inbox from other Google recruiters. After reading these emails it appears that they don't know that I interviewed there last year! Perhaps they don't have this data in searchable form. Could that be?"

Given the chance, we'd hire him.

Filed under: Business, Design, Internet, Social Software

Ryan Block interviews the SVP of AOL's new web portal



The reaction to AOL's new web portal wasn't entirely warm, as it looks just a little too much like one of its major competitors. Instead of scratching his head on the matter, our own Ryan Block of Weblogs Inc. / Engadget decided to ask David Liu, SVP of AOL Portals, five questions on the new design and its motivations. As you would imagine from a VP, Liu's answers were riddled with PR-speak that doesn't actually reveal much other than 'yea, we were inspired,' but his final answer does offer some interesting snippets about an upcoming revamp of myAOL.com, another of the company's portals (really guys - how many do you need?). Liu promises some intriguing innovation for the new portal, and even MIchael Arrington of TechCrunch was apparently impressed with some early demos he got his hands on.

While we wait to see those promises fulfilled, check out Ryan's interview with David Liu to gain at least a little insight into why AOL's new portal looks just a little too familiar.

Featured Time Waster

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

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 ...

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