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Filed under: Productivity, iPhone

Track Your Happiness on your iPhone

by Jay Hathaway Aug 2nd 2009

Track Your Happiness is the front end of a research project that seeks to figure out which factors contribute most to our happiness. If you sign up, fill out a 10-minute questionnaire about your life situation, and let the researchers poll you about your mood a few times a day via iPhone, you'll eventually get back a personal report. At first, this seemed a bit intrusive to me, but iPhone users are pretty much glued to their devices anyway, and it's no more trouble than answering a few text messages every day. You can even specify your wake time, bedtime and time zone, so it won't poll you while you're asleep.

The most problematic about the iPhone as a platform is that the study will have no way of determining whether our iPhone contribute to our happiness. It does appear to focus on factors like diet, exercise, financial situation and relationships, though. Each poll is pretty brief. You just position a few sliders to indicate how happy you feel, how self-critical you feel, what you're doing at the moment. Yeah, "making love" is on there, but you'll probably want to wait until you're done to answer the poll, if you really value your happiness. I have yet to use the app long enough to generate a report (it takes 50 polls), but I'm looking forward to seeing what I might find out about myself.



Tags: happiness, iphone, poll, research, study

Filed under: Developer, Microsoft, Browsers

Someone out there wants to save IE6

by Jay Hathaway Apr 2nd 2009



Jason recently wrote on Download Squad about a Facebook group aimed at eliminating Internet Explorer 6 from the web, and Lee even found a script that reminds IE6 users to upgrade when they visit your site. Not everyone is ready to let IE6 go, though. Just ask the folks behind Save IE6, a site dedicated to the preservation of this "powerful and versatile" browser.

Save IE6 features a petition (signed by around 450 people when I checked), quotes from satisfied users, and links to download the browser. Funnily enough, some of the people in favor of keeping IE6 around are web developers, the very group that has been most vocal about being inconvenienced by Microsoft's older model. I'm not sure I buy the "how can IE6 be violating standards when it has essentially BEEN the standard for years?" argument. After all, standards change, and standards have seemingly passed IE6 by.

Updated: Ha! They totally got me. I knew this idea was crazy, but I didn't catch that it was also a really good April Fools' Joke, apparently by Pingdom.

What do you think, Download Squad readers? Should IE6 be saved, or is it time to let go?

Are you in favor of saving IE6, or eliminating it?

Tags: browsers, IE6, internet-explorer, Microsoft, petition, poll

Filed under: Design, Social Software, web 2.0

Facebook answers users' layout concerns with new features

by Jay Hathaway Mar 25th 2009


In our reader poll, most of you thought Facebook should pay attention to the user backlash against its new design. Well, it turns out that they've done just that, with an in-depth blog post that acknowledges some of the main concerns people have expressed, and announces several new features due to roll out soon. One thing that's happening right away is an update to the new "highlights" sidebar that should make it more like the old Live Feed that people seem to be missing.

The upcoming features are centered around giving you more control over what you see in your activity stream. For example, autoupdating is coming back (as an optional feature) and the ability to filter out noisy apps is being introduced. Facebook is also considering decreasing the amount of one-to-one messages -- like people's wall posts to one another -- that show up in your stream, in favor of things that are more generally relevant. My personal favorite feature on Facebook's to-do list is adding tagged photos of your friends to the stream.

Since we got so much great feedback last time, let's open this up to the readers. Take this poll and let us know which of Facebook's announced improvements is your favorite, or whether they're all just hopeless.

Which of Facebook's upcoming changes do you like best?

Tags: facebook, layout, poll, redesign

Filed under: Social Software, web 2.0

Facebook users hate the redesign, but does it matter?

by Jay Hathaway Mar 21st 2009


There's a buzz going around about a poll on Facebook, where 94% of the almost 800,000 respondents gave the site's new redesign a thumbs-down. That's a pretty big sample size, so it seems clear enough that at least a portion of Facebook's base isn't happy with the changes they've made. The important question might not be "do people like the new redesign?" though. It might be, "Does it matter whether people like it?"

I'm with Eric Eldon at VentureBeat on this one: users don't always know what they want, and a lot of people have negative attitudes toward having to relearn a site they were already very familiar with. When the dust clears a little bit, and folks have had a chance to test-drive the site a bit, then Facebook might have to start listening to constructive criticism. For right now, they should -- and will, more than likely -- work out any kinks in the new design, but give it some time to win people over.

Download Squad readers, what do you think? Do initial user reactions to the new design matter? Should Facebook scrap it, or give it a chance, and why? Vote in our poll, or leave a comment if you have more to say.

Do initial user reactions to Facebook's new layout matter?

Tags: facebook, poll, redesign

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Filed under: Utilities, Blogging, Productivity, Web services

Poll Authority: hey, poll anyone you want!

by Jay Hathaway Jun 23rd 2008

Poll Authority is an easy poll-creation service that generates nice tidy multiple-choice polls you can paste into your website or blog. A lot of blogging services and social networks have their own polling systems, but as far as the platform-neutral free poll generators go, Poll Authority looks pretty decent.

With the free version, you get unlimited polls and a bit of customization in terms of appearance. Upgrading to the $5 or $8 monthly plans doesn't actually seem to do much, other than adding a bit of professionalism by replacing the Poll Authority link on each poll with a customized one. The Gold plan gets you a breakdown of your results by geographic area. Bottom line: if you're looking for a fast, easy way to make a poll, and you don't want it to cost you anything, Poll Authority is a good bet.

[via Life Rocks! 2.0]

Tags: generator, poll, Poll Authority, PollAuthority, polling, tools

Filed under: Weekend Review

Download Squad week in review

by Brad Linder Mar 22nd 2008

Download Squad logoBeen so busy reading passport records of presidential candidates that you haven't had time to keep up on the week's geekier news? Not to worry, we've got you covered. Here's a few of our favorite stories you might have missed:

Flipping the Linux Switch: Installing and configuring Linux

This week we had a twofer in our Linux 101 series. First up, we wanted to show you just how easy it is to install Linux. Once upon a time, making the switch from Windows to Linux may have required some technical wizardry, complete with the latest model broomstick, but no more. Modern distros like Ubuntu make installation a breeze. But once you've got Linux up and running, you might notice that there's no support for common file types like MP3s, so you might want to take a look at another part in our series which shows how to do some basic configuration and tweaking of a fresh Linux installation.

Download full version of FairUse Wizard DVD ripper for free

This week we discovered that one of our favorite DVD ripping applications, FairUse Wizard was available for free for a limited time. Normally FairUse Wizard comes in two varieties, a limited free edition, and a full featured commercial version. But if you download the full version now, you can save a few bucks. No telling how long this deal will last, so go ahead and grab it while you still can.

Read more →

Tags: digsby, em-client, fairuse-wizard, firefox, ian-hogarth, linux, openoffice, openoffice.org, poll, songkick, twitter, ubuntu

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Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

DLS Poll: What do you think of Vista SP1 so far?

Windowsby Brad Linder Mar 19th 2008

Vista SP1
It's been about a day since Microsoft officially released Windows Vista SP1. And after uninstalling the SP1 release candidate and running Windows Update a few dozen times, we've finally got it up and running on our test system. The good news is that our test PC does seem to be a bit more stable. The bad news, well, not really bad, but other news is that as we knew all along there aren't any real new bells and whistles in this release, which means that SP1 is kind of unsexy as far as service packs go.

But enough about us. What we really want to know is what your experiences with Vista SP1 have been like.

What do you think of Windows Vista SP1?


Feel free to leave more details in the comments section.

Tags: poll, vista, vista-sp1

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Filed under: Web services

Poll Junkie: quick and easy polls without registration

by Todd Ritter Mar 12th 2008

Poll JunkiePoll Junkie is a no-frills web service that lets you create simple polls without having to sign up for an account. All you have to do is give your poll a name, a date on which to stop accepting responses, and then you can configure your questions.

The site lets you create four types of questions: multiple choice, yes/no, rating, and ranking. You can have multiple questions on one poll, and you can optionally be notified by e-mail when a user completes your poll.

When your poll is set up, you are presented with the main poll link (to give to the people you're polling), and a view link so you can see the current results.

Feel free to take our sample poll or view the results.

Tags: poll, polling, survey, vote, voting

Filed under: Design, Developer, Fun, Internet, Blogging, Web services

Poll the world with PollMappr

by Chris Gilmer Jul 10th 2007

poll the world with pollmapprAre you dying to know some answers to a brewing question you have? Get the answers out with PollMappr.

There are plenty of online poll generation tools that demand a fee for usage, and a few free ones that tend to stray on the dull side. PollMappr lets users put polls on their blogs, websites or social network. The fun doesn't stop there however, PollMappr maps where on earth the answers are coming from. Upon viewing the poll results, users and poll generators can click and be taken on a trip through Google Earth to see where people came from.

So not only do you get your questions answered in a few simple steps, you can study the pinpointed locations and get a better understanding of your polls respondents.

Gallery: PollMappr

  • sample questions
  • sample answers
  • Setting up a question
  • Setting up choices
  • Final poll

Tags: answers, earth, google, map, poll, pollmappr, questions

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Commercial

When will you upgrade to Windows Vista? - DLS Poll

Windowsby Jordan Running Nov 1st 2006

To Vista or not to Vista?So I've been dying to know. Are you excited for Windows Vista? Are you going to upgrade? Are you going to boycott the whole thing? Are you still using Windows 3.1? Leave your rants, raves, and tearful goodbyes to Windows XP down in the comments.

Tags: microsoft, poll, upgrade, vista, windows, windows vista, WindowsVista

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Filed under: Business, Productivity, Web services

Doodle: Schedule meetings by committee

by Jordan Running Oct 17th 2006

DoodleSometimes scheduling meetings and get-togethers sucks. The difficulty of finding a date and time that works best for everyone increases exponentially with the number of people involved. Doodle aims to simplify things. It's a simple web-based polling app that lets you list possible dates and times for an event and then survey all of the interested parties. When you create a poll, you're given a link to send to everyone--no sign-up required!--and another link to keep track of the results. Those you invite just enter their name, click on the dates that work for them, and submit. Doodle then tells you which date and time works best and how many people can attend then. Fast, free and easy!

[Via Lifehacker]

Tags: doodle, meeting, poll, schedule, scheduler, scheduling

Filed under: Internet, News, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm, Web services, Social Software, Unix

Ask DLS: Kiko Calendar up for grabs on eBay - did the bubble pop?

WindowsMacLinuxby David Chartier Aug 17th 2006

Ask DLS: Kiko Calendar up for grabs on eBay - did the bubble pop?On our own CEO Jason Calacanis posted on his blog yesterday (hey, he's a businessman. He knows about business, man) that Kiko Calendar - one of the many web 2.0 services that sprung like so many weeds - is up for sale on eBay. Jason's post is, in fact, titled bluntly: "AJAX is not a business model."

Now forgive me for pimping our CEO's blog a little too much, but the guy might have a point: could this be sounding a roll call for the virtual horde of similar web 2.0 services out there that seem to be offering some (admittedly) stellar services without much more of a plan? The now-famous business model from the South Park episode with the under wear gnomes:
  • Develop cool web 2.0 service
  • ...
  • profit (or in this case: "hope to get bought by Yahoo! or Google")
doesn't count either. So what say you, DLS readers? Is the web 2.0 bubble ready to blow, or do you think there's still room in this post's screenshot for yet another calendar, photo-sharing or [insert favorite service here] logo?

Tags: askdls, bubble, burst, poll, pop, survey, web 2.0, Web2.0, web20

Filed under: Internet, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Blogging, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm, Web services, Social Software

Blog editors compared, voted on

WindowsMacLinuxby David Chartier Jul 30th 2006

Blog editors compared, voted onWe asked you which RSS readers you use, and we even asked why you might not use RSS at all. Now Lifehacker has gone and posted the results of a poll they ran of which blog editors their readers use to create content for all those RSS feeds. Not surprisingly, online editors (what I would assume are the editors from each respective blogging service) won by a landslide. With the easy option out of the way, however, desktop blog editors followed in this editor: Performancing, w.bloggar, ecto (my personal favorite, since it fares a bit better on Mac OS X) and BlogJet.

What do you DLS readers think? Does Performancing simply not cut the cake, or is ecto the last editor you'd ever touch? Sound off.

Tags: app, application, blog, desktop, editor, favorite, poll, survey, web

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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