a blog about tech stuff and RustyG
RustyG
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Home page: http://www.iknowrusty.com/
Posts by RustyG
The Problem I have with Tech News Sites
07 months ago
When it comes to getting the latest Tech News, it seems there is more than enough to choose from and you probably have one of choice that you like to read from. As for me though, I like to have several sources that I read from for cross reference purposes, and because I co-host a YouTube only podcast/webcast that we like to whittle down the top tech news stories for people that don’t do all the reading, can watch and listen to. (Along with some lite humor added in.) So I would say I have a bit of journalist in me. Now that you have an idea as to why I read so much tech news, and why most of my friends and colleagues come to me with questions about the latest, I will go on with my problem.
I used to use Digg as my news source. v4 of Digg came around, and I lost interest in the site. Many people went to Reddit, but I really wanted to skip the middleman. So I started to visit every website individually, which was kind of time consuming. Then I moved onto using the RSS feeds inside of Outlook, and now I have moved onto Google reader.
#1) Being the fact that I check several websites for stories, I continually see the same headline across multiple sites. Now, I know I cannot change this, because every site that is news, has to have every headline that matters to their particular subject matter. The answer to this would seem to be easy, and just stick to just one site, and not read multiples, but then I couldn’t cross reference from multiple sources and not all of the stories make it to every website. Which in of itself, every site may have the same headline, but may have different views; so, I guess I just deal with this one, or hope someone can make an RSS reader that detects duplicates (from mulitple sources).
#2)The next is story copying but with your own words, or thoughts and then giving a link (via or source). Which sounds like the previously stated, but let me give you an example.(I can’t really say much, as even on this blog here, I do the same thing ALL THE TIME, but I plan to stop.) So let’s go with this story here:
Boy Genius Report
Facebook hires iOS/PS3 hacker geohot [video]
which then goes to:
iClarified
Apple News | Geohot is Now Working For Facebook
then says Read More:
electonista
Original iPhone hacker Geohot starts working at Facebook
then [via]:
TechUnwrapped
GeoHot Woking at Facebook, iPad App in the Works
I don’t know what this is called, but I like to call it link-bating. It seems that tech site Boy Genius report actually just fills it’s sites with headlines, much like Engadget does. They really don’t write much, just give you a cool picture to look at, and a short synapsis and a link to the “original” story. Which, seems to be constantly linked to another source to another source to another source and so on and so on. I would like to be able to read the source material and skip all the other stories, but I have not been able to find a good way to do this yet without having to continually clicking the [via] links. There are some extreme examples that sometimes go 6 sites deep or more, but you get the idea.
#3)Large news websites seem to want to have multiple departments, writers and sections, so that they can cover many stories on one website. Again, this is the idea that I like, but sometimes seems to be poorly implemented. Let’s go with CNET, they are my 2nd favorite behind Revision3. CNET may have the same story two or three times because there are different writers across different departments for different sections of the website that may be writing about the same story. STOP IT!! Is there not any communication inside the company? This also fills up my RSS reader with duplicate stories from the same source! This goes back to number 1! I think they are trying to follow the old newspaper business model, and they need to stop it, or their senior editor needs to pay more attention before these stories hit the web. Now I will say though, sometimes, the mulitples may be the story in one, a video in another, and pics in another. Why not just put them all in one page?
Example:
#4)This is based off of number 3, but still pertaining to big websites.DESIGN. Cookie cutter desings for different sites, but all the same site??? For instance Gawker Media, who owns Gawker.com, DeadSpin.com, Kotaku.com, Jezebel.com, io9.com, jalopnik.com, gizmodo.com and lifehacker.com. They are all the same company, from what I can tell (please correct me if I am wrong), but they are all different sites with the same design: HORRIBLE. I think TechCrunch.com tried to do this better, by putting the different sections on top, but still they are completely different websites.CrunchGear.com, MobileCruch.com, TechCrunchIT.com, Crunchbase.com and so on and so on. I am not a HUGE user of the website GigaOM, but it seems they have the right idea, different colors for different sections, but all the same stinking website. The same goes for Arstechnica, except they keep the same design and color fo all sections.
#5)Podcasts??? I’ll wrap up with a question. Why Podcasts? It seems (based upon my short time in tech) that Diggnation (with Digg) started this trend. This ended up being the basis for Revision3 and to this day is still a flagship show. If you have a news site, you must start a video podcast. I really don’t know who started it, but it needs to stop. I think after Digg, the next one I can remember is Engadget; they may have had and audio only before, but since have added a video. Then came TechCrunch. Which TechCrunch is still very young (they just turned 1), so I may get my details wrong here because I don’t watch all of these. Now that TechCrunch has one(TCTV), BoyGeniusReport must have one. Now BGR is just an audio podcast, but I am sure they are in the works for a video one. Now I have left out GigaOM, Lifehacker (part of the Revision3 Network) and CNET, as because I don’t know where they fit in this timeline. I know that CNET has been around quite a while, which I think is a large competitor to Revision3 and probably have a very close birthday. Now don’t get me wrong, my absolute favorite podcasts are all on Revision3, but both Rev3 and CNET have the same problem. They are out to acquire many shows to be a full on network. Rev3 has some shows that competing against each other, like TechBuffalo, Soldier Knows Best and Tekzilla. They all are some sort of tech news, but just for different people I guess. Same goes for CNET, there are so many daily shows and live broadcasts and so many hosts on so many shows, I can’t keep up with show names, I just know personalities. They both need to get it down to like 5-10 shows. Quality is better than quantity.
Any comments? Questions? Feel free to leave them below!
Google announces Google Wallet
08 months ago
Well today at the New York held event, Google has announce the mobile app Google Wallet. This app will work with NFC chips installed into future phones and cases that will retro-fit current cell phones on the market. The idea behind this is that everyone carries there phone with them at all times, just like a wallet, so why not combine the two, since most people don’t really carry cash with them anymore anyway. Google says:
Because Google Wallet is a mobile app, it will do more than a regular wallet ever could. You’ll be able to store your credit cards, offers, loyalty cards and gift cards, but without the bulk. When you tap to pay, your phone will also automatically redeem offers and earn loyalty points for you. Someday, even things like boarding passes, tickets, ID and keys could be stored in Google Wallet.
So that now Google has thrown their hat into the ring, does it seem too little too late? With Paypal able to do mobile payments with an app (not really with a credit card at a retail store) and countless other rumors and dongles out there already, does Google have it right? Can you have, not only a device that pays for things instead of carrying that cumbersome wallet around, but that also carries your membership cards, tickets, IDs & keys? There are many hurdles here to have to jump, but that could be the wave of the future.
We are already tied to our devices by a unique identifer called an IMEI (or older ESN that changed to MEID) on our selected carriers. This is how we can be billed individually on each or devices. I would assume the same could be done for the NFC chips that are installed to the new phones or the dongles that are attached. With contactless payment already out in the consumer market place and being tested with new devices every month, your wallet may soon someday disappear and be a thing of the past.
All of that information is basically held digitally anyway a these retailers, why not give it to them digitally. This would cut down on losing those stupid key rings, fumbling through your wallet looking for those membership cards and give us a good verified ID carrier instead of just a piece of plastic that is out of date anyway(when was the last time you updated your ID or driver’s license?).
For those of you worried about Big Brother though, this may not be your thing, because this can become a single point of failure for your ID security. With everything being on your phone, once it is lost, you are done for. Of course Apple and HTC give you security options for remote wiping the phone if lost or stolen, but I don’t think it is ubiquitous saturation in the market just yet. Security is the big worry on everyone’s minds right now, with the recent Apple “trackinggate” issue, which is still being covered by the FCC and Senator Al Franken. Google faces a lot of things that may face some future scrutiny, but I love the idea, let’s just wait for the implementation to hit and see how things go.
via [Google]
Facebook doesn’t pay me for ads?
09 months ago
Ok, so it seems Facebook has added a new feature that allows you or your friends to tag PRODUCTS, in your photos. Much like the (stolen) photo above. The idea behind this is, it allows companies to get a feel for their web presence. Really??? Oh and by the way, so far, I can’t find anything that says I’m getting paid to do this, so why would I?
Well to be a bit more specific, they are allowing you to tag photos with Pages. For instance, the girl above is holding a coke, and coke has a page, so you then can tag the coke page, like you would normally your friends, and they can see it. To be honest, at this point, I have given up on security and privacy on Facebook. Mark Zuckerburg is all about the Benjamins. He’s just basically turning us into product placement whores.
I’m removing all my likes and any pages that I like right now… I’m boycotting! Let’s start the revolt!!! We aren’t product whores!!!
via [TechCrunch]
Batman Movie Similarities Across the Ages
1Ok, so I just purchased the Anthology of Batman (1989-1997), I was a big fan of Batman as a kid growing up, I never really did like Forever or Batman and Robin, as I think they got away from the darkness that was Batman and Batman Returns were. I still to this day can watch Jack Nicholson pull off Joker, it’s just a great character for him, as was Heath Ledger for the Dark Knight version. I will give you a little background though, Tim Burton did the first two movies, Batman and Batman Returns, so I think this is why I liked the first two so well. It was then handed off to Joel Schumacher for the last two of the series, in which the rest were totally ruined. Plus Michael Keaton playing the first two were a LOT better than Val Kilmer (Forever) and George Clooney (B&R). By the time Clooney showed up, it was a horrible, horrible mess. Directors, stick with the same actors, it helps not to confuse the audience. (You listen here Spiderman 4, and Transformers 3, Iron Man 2 oh and Hulk 2??)
Anyways….. enough about the history, let me give you what I was thinking the entire time I started watching Batman again.
So I began to think that I had seen some of these scenes before. You know, like for instance, the Batman and Joker standoff. And I started putting the pieces together, I think that Christopher Nolan (Begins, Dark Knight) was either paying homage to, or just straight ripping off from the original Batman movies from 89′ and 92′. So I began a mental inventory of the scenes I was watching. (I’m not talking about the story line, obviously, they have to stick true to the comics, but the scenes seemed oddly familiar)
#1- Fat Bad Detective
See??? The bad detective from Begins seems to look a lot like the one from Batman
#2 Bad guy gets a speech from Batman while hanging out over the edge of a building
Wow, now this time the characters are completely different, but the scene is pretty much the same. (Batman, Batman Begins)
#3 Harvey Dent is giving a speech about crime
the weird difference here, is in Batman, he is black, in Begins, he is white. What was he in the comics??? (Besides Two Face)
#4 The Joker crashes a party (well Art Museum in Batman)
So in Dark Night, he is holding a shotgun, in Batman his just dancing around with a cane, but in both instances, Joker ends up trying to take Batman’s girl. Rachel for Dark Night and Vicki for Batman.
#5 Batman Crashes the Party
Now this one I’ll let slide, because I’m sure that there is a crashing the party scene in EVERYONE of the movies. Some scene where he comes crashing through the roof with his cape spread out. As a matter of fact, I remember in B&R, there was a scene when they met Ice for the first time at the museum. But as for the pictured above, the first is when Batman comes in after Joker raided the art museum. The 2nd is from Begins, towards the end when he jumped down the middle of the staircase. The last one is in Dark Knight where he lands on top of the van and almost crushes it.
#6 The joker shows his face without makeup (or with makeup, however you want to see it)
You’ll see here from Batman, he was wearing a hat to help hide his identity, as for the same in Dark Knight. Also, both in a tie.
#7 Batman drives the girl back to safety
Now in Batman, Vicki wasn’t sick, but she was in danger, in Begins, Rachel was sick and in danger. And both times each scene ends with Batman driving into what seems to be a wall (either the stone from batman or the waterfall from Begins) and scares the girl in the passenger seat. Also, they both get lights shined into their eyes. HA! This is the first time for both girls to see the Batcave.
#8 Batman has to think about what he is doing
I don’t know if the reference is the same, but both times Bruce is or has said something to the fact that he doesn’t think he should be doing the job, but someone has to do it. (Dark Knight and Batman)
#9 Batman grabs the joker close-up to his face
Now I’m sure I have seen that somewhere in a comic, but it seems for both Batman and Dark Knight, he has to pull Joker in close to get his attention.
#10 The Batman stance
Now these are from different parts of the movies, the Batman scene is at the end, and the Dark Night scene is near the end when he is listening for Joker phone calls and such. Both are still him standing up against a night sky though.
#11 The Batman and Joker Standoff
This one was way too easy and almost EXACTLY the same. Both scenes from Dark Knight and Batman have Joker standing in the middle of the street with a gun, shooting at Batman, while Batman charges at him in a vehicle of sorts. Obviously for Batman it was the Batwing and for Dark Knight it was the Batpod. Either way, Batman blows up something behind Joker and then “crashes”. All this as the Joker is tauting him with a line like HIT ME, COME ON HIT ME or COME ON, COME ON YOU GRUESOME S.O.B.
#12 The Joker Kills a guy while talking to the mob.
This one I couldn’t find a screen shot, so I’ll just explain it. It Batman, Joker is basically trying to take over the mob as their new boss, because he had killed his boss, because his boss tried to have him picked off by the police (over a woman). So when he comes back the first time as the Joker, he is telling the mob that he has taken over, and one guy doesn’t believe him, so he electrocutes him to death with a hand buzzer and leaves him smoking.
In Dark Knight, Joker is trying to tell the mob that their money isn’t safe and they need to trust him, but one guy doesn’t believe him, so he stabs a pencil on the table and makes it “disappear” by shoving the guys head right on top of it really quick (assuming that it killed him).
#13 Freak Accident to create the bad guy
Again, no screenshot. Batman, Jack Napier has to fall into the toxic waste to become the Joker.
Dark Knight: Harvey dent survives an explosion to become Two Face.
#14 Joker Falls off a tall building
No screenshot. In Batman, the Joker fell off of a ladder from the helicopter all the way to his death. In Dark Knight, they didn’t let joker die, Batman caught him and tied him so he hung over the ledge.
#15 The Batmobile transforms into something else
In Batman Returns, the Batmobile turns into this torpedo looking thing. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SqwMMj2wvA)
In Dark Knight, the Batmobile broke down and became a Batpod (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPaTv98wUsE)
#16 Gotham City gets gassed!
You will remember that in Batman, the Joker is gassing the city with his toxic fumes to kill everyone, and in Begins, the Scarecrow is gassing the city with his toxic fumes to scare everyone to death!
Final and last one #17
This one was pretty OBVIOUS, but I didn’t make this split screen comparison, but it is pretty convincing; a trailer comparison of the Dark Knight and Batman:
With that off in your mind, let me know what you think… Have we just watched the same movie? Did Christopher Nolan steal the new Batman series all form Tim Burton? Was this just his interpretation??? Or is it Chris Nolan’s homage to the two better originals. We will never know. Leave your thoughts below.
