In February Microsoft published an article to parents on how to interpret "leetspeak" so that parents could understand what their kids were saying. The article is off the wall funny. Microsoft seems so serious in its presentation of the facts. Below are some excerpts from the article. The full article can be found here.

1. While it has many nicknames, information-age slang is commonly referred to as leetspeek, or leet for short. Leet (a vernacular form of "elite") is a specific type of computer slang where a user replaces regular letters with other keyboard characters to form words phonetically—creating the digital equivalent of Pig Latin with a twist of hieroglyphics.

2. Rules of grammar are rarely obeyed. Some leetspeekers will capitalize every letter except for vowels (LiKe THiS) and otherwise reject conventional English style and grammar, or drop vowels from words (such as converting very to "vry").

3. Non-alphanumeric characters may be combined to form letters. For example, using slashes to create "//" can substitute for the letter M, and two pipes combined with a hyphen to form "|-|" is often used in place of the letter H. Thus, the word ham could be written as "|-|4//."

4. The suffix "0rz" is often appended to words for emphasis or to make them plural. For example, "h4xx0rz," "sk1llz0rz," and "pwnz0rz," are plural or emphasized versions (or both) of hacks, skills, and owns.

•	"kewl": A common derivation of "cool."
•	"m4d sk1llz" or "mad skills": Refers to one's own talent. "m4d" itself is often used for emphasis.
•	"n00b," "noob," "newbie," or "newb": Combinations synonymous with new user. Some leetspeekers view "n00b" as an insult and "newbie" as an affectionate term for new users.
•	"w00t" or the smiley character o/: An acronym that usually means "We Own the Other Team," used to celebrate victory in a video game.
•	"roxx0rs" Used in place of "rocks," typically to describe something impressive.
•	"d00d": Replaces the greeting or addressing someone as a "dude."
•	"joo" and "u": Used instead of "you." This is also commonly written as "j00" or "_|00."
•	"ph": often replaces "f," as in "phear" for "fear" (as in "ph34r my l33t skillz") and vice versa, such as spelling "phonetic" as "f0||371(." Well, thank you Microsoft on that fine lesson in leetspeak. *cough* +MacMan

Systm is here, NOW. Get the links on Systm. They've got a ton of different formats, so choose your favorite.

Kevin Rose announced that he has gotten out of his contract with G4 and will devote all of his time to Systm and theBroken. Get ready for a ton of content to be comming your way.

I'm at 20.2% downloaded on Systm. As soon as I watch it I'll post my feedback.

+MacMan

Wonder why I've been gone so long? I've been watching/listening to a bunch of tech programs that you can get free off the web.

Podcast
Podcasts are great because they are very portable. Just download 'em, sync your favorite mp3 player, and listen. Really, you can listen to them any way you want (computer, cd, etc.)

My favorite podcasts are TWiT (This Week in Tech) and Diggnation. TWiT is made up of the old TechTV crew like Leo Laporte, Kevin Rose, Patrick Norton, Robert Heron and others. If you want hardcore tech check out TWiT. Diggnation is a new podcast put out by Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht. They review the most dug stories from Digg.com and throw in some of their favorites along the way. Diggnation also puts out a video version of the podcast which is hilarious. Watching Kevin and Alex again is really cool.

Apple is getting on the podcast bandwagon with the new version of iTunes. They now have podcasting service built right into the music store. Its really easy to use, and its free. iPodderX still reigns supreme on the Mac, but for everyone else, go get iTunes.

Video
With the fall of TechTV its been hard to find good tech video programs, but now the internet tech shows are becoming alot better. I like Systm, theBroken, and FTS (From the Shadows)
Systm and theBroken are put out by Kevin Rose and Dan Huard. Now that they are working on the shows full time there starting to get better. FTS is another great tech show that Yoshi has been working really hard with.

get your geek on
+MacMan

Well, my traveling days are almost over. For the past 2 weeks I've been out and about in central Texas and then in Colorado. I'll be flying h0me Sun. and can't wait to get back to my computer. Here's some stuff I've seen besides a monitor.





//MacMan

FTS (From the Shadows) recently released their newest episode, Box 4.0. Man, these guys keep getting better and better. Yoshi and Robert are on this one.

Topics Covered in Box 4.0
ATSAC - LA Traffic Control
Make virtual drives to run your PC games directly from a hard drive (Robert)
Remove scratches from iPods and PSP screens ;-) (Yoshi)
Use a traffic pre-emption device to force traffic lights to change from red to green

Box 4.0 is one of the best episodes of FTS. Can't wait for 5.0.
+MacMan

Some guys super glued a CRT monitor to a wall and let anyone on the internet post a message to the screen. It's kinda fun just to see something you typed show up on a screen that you know thousands of other people are looking at. You HAVE to check it out.



+MacMan

Ever want to make a shirt that says just want you want? Well, NeighborHoodies makes this process a breeze. You can make shirts, hoodies, bags, pants, and even stuff for kids. You've gotta check this site out just to look at some of the shirts people have made.



What would your shirt say?
+MacMan

Check out the music section for a new free downloadable mp3 every day.

Apple FINALLY gave in to the pressure to make a multi-function mouse. With the new "Mighty Mouse" you can right/left click, scroll 360 degrees, and program other buttons. Apple didn't sacrifice design for functionality, they accomplished both.



For $49 you can buy one of these new mice for OSX or XP. Yes, the mouse will work with Windows XP.

+MacMan

Don't you hate coming across a great video or audio file on the web, but you aren't given the option to download it. These embedded files can be tricky get, but Firefox has a feature built right in that makes it a breeze.

1. In Firefox, go to any website that has an embedded media file you want to download. (In our case a flash file .swf)
2. Right-click on the page and select "view page info".
3. Click on the Media Tab.
4. Scroll through the list until you find the file you want (it will probably be of type embedded.)
5. Then click the save as button and you got it. (To run a flash object, just open it in a web browser.)



For the complete guide visit inner.geek.

+MacMan

I said Skype was free, and it is for the most part. To be able to use more advanced features you have to pay, but the basic chat service is free.

Skype is basically an instant messenger for voice. Most IM clients support voice, but the quality of Skype is great! Just download skype, create an account, and add friends. It's simple.

You need a mike to use skype for what its intended. Any computer mike will do, but for really good sound quality invest in a nice headset. I bought the Logitech Internet Chat Headset and I Love it. Its comfortable, sounds great and its reasonably priced.

One thing Skype leaves out of the free version is an answering machine. This can easily be fixed by downloading SAM. Sam is a free, fully functional answering machine program that everyone who uses Skype should have.

Skype works on Mac and PC so don't worry about not cross platform compatibility.

Get Skype For Windows
Get Skype For Mac
Get Skype For Linux
Get Skype For PocketPC

Let me know if you get Skype set up, or are already using it.
+MacMan

Do you find it hard to find new music artists to fit your taste? Well, now you can let Pandora do the searching for you. Just type in your favorite band or song and let Pandora tell you other artists that are similar. It uses its Music Genome Project Database of more than 10,000 artists. It even plays full length songs for you, not those little 30 sec clips.



This service is similar to Yahoo's Launchcast, however instead of one big radio station, you make separate playlists based on different generes, or tastes. Also Pandora works in Firefox, Launchcast does not.

Dr_Worm_Md: Lanchcast has met its match...

Happy Listening
+MacMan

Yep, its true. They Might Be Giants (TMBG) has released their first podcast.

Here is TMBG's announcement:

They Might Be Giants' very first podcast is available right now right here. To subscribe to this unique free service subscribe here. This first episode is approximately 20 minutes long and features a number of exclusive recordings and some unusual tracks we suspect you'll find interesting. The host is the Duke of Dead Air- Cecil Portesque- broadcasting from an undisclosed, very rainy location. Future podcasts are already in the works. Please check it out, and we sincerely invite you to hip as many people you know about this show- especially you blogtopianists out there.

If you never podcasted before, you might want to check out your iTunes application if you are on a Mac or PC. Just open the application and click on the "Podcasts" button. Under "advanced" select "subscribe to podcast" and paste the below link in the field.

http://www.tmbg.com/_media/_pod/podcast.xml

If you don't have iTunes, it's avalible free from Apple. Go to apple.com to download it now.

+MacMan

Here's another music related post for ya. I just stumbled across a program called Tunatic. Tunatic analyzes the music playing through your sound card and returns the song name and artist to you. It doesn't matter if the sound is comming from iTunes or a microphone. It just works. Its a little creepy when it is able to correctly identify your music.



Tunatic does have a few bugs though. The main problem is it has a limited music database. By downloading a program called Tunalyzer, users can help increase the size of the database. So, if you are listening to a popular band such as Green Day, you should have few problems matching songs. However, if you are listening to a more obscure band, don't expect Tunatic to get it right everytime, if even at all.

Download Tunatic: Mac Windows

+MacMan

All over the web I'm seeing more and more embedded video on websites. This is a really nice add-on that gives your site just a little more of the cool factor.



Steps:
1. Find a video. Any short quicktime movie will do. Remember, try to keep file size small.
2. Use this code on your website:

< src="sample.mov" width="320" height="256">< /embed>
(Remove the " " just before "embed" and before the "/embed" when copying and pasting.)

3. Replace "sample.mov" with your movie file (either absloute or relative URL)
4. Set height and width to desired values. (Add 16px to the height so that the play/pause controller will show up.)

That's It!

There are several varibles that can also be set such as autoplay and start time. Check out everything shown here and more at Apple's tutorial page.

+MacMan

If you want to download and save the embeded movies from a website, read my how to.

This is just a follow up post on embedding video. I decided to use Google Video this time.

Systm Episode 1


Steps for uploading video:
1. Download the Google Video Uploader here.
2. Upload your video to your Google account.
3. Allow Google to verify your video.

Steps for adding video to website:
1. Go to the page the video is on and click the "Put on Site" link
2. Copy the code to your website.

Using Google video is nice because it generates all the code you need for adding the video, it stores the video on their server so you don't have to, and it already has a huge database of video that you can add to your site for free.

Enjoy
+MacMan

Technology Acording to Strong Bad:
(Right click on video and select play)

Homestar Runner
+MacMan

In efforts to expand their fiber footprint, Spartan Net has hired Bill Knapp as their new vice president of business development. With increased demand for high-speed internet and connected information technology solutions in the multifamily market, Knapp will work to amplify Spartan Net's presence and partnerships across the region.

Spartan Net is excited to announce receiving national recognition for the first 10 Gigabit deployment in student housing! This new technology was deployed at Harbor Bay Real Estate Advisors Landmark on Grand River in partnership with Nokia and LightSpeed Technologies, Inc.

Once again Network Control is recognized as a key telecom expense management provider by Analyst firm Gartner in their 2020 Market Guide for Telecom Expense Management Services.

Telecom Expense Management company Network Control announced today that president and CEO Mark Hearn has been named a finalist for the AOTMP Telecom Professional of the Year award.

Telecom Expense Management pioneer Network Control has been named a finalist for the AOTMP Telecom Vendor of the Year award. This award honors the company that demonstrates innovation, excellence and customer value.

Network Control, a pioneer and leader in the Telecom Expense Management (TEM) space today announced the company has been named IT Telecom Vendor of the Year by AOTMP.

Company achieves 20% growth with its most diverse new customer additions to date. The positive results are due to complex work and business climate, the need for proactive management of communication costs.

Telecom Expense Management company Network Control has been selected for the latest Gartner Market Guide for Telecom Expense Management Services.

Hamburg. German developer 4Players has launched ODIN Rooms, a secure, browser-based, decentralized video conferencing platform designed to challenge industry leaders like Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Aimed at corporations, educational institutions, and non-profits, ODIN Rooms offers easy access through a simple URL, with no need for accounts or app installations, and enhances social messaging with enhanced privacy and crystal-clear audio quality.

Pre-order the sleekest and smartest ring ever created, designed in the swiss valley where some of the world's most renowned watches and jewelry brands come from. Available now on Kickstarter: http://kck.st/3KdqCv8

Itzehoe/Tübingen, Germany – Setting the digital course for the future of battery cell production: Under the leadership of Customcells, the joint project TwinTrace brings together partners from industry and research to ensure particularly efficient production processes with the help of a so-called digital twin.

Premier Stitching, a sewing specialty dealer in Bryan Texas, needed a new website and sewing specialty focus that was achieved by the Marketing Heroes Team to better highlight the dealer's dedicated services for clients seeking all types of sewing, quilting, and embroidery machine purchases as well as maintenance work in the greater Brazos Valley area.

Card79 has been awarded three San Francisco Design Week Awards for Lotza.io (User Experience - Winner), Rapid Robotics, Inc's Rapid Machine Operator (Industrial Design - Winner), and Relish Life Packaging (Communication Design - Honorable Mention). Design Awards Theme: "PLOT TWIST"

Best of Apps, a platform for in-depth mobile app reviews and ratings, has launched in the U.S. with plans for global expansion.

VECTOR Informatik GmbH expands global presence with majority ownership of Austrian AI expert EYYES GmbH

A research team from the National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity ATHENE led by Prof. Dr. Haya Schulmann has uncovered 18 vulnerabilities in crucial software components of Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI).

Coppin State University to highlight decades-long partnership with Fischer Identity at Maryland Education Enterprise Coalition (MEEC) event sponsored by CDW.

Hamburg, Germany – May 14, 2024. Statista, a global leader in data and market analysis, proudly announces the official launch of its new generative AI product, Research AI. Research AI marks a milestone in data research, aimed at helping businesses make informed decisions based on verified, curated and proprietary data from Statista.

We are thrilled to be a valued HESS / Coalition Contract Business Partner and to participate in their quarterly webinars. Bryan Leber and Chuck Donnelly are eager to provide The Higher Education Systems & Services Consortium (HESS) members with insights into Fischer Identity's unique Identity and Access Management (IAM) strategy in the upcoming week. We eagerly anticipate connecting with the HESS Consortium community and sharing our expertise.

Munich, Quincy/MA, July 23, 2024 – Consumers who use high-end mobile phones trust that their smartphones have been manufactured fairly from an environmental, social, and economic point of view. However, for the majority of smartphones this is not the case. Whistleblowers have revealed that Largan, by far the largest manufacturer of camera lenses for smartphones, manufactures its products using illegal practices.

We're thrilled to announce an exciting update for Tithely Church Apps – the groundbreaking Automatic App Builder, powered by AI.

Mark Cox Joins Fischer Identity Team as Associate Vice President of Identity and Access Management Strategic Advisory Services.

Tithely continues to innovate in the realm of digital church solutions ensuring that churches can engage their communities with ease and efficiency with their redesigned Giving App for iOS and the enhanced Kiosk Giving Mode.

In today's fast-paced tech landscape, AI is now redefining electrical engineering design. WSCAD introduces ELECTRIX AI, the world's first AI-powered Electrical CAD solution, eliminating tedious manual steps and completing tasks in mere seconds – slashing design time by up to 99%.

As churches continue to adapt to the digital age, the need for accessible, efficient worship tools has grown immensely. Tithely, a leader in church technology, has introduced a suite of innovative worship tools designed to enhance both the church's operations and the worship experience for congregations

Revelwood, BlackLine to Help Midsize Companies Transform their Finance & Accounting Operations into True Modern Finance Organizations

DriverDX Helps Ontario's Bus Companies and Drivers Get Back to Work

Gnxcor Inc., notably behind the acclaimed facility management software Maintenance Care, has announced the hiring of Dino Roberge as General Manager.

Fluence Technologies, the only pure-play provider of financial close and consolidation software purpose-built for mid-sized companies, and Revelwood, experts in the Office of Finance, have formed a strategic partnership to bring Fluence's SaaS financial consolidation solution to mid-size organizations throughout North America.

Corner Bowl Software Corporation announces the release of Corner Bowl Server Manager 2022 (CBSM 2022) today. - 12x Faster Log Management and Ransomware Attack Monitoring Tool.

Koury Reid, an experienced sales executive, joins Revelwood's leadership team to help drive further growth.