How Google Maps works: a look behind the Javascript of Google Maps. Whereas GMail uses XMLHttp to make calls back to the server, Google Maps uses a hidden IFrame. The method has its benefits. The push-pins and info-popups are a different matter. Simply placing them is no big trick; an absolutely-positioned transparent GIF does the trick nicely. The shadows, however, are a different matter. They are PNGs with 8-bit alpha channels. ...
Why is Microsoft not opening more source code? Apparently inappropriate code comments is one of the reasons according to this story. I wonder what kind of things developers put in comments that would be so bad for the rest of us to see? Comments sathish 10 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: checking if the contact name is coming properly.. Venkat 10 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: GMaP is cool! Better than mappy. Do we have something like this for India?
Google blogger fired, possibly for the blogging. Maybe he should talk to the Committee to Protect Bloggers. via MetaFilter
Google Maps. Only has the US for now. But that may change, given that not to mention that google has been primarily focused on the u.s. market and is now turning their full attention to the global marketplace. The interface, as always with Google, is fantastic. This is the way to go for Web applications. via Google Blogoscoped. Comments m1108061928989 9 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: Actually, google maps produced better routes too (more intuitive or just plain luck in my case ) but 2 consecutive routes cant be coincidence S Anand 9 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: Their database may be from Keyhole, whom they acquired recently. I didn’t see anything from India on it, though. Sathish 9 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: This is an interesting way to comment.. TOPFRAME 9 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: their interface is pretty good.. but, I wonder if they could do the maps of India in the same manner..
You can download an up-to-date copy of the entire Internet Movie database, and use software like MovieDb to view it remotely on your computer. My current project: watch the entire top 250 films. Comments Cell Burner 22 Sep 2008 6:28 am: Suppose I want to download the entire imdb site, will downloading everything from the link you have given also give images of the movies? Because without images, I don’t know what the point is. I came across another method to download imdb, as a TomeRaider (not Tombraider) ebook, and that is only 157 MB, so I am not sure if it contains images as well.
I’m trying a couple of experiments with my blog. One is a feed of sorts that shows recently updated blogs. I’m conducting a trial with a few blogs I read, on the right-side tab “Recently updated blogs”. The last 3 posts of the blogs updated within 3 days one-and-half days show up here (using their RSS feed). The other is creating an online catalog of digital resources I’ve encountered. Right now, I’ve put in books (fiction) I’ve read soft copies of on the right side tab “My fiction collection”. I’m planning to add non-fiction, music and movies. ...
Total immersion has technology that lets you create real-time 3-D images on a video feed. It’s more impressive to watch one of their demos. Comments Prakash 7 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: I think the demos link needs authorizations S Anand 7 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: Strange… it seems to work fine for me. What error does it report?
Calvin and Hobbes search from David Tweed. You can search for your favourite comics (mine are Tracer Bullet), note down the dates, and check them out on ucomics. (You need a subscription to view old comics.) I’ve typed out the quotes. Comments Anonymous 4 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: This is cool
The Woodward and Bernstein papers. Woodward and Berstein of the Washington Post wrote a series of stories leading to the resignation of Richard Nixon. Their novel All The President’s Men has a gripping account of their adventure. Now, their original papers are available at the University of Texas.
Haptic technology lets you “touch and feel data”. Surgical-simulation devices are currently the bread and butter of many haptics companies. Recently, haptics have also been finding their way into consumer products. Many video-game controllers, such as force-feedback steering wheels and joysticks, already contain simple haptic devices to enable virtual rally drivers and pilots to feel the bumps of artificial roads or the rumble of machine guns. Mobile phones are next. Just as existing phones can be programmed to play different ring tones depending on the caller, VibeTone allows for different vibrations. Without reaching into your pocket, you will be able to tell whether it is your boss, spouse, or babysitter who is calling. ...
Amazon’s Best books of 2004, All consuming, and Daypop Amazon Wishlist are good places to look for books to read.
Google domains is next, possibly leading into site hosting with 1GB space, and linkages with Blogger. Comments Bhuvan 2 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: nice to have you back Anand S Anand 2 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: Font size of comments? Or the whole page? The latter can be increased through View - Text Size - Larger Sumeer 2 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: can you do something about the font sizes
The Economist talks about how mobile phones are used for deception. SounderCover allows certain Nokia handsets to play pre-recorded bursts of traffic noise, airport announcements or other sounds in the background during a conversation. Two services offered by American operators, Cingular’s Escape-A-Date and Virgin Mobile’s Rescue Ring, allow customers to prearrange a call at a given time, to enable them to get out of a disastrous dinner date or boring meeting. ...
MSN search has a feature that lets you rank results your own way. Go to “+Search Builder” and select “Results ranking”. You can decide how important recency, popularity and accuracy are to your search.
My new commenting system is based on the principle of “scribbling on the margin”. If you’re interested, have a look at the source code for this page. It is as clear as mud, so best of luck! Comments Ammadio 1 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: Where do these comments get stored Navneet 1 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: Nice commenting system. A couple of points though…It took me a while to figure out how to post the comment :). Maybe a note on that somewhere would help.. Also the text colour when I’m typing in the comment is almost invisible. S Anand 1 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: I fixed those two. Is it OK? Anything else? TOPFRAME 1 Feb 2005 12:00 pm: Good to see you back, Anand. :)
Winners of The Future of Time contest by Timex. Showcases futuristic designs for watches. I liked the “nail watch”.
Google’s search for meaning. Paul Vitanyi and Rudi Cilibrasi use Google to determine the similarity of words. (Pairs of words that get higher hits are more similar to each other.)
Esref Armagan, blind painter. He has been blind all his life. Yet his paintings are realistic. Neural scans indicate that when he is painting, his visual cortex is stimulated as much as it is for normal people when they see objects. Comments naru 29 Jan 2005 12:00 pm: this guy (esref) is cool..a genius of sorts,,of course stud is cool too S Anand 29 Jan 2005 12:00 pm: I would also mention the genius of evolution. If he can know things like perspective without ever having seen, it means that sort of thing is hard-coded in our brain!
Puzzles at kuro5hin.org. If you’re a puzzles freak, the rec.puzzles archive is also recommended. Comments Aditya Chaturvedi 28 Jan 2005 12:00 pm: Yes, Java Scipts. Goto http://rootnode.freestarthost.com/comments.js you will find source code. Some Part is taken from http://www.webreference.com/js/column8/functions.html. S Anand 28 Jan 2005 12:00 pm: Yeah, coded it myself. Still several bugs and interface features to iron out, though. Any critique would help! SHAMIT 28 Jan 2005 12:00 pm: Great systen of commenting - its a innovative step in evolution of blogs, if you or whoever has done this … Simplifies things. TOPFRAME 28 Jan 2005 12:00 pm: Hi Anand… This is a really cool tool
The Thought Project Over a period of three months, the 28-year-old Danish photographer stopped random passersby on the streets of Copenhagen and New York City and asked them what they were thinking just before he intercepted them. Then he snapped their photos and transcribed their thoughts word-for-word.