For the first time I have actually purchased a domain, which can be found here. Paul-Kwiatkowski.com isn’t ideal, since it’s more difficult to remember than it would be without the hyphen. The un-hyphenated version was docked though, and I didn’t want to spend $70 on it right now. I payed for 3 months of hosting, at a very basic level of hosting, so I won’t be trying to drive too much traffic to the site right away. Basically, I’m going to take my time learning how WordPress works when I control it, and how other aspects of owning my own domain work. My blogs serve different purposes, so this one will remain active, as will my other new WordPress blog. Let me know what you think of my new site, I’m all ears right now.
There has been a Zombie outbreak, and the only way to defend your house is to plant defensive plants!
Loved
There is so much charm to this game that it makes even Peggle look a little bland. There is a massive variety of plants, and a nearly as big army of zombies. There is even a Michael Jackson look-alike who does the thriller dance as he walks across your lawn. PVZ is a tower defense game, but it isn’t conventional in any sense. There are hundreds of tower defense games on the app store, but Plants Vs Zombies stands out way above the rest. There is tons of gameplay to be found, and it is exactly what you want with an app- easy to pick up for 1 minute, and with enough game to keep you playing for hours.
Hated
The only thing about Plants Vs Zombies that isn’t great is the drop in performance I get when the screen is totally packed with zombies, plants, and projectiles.
Verdict
Plants Vs Zombies is a $20 pc game, and it costs $3 on the App store. It’s the same game, and people say the $20 version is worth every penny. That said, the $3 version is worth far more than $3. It’s one of the most fun games I’ve ever played, and it’s tied with Peggle for my favorite iPhone game. 10/10
Google Energy, the Starcraft 2 Beta, the best game graphics of the last decade, and why colleges should drop their old web services and use Google’s.
PICKS OF THE WEEK
Link W3Schools.com: Full web building Tutorials for free!
App Sword and Poker: An awesome balance of JRPG elements and poker, this game will have you playing for a very long time.
There are endless articles on SEO, and how to improve your businesses search results, but that isn’t the purpose of this article. Rather, this article is intended to help individual people change how they appear in search engines. Also, this article doesn’t focus on drastic result changing; it will not teach you how to move your new blog from the 30th page of Google to the top of page 1. If you aren’t expecting miracles, but do want to be more involved in your personal search results, read on!
The other day I overheard a conversation in which a businessman was shocked to find out that a customer had found him via Google, responding “I didn’t even know I was on Google”. If you are in business, have a reputation to uphold, or just want to know what friends will see if they search for you, it really is important that you search for yourself often. Google is the most common search engine, but remember to check Bing as well, as the results can be different. If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t associate your real name to much, and turns the privacy settings all the way up on whatever you do, you’ll likely find that you are absent from the results, even when narrowed down. If you’re like me, and choose to put your name out on the web, you’re likely to find at least something you’ve done. Here’s a few steps to improving how you appear in search engines.
1. Find Yourself
Searching for your name is an obvious first step, but what happens if you have a fairly common name, or share a name with a celebrity? You need to narrow down the search to locations, businesses, websites. Searching for “Your Name Your City” is more likely to pull up you, and you might be able to substitute your state as well. If you can be associated with a company, look for that as well, and also “Your Name + Website (you’ve created account on). Keep track of what searches find you, and what sites the searches found. Don’t go overboard on searching though, remember that you’re only trying to find results that contacts, friends, or employers would find, not ultra-specific completely buried info.
2. Clean Up Appearances
Now that you have an idea of how you look and what sites are easily pulled up, you should do what you can to clean up the results. Maybe you commented on a blog post a long time ago, and that post ranks high. You could delete the comment, if you don’t want your name to show up on the site, or perhaps edit the comment. Keep in mind you might not want or need to do anything. If you run into lots of old accounts popping up, for various websites and forums, you can use these results to your advantage by updating your outdated profile details.
3. Direct Traffic
While updating old accounts, include new and relevant information you can use to direct traffic to where you want it to go. If a profile on a particular forum ranks very high, you can add links, better contact info, and identifying information, such that its position in your search isn’t totally wasted. By adding links to these old accounts, you’re not only directing traffic, but boosting your site’s rank. The links you create directing to your site just may help push your preferred results above some less desirable (or relevant) hits.
4. Set Up Accounts
When searching you may discover sites that rank very high for your name, but you don’t have an account on. For me the biggest example of this was LinkedIn, ranking first for my name. The solution is extremely simple in this case, just create an account for yourself. Like re-purposing old accounts, you can use any new account you create to push visitors to where you want them to go.
5. Monitor Your Name
Set up Google alerts to track your name, and perhaps your unique username. You can do a search for yourself whenever you remember, but you can set up Google to alert you at set intervals when your name is mentioned online. This can be as simple as telling you when you have commented somewhere, but can also point you to mentions you might have missed.
There is no perfect solution for controlling what people see when they search for you, and you can’t simply pay Google to set up results how you want them. However, if you spend just a little time curating the results you do get, you might find you are much happier with how you look to Google or Bing.
(Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert on SEO. The steps provided here have been taken by me personally, and the results have been positive.)
Today we talk about the last week in Google news, including the release of Buzz, the announcement regarding their fiber network, and their aquisition of Aardvark. We also have a long discussion about Microsoft’s announced and unveiled Windows Phone 7. If these things interest you- stick around.
The link of the week is from Lifehacker; useful for sharing files with friends and family.
Microsoft announced and unveiled Windows Phone 7 Series today, and has so far received a tremendous amount of praise. Here’s the demo video they released:
As you can see, the interface is like a slight evolution of the Zune HD, featuring a little more 3D animation and a little less need for sub-menus. At this point 7 Series looks great, Matt Buchanan of Gizmodo calls it “the most groundbreaking phone since the iphone”, and Jesus Diaz said that “Microsoft has out Appled-Apple”. However great the praise is though, positive reception isn’t going to be enough for 7 Series to succeed. I think there are 3 key areas in which Microsoft is going to have to make major strides if they want to make a dent in the mobile market.
Consumer Opinion
People love Apple, and people love Google. People are indifferent or spiteful of Microsoft. The iPhone would have likely been a moderate success even if it wasn’t the massive innovation it was, and even if Android wasn’t the OS it is, an open-source OS from Google would probably have had some traction. 7 Series is not open-source, and it’s from Microsoft. The only real guarantee we have is that the UI will function similarly to the Zune HD’s. There are a few ways that Microsoft is already likely to win at least a few buyers. The biggest immediate advantage is the inclusion of “Xbox Live” on the homepage. Mark Wilson of Gizmodo calls this “Microsoft’s mobile trump card”, and outlines the various types of games and uses of Xbox Live on 7 Series. Someone shopping for a new phone might be seriously pulled to Xbox Live on a mobile platform, and if 7 Series is launched with enough high-profile games, it could become THE phone for gaming. Aside from this, the other major draw is the color choices and UI. This OS is simple, easy to grasp, and has an awesome UI. There is a good chance that if they can get people to pick up the phone, their impressions will positive.
The ad campaign for 7 Series is going to have be MUCH better than the Zune HD campaign; something more along the lines of the Windows 7 campaign is what they need. Let’s compare; Zune HD: Bad and rare commercials, weak online ads, and even weaker retail push. Windows 7: huge push across all fronts, exceptional use of ‘earned media’, and big retail push. 7 Series needs all of the latter, and more.
Hardware Adoption
If this was 2004, the question of whether or not hardware companies will adopt the platform wouldn’t exist. There was nothing like Android, and even if 7 Series was half the OS it looks to be, it would have been widely adopted. This is 2010, and Android is seeing massive adoption, and equally huge consumer share. Microsoft is going to have to oversell 7 Series to their hardware partners, because it’s not going to be free. Thankfully the same points that might pull consumers have the potential to pull hardware manufacturers. It shouldn’t be difficult for Microsoft to get HTC onboard for a launch phone, it’s getting many manufacturers onboard that might prove challenging.
Application Development
Microsoft had a shot at grabbing a portion of the PMP market with the Zune HD, but they really blew it by launching the it without applications of value. To date there are hardly any applications on the device, and almost everything launches with a long advertisement. I think that 7 Series has to launch with something like 1000 applications. It can’t be a chore for people to switch from an iPhone, they have to be able to do it effortlessly. Microsoft can’t create “a Twitter App” like they did with the Zune, they have to get multiple developers onboard for multiple apps. The same goes for everything else, releasing 10 games, or even 50 is pretty weak- but if MS can get some of the biggest iPhone game developers to produce games they’ll have a decent starting place. There is nearly a year between now and 7 Series’ release, and Microsoft is going to have to make a major push to get developers creating apps for them. Apple’s contract with developers is a 70/30 split of profits, Microsoft has to at least match this, and I would hope they do a little better. 75/25 or 80/20 are better deals for developers. 7 Series isn’t going to make them as much money, either for a long time or ever. This is going to turn off developers, obviously, but if they stand to make a little more money on each purchase it’s good for them and for Microsoft.
The Killer Launch App
This is the part where I’m going to lay out what I think could sell the device by itself, and it has nothing to do with the previous points.
Back in 2001, Microsoft jumped into an industry that they had no experience in, and launched the Xbox. If not for one game, the console would have floundered, and went the way of the Dreamcast. I’m of course referring to Halo: Combat Evolved. Halo brought multiplayer gaming to consoles in a huge way, and without it they wouldn’t have the console success they have today. It has been 9 years (or will be in November), and technology has evolved. The hardware of today’s portable devices is pretty close in power to the hardware of consoles at the start of the last decade, and this means that the games we’re going to be seeing on phones in the next few years could potentially be ports of the 6th generation of console games. What better port to launch 7 Series with than Halo, ported to mobile.
Look at the graphics quality of that screenshot. Now look at this shot of Gameloft’s iPhone game “N.O.V.A.”:
One of these was played on a big console, in front of a tv, and one of these is played on a device around a quarter inch thick. I believe that mobile Halo is not only possible, but would be extremely easy to port, and has the potential to be a huge deal. Microsoft: release Halo (or even Halo 2) as a launch title on 7 Series.
Google is going to be launching an experimental fiber optic network in an as-yet unannounced part of the country in March. They are going to serve at least 50,000 people, and up to 500,000 people with internet at competitive pricing and speeds of about 1 gigabit. Google
Google launched “Buzz” earlier this week, its entry into the social media sphere. Buzz acts like a merger of Facebook and Twitter, allowing for both short-form discussion, as well as layered comments and multimedia postings. The service can also aggregate your activity on other sites, such as Twitter or Flickr, and create automatic postings in Buzz, acting sort of like FriendFeed. Mashable
Google announced on February 11th that they had aquired Aardvark, a social search startup. Aardvark is based off an algorithm that directs questions to people who might be able to answer them; questions that might be difficult to find the answer to (such as specific issues with software) or preference questions work well in this format. Aardvark
Hello everyone! I keep having ideas for great articles pop into my head, then hide whenever I sit down to write, so this is just a round-up of a number of things that I have done/witnessed/consumed this weekend.
The iPad is Officially Annoying
I listened to new episodes of This Week in Tech, This Week in Google, Appslappy, Security Now, Windows Weekly, and Film Sack this weekend. The only show that didn’t talk about the iPad was Film Sack, and that was just luck. There aren’t many articles online about the iPad right now, I’m ready to not hear about it for another month.
I Shook a Cold
Not really a big deal, but my voice hasn’t been up to recording any shows. I even had the links for 5 Minutes, but they’re already outdated. New shows incoming later today, most likely.
The Super Bowl Occurred
It was actually a pretty good game. The commercials however were pretty lame overall. Doritos wins my award for funniest commercials; Dorito Samurai was fantastic. I’ll argue that Google’s commercial was money well spent; even though it doesn’t really sell anything. So many of the usually great commercials felt bland and boring, with stand-out commercials really being only as good as average ones from the past. I’ve already almost forgotten Hyundai’s, Etrade’s, and GoDaddy’s (which again, make me want to never give them money). I did like the Bud Light commercials, but really only because one of them was a take-off on Lost, and one had the actor who plays Dr. Pierre Chang on Lost. I’m not sure what the purpose of the Focus on the Family commercial was; I suppose their bet wasn’t that the actual commercial would drive many people to visit them, but that the controversy drummed up prior to the game would be a much bigger deal. (The ManCrunch school of thought).
I’m no Longer Lost
I caught up in Lost, and I’ve now seen the season premiere episodes. I’m still debating whether or not to review the seasons I’ve been through, but for now here’s how I feel about the show: Its awesome. Lost is probably the most intriguing show I’ve seen since Death Note. The show presents a lot of information to consider, and really sticks around in your head for a while. While I have enjoyed Flash Forward and V, Lost completely blows them away- even if you just compare the same number of episodes. The first 4 episodes of Lost are so much better than the first 4 of V, and the same goes for Flash Forward’s 8 or so episodes.
One of My Roommates Isn’t Anymore
I suppose that implies his existence has come to an end, but I only mean that he is no longer my roommate. While I’m more than happy to explain every part of the chain of events that brought his residency to an end in person, I don’t think it’s that appropriate to place online. We are getting tile and/or wood floors now though!
I’m Working on an Updated Resume
I haven’t written one since late 2008, so I figure its about time. What I’m doing differently this time is working on multiple versions. One version is an always up-to-date copy in Google Docs, the next is just a standard, printable copy, and the final copy is really different. I’m working on one that is highly inspired by the “infographic resume”, and so far is looking pretty sharp. Its purpose is not to display the same depth of information as either of the other versions, but to display creativity and more personal information.
And that’s about it. New shows and full articles coming later today.
To anyone who has had the misfortune of being present when I have given one of my “Battlemechs are the future” talks, I apologize- what I’m about to write is more of the same. That said, the future is here. Sort of. Let me introduce you to the BigDog. The big dog is a quadropedal robot that can carry many soldiers packs, and presumably scare enemy combatants into submission. You may be saying “Paul, why can’t we just use a wheeled cart for that sort of thing?”, to which I reply, can your wheeled vehicle climb over piles of rubble or jump? Not hardly. The BigDog can even be kicked and stabilize itself, stay standing across ice, and a whole list of other interesting things. The company behind the BigDog, Boston Dynamics has just gotten a contract from Darpa to create LS3′s, a bigger, meaner, and more capable BigDog. The LS3 can travel 20 miles autonomously without refueling, and carry 400 pounds of gear for soldiers in a squad. This is the part of the article where I’m going to stop talking in actuality, and begin speaking hypothetically.
Considering the LS3 can carry 400 pounds of gear, its absolutely plausible that it could be outfitted with an automated turret on its back. By doing this, the military could turn the LS3 from a high tech donkey into a robot battlemech. Think about it- if you can outfit an LS3 with weapons, auto-targeting, cameras, and armor, you could send a handful in to a dangerous area rather than footsoldiers. The LS3 is able to stabilize itself well enough that given thick enough armor, bullets would have very little effect. If given some anti-missile defenses (like auto-targeting shotgun shells), RPG’s would have a greatly diminished effect as well. With only a little effort, and some financing, the military could have a small army of LS3′s- greatly reducing the need for American soldiers to venture in to combat situations. Even if the army didn’t move entirely to LS3′s for assault and patrol missions, one or two LS3′s with weapons could provide substantial support for a squad.
If the LS3 is successful, the next logical step is to greatly increase the size of the LS3. For purposes of making the difference clear, I’m going to refer to this new, larger LS3 as an LS6. While the LS3 could remove the need for so many troops on the battlefield, an LS6 could provide several possible roles. Ideally, the LS6 would replace tanks, humvees, and other combat ground vehicles. The idea being that you could outfit an LS6 with a much wider variety of weapons, and perhaps transport people inside. A modular LS6 could be fitted with everything from light artillery and anti-air defenses, to mobile command tools and deployable LS3′s. If designed well, a single LS6 with a number of deployable LS3′s, a mobile command center, and a number of anti-infantry and building weapons could effectively control a portion of a city.
After the LS6, the next step (at least in my mind) is Battlemechs, like the one above. The reason for dropping 2 legs, and becoming bipedal is so that the upper portion of the mech can swivel, like a tank. A Battlemech would likely be much more equipped than even an LS6 backed up by a squad of LS3′s, meaning that it could control the same territory by itself. While I’m referring to Battlemechs from the Mechwarrior universe, which stand 100 feet tall and weigh around 100 tons, there is no reason they couldn’t be sized closer to Gundams, around 60 feet tall. Even a 30 foot tall mech would still be tall enough, and weigh enough to stand through a fairly large explosion.
Conventionally Mechs are piloted, but there is no reason they couldn’t be remotely operated or fully automated. While the cost of such machinery might seem substantial, a well equipped mech could substitute for the ground presence of a number of tanks and armored vehicles, and loads of men. Mechs are not designed to prevent collateral damage, thus the threat of their weapons should be enough to keep people subdued (because cover won’t last long under direct fire from a mech.)
The idea behind all of this is to reduce deaths, both for us, and for whomever we happen to be at war with at any given time. Civilian casualties could be reduced substantially as well, simply by removing the “instant” reaction factor of humans. A robot can analyze a target before firing, while humans- immediately afraid for their lives- make quick decisions that can often lead to dead innocents. Wars and conflicts in the future would optimally be decided quickly, before anyone (or hardly anyone) is killed, and just as little property is destroyed.
