Sony’s latest range of UX series voice recorders are now capable of passing the magical 1,000 hour mark when it comes to keeping copies of lecture after boring lecture. The UX200 is the base model with 2GB of internal memory, while the UX300 and 300F both feature double the storage space, which translates to over 1,000 hours of recording. All models can record in stereo MP3 format with the added benefit of noise cancellation, while playback can be performed at 21 different speed steps. You get up to 15 hours of battery life when recording, or 80 hours plus of non-stop audio playback. Expect to see these hit Europe early next month in time for Christmas.
(Via Ubergizmo.)
Facebook is not only the world’s biggest social network, it’s also one of the most popular places to share photos. For users with lots of photos, however, the process of adding albums or collections to Facebook can be kind of a chore.
Sure, there are apps available to minimize the time it takes to tag people in your pictures, but the upload process itself is slow, dated, and buggy. Facebook agrees and today has introduced a new Photo Uploader Prototype.
Facebook describes the prototype as ‘a preview of an upcoming replacement for the existing Facebook photo uploader. This brand new experience makes use of the new Facebook Plug-In, a light-weight browser plug-in.’ And you can activate it and start using it on your account immediately.
The new photo uploader is a huge improvement over the old version. This is how it works: the first time you launch the uploader, you’ll be asked to install a new Facebook Plugin. The plugin works with Windows, Mac OS X and Ubuntu Linux 8.04 and up (the plugin only works in the 32-bit version of Ubuntu at this time). The plugin should install right in your browser, but you might have to download it separately and run the file, like I did on my Mac.
In any event, you don’t have to restart your browser to use the plugin. Once the plugin is installed you’ll see your standard ‘Create an Album’ screen, but now when you select ‘Select Photos,’ this is what pops up:
It’s fast and allows you to access photos from your computer (you can easily select folder or folder within folders). You can then add photos from all over your computer and when you’re ready, select upload. At this time, the upload process will take place in the background, meaning you can go back to using Facebook instead of waiting for your files to upload.
This is still in the testing phase, so you might find some bugs — if you have issues — you can always deactivate the prototype and go back to the old way of uploading. The Facebook team hopes to roll out the new version to all users as a replacement soon.
We have to say, the new uploader is a huge improvement over other options. In fact, stand-alone apps like the Flickr Uploadr not-withstanding, this uploader is one of the best ways we’ve seen to upload photos to an online service.
(Via Mashable!.)
Remember remember, the Fifth of November,
The gunpowder, treason and plot.
I know of no reason,
Why the gunpowder treason,
Should ever be forgot.
So, the time of year again. 5th of November, more commonly known as Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night. So, I shall give you a bit of backgroud information on the infamous plot and treason of the one Guy Fawkes.
On November the 5th, 1605, a man by the name of Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament, in London.
(For those of you who don’t know where the houses of Parliament are, it’s where the Big Ben is.) Guy Fawkes had earlier infiltrated the Houses of Parliament, laying down more than 36 barrels of gunpowder in the undercroft of the house.
However, this plot apparently leaked out, and in the very early mornings of 5th November, Guy Fawkes was captured by the king’s guards. Far from denying his intentions during the arrest, Fawkes stated that it had been his purpose to destroy the King and the Parliament. Nonetheless to say, very brave man. He was tortured for a period of four days, where he revealed nothing but the names of the people who already have been captured as part of the plot. He was hanged, drawn and quatered on the 31st January, along with number of others implicated in the conspiracy.
A brief summary of the event which took place that fateful night.
Celebrations on this night involve fireworks displays and the building of bonfires on which traditionally “Guys” are burnt. Children are supposed to make a Guy doll, and then burn him on the bonfire. Jolly cheerful, ain’t it?
And now back to the question: Why do we celebrate Guy Fawkes Night?
One simple reason my friends.
Commonly, people celebrate this as the day that Guy Fawkes was captured and the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament failed.
They celebrate the fact that the Catholic church still ruled with it’s power ad the King didn’t get assasinated.
I know, highly happy occasion, isn’t it?
Me? I celebrate this for a different reason. I reckon this day should be celebrated by what it had hoped to achieve, a show of the people standing up against their parliament. It’s a show of rebellion, an idea that is passed down through the centuries.
We are told to remember the idea, but not the man because a man can fail where an idea cannot.
And four hundred years later an idea can still change the world.
Who knows? Maybe one day, someone might actually succeed in finishing what the Gunpowder Plot started.
Looking for an adorable and easily stealable way to consolidate the entire Beatles catalog? Have no fear, EMI has your back. The record conglomerate may still be at odds with iTunes when it comes a digital release for the fab four, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t, um, more creative distribution methods. Take this new Apple-shaped USB key from the company, which features 14 Beatles albums, 13 mini-documentaries, and all of the requisite art work.
The USB Apple is being released worldwide in a limited edition of 30,000 on December 7th (December 8th in North America). The 16GB Apple offers songs in FLAC 44.1 Khz 24 bit and MP3 320 Kbps. This key will set you back $279.99. You can pre-order it now from the official Beatles store.
(Via http://feeds.ziffdavis.com/ziffdavis/gearlog-ziffdavis.)
Got an interest in Google Wave but have absolutely no idea where to get started? Try out The Complete Guide to Google Wave, a new (free) book written and edited by my pal and Lifehacker emeritus Gina Trapani and yours truly.
Google Wave may not be available to everyone just yet, but there’s still a lot to learn about it and not that many places to do that learning. That’s where The Complete Guide to Google Wave steps in.
Wave is a young, complex, and frankly incomplete web application and technology. It’s also an ambitious project that has the potential to change how we work, collaborate, and communicate on the web. That’s why Gina and I decided to pour our time and attention into Google Wave and pull it all together into this book.
We’re calling it a book, even though right now its content is only available on the web at completewaveguide.com. It features eight chapters and two appendices, but we’re going to expand the book as Google continues to grow and expand Wave. (In fact, anyone can help us do just that by contributing to the guide.)
If you’d like a more permanent or convenient copy of the book, its first preview edition will be available for purchase as a PDF later this month, and the first edition print version will be available in January of 2010. Gina and I are planning to release four editions of the book throughout 2010 to keep up with the changing face of Wave, but the latest version of the book will always be available and free at completewaveguide.com.
Check out the book’s About page for more details on our adventure in publishing (including why we’re self-publishing), or just head to the home page to get started with your Wave education. For updates on book releases and various Wave tips, follow @gwaveguide on Twitter.
Note: Our server has had a little trouble keeping up with the traffic, so if you’re having trouble accessing the site, try this mirror instead.
The Complete Guide to Google Wave
(Via Lifehacker.)
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