I’ve recently started using Disqus for the handling of this blogs’ comments. Service has really nice features, including integration with Facebook Connect, which unfortunately seem to mess with your statistics if you are using StatCounter or Google Analytics (I’m using both).
There is a solution posted on the Disqus blog and I’ve got a tip for you if you are using WordPress, which will allow you to include the given xd_receiver.html on your blog only when necessary, to reduce the front page size.
If you wrap the given code on the Disqus blog with the WordPress conditional tagis_single(), mentioned xd_receiver.html (and the javascript that its calling) will only included in your post pages, where the comment form should appear. See the code below;
<?php if (is_single()) { ?>
<script type="text/javascript">
var facebookXdReceiverPath='http://alikuru.com/wp-content/files/xd_receiver.html';
</script>
<?php } ?>
If you are allowing your visitors to comment on your WordPress pages too, you might want to change the is_single() with is_singular() ;)
Update: Disqus has launched an update and Facebook Connect caused messy statistics issue seem to reoccur. Here is another workaround.
Prezi is a new Flash based online presentation tool from Zui Labs, which lets you create extra ordinary “zooming” presentations.
With traditional presentation tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote, you have to work slide by slide to create your presentation. With Prezi you have only one slide to work with! But rather than thinking your working space as a “slide” in Prezi, you should think it as a big (actually limitless) scientific poster. (more…)
Apparently, Google Calendar has an offline mode just like Gmail. Although I didn’t like the way Gmail handles your offline data, since it dumps every mail and attachments’ to your hard disk in an un-encrypted fashion, I like the idea of always accessible Google Calendar.
As always, you’ll need Google Gears to be installed in the first place.
Just found an interesting video of DNA transcription process, created with LEGO animation :)
The bright orange subunits are the mRNA nucleotides. In transcription, the single stranded messenger RNA (a copy of the DNA gene) is produced by the base paring rule. The mRNA then exits the nucleus through a pore in the nuclear membrane.
It is obvious that the “Surface” will be the next big thing not only for Microsoft, but for all of us. The clip below was shown at Wharton Business Technology Conference, and it’s called 2019, is showing how far will Microsoft is planning to go with its interactive surfaces. They are planning to embed this technology from your walls to your electronic newspaper, your table to your remote, to your cell phone, simply every surface you encounter in your life.
Give your 5 minutes to see this teaser of future, it is impressive!
Rumor has it; Amazon is planning to release a student’s version of Kindle this year, with a full 8.5″x11″ display.
As I’ve said earlier, I don’t really think we need an e-book reader and the only good thing about Kindle 2 is its free 3G connectivity. But, Kindle for students with a larger screen? Although this is a good idea, I think Amazon will need more than just a larger screen to con students to buy these devices. If I were a collage student, I would consider buying a Kindle if it has; (more…)
I don’t know if this is the first time of using satellite images for creating more realistic maps with detailed 3D terrains in games, but it sure is a good idea. And, it looks like team behind the Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X did create the “real sense of authenticity”, as they call it.
Game will be available next week, enjoy the trailer.
There is a lot ofbuzz around Amazon’s new Kindle 2 and, may be because being a member of a nation that don’t read much, I’m getting hard time understanding why everybody is thrilling for a yet-another e-book reader.
Since almost every technophile in the world, who can afford a netbook or a smart/pda phone, has already have a gadget that gives him (or her) pleasure of reading books in a digital environment, what is the catch for a new pricey ($359!) e-book reader that its sole ability is to serve you digital editions of books? Oh, I know, Kindle has a web browser and plays mp3s, too. But even netbooks’ performance on browsing web is questionable, I don’t think one can use the Amazon’s gizmo for a satisfactory browsing experience, and your cell phone is probably a much more capable player when it comes to music.
Comfort of having a specifically designed device, which resembles a book and has an optimized screen for reading books, can make you feel good if you are a frequent reader. But for me, it is just an addition of another brick in my bag.
Just noticed Bespin, a collaborative browser based code editor from Mozilla Labs, which announced last week. The idea of an online editor is not new, but this one looks pretty cool even in its very early 0.1 version. It has those must have features like code highlighting, and you can access your whole codebase wherever you want, share and work with whoever you want. I strongly suggest watching the screencast below to understand its features and discover its cleverly designed user interface.
These screens are installed to show advertisements on public transportation buses at Mersin for a while now, and I was thinking that they are probably powered by embedded Windows. Today, when I was coming to campus, system produced an error on the boot loader screen and I’ve noticed it is running Debian! (Click on the image to see its bigger version)
I’m not sure whether the drivers or the owners of these buses are aware of this, but they are showing a good example of making money by using open source :) Congrats for their clever choice!
