The AppsLab

Marketing isn’t really my thing, but this sounds nefarious in a mad scientist sort of way. Forget Product Placement; Get Ready For Product Anti-Placement | Techdirt (h/t Slashdot) Product placement is so ubiquitous, I’ll now be wondering if it’s positive or negative reinforcement. Maybe Paul (@ppedrazzi) has some thoughts.

It’s been a while since I mentioned any work we’ve been doing. August was a month for relaxation for us as it is for many of you, so we took time out to recharge. Today, Rich (@rmanalan) deployed another update to the Chrome extension that includes some nifty and useful features, bringing it to version… Read More

So, I’m wondering why you read here and what type of content interests you most. The posts here vary wildly from product-specific, to our team’s work, to my musings on technology, society and related stories, to technical posts from Anthony and Rich, to humor and everywhere in between; I’m just curious to know what you find interesting… Read More

Interesting piece on /. about how network analysis can learn a scary amount about you by analyzing your online relationships. Slashdot Science Story | Judging You By the Online Company You Keep Obviously, there are marketing implications, the holy grail of Facebook. Not to say marketing is positive, the negative implications are a bit more scary,… Read More

I absolutely love reading about brain hacks like this one. The Ugly Carpets of Vegas are Hideously Clever Social Engineering at Work Although I didn’t read any obvious psychological reasoning behind using gaudy carpets, you have to assume there’s a real hack there. Personally, I think the surreal carpeting adds to the simultaneous sensory depravation… Read More

William Gibson (yes, that William Gibson) penned a fascinating op-ed piece for the New York Times this week. Op-Ed Contributor – Google’s Earth – NYTimes.com This bit hooked me (h/t Geekosystem) If Google were sufficiently concerned about this, perhaps the company should issue children with free “training wheels” identities at birth, terminating at the age… Read More

A couple items of note heading into OpenWorld. Current students can get into JavaOne and Oracle Develop for free.  There are a few qualifications: You must be enrolled in an accredited nonprofit institutions of learning during the Fall semester/quarter of 2010, taking a minimum of six (6) units, and you must be at least 18… Read More

This is a fascinating piece, albeit speculative, about Google’s recent foray into VoIP with GMail Voice. Gmail Voice Is About Future Search, Not Free Calls It seems very likely to be true, considering Google’s similar use of reCAPTCHA for digitizing print. If true, do you care? Should Google’s T&C for GMail Voice make their intentions… Read More

Quiet time often produces the best thinking because it helps thoughts bubble up to the top of your mind. You know the places, in the shower, on the can, lying in bed. Don’t act all surprised. I often get these moments when I’m alone in the car, especially if I’m driving on a highway. Even… Read More

Saw an interesting quote attributed to Mark Zuckerberg yesterday: But guess what? Nobody wants to make lists. A bit out of context, but Zuckerberg was expanding on the best way to share things with a network of people. He’s absolutely right about lists. They are simultaneously the right way to share and too cumbersome to… Read More

The guys at Pythian, specifically Alex Gorbachev (@alexgorbachev) will be continuing the grand tradition of hosting a blogger meetup at OpenWorld this year. This meetup is a must attend because it’s the best opportunity all year long to meet your favorite Oracle bloggers and tweeters IRL and put a face with a digital identity. Oh,… Read More

I love a good meme, not sure why, but I think it’s because of that moment when you can work a meme into everyday life. Awesome feeling, at least for me, but then again, I’m a giant dork. Memes, of the internets variety, are a lot like geek speak, and I’m pondering the idea of… Read More

The latest Firefox 4 beta build (beta 4) includes the Tab Candy feature, which has been named Panorama. Firefox Panorama: Tab Candy Evolved « Aza on Design I’m running this version on Ubuntu, but not as my primary browser. Panorama looks cool, and tab organization is a nice to have feature, albeit probably a power… Read More

Luckily, I haven’t had to be this clever, but the bar has definitely been raised. Found this via Gizmodo, seen in the wild on Hermosa Beach in Southern California. Of course, haters gonna hate, as the commenters prove, e.g. no opening tag, old picture. It does look like the opening tag might be on top… Read More

Friend of the ‘Lab, Tim Hall (@oraclebase) posted a quick note over the weekend that caught my eye. More PC support… | The ORACLE-BASE Blog For me, the interesting part part is his question: “How are normal folk meant to cope with this?” This isn’t rhetorical either. It’s a serious issue with technology. Most of us… Read More

If you’re attending OpenWorld (@oracleopenworld) in September, you’re probably starting to plan your schedule. Trust me, this isn’t something you want to leave for the plane ride or the first day. This year, OpenWorld, Develop and JavaOne are all happening at once, September 19-23, and sheer volume of content is enormous. With all that good… Read More

Not sure how the city can trace bloggers who should pay this, but assuming they have that magic figured out, does it make sense to charge bloggers a fee at all? Philadelphia Bloggers’ License – $300 Fee | Geekosystem The economics of this are quirky. The cost of identifying and notifying bloggers has to outweigh… Read More

This was inevitable, and I think “grows” is a bit out-of-context. The feature launched last week so any growth measurement is premature. Discontent Grows With Facebook Places’ Ability To Tag Without Users’ Express Permission I did notice a few people in my News Feed were using Places, and frankly, I was a bit surprised with… Read More

Continuing a Friday tradition, today I’m sharing a couple web design blog that you’ll find useful, Smashing Magazine and 1stwebdesigner. Smashing Magazine (@smashingmag) First suggested to me by Rich (@rmanalan), Smashing has tons of resources for web designers/developers, ranging from operational stuff like how to work with clients to free-to-use fonts and icon packs to… Read More

Had an interesting epiphany today. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about documenting my life because I’ll soon be a father. As I’ve gotten older, my memory and now, it seems more important (urgent even) to document it somehow in case my kid ever wants to see what a really dull man I am. A… Read More