Author: Benny Ling

  • University publishes 15 words we <3 to hate for 2009

    Just in time for the new year, Lake Superior State University has delivered on its decades-old tradition of publishing a “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness.” The annual, jocular list began in 1976, with words and phrases like “meaningful” (which lost all of its meaningfulness at the time) and “call for resignation” as a publicity stunt to promote the university’s existence. Since then it has grown into a crowdsourced list of the latest clichés to have been birthed from pop culture, and even text speech made this list of words we “<3” to hate for 2009.

    via University publishes 15 words we <3 to hate for 2009.

    Some examples:

    go green
    carbon footprint
    maverick
    game changer
    iconic
    wall street
    main street

    As usual, hit up the read link for more. I’m actually surprised that rick roll isn’t on that list…

  • iPhone 3G unlock – yellowsn0w is out!

    As reported in the Dev Team IRC channel, Vodafone works. 3 works. (now just need Telstra + Optus/Virgin to be tested) 🙂

    via iPhone 3G unlock – yellowsn0w is out! – MacTalk Forums.

    See original source here.

    AFAIK – all Australian telcos who support the iPhone work. This includes Telstra, Optus/Virgin, Vodafone, and 3.

    I’m still deciding… Do I really need my iPhone AS A PHONE when I go overseas?

    It can function perfectly otherwise… Just needs Wi-Fi for data (which is admittedly scarce where I am going), but otherwise, it’s a small iPod.

  • Ask Engadget: Best current smartphone for under $200?

    It’s 2009, folks, so we figured we’d start it off with a bang (and about a gazillion comments in this post). George, a proud member of the USMC, is pondering what to do about a new smartphone, and given that your New Year’s resolution was undoubtedly to ditch your dumbphone in favor of a more sophisticated model, you’ll probably be interested as well.

    via Ask Engadget: Best current smartphone for under $200? – Engadget.

    Requirements? WiFi, camera (with flash if possible), touchscreen. Must be under $200 with 2-year contract.

    No consensus as yet – but the Nokia E71 has been volunteered.

    Semper Fi.

  • The finer points of finding free images

    Free—it’s my favourite* word. It’s probably the most popular word found in advertising to get you to buy something. But has free ever really meant free? The catch is usually that you have to buy something in order to get something else free. Or maybe you have to agree to give up your personal information, forever dooming you to junk mail, to get that free hotel stay in Vegas.

    via The finer points of finding free images | Creative Notes | Macworld.

    As a blogger, I’m constantly on the look out for free images that I can use in posts, to show other people, or just cause they’re free.

    Sure, places like iStockPhoto.com are great – but really, it’s the internet. You can probably find most of those images for free somewhere else anyway.

    For those of you after icons (for programs, etc) look no further than ICONLook (again, pun fully intended).

    * edited to prevent Australian spelling shenanigans. Damn US blogs… 😛

  • New Year’s (Apple) wishes from the Infinite Loop staff

    Chris Foresman:

    […]

    And Apple, please just make a smaller version of the Mac Pro—no need to call it xMac. I’m guessing two HD bays, an optical drive, a Core2 Duo, a couple PCI slots, and a respectable graphics card ought to do. Put it in a mini-Mac Pro tower case, and sell it for less than a thousand dollars. This last wish comes not out of any particular need for myself, but just so I can stop hearing about it in comments on Every. Single. IL. Post.”

    via New Year’s (Apple) wishes from the Infinite Loop staff.

    AHAHAHAHA.

    Gold.

    C’mon, Apple. Make it happen already. I’d buy one in a heartbeat.

  • Cleaning Up the Top 10 Myths About Germs

    As you take steps to avoid the germs and viruses that proliferate as winter progresses, you’ve no doubt received a good share of advice on how to avoid catching whatever’s going around.

    ABCNews OnCall+ spoke with experts about some of the popular myths about germs that tend to spread as fast as the bacteria themselves this time of year.

    Is a dog’s mouth cleaner than a person’s? How unsafe are public toilet seats? Some of these questions lack hard data, and the study findings sometimes conflict.

    So before taking advice from your friends, you might want to check their wisdom about our microbe neighbors.

    via Cleaning Up the Top 10 Myths About Germs.

    Some good tips here:

    Sponges typically DO NOT help keep your kitchen cleaner, they just spread germs around.

    Plastic cutting boards ARE more sanitary than wooden ones.

    Antibacterial soap DOES NOT keep your hands cleaner than regular soap.

    And finally, they blowing air from a hand drier DO NOT spread germs.

    There, you can finally sleep peacfully tonight.

    There are more on that website, so check them out.

Benny Ling's Bling

Computers are like a bicycle for our minds.