We have a logo!

We have a winning logo! Congratulations to Jordan who designed this brilliant logo!

Logo 1

Tuesday 29 December 2009

Video: Noticeable Changes Between Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope and Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala

Hi!

Although I haven't posted for a while, I've been busy creating this video for you!

On the 29th October 2009 (although it was a while ago, it's still relevant as lots of people are still using the previous version), Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala was released. Despite the fact that most people have upgraded to this new version, there is still support for 9.04 until April 2010.




The first of these features is that all of the Ubuntu predecessors had Ubuntu Add/Remove programs, the main GUI (Graphical User Interface) to add or remove programs on the Ubuntu system. This has been replaced in this version and in all of the versions to come with Ubuntu Software Centre, and the interface for this has also been revamped.

Another of the changes is that a user's home folder has now got thumbnails on the folders that are created upon user creation.

As with the latest version of Windows, Windows 7, a load of new wallpapers have been introduced to the new version of Ubuntu.

Unfortunately, unlike the previous versions of Ubuntu, the login screen customising has gone. You can no longer change the background and positioning of the boxes of your login screen. There may be a patch/hack for this, and, if that is the case, do let me know :)

I told you I'd get 5 videos out before the end of the decade, and that was the fifth! This has, in just over a year, taken the total of my videos up to 20! 5 videos from 14th November to 29th December!

If I don't see you before the end of the decade,
Happy New Year and End of Decade! See you in decade 2 of 2000!

Ratscallion


For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion


Saturday 19 December 2009

Video: BBC iPlayer Downloading and Features Walkthrough BBC iPlayer Desktop

Hello!

It may have been a while, but we're here nonetheless!

The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) has a TV on Demand service: BBC iPlayer. Not only does the service allow you to stream video that is online and has been broadcast on the television or radio in the past 7 days, but it also allows you to download this programme. The service also has a feature that not many people are aware of: Downloading.

Underneath the Flash part of the page where the TV (radio programmes do not yet have this feature) programme is streaming, there is a download button. This button will launch, if not yet installed, BBC iPlayer Desktop. If the software is not installed, it will take you to the BBC iPlayer Desktop download page.


BBC iPlayer Desktop is an Adobe AIR application, and will, therefore, work on any Operating System: Windows, Mac or Linux. However if you have many computers – or one computer with multiple operating systems installed on it – there is no way of syncing this, or watching them from those other Operating Systems as yet. You may be able to try and change the repository setting, but I’ve not tried that way, yet.

Once the programme has downloaded, no matter how you downloaded it (see below), it’ll expire and become un-watchable after 30 days since the download has completed. Also, once you’ve watched the programme (actually once you’ve started playing it, even if only a second or two) you’ve got 7 days to finish watching it and then it will expire.

If you haven’t got BBC iPlayer Desktop (or have, and you don’t want to use it for a certain programme) you can click the ‘More Downloads’ button underneath the simple ‘Download’ button, you can download it in other formats. This feature is only available in certain programmes, though it is slowly becoming standard, like the ‘Download’ button.
This ‘More downloads’ button allows you to download the programme in a different format than the one that BBC iPlayer Desktop downloads it in, as this cannot be opened in any other application. This button allows you to download the programme in a Windows Media Player format so that you can watch it in that instead of BBC iPlayer Desktop.

In Other News: As promised, I'm going go try and get another video done before the end of the decade, which should be really good. And maybe a Christmassy one, but how I'm going to top last year's one, I don't know! :P

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Sunday 22 November 2009

Video: Happy 1st birthday, Ratscallion's Hints!

Happy Birthday, Ratscallion's hints!



It's been a whole year since the first post was made on this blog, and around that since the first video was uploaded to the YouTube Channel. To celebrate, I made a video, a birthday video.

Happy Birthday, Ratscallion's Hints (the video's above).

Also, conveniently timed, I set a competition for a logo for this blog, and, here it is, the winning logo:

Logo 1. Brilliantly designed by Jordan, it has all the things that were needed in the criteria, the text, the avatar and the windows/Ubuntu logos. Brilliant I say! And it's the perfect dimensions!

The logo's going to stay in the widget thingy at the top of the blog for a few weeks, then it'll move to the side.

In Other News: We've got at least 2 videos left before the end of the decade, and I think I've decided on what they're going to be. Like this one was, it's going to be photo/screenshot + narration based, but also VERY informative.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Saturday 21 November 2009

Video: How to use an Ubuntu Live CD

Woo! In this video, I show you how to use and set up your computer to be able to use an Ubuntu Live CD:



Once you've got your Live CD, boot up your computer and put it in the tray. Shut down your machine, and then boot again with it in the tray (or drive if you don't have a tray like a Mac). If it doesn't boot, you've got 2 options: Enter and configurate your BIOS to boot from CD first, then the Hard Drive (shown in the video), or press F12 (only if your BIOS supports it), and select the "boot from CD/DVD" option.

Now you've booted. Select the language that you want to use in the Live CD, this can be changed both in the Live CD and when you install the system. Unless you want to go for the straight install, you're going to want the "Try Ubuntu with no change to your computer" option. Select it with the arrow keys and press enter.

The Live CD will now load, and it'll take quite a while to boot, though it'll be way quicker if you install the system, as it's running from the CD.

Once it's finished loading, you'll be logged in as the "Live CD User" automatically, and then you can begin playing around with the system and seeing if it all works with your hardware. If you've got any problems with hardware (the most common ones are graphics, sound and wi-fi) you can either ask me in the comments, or have a look in the Ubuntu Forums for answers.

In Other news: The birthday/logo video/post will be up later today. :-)

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Wednesday 18 November 2009

Many Apologies

Apologies in advance for what is about to be said:

Unfortunately, I've been on Linux today, and have not been able of doing it.. Hopefully, however, I should have it done by Saturday and, if it comes to that, we'll be getting TWO videos then!

Wow.. Two.

In Other News: Competition entry will come inside the birthday video post.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Tuesday 17 November 2009

Almost Birthday time!

Afternoon!

As you may have realised, there's no birthday video yet.. I still need to do that.. Should hopefully be doing that once I've done this report I need to do.. Eugh.

If it's not done, however, which may be the case, then I apologise in advance and it, along with the next instalment of Ubuntu Live CD will be put onto the channel on Saturday at the VERY LATEST.

Apologies for any inconvience caused.

In other news: We have a logo! Just check the poll at the top of the blog for the winning logo, I'll be doing a dedicated post for it in the Birthday Post!

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Saturday 14 November 2009

Video: Ubuntu Live CD Unboxing

Although a little later than I wanted it to be, this video is here and you can watch it below.

It, like some of the other videos, have a HD button on the embedded player, though this is just due to the dimensions of the intro (and the fact I set it this way :P). Unfortunately, the camera I used was a stills one and isn't optimised for video. This explains both the rubbish audio (I should have post-edited that in.. :/) and the rubbish video... Ouch. So the main of it isn't HD, but the intro is, so you don't need to worry about pressing that button :P



There it is, and here's the details:

To get more information on Ubuntu and order the CD for yourself, just go to:
http://ubuntu.com

I think that this is one of the best things I've got in the post for AGES and enjoy using Ubuntu at all times. If you have any queries, just contact me by either using the comments, going to my Twitter and replying me or going to the contact page.

In Other News: This time next week we'll be seeing the next instalment of this series of videos. Remind me if I've not done it by Thursday!

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Tuesday 10 November 2009

5 Videos before the end of the decade!

I've got an announcement!

This announcement is as follows:
I have 5, yup, that's right, 5, videos coming up before the year ends. Which, seeing on the progress so far, it's been one video a month on average and there's around a month and a half until 2010.

I think I'll only tell you a portion of that list of 5 videos, the rest, however, will be left to be revealed at a later date.

The first three of those videos are as follows:
  1. Ubuntu 9.04 Live CD unboxing
  2. Ubuntu Live CD walkthrough (basically, how to use a Live CD)
  3. The two together. I'll do the two on their own, then one with the two combined.
That's all I'm saying... For now...

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Friday 30 October 2009

Ubuntu Karmic!

It's here! The much anticipated 9.10 release of Ubuntu has hit the Internet by storm. Ubuntu Karmic Koala is here.

It, as with all Ubuntu releases, contains the latest version of both the Linux Kernel and GNOME, the desktop environment used on the default Ubuntu release.

There are a few differences between this version of Ubuntu and its predecessors, though. The first of which is probably the Instant Messaging client. It is not, like in previous releases, the much loved Pidgin. It is, instead, Empathy. This may be a good thing for some people, but for many, it is not. Although Pidgin cannot meet up to the many features that other messaging clients offer, it is still a very good one, and Empathy, I must say (in my opinion), is not. You may like it, if you don't however, go into the Terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal) and type the following:

sudo apt-get install pidgin

That command installs pidgin on your system for you. Enjoy.

Another new feature is that of the login screen. I cannot find a way to change the login screen as seen in the other versions. In this version, it's a simple dialog, and I cannot find a way to use new or existing login themes with it, even once it's unlocked. If you do know, let me know in the comments, share your info :)

Now, the next new feature is quite possibly something that Canonical (the people that make Ubuntu) put in to compete with Windows 7 and OS X Snow Leopard, who, if you remember, were all launched recently. This feature is not really a feature, but more an improvement. It is wallpapers. As you may or may not know, Windows 7 came with LOADS of wallpapers that were all really good and artistic. Snow Leopard may have had a similar improvement. Ubuntu isn't one to go with the trends, but it's still gone and done it. There's about a dozen (possibly more) pre-included wallpapers which makes a change from the less-than-4 that have been seen in other versions.

There's a ton of other features which I'll hopefully be looking at in a video soon. I'll be taking some screenshots of 9.04 (which I'm still using) and then comparing them with 9.10 which I'll hopefully upgrade to this afternoon.

To upgrade your Ubuntu version, go to System -> Administration -> Update Manager. At the top you should see a bar similar to the one you see below...

Update Manager Screenshot

Just click update and then it'll connect to the update server, download the iso (could be some time as the servers are completely full with the amount of people getting on and downloading) and then it will install on your computer. It'll then install this new update, keeping all your applications and documents etc. However, it is a good idea to backup just in case.

If you haven't got Ubuntu currently installed, use the usual instalation method which is detailed on the website

If you're downloading, remember to use Bittorrent as this keeps the loads off the Ubuntu servers for those upgrading.

That's some of Ubuntu Karmic's new features.

In Other news: The poll is still open for the logo competition. See the previous post for details and use the poll at the top of the blog.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Thursday 22 October 2009

A Wave and Competition Update

Hi!
Those of you on Google wave (and have been on it recently) will know that there's now a green dot on at least your own avatars.
Well, it used to be on the Dev Preview Sandbox thingy, but it was removed from a bug, but, according to Lars Rasmussen (creator of Wave, yes I had a conversation with him) said (quoting from a Wave):

"Folks, we turned back presence today, but there is still an issue to be ironed out I'm afraid. We originally turned it off because we accidentally were leaking presence to people merely in your "suggested contacts" because you had mailed with them once in a blue moon. Now we only show you presence of a user if that user has you in their "my contacts" group. Unfortunately, we have mistakenly been putting users you add to your contacts from within wave in the "all contacts" group so some presence will still be missing. We are working hard to fix it!

Happy waving..."


Meaning, hopefully, it'll be all sorted soon, so it'll be back like it was in the Sandbox!

If you want to see that Wave, you can just go here

In Other News: I've got an update for the competition for ya! As I mentioned in my previous post, we have 3 logos to vote for. You can either go to this Wave (opens Wave in a new window again, as before), or vote on the poll at the top of the blog. We're keeping the poll and voting open until 10th November 2009, giving me enough time to be able to get it sorted and whatnot (got some surprises in store) for the Blog's 1st Birthday. So get voting. On the closing date, the total votes from all the places will be totalled up and then we will have a winner. If there's a draw, the one with the next vote gets the win.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Saturday 17 October 2009

I'm back!

Oh hi there!

I've returned to the Interwebs, with 10 meg fibre optic broadband.. Just thought I'd say I'm back and pretty much online on everything. This same post is being rippled through to all my blogs, so don't worry if you see a re-post on something!

In Other News: I May be getting an external hard drive this afternoon.. If so, I'll be posting about it.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Monday 12 October 2009

Next two Videos

First of all, as you may have realised, the embedded Wave in the last post didn't really go as planned.. I'm still looking into and playing with the Google Wave Embed APIs as much as I can to try and get it working, as soon as I do, I'll make a post with one in. If you've not a Wave account, you get, instead, an iFrame of the Google Accounts log-in page.

Right then, on with the main post. I've got the next two of my videos sorted and planned out. Firstly, there's the Ubuntu unboxing one I discussed previously, which will likely be split into a two-parter. I'll be shooting this on the 19th, though the narration for it (which may have to be done separately, may be done at another point). Then, we'll be revisiting DropBox. Now, it has an iPod Touch/iPhone app which I do think is amazing. Therefore, I'll be looking at that, and covering it along with it working with the desktop app.

Just a brief post to keep you updated, oh, and if you missed the first DropBox video, it's embedded below. By the way, here's some pointless trivia and a bit of a "did-you-know" for you: that DropBox video was my first video in HD!

Here it is:



In Other News: I'll be offline for most of Saturday morning, we're getting new Internet and while it's being installed I'll be completely disconnected. To fill the time, I'll be doing a load of C++ and podcast catching upping.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Wednesday 7 October 2009

Let's try something...

So, like I said in my last post, Wave is now open to lots of people. Which is why I'm going to try something.

Google has some Embed APIs for Wave, which I'm playing around with, and I thought I could try something. Anyone who has Wave, feel free to play around with what I'm going to do, anyone who doesn't, use the official comments, or the Contact Page to comment.

So, here it is, there's a Wave embedded in this entry, and, if all goes well, I'm going to use it for comments on the posts. Seeing as the Wave will be made public (so that you don't need to be added to it to be able to see and/or post to it), it'll be accessible from within Wave itself, by simply searching for "with:public", so I'll be posting a link to the post inside it.

In other news: Don't think I've forgotten about the video and/or competition.. I'm going to be doing a judging competition for the logo soon, and we'll get a new logo in time for the blog's first birthday!

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion




Wednesday 30 September 2009

Google Wave and a delivery!

Hi!

I lie... Google Wave didn't really open its doors today, just to 100 thousand more people... There's simply a new redesigned wave.google.com which looks rather fancy.

As you may know, I'm on the Wave Sandbox at the moment, and am currently waiting to be migrated to the new service, the 100k one. However, as many people have said, they haven't yet got their invite, only a select few, and, as Mashable stated, there's still thousands that have not yet got the invite. Once I get migrated, I get around 5-10 invitations to invite other people to Wave. The aforementioned statement is one of the reasons why I am not using my invites yet, the other is that I'm not migrated :P.

I got a special delivery today... Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope Official CD from Canonical! Ordered it a few weeks ago, came far earlier than expected! You may think that it's pointless getting Jaunty, as Karmic (the next version, which I will also order) is coming soon. However, that was the reason I did so! I have the 8.10 version (the previous version) and I thought I might as well get this one to make sure I've got them! I should be getting a broadband switch the Saturday before Karmic comes out (from 0.9 to 10 megabits per second) so I'll also download it.
Yes, there is a reason I included that in this post: It's my next video! I'm doing a very geeky thing and doing an unboxing for this. It may not be a gadget as such, but it's tech and geek based so it's allowed :P. Yup, next video will be of me unwrapping the Ubuntu Jaunty disc. You'll also see me doing my first run of it (basically putting it in and booting from it). Though there will be two: Simply that of the unboxing, and that of the unboxing and putting in. There may be a third, of just the putting in, but I'll have to think about that one.
Yes, I have NOT unwrapped the disc yet, I made a tiny tear in the paper just before I decided I was going to do an unboxing, it's only about an inch long (2-3cms) so it doesn't make much difference.

In Other News: There may also be a video going up about Google Wave soon (one of my own, as opposed to the one I planned, but decided not to, earlier this year of a clipping of the IO Keynote) and a brief overview of some of the features that are now enabled.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion


Monday 28 September 2009

Competition comes to a close

The competition I opened last month for logo entries for this blog has come to an end.

I will now be going through the process of choosing one of the logos that will feature on this marvelous blog, flickr, etc.

However, if this is the first you've heard, I will allow more entries as long as they arrive BEFORE I announce the winner.

Watch this space!

In other news: Google Wave opens its doors in just two days! Wednesday 30th September.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Thursday 24 September 2009

Google Wave comes next Wednesday

Hello!

First of all, I'm sorry for not posting for a while, I've been busy with Web Development stuff and haven't had the time.

However, big news now for anyone who even slightly likes Google Wave.
Google Wave is making it's big Public Beta launch on Wednesday the 30th September 2009, get that date in your diaries. I do advise, however, that unless you have an amazing Internet connection (that's me out) that you do not go on to Wave until at least a few days afterwards as the servers will be packed and therefore very slow. I mean, it was slow and sluggish on the Sandbox build (which I happen to be on) and it will no doubt be worse than that for a good few days after the launch.

If you want a look at Wave before launch, go to wave.google.com and watch the I/O video which showcases all the features.

In Other news: There's going to be something big coming soon... Watch this space. And I'll be trying to post more while I get it sorted.


For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Apple September 9th Event: It's Only Rock and Roll (but we like it)

Today is the day of the very anticipated Apple September 9th event and I've been following the keynote since it started (6PM GMT) and this post is going to be covering most of the things announced in the keynote which I am following here.
First of all, OS 3.1. OS 3.1 is the new update for the iPhone and iPod Touch, the main new feature (that has been covered so far) is that there are now App Genius. The same as Genius for the music, but now for Apps. Genius recommends new apps based on the ones you already own! Genius!

Next, iTunes 9. it is officially live NOW and, I think, you can download it now too! Here's a breif run down of new features:

  • Genius mixes. Basically, iTunes DJ crossed with Genius.
  • Improved syncing! App management in iTunes! You see the homescreen and everything!
  • Home sharing with shared libraries. Copy songs from computer to computer up to 5 times!
  • iTunes store reonnovation!
  • iTunes store now has LPs!
As Jobs himself says (did I forget to say STEVE bley JOBS is doing the keynote???!!! Well, he is.) these are just a few of the new features in iTunes 9.

Straight after this happened in the usual Apple fashion, image with bullets to the side, Jeff Robins pops on stage to demo iTunes 9 by starting with App Organisation and connecting his iPod Touch.

So, you can select multiple apps at once, and move them, just click and drag. You can even reorder the pages! Then, in the usual way, click Apply and it's done.

Robbins then demos the Homesharing part of it all, which is really quite self-explanatory so I won't really cover that too much, just that it requires lots and lots of passwords! Now this is neat: The ability to sync purchases. Loving it!

iTunes Store re-design:
  • Nav bar at the top, no more going back to home, and each category has its own sub menu and within that are genres for each category
  • Click an album, and you get a pop-up with all the tracks
  • Share information to Facebook! (the first of many social features)
  • Another look at iTunes LPs comes now...
  • Each page in the LPs have a custom theme, same principle to that in Tap Tap
iTunes extras:
  • Movies have a DVD/BluRay extra features
The iTunes 9 demo concludes as STEVE bley JOBS returns to the stage. iTunes 9 is available NOW says JOBS as Phil Schiller takes the stage. You may remember him from the recent conference when he covered for Jobs.

Moving onto iPods:
  • 225 million units sold!
  • 73% of market share, as opposed to Zune's 1.1%
  • Not surprisingly, the iPod Touch is the most sold
  • 20 million of those alone sold
  • Phil begins comparing the iPod to other gaming devices, the PSP and DS, I honestly don't care here... :P
  • And then, there's a demo of iPod games, which is going on a bit...
  • When it finally ends, Phil Schiller returns to talk about the fact that the iPod Touch is the cheapest way to the App Store
  • We now have a 64GB iPod Touch, which is 50% faster!
  • They've also added OpenGL|ES to the 64GB version
  • And there's a new ad for the new iPod Touches, which they show off now (that's your cue Apple :P)
  • They're also changing the iPod Classic to 160GB as opposed to 120GB
  • New Shuffle colours! Black, pink, silver, green and blue
  • Plus, a special edition stainless steel version in black for an upped price
  • The rumours are true! Video cameras have arrived!
  • The iPod Nano: Video camera, speaker and mic, all built in!
  • And, iPod Nano gets Genius!
  • Not only that, FM Radio, Voice Recorder and Pedometer (works with Nike + by the way), all built in.
  • And here comes the NEW iPod Nano ad which shows of Video a lot...!
  • Norah Jones comes on stage to play her new set...
Just a small update here, with the Apple Store back up now, there doesn't seem to be any cameras on the new iPod Touch, however there is a Remote in the 16+GB versions along with a mic, but not in the 8GB.

After the iPod part, STEVE bley JOBS ended the keynote and sent everyone packing... No show of the rumoured tablet, and not even a camera on the iPod Touch, just the Nano.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion


Saturday 5 September 2009

Video: A look at Audacity and some of its features

Here's a quick video I decided to make about Audacity.



Audacity, as it says in the video description and the official website, is a free, cross-platform (meaning it will run on Windows, Mac and Linux) audio editor.

Want to download it? Go here.

This video is simply a brief overview of the installation of Audacity and some of its basic features, NOT one to show every single feature available.

This is one of the main reasons I advise you to play around with Audacity as much as you like to see some of the more advanced features (as well as these ones) for yourself on your own audio. With this approach, you will quickly see why this is such a brilliant tool to use.

In other news: You may have noticed that this video looks slightly rushed.. That's because it is. I hadn't got a clue what to do it on! If you've got any requests, I'm always open to them! Let me know in the comments or drop me an email by simply clicking here.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Monday 31 August 2009

Snow Leopard not come yet? What a shame!

Going in for a bit of a rant now, well, more of an argument but oh well.

People keep complaining to me (I don't know why, but still) on Twitter, MSN, the like that their order of Snow Leopard, the latest instalment of the Mac OS X Operating System that they pre-ordered hasn't arrived yet.. What a shame. I love Mac, I'll say that right now: It's reliable, looks good and makes you look like someone with a job beginning with executive.

I'm not going in for one of those Mac Vs PC, Mac Vs Linux, or even Mac Vs Pc Vs Linux arguments but I'll just say that on that day in October when Windows 7 comes out, the same thing will happen again. People in certain areas will be getting it before others, like now with Snow Leopard.

However, that day in October when Ubuntu Karmic Koala 9.10 comes out, I'll just log onto the Ubuntu website and hit the download button. No waiting for it to arrive in my country, no pre-ordering. No paying. Hit download, wait a few hours, done.

And the install, once I've downloaded, will be quicker than Mac OS X Snow Leopard too, 15 minutes. Up to 45. No more. Boot time? They're getting it down to less than 45 seconds from off to desktop, including time to enter user credentials. Beat that Mac and Windows!

Just a little rant I wanted to get off my chest.

In other news: I'm now on DeviantArt and Digg! My Digg is here and DeviantArt is respectively here.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Sunday 23 August 2009

Competition Update

Hello!

Already, after just 3 days of announcing the competition for the logo for the site I've already had two submissions and been told another is on its way in the coming weeks. Wow.

Anyhow, heres a small addition to the competition that you can use:

If you want to, you can use an animation making program to make an animation that is for the site. It still has to meet with all the criteria listed
here though it's animated.

It
needs to be exported as an animated gif so that people without Flash (or the latest version) installed and those on unsupported browsers, platforms and Operating Systems (like the iPhone, Chrome for Linux etc) can still view it. It must also be less than a minute in length so it's not too lengthy and for at least half of it, it must include the words "Ratscallion hints".

As mentioned in the
Terms and Conditions it must include my avatar (found here), the Ubuntu logo (text or without, I don't mind) and the Windows logo (XP or later, again, with or without text).

As I mentioned earlier, it must be no bigger than 300x50pixels and preferably, no smaller, but it can be if you want it to be.

If you don't know how to export your .fla/.swf file in Adobe Flash (I'm using CS4, but it may work in other versions), I'll tell you how now. This is the final part of the post, so if you know how, you might as well skip down to the Other News bit..

So, once you've got your fla file open (must be fla, not swf) you go into the file menu, then on the export menu that's about 1/2-3/4 of the way down the file menu and then you want the Export Movie option (or you can just press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S, not sure on a Mac however, if anyone knows, feel free to let me know). Once you're in the new dialogue, click the Save as Type drop down and select Animated Gif. You can change the file name if you like... Then just hit the Save button and you're done! Well, you get a new dialogue. Most of the time you can skip this, but, if you're doing it for this competition, you'll need to change the dimensions to 300x50 pixels but Flash can't do this as it has to keep the same aspect ratio, so do this at the
start of the creation of the animation as a whole. Feel free to change the repetitions to as many as you like, though I'd prefer 0, but it's your choice. Once you've clicked Ok there, then you'll get a loading bar and it's done!

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Wednesday 19 August 2009

Back and a YouTube announcement (plus a small surprise)

Long time (ish) no see!

Came back from Devon at the weekend and as soon as I got back I had an enourmous amount of admin to do (photos of which will be up shortly).

When I moved onto my YouTube subscriptions, I discovered something new: there was a 'link' on the actual video. Now usually this is only on embedded videos which will link you to the official YouTube page of it, though this was different, it was on the main page.

I went to click and found that it now pauses it, with a fancy animation (really fancy). Try it yourself! It's simply a zooming in of the new status of the video, paused or playing, with the same icon as is on the pause/play button.

Gets quite addictive pausing and resuming videos when you first discover it.

As for the surprise that I mentioned in the title. It's more of a competition than a surprise really, but anyway, it still stands. Any of you into graphics design? Well, I need a logo for the site and instead of doing it myself, I'd like my readers to do it. You have just over one month (requests for longer are allowed, and I can extend it if you wish) to make me a logo which is no more (and hopefully no less) and 300x50 pixels. It must include the following:
  • The text "Ratscallion hints" in any font or size you wish, but it must be readable easily
  • The Windows icon (any one you wish that is recent, ie, nothing that is pre-Windows XP)
  • The Ubuntu icon (this can be with or without the text, I don't mind)
  • My YouTube account avatar (found on Flickr here)
The closing date for this is September 28th and you can get your submissions to me in many ways:
  • Submit them to a photo sharing site (Flickr, Twitpic, etc) and paste the link to a photo in either a comment or email (or Tweet it to me, I'm @samozzy)
  • Send it to me as an email. Just send it to my Google Mail account as either an attachment or within the email. Click here to make an email addressed to me.
As I said, you can use any of the aforementioned methods to send your submissions or questions (including lengthening the competition time).

I will slowly but surely wittle down the submissions (though all will be featured on my Flickr and on here) until I have one that is my favourite. This will be featured on anything I can including my YouTube, advertisements on other sites etc.

In other news: I'm dropping the Google Wave video. As I found out, there is already a shortened version of the keynote on YouTube which I will embed into the next post.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion



For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Thursday 6 August 2009

Holiday!

Hi!

Just a quick announcement post here just to say that I'm going on holiday this weekend for one week and therefore will not be posting anything until a few days after I return.

Don't worry though! I have plenty planned for when I get back, reviews, tips and some videos all in store... Really, I have, I'm not making this up just to keep you interested :P

Anyhoo, I'll be coming back on the 15th, but will probably be relaxing that night, so the next post should be on the 16th. There may be a couple of more posts but I don't think so.

That's it for now then... No buttons on this post as it isn't worth it as much as the other posts are.


For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Saturday 1 August 2009

Google Wave!

Hello!
Ever since Google Wave was announced, I applied for a sandbox account..
I got my Sandbox invite on Wednesday and sent off the link and received my account details on Thursday. I was like, omg, why me, but still, it's wave, no complaints!

When you first log in, you're prompted to change your password to something other than the one Google gives you. Not only do you get your sandbox account, but you also get a test account (which I let a friend into) for the collaboration parts.

Already, I'm loving Wave and have been playing with some of the Robots, things that can help you with Waves. One of the more famous robots is Rosey, the translator and Bloggy, which embeds a Wave into a blog or web page. At the moment, however, Bloggy creates a sample blog on the appspot domain because Wave is not yet released to the public.

My main concern, however, is the Embed API which is basically a manual version of Bloggy. I've been having a play with it and trying to get it to embed into my other blog (here) though, as yet, I haven't been able to implement it. Even if you're not on the Sandbox, you can see if a Wave is embedded by the fact there's something in the box. If you're on the sandbox, you get to see the Wave itself - and add to it if you're a participant or if it's a public wave - and if you're not, you get a messsage saying you're not on the sandbox. At the moment, however, there is nothing (or what looks like nothing) there at all.

As for Wave itself, I've been loving it!

More updates to come as I get further into discovering Wave and its many features!

Sorry about the lack of posts, I've been playing around with Wave and its APIs. I should be embedding a Wave here soon enough!

Also, if you want to add me on the Wave Sandbox, feel free to do so!
I am samozzy@wavesandbox.com

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Monday 27 July 2009

Video: Sync calendars with iPod

Hello! Very brief video here, it's just a small tip, and, I thought, as I hadn't done one for some time yet, I'd do one now. So, here it is, a small tip, it may be small, but it's still something not many people no how to do. In iTunes, if you want to sync calendars, you must have a certain software installed, it's different in the Mac and Windows versions. Most people just think, right, I haven't got this software, I can't put my calendars on. In fact, you can! Just follow the steps in the video below:


So, to be able to do this, you'll need a few things:

  • An iPod (I don't think the iTouch or iPhone work... Though I'm sure the Nano does...)
  • iTunes (if you don't have it, get it here
  • A calendar in .ical format (post on how to do this coming soon)
Assuming you have all the aforementioned items, we can continue. Hook up your iPod to the computer either via a docking station or the USB cable. iTunes should recognise it's plugged in, so go on and sync your music stuffs to it if you want. Ok, that done, go into the iPod Summary page, and make sure the box next to "Enable disk use" is checked. Apply the changes, and head over to Computer. Find the disk that is your iPod and go into it. There should be a folder called "Calendars". Then, open a new File Browser window or Tab (tabbed file browsing in Linux is the best ever!) and browse to where your calendars are located. Copy whichever calendars you want (like me, you may have more than one) to the Calendars folder. Remember, in most iPods you can choose what calendars to view when you go into Calendars, or view all of them, so you could categorise them.

Done that? Go back into iTunes, disable disk use (you don't have to, but you can if you want to), sync up, and eject your iPod. Your calendars should be synced.

I'm getting an iPod Touch in the coming weeks, so there'll be both a review on that, and an update to say if I can do this on there.

In other news: Not much happening at the moment, few posts about some software, maybe a couple of videos? Not quite sure as yet. However, I do have a Tumblr now. Go to it here.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Sunday 26 July 2009

Oops and Ahh!

Hello!

Just to tell you now, I got my dates mixed up for August’s holiday, I’m actually leaving a week later than I first thought, meaning the Tip of the Month will be up August 1st at some point. I’m not sure when as yet, as my wi-fi card has been playing up today and I’m not sure if it will stay this way!

Also, I have some VERY bad news: The Google Wave highlights video editing seem to have been misplaced… Actually, deleted. Yeah, I had a few problems with Ubuntu in Wubi (root and boot.disk disappeared to be precise) so I did a quick and easy reinstall like I explained in my previous post and video (it’s just below, so you don’t need a link :P). Anyhoo, after the install, I decided to set up my bookmarks and saw this blog… All that time… For nothing. I was almost half way through as well!

Then, I remembered, I luckily copied the *.kdenlive file into the same folder as the actual mp4 (Google IO.mp4) on my Windows partition (/host in Wubi). Phew!

So, now, all I have to do is reinstall the video editing software I used (Kdenlive in this instance) and can carry on with the editing. Excellent!

I think that’s a lesson for all of us here: back up your data. You never know what’s going to happen to it and when. In this particular instance, if I hadn’t backed up, there was no way (I don’t think, I mean, I could have gone down to a root prompt in the recovery Kernel and copied it, but, really, I don’t think that will be the option in many cases) I could have restored or gotten to the file. Think about it, your hard drive (or at least, a partition of it) is inaccessible and contains important file(s). Tough luck there trying to get it back. With Wubi especially, even with a Linux Live CD, you can’t access the Wubi stuff. It can only be accessed within Wubi.

So, that’s it for now,

Yours,

Ratscallion


Thursday 23 July 2009

Video: Install Ubuntu Within Windows With Wubi

Hi! Here comes the unveiling of the surprise video that I have not yet told you the name of. (Cue dramatic music to build tension)... Install Ubuntu With Wubi!

Since I started this blog, I've been hoping to do some videos in Ubuntu, and this is the first. Apologies in advance for the awful sound quality, I had to record it post-filming. Not only that, but the video quality for the filming of the Ubuntu parts is not the best either. Despite that, you can get the information that you do need from the video and I'm always getting emails when you post comments (on the video and the blog), so I will be there to answer them!

Anyhoo, after this breif explanation, here's the video you've all been waiting for. Enjoy! :



To get Ubuntu installed via Wubi, you'll need to download a few things. First of all, you'll need the Wubi executable. It works with all versions of Windows from Windows 98 and upwards (excluding Windows ME). Go and grab it by going here.

While that's downloading, you can go and grab the Ubuntu ISO, or disk image, from The Ubuntu Website. Just click download and then choose the Ubuntu version and desktop environment that you want. The default version, Ubuntu, uses the GNOME desktop environment, whereas Kubuntu uses the KDE desktop environment. Xubuntu is ideal for old computers with less RAM and a smaller Hard Drive. Go to the official Xubuntu website for the complete system requirements. Xubuntu uses a toned down version of the GNOME desktop environment. Most of these ISOs - apart from Xubuntu- are around 700MB, with the Xubuntu one being a bit less.

Once both files have downloaded, put them in the same folder and launch the executable (Wubi). Choose your desktop environment (see previous paragraph), language, installation size (needs about 10GB to be comfortable, the minimum allowed is the minimum in the list) and a user name and password that you'll use to log in. Once all this is done, hit install. You'll be about 15 minutes as long as you have the ISO previously downloaded, otherwise, Wubi will download it for you, but not save it anywhere (I think, correct me if I'm wrong).

Once the install is complete, you'll be asked to reboot - you don't have to, but it is recommended that you do. Once you have decided to finally reboot, you get the choice of OS: Ubuntu and Windows. Windows will be selected as it is the default OS. Use the arrow keys to select Ubuntu and hit enter to boot to it. There'll be a video coming up showing how to edit the default OS and other options.

Ubuntu will act as if it's booting from the CD, so speed will be cut at this point. However, this does not reflect the speed for the actual OS once installation has completed. Anyway, the installation will continue as normal and you shouldn't be prompted to do anything. This part will last around half an hour - give or take a few minuets - so you can go and do other things while you wait. Once the whole thing is done (you don't need to watch every bit of the installation) it will reboot. Again, you'll need to select with the arrow keys to boot into Ubuntu. This time, it will be full speed as if you'd partitioned. Now, you'll be prompted for the User Name and password that you specified in Wubi.

After entering the User credentials, you are presented (in seconds, literally) with the Ubuntu desktop. It's really quite incredible seeing it for the first time, all clean and ready to be used. In the not too distant future I should be making more videos about Ubuntu and how to customize it.

In other news: As I mentioned in my previous post, the Tip of the month for August will be up in a few days prior to August as I'm going to Devon and may not have an Internet connection to be able to put the Tip up while I'm there.

In further news: Got plans for some smaller videos set up, though they are on Windows. However, one does work in any OS. Not saying anything as yet, though one was hinted about in the above article.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Tuesday 21 July 2009

An Update of All Sorts, and news.

Hello! First of all, there are going to be a few posts in the next few days, just because I can.

To start off with, I went into an Apple Store for the first time ever today! Here's a picture of what I saw upon entry:
[IMG]http://images.apple.com/uk/retail/images/store_photos/photo_miltonkeynes.jpg[/IMG]
Anyhoo, I went in there to firstly have a look to see if I could buy a plug for my iPod to charge it from mains, then see what I could get in the way of iTouch cases. Turns out, the iPlug (love the name? I made it myself!) was £25 a HUGE amount for a plug. Secondly, I moved on to the iCase and found they were even more! Going to end up ordering the case from Amazon, same case, half the price! Instead of getting a plug, I'll just plug my iPod into my Wii's USB Port. Works very well as a charger, can just put the Wii on standby. That's a tip for all of you! On both entering the store and going upstairs, I bumped into a few Geniuses (??). On the American programmes and films, you see the Geniuses as cheesy helpful typical Americans. In the UK, it's exactly the same. In fact, a few of those Geniuses were American as well!

Next, a small piece of news: There will be no action from me from July 31st through to August 8th, I'm going on holiday to Devon, a well deserved one I think. Nice week away. May do a reminder post on the 31st of July, the day I'm packing. Photos will probably end up on my Flickr.

As for video news: I'll be doing narration for the surprise video on Thursday, so a little more editing after that and it should be up a few days after. Probably at the weekend, so July 25th ish. As for the Google Wave Keynote highlights, I've been doing a lot on that recently. Still got a lot to do, so it may not be up until mid-August, maybe later. Also, I'll hopefully be doing a small tip video, around the length of Sound and Audio Device Enabling/Disabling (click to watch). However, I'm still not 100% sure on what it should be as yet... Will hopefully pop into my mind soon!

In other news: There's a lot of software I hope to be reviewing, some in the way of articles, others in the way of videos. Lots coming up and I'm really excited about it all!

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Tuesday 14 July 2009

Small video update

Hello! I'd just like to say a big thank you to everyone who read the last post. It was very lengthy and probably a struggle for a lot of people to read in one big gulp.

Anyhoo, this post is just a small update to tell you all how my videos at the moment are getting on. Firstly, the Google I/O Day 2, Google wave highlights. This video will almost definitely be a multi-parter as the main thing is over 90 minutes long, and I am going to struggle to get it into one 10 minute sitting. So yeah, probably a few parts. Also, I have finally found a video editor with MP4 support. It's in Linux and uses FFMPEG, YAY!

Finally, the surprise video. As far as I'm aware, I haven't actually said what it's going to be, and, until it's released, I probably won't. It's a really big risk for me, as I had to use my camera on a super reflective screen (yup...). Still, all of the filming and screen recording has been completed and edited with zooms and crops. All that's left now is to add the narration. I did it this way so that it all fitted in together, and will probably do it this way in the future too.

In Other news: There will be NO blog posts for the second week in August... I'm on a well deserved holiday down in Devon. Well, that's if (very likely) there's no Wi-Fi. I'll still probably take the laptop, going to watch some movies and can't be bothered to get a porto DVD player.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Saturday 11 July 2009

Google Update

Hello! Not updated you for some time now, and I'd just like to say, I've been very (well...) busy with... stuff. So, yeah... (bad excuse, I know). As for videos, I've recorded the video part of the next video. However, there was a little problem, I imported the video into Linux, and then copied the avis to the Windows partition, and now the folder I put the avis in is "Corrupt". Going to try and sort it out later along with narrating and editing it.

As for the Google I/O , Google Wave Highlights video, I still need either a converter for mp4 to something else, video clipping software with mp4 support (ideas?).

Google Wave, eh? Google's got another thing coming soon too: Chrome OS. Chrome OS is an Operating System that is being constructed as I type this, by Google. There have been many rumors going around the net that Google will construct and OS soon enough. Sometimes, though, they aren't even rumors, mainly just wishes. Still, it IS officially going to happen. Still doubtful? Google posted in their official blog (http://googleblog.blogspot.com) about the introduction of Chrome OS.

The idea behind it is that many people use the web for almost everything nowadays (just think, how often to you spend offline completely, compared with that of online and using online applications). Therefore, Google are simply going to base their new OS on the Internet. Not only that, but Google now have their own web browser (Google Chrome), so that will be the default browser for the OS. Also, as known and actively used by many, Google offers many different services that are slowly making us creep closer and closer to cloud computing. For example, there's no longer a need for any downloadable office software, we have Google Docs, need a program for RSS feeds? Google Reader's there. The list goes on and on, and on, and on (it really does).

Basically, Chrome OS is going to be aimed at netbooks and netbook users, whose main aim is to be constantly connected to the net and use it whenever possible. That's why Google have covered this point in their blog post:

"People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up. They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them. They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files."

The article then goes on to say:

"Even more importantly, they don't want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates."


Google also has some of the main suppliers of netbooks behind them as, already, Acer, HP, Lenovo and Asus, to name a few.

To put it in a nutshell: Google is going to make an OS that will be speedy and based on the Linux kernel (meaning it will probably be free). It will be based on the net using all of Google's applications (Reader, Docs etc) to function. It will be mostly aimed at netbooks, but that will only be to start with, it will no doubt end up on the Desktop. Google is also creating an entire new window management system from scratch.

I do suggest reading the aforementioned blog in full to be able to grasp everything that Google will be offering. However, I do have a few more things to say before you casually navigate off of this blog.

Firstly, it's quite easy to figure out what Google is going to be using for it's Instant Messaging: Google Wave. Of course, it's still in development, but Google say that Chrome OS will not be available until mid/late 2010, and Wave is supposed to be released " later this year," so there's plenty of time to wait for Wave.

Secondly, Google are going to have to put their heads together and work really hard on trying to sort this out. Think about it, you're using Chrome for pretty much everything, so if you click a launcher that's on the desktop for, say, office software, and you already have an instance of Chrome open, is it going to open a new instance (window), a new tab, or do nothing? At the moment, in the desktop environment of GNOME, it would say it's already open, because it's using the same program... Though Google, as I mentioned earlier, is making a new Desktop Environment, so that should hopefully sort out this problem.

Next, I'd just like to flatten the whole thing by saying one thing: Google is a company. A company's only purpose is to earn money, and, as previously discussed on the net, Google makes money by using 2 things: adverts and data. Data? Yes, data. It collects the usage data of the customers and then sells them to third-parties. For example, the Google Wave whitepapers state that the data will be kept on the servers, but not for how long. You'd assume that it would be until the data has been received by the recipient, but, no. It would conveniently get sold to the highest bidder. As are all our search queries. So, let me ask you, Google, how are you going to get our data this time, and, once you have it, what are you going to do with it. Both questions are relatively simple to answer. Firstly, there will probably be some sort of 'data collection service' that you can opt in and out of at your free will, we hope. Seeing as Chrome OS is going to be based on a Linux Kernel, we'd hope this, as Google will not - hopefully - be able to edit the kernel source code, and it would be included in the Terms of Service if there had been. This data collection would probably just be things like what you do on a day to day basis. Basically Wakoopa, but it sells the data and collects more than what software you use, but what you actually do and every character you type in the software.

Finally, I'd just like to say, thank you very much for taking your time and reading through this post. I do admit that it is a big chunk of writing to be able to read through and was hesitant myself in actually submitting it, but, nevertheless, thank you.

In other news: As previously mentioned, I am still having a few problems with the video because of "folder corruption" which should be fixed shortly.

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion



Friday 3 July 2009

Surprises coming soon!

Hellooo! Just been filming the next of my videos, and I have to tell you, it is going to be big. Unfortunately, I'm keeping it quiet for some time, possibly until it's posted. It will take some time to edit because I had to use my actual camera to film it (there's a hint for you!). This means I'll have to remove the sound from the camera video and then narrate it and get the timing right. Also, when recording the screen, I decided to not record the audio on that as well, narration too! I may also have to edit the video, rather than the timeline because of some reflection issues... The room I recorded in wants to stay secret for some time thank you!

In other news: I'll be doing an article on Wakoopa, then possibly Google Wave (though probably not until it is released) and some more software. These will definitely include screenshots!


For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Tuesday 30 June 2009

Mozilla Firefox 3.5

Just today (30th June) Mozilla has posted the next, and one of the most anticipated, release to their multi-award winning browser, Firefox 3.5. It's fully out of the Beta and Release Candidate stages of its life, and is now on the road to the end. The road that will eventually mean it joins its predecessors, in the Recycle bin, ready to be finally deleted and replaced with the next, even better version. However, we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, we've only just found out 3.5 is released.

Despite the fact I haven't tested/installed it as yet (the update is not just yet ready for Ubuntu, though I could download a replacement if I wanted, I don't), I have looked at the complete New features list (here, if you wanted) and it looks very feature rich. So much so, it seems to be competing highly with the other main browsers (Safari, Chrome, Opera, IE). For example, it has now introduced the Private Browsing feature (still keeping the Delete Browsing History of course), just weeks after Safari 4 was released with this feature. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Anyhoo, I do think it is worth installing, seeing as many bugs have been squashed and *almost* every new add-on and extension that is going to be made in the future (until the next release), will struggle to be compatible with the previous version. Not only that, but this version has a really persuasive video to go with it, nothing like videos from previous versions...


Firefox 3.5 is available for all 3 of the major OSs (Windows, Mac and Linux) and in over 70 languages. Get YOUR firefox HERE!


In other news: I think I'm going to do a new video on Friday (hopefully, possibly not :(, and I'm still looking for that video editor with MP4 support. If anyone knows of one, give me a shout. Not sure when QuickTime X will be released, that will obviously give MP4 support...

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Friday 19 June 2009

Bit of a problem...

Hello.
I have a bit of a problem this week: I have been really busy with school work and the lark, and haven't had much time for video editing etc. However, I have a plan up my sleeve! Seeing as I have been using Ubuntu a lot recently, (9.04) I can probably find some video editor in the repositories that supports mp4. I'll keep you posted with the latest news!

For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

Tuesday 9 June 2009

Video: Safari 4 Beta, New Improvements and Changes

Hi!

Here is the video that I have been planning for some time: The new features in Safari 4

To get Safari 4, the world’s fastest browser, from Apple, just go here. The download will take a matter of minutes on an average broadband connection and the install will be around the same. The installation is the same as any other program, almost completely automated, just click next, next (a few more times) and let it install. You may need to change a few things though!

Safari 4 (full version) is deceptively similar to its predecessors, however there are many differences that can be discovered in minutes. These include cover flow bookmarks: Organise your bookmarks into folders and browse through them with Cover Flow, just like in iTunes. Not only that, but in the same interface of the  bookmarks you can search through either your bookmarks but you have the option of searching through EVERYTHING recorded in Safari. Safari also acts as an RSS reader, simply click on the RSS button in the address bar (when it’s available) and save it as a bookmark. This feed will update automatically and notify you when you have an update. There are LOADS (150 in total!!) of new features in Safari 4, just go here to view them all, courtesy of Apple.

In Other News: I’m going to try and get the Google I/O sorted ASAP. Whether ASAP is tomorrow, or next month, it will be soon. Furthermore, there’s an article coming up, but I’m not going to tell you. I am VERY excited about it, and the release of the item I’m describing. That was a hint, here’s another: It’s from Google…

For now,

Yours,

Ratscallion

 

Apple Wordwide Developer Conference June 2009

Hello again.

This June it is time once again to welcome the Apple Developer Conference. Unfortunately, I was unable to be able to go to one of the biggest tech events of the year. Instead, I got the live feed which was constantly being updated throughout the event second by second.

Prior to the event, many sites and forums compiled a list of things that would be introduced or changed in the event, here are some of those items:

  • Mac OS X Snow Leopard will be released
  • A new iPhone will be released
  • iPhone and iPod Touch OS 3.0 will be released
  • New versions of LOADS of Apple software will be updated and released
  • New Mac Books will be released with the possibility of 3G

These were just some of the many items that sites were rumouring Apple would release on Monday 18th June. Many, if not all of these sites were completely right when they made these guesses. In fact, ALL of the guesses I mentioned were released by Apple at the event. Here comes a more in-depth explanation of what was released at the event.

  • Mac OS X Snow leopard – The new operating system for ALL Macs has been released for the rip off price for the whole OS is a mere $29. There have been loads of changes including 3D Rendering on the Dock; Exposé on the Dock; the install frees up 6GB of Disk Space; The installation is 45% faster; and JPEGS and PDFs load over 1.5% quicker.
  • A new iPhone – The new iPhone has been called the iPhone 3G S, S for Speed. It has double the RAM and a huge processor. Not only that but it can go up to 32GB, unfortunately, the S is not available with the 8GB.
  • iPhone OS 3.0 - As mentioned in the iPhone SDK video a few months ago, many of the features listed in this video were echoed in the demo at WWDC. In case you managed to miss BOTH of these events, here is a quick run through of many of these features: Landscape keyboard in loads of apps including notes and mail, cut, copy, paste and undo, Peer to Peer game and app sharing, in app subscriptions. Just available for iPhone: Push notifications, Find my iPhone, a feature to track your iPhone and also wipe it remotely with a password if you lose it. With Find my iPhone, iTunes will automatically back-up the contents of your iPhone. OS 3.0 will be released on June 19th 2009.
  • New versions of LOADS of software – Quick Time is being updated from Quick Time 7 to Quick Time X (10). I think we all need a moment to think about what would be in 8 and 9 if they were ever to be released… OK, that done, we can now just take a small look at the new features in Quick Time X when it will be released: Users will be able to to basic video editing in Quick Time (time line) without having to go into iLife and other programs; It will act more like the iTunes video player as the controls (and title bar on a Mac, not sure about Windows) will all disappear when the mouse is not hovering/moving. There are loads of other features including the completely new UI and icon. Not only that, but the WWDC did not mention anything about the differences between the Pro and free versions, nor the price of the Pro. This has made many people (including myself) simply assume that Quick Time X and Apple have dropped the pro feature and all the features will be available in one free version. Furthermore, Apple have completely re-written the WHOLE of the Finder, this time in Cocoa allowing loads more possibilities. Despite this, the UI is the same, it just has a few more features. Finally, Safari 4 is being publicly taken out of Beta and the full version is being released. The main new features in Safari 4 will be explained in my video when it is released in a few days.
  • Finally, ALL the Mac Books have been completely revamped. They all have a brand new display and the Apple lithium battery offering over 500 charges and 7 hours of battery life. Not only that, but all of the Mac Books have been turned into a Mac Book Pro, making a series of 3 different Mac Book Pros and only one Mac Book: The one with the plastic back. Not only that, but all Mac Book Pros now have some very good new features: the already mentioned battery, screen and graphics cards; the fire wire 800 port has returned; an SD card slot has been added; and the processor count has shot up, most of the MBPs (15 and 17”) now have 3 different varieties, with the processor going up to over 3Ghz. Unfortunately, there were no hopes of a 3G Mac Book, so that idea goes out the window for the time being.

As you can see, this year’s WWDC was a big and important one for many Apple enthusiasts, though many things that were rumoured were not included:

  • Steve Jobs (former Apple CEO until his ‘sick leave’) did not make an appearance which was very unexpected as his Wikipedia Page states that Jobs: “announced a six-month leave of absence until the end of June 2009 to allow him to better focus on his health”
  • There were no updates to any of the other iPods other than the Touch and iPhone, suspected rumours included the Nano getting a camera and updates to the shuffle also.

Other than this, the Keynote went down a treat. Everyone just hopes that the next Keynote from Apple will be even better.

In Other News: The Safari video is almost ready, just a final bit of editing to go. The Google I/O video will be taking a while as I cannot find a video editor compatible with MP4, any advice is welcome. However, Quick Time X WILL be able to do this in the video cropping feature, when it is released, so I may be testing that, in which case another article will be done on that.

For now,

Yours,

Ratscallion

Wednesday 3 June 2009

Twitter and Digg

This post has been Edited, please see the bold parts and below for the new version of this post. Thank you.
Bit of bad news now. Unfortunately, the ReTweet and Digg buttons have all stopped working for the blog at the moment. Therefore, there will be no more ReTweet or Digg buttons until further notice. I will also edit the the sidebar gadget explaining this change. Sorry for any invonvenience caused in this problem. However, if anyone has any ideas about how I can get these buttons back and working, I am open to ALL ideas. Feel free to add these ideas to the comments!

EDIT: Please note, this issue is only because of the NoScript Add-on that is available for Mozilla Firefox. If you can NOT see the buttons and have the NoScript Add-on installed, please allow blogger.com (any scripts on the blog), tweetmeme.com(Retweet button), digg.com (Digg button) and ubuntu.com (for the Ubuntu 9.04 ad I put on) to be able to see the buttons. Thank you.For now,
Yours,
Ratscallion

A brief Introductory Video to RATSCALLION