Acid Diaries

Who knew being cuffed in the back of a cop car laying down on the seat would be comfy? Happened in the last 48 hours. Blame the acid. #WelcomeToBangkok

After tripping for some time I have decided to post some notes advising anyone interested on how not to be in hell after your trip.

1. Clear your schedule for the next 48 hours. this 24 hours for the trio and another for recovery. In second 24 try not watching TV it will just freak you out.

2. Before the trip clean your house, a messy place could cause a messed up trip. This is like baby-proofing your place for the trip.

3. Call your family/friends, this help you not freak out or worry about them during the trip.

4. Leave your phone.

5. Emergency cash. Like $50 in a sock, don't carry your card most likely going to lose it or screw up on the pin.

6. Emotions will be high, importantly will depend how you are feeling before the trip as this will affect the actual trip. Don't do it if you are going through a dark period .

7. Maybe carry a camera(don't lose it), its like any trip so memories wont hurt and will help boost your memory of the trip's events.

8. Have a safe trip and enjoy it!!

Steam is coming

The gaming OS based on Linux will be available for download soon. To me soon seems like a long time, hope its not too late. Some are encouraging against installing SteamOS, but myself as an avid fan of Linux and self-confessed PC game addict I'm downloading Steam. I've no doubts that there will be some issues at first but my this is Valve their dominance in PC gaming is my encouragement for thumbs up to install.

Steam OS is an operating system built on around Steam through use of Linux architecture. Its taken the best aspects of Linux to create what the Valve team calls "the best gaming operating software." Picture this as Android but with purpose of its creation towards gaming. Like Android its free!

However the hardware requirements aren't available at the moment but Valve says you are going to need a very, very fast machine to run Steam OS. Dedicated Steam machines are like the sport-cars of gaming, very fast but expensive.

Many people will be interested in a pure gaming OS, I hope game makers join the bandwagon.

Instagram 5.0 now with Instagram Direct

Instagram pushed an update this isn't just one of those bug fixes or redesigned interfaces(well kinda is). Its an update where Instagram ported a four year old feature by adding a communication platform/selective image sharing with the introduction of private messaging they have labeled Instagram Direct. The update includes these new features 

• The ability to share photos privately with up to 15 people.
• See who has seen, liked, and commented on your privately-shared photo in real time.
• Receive push notifications when one of your friends shares a photo with you.
• If someone you don't follow shares a photo with you, it goes to a special "requests" area. You can decide from there if you want to view it.

On that bombshell here are some thinks to think about:

1. Still no holo. Now, they could focus on a redesign. They made one for iOS7 easily so it matches the UI updates, but the Android version is starting to look dated and out of place. I blame Facebook on that part.
2. I can sense something coming i.e. dick pics on girls inboxes
3. Offline cacheing and saving
4. Countermeasure for Snapchat rejecting Facebook bid
5. No support for certain versions for iOS & Android
6. Finally somewhat an extremely pointless add on why not just actual direct messages.

Here are the links it's free:

 

This is Myspace.

Myspace is a social network that died long ago... now it's reincarnated! As a self-labeled social media butterfly, I’ve got a serious declaration: I’ve never retained a Myspace account (used occasionally, or remember about it). It has been hectic to manage the time from writing up killer truths and confronting for my friends or better yet anyone else in my way on Facebook and when that got me in trouble (and depressed), I turned to Twitterfor some full on war. The idea of signing up always nagged at me, even though I still or porbably have an account from decades back, but I never bothered. Until recently a friend made me think twice. I did (well with my Twitter)

The new Myspace is pretty loud. The interface is mind blowing, it’s laden with better-quality, cleaner visuals that give the site a more contemporary feel. They call it "UX". They paid attention to how users were utilizing the site (to discover/listen to new bands) and pivoted to give it a music/artist focus.  They kept the design simple and image-focused.  They added a radio.  These are all good changes. A revamp, and now that Myspace is officially back, and currently with an iOS app (no iPad version yet!!!). It’s time to take yet another look at what the new Myspace is bringing to the social-media-meets-music table.

 I've got a question: Does the new Myspace have a chance?

I'm annoyed & Angry

I hate being angry. It's the worst emotional feeling possible. I'm so full of rage. Killing anyone or anything is a given. I'm not really concerned. I've let the anger control me, it was not meant to be like this. Sometimes you wish people could just be simple. Why do people make empty promises. I do not do that so why should anyone. If you cant do something simply state it, make it known so I can make other plans. By keeping the truth to yourself even though it affects me and others nothing is achieved other than a terrible counter measure.

I'm annoyed and angry, I feel like punching someone or better yet being punched, just any physical release not this emotional pain which hurts deeply. Knowing nothing can be done, it just has to be endured but I don't know how. I'm feeling angry because I have been let down by someone. That someone keeps on making empty promises. I'm angry with myself for believing in them. The only person you can truly trust is yourself. You can let yourself down but at least you would have expected it and know exactly what went down. I wish people could just be straightforward and simple.

Come Walk With Me

 It’s not easy being an M.I.A. fan, but those of us who kept allegiance & faith through MAYA, Trufflegate, and serious label issues have been rewarded with a return to gloriously electric form.It’s been almost a year and a half in the making, but the slow-jam-turned-dance-track seems worth the wait. This is M.I.A coming back with power, Matangi will surely be worth it.

Educational Advancement through Tecgnology

Many industries such as music, newspapers, film & publishing have been caught napping by the advancement of technology, as a direct result hey have been forced to revise their business models. Higher/tertiary education is still in resistance mode to these changes. Even though with the stiff resistance the upcoming students are slowly pushing the change. In class students will have laptops, tablets, smartphones (phablets) in order to further their studies.

A gradual and fundamental shift in the practice of academics is taking place. Every aspect of scholarly practice is seeing changes effected by the adoption and possibilities of new technologies

Academics & online impact from Martin Weller

Read it Later

Renamed fromRead It Later to Pocket. It tool that lets you save webpages and syncs across all of your devices, with tool. You can pocket lengthy articles or videos away and queue them up for reading and watching later, no matter where you are. I tend to use the app on campus save pages then read them back home after class. Whenever I come across a video on my phone, then realize I'd rather watch it on my iPad or Mac. 

One of Pocket's biggest features is the ability to filter by content type; you can sort by image, video, and traditional text. Filtering by video reveals a grid of thumbnails of videos you've saved across Vimeo, YouTube, and other services. Most videos saved from the web will automatically get categorised appropriately, but only YouTube and Vimeo videos will display a pop-up player in the app. In practice, we found there are still some sorting issues to work out — I added several Tales of Mere Existence videos to Pocket from the web, and it didn't properly sort into video. 

When accessing your Pocket list, it's easy to sort by content type (text, video, or image) and to edit items in bulk. Also, the search bar makes it easy to find items by tag, title, or even URL. So, even with hundreds of items saved to your Pocket, it's fairly easy to go back and find anything you're looking for. Plus, after you check items off, they are automatically moved to an archive, where you can re-access them later. One thing you can't do with Pocket, though, is reorder the items in your list. This isn't a huge deal since the search function works so well, but it would've been a nice function to have. 

Evolutionized Notetaking

I live in Evernote now. Its in the cloud! Cloud computing is making big news and appears to be where I'm headed. All you need is internet access and everything, all of it will be there! Recently I discovered Evernote, it is a game changer. Now imagine your notes in the cloud. Being able to access them from anywhere in the world where there is an internet connection. Evernote is cloud synced constantly so you have that piece of mind that your notes are everywhere. 

According to Evernote: "Evernote is an easy-to-use, free tool that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use.stay organized, save your ideas, and improve productivity..."

Evernote is one of those tools you struggle to understand its functionality but upon utilizing it you get it. Basically Evernote is a text editor, photo upload tool, voice recording device, website read-it-later and these are just the few things I have discovered. An Evernote power-user would truly unlock the potential of the application. Evernote makes use of the cloud to save whatever you have created to the cloud. Once its uploaded to the cloud your data is available on any Evernote compatible device; which are smartphones, tablets, desktops both OS X & Windows, synchronized apps or on the web. There is quite a bunch of apps to use in collaboration with Evernote.

In terms of competition I have really set out to find a challenger, Evernote fulfills my note taking. However prior to discovering Evernote I was using Microsoft's One Note, which for me was not that inviting. One Note had its advantage of being built into Windows, but once I migrated to OS X it became a burden. Even in usability Evernote is way better than One Note, I wish I had discovered it earlier.

I used to use a traditional notebook to jot down ideas, notes or even just minutes. It was convenient at the time, but the nightmare came when you lost that notebook. All was hopeless. Now every time I attend a meeting for a school assignment and someone walks in with a paper notebook I sort of realize they aren't that serious. For example if there some to dos you would want the,pm added to your calendar. If you are serious about a project I think utilizing a digital notebook makes more sense, unless you then type it in afterwards. With Evernote you can add images, recordings, links and many more items. Can you do that with a paper notebook?

I'm slightly biased towards Evernote after an infuriating experience with One Note. Obviously pen and paper is the most limited method to get things done. Evernote is just one tool out thousands that can be utilized. I prefer it.

Flagship Dual-Boot Coming Soon

With smartphone innovation seriously not being revolutionary anymore, with a new device it's just an upgrade on the hardware(improved processor, better camera, etc.). There are very few software upgrades that are game changers, with the exception of the recently launched iOS7. The reality with innovation is you cannot have it both ways. I like OS X, but it's far from perfect. Windows, Linux, Android, iOS and others are similarly strong in some areas, but not so good in others.



Reports that recently surfaced suggest that Microsoft has approached HTC in regards to ship its Android devices with Windows Phone as a secondary operating system. This if it becomes a reality is a game changer! The user can somewhat answer which operation system is better because they have the choice after purchasing a device.

At the moment to those familiar with rooting your Android know it's already a given possible. The reality of it coming shipped with your device and not the user having to tweak it to access the option is a completely whole new unique selling point.  This isn't an entirely unheard of idea some manufacturers have such devices on the market but of these are not flagship brands, but a union of Microsoft and HTC, with the right marketing will definitely prosper. The Python S3, a tablet released by Italian Ekoore that can boot three operating systems: Ubuntu Linux, Android, and Windows 8.

Xbox Music streams songs on-demand for free on the web (for a fee on mobile devices)

Xbox Music

Stream millions of songs free on the web.

"Xbox Music gives you access to millions of songs to stream for free with Windows 8 and on the web atmusic.xbox.com. Search for any artist, song, or full album and instantly play what you want. You can even create and save playlists for easy access to the songs you love." - 

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/music

Xbox Music is the resurrected Zune music service only simplified and improved. Xbox Music is an ad-supported subscription music streaming service by Microsoft and also offers music purchases through the Xbox Music Store. It is available on Xbox 360, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8,iOS, Android and the web. The Xbox Music catalog has over 30 million tracks.

Xbox Music has a free options as well as $9.99 a month premium options. To start-off, you'll need an Xbox account along with Xbox Music Pass. There is a 30-day free trial you can sign up for.  If you pay $9.99 a month for the Xbox Music Pass you get ad-free, unlimited playback of any track in the subscription catalogue on your PC, phone (Windows Phone to start with, iOS and Android later on) or Xbox 360 – including playing music when you're not online. Once you have the Music Pass, you can listen to music on your desktop through a Web browser or on your iPhone. Xbox music is not optimized for iPad at launch, but you can use pixel-doubling(the x2  on the bottom right) from the iPhone app.

The major reason behind my admiration of Xbox Music is that it has a clean and simple interface that's very responsive during use, you search then play and listen to music.  You can, however, create playlists and add to your music collection that is shared across all your devices on the same account. Playlists are songs you picked that will be played in the order you add them. You can make as many

playlists as you want. But the collection is a kind of favorites list for all the songs you want easy access to across all your devices. Both are synced up to the cloud, so you can create a playlist on your iPhone or add songs to your collection, and then you can access them on other devices.

Obviosuly there are other music streaming service but the Xbox music interface is my personal best.

Smooth Singing With Heavy Drumming

I just found out about this band and I'm in a trance. The harmonies are very impressive the combined infusion into their music makes their songs bad jams. First song I heard "Little Games" and it hooked me. The drummer's voice is on vocally on point, she can whisper to me for infinity. If you are a fan of sweet music this could be it.

Endnote X6

When I have an essay assignment I use EndNote to manage my referencing and generating reference lists & bibliographies. 

EndNote is used to:

• gather, store and manage references 
• automatically create and format bibliographies in your referencing style 
• search and retrieve records from catalogues and databases 
• insert citations directly into documents in your referencing style

EndNote has a web version of that can be used to create bibliographies, manage references, share libraries collaboratively, and insert citations into Microsoft Word via Cite While You Write functionality. It can be used as a standalone library or as a way of transferring references if you are using more than one computer.

Instagram Simplified.

Instagram is a mobile app that lets users to take photos & videos then add filters for sharing with their social networks.  Availble on Android & iOS (with possible Blackberry & Windows Phone). Instagram

in popularity, with 90 million active users.  Both nonprofits and higher education are doing some interesting things to engage its followers.

Nonprofits use Instagram to share visual stories of the people they help; inspire individuals to support their cause; and highlight campaigns, announcements and volunteers.  They do so by uploading images of organization efforts, events, fundraisers and posters.  Click here to see who’s doing what.

The University of Florida(UF) asked Instagram followers what kinds of photos they would like to see .  Students replied exclusive-access images, such as a photos during a class lecture, an image inside a university television station, and a point-of-view photograph from the podium at the university commencement ceremonies.  Alumni replied images that spark nostalgia.  UF also encourages event participants to upload pictures and use the university hashtag.  Click here to learn how three ways higher education can use Instagram.

I hope I have tried to guide you to develop ideas for some educational use of your Instagram account.

Ellie Goulding sings Burn in the Live Lounge

IFA Berlin 2013

IFA(Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin ) is on its Germany and Europe's version of CES, basically Europe's biggest consumer exhibhition show.There are over 27 halls now imagine how many product stands are there - with everything from sleek tablets to next-gen ovens!

There's a lot of gadgets along with big manufacturers - including Sony, Seimens, Panasonic Pansonic & Samsung. It's more techy than the US, remeber its Europe and specifically Germany. The first day is press day so most tech sites will have live feeds the whole day!





The opening press conference was delivered by Seimens, the main thing I got from that was on what their CEO said "connectivity will no longer be a vision but actuallity"

Let me do a run down of the top announcements today:

Sony Xperia Z1 - 20.2 megapixel camera, 5in Full HD display, quad-core  Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC.

 

Acer Liquid S2 - 6-inch Android smartphone with 4K recording capability, a Snapdragon 800 processor and a 13MP camera.

It will come in red and black.

 

From Panasonic - 4K 20in tablet.

 

....the the Note 3:

Samsung Phone

Samsung Phone

 

2.3GHz quad-core CPU for LTE version, 1.9GHz octa-core for 3G/WiFi.

Running on Jelly Bean 4.3.

Loads of partner content - like Note 3 - including Twitter and OUP.

This will "change the way you think about large-screen tablets".

2.3GHz quad-core CPU for LTE version, 1.9GHz octa-core for 3G/WiFi.

Running on Jelly Bean 4.3.

Loads of partner content - like Note 3 - including Twitter and OUP.

 

World War Z

The US is prepared to act without the UK against Syria in retaliation for alleged chemical attacks. The Obama administration is still deciding on what Syrian targets will be attacked. Russia, Iran and China said that if a strike against Syria occurs there will be “catastrophic consequences” like we could literally be in a World War as of as of any day from now. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said his country would use “all means available” to defend against a US strike. The Russian foreign ministry drew a comparison with the build up to the war in Iraq in 2003, saying: "Attempts to bypass the Security Council, once again to create artificial groundless excuses for a military intervention in the region. The Syrian government immediately demanded that the United Nations investigate three alleged chemical attacks carried out by rebel groups on the outskirts of Damascus last week. One question how the hell do rebels have access to chemical weapons? Who armed them? The US government can still join with the 70 percent of Americans who oppose arming Syria rebels.

Syrian victims of the new ‘chemical attacks’ by rebels

China is a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. And like Russia, China has repeatedly blocked sanctions attempts against the Syrian regime -- leading to a perpetual stalemate at the U.N. body to take any serious action on Syria. "A political solution is always the only realistic means to resolve the Syria issue," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard

How To Never Stop Working!!

Google Drive allows you store and access your files anywhere -- on the web, on your hard drive, or on the go.  I have my files on the internet, which is basically everywhere. If I change a file on my tablet, the changes reflect on my other devices: school PCs, my PC and my smartphone also. So literally I can finish work I was working in my room, on the bus to school using my phone/tablet then when I'm at school simply find a PC lab and continue working on it. With Google Drive you can upload files, during the upload the files are converted to a format compatible with Google. The standard files I make use of are: Documents (word processor), Slides(Presentation) , Spreadsheet and the PDF viewer. These are not all the supported items in Google Drive there is more, you can even play videos/music!

For the English assignment we were put into groups and tasked to do a presentation. We had the challenge of meeting physically. Google Drive was the solution. One of my group members uploaded the presentation to Google Drive and sent everyone a link to it. Immediately we had avoided the problem of constantly sending these huge email attachments. Another feature of Google Drive that was very handy was  the chat option. If the person you shared a file with is on Google+ you can send instant messages between each other within the Google Drive web app. When we got to a point where the presentation was very large in megabytes we were very glad Google Drive allowed everyone was able to work on their section without the need of sending a file back and forth constantly!  So yeah we used Slides, divided the work, guys added notes and comments, and we were able to edit together simultaneously. It was effective use of a tool.

I know one Google Drive critic who feels that the privacy features in Google Drive aren't strict enough. Their argument is that some Google Drive users keep their documents open to the public, and if you're signed into your Google account when you view these files, other users will be able to see your picture and name. My solution looking at public files, is to log out of Google, or use a different browser. Anonymous users get assigned a random profile pictures of animals instead, such as a dolphin, dinosaur, or beaver.

I downloaded the Google Drive apps for my tablet and PC. With the app you have the option to select particular folders or documents for offline syncing, so when you aren't connected you can still view those files.





Google Drive gives you free storage of 15GB, for me that's a lot, but yeah if you want extra it starts at $2.49 for 25GB a month, etc. Below is an image with the prices:

Google Drive isn't the only file collaboration and online storage service available it's my preferred choice. The are alternatives such Microsoft's Sky-Drive, Apple's iCloud/iWork, Dropbox and many more. Just check below a comparison:

Cloud storage- a pricing and features guide