Check out ReverbNation’s download page - they’ve partnered with Microsoft Windows to pass out a thousand free tracks. The front page features folks like The Church, Underoath and Chimaira, so these tunes aren’t coming from the cut-out bins. There’s 52 pages to go through, so get started now. Too bad there’s not a “Download All” button.
Between Google, Bing, and Wolfram|Alpha, you might forget that Yahoo! is in the search business as well. They’re taking a run at those who conduct more detailed research on the ‘net (as opposed to just finding how long we can extend Homer Simpson yelling about cobras) with Yahoo Search Pad.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon, NASA is using wechoosethemoon.org to create an online version of the launch. Since it’s online, though, the astronauts have Twitter feeds, you can listen to the broadcast on Shoutcast, and track the mission with a desktop widget. You can also rest comfortably in the knowledge that your laptop has far more computing power than what was aboard the lunar module, and you’re using it to update your Facebook entry.
If you don’t mind a little bribery to get things done, the good folks at Lifehacker point out an interesting mashup of PayPal and IOU notes. With Do Stuff For Money, you can use a little financial incentive to get somebody to do something for you. If the price is right, the money goes to PayPal and your little request is completed. Everybody is happy, and your online wallet is only a little lighter.
blueTunes posts your favorite songs in an online locker and allows you to listen from any computer with an Internet connection. It’s a good idea, and it sounds quite familiar. After all, this is what mp3.com proposed to do in the dusty, creaky days of music on the Internet. And this function was sued out of existence. So why is blueTunes any different? Not only does it store tracks, but it also shares to Facebook, iTunes, and even Second Life (hopefully your avatar shares the same taste in music as you do). It even has a desktop client. So why does it still exist?
The big news that Gmail, Google Apps, and other services are leaving their beta status and becoming full-fledged products isn’t big news at all, really. Plenty of people have been making use of the products, and there was no huge roll-out of features that accompanied the launch. In fact, it’s notable only for the fact that the years-old label was formally removed, ending the “beta” joke once and for all.
Firefox is more than just a very capable web browser - its greatest strength lies in the various and sundry ways it can be customized. Between themes and plug-ins, you can put just about anything on Firefox that you want, from Twitter clients to toolbars and more. However, the new version claims to add a performance boost as well, making it one of the fastest browsers out there.
Depending on how you feel about web browsers and services knowing where you are, the new Firefox may be a blessing or a curse. Location-aware browsing tracks down your IP address, assigns a general location to it, and points you towards services and places in your general vicinity. It won’t be a completely accurate GPS-type location, but you’ll get close.
For more information on all the new features, check out the Firefox release notes, or just download and see for yourself.
It may seem like a minor feature for most email clients, but Gmail getting the ability to drag-and-drop messages and conversations into their “label” structure brings it in line with more fully-featured options. Labels help you organize your messages (even more than the conventional “conversation” structure the Gmail web client already does) better, and now you don’t have to even open the message to organize it.
Check out the Gmail Blog for more information.
Google hasn’t rolled out its Google Voice service to the public as the Today Show mistakenly implied last week, but the page promises that you’ll be able to utilize the service within the next few weeks. Basically, the service gives you a single number that rings all of your other numbers, effectively consolidating your points of contact to a single point. But there’s more you can do.
Between the recent political activity over Iran and Michael Jackson’s unfortunate passing (not that the two are in any way comparable, but their impact on Twitter is undeniable), the focus on finding information on Twitter is at its highest. The good folks at CNET have put together a list of services that take the information found on Twitter and search for results, in addition to determining popularity and consulting other sources of information. This won’t be an exhaustive search, but it will get information on breaking events quickly. Good luck!
Author of MySpace For Dummies
A bass guitarist with an Internet addiction and lots of experience researching and writing about all things online.
MySpace For Dummies by Ryan Hupfer, Mitch Maxson, Ryan Williams
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