Yellowseed Web Development

Rik Logtenberg on Jan 10, 2010

Choice quote: “The Internet is old media. It will still grow, for awhile, but mobile is where the future is, where all the money and growth is.”

Rik Logtenberg on Oct 22, 2009

The timing for this is amazing: 10 minutes after telling an audience that Google is going to do some major upgrades to it’s search to expand it’s social media features, they go and announce that they are about to launch it from Google Labs (and I was just speculating). Here are the major features:

- The bottom of search results will soon have social networking information from your friends, like their Flickr (Flickr) photos or their status updates. It’s a blended search integration, similar to seeing news or image results.

- These are pulled from social networks connected to your Google Profile. The more that are connected, the more social information that will appear in search results.

- They have also improved searching for images using social networks. Images become more relevant using social networking data.

- It will launch in Google Labs in the next few weeks.

Thanks Mashable.

Rik Logtenberg on Oct 17, 2009

Canada ranks number 2 in the world in percentage of population using Facebook (Denmark is number 1), but leads the world in watching videos online.

February 2009 comScore Video Metrix data showed that 21 million Canadians viewed more than 3.1 billion videos online during the month. The average Canadian online video viewer spent 10 hours viewing videos in February, up 53 percent from their average viewing time last year.

Youtube leads all video sites with 53% of users.

Read more here.

Rik Logtenberg on Jul 07, 2009

Information designer Tom Wujec talks through three areas of the brain that help us understand words, images, feelings, connections. In this short talk from TEDU, he asks: How can we best engage our brains to help us better understand big ideas?

Rik Logtenberg on Mar 25, 2009

Podcasting is my favorite medium, but up until today, just thinking about making my own podcast was too much.  Sure, I’ve been recommending to clients that a podcast is as a great way to get into people’s ears, but I’ve never felt that I had the time to plan topics, record and edit the audio, and then upload it into a format that works as a podcast. Those days may be over. Here is what I think is the easiest way to record a podcast.

First, the Technology

1. Sype Call Recorder for the Mac does what it says, it records audio from skype calls. It is easy to install and really easy to use. I tested with a call to Sonja’s cellphone and the quality came out great. The only downside is that the audio is recorded as an .mov file, so we’ll need to convert it to .mp3 (using something like Audacity) before we upload it to our CMS for inclusion in the podcast. We’ll probably want to add an intro or extro as well, but I’d be happy to make it live just as it is. The Skype Call Recorder for Mac is $14.95.
2. For the PC I found a few different kinds of Skype Recording software. I haven’t test any of them, but, based on reviews, the best appears to be the Pretty May Call Recorder. This program records in mp3 so it’s podcast-ready. It’s $24.95 and you can download a trial here.

Second, the Style

Possibly my favorite radio show ever is called Wiretap, which plays on CBC in Canada and NPR in the US. It’s a built on a simple concept:  the host, Jonathan Goldstein, calls random friends or people about random things (like trying to find somebody to watch his cat) and records the call. What ends up emerging are compelling stories about life and friendship. Amidst the mundane talk comes something funny, sometimes dramatic, often universal, and always real. The sound quality isn’t perfect but that only adds to the show’s appeal - it feels more real.

I think this style of show - people calling each and recording the conversation is the future of podcasting.

on Mar 17, 2009

At long last, an intrepid Huffington Post blogger has merged Yoga with Social Networking.

Click here for the rest of this post...

Rik Logtenberg on Feb 09, 2009

I love the way these guys groove! It’s not just funny. I find it really touching. It’s like getting a party translated. Once there’s a point of reference, it’s not so strange. Or at least, it’s not strange because it’s foreign, but because it’s unexpectedly familiar.

on Nov 08, 2008

I can confidently say reading blogs has made me a better person. The collection of blogs that I have organized in my Google Reader have become my “ideal newspaper”: tree-friendly, inspirational and educational.

Click here for the rest of this post...

on Jun 12, 2008

The Basics

• Wash your hands first, you will only be using your right one (your left is for your bum)
• Next, clean your leaf using a little bit of water (Large green leaves are used instead of plates)
• Having a handkerchief is handy - in case you need to blow your nose, or dry your washed hand

Click here for the rest of this post...

Rik Logtenberg on Aug 31, 2007

Proposed model for the future of e-commerce exploits a novel peer-to-peer video sharing application

Click here for the rest of this post...

Rik Logtenberg on Jan 20, 2007

The choice quotes:

Google controls more network fiber than any other organization. This is not to say that Google OWNS all that fiber, just that they control it through agreements with network operators.

Click here for the rest of this post...

Rik Logtenberg on Oct 24, 2006

So you weren’t born on MySpace and you didn’t cut your teeth chatting on MSN Messenger. So what do you do when some kid throws an STFU or ROTFL at you? A good place to start is with a translation from the Acronym Finder, a searchable database of tens of thousands of acronyms - an essential tool for translating chat into english.

Rik Logtenberg on Jun 14, 2006

On the banks of the windswept Columbia River, Google is working on a secret weapon in its quest to dominate the next generation of Internet computing. But it is hard to keep a secret when it is a computing center as big as two football fields, with twin cooling plants protruding four stories into the sky.

Click here for the rest of this post...

Rik Logtenberg on May 18, 2006

In a split with other tech firms, Cisco, 3M, Qualcomm and others ask Congress not to enact any new laws mandating Net neutrality. Check out the story here.

Click here for the rest of this post...