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It appears that a lot of people don’t know about the `!bang` syntax with DuckDuckGo. Take a look at this page for some of the cool things you can do. Searching `!amazon airswimmers` will take you to Amazon.com and search it for `airswimmers`. That’s neat, but there’s more. Here’s two of my favorites: – `!twitter`…
It appears that a lot of people don’t know about the `!bang` syntax with DuckDuckGo. Take a look at this page for some of the cool things you can do.
Searching `!amazon airswimmers` will take you to Amazon.com and search it for `airswimmers`. That’s neat, but there’s more.
Here’s two of my favorites:
– `!twitter`
– `!wordpress`
Give it a look — because it is a killer.
They also have a free, universal, iOS app.
They also have a free, universal, iOS app.
I am done with Google. I think they have lost their way. I don’t remember when, or where, I found out about DuckDuckGo, but a quick search of this site has me [promoting it first](https://brooksreview.net/2011/02/chrome-10/) in February of 2011. It’s my go to search engine right now and I am trying to not use Google…
I am done with Google. I think they have lost their way.
I don’t remember when, or where, I found out about DuckDuckGo, but a quick search of this site has me [promoting it first](https://brooksreview.net/2011/02/chrome-10/) in February of 2011. It’s my go to search engine right now and I am trying to not use Google for anything. Here’s how I am making DuckDuckGo a default across my computing.
### LaunchBar
First things first you need to add it to LaunchBar so that you can get fast access. [Here’s the guide to do just that](http://www.obdev.at/resources/launchbar/help/SearchTemplates.html).
As an added bonus I set up another search template for searching my website with DuckDuckGo, here’s how that looks:
Done.
### Safari
While Chrome [makes it easy](http://help.duckduckgo.com/customer/portal/articles/216440-chrome) to change default search engines, Safari takes a bit more work. ((If you want it to replace Google in that nice little search area next to the address field — which I do want.)) DuckDuckGo [has a guide](http://help.duckduckgo.com/customer/portal/articles/216447-safari) for doing this and I have used the Glims method — it works fantastically well and looks stock.
Don’t turn on all that fancy crap that drops down search results, just install DuckDuckGo and turn everything else off. That will give you the most “stock” look.
### Your Website
Lastly I had to change the search at the footer of this site. I was porting it through Google previously and now have changed it to go through DuckDuckGo.
There’s a [handy tool on the DuckDuckGo site](http://duckduckgo.com/search_box.html) that allows you to customize an iFrame (not the best, but better than using Google) and while it is much bigger than what I had — I like what it stands for: true search.
Here’s the key to adding DuckDuckGo: you can customize a few key areas to make it match your site better: the colors and whether DuckDuckGo can show ads. Check out all those param tweaks [here](http://duckduckgo.com/params.html).
### Done
If you have done everything correctly you shouldn’t need Google search anymore. If we want Google to stop jacking around our search results then we have to hit them where it hurts: search. That starts with people leaving Google search.
That’s what I am doing.
DuckDuckGo often has better quality results from what I have seen, but you will notice that the results aren’t as instantaneous as Google’s — they take a second.
Give it a go, I bet you like it.
*(As an added bonus, take a look at their [privacy policy](http://duckduckgo.com/privacy.html).)*
Casey Johnston for Ars on [all the new ultrabooks that were announced](http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/01/ultra-in-name-only-the-failures-of-intels-ultrabook-rules.ars): >But the new Ultrabooks, meant to be PC competitors to the MacBook Air, seemed suspiciously fat. And heavy. And lacking in solid-state drives. That too me is anything but an ultrabook. Johnston goes on to state the rules (made by Intel) for calling…
Casey Johnston for Ars on [all the new ultrabooks that were announced](http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/01/ultra-in-name-only-the-failures-of-intels-ultrabook-rules.ars):
>But the new Ultrabooks, meant to be PC competitors to the MacBook Air, seemed suspiciously fat. And heavy. And lacking in solid-state drives.
That too me is anything but an ultrabook. Johnston goes on to state the rules (made by Intel) for calling your PC an ultrabook:
>Intel’s official requirements for Ultrabooks are as follows: each model must have a configuration that falls below a $1,000 price point, notebooks with screens smaller than 14 inches must be thinner than 18 millimeters (14-inch-plus screen notebooks can be as thick as 21 millimeters), they must wake from hibernation in no more than 7 seconds, and they must have a minimum 5 hours of battery life, as measured by MobileMark 2007.
For comparison the MacBook Air’s 13″ model is 17mm at its thickest and weighs just 2.96lbs with a 7 hour battery life. It’s clear to me that Intel wants “ultrabook” to be defined as “a MacBook Air”, but what’s also clear (to everyone) is that PC manufacturers will do what ever they need to be able use a trendy new name.
In other words: PC manufacturers don’t have their heart in the ultrabook game.
They don’t care to make a MacBook Air.
They just want to sell more computers.
And the easiest route to sell more computers is to go with the minimally accepted specifications to make a product fit into a “hot” new product category — which right now is tablets and ultrabooks.
And *they* wonder why their sales are tanking.
I actually wonder when the last time a computer manufacturer, not named Apple, gave a damn about making a computer that made lives easier. Think about it: they don’t make the software, just the hardware — and yet that’s the part that seems like utter crap.
To put it another way: if Apple hadn’t made version 2 of the MacBook Air a wild success, would any other PC manufacturer care to try and make a competing product — one that Intel is begging them to make?
I doubt it. And that’s the problem.
“You tell me I’m biased like it’s an insult, but all I hear is that I’m doing my job.” — Brad McCarty
Matt Greer on waking up at 5am to work on personal projects (coding in his case) before he heads off for a full day of work (even doing so on the weekends): >It’s 5am and I will be also putting in a full day’s work afterwards. Not being stressed out or frustrated during this time…
Matt Greer on waking up at 5am to work on personal projects (coding in his case) before he heads off for a full day of work (even doing so on the weekends):
>It’s 5am and I will be also putting in a full day’s work afterwards. Not being stressed out or frustrated during this time is essential. I ensure this by working on truly personal projects that interest me and I have complete control over. I’m only two weeks in but so far no signs of getting worn out, in fact quite the opposite. It’s been pretty invigorating.
I actually used to do this very thing, only waking up at 5:30a instead. I loved it, but I had to go to bed early enough to be awake at that time — this did not make my wife happy. Now I wake up at 6a and do a bunch of things before work.
I work with every chance I get, whether for this site or my day job — it’s just a part of my life. Luckily one of those two jobs is something that I can hardly call work.
Bottom line: mornings are underrated — give them a try.
Dan Frommer on RIM’s chances of saving itself: >Consider Palm, Motorola, Windows Phone, and other similar comeback efforts — all with arguably better resources and management than RIM. None has succeeded yet, Palm is finished, and Motorola managed to sell itself to Google to help in a patent war. Not that I ever thought RIM…
Dan Frommer on RIM’s chances of saving itself:
>Consider Palm, Motorola, Windows Phone, and other similar comeback efforts — all with arguably better resources and management than RIM. None has succeeded yet, Palm is finished, and Motorola managed to sell itself to Google to help in a patent war.
Not that I ever thought RIM had a chance, but when you put it like that things *are* bleak for RIM.
Joel Mathis: >Google’s recent move to emphasize results from its own Google+ social networking service is getting some new pushback—in the form of a *Don’t Be Evil* bookmarklet that reorganizes the site’s search results to place more emphasis on other social networks. Nice.
Joel Mathis:
>Google’s recent move to emphasize results from its own Google+ social networking service is getting some new pushback—in the form of a *Don’t Be Evil* bookmarklet that reorganizes the site’s search results to place more emphasis on other social networks.
Nice.
Craig Grannell on the RIM CEO video making the rounds: >Unfortunately, your correspondent fell asleep at this point, due to Heins’s relentless monotone, and so we have to guess as to the remainder of the video’s content. I didn’t make it past the first 30 seconds.
Craig Grannell on the RIM CEO video making the rounds:
>Unfortunately, your correspondent fell asleep at this point, due to Heins’s relentless monotone, and so we have to guess as to the remainder of the video’s content.
I didn’t make it past the first 30 seconds.
Dana Bash reporting on an incident with U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, statement by his father congressman Ron Paul: >”One of the ultimate embodiments of this (police state) is the TSA that gropes and grabs our children, our seniors, and our loved ones and neighbors with disabilities,” the congressman said in a written statement. “The TSA…
Dana Bash reporting on an incident with U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, statement by his father congressman Ron Paul:
>”One of the ultimate embodiments of this (police state) is the TSA that gropes and grabs our children, our seniors, and our loved ones and neighbors with disabilities,” the congressman said in a written statement. “The TSA does all of this while doing nothing to keep us safe.”
He set off the body scanner and the TSA wanted to pat him down, he asked to go back through the scanner again — TSA refused. The story’s not interesting, but his statements are certainaly true.
Amazon is giving away $1.1 million this year for test movies and movies scripts. They essentially are creating Kindle Singles for movies — except now they are willing to help you out with the cash outlay neede to produce a movie. I think this is a fantastic idea, something that Netflix and Hulu should have…
Amazon is giving away $1.1 million this year for test movies and movies scripts. They essentially are creating Kindle Singles for movies — except now they are willing to help you out with the cash outlay neede to produce a movie.
I think this is a fantastic idea, something that Netflix and Hulu should have been already doing.
From the [FAQ](http://studios.amazon.com/getting-started):
>Amazon Studios makes money by getting movies made, so while we can’t guarantee it, our goal is to make that happen. To that end, we have established a first-look development deal with Warner Bros., the biggest movie studio in Hollywood.
MindNode is an elegant, easy-to-use mind mapping tool for Mac and iOS. Whether you’re brainstorming for your next project, organizing your life, or planning your vacation, MindNode lets you collect, structure, and expand your ideas. And thanks to built-in Dropbox and WiFi sharing, even your biggest ideas can go anywhere your iPhone does. [MindNode](http://click.syndicateads.net/2012/01/Mindnode/brooksreview.html) is…
MindNode is an elegant, easy-to-use mind mapping tool for Mac and iOS. Whether you’re brainstorming for your next project, organizing your life, or planning your vacation, MindNode lets you collect, structure, and expand your ideas. And thanks to built-in Dropbox and WiFi sharing, even your biggest ideas can go anywhere your iPhone does.
[MindNode](http://click.syndicateads.net/2012/01/Mindnode/brooksreview.html) is easy mind mapping for your Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Try out [Mindnode Pro](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mindnode-pro/id402398561?mt=12) and [MindNode touch](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mindnode/id312220102?mt=8) today!
Rocky Agrawal: >But what concerns me most is that Google is touting these meaningless statistics in the hopes that journalists will misunderstand them and report that Google+ is seeing rapid growth. The bottom line is, those 60 percents, 80 percents and 90 million registered users are just there to mask the fact that Google doesn’t…
Rocky Agrawal:
>But what concerns me most is that Google is touting these meaningless statistics in the hopes that journalists will misunderstand them and report that Google+ is seeing rapid growth. The bottom line is, those 60 percents, 80 percents and 90 million registered users are just there to mask the fact that Google doesn’t want to tell us how many people are actually using Google+.
>It’s intellectually dishonest. And as a public company, it raises questions of Google’s intent — the market is watching Google’s moves in social and needs to see traction. I expect better from Google.
You should read this entire post, because it is a scathing look at how Google and other companies report numbers. The one thing I think Google really screws up are the vague “X devices *activated* this quarter” numbers they release for Android device usage.
It’s getting harder and harder to keep your head in the sand and trust Google.
If I were CEO of RIM, here’s what I would do: 1. Call a meeting of all top executives. 2. Pull my iPhone 4S out and rest it gently on the table in front of me. 3. Wait for dramatic effect. 4. Fire anyone not patient enough to wait for me to speak first. 5.…
If I were CEO of RIM, here’s what I would do:
1. Call a meeting of all top executives.
2. Pull my iPhone 4S out and rest it gently on the table in front of me.
3. Wait for dramatic effect.
4. Fire anyone not patient enough to wait for me to speak first.
5. Tell everyone left in the room that they have 3 months to bring me a working prototype that makes me want to use it over my iPhone. (While gesturing towards my iPhone already placed on the table.)
6. Fire anyone that asks “How?”
7. With everyone gone, hire a new executive team.
That’s where RIM should start and this isn’t a joke. Why bother with anything else if you can’t make people want to use your product? Beats me.
From two CEOs, Chairmen of the Board, and COOs to just one CEO and COO — no word on the chairmen situation. ((I’m on pins and needles over here.)) All this in an effort to follow chapter one of thier new iBooks *Business 101* textbook.
From two CEOs, Chairmen of the Board, and COOs to just one CEO and COO — no word on the chairmen situation. ((I’m on pins and needles over here.)) All this in an effort to follow chapter one of thier new iBooks *Business 101* textbook.
“[…] given that the RIAA and MPAA together have a higher douchebag quotient than a Los Angeles BMW dealership.” — Watts Martin
Fraser Speirs: >Apple already revolutionized education when it invented the iPad. While iBooks textbooks are a bridge from the past to the future—and we do need a way to get to the future—they are not that future. Interesting take on the announcements by Speirs — who might be the most knowledgeable person out there when…
Fraser Speirs:
>Apple already revolutionized education when it invented the iPad. While iBooks textbooks are a bridge from the past to the future—and we do need a way to get to the future—they are not that future.
Interesting take on the announcements by Speirs — who might be the most knowledgeable person out there when it comes to using iPads in education.
>This week Shawn and Ben talk about Ben’s meeting avoidance tactics, the snow in Seattle, Jelly Belly jellybean flavors, and what Apple’s iBooks announcements mean for independent writers. Big thanks to our sponsor: [Verses](http://kepner.me/versesapp).
>This week Shawn and Ben talk about Ben’s meeting avoidance tactics, the snow in Seattle, Jelly Belly jellybean flavors, and what Apple’s iBooks announcements mean for independent writers.
Big thanks to our sponsor: [Verses](http://kepner.me/versesapp).
Joshua Topolsky on the plethora of gadget choices presented by companies: >For a journalist, it’s daunting — for shoppers, it’s starting to seem impossible. And a bit later: >As differentiation between like-minded products becomes smaller and smaller, and the market stratifies around specific platforms or standards (iOS and Android in the case of smartphones), buyers…
Joshua Topolsky on the plethora of gadget choices presented by companies:
>For a journalist, it’s daunting — for shoppers, it’s starting to seem impossible.
And a bit later:
>As differentiation between like-minded products becomes smaller and smaller, and the market stratifies around specific platforms or standards (iOS and Android in the case of smartphones), buyers seem to be finding the myriad selection distracting or upsetting instead of exciting or enticing. Anyone who’s been in a cellphone shop lately can probably tell you this.
I agree there are far too many choices out there — particularly in the Android device market. However isn’t another solution — a solution more geared towards what *The Verge* does — to provide solid, [opinionated](https://brooksreview.net/2011/12/failure/), reviews to better help consumer choose?
There is a real need for companies to slim down their product lines and gain focus on a few great devices, but I also think that white-washing every review of a product, well, tends to not help the situation either.