Skip to Content

Need a little good news today? We've got plenty!
AOL Tech

Filed under: Design, Internet, Google, Web

Google Reader gets a new look

Google Reader comparison
A few weeks ago Google updated Gmail to allow users to choose colorful themes for their email service. The move left some of us wondering when Google Reader was going to get a similar facelift. Apparently today is the day, but the change isn't exactly what I had expected.

Google has rolled out a new look for its RSS reader. There's a lot more white space, and a lot less blue. But there's no way to customize the color scheme.

Probably the best part of the new design is that you can collapse different sections in your sidebar to save space. Don't care what items your friends have shared? Just select the "hide unread counts" button. Hate the fact that every time you log into your account you're greeted with a reminder that you have over 1000 unread items to catch up on? You can collapse that section too.

I happened to have Google Reader open when the changeover occurred, so I was able to grab the screenshot above showing the old new design on the left and the old Google Reader interface on the left. Honestly, found the old version familiar and comforting like a favorite blanket. But I'm sure I'll get used to the new version soon. Getting rid of that 1000+ unread item count will certainly help.

thanks Stuart!

Filed under: Fun, Web services, web 2.0

Interpret your dreams online with DreamCrowd


I don't often have dreams, but when I do they tend to be a bit on the Eraserhead / Andalusian Dog side of things. Thankfully, DreamCrowd provides me a way to stumble out of bed and try to get a quick handle on what exactly my subconscious mind was trying to tell me.

Submit your text on DreamCrowd's home page and enter your text, title and tag your dream, and enter the spam-prevention code characters. Hopefully it'll work a bit better for you - I had to try four times even though I matched the code every time.

Still, once it does work and your dream is submitted, DreamCrowd does a good job of picking out key terms and provides Dream Interpretation 101-esque descriptions of their significance. The site is no replacement for a professional opinion, but it's an amusing and useful way to gain some insight.

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Web services, Freeware, Open Source

GetIt combines the power of three Windows apt-style updaters

As I've mentioned before, I'm a fan of apt-get. It's an extremely easy way to get tons of new applications installed on a new Linux installation. Plenty of similar options exist for Windows, but one stands out.

GetIt combines the power of three Windows implementations of the system - AppSnap, AppUpdater, and Win-Get. Once you've got all your engines installed, use Get-it's GUI to set them up (just click the buton) and you're ready to install.

More than four hundred apps are currently supported, including Avast, AVG, CDBurnerXP, Firefox, AutoHotKey, uTorrent, VLC, OpenOffice, and Handbrake.

Applications can be installed a number of ways. When GetIt checks your repositories for updates, it creates installer files in its Install folder. After that, you can:
  • Browse to the folder and double-click an installer
  • Use the GetIt Gui or command line
  • Index the folder and launch installers from Find and Run Robot (or your favorite launcher)
Installs run without user input, and GetIt also supports checking for updates to your apps. I'd like to see the GUI support multiple selections and would prefer not having to "press any key to continue" following an install, but those are minor gripes. For the average user, category listings would be a helpful addition.

GetIt is a simple, powerful way to download and install tons of great software and keep it up to date on your Windows PC.

Filed under: Photo, Web services, Google, Web

Google finally lets you make Picasa Web Albums truly private

Picasa private web albumsOnline photo sharing sites like Flickr, Photobucket and Picasa Web Albums provide a great way to share a set of images with friends, family, or the whole world. But what happens when you only want a select group of people to be able to see your photos?

Many sites allow you to hide or block photos from anyone who you haven't explicitly granted access to. But up until recently, if you wanted to hide images uploaded to Picasa from the general public, the best you could do was mark them as "unlisted," which meant that they wouldn't show up in public searches of Picasa Web Albums. But anyone who had the correct URL could still access those images.

Now Google has added the ability to restrict access to the people you've chosen to share an album with. You can set the permissions for a web album either when you're uploading images or after you've already created an album. Just click the edit menu, select album properties, and scroll down to the bottom of the screen where you'll find an option to mark photos as public, unlisted, or "sign-in required."

[via Google Operating System]

Filed under: Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Freeware, Browsers

Opera 10 Alpha 1 web browser passes the Acid3 test

Opera 10 Alpha 1
The latest version of the Opera web browser gets a perfect score on the Acid3 web standards test, which is pretty impressive until you realize that Firefox and Internet Explorer fall short of that score. And if the two most popular web browsers on the face of the earth don't fully meet these web standards, what good are they exactly?

That said, Opera 10 Alpha 1 includes a number of other tweaks that make this web browser worth checking out:
  • Inline spell checking
  • Automatic updates
  • Updated Presto 2.2 rendering engine
Opera Mail has also been improved, as has the Opera Widget engine for the Linux version of the cross-platform web browser.

iKnow! launches open learning platform

Having knowledge of more than one language (and to be clear, this is about spoken and written languages, not programming languages) is an increasingly important and valuable skill. The problem is of course, the older we get, the harder it can be to pick up another language. This is why the Internet is so awesome. It can make the challenge of learning a new language or even picking up a few key...

Driver Backup! 2 is a free, portable DriverMax alternative

I've been using DriverMax for a while, and it's a great tool - I included it in my 5 applications for a painless Windows reformat. One thing I don't like about it is that it's not portable and that the screens don't display properly on computers running at 800x600 or 640x480. Driver Backup! 2 is a nice alternative. While it doesn't have DriverMax's extra features (like driver updating), the...

AIM Blast: finally, you can IM multiple buddies at once

AIM Blast is a new AOL Instant Messenger feature that makes me feel old, because I just realized that it's been a decade since I first wondered why there was no way to IM multiple buddies without opening a chatroom. Well, it's finally here, and it works pretty well. You can't make a Blast Group from within AIM, but if you go to blast.aim.com, you can set up and edit a group from there. Blast...

Backblaze offers truly no-hassle online backups

Many users have the same problem when it comes to configuring a backup application: they forget to add one important file or folder to the job. Backblaze - a new online backup service - thinks they have a solution to the problem. Unlike most applications where items to be backed up must be manually added by the user, Backblaze works by automatically excluding the junk it knows you don't really...

WordPress 2.7 coming tomorrow

Edit: As Matt was kind enough to point out, WordPress.com will see the roll out of WordPress 2.7 sometime this evening. There is no official word on when WordPress.org will release the self-hosted version, though the first release candidate is available now. -- CEW -- It's a bit behind schedule, but WordPress 2.7 is due out tomorrow evening. Automattic, the company behind the popular blogging...

Featured Time Waster

Forumwarz - a potentially offensive time waster

I pwn UAfter spending the better part of an hour on Forumwarz I still can't decide if it's just sick or if it's kind of fun. It's a bit like a car wreck on the highway. I know I shouldn't be looking but I can't quite turn away.

It's sick, it's twisted, it's the internet on it's worst level and darn it, it's kind of fun. At least for a little while.

Forumwarz is a parody role-playing game that takes place on the internet - or at least the Forumwarz version of it. Your goal is to complete missions that are given to you through a mock up of GoogleTalk called Sentrillion.

Your first "friend" is ShallowEsophagus who begins giving you missions to pwn various forums by being a troll. Depending on the character type you are assigned at start up, you have tools like drooling on the keyboard or bashing your head on the keyboard that you can use to destroy forum threads and eventually, pwn a forum.

Future missions involve buying illegal software from the Russians, pwning more difficult forums and other internet oddness.

Completing missions gives you cash, called Flezz in game, and items that you can pawn or use in other missions. The game is NOT for those easily offended. It's crass, coarse and there are frequent f-bombs in the fake chat sessions.

This is also a game for a more mature audience as it requires you to shop at the Drugs R Fun store to get various concoctions to improve your playing, engage in certain cyber activities to get more Flezz and just generally use a more adult perspective.

If you can get past that, here are the more enjoyable and time-wasting aspects.

View more Time Wasters

Featured Galleries

Defective by Design, London: Protest Pictures
Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals
Android First-look: Amazon.com MP3 Store
Android First-look: Twitroid
Google Reader Android
Android Hands-On
Twine 1.0
Photoshop Express Beta
SXSWi 2008 Schwag Unboxing
SXSWi 2008 Day 1
Mozilla Birthday Cake
Palm stuff
Adobe Lightroom 1.1

 


Follow us on Twitter!

Flickr Pool

www.flickr.com

BloggingStocks Tech Coverage

More Tech Coverage

Joystiq

TUAW

BloggingStocks

Autoblog

Xbox 360 Fanboy

Engadget

WOW Insider

Switched.com

FanHouse