The controller shared 12 pages worth of information that, perhaps he shouldn’t have. The secret coordinates he shared were supposedly undecipherable by laymen but they were still apparently impressive to his friends. He is being questioned by authorities and it’s possible President Obama may receive an official apology from the Japanese Prime Minister.

Among the information he blogged was also the coordinates of an unmanned U.S. drone. As a man who sees no qualms with sharing information that would almost certainly put someone into harms way, especially as a figure as important as a U.S. president, we wonder how long he will be holding onto his job.

Tumblr has apparently fallen to the influence (in a good way) of the network effect. This means that the more users sign up and use it, the more valuable it has become. Building a user base is a very important step in building a network and therefore value to that network. We saw that in Instagram as the founders used creativity in creating a social network built around pictures.

Tumblr seems to have a user base of mostly younger people. Supposedly over 50% of Tumblr users are under the age of 25. This makes younger people the driving force behind the growth of the micro-blogging service. While not totally able to take the place of full-fledged blogging sites, with its rate of growth it can begin to give some of the micro-blogging sites a run for their money.

Download Squad is popular for its news, reviews and recommendations for software downloads. But as the AOL/HuffPo acquisition resulted in the company restructuring its site to remove redundancies, the lesser-known brands are being folded into the stronger brands. Download Squad has confirmed this in an announcement earlier in the week.

The site will keep running for the time being, although no new blog posts will be made. AOL has already let go many of its freelance writers and blogging staff, and it’s probably no different with the case of Download Squad. The site still gets millions in monthly readership, and we think Download Squad will still rake in some money for AOL for the next months to come.

Somewhat of a slow week on EP this past week on account of us having several issues aside from the sites to deal with – if you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know what they are – nevertheless we featured a few gems that you may have missed.

From a designer chair inspired by a punctuation mark to a conceptual iPod/iPhone dock inspired by a 50′s microphone, and a designer diver’s wrist watch to designer jewelry made from dead rodents and Sterling silver casts of bird bones – you’re sure to find something from the past week’s postings on EP that will inspire (or perhaps, in mind of the latter, even provoke).

Here’s a run down of e-Potpourri’s posts for this past week:

Watchman Dr Manhattan Hands [Watchman Washing Up Gloves]

Dievas AquaLuna Designer Diver’s Wrist Watch [1000 Meters Water Resistant]

Broil King Imperial Outdoors Barbecue Grill [Dual Oven Uber BBQ Grill]

IDEA Dictionary Pen Concept [Curious Fusion of Traditional and Modern]

Arflex Ball Designer Chair by Carlo Colombo [Spherical Designer Seating]

Question Mark Chair by Stefan Heiliger [Designer Seating Inspired by Punctuation]

E-Pod iPhone & iPod Touch Dock by Eun Seok Huh [conceptual iPod/iPhone Docking Cradle]

Julia DeVille’s ‘Memento Mori’ Inspired Jewelry [Controversial & Hauntingly Evocative]

OIAB: Office In A Bag [Inflatable Mobile Office Doubles Up As Chillout Pod]

Futuristic Corian Tables by Stuart Melrose [A Playground of Light and Shadow]

Here’s a brief roundup of what you may have missed on our sister site, e-Potpourri, this week – week ending 14/03/2009. From designer loungers to Space Invaders ice cube makers, designer rocking chairs inspired by the human form to eco-friendly reusable shopping bags that fold-up into a grenade.

Here’s a run down of e-Potpourri’s posts for this past week:

Guns & Ammo Necklace [Urban Jewelry Mirrors Our Troubled Times]

ACME Ray Gun Pen & Pen Holder Combo [Ray Gun Desk Pen by Ben Hall]

Pouyan Mokhtarani’s Ruby Rocking Chair [Inspired by the Human Form]

New Decider SE Wrist Watch [Decision Making Wrist Watch for Indecisive Types]

Space Invaders Ice Cubes [Space Invaders Ice Cube Tray]

MotoArt Boeing 747 JetLiner Bed [Jumbo Jet Engine Nacelle Cowling Bed]

Johan Lindsten’s Pixel Table [Adaptive Modular Designer Table]

WorldCard Ultra Palm Sized Business Card Scanner [Keeps Contacts in Order]

Kalorik Wine Cooler [Geeky Wine Cooler Promises Optimum Drinking Temperatures]

3rd Gen iPod Shuffle Adopts Truly Minimalist Approach [Have They Got it Right?]

EcoSmart Zeta Fireplace [Designer Architectural Fireplace by John Dimopoulos]

Dimitry Samal?s Hypnosis Chair/Lounger [Convertible Seating Solution]

Hyundai MB-910 Cell/Mobile Phone Watch with Bluetooth Headset

My Paper Bag [Reusable 'Quirky' Paper Bag Styled Leather Bag]

Incognito Wine Bottle Accessory Kit from Sirtified [A Great Conversation Starter]

Greenaid Hand Grenade Bag [Eco-Warrior?s Reusable Shopping Bag]

Italo Fontana Welder 3000 Designer Wrist Watch [Welder K-24 Series]

We are aware that many of the regular readers of TFTS also visit our sister site, e-Potpourri, so we thought we would offer a brief update here concerning a number of new features that we’ve added to EP that allow you to see true democracy in action (the coding of which called for us to work into the small hours, hence the downturn in posting here on TFTS whilst we wrestled with the required PHP).

As those who have visited EP will know, the site’s main focus is in presenting the reader with new items that we think are particularly cool (or, on a few occasions, perhaps not) which readers subsequently vote on from a ‘what’s cool and what’s not’ perspective.

Until now whilst feedback has been provided allowing readers to see how many votes each item has received and the average score awarded there has been no facility to allow readers to gain a wider perspective as to the overall standings of items – and this is something we have now addressed after a great deal of head scratching and pulling of hair).

Thanks to the addition of three new pages at last we can offer the reader an up to the minute snapshot as to the overall top 50 highest voted/rated items on the site, the current highest rated items in each specific primary category and the current least rated items featured on the site. All standings are updated continuously so ongoing voting effects the standings on a minute by minute basis – thus allowing readers to see the impacts of their voting as well as to see true democracy in action.

Interested parties can read about these new features via our News page at EP.

(As a side note, longstanding readers will note that once upon a time we ran a voting system here at TFTS but this was removed on account of not proving particularly popular)

It is, it has to be said, once in a blue moon these days that we add a site to your Links Page but, when we do, we like to offer up a brief heads up here by way of a posting just to let you know that we have another recommendation concerning a little external reading.

Walyou has been on our radar for some time now and, thanks to a recent redesign, offering a particularly tight new look, things are certainly on the up for a site that often punctuates the regular flow of gadget news with postings designed to inspire and, needless to say, should you be looking to expand your reading horizons a little Walyou is certainly worth a visit.

You can link to Walyou via the link provided below or, alternatively, if you would like to peruse our somewhat discerning list of external sites that we think really need to be on your radar (if they’re not already) you can do so by clicking through to our Links Page.

Walyou

Those of you who are regular readers of TFTS (or, for that matter, our sister site e-Potpourri) may be interested in an interview just published by Elite Choice with yours truly – completed as part of their ongoing ‘Elite Blogger’ series – in which I talk freely about TFTS and EP, their development and what makes me and the sites tick (apart from a steady stream of the amber liquid).

Needless to say, I was thrilled to be approached by Elite Choice with respect to being interviewed by them for their ‘Elite Blogger’ series and I was pleasantly surprised by the scope and breadth of their questions, which certainly took some thinking about and which I like to think that I have answered both honestly and frankly.

If you would like to know more about the development of TFTS and EP as well as the person behind the sites (that’ll be me then) you can do so via the link provided below, though I should advise that my ugly mug makes an appearance (I apologise in advance for any psychological traumas that may result).

I would like to convey my warm thanks to Zola and Elite Choice for giving me the rare opportunity to speak freely about the sites and for their extremely kind words concerning both TFTS and EP (very much appreciated).

Elite Blogger: Rendezvous With Andrew Tingle

Every now and again we like to offer you, the reader, another means of escape from these very pages by offering a brief heads up concerning an external site that, for one reason or another, we’ve steadily grown to favour, and in this respect it gives us great pleasure to add Geek Alerts to our hallowed links page.

To quote the snippet we’ve posted on our links page, ‘If you’re looking to stray away from us in a bid to find more on the latest cutting edge gadgetry and consumer electronics as well as some of the more humorous nerdy products you can while your time drooling over, Geek Alerts never fails to deliver.’

If you’re looking for a yet more gadgetry with which to feed your insatiable appetite for all things geeky, Geek Alerts is well worth a visit and is a great addition to our links page (which already features a great list of sites that, if you have never visited, may be of interest to you – just don’t forget us, ok? :-) ).

Every month here at TFTS we like to offer a heads up concerning a technology/gadget site that, for one reason or another, has served to catch our attention, and this month we have great pleasure in featuring an exclusive interview with Veridiana Serpa, the owner and author of Geek Chic, a well respected Brazilian technology and gadget site catering for women with seriously geek credentials.

TFTS Interview with Veridiana Serpa of Geek Chic

TFTS: What initially inspired you to create the Geek Chic – what was your motivation and what were your aims?

GC: I lived in New York for a while and my husband being as a geeky as he is motivated me to watch TechTV everyday and I got so into the gadgets and technology world I decided that I was going to make a internet show where I would be the host. I started to watch and read a lot about gadget/tech news, then I decided to create a blog about it, for the Portuguese speaking girls and, so far, it’s working fine. As for the show, I guess I will be able to put it on the internet some time next year, since we’ve already started to work it.

TFTS: Could you define what the term ‘Geek’ means to you? Would you say that you are a Geek yourself, and if so, why?

GC: A geek, for me, is someone that loves technology and cannot live without it. It’s someone that is always looking for new gadgets, and new technology and they usually read a lot about the subject and know a lot about computers. Saying that, I guess I am quite a Geek, even though I am not a computer expert, unlike my husband, but I can not imagine myself getting by for even two days without internet access.

TFTS: With Geek Chic having just celebrated its first anniversary what have been the highlights in the past twelve months?

GC: I was very happy because a newspaper from north of Brazil recommend us to their readers, as well as Capricho Magazine, a magazine for teenager girls, we also have been featured in the Pix Magazine for young adults. We are regularly invited to events for bloggers and now we will be feature at TFTS, so I have to say that we’ve been blessed since we created GC.

TFTS: Were do you see Geek Chic being in the next twelve months? What, if any, are your targets and, if you don’t set targets as such, how do you gauge how the site is performing?

GC: I really hope that in the next twelve months will have more readers, more sponsors so that GC can support the project (internet show) I mentioned above. I gauge how the site is performing by using Site Meter and Google Analytics besides the statistics from the server, and by the fact that we are being invited to more and more events. Also, we’re being featured more often in different Brazilian media, so I guess we are doing well as far as the Brazilian blogs for women are concerned, even though I suspect most of my readers are male.

TFTS: How long do you spend working on the site in an average day (be it finding material, posting and responding to comments, networking and/or site promotion)?

GC: Not less then three hours per day since I visit about 25 international blogs related to technology daily to find what I am going to post on the site that fits in with our slogan: “daily news about technology, news and design: for her, her family and friends”. After I decided which posts I’m going to work with I then, of course, have to translate it into Portuguese prior to posting on GC.

TFTS: Could you name five tech/gadget sites that inspire you in some way and explain why these particular sites appeal to you?

GC: When I started I knew some blogs like Gizmodo, Coolest Gadgets, Engadget and others, but I then started to search for women’s blogs and that’s when I found TecnoCHICA, Techie Diva, Chip Chick and a number of others. They all inspire my posting on GC and gave me an idea, at the beginning, as to the quantity of posts I should produce per day as well – though, without getting any help from contributors I cannot post quite as much as I would like to. They also inspired me due to the level of their professionalism and how they are respected by corporations, figures from the media and, most importantly as far as I am concerned, by the readers.

TFTS: If you had to single out one particular aspect of the site that you’re especially happy with, what would it be? Conversely, is there anything that you are not happy with or anything you would like to implement but just haven’t got round to?

GC: I am happy with the feedback I get from my readers, they really help me to improve on the site and a lot of them write to me that what they especially like is the size of the GC’s posts. Most of the time I try to be very concise, I usually do not write my opinion about the product because I am writing from Rio and not New York where people readily have access to the latest technologies and gadgets are cheaper. Gadgets sold here are sometimes 200% more expensive than elsewhere as the taxes are pretty high.

We use MT (MovableType – a blogging platform) though I am really thinking about moving to WP (WordPress) sometime next year – I have my other blogs based on WP and I think it’s much easier to work with and to install plug-ins. Hopefully I’ll make the conversion in 2008.

TFTS: Geek Chic is written in Portuguese and yet your level English is frankly superb. Have you ever thought of offering your posts in both Portuguese and English as, though online translation tools help open you your site to English speakers, the quality of translation is no where near on par with your English skills?

GC: Thanks so much Andrew, but I do not think I could post in English, I do not think English native speakers would enjoy reading a post that may have mistakes. I would love to write in English, but I am not that confident. I never thought about having Geek Chic in English, but now you’ve got me thinking (thanks).

TFTS: What would you say are the three most important gadgets you own, and why?

GC: I love my PC, which my husband put together for me. I also love my laptop, a Toshiba Satellite R-15, and my old camera, a Pentax Option 6.0 megapixel, that’s so compact that it fits inside my purse so I can always take pictures wherever I go.

TFTS: Having got past the magic (extremely harrowing) first year, what would your advice be to new bloggers trying to break into the gadget/tech market?

GC: I think that lately a lot of new bloggers create their blogs and think that they just need to write some posts, add some ads from Google/Amazon/etc and they will be famous and rich. Sorry, but at least in Brazil, it just doesn’t happen that way. They also have to read a lot and complete a great deal of background work, because these days so many bloggers are creating blogs geared towards the technology market. Personally I recommend initially seeing what other sites are writing about and studying their style of writing whilst looking to find your own style and your own voice. A thousand people can write about the same topic but that does not mean necessarily mean that they all will be written from the same perspectives. Most importantly, I think that you should love doing it and that, if you do, the rest will follow.

TFTS: If you had to name just one manufacturer in terms of the overall desirability of their products or the general feel that their brand conveys who would it be, and why?

GC: Microsoft. I do think they make nice products, even though sometimes they can be a little buggy here and there, but they are a great company. I believe they are reliable. I especially like their software and their (Xbox) console.

We would like to thank Veri for taking the time to talk to TFTS and we have absolutely no hesitation in adding Geek Chic to our much hallowed links page as well as recommending that you pay Geek Chic a visit as, whilst the site is written in Portuguese, it fairs fairly well when translated with the numerous online translation tools currently available.

We wish Veri all the best for the future and we very much look forward to the internet show she’s planning.

One site that we regularly visit and that never ceases to raise a smile, Nerd Approved can be relied on to consistently deliver when it comes to some of the wackiest, and often just plain silly, gadgets available via the net – and so we take great pleasure in featuring Nerd Approved as this month’s TFTS recommended featured link for those of you looking for a little off site reading.

If you are having a bad day and are looking to reaffirm that the world is not all doom, gloom and despondency, or you’re looking for that curious gift that is sure to draw groans (or sniggers) of disbelief from a friend or member of the family, you’re sure to find something on Sean’s site that perfectly fits the bill. And, needless to say, with Christmas rapidly approaching we don’t doubt that the site will prove an invaluable tool for those seeking those last minute, fun stocking fillers.

Often written in a gloriously stony, tongue-in-cheek style, Nerd Approved is the online equivalent of a fairground sideshow featuring products that invariably focus on the lighter side of life and is a perfect antidote for those looking to take solace in a smile.

A more than worthy addition our links page which features a highly selective list of sites that are well worth a visit, if Nerd Approved is unknown to you then we would heartily recommend that you check it out.

It’s once in a blue moon that we add a link to our links page so we like to offer a brief heads up whenever we add a site to our concise and highly selective recommended off site reading list and this is certainly the case when it comes to Digital Drops.

Digital Drops is a Brazilian technology and gadgets site that not only consistently delivers but one that is updated on a daily basis with nothing but quality posts. It also happens to be run by a thoroughly nice chap by the name of Nick Ellis who has been a great supporter of TFTS for some considerable time.

Nick’s site is a great addition to our links list and if you don’t happen to be fluent in Portuguese rest assured that the site translates reasonably well via the likes of Google’s automatic translation service.

Digital Drops can be accessed via out links page (accessible via out extreme right-hand site navigation) or via the following links.

Digital Drops (English Translation)

The first blog to be featured, and serving as a great first spotlight feature site, is Fresh Brainz, a technology and gadget related blog hot from Singapore and owned and run by thoroughly nice chappy by the name of Lim Leng Hiong – and its well worth a visit.

Fresh Brainz covers a diverse range of technology and gadget related news from robotics to news direct from Singapore.

As Lim puts it himself:

“Fresh Brainz is a personal blog about the nascent science scene in Singapore. Our latest data suggests that Singapore is currently home to about 1000 scientists, 10000 graduate students, 100000 support staff, 1000000 surprised spiders and 1 science blog. As such, the pressure on our editorial board is so intense that we usually end up pissed-drunk on beers and overdosed on chocolates.”

Fresh Brainz – direct from Singapore
Highly Recommended

If you would like to check out Lim’s site – and why wouldn’t you? – you can link directly to Fresh Brainz via this link.

Note For Bloggers/Webmasters

If you run a technology/gadget related blog that you think might be of interest to visitors to Thoughts from the Sidelines, please do feel free to drop me an email via this site’s contact form (a direct link is provided below for your convenience). Please be advised that it would be appreciated if you have a link to Thoughts from the Sidelines up and running on your site if you want your site to be featured in a forthcoming spotlight. It should be noted, however, that I reserve to right to not link or post about sites that I deem as being either unsuitable (in subject matter), in any way inflammatory or have little content.

I very much look forward to hearing from you.

]]> http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/10/22/fresh-brainz/feed/ 0