Ubiquity From Mozilla Labs

Ubiquity is a Mozilla Labs experiment into connecting the Web with language in an attempt to find new user interfaces that could make it possible for everyone to do common Web tasks more quickly and easily. The test occurred last year and interesting results were posted. So how do you build an application that end users want?

1. You can create a new language
2. You can make it work
3. We like adding browser features
4. Nountypes are very powerful… but hard to get people to use well
5. People get used to just naming their commands
6. Inputs are not just strings
7. Switching between mouse and keyboard sucks
8. Security is critical… or is it?
9. Preview can be more useful than actually doing it
10. “Killer App” commands drive adoption
11. Users need to be able to find commands somehow

http://labs.mozilla.com/projects/ubiquity/

Product Planner Maps Flows

Create a flow to help visually facilitate an online task with Product Planner. The website says, “Product Planner was born out of the need to help people understand and create user flows for their web products. The idea is that by looking at examples of other successful web products, you can get a better idea of how to create your own.” This website collects and distributes user generated work flows by clearly listing the steps with an interactive flow chart. Some examples of the gallery of flow charts are: Gmail sign-up flow, MySpace sign-up loop, Basecamp sign-up flow or Vimeo Email Invite Flow. Is your product listed here?

http://productplanner.com/

eCity Cleveland

Thunder::Tech created a Website and a fundraising video for E CITY (Entrepreneurship: Connecting, Inspiring and Teaching Youth), a non-profit organization that teaches entrepreneurial business and life skills to Greater Cleveland youth.

http://www.ecitycleveland.com/

Is Parallels like MCDLT?

After many, many years I am using and enjoying a Macintosh computer again. However due to my work habits over the years, there are times where I may want to switch over to Windows. If you setup your machine properly, you can have MAC on one side and PC on one side, this is called parallels. As you know, Leading Hands likes using analogies because more people will remember it at the end of the day. Parallels is like the MCDLT.

Do you remember the MCDLT? If not, watch the video above. Back in 1985 McDonald’s introduced the MCDLT sandwich which kept all the cold stuff on one side and all the hot stuff on the other side. Your burger was kept separate from your vegetables. The sandwich boasted by Jason Alexander didn’t make a big splash, but it’s legend continues. Now with parallels you’ve got the hot on one side and the cold on the other. The question is which operating system is hot and which operating system is cold?

Graduate High School with a Boost

Nearly every school day almost 7000 students dropout of school. Help American high school students by sending them some encouragement. Go to Boost Up and send a text, email or a pat on the back by signing up on the site. All it takes is a minute and you could influence a young life by simple electronic message of support.

http://www.boostup.org/

Nabbit Connects Cell To Radio

The website says, “Nabbit connects your cell phone to your radio. You like that song? Find out what it is and download it now! Nabbit lets you tag songs from the radio straight from your mobile phone and Facebook and saves them for you online for free. You can also tweet your nabbs!”

If you heard of Shazam on the iPhone, then you’ll like Nabbit for everyone that doesn’t own one. Sign-up for the service, pick your stations in your area and the pick the method you want to tag songs. You can either text “nabb” and the station frequency to 878787, set your mobile broswer to m.nabbit.com or call 866-Jott-123. You’ll then get a text back with the name of the song and the artist, then save the song info on your own personal Nabbit Web account.

Don’t loose a song again with Nabbit.
http://www.nabbit.com/

Sell Your Own Tickets Online

TicketLeap is a service that will give your oganization the ability to sell tickets online. Setup your account instantly and your patrons can you register and pay for an event online. I have never used it, but a friend of mine had success with it.

https://www.ticketleap.com/

Milo Sees If Items Are Stocked

Do you need to see if an item is in stock at the store down the street? Instead of calling your local store, asking the clerk if a item is on the shelf and then waiting five minutes to hear it’s available, use Milo.

Milo is a new web service that connects you with local retailers to give up to the minute inventory on the products you need. The term “brick and mortar” is often used to describe ordering your purchase online and then picking it up at a local store. Milo fills this void by connecting many popular genres of products such as electronics, clothing, and cooking and bringing them together in once place so you can see if its in stock. In the insurance world, Insurance.com brings together many of the top auto insurance companies so you can choose and purchase the best policy for you. Milo does the same when it comes to consumer goods.

After reviewing the website, everything that I looked at in my area didn’t seem to be in stock. However after looking at other states, I did see items were in stock. Thus, this indicates that Milo’s network is still growing and the accuracy depends on the location.

http://milo.com/

Thanks again to Mike Kimmel for find.

Find Your Favorite Flyers Online!

Everything that was traditionally printed is now finding its home online. A company called Fly Post has created a community dedicated to the art and utility of the promotional flyer. These flyers have got usually your eye on telephone poles as you’ve walked down the street or maybe you’ve had one placed under the windshield of your car. However, Fly Post realizes you spend more time on the Internet, so why not find them in cyberspace?

* It’s Free to Sign Up. Get started Now!
* Search for flyers that interest you.
* Post flyers about art events, bands, garage sales, animals, magic, etc…
* OR simply delight in the latest and greatest in flyer design, a true form of American pop art.

http://www.fly-post.com/

Joost, TV and Web Together

Joost combines TV and Web together. Their website says, “It’s a way to watch videos – music, TV, movies and more – over the Internet.” Watch music videos, clips from TV shows and then share it on Facebook. After checking out Hulu, I was determined to find an alternative and Joost is a good start. It definitely doesn’t have as much content as the other video conglomerates, but it has spirit.

http://joost.com