I heard about BumpTop for the first time about 2 and a half years ago. I wrote a blog about it when I had watched the demo video. I was really amazed and anxious to try it one day. On the 12th of this month, I have received an invitation from BumpTop to download the beta version of the 3d desktop application!
Right away, I downloaded the software and installed it in my Windows Vista (it works only on Windows XP and Vista). It looked different than the demo I watched 30 months ago, but much better! BumpTop will make your virtual desktop look more like a real desktop with your files and folders scattered around and stacked the way it fits your need and taste.
You have the choice of downloading more BumpTop themes. See some snapshots I took for some of those themes. Sign up for a beta download invitation and you might experience BumpTop soon :)
Google Releases Top Searched Terms of 2008 In UAE & 36 Other Countries
Yesterday, Google announced its annual Zeitgeist, a look at 2008 through the collective eyes of the world on the web. The 2008 Year-End Zeitgeist offers a unique perspective on the year's major events and hottest trends based on global searches, as well as searches conducted in UAE and 35 additional countries.
In the UAE the fastest rising lists of 2008 proved to be quite interesting with the Beijing Olympics, Sheikh Nasser Bin Zayed and the Atlantis Hotel rising to the top ten searches for this year. We also looked at what the top 10 most popular search terms related to the economy and the fastest rising lists of vacations, famous people and restaurants residents of the UAE are searching for.
In addition to telling us what people are curious about in the UAE, Google Zeitgeist tools also offer insight into which topics were of interest across the globe. This year, for the first time since its inception in 2001, we have taken a deep dive into global search information across more than 30 countries and published our findings all in one place: the Google Zeitgeist 2008 website. This year's global fastest rising searches show interest in global events such as the Beijing Olympics and Euro 2008, with a number of American politicians and international social networking sites showing up as well:
Google reveals the internet "Zeitgeist" (German for "the spirit of the times") through an exploration of the millions of search queries we receive every day. In addition to the Year-end Zeitgeist, which highlights the top trends of 2008, we also have several tools that give insight into global, regional, past and present search trends. Google Zeitgeist tools can never be used to identify individual users because we rely on anonymized, aggregated counts of how often certain search queries occur over time. These tools are available year-round for you to play with, explore, and learn from: www.google.com/zeitgeist
Ayna Corporation announced today the launch of a beta version of Ayna Events Service. The service is dedicated to covering the latest events and occasions happening in the Middle East & North Africa.
Ayna Events presents clever features where events are listed by date and geo-located on Ayna Maps, displaying detailed information with routine options as well as providing comprehensive search criteria.
The service carries a constantly growing database of Concerts and Shows, Conferences, Educational Activities, Entertainment, Exhibitions, Fairs & Festivals, Premiere/Road Shows/Launchings, Seminars, Sports, Theaters and Plays, and Trade Shows taking place in the Middle East & North African region.
Event Organizers are able to submit their events manually and geo-locate them on Ayna Maps through a user-friendly interface. The service is offered for free and holds different advertising options.
Ayna Events service is presented in Arabic and English and will include additional features in the coming future.
Muxlim Pal: World’s First Virtual World for Muslims
A trial version of the world's first Muslim-friendly virtual world was launched yesterday, where users can create an online persona, design their own rooms, buy virtual items and interact with others. Called Muxlim Pal and created by the Finnish-based company Muxlim.com, the English-language site caters primarily to Muslims living in western countries who long to reconnect with other Muslims and Muslim culture.
"Muxlim Pal is just another channel for our users to socialize, have fun and express themselves using social media in a safe and friendly atmosphere," Muxlim chairman and CEO Mohamed El-Fatatry.
Mohamed El-Fatatry: Chairmain & CEO of Muxlim.com
"We are not a religious site, we are a site that is focused on the lifestyle ... This is for anyone who is remotely interested in the Muslim culture and the Muslim lifestyle," he said.
On Muxlim Pal, which is free of charge to join, users can shop for clothes for their avatar at the mall, hang out at the beach cafe, pray at the mosque or go to concerts. What makes Muxlim Pal different from other popular websites such as Second Life is that content portraying violence, drugs, sexual references or profanity is not allowed.
The company plans to launch the full version of the virtual world next year after tweaking the trial product with help from users.
Google Friend Connect: Making Sites More Interactive & Social
A week ago, Google announced the release of the beta version of Google Friend Connect. This is what Mussie Shore, Google Product Manager, had to say about the new released service:
We're pleased to share that Google Friend Connect is now available in beta to any webmaster looking to add a "dash of social" to his or her site. This service lets webmasters add social features to their sites by simply copying and pasting a few snippets of code — no advanced coding or technical background required.
The following YouTube video explains the concept of Google Friend Connect:
The main two types of gadgets you can add to your site/blog are Members Gadgets and Social Gadgets. Members gadget allows visitors to join your site, sign in and out, see other members, and use other social features. You may also use a more minimal, simple sign-in gadget, on multiple pages on your site to ensure that visitors can sign in and out as desired. Once you've installed one of these, visitors can start joining your site.
On the other hand, Social Gadgets include wall gadget and review/rate gadget. Wall gadget allows viewers to post comments, or links to videos on your site. Review/rate gadget allows viewers to rate a page, or a section of a page. Viewers can use this to rate videos, articles, books, photos, songs, or anything else. You can put multiple Review/Rate gadgets on one page, one for each item you want viewers to review.
Google Friend Connect is a service worth implementing in sites and blogs. It's free and will help making your site more interactive and social.
The design was created exclusively for LaCie by 5.5 designers. LaCie CurrenKeys open with a simple rotation of the coin’s edge; a design that easily reveals and hides the USB connector with a twist. For added data security, the LaCie CurrenKeys are made with a shock-proof, die-cast metal for resilience and safety.
The LaCie CurrenKeys come with two storage capacities: the silver LaCie CurrenKey can pack up to 8 GB (US $30) while the bronze can handle up to 4 GB (US $20).
Pioneer Showcases 400GB Blu-ray Disc & Plans For 1TB In 2013
Pioneer is exhibiting its super multi-layer read-only optical disc which features 16 separate layers on a single side with 25GB storage capacity on each layer for a total capacity of 400GB at the IT Month fair taking place in Taipei.
The technology of the super multi-layer read-only disc is based on Blu-ray Disc (BD) with a breakthrough in material of reflective layers, according to Pioneer High Fidelity Taiwan. The specifications of the pick-up head (PUH) of the disc is the same as those for the PUH of blank BD discs, and therefore the Pioneer discs can be read on BD players, the company said.
According to Pioneer's internal roadmap, its super multi-layer technology development is read-only (ROM) discs in 2008-2010, rewritable discs in 2010-2012 and 1TB (1,000GB) disc in 2013, the company indicated.
