Slipstream Hustler goes live!

Powderdust has secured the contract to redesign Slipstream Hustler's MySpace page. I'm sure this will be CSStastic!!!

posted by powderdust @ 19:05:00 0 Comments Links to this post

Apple iPhone 3G Bummer

Would be nice if O2 (UK) let existing customers with contracts switch over to the iPhone 3G. This was the case with the launch of the first iPhone. So I was under the impression by staff that this would be the case this time. I even swapped from Orange to O2 to facilitate this move.

The other nice experience was that O2 took £10 from me as a deposit for an iPhone 3G but when I went in to collect it - they say "we have loads upstairs, the system is down so we can't sell them, we'll give you a call when everything is back to normal". It is now Saturday and the system is still down. Sounds more like bollocks to me!

Here's a good experience - MobileMe, is it launched? Are people using it? I know I'm not, I can't get it. So much for the Apple slogan "it just works". The launch of iPhone 3G and MobileMe is clearly a massive balls-up. Apple have powerful servers, massively skilled engineers and obviously an over zealous marketing team that is short on deliverables. It's a joke to see the advertising "the phone you've been waiting for" and the t-shirts and balloons. In the O2 and Carphone Warehouse stores it looks like a party were the host didn't turn up. Not good for new blood O2 or Apple customers.

In the wake of this debacle the Carphone Warehouse has a little flyer on the iPhone 3G display units (devoid of handsets) comparing the iPhone 3G with other phones on the market with the bias to the other phones. Message to Apple - don't come up with the goods, your outlet partners will stab you in the back.

As for the attitude of some people who seem to roll over and accept the apparent sub-standard yellow tinted screens as preferred I find amazing. Apple users should be scathing if things are not right - not accepting. Apple users have been used to brilliant products that work straight out of the box. So much so we have a smug look on our faces when talking about our kit. Apple as a company picked up on this an incorporated the smug attitude into it's advertising. But the smug look doesn't last too long when Apple fails. And it's failed big time this time around.

posted by powderdust @ 12:26:00 0 Comments Links to this post

Free Online Movies From China

An interesting thing has happened online recently. Since Russian music website allofmp3.com was shut down after infringing copywrite laws a new type of site has emerged copying the success of youtube but playing the most up to date movies straight to your desktop.

http://www.watch-movies.net is a Chinese site that seems to pull in content from video sources across China and link them to a massive movie database. You can watch old films from the past (I watch a bit of The Running Man the other day) to films that have possibly not made it into your cinemas yet.

Some of the films are dodgy handy-cam screeners, but to some people a free film is a free film. You have the option of voting on the quality of the stream, and to leave a review of the film.

The film industry has had it good over the years with the music industry losing out to illegal downloading. For the film industry the is a sting in the tale for this type of technology, like youtube the viewer only streams the content there is no downloads and subsequent owning of illegal material.

With broadband getting faster and faster, with technology making it easier to push streaming content to multiple devices and countries that do not recognise or police copywrite infringement the movie and music industries must be quaking in their boots.

Please feel free to post your opinion of watch-movies.net and the future of online media.

posted by powderdust @ 12:58:00 0 Comments Links to this post

Running a Laptop on Solar Power

It's official! Powderdust has gone green. Yes indeed, ladies and gentlemen, an 80 Watt solar panel has been installed by my good self and is now taking care of charging:

• 2 x Laptops (Macbook and IBM) 0% - 100%
• 2 x Mobile Phones
• 1 x Bluetooth Headset
• 1 x 10 Megapixel Casio Camera Battery
• 1 x Canon 400D SLR Camera
• 1 x Sony DV Video Camera Battery
• 1 x iPod Classic
• 1 x iPod Shuffle (via Macbook)
• 1 x Tom Tom One Sat Nav
• 2 x House Phones (top-up to full when down on 30%)
• 16 x AA Batteries
• 4 x AAA Batteries
• 1 x Battery Drill
And to top it all of 1.5 - 2hrs x 11 Watt Lamp every other night.



I do believe I could draw more power from the system - watch this space or suscribe to the blog to find out more.

You may be asking yourself a few questions. Like where in the world is powderdust? How is the power stored? What kit is used? Well its quite easy actually. Here is a list of kit used:

• Solar Panel (80 Watts, 12V) Mounted on shed roof facing south
• 4 x 12v, 26 Amp Hour Batteries wired in parallel
• 1 x 10 Amp charge controller, bought off eBay
• 1 x 12V-240V at 300 Watts inverter, again, bought off eBay
• 25 Metres of cable to run from shed to kitchen



Wire it all up, switch it all on, and hey presto! Free power. And this is all in rainy old England.

Feel free if you want to ask any more questions. And if you are going to use powderdust's design services, its good to know a percentage of energy used is from renewable resources.

posted by powderdust @ 17:52:00 2 Comments Links to this post

Internet World 2008

A very very well received show where exhibitors and visitor were concerned. One this that was lacking was floor-space. This show shared it's footfall with a direct mail exhibition and duly deserves the whole of Earls Court 2 to ply it's wears.

Floor-space aside the main message that came across is that the internet industry has evolved from simply, excuse the term, geeks talking to geeks about development to Account Managers, Project Managers and media buyers talking about implementation and deployment. Internet products matter, and with the pressure to join one type of social network such as Facebook for your free time or LinkedIn for your business/product profile, inclusion is the buzz-word and need for companies to succeed in the ever expanding digital world.

All very good for the end user, but for a developer/supplier the main specter of crushing competition is the big boys. As ever, Google and Microsoft were there touting for business. And on reflection, when talking to exhibitors offering affiliate marketing packages standing up to Google and Microsoft must be a pretty daunting task knowing full well what type of resources they have to draw upon for development.

On a positive note there were many inovative exhibitors at the show. T3D showing off their 3D XML Flash product viewer was something to behold. The guys on the stand were very passionate about their product, selling the fact that 3D will be the way of the net in the next 3-5 years as bandwidth levels expand ,processors become cheaper and faster and audiences demand a more hands-on approach to the net environment.

LinkedIn were there on a surprisingly small stall teaching people about LinkedIn and for those that have an account, how to make that percentage profile bar rise!! Very friendly staff, informative - but extremely busy for a small stall, you need a bigger boat.

posted by powderdust @ 12:25:00 0 Comments Links to this post

The Best Mobile Broadband Deal

At the time of going to press (May 08) I've been trawling over the UK's mobile operators to find the best deal on Mobile Broadband products.

There are a few pitfalls to look out for. You have a mobile phone, your mobile may have 3G and an internal modem. Your laptop may be able to connect to the internet via your phone. Sounds like you have got it licked - so you call up you operator and get an unlimited web browsing bolt-on and away you go, right? Wrong!

The way the mobile operators look at it is that your mobile phone is one device that can connect to the net and the bolt on is for that device only- your mobile. Your laptop is another story, this is deemed as a net hungry device that needs a separate contract! These contract come in all shapes and sizes from pay monthly to pay as you go. Here I've tried to make sense of the minefield that is Mobile Broadband.

The main point I can make is that just because you are on a certain network for a mobile phone doesn't mean you should stay on that network for a mobile broadband contract.

I've found a site that compares the top mobile broadband packages:

Top Mobile Packages

Good luck, please post back when you have made your choice - people need advice.

posted by powderdust @ 19:53:00 0 Comments Links to this post

Adding Hotmail to Apple Mail .app

Here's one I added today. For all those people who (still) use Hotmail and want to view their Hotmail account in the Apple Mail .app as is possible in Entourage/Outlook - here's the solution.

Download the httpmail plugin - (1.51 for Leopard) the instructions come in the download, here's an over view:

1. Upgrade your hotmail account to hotmail plus (fee applies)
2. Download the HTTPMail Plugin and install
3. Open Apple Mail and create a new account using the following settings:
Account Type: httpmail
Account Description: Whatever you like
Full Name: Your name
Email Address: yourname@hotmail.co.uk or .com
Incoming mail server: hotmail.co.uk or .com
User Name: yourname@hotmail.co.uk .com
Password: Your password

Voila!!! Hotmail on Apple Mail.

One drawback - you will have to leave your computer cooking for a bit to download all your saved email folders to your Apple Mail - and then they all com in as unread messages. - Bummer, but worth it.

posted by powderdust @ 20:03:00 0 Comments Links to this post