Linkology: The Best of the Internet for 4/6/12
If you observe Easter, we’re heading into a holiday weekend. As such, you need things to talk about. I would give you all you need about playoff hockey, but since about 9% of the population seems to care, I’ll instead arm you with all sorts of web esoterica. Hang on.
Google announces Project Glass, their augmented-reality glasses. The general vibe of this news is thus: futuristic, potentially cool concept, dorky look. What people aren’t talking a great deal about: can you imagine the user data Google collects on someone using this? That boggles my mind — and not in a good way.
Why $7.99 beats $0.99: an articulation of the end of the race to the bottom in iOS app pricing. I think the iPad paved the way for higher app pricing (and far better apps) on iOS in general. Note: this is not a missive to justify taking a junky app and overpricing it; it’s an argument for pricing value at the appropriate level and not feeling downward price pressure because everyone else’s garbage app is a buck.
Still rough on touch typing skills? If so, your life is hard, and getting harder by the day. Try TypingClub, a free online touch typing trainer. Even though I’m a serious keyboard monkey, I found this actually improved my typing rate. No joke. Try it yourself and tell me I’m wrong. In an email you write insanely fast, please.
I hereby resign: a fictional letter on the liability of Facebook background checks.
Like tower defense games? If so, try MapsTD, a tower defense game based on Google Maps. The best part is that you can play anywhere in the world: Rome, Moab, or your own neighborhood. Dorky? Yes. Surprisingly fun even once the novelty wears off? Yes.
To Do: a Venn diagram eerily based upon what seems to be my brain. Accurate and, in a way, bothersome. Now let me go do some — HEY LOOK A SPOON!
Paper: if you have an iPad and have any inclination to sketch, jot down ideas, paint, or otherwise be creative, this is an app you simply cannot miss. I’ve been playing with it for hours, and it even caused me to buy a Wacom Bamboo stylus. Worth every penny.
Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray says Apple shares are projected to reach $1000/share in 2014, which would make Apple the world’s first trillion-dollar company. Trillion with a T, folks.
If you’re camera goomba like me and don’t feel like blowing good opportunities messing with aperture and shutter settings at your kid’s birthday party, experiment with The SLR Camera Simulator for a bit. It lets you modify lighting conditions, distance, focal length, ISO, aperture, shutter speed and camera shooting modes. Pretty fun to see what sort of good — and awful — combinations you can come up with. Very useful if you’re new to photography.
As if declining market share, failed products and slipping relevance weren’t enough problems for RIM, now people are getting stabbed at the events it hosts. Talk about not catching a break.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
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More links:
MIPRO Consulting main website.
