Ranker - Vote On Everything

Hi All,

A few days ago I came across a website called Ranker.  The site bills itself as a place for people to 'vote on everything'. 

What exactly is Ranker you ask? Good question, it is a leading digital media company for opinion-based, crowdsourced rankings on just about everything. They advertise that about 50 million people have generated over 300 million votes.

Okay..that all said here's the meat of the site.  They have dozens of lists (ranks) on topics like 'people', 'entertainment', 'sports', 'culture', 'channels' and 'videos'..

Typing in a phrase in the search box at the top right of the screen results in a list of results related to the search.  Lists with the most number of votes are ranked at the top of the screen.

For example, a search for 'puppies' and a list of 'The Cutest Mixed Dog Breeds' appears.   Other lists included 'Cutest Black Lab Pictures' and 'Cutest Boy Puppy Names'.  Pictures appear in each list and a brief narrative is included as well.

The number of votes that the pictures received is listed as well. 

Check out the site for some very entertaining and enlightening lists!

Enjoy the site!

Regards,
Stu










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Best Android Apps of 2017

Hi All,

So the year is almost ended and all the 'best of' articles are starting to come out in print and on the web.  One of the better ones - written in March 2017 no less - is this article titled '100 Best Android Apps of 2017', written by PC Mag.

The article subtitle states that these are 'The essential Android apps you need, whether you're outfitting the latest Pixel phone or plugging along with a much older device.'

The article has lots of subheadings....including the following Browsers, Health/Fitness, Personal Productivity, Reading/News, Shopping, Travel, Video, Food, Music/Podcasts, Photos, Security, Social Media/Communication, Utilities and Workplace Productivity.

Apps are that 'make the PCMag 'cut' are generally less thank $5 - with the majority of the apps on the list being free to download via Google Play. 

About 5 or so of the 'best' apps are listed in each category with a paragraph length description of the apps features and why it is included in the list of the 100 Best Android Apps of 2017.

Links to each app are on the site as is a rating - 5 solid red dots indicates the 'best' app. 

In the article PCMag suggests using the link for '10 Must Have Android Apps For 2017' if the 100 apps in the prior article are too many to go through.

So...what criteria did PCMag look for when reviewing apps for the article?  They looked for uniqueness, elegance, timeliness, design, price, security and popularity in an app for the list!

Enjoy the apps and the links and your phones' new found capabilities!

Regards,
Stu

Bloggingheads.tv

Hi All,

Just came across an interesting site that I never heard of before.  Bloggingheads.tv.

What is Bloggingheads you ask?  Great question.  And here's the answer!  Blogginheads.tv was founded in 2005 as the first website devoted to split screen video dialogue about politics and ideas.  Its early mission statement was to " be in one sense an unusual expression of the Internet.  Almost all blogs have a dominant ideology and a fairly homogeneous comments section to match. We pride ourselves on having a diversity of views in our diavlogs and an accordingly diverse comments section, where thoughtful disagreement is expressed in civil terms. (OK, usually thoughtful, and usually civil.)”

So there you have it...video discussions on various political topics and on 'big topic' issues.  Click on this link to learn more about the background of Bloggingheads.tv. 

The Bloggingheads.tv homepage has links to various programs like: Culturally Determined, DMZ, Drezburt, Foreign Entanglements, Glenn Show, Global Dispatches, Rational Actors, Science Faction and the Wright Show.

Other informative links include a whole bunch of archived programs on various topics: 10th Anniversary, 5th Anniversary, Democracy in America, Free Will, Washington Squares, Pros and Conn, Values Added and The Score.

The format of the videos is basically two people talking on a split screen.  Videos are roughly anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour on the topic you chose.  Sometimes video quality is 'less than stellar' but you will get the idea that the blogging heads are talking about.

Its an interesting take on the 21st century of free speech.  People are talking and videoing on a whole wide variety of important topics!  Basically this is like talking on a stump in front of a crowd in the eighteenth or nineteenth century!

Enjoy the videos and the discussions and the wide variety of topics!

Regards,
Stu

Gizmo's Freeware

Hi All,

If users want to review and rate the best free software a good site to visit would be Gizmo's Freeware. 

Click on this 'About' link to learn more about Gizmo's Freeware....note that the site is composed of a non-commercial community of users and the site is staffed by volunteers.

The site has links for freeware on a multitude of topics including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Online Apps, eBooks and Resources.

For example, when a user chooses the Windows option listed above another page of options appears.  All Windows desktop freeware is listed by category.  Some of the more relevant categories include Audio & Video, Cleanup & Tuning, Disk & File, Games, Photos & Graphics and Security & Privacy.

Another click on the topic that is needed brings the user to another page.  This page has a narrative about the specific freeware in question.  Note that a time stamp is included in the article.  In addition, the author of the article is listed. The site gives users the ability to track particular author's articles - and view them.

The site is much different than PCWorld or Cnet since its focuses completely on freeware.  The other sites deal with news, video, How-To and have software downloads...

Enjoy the links!

Regards,
Stu

Internet Speed Tests

Hi All,

It takes bandwidth - think lots of fiber optic cables and such - to get your videos, chats, pictures, Instagram stuff and more to your house.  But how fast is my computer you might be asking?

Good question...there are lots of internet speed tests out there on the web.  Some might ask you to download software in order to perform the test...I prefer not to download software due to the spam/virus/malware threat that software downloads can create...

So...you might want to do an internet speed test using any of these free speed tests...
AT&T Speed Test
Test Your Broadband Speed
SpeakEasy Speed Test 
TestMy.net
Top Tips to Speed Up Your Internet Service

Enjoy the sites - hope your upload and download speed are really, really fast!

Regards,
Stu

Vocative - The Deep Web Revealed

Hi All,

Vocative. Yes - its a website. Yes - its a real word.  Yes - here's the link.

What is Vocative you ask? Indeed - a good question to be sure.  Its a news website with a difference. 

"As the site itself puts it, " Vocativ is a media and technology venture that explores the deep web to discover original stories, hidden perspectives, emerging trends, and unheard voices from around the world. Our audience is the young, diverse, social generation that wants to share what’s interesting and what’s valuable. We reach them with a visual language, wherever they are naturally gathering....

At the heart of Vocativ is our exclusive technology, a place where science meets storytelling. More than 80% of the Internet sits beyond the grasp of Google, in an area called the deep web. Vocativ explores this vast, uncharted space, which includes everything from public forums and databases to social platforms and commerce sites."

Okay. with all that out of the way, exploring Vocative is fun, easy and well, educational.  The top of the homepage has a ribbon with links to Video, News, USA, World, Underworld, Tech, Money, Culture and Photos. 

As users can see, the site does not shy away from the controversial topics of the day.  Click here to see the Vocativ FAQ - the section on FAQ's to answer your questions about the site...

Enjoy the deep web news reports!

Regards,
Stu

Good News!

Hi All,

Just wanted to write a feel-good post today - especially because Christmas is coming and the New Year is just around the corner!

Have you ever heard of a website called HappyNews.com?  Well, it definitely qualifies as a news site - the only difference is the slant on the news that they post/publish/report. 

Happy News' byline is 'Real News. Compelling Stories. Always Positive'.  Indeed it is. 

The site has News links, Video links, Product links (links to products that are well, Happy related) and Happy Living (issues related to, well, Happy Living) links at the top of the page - toward the right side.  There is also a search box on the right so readers can search Happy News.

Readers can also search various categories of news on HappyNews.com - just a like a regular website.  Categories include International, National, Business/Money, Health, Science & Technology, Arts & Entertainment, Sports, Heroes, Opinion & Editorials, and Environment.

Examples of articles taken from the Health section on the day that I wrote this blog entry (December 23rd, 2014) include:
The Best Way to Fight Germs on Airplanes
Centenarians Share Their Secrets to Long Life
Revolutionary Laser Treatment Could Kill Off Breast Cancer in 15 Minutes
Doctors Announce Historic Breakthrough on Cure For Skin Cancer
A Homegrown Fix for 'Food Deserts'
Study Revelas How to Win Belly-Fat War
10 Things You Can Do To Burn More Calories...

And More...

Note that there are advertisements on the website - they are easily seen since they are at the top of each article.  They aren't too intrusive - but they are somewhat annoying. 

One other caveat about the site...some of the articles have been 'aged' as they say.  That is, don't expect current events - as in yesterdays' news.  Some of the articles can be as old as 6 months or more.  FWIW...take the site with a small grain of salt - it is a take on the news, which, as we know, isn't always (unfortunately) happy....

That said, the site is a 'happy' take on news - which is definitely a different take on the news!!!

Enjoy the site.

Regards,
Stu

Earthcam and other Live Cams...

Hi All,

With all the red light and speed cameras, tv on the web (not to mention movies on demand - hello Netflix) It seems like we live in a world of 24x7x365 video. Oh, right...let's not forget about tablets and smartphones that have video capabilities...I guess we do live in a world of video.

So, without further ado - here is Earthcam.  What is Earthcam you ask?  Great question.

As the site itself proclaims, "EarthCam.com is the premiere network of scenic webcams and offers a complete searchable database of interesting places and views from around the world. The award winning website (Webby Award Winner – Tourism) is viewed by fans in 192 countries and ranks among the top 1% of all websites. EarthCam.com is the world’s favorite webcam network and the EarthCam Network cameras have been seen on top news shows, including CNN’s Headline News."

So there you have it.  Earthcam is a major site for watching LIVE Webcams.  Just on their homepage visitors can look at video from Times Square, NYC, Las Vegas, NV, Venice Beach California, Washington DC, Mount Rushmore and much more....

There is even an Earthcam Hall of Fame - this link will take you to that part of the Earthcam site.  Basically these are webcams that visitors to Earthcam submit. 

Funstuff for sure...just make sure that you don't obsess over the webcams. 

Other interesting webcam sites include:
Yellowstone National Park - webcam
123Cam
GeoCam.tv
VolcanoLive.com
CornellLab of Ornithology - bird cams

Enjoy the sites and the cams!

Regards,
Stu

TED: Ideas Worth Spreading

Hi All,

TED - yes, its a name.  But it is also a very, very educational website that hosts videos on a wide variety of topics.  The TED homepage has, as its tagline, 'Ideas Worth Spreading'.  Indeed they are.  The videos are dynamic, the topics are timely, relevant and sometimes a bit controversial.  For example, click on this link by a speaker who discusses terrorism in the context of advertising. 

Alternatively you can click on this link that discusses the Seattle's new public library.  Interesting stuff.  Finally, you can click on this link that is entitled 'Suddenly, My Body' - which is also a bit controversial.

Enjoy the links - but please don't come to the library telling me 'I told you so'.  These are very timely, relevant and thought provoking videos!

Enjoy!
Stu

And a shout-out to Natalie who actually has heard about - and used - this site!  Woohoo! Go Natalie.

It's Friday Night...What Are You Watching on DVD?

Hi All,

I'd like to help solve a long-time problem that folks have: What to watch on DVD after a long, hard tiring week of work?

Well, back in the day when we had Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, customers could just go to the store and peruse...and peruse...and ask their friend or spouse (or whomever they went to the video store with) and then you would ask each other 'have you seen this movie?' or 'have you seen that movie?' (fill in the title with your movie of choice...)

Let me tell you, that gets old fast and there is definitely some sort of 'video law' that states the more people from the group you want to see the movie with, the more difficult it is to choose a movie that everybody likes - let alone find a movie that no one has seen...

Alas, I've come to your rescue with a fantastic website. I've mentioned it before - probably back in August or September in another movie or entertainment related blog entry.

IMDB

Yes, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) can come to your rescue. Click here to visit the site
What can the site do for you? Well, you can search for movies (and television series by the way), actors, subjects of movies, get television or movie news and much more.

But (I imagine you are asking yourself, 'how can this help me pick out what movie to watch on a Friday/Saturday/Sunday night?)

Indeed, users who click on this link will go to a part of the IMDB (which, if you haven't already guessed is a great way to get movie reviews, summaries and actor/actress information) that has the Top 250 movies by genre - as voted by viewers.

So, for action movies click here, comedies click here, crime click here, history click here...you get the idea.

By the way, the link to all the subjects is on the left side of the page and you can click on any of these subjects and you'll go to the specific page. Pretty darn cool because then you'll see a list of the top 250 movies as voted by viewers. Click on any of the titles and you'll link to that particular movies' site. Info on the site includes cast information, plot summaries, box office receipt information and much, much more.

If you are a movie buff or if you are just looking for a movie that you've never seen on a particular topic you'll definitely want to use the Internet Movie Database!

Regards and happy movie watching!

Stu

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