Our Shout Out to Flock’s Facebook and Twitter Users…

At Flock, we love to hear from you. We want to make sure that Flock continues to help you discover, enjoy and share the relationships and content you’re passionate about. So while you’ve been talking, we’ve been listening. The result is a new version of Flock that reflects the new ways you want to use your favorite social browser along with two of your favorite networks—Twitter and Facebook.

The new version that we’re releasing today lets you keep your finger on the pulse of your social networks, yet it gives you the freedom to explore online without having to click back and forth between websites, tabs, applications and content. And now, Flock is the only browser that let’s you take Facebook Chat with you wherever you go on the Web. You can also drag and drop photos, videos, links and text into your chats, making everything simple, social and fun.

Flock 2.5 makes sharing and discovering content fast and easy. You just drag and drop URLs, photos, videos, text or other things you find on the web to a friend’s Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or other profile in Flock’s People Sidebar and it’s instantly shared. And now Flock comes with Twitter Search right in MyWorld, so you can keep up to date on all the topics you’re most interested in and save them in the best place possible, your Flock browser.

Last but not least is FlockCast, an effortless way to share information across your social networks. With FlockCast, you can broadcast anything from blog posts and picture uploads to Tweets and MySpace status updates directly to your Facebook profile. And when you share a URL in a Twitter message, Flock automatically shortens the URL.

Clearly, this new version of Flock is for those of you that are Twitter and Facebook fans. Our Facebook users have grown over 80% since the beginning of 2009! And, on Twitter, we are proud and appreciative of in the great things you’re writing about Flock across the Twittersphere… (check out #flock).

Flock’s popularity has been almost entirely driven by the generous recommendations coming from each of you (we just passed 7.5 million downloads). We’re extremely grateful for your support and hope that you’ll keep spreading the word. And now we’re giving you the opportunity to earn the recognition and rewards you deserve by telling your friends about Flock on Facebook at http://www.flock.com/refer.

As always, let us know about your experiences with Flock. What you have to say is important--and we hear you.

Thanks.

-Shawn

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Tags: flock, browser, flockbrowser, 2.5, social, socialbrowser, facebook, twitter, facebookchat, flockcast

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Photo Album Of Oregon

Photo Album
Photo taken on a road trip around Mount Bachelor

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Hulu

Make Your Gadgets Twitter

Summary: /* Types of Microcontrollers */

---

[[Image:Tweettoast.jpg|right|frame|Follow any [http://twitter.com/mytoaster toasters] recently?]]

Hollywood celebs and the blogging elite aren't the only ones going ga-ga for Twitter. Computer programmers and DIY hobbyists have been taking the simple text-based microblogging service to new creative heights by wiring up their gadgets and household appliances to tweet away on the web.



Just about any device can be enabled to send and receive tweets by using simple hardware platforms called '''microcontrollers'''. These tiny computers can be plugged into different modules -- a motor, a thermostat, a light-sensitive cell -- to detect a change in the environment or in the device's operating state. The microcontroller can then be programmed to send an alert whenever something specific changes.



The result? You can follow a [http://www.instructables.com/id/social_networking_for_my_toaster/ toaster that tweets] every time it browns a slice of bread, [http://twitter.com/pimpy3wash a washing machine] that tweets when a load of clothes is clean and [http://twitter.com/hacklabtoilet a toilet] that tweets every time... well, you get the idea.



Here's how to get started helping your own appliances broadcast their every move.



''This article is a wiki. Got extra advice or links about building microcontroller-based Twitter hardware? Log in and contribute.''





==What you'll need==



* A microcontroller

* Some software for sending tweets

* A network connection of some sort

* A sensor to detect a change in the appliance's operating state

* A Twitter account for your gadget





==Microcontrollers==



[[Image:Arduino.jpg|300px|thumb|right|An Arduino microcontroller board, the bare bones of many a DIY project involving Twittering gadgets. Photo: [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arduino_Duemilanove_0509.JPG Wikimedia Commons].]]

If you want to enable your toaster, toilet or turntable to tweet, you're going to need a small computer to handle the actual processing and sending of the message. This is where the microcontroller comes in.



A microcontroller is a tiny programmable computer -- usually a minimal CPU and a tiny bit of RAM on a small circuit board -- that perform simple, dedicated tasks. Microcontrollers are in your car, your fridge and the phone on your desk.



Since they are programmable, microcontrollers can be told to watch for and act upon any type of event. The microcontroller is just the brain, though. You'll still need an external sensor -- "eyes" or "ears" -- to tell the microcontroller when to fire off a tweet and, in most cases, what to say.



There are several popular microcontrollers being used by hobbyists for these types of projects. Most run between $40 and $60, and they are solderable and have attachments for battery packs, I/O ports and sensors.



===Types of Microcontrollers===



'''[http://www.arduino.cc/ Arduino].''' This is the most popular platform for hobbyists and DIY computer enthusiasts building web-enabled devices. There are several different Arduino boards with different capabilities, but the software that runs on them is open-source, so it's easy to find a program that does what you're looking for. There's even a [http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Code/TwitterLibrary Twitter library] available for Arduino.



'''[http://www.parallax.com/Store/Microcontrollers/tabid/81/Default.aspx Parallax]''' makes several popular microcontrollers. The [http://www.parallax.com/Store/Microcontrollers/BASICStampModules/tabid/134/ProductID/1/List/1/Default.aspx?SortField=ISBN,ISBN BASIC Stamp 2] (or BS2) is programmed using the PBASIC language, a simple programming language similar to BASIC. The Propeller and the SX systems are a little more advanced.



'''[http://www.iobridge.com/store/ ioBridge]''' has a multi-module kit called the IO-204 that's ready made for use with web services. It's what hobbyist Hans Scharler used to web-enable his [http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/12/twittering-toas/ twittering toaster]. It costs $88.



'''Tip:''' Most retailers sell microcontroller kits specially made for hobbyists, including manuals that teach you how to write simple programs. These kits cost between $60 and $150, and they are recommended if you're just getting started.



'''See Also:''' Wikipedia's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_microcontrollers list of microcontrollers].



==Software==



You'll need a simple software program that will detect whenever something happens, then send a tweet to Twitter's web service to publish an alert. The software you use will depend on what's supported by the hardware microcontroller you choose. You write the program on your computer, then load it onto the microcontroller, where it runs independently.



As mentioned above, the Arduino microcontroller already has a simple, open-source [http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Code/TwitterLibrary Twitter library] written that makes it easy for you to construct and send messages. You'll need to know a little bit about computer programming, but Arduino is comparatively simple to other microcontroller platforms. It's recommended you start here if this is your first time programming hardware.





==Network Connection==



Obviously, you'll need a way to connect to the internet if you're going to be posting to Twitter. Since most microcontrollers are extremely simple, this will require a hardware component (an Ethernet cable jack or a Wi-fi card) as well as a software component.



If you're using an Arduino, there's an [http://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/Ethernet Ethernet library] you can download, and an add-on board called an [http://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/ArduinoEthernetShield Ethernet Shield] that supplies the cable ports and the necessary chips.





==Sensor==



[[Image:Accelerometer.jpg|thumb|200px|thumb|A 3-axis accelerometer, via [http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=35&products_id=163&sessid=a1baf59449835fdf27e4841066c6a11f Adafruit Industries].]]

The microcontroller can be programmed to Tweet whenever a light goes on, the temperature reaches a certain point, a motor stops or a switch is flicked. Again, the type of sensor you use will vary depending on which platform you choose and what task you'd like your gadget to Twitter about.



If you're using an [http://www.iobridge.com/store/ IO-204 module], there are several sensor modules available for under $20 that can detect light, temperature and movement.



If you're going the Arduino route, most of the sensors are hacked together using cheap parts or modded to work with the platform, but you can grab schematics, advice and instructions at sites like [http://letsmakerobots.com/ LetsMakeRobots], [http://www.freeduino.org/ Freeduino], [http://www.libelium.com/squidbee/index.php?title=Main_Page SquidBee] and [http://community.pachube.com/ Pachube]. You can also by bulk packs of common sensors from [http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=35&sessid=a1baf59449835fdf27e4841066c6a11f Adafruit].





==Build It!==



What you build will be determined by which gadget you're wiring up and whatever ideas you come up with. But if you need help along the way, there are dozens of dedicated DIY and microcontroller community sites on the web to turn to.



Start small to get your feet wet, but don't be afraid to think big. As you can imagine, anything with moving parts can be made to tweet, and the possibilities are nearly limitless. One hacker [http://matthewmorey.com/projects/introducing-mattsoffice/ wired up his home office] to respond to tweeted commands. Another put a flatulence detector in an office chair to [http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Twittering-Office-Chair/ tweet every time he toots].



Once you've settled on a project, grab a Twitter screen name and tell all your friends to follow it.



==Helpful Links==



* [http://letsmakerobots.com/ LetsMakeRobots]

* [http://diydrones.com/ DIY Drones]

* [http://hackaday.com/?s=twitter Hack-a-Day posts] on Twittering appliances

* [http://www.freeduino.org/ Freeduino], a community site for Arduino





[[Category:DIY]]

[[Category:Gadgets]]

[[Category:Computers]]

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British Steam Car Hits Full Boil

Woo-hoo! After simmering in the Mojave for weeks, the British Steam Car peeled off a 131-mph test run today. Although that speed isn’t official — there wasn’t a timekeeper present — it shows the world’s largest tea kettle has a real shot at breaking a record that’s stood for more than a century.

Team Steam finally excised the last of the technical gremlins that have bedeviled the car since its arrival at Edwards Air Force Base on June 29, and test driver Don Wales made four runs today. The best of them topped 131, which comfortably beats the speed record for a steam-powered car. Fred Marriott set the current benchmark in 1906 when he went 127.659 mph in a Stanley Steamer Rocket.

The Federation Internationale d’Automobile — the governing body of motorsports — will set up an official speed course on Aug. 17 and the team will make runs through Aug. 22. We’ll keep you posted. Meanwhile, check out all our coverage of the British Steam Car here and see a cool cutaway diagram of the car here. You can get a rundown of the car’s tech here.

Photo of the British Steam Car in Mojave, California: British Steam Car

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Tweet Later - Affiliate Program

Tweet Later - Affiliate Program

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YouTube - Twitter: Top Twitter Tools Exposed & Explained at Lightning Speed!

YouTube - Twitter: Top Twitter Tools Exposed & Explained at Lightning Speed!

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Revamped Delicious Turns to Twitter for Real Time Search

Delicious has debuted a redesigned home page with a new ranking system that uses Twitter, along with Delicious’ own data, to show a list of the most popular links on the web. These results show up in a new “What’s Fresh” tab, which makes up the default view on the site’s home page. In addition, Delicious’ search tools have been revamped and the site’s users can now e-mail and tweet bookmarks directly from Delicious.

Delicious cut its teeth as a social-bookmarking service where people could store and share links to interesting web pages. It was among the first of its kind, and it was also one of the first sites to bring tagging into wide use. Yahoo purchased Delicious in 2005 and left it largely untouched.

But the new “What’s Fresh” page, introduced Tuesday, not only brings a new ranking system to the site, it also includes related tweets to create a more de-centralized ranking system that Yahoo believes will more accurately reflect what’s happening on the real-time web.

The roots of the new search tools lie in Vik Singh’s TweetNews experiment, which, when it first launched, we said “might well be the best mashup we’ve ever seen.” Of course Twitter’s own search tools have improved significantly since then, but TweetNews still offers considerably more authoritative news links, (Vik Singh is currently Yahoo’s lead architect for Delicious).

Unfortunately, applying the TweetNews model to Delicious doesn’t yield quite the same sort of power. The problem is that the new tools and integrated Twitter messages, while interesting, emphasize Delicious as a sharing tool rather than a bookmark storage tool.

While Delicious has always offered ways of sharing your bookmarks, in our experience the majority of users look on Delicious more as a personal storage tool than a sharing service. This is perhaps part of the reason that Delicious’ most popular bookmarks section has always skewed toward web design and programming tutorial links.

Which isn’t to say the new “What’s Fresh” tab isn’t useful. It’s just that for at least some of us, it’s positioning Delicious in a totally different way. Whether or not web users hungry for real-time news will turn to a place best known as a bookmarks repository remains to be seen.

It will also be interesting to see how Delicious users react to the shift and newfound emphasis on sharing. Delicious founder Joshua Schachter, who departed Yahoo in 2008 and now works at Google, was quick to point out that “sharing != saving.” It’s worth noting, though, that Schachter goes on to say that he “likes the new search a great deal.”

Indeed the improved search tool is much more useful than in its previous incarnation. And for those who hate the new “What’s Fresh” tab, keep in mind that the old “Popular Bookmarks” tab is still there with the same list of popular links it’s always had.

Also interesting is that Yahoo chose to leveraging its BOSS search tools to build to new Delicious search tools. BOSS undeniably has a very nice search filter API, but with Microsoft’s Bing search technology set to slowly replace Yahoo’s own search engines, BOSS’ future is far from clear.

So where does that leave Delicious’ new search and Twitter integration? For the time being at least, it means that Delicious is another potential source of “real-time” data that you can use to see what the internet is buzzing about.

See Also:

• Twitter-Yahoo Mashup Yields Better Breaking News Search


• Delicious Birthday: The Bookmark Site That Started it all Turns Five


• Delicious Gets New Look, Loses Dots


• FriendFeed Live Updates Turn the Web Into a Giant Chat Room

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Is a Psychopath Attacking Twitter, Facebook?

Twitter and Facebook are being attacked by a flood of traffic. Weeks ago, unimportant U.S. government sites got the same treatment. One security researcher has a troubling conclusion: the tools of online crime have fallen into the hands of the un-rational.

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The 100 Greatest Sci-Fi Movies

The movies on this list are a good indicator of just how diverse the science fiction genre is. From the epic philosophical ideas of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solaris to the joyful space opera of Star Wars and Flash Gordon, the films here are linked by their ability to explore time and space with imagination, flair and audacity.

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Personal Supercomputers Promise Teraflops on Your Desk

Personal supercomputers that lash together a stack of graphics processing units and can sit on a desktop are becoming popular with researchers. These machines can be used to run calculations by the desk instead of waiting for time on one of the national supercomputers.

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Marines Ban Twitter, MySpace, Facebook

The Corps bans Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other social media sites from its networks, declaring them "a proven haven for malicious actors and content." The other services may follow suit.

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