Who’s the birthday girl today?

Guess it!

The New Facebook

Did you log into Facebook lately? If yes, then you probably took notice of the notification bar on top “The new Facebook is here”, right? Did you try it as well? Well, I did and it made a rather bad -although first- impression to me.

It’s not that I don’t like the new interface at all, but I think I’d prefer the old one.  I know, it solves the problem of the never-ending scrolling and makes things more convenient, but (believe it or not) I find it messy!

Till now, I’ve added only the applications I need and have put them in an order that would actually help me. With the new design, though, everything turned upside-down. Now, there is the new tabbed profile which breaks the information into tabs by type (Wall Tab, Info Tab, Photos Tab and Boxes Tab) and you also have the option to add tabs for your favourite applications. In addition, there’s the Publisher, as a part of the Wall, which allows you to publish content like your status, photos, notes, videos directly to your Wall.

After all that, I still have my observations! I’m going to use them both to see which one I like better. Maybe I should give a second chance to the New Facebook and start getting used to it.

Here’s a screenshot:

Test Your Awareness

Now, that’s an interesting and rather ingenious advertisement!

First make sure you’ve watched the video and done the test!! then keep reading…

I’ve copied the below text from the website “Transport in London” and paste it here to answer any queries:

The aim of our Cycle safety campaign is to reduce the number of cyclists that are hurt on London’s roads.

Imagine…

A passer-by asks you for directions. As you talk to him, two workmen walk between you carrying a door. In a flash the passer-by switches places with one of the workmen, and you are left giving directions to a different person. Do you think you would notice?

Researchers at Harvard University played this trick on some unsuspecting people and over 50 per cent failed to spot the change.

This phenomenon is known as “change blindness” - only a tiny fraction of all the information going into your brain enters your consciousness. People often fail to see a change in their surroundings because their attention is elsewhere.

Even stranger, if you are concentrating on something, you can become blind to other events that you would normally notice. This “inattention blindness” is possibly the reason why motorists collide with cyclists.

Just as it is important for road users to keep an eye out for cyclists, cyclists must also take steps to ensure they are seen by motorists.

Amazing?

Help Build the Commons

Very nice…. I got a postcard from Creative Commons today! Not much to say, but I really think it is a good effort by this non-profit organization to reward its supporters. I already feel like I belong to a community, which really cares about the members! *excited*

Anyway, I’m quoting a short text for you below. Just take a look and tell me what you think.

Dear CC Supported,

Thank you for supporting Creative Commons. This movement is thriving because of you.

In the past year, the commons grew by millions of creative works. Localized Creative Commons licenses were made available in seven more countries. An unprecedented range of businesses, educational institutions, governments, non-profit organizations, and -of course- individual creators used CC’s tools to build a body of culture that is open and usable by anyone in the world.

But our work is far from done. Looking forward, it’s important that we focus our efforts on maximizing the social yield of the commons. We’re working hard to jumpstart and support innovative uses of Creative Commons licenses in ways that will have the greatest impact.

I’m asking you today to continue your support of Creative Commons. Use CC licenses and CC-licensed creative work; educate other other about the value of the Creative Commons approach to openness and access; or donate to Creative Commons and help us continue to ensure a bright future for participatory culture. [...]

Kind regards,

Melissa Reeder
Development Manager, Creative Commons

Reasonable demands! I believe it’s time for every conscientious Internet user (especially bloggers) to join Creative Commons and help spread the word!

Summer Weekend At The Beach

OK. I’m back from my first weekend at the beach! It was rather relaxing and revitalizing…

What? Oh no, don’t expect a “proper” post tonight! It’s late and I’m really tired! Gotta get some sleep…

Wait until tomorrow folks!
Goodnight!