How to increase your odds of success...
How to increase your odds of success... ...and make REAL MONEY. We all like to gamble, but most of us are gambling that we'll "hit it big" and it will take care of everything. What if I cou...
Important Viruses
Viruses can be disguised as attachments of funny images, greeting cards, or audio and video files. A virus also spread through downloads on the Internet. Computer viruses are small software programs t...
Grab pics from Flickr for a DIY book
Blog: Yahoo's photo-sharing site is partnering with the self-publishing service Blurb.com to make personalized bookmaking easier.
Wallpaper Tray 0.5.4
... well, since I liked it very much, I'm working on packaging, _officially_, for the Debian platform. Please take a look at: But I do think it needs a little ...
Ephedra Plaintiff Says MDL Case Ripe For Remand
NEW YORK - Citing the completion of pretrial proceedings in the ephedra multidistrict litigation as well as her advancing age, an ephedra plaintiff on May 16 moved for remand to her transferor court for trial (Margaret Parks v. Herbalife International of America, Inc., No. 1:04-CV-9358; In Re: Ephedra Products Liability Litigation 04 M.D. 1598, S.D. N.Y.; See May 2007, Page 4.). Full story on lexis.com
US Web Hosting Provider Announces Free Google Adwords and Microsoft adCenter Credit with Web Hosting
HPV Test Beats Pap In Detecting Cervical Cancer
The human papillomavirus screening test is far more accurate than the traditional Pap test in detecting cervical cancer. The first round of the Canadian Cervical Cancer Screening Trial concluded that the HPV test's ability to accurately detect pre-cancerous lesions without generating false negatives was 94.6 percent, as opposed to 55.4 percent for the Pap test.
Don't go near the baobab at Nigerian heritage site
SUKUR, Nigeria (Reuters) - Visitors to Sukur are warned not to approach a certain ancient baobab tree because, villagers say, it turns people into hermaphrodites. (Read on Source)
Lancelot revealed - an alternative to Kickoff menu for KDE 4
In this post you can get the general idea about Lancelot and see what it will look like. Already finished are Extender Button (the base of the no-click concept interface) and Action List View (contains extender buttons). You will also be able to put Plasmoids (desktop applets) into Lancelot, which means almost endless possibilities to build your very own menu layout.
iPods for peanuts
You can score an iPod on the cheap if you know where to look. The big surprise: The best deals come straight from Apple.
Defining Overselling in Web Hosting
is among very hot topics to be discussed in the web world. By this way the providers can easily raise their income. Idea of Overselling
Alans Angle - Are Google Competitors Throwing In The Towel?
URL: http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2008/03/alan%e2%80%99s-angle-are-google-competitors-throwing-in-the-towel.html If you were to stop for a moment and take a look at the market, it could definitely seem that things stand this way. After all sorts of scenarios regarding possible mergers, after all of the controversy generated by the possibility ... (Read on Source)
Digital Camera Modes - Shutter Aperture Priority And More
Digital cameras can be put in different photo shooting modes. The most used mode is automatic - the only thing you need to do is point and shoot. However understanding and using the other options will allow you to get better photos in certain scenarios. Here is how. We will go over the various camera modes. Some modes might not be available on your camera...
Women Car Buyers - Declare Their Independence
AskPatty.com to Offer Independence Day Incentive to Car Dealers to Meet the Needs of Women Car Buyers (PRWeb Jun 16, 2008)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/askpatty/femalefriendlydealer/prweb1025794.htm
Fresh Tilled Soil Wins Outstanding Achievement in Website Development from Interactive Media Awards
Fresh Tilled Soil, a web design and marketing company, today announced that it has been awarded "Outstanding Achievement" in the "Building/Construction Web site Development" category by the Interactive Media Awards™ for its completion of the Free Green Web site. (PRWeb Jul 2, 2008)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/07/prweb1069884.htm
Website is Dedicated to Bringing New Pizza Coupons and All Other Pizza Information Directly to the P
Website has become the one stop that Pizza lovers need to visit in order to get all of the menus, recipes, reviews and other information associated with their favorite food. (PRWeb Jul 27, 2008)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/07/prweb1147994.htm
Halladay's complete effort gets Blue Jays past Byrd, Sox
Compared with the four-hour bout the Red Sox had Tuesday with the Rangers, last night's matchup between Roy Halladay and Paul Byrd seemed more inclined to the virtuoso. (Read on Source)
Digital Asset Optimization for News Content
In the world of using search engine optimization tactics for extending the reach of media relations, optimizing press releases alone leaves a tremendous opportunity untouched. (Read on Source)
Alt Text: Going Green Into Death's Eternal Blackness
Last week, I took a look at interesting things technology can do with your remains once you're too dead to care. This week I'm going to follow up with a slightly different set of post-mortem services. These are companies that claim to make your death as eco-friendly as possible.
Now, I always assumed that dying is already one of the nicest things you can do for the environment. Dead people rarely drive Humvees. They don't purchase individually wrapped cheese slices. They probably use more than their fair share of air conditioning for the first couple days, but after that it's green all the way, baby.
Well, apparently corpses just aren't carbon-neutral enough, because a bunch of people are willing to take money from your estate to make sure that your remains are more environmentally friendly than a hand-assembled hemp chicken tractor.
Here are some of their brightest ideas.
Neptune Memorial Reef
Apparently when Luca Brasi went to sleep with the fishes, he was proving himself one eco-friendly mafioso. The Neptune Society will happily provide your ashes with a set of concrete galoshes by interring them in an artificial reef off the Miami coast. The reef in question is a neoclassical affair with arches and lions and butterfly thingies, giving the overall impression that a senior prom sank slowly beneath the waves, the cover band solemnly playing "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" with corsages and rented bow ties floating around their knees. So that's pretty cool.
Natural Burial
This is pretty straightforward. Your unembalmed body gets interred in a biodegradable casket or shroud in a pesticide-free area planted with native flora. A few centuries ago this was just called "burial," but now we need a special word for it. The modern innovation I most appreciate is that many natural cemeteries provide GPS coordinates in lieu of a gravestone, allowing you to pay your respects via Google Earth. Personally, I'm willing to go one step further and be buried in a cemetery that lets the coyotes and vultures have at me. What could be more eco-friendly than a scavenger buffet?
Ecopod
Even if you want to be buried in a traditional cemetery with stone angels, immaculate lawns and drunken goth teenagers, you can reduce your carbon death mask by being buried in a coffin made of post-consumer recycled material. (Particularly apt, given that you're a post-consumer.) There are a lot of options here but my favorite is the Ecopod, a recycled newspaper coffin that looks like something Steve Jobs would crawl into, only to emerge later as a huge luna moth.
Promession
If you can put off dying for another year or two, you might be able to get in on the next big thing in Gaia-approved post-breathing services, a patented process called "promession." Remember the one interesting day in junior high science class when the teacher brought in a canister of liquid nitrogen and proceeded to shatter a rose like safety glass? With promession, you are that rose. Rather than burning your body to ashes, this process freeze-dries you into person dust. Once powdered, you can decompose as you've never decomposed before, providing life-giving nutrients to a shrub or, if you're feeling impish, some poison ivy.
Resomation
Like promession, Resomation is a new, science-infused process designed to emulate cremation without having to fire up the grill. According to the site, Resomation is basically decomposition on fast-forward, accomplished with chemicals rather than larvae and bacteria. I'm not sure the larvae and bacteria would consider it an improvement, but at least it doesn't release harmful, Earth-choking emissions. Another listed benefit: "You can use it immediately first thing in the morning." Now your surviving loved ones don't have to miss yoga class!
- - -
Born helpless, nude and unable to provide for himself, Lore Sjöberg eventually overcame these handicaps to become a revenant, a reveler and a reverend.
Carriers Still Not Fully Sold on Open Access
Despite the benefits and consumer demand, leaders warn of turning wireless into a new "Wild West".
M's respond to clubhouse anger toward Ichiro
Mariners right fielder Ichiro is greeted in the dugout after scoring the first of two runs in the first inning. Ichiro's leadoff single was his 1,800th major-league hit. (Read on Source)
How to Hit the Job Fair Without Pounding the Pavement
As travel expenses escalate and budgets shrink during this economic slowdown, businesses are finding ways to "do more with less," according to Brent Arslaner. As vice president of marketing at Unisfair, Arslaner says the concept of virtual conferences is "starting to catch on."
Can't win for losing
Ever wonder if it is possible to start an innovative web business without either programming skills or deep pockets?
Here is a recent email exchange that demonstrates the problem we face. I edited the text for brevity, clarity, identities and intellectual property protection. Hopefully, the message still comes through clearly.
T. I hear you are looking for help on a project.
ZG: I want to create a location based social networking site. Think WAYN.com without the bloat. The team will share any income from the site, but it is an exciting project, even without the money.
T: Social networks require investing a LOT of money (at least $ 7 figures). My employees are not going to receive knowledge as payment.
ZG: I disagree about the cost. I want a simple tool for users to share their locations, just a few PHP pages and MySQL tables for starters. Maybe a student or a programmer with time on his hands can help.
T: We can post on the faculty monthly, but I don't think it'll work. PHP and MySQL are not early courses, and even in advanced studies are not covered enough.
ZG: Heck, even I can write PHP code that can read and write from MySQL database. It can not be that hard for a programmer trained in C or Java and SQL basics.
T: No, that's not so simple. A partial project is closer to nothing than to something. This is a medium project needing at least 4 experienced programmers, full time, one month, for a 70% prototype. Launching the site will need a paid clicks campaign, $10 000 minimum, just to measure results. And the project has to be designed, developed, launched and marketed in less than a year - otherwise it will be copied by anyone with the right resources and the whole effort will go to waste.
ZG: What you say makes sense. I think if we want to put so much into this site, we should write a business plan, and try to get seed money. Of course, now this is a business, not a hobby site any more.
So there it is. Globalization, the fast product life cycle, and the low barrier to entry combine to work against you. A good idea without financial backing can be easily copied (embraced) and extended, using relatively cheap labor (outsourced programming) around the globe, and relatively (for an established business or one supported by a VC) inexepsively blow you out of the water.
Oh well, raisecapital.com, here I come!
My hobby site, of which I am NOT writing here, is www.words2u.net.
Apple China finds new leader
... Dice Buy now at the ITunes App Store. 1&1 Internet is the world's largest web hosting provider and leading domain name registrar. 1&1 offers a comprehensive range of solutions; from ...
SES Chicago 2008 Be there!
No one will ever get your email address from us! We just want to give you an easy way to check out our videos. (Read on Source)
Clickbank Marketing Ideas
Copyright (c) 2008 Bill Broich It's no secret I'm a huge fan of Clickbank. I think Clickbank is the single greatest way to make money online. But marketing Clickbank can be a daunting task, so the go...
Internet Marketing Of Your Ebook
Congratulations! You wrote a book to be sold over the internet. Now the hard work begins. Marketing your ebook can be a stressful experience. It takes time and tenacity to make an ebook successful but you can start selling your ebook today by following a few simple marketing ideas
Get started selling your ebook ion ebay. It is the cheapest and easiest way to start marketing your product. Thousands of people visit ebay in search of all kinds of products every day. Many people log on to brows with no specific item in mind to purchase. It is likely that more than one of these people will stumble upon your ebook and buy it. You want to have as little competition with other books as possible so when you post your ebook place it with items that are related to the topic of the book and not in the book section. Another good tip for selling your ebook on ebay is to start the bidding price low. More people are more likely to bid that way and the more people who bid the higher the price will go.
The next step to selling your ebook is to create a blog around the topic of your book. You could put articles, pictures and stories on your blog that are related to your ebook. This will cause people to become interested in the topic and they will then buy the ebook. The key to successfully using your own blog to market your ebook is to market your blog. Be sure that you get your blog out there. If you are really ambitious you can create a whole website around your ebook. You can market your blog or website in a variety of ways the bottom line is you just want to encourage people to stop and read it.
Offer resell rights with your book will boost its sales. This means that when a person buys your ebook they can then turn around and sell it. This may sound counterproductive but you will be doubling your market. Everyone is looking for a way to make money online. If a person thinks they can use your ebook to make money for themselves then they will surely buy it.
Selling your ebook on the internet may not be the easiest thing to do but once you get the hang of it can really be quite fun. Just get creative, start attracting customers and watch your sales start to soar. Internet marketing takes time and thought. You want to be sure to reach people in your particular market. You can do it and by following these simple tips you will sell more copies than you ever dreamed possible.
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Fluctuating Search Results, Hand Editing and Poker
Posted by willcritchlow
Rand has talked before about the need to think like a search engineer when you are doing what we do. So a week or two ago, I came up with a theory about how I would look at things if I were a search engineer and set out to prove it.I was wrong.
My theory went something like this:
If I were a search engineer, I would want an algorithm to determine my results. I would, however, validate these results with human input for at least the highest-volume search queries. For the very highest volume queries in the world, I would hope, by now, to have got it "right" - and that at least the first page of results output from my algorithm would be exactly what I wanted it to be.With a corollary that:
If this isn't the case, I would strongly consider hand-editing the top results for these huge volume phrases while I worked on the algorithm in order that my search engine worked as well as possible in the meantime.There is a big question over what the "right" answer should be for very high volume generic queries that I might come back to another time (for generic queries there can often be far more than 10 pages good enough to be on the first page, and choosing between them requires more knowledge about the searcher than you can possibly have). To be clear here - I'm not talking about which results should be top under the current algorithm, but rather which pages should be top when thinking from scratch like a search engineer.
To test my theory, I decided to look at the search results for poker-related terms. I think poker's been on my mind since my brother (who won an award this week - congratulations, bro) took me to a casino for my birthday so I could lose money...
I picked three phrases of varying search query volume:
- poker
- free online poker
- rakeback (a term related to poker affiliates)
My null hypothesis was that the highest volume phrase ('poker') would be very static through the week. Either the results are actually hand-edited behind the scenes (in which case there is very little chance that they would be edited daily) or the engineers are happy with their algorithm (and, again, trying to think like a search engineer, for a generic search like this, what factors would cause you to change your mind from day to day about the top set of results?).
I have couched a lot of this in scientific language, but I'm not trying to claim my little test was perfect. There are a lot of factors that can spoil it, but taking care to minimise as many of these as I could, below are some charts that show what I found.
These are charts of rankings over time the x-axis is time (from the 28th October to 6th November this year) and the y-axis is ranking at google.com (gl=US). Each of the lines (or points in some cases) is a different page (generally different website - there were no examples of different pages off the same site swapping for each other in the results sampled).
I haven't labelled the points and lines because this isn't about whether I see the same results as you or whether they are still ranking (or even about tactics or underhanded techniques). I think the patterns are what is interesting:
Anyway, you can see how wrong I was.
The 'poker' search which I thought would have acted as though hand-edited over a short timescale like this (even if it isn't actually). In fact, it behaved differently to my prediction in two ways:
- The results changed almost entirely on each of the first three days. I still find this hard to believe. As a search engineer, what (in the absence of news, which wasn't in evidence during the course of this week) could cause you to want to change practically the whole set of results for such a high volume search phrase from day to day?
- Even with the same set of results in the latter part of the week, there were some pretty significant movements
The 'free online poker' search behaved far more like I was expecting for a high volume search phrase. It shows evidence of being algorithmic (the pinpoint result that dropped in on the fourth day subsequently went into free fall and now ranks somewhere in the 60s). I think this shows that it got there via some kind of manipulation (I haven't looked into what, and for the purposes of this analysis, I don't think it matters - I don't think that it came in via a hand edit). Apart from that, the rankings are fairly stable with gradual changes and few surprises.
I like the pattern of the 'rakeback' search results. The serenity of the top three with chaos below. Obviously I wouldn't like it much if I was number 4, but that's a different story. Given the range of insights above, I'm not sure that this graph actually tells us all that much, but since I gathered the data, I thought I'd include it for completeness.
So what can we learn from this and feed back into my initial assumptions to correct them and see where we end up? I'd love to hear others' thoughts in the comments, but the things I have come up with are:
- Methodology: I am the first to admit that this is not a scientific study (to understand what is really going on, I would need to see referral data for all the top results - not something I have access to for high volume searches)
- Testing: even if I am correct and results are as they would be if hand-edited for top volume search queries, given the data-driven nature of Google, they would want to test variants to see if they satisfied their users more
- Spam: perhaps the algorithm is 'nearly right' but still susceptible to attacks such as the one we see in the single data point in the 'free online poker' results
- News: obviously when a query deserves freshness (QDF) the results are going to be shaken up regularly. I don't think that is the case in any of these examples as none of the results coming or going were particularly timely.
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Phoronix: "The past year has brought several invasive changes to the Intel Linux graphics stack with the introduction of the Graphics Execution Manager for GPU memory management within the kernel, support for the Direct Rendering Infrastructure 2, and kernel mode-setting finally getting ready to enter the limelight. How though has the work this year affected the overall performance of Intel integrated graphics on Linux? In this article we have run a few benchmarks that show where the driver was at a few months ago and where it is today."
name: MAGPIE