06.30.08
Catastrophe Canyon from Lights, Motors, Action
I know i said the blog was closed, but this is a fantastic view!
06.29.08
Blog Inactive
If you look at the date of the last post, you should have guessed this, however, I’m now declaring this blog inactive.
It is unlikely I’ll be adding a new entry anytime soon & I have now changed the domain.
www.leestone.co.uk will now show my personal portfolio. Please give it a look. There is a chance I may set-up another blog with more personal posts on it in the near future.
You will still be able to find old posts at www.leestone.co.uk/blog and any old links you have should still work (I have written a small php script on my portfolio page to re-direct you).
Thank you all for visiting.
10.28.07
Facebook employees check what profiles you look at
Turns out Facebook employees can (and do) check out anyone’s profile. Not only that, but they also see which profiles a user has viewed — a major privacy violation. If you’ve been obsessed with a workmate or classmate, Facebook employees know. If Barack Obama’s intern has been using the campaign account to troll for hotties, Facebook employees know. Within the company, it’s considered a job perk, and employees check this data for fun.
read more | digg story
09.16.07
Possible Offline GMail Client
A report from India’s Hindustan Times indicates that Google is prepping an offline version of Gmail.
It’s claimed that a client has already been designed, is in testing, and runs (not surprisingly) on Google Gears. Google has previously offered an offline version of Google Reader using the Gears browser plugin. Other companies embracing the Gears platform include Zoho.
Although the story is unconfirmed by Google at this stage, it would be fair to presume that an offline version of Gmail happening is a given, the only question is when it will be available. Google continues to put together its jigsaw puzzle of office functionality as it builds a serious Microsoft Office competitor.
read more | digg story
Technorati Tags: Google, gmail, google gears, email
Anonymous Emails & Communication
Have you ever wanted to be able to contact someone anonymously? At first this may sound a bit suspicious, but there are good reasons too.
For example, maybe you want to play a practical joke on someone. Or report problems in a workplace without it being able to be tracked back to you. Even if you use a non work email, this may be able to tracked back to you.
A site you may want to look at using is TheAnonymousEmail.com
They offer Anonymous Email, text and chat. On their site they suggest it could be used for:
* anonymously report sensitive information to the media
* send crime tips to law enforcement agencies anonymously
* report wrongdoing or theft at the workplace
* voice concerns to school principals anonymously
* report child or any other abuse
* initiate an anonymous chat discussion
* share suspicions regarding a friend or loved one
* catch a cheating spouse, wife or husband
* express whatever you’ve been longing to say…
Please Note:
This post is sponsored by TheAnonymousEmail.com
Web ad blocking may not be (entirely) legal
Advertising-supported companies have long turned to the courts to squelch products that let consumers block or skip ads: it happened in the famous lawsuit against the VCR in 1979 and again with ReplayTV in 2001.
Tomorrow’s legal fight may be over Web browser add-ons that let people avoid advertisements. These add-ons are growing in functionality and popularity, which has led legal experts surveyed this week by CNET News.com to speculate about when the first lawsuit will be filed.
If ad-blockers become so common that they slice away at publishers’ revenues, “I absolutely would expect to see litigation in this area,” said John Palfrey, executive director of Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society.
read more | digg story
Technorati Tags: advertising, adverts, adblock
09.12.07
Facebook ‘costs businesses dear’
Workers who spend time on sites such as Facebook could be costing firms over £130m a day, a study has calculated.
According to employment law firm Peninsula, 233 million hours are lost every month as a result of employees “wasting time” on social networking.
The study – based on a survey of 3,500 UK companies – concluded that businesses need to take firm action on the use of social networks at work.
Some firms have already banned employees from accessing Facebook.
Mike Huss, director of employment law at Peninsula called on all firms to block access to sites such as Facebook.
He asked: “Why should employers allow their workers to waste two hours a day on Facebook when they are being paid to do a job?”
He said that loss of productivity was proving a “major headache” for firms.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Facebook ‘costs businesses dear’
It does not surprise me that Facebook takes away a lot of employees work hours, however, if it wasn’t myspace, it would be something else. Even without technology, you have chatting within the office. Then you could have employees text messaging, updating sites on wikipedia etc. There are a lot of things that can distract them.
I can relate to how distracting facebook can be though. There has been many a time when i’ve been working at home & received an email saying someone’s left me a comment, next thing I know I’m on facebook and lost half an hour.
Is blocking facebook completely the answer though? It probably depends on your workplace’s AUP. If you’re allowed to use the internet for personal reasons (even if only during a lunch break), then it’s probably a bit drastic & staff just need to be monitored. If you’re not supposed to be using the computer’s for personal reasons then perhaps it should be blocked. There’s very few businesses where facebook or any other social networks would be used.
Employers themselves though could look at how they could use facebook to their advantage. For example, they may be able to find out more information about job applicants then they give on the application form, allowing them to form more of an educated discussion.
09.06.07
iPod Hi-Fi dies a quiet death
The iPod Hi-Fi has now been axed from the online store.
I can remember when Apple tried to create a fair bit of hype about this & a leather case. Looks like it wasn’t quite as successful as they were hoping for.
Has anyone shed a tear for its loss? I don’t think so.
read more | digg story
Technorati Tags: apple, ipod hi-fi, ipod, ipod accessories
09.02.07
What is coming in Argus
Argus is the new version of PayPerPost heading our way in September, but what’s coming in it?
The past few weeks have been absolutely incredible. August was recording breaking on every front. Not only did we pass 50,000 bloggers, we also had the most blogger signups in a single month, the most advertiser signups in a month and by far our biggest month of sales, blowing past the already aggressive goal we had. We grew sales 62% from July to August and September should be very strong as well.
The amount of Opps being put through the system is staggering, we are bringing on two more Customer Love representatives to handle the demand. If you have noticed any delays please bear with us, growth like this can be difficult to manage.
I am overwhelmed with excitement! Things are going very well with the current system and Argus is gaining shape as each day passes. I have been working hand and hand with Pete and team to define every button, form and piece of functionality in the system. I have worked on some pretty large web projects in the past, but this effort is enormous in comparison.
PPP Tools will also unlock an exciting new blog monetization option.I can’t say too much about this right now, but let’s just say you willbe able to choose from more than just sponsored posts. You guys willreally like this ; )
With all that said you don’t have to move your blog if you don’twant to. We are going to be marketing Posties of all types like neverbefore. However, please realize that you are at an inherentdisadvantage to those with their own domain and PPP Tools installed.The choice is yours, I just want to make sure that your decision tostay with your current setup or move is an informed one. If it was meand I was a serious blogger I would bite the bullet and make thechange. You don’t want to be left out.
Argus is going to be the biggest disruptor to hit blogging since PPPlaunched last year. Get ready guys… this is going to be big.
PayPerPost Blogs :: Community: What is coming in Argus
So for all the Posties, as long as you’re on a suitable blogging platform, it looks like we’re in for some exciting times, via new features, hopefully more sponsored opportunities as well as other ways to monetise our blogs.
PPP are still remaining fairly quiet though on the specifics of Argus. Hopefully as we get closer to the time they will get a bit more specific to help get people more excited.
If you’re not already a PayPerPost Postie, then why not? Click a link to the right and sign up!
technorati tags:blogging, money, advertising, PayPerPost
Spelling Mistake Allows Someone to Make a $500,000 Profit on eBay
For those who keep scouring the Internet looking for ways of become rich beyond belief (may be an exaggeration), this will be either interesting or infuriating. Or maybe a combination of both.
Basically, one lucky guy was able to make an incredible profit on eBay by buying a rare item for a negligible price, basically ripping off the original seller at the same time. He was hence able to buy an item for less than $400.
read more | digg story