John Bennett
Off to Radio Ulster this morning to record a piece for John Bennett’s show going out on either new Year’s eve or New Year’s day.
Rather than just interesting web pages I was talking about some new Web Applications which are changing the way we use the internet and get our entertainment.
Watching TV when you want to:
BBC iPlayer - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer - the ambition almost every programme available after broadcast for up to a week. Can stream and download. Free
4OD (Channel 4 On Demand) http://www.channel4.com/4od/index.html Catch up on the last 30 days from free. Some archive free and some to buy.
ITV. com - http://www.itv.com/ - some archive video - watch live - video previews
Coming soon "Project Kangaroo" (working title) - http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/15/project-kangaroo-could-pool-tv-content-from-major-uk-broadcaster/ - some call it "Freeview for the Internet" - UK TV broadcasters make their programmes available in one place.
Baring in mind many if not most of the listeners will be newish to the internet, I though I should point out some sites that are already poopular and a good place to start. So "Look over your neighbours fence - from space!"
One of the greatest developments Google Earth - http://earth.google.com/ -
Not just maps and detailed photos from space - but a place where you can add your own information
The Web has always been about sharing and contributing your ideas. It’s always been about building community. The tools are now more sophisticated making it easier.
But there is nothing like old fashioned web surfing - except new fashioned web surfing with Stumbleupon http://www.stumbleupon.com/ . This is an "add-on" to browsers that can help you find new sites that will interest you and you can recommend to other users. It can only be used with the Firefox browser http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/products/firefox/ and internet explorer
Wonderful time wasting tool. Choose the subjects you are interested in browsing - or stumbling. For today I chose Magic/Illusions, Online Games and Travel. When you get to a page you can rate it - give it the Thumbs Up or Thumbs down, you can recommend it, you can make contact with other people who liked it. Its a community built around web pages.
Games -
Winterbells http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/g3/bells.htm. Simple little game where you make the bunny jump and "ding" the falling bells. Get 10 points for every bell "dinged"
Test your reaction speed - Stop the sheep http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/sheep/reaction_version5.swf
Magic/Illusions
Amazing Dots - http://www.grand-illusions.com/amazingdots.htm Watch the + and the surrounding dots disappear
Mystic Ball Will read your mind - http://www.mysticalball.com/ It’s a choose two digits - subtract one from another and the ball will "tell" you which symbol represents the answer.
Goodtricks.com: Free card tricks, coin magic revealed, cool bar tricks and levitation secrets to learn and enjoy. Card sleights featuring many free video demonstrations. Mind reading exposed. Discover mind bending show stopper techniques http://goodtricks.net/
75 Optical Illusions & Visual Phenomena http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/
And tip of the hat to Patrick Watson for a stack of suggestions including:
Midomi- http://www.midomi.com/ - Apparantly I can make "In the Mood" sound like U2’s Vertigo … Did get "Hey Jude" and "YMCA", but not Hallellulia Chorus - so perhaps more a Karoke for One game.
And if you didn’t get enough Bubble Wrap around your presents - http://www.mouserunner.com/MRGameAdds/virtual-bubblewrap-distv1.1.swf - Burst Bubble wrap virtually
