Ben Fry (from MIT) coded up a really cool visualization of zipcode data in the United States. As you type each digit, you can see the location narrow. His website has lots of other interesting content and projects worth checking out. [Via Chris Sells]
While searching Wi-Fi-FreeSpot today, I found HotSpotVPN which is a VPN solution for “public space wireless security”. This is a paid VPN service targeting public hotspot users: If you check your email in any public hotspot, anyone with a sniffer can record your username and password and have access to your email account from that moment on. Good sniffers are freely downloadable from the Internet and come pre-installed on many non-windows operating systems. … HotSpotVPN allows you to protect yourself by encrypting your traffic and cloaking your destination. I think the service advertised is somewhat misleading, but the actual effect…
Looks like iFilm has all of the Super Bowl commercials available again this year. You can view them with Real, Windows Media Player, or QuickTime, although the highest resolution for Real requires a subscription. Personally, I liked the Bud commercials http://www.mentalhealthupdate.com/ (especially Sleigh Ride) the best. Budweiser.com has this year's ads on their web site as well. Bud Light took top honors in the USA Today Ad Meter with their “Good Dog” spot.
John at mypalmlife is looking for a Palm application that will synchronize with his desktop bookmarks and import them into the Web Pro web browser. I've also been looking for the same solution. John points to three different solutions, some of which might be good starting points. (I tried FavoGo, but the conduit threw an exception on the first try.) I had the concept for a “Mobile Bookmark Manager” that would provide much of this functionality: Synchronize bookmarks between desktop web browsers (IE, Mozilla, etc.) and device, being able to sync your whole collection or perhaps just one sub-folder On…
From Brighthand I learned that the first Palm Pilot was demonstrated at Demo '96 by Jeff Hawkins and Ed Colligan. I've been here over five years and I'm not even an old-timer. No mention of this anywhere on our website, but I suppose it's not a major milestone or anything. The Company Backgrounder does mention that the first Palm Pilot was launched in 1996 (I believe it was in April).