Hornswaggled » Web Stuff

Zip Code Data Sets

Casey — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:49:12 +0000

So I have been on the search for zip code data, specifically wanting to get info on population per zip so I can break it down into metro areas for a little project I am working on.

I stumbled across this free zip code database and it may be able to help out a bit. If anyone has ideas on how I can go about grouping all the metropolitan areas by zip and sorted by population that would be great and maybe I will even buy you a beer.

testing scribd html5 embedding

Casey — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:51:02 +0000

Paper 5

And another one here:
Scribd in HTML5

Perks in the workplace

Casey — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:44:41 +0000

An interesting article on removing work place perks in the startup culture.

My Take:

Any removal of a perk no matter how small may be taken personally and in turn speed up the process where one asks if this work is worth it.

Its too bad that no one mentions these unintended consequences during the meetings as the outcomes seem to usher in the finalization and brings the spark that ignites the exodus.

While keeping the sodas free may not have been a long term solution for turnover removing the sodas (name your perk) allows for the feeling that the company doesn’t care. I cant imagine a scenario where the perceived lack of care towards fellow employees benefits anyone, other than the short term bottom line.

Google uses closed business to promote Adwords

Casey — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:51:52 +0000

This is pretty funny. Google Adwords is using a closed business, Wicked Bakery, to promote Google Adwords. You can see from the screen shots below or the live promotion here.

How to link to a certain time on YouTube

Casey — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:33:38 +0000

Short and Sweet version, Just add this to the end of the video:

#t=0m56s

A bit longer explanation follows. This feature has been put for awhile now but I just recently started using it and is one that will come in handy: YouTube allows you to send visitors through links to a specific point in a video by appending a short tag to the end of a video’s URL. It took YouTube some time to add this functionality, especially when you consider Google Video introduced the same feature over two years ago.

To specify a time, append a tag to the end of your video link with the following: “#t=1m15s”

Here’s an example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47OmzqOnc9Q#t=1m31s

YouTube also automatically detects when someone mentions a specific time in a video comment and adds a hyperlink to that point within the video. While YouTube is not always popular for the right reasons (see this now-famous comic) the service is still hugely popular. This feature enables users and researchers to specifically pinpoint the areas of interest within the video.

It would also be nice if they had a feature to allow for the stop of the video at a certain point therefore allowing you to send a complete snip-it of a certain section.

Youtube: The silence is deafening

Casey — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:06:48 +0000

Roughly twenty eight thousand one hundred videos have been silenced. Silence can show a lack of response that reveals something significant, such as disapproval or a lack of enthusiasm. This silence however is the response.

YouTube has had its copyright issues, that is nothing new. The latest approach to appeasing copyright holders is to turn off the sound on the offending videos. These videos are automatically flagged by the automated systems and the sound is disabled. This automatic flagging that the copyright holders have demanded is creating new issues including recent news including girls singing Christmas carols and music labels ironically flagging their own material. This is going to get worse before it gets better.

Think about the number: twenty eight thousand one hundred videos. That number includes many family birthday videos with music in the background, kids enjoying some snow and people generally celebrating and mourning life itself.

Regardless of who is at fault here (RIAA & MPAA) the users are the ones that are getting hurt and YouTube is the one that will end up with the bad name.

SmartFTP why did you cheat on me?

Casey — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:16:48 +0000

No longer free after 10 years:

New License Model

Note to free users

Unfortunately, after offering a free product and a free service to millions of users for more than 10 years we are no longer able to do so. We would like to thank you for using SmartFTP and we hope to welcome you as a customer in the future. Thank you for your understanding.

To read more about the license please visit the purchase page.

License Example

A single user license – which can be used on any computer – for the Home Edition is 36.95 USD. This is a one-time fee. Included in the license is technical support and free upgrades for one year.

It may be a stretch to call this ransom but like many I have data stored within the program that I no longer have access to while being forced to pay this 36.95 to have access (ftp logins are stored within the program). This should be a warning to anyone using a free solution that the copmany can pull the rug out from under you after many years of a faithful relationship. While they have succomed to the allmighty dollar I will not forget this transgression and will look for a new provider.

*Update* I did indeed pony up the dough as I didnt have the login info for an account and had to use the program. So maybe this was there plan all along, they got me. I will begin switching things over to filzilla for now unless I come accross a better solution.

Amazon Mechanical Turk

Casey — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:42:39 +0000

I ahve been wanting to write about this for awhile and havent found a use yet. I stumbled upon this article detailing the process and thought I would share. ill try to summize this at a later time but didnt want to forget about it.

Read about it here.

Calling all Firefox Add-on Developers

Casey — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 02:30:00 +0000

I have begun the quest to start working on getting a specific firefox extension developed. So far my Google searches have turned up little fruit in this search. Are there any companies that specialize in this sort of development? If anyone has any insight or pointers dont hesitate to send them my way. The extension in question was already developed for previous versions of firefox but is not compatible with the current 3x.

What Happens to Pandora’s Data if Shut Down?

Casey — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:05:08 +0000

I have been a listener of Pandora for the past 3 years and it has grown to be my favorite site on the internet. The RIAA has been pushing SoundExchange to increase royalty rates for web based radio and were successful in increasing this rate substantially thereby threatening to end all web based radio streaming as we know it. While there are new efforts to save net radio they appear to be hitting a wall.

So what happens to all that data Pandora (The Music Genome Project) has amassed? I would like to be able to download all the data and use in some future use. It would be a goldmine of data for the music industry. Imagine knowing what your customers like and dislike. Imagine having the ability to see exactly what types of music your customers are listening to. While I hope Pandora is able to survive I also hope that if they are forced to shut their doors the data they have accumulated isn’t locked behind that closed door.

I would love to hear other ideas on how the data could be released and used.