Archive for November, 2007
Adobe and Yahoo! today launched Ads for Adobe PDF Powered by Yahoo!, an opt-in service that enables online commercial publishers to drive new revenue by including timely, contextual ads next to Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)-based content. The service has the potential to offer readers access to more free content, enhanced with ads that match their interests. Ads for Adobe PDF Powered by Yahoo! is available initially as a beta program.
The new service allows publishers to generate revenue by including contextual, text-based ads next to Adobe PDF content, with Yahoo! providing access to its extensive network of advertisers to match a broad range of subject matter. For advertisers, Ads for Adobe PDF Powered by Yahoo! extends reach by delivering advertising across a new channel of content, while also providing the ability to track advertising performance, just as they can today with ads placed on Web sites.
“By partnering with Yahoo! on this innovative advertising service we are creating opportunities for publishers to build new businesses around unique content that previously was just given away or not available to a mass online audience,†said Rob Tarkoff, senior vice president, Corporate Development at Adobe. “As advertisers look to touch new audiences, readers can look forward to some exciting Adobe PDF content coming their way.â€
“This partnership with Adobe creates a previously untapped opportunity for advertisers to connect with qualified audiences, while opening new revenue streams for publishers, and helping deliver additional relevant content to consumers,†said Todd Teresi, senior vice president, Yahoo! Publisher Network. “Creating new value with Ads in Adobe PDFs is a natural step forward in Yahoo!’s ongoing strategy to enable an array of digital connections between advertisers, publishers, and consumers.â€
How it Works
To join the program, publishers must register online, and then simply upload their Adobe PDF content so that it can be ad-enabled before distributing PDFs as they do today. Ads can only be displayed within Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat, in a panel adjacent to the content so that they do not disrupt the viewing experience. Every time the PDF content is viewed, contextual ads are dynamically matched to the content of the document. The publisher can then monitor performance through detailed reports. Publishers already committed to participating in the Ads for Adobe PDF Powered by Yahoo! beta program include: IDG InfoWorld, Wired, Pearson’s Education, Meredith Corporation, Reed Elsevier and many more.
“Since moving to a Web-only format earlier this year, we at InfoWorld have been able to apply a laser focus to cutting-edge solutions for the electronic distribution of our content,†said Allen Fear, director of Online Content at InfoWorld. “The unique combination of Adobe PDF and Yahoo! ads presents a new way of generating revenue from many of our existing products. We are excited about the opportunity to work with Adobe and Yahoo! on what we believe is a solution that significantly enhances the value of PDF distribution.â€
Pricing, Availability and System Requirements
Ads for Adobe PDF Powered by Yahoo! is a free service and does not require the purchase or installation of software. The program, currently in beta, is open to US-based publishers who produce English content. Publishers can apply to participate in the program at advision.webevents.yahoo.com/adobe/ . Ads for Adobe PDF Powered by Yahoo! supports PDF content created in Adobe Acrobat 8 and earlier versions. For more information including system requirements please visit Adobe Labs .
November 29th, 2007
Google today announced the release of version 2.0 of Google Maps for mobile, its innovative and widely used mobile mapping and local search application. New in v2.0 is a beta version of Google’s “My Location” technology, which uses cell tower ID information to provide users with their approximate location, helping them determine where they are, what’s around them, and how to get there.
Google is committed to providing users with quick and easy access to the information they need, no matter when or where they need it. Location information makes mobile mapping and search faster and more convenient, but the most common source of location information to date — GPS technology — is supported on fewer than 15 percent of the mobile phones expected to be sold in 2007. With Google’s new My Location technology, users who don’t have GPS-enabled mobile phones will now be able to take advantage of the added speed and convenience afforded by location information. The My Location technology also complements GPS-enabled devices, as it delivers a location estimate faster than GPS, provides coverage inside buildings (where GPS signals can be unreliable), and doesn’t drain phone batteries as quickly as GPS. Whether users are trying to locate a restaurant in an unfamiliar neighborhood, get directions to the nearest hotel while traveling, or just find a place to grab some coffee while shopping for the holidays, Google Maps for mobile with My Location can help them get what they need quickly and easily.
The My Location technology takes information broadcast from cell towers and sifts it through Google-developed algorithms to approximate a user’s current location on the map. This approximation is anonymous, as Google does not gather any personally identifiable information or associate any location data with personally identifiable information as part of the My Location feature. The feature can also be easily disabled by anyone who prefers not to use it. The My Location technology is available on most smartphones, including all color BlackBerry devices, all Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition devices, most Windows Mobile devices, newer Sony Ericsson devices, and some Motorola devices.
Google Maps for mobile, first launched in the US in November 2005, enables users to view interactive maps and satellite imagery, find local businesses, get point-to-point driving directions, and view live traffic updates, all while on the go. The application is now available on and optimized for a wide variety of platforms, running on most J2ME-enabled devices; all color BlackBery devices; Windows Mobile devices with Windows Mobile 2003, 5.0, and above; Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition devices; and Palm devices with Palm OS 5 and above. Google Maps for mobile is being actively used by millions of people in more than 20 different countries around the globe.
To download Google Maps for mobile with My Location, point your mobile or desktop web browser to www.google.com/mobile/gmm/index.html. To see the full range of mobile products and services available from Google, visit mobile.google.com.
November 28th, 2007
I’ll admit that I am not a coder and I don’t know much more than a tiny bit of PHP at the time of writing this. However, I have managed to create database driven webpages, and even password protected members only areas due to the extremely easy to use PHP buttons in Dreamweaver.
If you are interested in learning to do this for yourself, this lesson will point you in the right direction so that you can experiment and see for yourself how easy it is.
The first thing you need to do is to create an SQL database on your webhost. This can be done via CPanel or if not that, then ask your host how…anyways, creating an SQL database with 1 table is not hard.
The key is, to create it, record the information and then try to log in to that database via Dreamweaver.
You can do this by creating a new database connection in the ‘Application’ window of Dreamweaver.
This is one of the most challenging parts, and you’ll need to set up the site’s testing server. At first this can be tricky, but if you stick with it and get connected to your SQL databas via Dreamweaver, you’ll soon find ways to insert records, display records, and much more!
You see, once you are connected to the database, the table names will dynamically show up in Dreamweaver, and from there it is only a short step to learn how to insert records, repeat records, and display data in the database.
Of course reading a book can help you with PHP, but it is also fun to just jump right in the Dreamweaver buttons.
Even a total PHP dunce like myself was able to start creating little PHP/SQL applications once I figured out these basic steps.
So if you want to create PHP applications, but don’t know how to hand-code PHP, create a PHP/SQL database with 1 table, figure out how to connect to it via Dreamweaver, and start messing around with the Dreamweaver PHP buttons.
November 28th, 2007
Google today announced a new strategic initiative to develop electricity from renewable energy sources that will be cheaper than electricity produced from coal. The newly created initiative, known as RE<C, will focus initially on advanced solar thermal power, wind power technologies, enhanced geothermal systems and other potential breakthrough technologies. RE<C is hiring engineers and energy experts to lead its research and development work, which will begin with a significant effort on solar thermal technology, and will also investigate enhanced geothermal systems and other areas. In 2008, Google expects to spend tens of millions on research and development and related investments in renewable energy. As part of its capital planning process, the company also anticipates investing hundreds of millions of dollars in breakthrough renewable energy projects which generate positive returns.Â
“We have gained expertise in designing and building large-scale, energy-intensive facilities by building efficient data centers,” said Larry Page, Google Co-founder and President of Products. ”We want to apply the same creativity and innovation to the challenge of generating renewable electricity at globally significant scale, and produce it cheaper than from coal.”
Page added, “There has been tremendous work already on renewable energy. Technologies have been developed that can mature into industries capable of providing electricity cheaper than coal. Solar thermal technology, for example, provides a very plausible path to providing renewable energy cheaper than coal. We are also very interested in further developing other technologies that have potential to be cost-competitive and green. We are aware of several promising technologies, and believe there are many more out there.”
Page continued, “With talented technologists, great partners and significant investments, we hope to rapidly push forward. Our goal is to produce one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity that is cheaper than coal. We are optimistic this can be done in years, not decades.” (One gigawatt can power a city the size of San Francisco.)Â
“If we meet this goal,” said Page, “and large-scale renewable deployments are cheaper than coal, the world will have the option to meet a substantial portion of electricity needs from renewable sources and significantly reduce carbon emissions. We expect this would be a good business for us as well.”
Coal is the primary power source for many around the world, supplying 40% of the world’s electricity. The greenhouse gases it produces are one of our greatest environmental challenges. Making electricity produced from renewable energy cheaper than coal would be a key part of reducing global greenhouse-gas emissions.Â
“Cheap renewable energy is not only critical for the environment but also vital for economic development in many places where there is limited affordable energy of any kind,” added Sergey Brin, Google Co-founder and President of Technology.
Strategic Investments and Grants
“Lots of groups are doing great work trying to produce inexpensive renewable energy. We want to add something that moves these efforts toward even cheaper technologies a bit more quickly. Usual investment criteria may not deliver the super low-cost, clean, renewable energy soon enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change,” said Dr. Larry Brilliant, Executive Director of Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, “Google.org’s hope is that by funding research on promising technologies, investing in promising new companies, and doing a lot of R&D ourselves, we may help spark a green electricity revolution that will deliver breakthrough technologies priced lower than coal.”
Working with RE<C, Google.org will make strategic investments and grants that demonstrate a path toward producing energy at an unsubsidized cost below that of coal-fired power plants. Google will work with a variety of organizations in the renewable energy field, including companies, R&D laboratories, and universities. For example, Google.org is working with two companies that have promising scalable energy technologies:Â
- eSolar Inc., a Pasadena, CA-based company specializing in solar thermal power which replaces the fuel in a traditional power plant with heat produced from solar energy. eSolar’s technology has great potential to produce utility-scale power cheaper than coal. For more information, please visit http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/esolar.pdf.
- Makani Power Inc., an Alameda, CA-based company developing high-altitude wind energy extraction technologies aimed at harnessing the most powerful wind resources. High-altitude wind energy has the potential to satisfy a significant portion of current global electricity needs. For more information on Makani Power, please visit http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/makani.pdf.
Ongoing Commitments
Today’s announcement represents just the latest steps in Google’s commitment to a clean and green energy future. Â
Google has been working hard on energy efficiency and making its business environmentally sustainable. Last spring the company announced its intention to be carbon neutral for 2007, and is on track to meet that goal. To this end, the company has taken concrete steps to reduce its carbon footprint and accelerate improvements in green technology, including:
- Developing cutting-edge energy efficiency technology to power and cool its data centers in the U.S. and around the world.Â
- Generating electricity for its Mountain View campus from a 1.6 Megawatt corporate solar panel installation, one of the largest in the U.S.
- Accelerating development and adoption of plug-in vehicles through the RechargeIT initiative, including a $10 million request for investment proposals (http://www.google.org/recharge/)
- Joining with other industry leaders in 2007 to form the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a consortium that advocates the design and use of more energy-efficient computers and servers (http://www.climatesaverscomputing.org/). Â
- Working on policies that encourage renewable energy development and deployment, such as a U.S. Renewable Energy Standard, through Google.org.
For more information on Google’s commitment to a clean energy future, see http://www.google.com/renewable-energy
November 28th, 2007
Yahoo! announced today that it has signed an agreement with Sony BMG to extend its video-on-demand license. In addition to expanding the existing relationship into additional territories around the world, the new worldwide deal adds a broad array of additional Sony BMG music videos to the Yahoo! Music catalog. As part of the agreement, Sony BMG music videos will be available for distribution across Yahoo! and off-network through a Yahoo-branded video player. The deal also enables Yahoo! users to utilize various Sony BMG audio recordings in user generated audiovisual content.
“Yahoo is a leading force in Internet entertainment, and they are an important part of our overall strategy to make our artists’ music videos widely available, while at the same time building a strong future for our online businesses,” commented Thomas Hesse, President, Global Digital Business & U.S. Sales, SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. “We are happy to extend our agreement with Yahoo, and look forward to continuing our relationship.”
“Yahoo! is committed to providing our users with the most comprehensive array of entertainment content,” says Ian Rogers, general manager of Yahoo! Music. “This partnership not only enhances our video offerings, but also offers Sony BMG artists broad exposure among our global audience of music and entertainment fans.”
November 21st, 2007
Yahoo! Go 2.0 is an innovative application, designed specifically for the mobile user, that allows consumers to personalize their mobile Internet experience with content from the entire Internet and a reinvention of mobile search via Yahoo! oneSearch.
The Chinese language version of Yahoo! Go 2.0 for Taiwan features a suite of widgets, including oneSearch, address book, calendar, Flickr photos, weather, news, sports and financial information.
“With the launch of a Chinese language version of the popular Yahoo! Go 2.0 service for Taiwan, millions of consumers now can have the full power of the open Internet in their pockets,” said David Ko, vice president and general manager, Connected Life Asia, Yahoo!. “With products like Yahoo! Go 2.0, we are focused on creating innovative mobile services that provide a positive user experience, fit the mobile device and put the user in control.”
Yahoo! Go 2.0 is now available for consumers to download from the Yahoo! Taiwan Web site at http://tw.mservice.mobile.yahoo.com/go or directly from their mobile phone browser at http://tw.m.yahoo.com. Localized versions of the service are available in 14 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas.
November 15th, 2007
Graphic organizers serve to visually organize data. There are several approaches and techniques described at graphic.org.
For example, the project approach is a superb way to cultivate a number of skills like organization, complex information handling and creativity through expression.
As students are taught to first write or sketch the central subject and then protract connected nodes or cells of information outward, it’s important to make sure that they go from broad to specific information as they advance into the map. As with all of the visual representation methods, images should be encouraged along with different-colored cells for different levels of information (as seen in the illustration).
Critical questions with the project approach include:
- Which areas or features of the concept are you looking to immediately explore?
- How many different associations can you think of relating to each feature that you have descried?
Another example: A research cycle concept map is very useful in researching a specific topic by visually representing associated critical questions and uncertainties. This makes it easier for students to probe the subject in depth.
When primary criteria or queries relating to the principal subject are drawn out (as in the illustration), students can then explore each of these thoroughly and answer them separately. When making their own maps, students need to be reminded that the question nodes, branching out of the criteria, are to be kept short, concise and targeted.
Critical questions to ask when making these maps include:
- What are the most important criteria or divisions you want to explore?
- What are the different problems or questions that arise from these divisions?
- Do any of these questions further branch off into other, more specific queries?
November 14th, 2007
Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 allows users to create web pages easily, using intuitive menus and buttons rather than learning cryptic HTML coding. Dreamweaver courses can help new users become comfortable more quickly, and can teach even advanced users a few new tricks. Here are some examples of the advanced techniques a student can pick up one of these courses.
Use the Alt field to reach all viewers
One problem with images is that not everyone can see them. Some visitors may be vision impaired and “viewing” your page on software that reads the text to them. Others might have images turned off so they can browse the web faster. If you put important information in your images, those visitors may be frustrated and leave, leading to lost business. Alt fields are also important places to insert keywords to enhance your search engine ranking.
When Dreamweaver courses teach you how to insert images into your web pages, they will discuss the Alt field on the property inspector. This is a line of text that will be displayed in browsers that have images turned off, or will be read to vision impaired visitors. By making your web site accessible to all users, you are able to serve a larger customer base and take a step toward improving your search engine ranking.
Use image maps for easy site navigation
Basic Dreamweaver courses demonstrate how easy it is to add images to your web site. At its simplest, an image is simply a decoration on the page. It is easy to turn the entire image into a link to allow the user to click on a thumbnail to see the full size image. Heat map studies have shown that users are more likely to click on images than on hyperlinked text.
A more sophisticated use of an image taught in Dreamweaver courses is to allow the user to click on different parts of the image to go to different destinations. For example, a travel agent could use a map of Europe to allow users to easily select their destination country and list hotels and other amenities in that region.
Give a page some flair with a background image
Most images on web pages are foreground images that the text flows around. Dreamweaver courses teach students how to add a background image that will display behind the text. A simple texture can give a page the appearance of parchment or vellum. A landscaping company might want a background of lush vegetation. Another company might want copy of the company logo behind the text on every page like a watermark.
A background image can add sophistication to a page and can even transmit subtle messages to the visitor. However, care must be used that such images don’t interfere with the text. The colours should be muted and low-contrast and the final product should be viewed at a variety of resolutions to be sure the desired effect is maintained.
The Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on a Dreamweaver courses, visit http://www.MicrosoftTraining.net/.
November 14th, 2007
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