Written on 6th July 2009
5 COMMENTS Zee, Editor in Chief at The Next Web, Principal at WeDoCreative.
In fact, it is actually priceless, its free. The app is called Screenshade, and although we rarely blog about little tools like this – usually found on useful mac app lists such as this – I decided I would because, well, its changed my life.
Ok, I’m about to get a little personal here, so look away you don’t fancy reading and just check out the app yourself here. See, my girlfriend is a light sleeper, strongly opposed to light (yes, almost vampire like), because of it I have never been able to use any of my ‘brighter’ gadgets in bed..this of course includes my laptop. SO, I needed to get my priorities straight and after much deliberation, more often than not I decided the mac, Friendfeed and the couch were for me.
That was until two weeks ago and I decided to give Screenshade (more…)
Written on 5th July 2009
4 COMMENTS Zee, Editor in Chief at The Next Web, Principal at WeDoCreative.
My fascination with androids, and their increasingly fast development, never ends. Along with the fascination however, lies a degree of creepiness and uncertainty about what the future might hold for them, and more importantly, us.
It may just be because I’ve watched The Terminator a few too many times, but there’s no doubt that I do share an element of fear that one day these humanoids could in fact replace us – not entirely, but indeed dramatically.
I haven’t a particular fear of them harming us physically, as I’m sure they’ll have built in software protection of some sort (won’t they?)- its more the economic implications that concern me. Yep, J O B’s.
It’s also the potential for where these androids are likely to see most uptake. I hesitate to say it, but the sex industry is the first to come to mind. Like with most new technology, if there’s any way it can be put to use by (more…)
Hashtags are dying. In mid-2009 it’s getting difficult to see a point for them. What started as a helpful tool for tracking news from events has descended into a combination of misguided overuse and outright spammy manipulation.
There’s a good argument for abandoning hashtags altogether. Here’s why…
Hashtags are manipulated
A few weeks ago a minor sensation was caused when WYSIWYG website creation startup Squarespace started offering vouchers for iPhones in a draw for people who mentioned #squarespace in their tweets. The result? The company’s name trended highly for days and everyone’s Twitter stream was filled with mentions of the company. (more…)
It seems that videos making fun of Twitter come out almost weekly – here is my personal favorite. The latest one to arrive is BootyTweet – sad but true I’m affraid :).
“I @reply the finest birdies I know but we never met in real life so I look like a creeper…”
If your looking for a way to find some hot birdies on Twitter try out flirt140 – a site that helps Twitter-ers find each other for dates and more.
Being on hold while I wait for a customer service representative is something that I dread. The user experience with almost all companies is terrible. Here’s how I usually sequence my search for help:
Company Website
Twitter Account (if they have one)
Web Chat (if available)
Email (if not time sensitive)
Pray
Telephone
Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
As you can see, I settle on using telephone customer support only after I’ve summoned the heavens for help – yes that’s how much I hate telephone support! It involves (more…)
After yesterday’s announcement of FriendFeed’s realtime search, it was only a matter of time before we started to see the interesting and innovative ways to utilize it. The first one I have come across is SteroidFeed (click to view or right click to download HTML file) developed by FriendFeed user LPH™ and his dog P™.
As the developer describes it:
“Here is my new way of watching feeds on FriendFeed. I call it SteroidFeed but it is also a “Multi-Talk” style interface … the file sits locally and allows me to view multiple topics. Feel free to modify the html but please leave attribution and share your changes. Leave a URL if on Internet.”
As the developer notes, anyone is invited to play with (more…)
Although I just recently returned from Internet Week New York, I’m about to set foot on another exciting, new adventure. From July 5 to July 10, I’ll be traveling around London together with my Geeky friends. aka The Traveling Geeks. The TG’s are a small informal group of technology bloggers and influencers who like to travel to various regions around the world, collaborate with technology innovators and leaders on interesting projects and then share everything with the rest of the world via blogs, videos, podcasts and social networks.
On this trip, we’ll be on the hunt for innovative uses of new technologies in Great Britain, especially by lesser-known companies, and spotlight how those innovations may improve people’s lives. We’ll also compare the thought (more…)
Written on 3rd July 2009
28 COMMENTS Zee, Editor in Chief at The Next Web, Principal at WeDoCreative.
Directed by Masashi Kawamura, Hal Kirkland, Magico Nakamura and Masayoshi Nakamura, this a music video for Japanese band Sour and their song “Hibi no Neiro’ (Tone of Everyday). The cast is actually a selection of their fans from countries across the globe…most incredibly… each person was filmed just with a webcam.
If you really pay attention to the details… you’ll see the amount of work that’s gone into this. It makes my head pound.
Written on 3rd July 2009
133 COMMENTS Zee, Editor in Chief at The Next Web, Principal at WeDoCreative.
Until two years ago, DEMO, a conference franchise owned by technology publisher IDG, ruled the roost when it came to ‘company demonstration’ conferences. It took Techcrunch’s TC50 to really ruffle some feathers before the 17-year-old conference finally had some real competition.
The core differences between the two conferences? Well DEMO charges companies for the privilege of attending (the fee is now more than $18,000), whist TC50 primarily charges its sponsors (as well as companies presenting in their ‘demo pit’). DEMO tends to have larger, well funded companies promoting their goods. TC50 is a less glitzy affair, bringing unfunded companies often (more…)
If you’re a reader of The Next Web, chances are the internet is an important part of your life. However, do you remember the first website you ever visited?
I do. I was 17, it was 1996 and I was at college. Rumour spread around campus that a computer in the library had been fitted with a modem. Suddenly, this mythical ‘internet’ thing we’d heard so much about was coming our little corner of England.
My Media Studies teacher managed to somehow arrange for my class to be the first students to try out this much-hyped, but still a little expensive, technology. Getting to the front of the queue I thought hard about what website I wanted to visit. I didn’t have long, the library’s phoneline was being tied up with the connection and the college was being charged by the second. (more…)
Written on 6th July 2009
5 COMMENTS 
In fact, it is actually priceless, its free. The app is called Screenshade, and although we rarely blog about little tools like this – usually found on useful mac app lists such as this – I decided I would because, well, its changed my life.
My fascination with androids, and their increasingly fast development, never ends. Along with the fascination however, lies a degree of creepiness and uncertainty about what the future might hold for them, and more importantly, us.
Written on 4th July 2009
Hashtags are dying. In mid-2009 it’s getting difficult to see a point for them. What 
Written on 3rd July 2009
Written on 3rd July 2009
Until two years ago, 
The Next Web Blog is closely associated with The Next Web Conference which is held annually in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. At this event speakers from all over the world come together to talk about, and show off, the future of the Web. (More info 
