Suppose that you're searching for pictures of, umm, Angelina Jolie using Google's image search. You get a lot of full body photos (yum!), red carpet photos, pictures of her children, etcetera. Right? Well suppose you wanted to refine that search so that you only saw images containing Angelina's face. How would you go about that? Here's how:

1. Go to Google.
   
2. Click on the "Image" link to limit your search to pictures.
   
3. Type Angelina Jolie and click on "Search". You will see a URL in the address bar of your bar that looks like this one: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=angelina+jolie&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2
   
4. Now append the string &imgtype=face to URL in the address bar of your browser. It should look like this: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=angelina+jolie&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&imgtype=face
   
5. Hit the "Enter" key.
   

Pretty cool, huh? I believe that it also works with the string &imgtype=news. That search should return news articles relating to whomever your searching for.

Thanks go to someone mailing in a tip to Lifehacker.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 07:30 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 161 words, total size 1 kb.

I will admit to using Bittorrent. It comes in quite handy when I'm away from home and forget to record a TV show that I wanted to see. However, if I forget to start a download before I leave for work in the morning, I can't watch the show that I've downloaded until the next day, as it takes a bit of time to download even a single hour of episodic television.

Why do I bring up my geekish habits and shortcomings? Because some enterprising souls have created a way in which I can manage my Bittorrent downloads when I'm away from my home. I give you WebUI. Excerpt:

You're a BitTorrent freak, so why should you let a little thing like being away from your home computer stop you from getting your fix? Using the popular, free uTorrent client, you can control your BT downloads from anywhere using a full-featured web interface.

With uTorrent's WebUI, you can add, remove, and manage the downloads you've got running at home no matter where you are.
...
First, you'll need to grab a copy of uTorrent if you don't already have it. It's a standalone executable, so just put it wherever you like, give it a run, and let's get started.

Next you've got to grab the WebUI files (the first link in the post). Here's a direct link that should work for now, but I can't guarantee it'll always be the latest, so you might want to check the first link to make sure.

I love technology.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 03:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 272 words, total size 2 kb.

Ever wish that you could use multiple search engines at the same time for the same query? The late and lamented YaGoohoogle.com notwithstanding, you've usually started with your favorite search engine and worked your way through the list until you found what you wanted. Now, though, you can receive your query results from the following search engines with the stroke of one mouse button using Zuula: Google, Yahoo!, MSN, Gigablast, Exalead, Alexa, Accoona and Amfibi. If you're in the mood for image searching, you can replace the last five with Picsearch and Flickr results. Similar specific results exist for searches about jobs, blogs and news.

Anyway, go check out Zuula and power up your searches.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 11:25 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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An idea for our time: Wubi. It allows you to run the latest version of Ubuntu without booting from a Live CD or partitioning your hard drive. Excerpt from the FAQ:

Wubi Internals

How does Wubi work?

Wubi adds an entry to the Windows boot menu which allows you to run Linux. Ubuntu is installed within a file in the windows file system (c:\wubi\harddisks\ubuntu.hd), this file is seen by Linux as a real hard disk.

Is this running Ubuntu within a virtual environment or something similar?

No. This is a real installation, the only difference is that Ubuntu is installed within a file as opposed to being installed within its own partition. Thus we spare you the trouble to create a free partition for Ubuntu. And we spare you the trouble to have to burn a CD-Rom.

Requirements

What are the system requirements?

If you can run Windows XP, you will have no problem running Ubuntu, since Ubuntu has lower system requirements than Windows XP. As for disk space, the installation requires a minimum of 3GB. This space is mostly used by the virtual hard disk file.

What platform is supported?

For the moment Wubi will only run on Windows XP, but the back-end is quite flexible and it can support multiple platforms as hosts and guests (provided they are debian-based).

What is the performance?

The performance is identical to a standard installation, except for hard-disk access which is slightly slower. If your hard disk is very fragmented the performance will degenerate.

Can I run the images within an emulator?

Yes, but you will have to use other software to do that. The intended use of Wubi is to provide an installation which is as close as possible to a standard one with minimal fuss for the user.

Anyway, for those of you interested in as painless a test drive of Ubuntu as possible, this might be the way to go. Check out Wubi.

Update: However, if you're dead set on moving away from Windows, here's an article which will take you through the move, step by step, up to and including suggestions on porting your emails and making your Open Office files compatible with your Windows compatriots.

Remember: embrace the Penguin.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 03:08 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 394 words, total size 3 kb.

Here's a pretty good list of Things that I can do in Linux that I can't do in Windows. Excerpt:

1. Update every single piece of software on my system with a single action. This is one of the main reasons I run Linux. Sure, Windows has Windows Update, but that only updates the operating system, Office, and a few other things. For every Linux distribution I've used (Gentoo, Red Hat, Suse, Ubuntu), updating is simple. When you update, you have every application, every library, every script - every single piece of software upgraded automatically for you. And on most of them, they will check for updates automatically and notify you. This is great for security, fixing bugs quickly, and getting the latest in features.

2. Update nearly everything on my computer without a reboot. On Linux, there is only one thing that requires a reboot after updates. The kernel. And even then you can continue to run on the previous kernel. You just need to reboot to get the benefit of using the new kernel (say, if it has a bug fix or a new feature). In Windows, many of the updates to even non-critical software require reboots.
   ...
   
3. Run an entire operating system for free without pirating software, and without breaking the law. Most Window's users seem to accept that breaking the law is okay, because it is pretty much required. Either you break the law, or spend countless thousands of dollars on the software you need. You may not think it is a big deal, but if you own a home like I do, you are putting it at risk. While unlikely, the potential is there for software companies to come after you just like the RIAA has come after countless people. With Linux, this isn't necessary. You can run the software you need without paying for it, and without breaking the law. I know I sleep better at night.

4. Take my settings with me where ever I go. In Linux, all your personal settings are stored in your Home folder, most in folders that begin with a period (like .gaim). So, I can copy all these settings from one computer to another. I can put these settings on a USB drive. When I switched from Gentoo to Ubuntu, I kept all my settings. On Windows, some settings are under your home folder and some are in the registry. So your settings are not portable.
   ...
   
5. Run thousands of great pieces of software that only run on Linux. Just like Windows, Linux has software that doesn't run on Windows. Great pieces of software like Amarok, Bluefish, Neverball, Gnumeric, K3B, Beryl, gdesklets, and MythTV. I know this is a chicken-and-egg point, where Windows has the exact same situation. Too often I hear "I can't switch to Linux because it doesn't run [insert Windows software]". My reason for pointing it out is just to make it clear that this is a two-way street.

6. Learn about, support, and appreciate the value of free software. I believe free software is important to us all. Even if you use non-free software, the free software movement ensures checks and balances on non-free software by offering an alternative. By running a free operating system and becoming involved in the community, I've contributed to free software, even if only in a small way.
   

The whole article is worth reading.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 08:10 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Actually, it's the search itself that possibly awards you free stuff. Check out Blingo, a Google-powered search engine that gives out up to 25 prizes per day. Possible prizes?

• Brand New Ford Escape or $20,000 cash!

• $5,000 Cash

• Home Theatre Package or $2,500 cash

• $2,500 Cash

• $1,000 Cash Every Thursday

• $25 Amazon.com Gift Certificate *

• Fandango Movie Ticket

There are some downsides, of course, and they are:

• You don't have access to Google's advanced search functions page.
  
• There is no way to change the filter level for image searches.
  

Anyway, give it a shot if you're interested.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 10:29 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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The following exchange was found by a friend of mine in a Powerbuilder news group. Some people were discussing what would likely replace Powerbuilder and, well...

> All wrong. LISP is back with a vengeance. One language to rule them all.

Mention LISP again, and I'll run my CAR over your CDR.

I almost choked on my Diet Dr. Pepper. Don't worry if you don't understand the above exchange. All that means is that you probably had something resembling a life during college.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 07:15 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 87 words, total size 1 kb.