AlienSplicer

• Ryno Motors creates one wheel electric scooter http://ow.ly/2sQxR – I'm not sure how stable it would be at high speeds or panic breaking… ->

• A short missive on the lack of Chronological Usability of many blogs http://ow.ly/2pQUA even many which should be read in date-order. ->
• Entire City to Track People With Public Eye Scanners http://ow.ly/2sHvx at up to 50 people a minute. One city today, the planet in 10 years. ->

I’ve found a blog that really interests me, but want to read all the posts chronological order because it makes more sense that way.  Problem is, almost every blog, including mine, presents the posts in reverse chronological order.  Which is great if you’ve been following along already because the latest entries are always on the main page and at or near the top. 

But when you decide that you want to read them in the order they were posted, it gets rather cumbersome:  You have to locate the first entry, which can be an interesting prospect if they don’t have archives enabled, then you have to read from the bottom of each page towards the top — so you’re constantly reading down the posting, then moving up, past it, to the next one, reading down the posting, moving up, past it, to the next one … and so on.  Then when you get to the top, you usually have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page again to find the link that takes you to the next page, chronologically.  When that page loads you’re looking at the top of the page again, so you have to scroll back to the bottom of the new page to the last entry, then start the whole process over again.  What a pain!

It’s not so bad when each posting, when viewed by itself, has links to the next/previous posts, because then you can simply read the post, then click to the next one and so on.  A lot more page loads, but easier to navigate.  Unfortunately, many blog themes, or layouts, don’t seem to have these links either — mine included, again.  I think most people just don’t think about it:

What if someone wanted to read my blog in book style, from the earliest posting, until now?  Will it be easy to do?

It’s a part of the user experience, or usability, that seems to get lost when developing the blog or when web-designers develop themes and templates.  But it’s also something that could easily be fixed, either by adding the next/previous links to the page that displays individual posts, or by creating an optional “index” page that sorts the posts chronologically, instead.  Relatively small changes that could dramatically improve the usability of your blog — especially if the contents or subject matter lends itself to being read in date-order.

Although I can’t see why anyone would possibly want to read AlienSplicer this way, I’m going to have to modify it’s layout just in case they do.

What do you think?

• Is free WiFi killing the coffeehouse? http://ow.ly/2prWL Shops pull the plug to make space for paying customers & change the ambiance. ->
• New generation of dual-core processors http://ow.ly/2ptCQ could allow smartphones to play full 1080p HD video and run more demanding apps. ->
• 16-yo Christian Owens made his FIRST million dollars http://ow.ly/2pvkm in only two years after being inspired by Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs. ->

This footage was taken some time last year.  It was my half-hour morning commute into town.  Mostly long, straight roads, so not particularly exciting — slightly more so since it was compressed to 5 minutes  If only it really only took that long …

This was taken with a Flip Mino, sitting on my dash on a Yellow “the POD” — a bean-bag style camera mount.  Good for vibration control, but not particularly anti-tilt proof because the Mino is so thin.  Adding a mini-CD between camera and POD helped.

• Science Fiction and Fantasy Themed Sand Sculptures http://ow.ly/2jcxF {my favorite is the sand serpent, 5th one from the top} ->
• A light, drizzling, morning rain, a cup of coffee, and our back porch. On a Saturday. Does get any better than this? ->
• Zzyzx: Weird Name, Weirder Town http://ow.ly/2jwtd Out of the way for our semi-annual Phoenix/LA trip, but might be an interesting side trip ->
• The Triceratops Never Existed http://ow.ly/2jAvi scientists now believe they were actually Torosaurus young, which transformed as they aged. ->
• Do Cat Families Have a Hierarchical Structure? http://ow.ly/2jAz1 … Uh, yeah. Duh!?! ->
• Nasa scientists braced for 'solar tsunami' to hit earth http://ow.ly/2k6Oh likely to spark spectacular displays of northern/southern lights. ->
• Ant Colony Living in Scanner Recorded Over 5 Years http://ow.ly/2k6SP watching the construction & remodeling of an ant colony is fascinating ->
• If we can stop the physical deterioration that comes with age http://ow.ly/2k6Wr no reason why human beings couldn't live to be 1,000. ->
• An infographic comparison of books vs e-books http://ow.ly/2lrS8 {Does one have to win?} ->
• Angela talked with author, violinist, and screen play writer Paula Yoo via Skype http://ow.ly/2lNv1 about #writing, #eureka, and trolls! ->

Using only clips where you can actually see the lightsaber ignite or retract, not just hear it.  Landstrider compiled every on-screen lightsaber ignition from all the Star Wars movies in chronological order, and their retraction it’s the reverse order. 

Hooray for geekery!

Angela talked with children’s book author, violinist and screen play writer Paula Yoo via Skype.  Paula talked about her work on SyFy’s Eureka, her National Picture Book Writing Week movement, balancing all her many different talents, and something about trolls and showers.  The Eureka episode Paula worked on air’s tomorrow night!

Or watch it on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL9s9H3_h5k.

• Paper Critters: http://ow.ly/2i6Uv customize little digital people on the computer, print them out, fold, and enjoy your new little friend. ->
• Buckyballs Found in Space http://ow.ly/2i7k2 Scientists have found crystalline carbon spheres, 60 & 70-atom clusters, in a planetary nebula. ->
• Manta rays leap 3ft out of water into the air http://ow.ly/2i7zj flap their fins as if trying to fly, land on surface with loud bangs (pics) ->
• YouTube increases upload limit to 15 minutes for everyone http://ow.ly/2iDHN – Also has a "15 minutes of fame" contest, deadline on Aug 4th. ->
• The robot that visits your cubicle http://ow.ly/2j9Ci when CEO wants to know what employees are doing. ->

Radivoje Lajic’s house, in the northern village of Gornji Lajici in Bosnia, was recently hit by a meteorite.  An event so rare that it makes for a good story.  But that’s not all of it.  This is the sixth meteorite to hit his house since the first one struck in 2007. 

What are the odds of that?  They are, in fact, so high that they seem to rule out coincidence.

Experts at Belgrade University have confirmed that the rocks are meteorites and scientists have been trying to determine what it is about his house that seems to attract them.

Resources:
Man hit by six meteorites is being ‘targeted by aliens’