B2EVO

I need to share this with you.

In my previous post I talked about computer generated characters (persons) and how could we use that in a clever, also profitable way.

Now I’m talking about the next level in web surfing users’ experience. The project is called AURORA and it redefines the web browsing/communication/sharing experience. I could talk for ages here in this post and I couldn’t reach the amount of information which is shown in the videos below.

Aurora is a concept video exploring one possible future user experience for the Web, created by Adaptive Path as part of the Mozilla Labs concept series.

So.. lets see how our future would be like.

But, it might not be such as good until someone out there sees the real opportunity. Meanwhile it produces a lot of money in gaming industry.

What am I talking about?

To be short, I’m talking about Image Metrics – Computer Generated Facial Animation and high resolution rendering. For many of us this doesn’t rings any bell, also it doesn’t sound impressive. That’s why I decided to think outside the box, rather than duplicate – show to you some pics and a video and tell you how fantastic this is.

It’s about a digital actor (completely designed by computers) who tries to reproduce as accurate as it can the human facial gestures, emotions, feelings. This is Project Emily.

Image Metrics has a fat portfolio in creating computer driven animations. One interesting project is GTA IV.

Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV) by Rockstar Games introduces main character Niko Bellic, who has just arrived in Liberty City from Eastern Europe. Notorious for creating some of the most cutting-edge gameplay today, Rockstar Games turned to Image Metrics to take facial animation to the next level in the eleventh installment of their blockbuster gaming franchise. In total, Image Metrics produced 80+ characters and over 300 minutes of cutscene animation for the game, and did it in less than 6 months.

By the way GTA IV is one of the few games who scored 10/10 on Gamespot. That rating you don’t see everyday. And yes! Image Metrics contributed in obtaining that.

Yeah, this is FANTASTIC, AWESOME also BRILLIANT, but lets evolve a bit. These days computer driven facial animations are used in gaming industry. But what if they are going to be used outside the box, in the real life?

I’ll give you an example just to stay on the same page. I’m from Romania. Many of you don’t know shit about this country, and to be honest I don’t blame ya’. But if I tell you about Dracula you immediately associate that with that terrifying vampire, with Transylvania, which is located right in the middle of Romania.

Now, just imagine how would it be to have that computer generated character hologram as a virtual guide of Dracula’s Castle in Bran. Hell! you can even recreate Dracula himself as a virtual guide. You can recreate the rooms, also the outside environment which visitors can see through windows, thus they (the visitors) can easily travel in time. What would you say about that?

Another example, which to be honest I kinda like it

Imagine having a holographic computer generated sexy women as your personal computer artificial intelligence… answering to your commands with a sexy electrifying voice: “Launch procedure initiated!”

Errrrmm… sorry my mind is playing tricks on me

Anyway, the results and applications can be infinite only if we dare to put them in action.

Here’s one interesting quiz.

Suggestion: Don’t sign up! You can see your result right after you’ve answered the last question (see the screen shot below). Spare your e-mail box from spam

What at first seems to be a juggle later turns into some great skills in handling the common hammer.

Today 23rd of October we are 7 days away till a new version of Linux Ubuntu is released.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m tired of Windows. Since 1998 I’m using it like crazy: Win98 & Win98SE were my workshop, then it came Windows Me, also Windows 2000 and in 2002 Windows XP both home & professional came into my world.

By now you probably wonder: But hey, where’s Vista?

You see, that was the exact reason I chose Linux. Three months ago I was facing the following problem: “Should I choose Windows Vista or Linux Ubuntu?”

Of course, you can ask me what in the world possessed me to actually switch from good old WinXP Pro to Windows Vista or Ubuntu Linux.

A friend of mine likes to advise me: “if it’s working properly why the need to change it?“.

I’m using Windows XP right from the beginning: 2002 and never change it since. Whenever I bumped into a problem I took the time to do some research also testing (on my expense) and always find the answer/solution. All of that till 2004 when I started to use the computer 8 hours per day. Since then Windows XP never stopped disappointing me when in most need. So, I guess that answers my friends’ question.

Have you opened up the Windows Task Manager? If so, do you comprehend the entire rubbish listed in that window? If not, don’t worry it’s better that you don’t! Thus you spare quite a headache

Well, in my case, on the regular basis WinXP ‘eats’ 800+ Mb of system memory and the CPU… well it’s complicated

Should I tell you about Firefox which manages to eat 90% of the CPU from 5 to 5 minutes? Or should I tell you about the TCP/IP Limit? Or probably you are more interested in windows silent updates without users’ consent? And lots of unknown problems, because most of them are still unknown to Microsofts’ Troubleshooter.

That’s why I decided that it will be a good time to change my operating system (OS). So, I had 2 major choices:

• from Microsoft: Windows Vista Ultimate ’cause I want all the features to be available
• the second choice was Linux Ubuntu ’cause this seemed to me that it can outrun Vista

Since Vista’s well known for its futuristique UI (user interface) and great security, it will be adequate to use an OS that properly fits our need for speed and security. You all know the bloody Vista, but I’m pretty sure that you don’t have a clue (I mean no offense) about Ubuntus’ alien UI, rock solid security and tremendous speed in execution. Therefore I’m only showing you a glimpse of Ubuntus’ features.

Now, try doing that in Vista with an AMD Athlon 1700+. The result will be an EPIC failure.

One good thing about Ubuntu is that it DOESN’T eat ALL your CPU/RAM. It’s very, very well optimized. And… that’s why I chose it [pardon the repetition, but I couldn't help it]

Another great thing about Ubuntu: Is absolutely FREE!

You can download it from here.

To prove to you that this OS is a revelation also a revolution, look at these guys who actually build computers specially designed/optimized for Ubuntu.

That’s it. Linux Ubuntu represents by far the best alternative to Windows Vista regarding office, web browsing, editing habits. It can also be a good alternative to Windows Vista gaming side if you only wish to

The reason is obvious. It consumes less hardware and financial resources. Therefore you won’t need to spend $600+ on a PC and $319.95 for an OS (Vista Ultimate, just to stick up with my preferences) just to surf the internet, watch a movie, listen your favorite music, use some office applications, from time to time play a game (if you bought a computer just for that reasons you usually play solitaire, spider solitaire, minesweeper or any other integrated games) and again, from time to time to pull your hair off when the PC stops responding to your input commands.

Don’t you think that is it worth it to learn how to use a new OS? And, in exchange you’ll pay less or nothing  for the hardware resources (because in most cases a PC upgrade it’s not required), you get THE OS free and then you can enjoy your life.

I hope you take a moment, think well and then take the right decision if you plan on changing your OS.

Safe install

CJ

Just to stay informed.

Stay out of this e-mail:

Information Regarding Your account:
Dear PayPal Member:

Attention! Your PayPal account has been limited!

As part of our security measures, we regularly screen activity in the PayPal system.We recently contacted you after noticing an issue on your account.We requested information from you for the following reason:

Our system detected unusual charges to a credit card linked to your PayPal account.

Reference Number: PP-259-187-991

This is the Last reminder to log in to PayPal as soon as possible. Once you log in, you will be provided with steps to restore your account access.

Once you log in, you will be provided with steps to restore your account access. We appreciate your understanding as we work to ensure account safety.

Click here to activate your account [link removed]

We thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Please understand that this is a security measure intended to help protect you and your account. We apologise for any inconvenience..

Sincerely,
PayPal Account Review Department
Copyright © 1999-2007 PayPal. All rights reserved. PayPal Ltd. PayPal FSA Register Number: 226056.
PayPal Email ID PP059

———END of the quoted e-mail———

I got admit this e-mail it’s by far the most elaborate. Not perfect, but well put together. You can spot that right from the start – the “From” e-mail information: “Service PayPal ! <paypal@contact.com>“

He/She inverted the words “paypal” and “contact” to get a more plausible e-mail address. This can be real tricky for the untrained eye/mind, but if you know the basics of the internet you can easily deduct it’s a fake  because you know that any e-mail on this planet was / is / will be (for the near future)  name@a-domain-name. Example: johnsmith@cjspot.net where johnsmith is the name and cjspot.net is the domain name ( my domain actually).

In this case “paypal” is the name and “contact.com” it’s the freakin’ domain name which, by the way, it’s a bloody SEO page. Probably he or she still waits for the right price on that domain name.

Stay out of scam,

CJ

That’s right! Some guy thought that he can use Windows XP sounds to make his own music.

The result is unbelievable.

So, what would say about that?

Recently I received an email from PayPal stating that a suspicious withdrawal of $149 has been made through my account to an Albanian Bank.

_ _

Right! And I’m Napoleon.

To be honest, this email sound very professional and PayPal-ish.

BUT, there’s some things I ALWAYS CHECK before making any moves. Of course this applies to those who own a PayPal account.

• 1. Check the bloody link to where the sender sends you. In this case was: http://correo.humtec.edu.pe/PhpMyAdmin/paypal/accounts/webscr/cmd=_login-submit/index.html

Do not go there! I warned you!

• 2. Think very carefully at what you did with your PayPal account. In my case PayPal account is used strictly per ONE transaction ONLY! Meaning that I fund my linked card for ONE specific transaction at the time.

• 3. A bank, online payment processor and other money related offline and online account will NEVER ask for your personal data through a bloody email, phone, mail etc…

• 4. Have you noticed the link of your PayPal account when you login or the link of the main page? It always begins with https:// ALWAYS!

Rule number one: NEVER follow web links from spam emails or from emails that you don’t know.

Reason: In that way you confirm your email address => to be spamed like crazy in the future. This method of advertising is old just like prostitution and it’s also dangerous because you never know with what do you have to deal in the future…

Take a look at the original SPAM email received from the so-called PayPal.

Dear PayPal Customer,
We have recently noticed more login attempts to your PayPal account from a foreign IP address and we have reasons to believe that you have been the victim of an identity theft. If you have recently accessed your account while traveling, the unusual login attempts may have been initiated by you.

However, on 09.01.2008, 01:29PM, a suspicious $149.98 withdrawal has been made from your account to an Albanian bank account.

Access to your PayPal account and funds has been temporary suspended until we can verify the account ownership. Please click here [edit: link REMOVED for your protection] to access the PayPal website and follow the steps to reactivate your account and confirm or cancel the withdrawal. To protect our customer accounts and to prevent future account hijacking or identity theft, one of our team merbers will manually verify the information you provide. After submitting the form, please send a fax to (1)484-993-0195 (Paypal Security Department) with a copy of your ID or driving license and a copy (front and back) of a credit/debit card associated with this account. Failing to do so whithin 24 hours will result in account termination and severe legal actions.
Please click here to confirm account ownership. [edit: link REMOVED for your protection]
We apologize for any inconvenience that we’ve may caused you and stay assured that your online security is our first priority.

The PayPal Security Department
(1)484-993-0195
Email ID: 2988

Albanian bank?!

This guy must be extremely stressed with spam emails from Albanian and Nigerian people requesting his personal info to perform a bank transaction of a fabulous sum of money. Or maybe it’s a trend nowadays.

I end this post with a clarification, just to be sure that you got it right. This post talks about a phishing method which uses PayPal as bait (to gain credibility).

The email quoted above IT IS NOT FROM PayPal!

The web address (the one that I warned you not to follow) does not have any relation with the original PayPal website.

This is the original PayPal website.

Remember! PayPal will NEVER ask for your personal data through an email or by phone or any other method. PERIOD

Stay safe,

CJ

Dear Adobe Top 100:

1. (+263) Why does the Acrobat Reader take two minutes to launch, and require updates twice a month, just to display PDF pages?
2. (+239) Lower your prices
3. (+238) Please stop annoying me with installer updates when all I want to do is view PDFs in my browser.
4. (+231) Stop creating new features and make your software fast, stable and straightforward.
5. (+231) adobe reader takes too long to open PDFs
6. (+228) please stop bloating each new release of Adobe Reader with unnecessary crap. 200MB+ for reading PDF’s? puuhh-lease.
7. (+226) please cut out the DRM crap, and price your products reasonably.
8. (+225) For the next version, please could you stop adding features and work on performance and stability instead?
9. (+222) Please fix your update system. I am tired of constant requests to run patches that won’t install. Acrobat is a fucking nightmare.
10. (+221) Why does Photoshop cost as much as a pre-owned small car? Drop the price please!!
11. (+220) Skip CS4. CS3 does everything we need for now, and no one is going to catch up with you, not even Quark. Instead of forcing another version down our throats bloated with unnecessary features, you could instead take some time to make a new version that focuses on stability and performance.
12. (+220) Please create an installer that puts your software on my computer in less time than it takes to install an operating system.
13. (+217) Make my 2009 Photoshop faster than Photoshop 3.5
14. (+216) The world is global now. Please fix your pricing. Thank you.
15. (+215) Could you make Adobe Reader start up slower? I’d like to have enough time to go get a sandwich before I read a one page document.
16. (+214) please don’t set Acrobat to be the default pdf viewer every time it gets updated. It’s massively slower and clunkier than preview, and I don’t want to use it.
17. (+212) Why does the updater only run when I launch an Adobe program? If I’m *launching* an Adobe program, it means I’m *about to do something*, which is the LEAST convenient time for Adobe to tell me to quit all my programs (including Firefox and Outlook) so it can run the updater. Grr…
18. (+212) Your installer is the worst piece of software on the planet… well, actually, your updater is worse. For the love of all things good, fix it.
19. (+207) Please make a lightweight version of the pdf reader
20. (+206) Please update your Updater so that it won’t take 110% of my CPU just to download some files.
21. (+203) Sort out your god-awful installers. WHY do I need to close my BROWSER when installing a graphics application? I’m using it, dammit! Not least to give me something to do while eons pass and your installers dawdle along.
22. (+203) Please read this website.
23. (+201) Give up on Updater. There are far better (read: less obnoxious) ways to update an app.
24. (+200) I really don’t want a ‘My eBooks’ folder. Please ask first.
25. (+200) Why do you install six “helper” applications in the background when all I want is Photoshop? Keep your Bridge to nowhere the fuck off my system.
26. (+198) Please read and consider everything written on this website. It’s for your own good
27. (+198) Adobe Updater is the single worst piece of software I have ever seen. Please fuck off with that.
28. (+198) remember when your applications were lightning fast? I miss that.
29. (+195) Why is Adobe Reader using more RAM than Supreme Commander?
30. (+195) Better font browser in Photoshop, please?
31. (+194) You know what would be nice? Finally standardizing the interface between ALL of your applications.
32. (+194) slim down Acrobat Reader in to something more like Foxit Reader
33. (+192) Let me keep my browser open while you update your programs. Or eat hair. The choice is yours.
34. (+191) Get your fucking installers sorted out. Why do i need to CLOSE MY BROWSER to install a graphics app? I’m doing shit with my browser, you know, during the tedious wait for your installer to finish.
35. (+191) why should a PDF reader need to connect to the internet whenever it feels like it and have start-on-boot components that evidently do nothing since disabling them has no noticeable effect?
36. (+191) please don’t copy microsoft’s naming and bundling conventions. I want CS3 not CS3 pro, CS3 pro advantage, CS3 pro plus, CS3 no frills, CS3 pro max, CS3 pro extra pro max…
37. (+191) Stop adding features. Focus on stability, speed and removing bloat.
38. (+191) Please stop raising your upgrade prices. I’m sick of paying for your merger.
39. (+191) Please kill the retarded Adobe Downloader, it’s 2008
40. (+190) Please lower your prices
41. (+188) can Photoshop and Illustrator (and InDesign, etc.) please just work the same? Same guides, same text tools, etc.
42. (+188) Please stop forcing your PDF plug-ins into every orifice of OS X. Apple designed Preview for a reason. Fucking deal with it.
43. (+187) Quality is better than quantity.
44. (+186) Stop bundling crap with Reader – I don’t want AIR installed unbeknownst to me!
45. (+185) Could you please make your updater application _not_ suck and take up all of my processors /and/ make me shut down all of my browsers?
46. (+182) give the same keyboard shortcuts to the same functions no matter what app. if you say you’re going for consistency, then be fucking consistent.
47. (+181) Your updaters suck. And Acrobat’s bloatware.
48. (+181) Why oh why is Updater.app such garbage? It’s 2008 already – why do I need to close Safari so you can update InDesign, exactly?
49. (+181) please either make the vector tools in Photoshop work like completely like Illustrator, or just leave them out. Their half-assedness is aggravating.
50. (+180) please, please, please make all the shortcuts in all your applications the same. is it really that hard?
51. (+180) Why do you think it’s reasonable for your updater to steal focus while I’m typing and interpret my keystrokes as approval to reboot my machine?
52. (+180) Flash Player needs to perform the same on Mac as it does on Windows. Crazy idea, right?
53. (+179) Enable auto-recover for Photoshop, so when it inevitably crashes for the 9th time today I can get back to the corporate schlock I was working on.
54. (+178) charge less.
55. (+178) Please stop telling me Acrobat has been updated and I need to restart.
56. (+178) Your updater sucks. Make it, perhaps, suck less.
57. (+176) Please sort out the rubbish auto-update feature of Acrobat Reader.
58. (+176) Why the hell do I need both “Adobe Help Viewer 1.0″ and “Adobe Help Viewer 1.1″? This is the laziest excuse for terrible programming imaginable. At least make an effort to hide your incompetence.
59. (+176) Please lower international pricing – why do we have to pay more than 100% more than US customers. Even online!
60. (+175) Please remember that some of us are starving artists and don’t have hundreds of dollars to shell out on your products every year! Try to make it reasonable to stay on top of technology!!
61. (+175) Please stop keeping the PC and Mac versions separate. One combined version, one license. How hard is that?
62. (+174) Please make photoshop give my ram back when I quit
63. (+174) Don’t make VersionCue integral to Photoshop so the 98% of us who don’t know what it is and the 25% of us for whom it doesn’t work and won’t update don’t have to put up with it
64. (+173) Please make your applications consistent.
65. (+172) Why are your products so friggin’ expensive?
66. (+172) Why do you cost so much …
67. (+172) Please make your international pricing fair.
68. (+171) Your Installation programs take WAY too long to work.
69. (+171) Lower your pricing already.
70. (+171) You’re fucking expensive
71. (+170) Why oh why is Updater.app such garbage? It’s 2008 already – why do I need to close Safari so you can update InDesign, exactly?
72. (+170) Don’t save all your bug fixes for the new version I have to upgrade to. Release some for the product I already bought.
73. (+170) Make your products cheaper…
74. (+169) Please rationalise you prices around the globe. $99 to update to Lightroom 2 is not 99 Euros. Be fair to those who use your products outside the US.
75. (+167) you are really damn expensive
76. (+167) Why the fuck to you have to force this Stock Photo, Bridge crap on me?
77. (+167) I didn’t ask for Bridge to install with CS3.
78. (+166) i love you but you’re expensive
79. (+165) Stop selling me suites. Or let me select programs for my suite.
80. (+165) Please make run Adbobe Reader run as fast as the Preview app on the Mac
81. (+164) please sort your installers out. I can’t believe the byzantine kludge you make of my lovely clean file system. Applications/ and /Library/Application Support/ should be all you need.
82. (+164) why can’t I copy/paste formatted text from one of your expensive applications into another one of your expensive applications
83. (+164) Do you think its smart to put the names of the developers up when the product is taking forever to load?
84. (+164) Mouse wheel. Learn what it is.
85. (+164) Please stop installing two hidden Opera browsers with the CS suite, I have enough browsers. Oh, and please let me run those other browsers while you are installing or updating something.
86. (+164) Why is your software so hideously overpriced?
87. (+163) International customers should be charged the exact same price for Adobe software purchased and downloaded from adobe.com as customers in the USA. It’s the same .exe file (or Mac install file) from Australia to Brazil to Nigeria to the USA so it should be the exact same price. In USD or Euros. Stop ripping off non-Yanks!
88. (+162) New features are great… only once you get the old ones right.
89. (+161) Sort out your installers. They make baby Jesus cry
90. (+161) Why are you charging me an extra £240 just because I’m in the UK? I love your software, but I hate that I’m paying 73% more than my colleagues in the US…
91. (+161) I installed Acrobat 7, then had to restart my computer six times in a row — once for each patch. It is not 2001. This kind of bullshit is no longer acceptable.
92. (+161) please don’t charge DOUBLE for your apps in Europe just because you can. It makes you even more evil than Microsoft.
93. (+159) Why is it easy to make a transparent gradient in Photoshop and so damned involved in Illustrator. Could they not be the same?
94. (+159) Stop price-gouging your international customers.
95. (+158) just because i installed acrobat does not mean i want it installed in my web browser – my computer, my choices – douchebags
96. (+158) please do a LIGHT acrobat reader (hint: foxit readerà
97. (+157) why, if I’ve paid thousands of dollars for your products but want a hard copy, can you not just give me a freaking key to use on the downloaded copy while I wait a week for your fulfillment process to get my stuff to me?? Paying customer!! And you guys aren’t cheap. Cost me a day worth of hourly pay waiting and hours of frustration with your customer “support”.
98. (+157) You going to write a file viewer that starts up in under 5 minutes?
99. (+157) why are your products so expensive?
100. (+157) Charge the same $ price worldwide for downloaded product. Translate the $ price at day’s exchange rate and let local sales/VAT taxes be the only difference in price. Be good.

*via dearadobe.com