Posted from Student On Campus – Part of the Ace Carter Network

Spotify is, at the moment, the hot topic across most parts of Europe. For those who have never heard of it, Spotify is a peer to peer streaming music program with virtually no buffering. It’s easy to use interface allows you to create playlists in a second and it’s huge (and growing) song base means that they probably will have your favourite song.

As of yet, it is unavailable in the US, but the latest news suggests that it will be released by the end of the year. However, it seems alot of people can’t wait that long and have managed to find ways of downloading Spotify outside of Europe.

Here’s one way – thanks to Techcrunch.

Invite yourself from anywhere:
1) go to http://www.daveproxy.co.uk/
2) enter the following URL: https://www.spotify.com/en/get-started/
3) Create your account, for UK postcode – check http://www.postcodesearch.org.uk/

Note: I tried it and it does work – leave a comment if there are any problems.

Ok, so you’ve downloaded Spotify. Now, how to get rip/download some songs from it? Thanks to Spotify Ripping.

Note: Do this at your own risk please…..

Download Spotify Ripper

The program was written by Swedish programmers, and thus, is in Swedish – But it is easy to use.

1. Start Spotify and make sure their isn’t a track playing. Then start Spotify Ripper by launching “Spotify Ripper.exe”. Start off by ticking the “Logg” box. By doing that you will get a small window which tells you the status of the ripping.

2. Now press “Hitta Spotify”. This will connect Spotify and Spotify Ripper so that the files will be named correctly. If everything works as it should the message “Spotify hittat” will appear in the log.

3. Now press “Rippa”. This will make Spotify Ripper wait for Spotify to start playing a track and start ripping it while it plays. When a song ends Spotify Ripper will convert the track to a mp3 file which then is named automatically and simultaneously rip the next song in your playlist. You will find the ripped music in the same folder as Spotify Ripper is placed in. Spotify Ripper will keep ripping all the tracks you play on Spotify until you press “Rippa” again.

4. Now switch back to Spotify and start the playlist or album you want to rip. Spotify ripper will do the rest for you. Just leave Spotify playing until the album or playlist is finished. But beware that any background sounds from other applications from your computer will also be recorded by Spotify Ripper so make sure the sound is off on any IM’s, e-mail programs or any other program that might make a sound.

5. If Spotify Ripper doesn’t work for you you could try starting Spotify Ripper before you start Spotify and restart booth Spotify and Spotify ripper. If it still doesn’t work Spotify Ripper probably doesn’t support your soundcard and it won´t work until a new version is released.

Thanks again to Spotify Ripping for making this possible.

Luckily, there are quite a few open source/free Photoshop Alternatives. Here’s my favourite 5:

1. Paint.Net

Once a replacement for Microsoft’s Paint application, Paint.Net has grown into fully fledged graphics editing suite. I enjoy using it because it is relatively easy to use.

2. Gimp

Probably the most popular Photoshop of the lot, Gimp has grown in features and user base since its release in 1995. I use this with Paint.Net – Mainly for some quick logo designs.

3. Krita

Krita is open source bitmap editing and drawing with the following advanced features: 16-bit image support, High dynamic resolution images, CMYK and even color management. As part of the KOffice suite it added a full features image editing and draw application – including lots of filters for either serious use or just to play around with.

Here is a tutorial on Krita (Using a tablet for drawing)

4. Fotografix

Fotografix has a ridiculously small footprint. It’s a 370Kb download and about 700Kb once extracted. Despite its size, most of the features I rely on in Photoshop are available. Another download link : Click Here

5. Picnik

Picnik is a web based photo editor that has recently taken off due to a partnership with Flickr. It has all the basic features plus a few advanced ones like layers and special effects. It is cross platform since you only need a browser.

Here is a tutorial:

Revisor enables you to customize and compose your own Fedora based installation and live media. It does so by presenting you a GUI with all options you can click you way through, and a CLI and extended configuration files for the more advanced users.

Features that Revisor has vary from customizing the packages available during the installation and/or installed on the live media, to fully customizing the desktop environment for the live media.

NimbleX

NimbleX is a website that will create a custom Linux distro based on your needs! They will provide you the iso for only 24 hours, you grab it, and share it with whoever you wish!

SUSE Studio

SUSE Studio is a new, innovative Web-based service to enable (independent software vendors), developers, and the community to quickly and easily “mass customize” Linux. Suse Studio is the first tool to enable users to create fully supported, customized variants of Suse Linux Enterprise and OpenSuse, add additional software, and test the resulting image–all in one simple and easy-to-use interface.

These are 3 of many different custom Linux distros that you can make. It would be great to hear which ones you are using and which ones you prefer etc.

What is it going to do to me? 

It will bump your mana or your HP up +160 (real world humans have about 100 mana, by the way). It’s 5-8 hours of smooth, jitter-free energy. When it comes to caffeine content, this potent shot is equivalent to about two 8-ounce Red Bulls® or four cups of crappy office coffee.

Yes that’s right kids – you have mana…..100 of them. And don’t get me started on the tagline – “less filling, more killing”.

source: Offworld

A short explanation of what makes the World Wide Web work: browsers, packets, servers and links.

So we’ve seen a Mac’d out Apple car but what about the rest of the geeky cars out there? Ranging from having pi on your number plate to a car covered with Homer Simpsons face (made of computer keys!), we here at GizmoStyle have compiled what we hope is a pretty cool selection of nerd automobiles. Enjoy!

iPhone controlled Mazda RX-8

Floppy Disk Car

Homer Simpson Keyboard Car

Lego Car

Mazda pi Car

Binary Car Number Plate

Alt F4 Car

Lol

Crazy Circuit Car

Windows XP

SevenVG Refresh
Vishal Gupta has done a fantastic job with this theme. It’s simple to install, looks great, and features both normal taskbar buttons and iconized mode.

Windows 7 Complete
User DopeySneezy calls this one Complete, and he’s not wrong. Includes Windows 7 style system properties, display settings screens, and more.

Seven Remix 2.0
Niwrad Soft recently updated his theme, and it’s even more convincing than V1.0. 

Windows Vista

Windows 7 Essentials Pack 
Another Deviant Art theme – this one by Ka-Booka includes just about every UI tweak you could possibly want to make Vista look like Windows 7 – even a Windows Media Player 11 mod, though some of you may choose to skip that one based on previous feedback about the new look.

Some more links:

Windows Seven(7) Transformation Pack is here

Windows Se7en (Vienna) Transformation Pack is here

Winmatrix lists 5 different options here

Technoworld also lists their Top 5 here

AskVG has a How To Guide for converting without the use of a transformation pack. The instructions are here

source: LifeHacker

1. Social Collider

The Social Collider reveals cross-connections between conversations on Twitter.

This experiment explores these possibilities by starting with messages on the microblogging-platform Twitter. One can search for usernames or topics, which are tracked through time and visualized much like the way a particle collider draws pictures of subatomic matter. Posts that didn’t resonate with anyone just connect to the next item in the stream. The ones that did, however, spin off and horizontally link to users or topics who relate to them, either directly or in terms of their content.

2. Browser Talk

Speak into your microphone and through browser personas

3. SmallTalk

it’s the nonsense chatter that we as humans use to fill the spaces in between our meaningful communication. We use small talk to connect with each other, even if it means relating on a one-dimensional basis. Small talk makes it ok to communicate, even when there is nothing really to say

4. DomTris

A great Tetris clone.

5. Ball Droppings

BallDroppings has already been implemented in other languages, you can download it for Mac or Windows here: http://www.balldroppings.com .. it’s a musical playtoy that looks like abstract pong

6. Browser Ball

Open new windows. Throw a beach ball through them. If I tell you it’s less lame than it sounds, will you give it a shot?

7. Ball Pool

Start by shaking the browser, then create new balls (click on empty space), move some others (drag) and reset the screen (double click).

8. Twitch

TWITCH is a series of minimal games within small Chrome windows. How fast can you solve them all? Each game only responds to clicking; mouse position and keyboard are ignored.

Can you stay on the perilous belt? Can you accurately aim the booming cannon? Can you navigate through the electric pyramids? Can you solve the eerie labyrinth?

9. Video and Picture Puzzle

A small experiment in generating puzzles using multiple browser windows and images or Flash-driven video.

10. Google Gravity

“Everything that goes up must come down. But there comes a time when not everything that’s down can come up.”
George Burns couldn’t probably imagine that his quote would eventually also be applied Google’s main page.

Some of these browser based apps can work on Firefox, Safari etc. However, these work best on Chrome. If you haven’t got Chrome yet, get it here: Download Google Chrome

Second place went to The Origin:

The Origin… from Agustin Eguia on Vimeo.

Third Place went to Linux Pub:

No surprises really on the winner. Although I felt Linux Pub deserved at least second place….

Check the video below for a full feature walkthrough.

Here is the creator of BumpTop, Anand Agarawala demoing BumpTop at a TED conference.