MusTech.Net!

I spent a little time last night looking for and trhorugh a number of new search engines.  The following is a list of that I found that were interesting in some way (I looked at about fifty in total).  I’m always looking for a way to “cut through” the useless information that is posted on the internet and from time to time, I look at what the new search engines are providing in terms of useful results to me (and for my students!).  But, some of the ones I list here are also just plain fun and beautiful as well! 

In the end I’m still a Google fanatic but I will use some of these from time to time as well now.  I’m not going to go into any depth on these other than a short blurb.  You can check them for yourselves and decide on their usefulness to you.  Of all I’ve seen posted about new search engines, or unique search engines, this list is going to be one of the best -no doubt!

1.  Searchme- http://searchme.com
Wow!  This one is gorgeous…not a fan of what it was returning though with search input though.

2. Viewzi- http://viewzi.com
Again, Wow! This is also gorgeous and skinnable in a weird way.  Some of the templates remind of the, now defunct, PageBull search engine which was also amazing! Search input results a little better than Searchme.

3. Cuil- http://www.cuil.com/
Everyone talks about it, pronounced “cool”.  It looks nice, but I find its results not what I’m looking for.  It does have a great interface though…

4. Tripleme- http://tripleme.com
In my opinion, ugly green and blue, but it is a pretty and very useful 3 column layout showing MSN, Google, and Yahoo results side by side.

5. Mnemomap- http://www.mnemo.org/
Interesting mindmap result type of search engine.  Very accurate if you are looking for non-phrase related searches.

6. Lexxe- http://lexxe.com
Very good cluster based search engine.  Pretty accurate at returning useful answers to questions and input.

7. Powerset - http://powerset.com
An excellent search engine for searching Wikipedia data.  Try it you will never search Wikipedia without it again.

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As many of you know that follow me and my WordPress exploits, I can honestly say that I have not found any website/blogging platform that is easier to use and yet offers, nearly, endless flexibility for creation and implementation.  I have recently finished the framework and template for a wonderful non-profit music honorary known as Phi Beta Mu, the Nu Chapter (PBM-Nu).  Phi Beta Mu is the International Bandmasters’ Honary and I’m proud to be an inducted member of the organization.

Anyone who has “mad computer skills” can relate to my plight… I’m constantly asked to perform magic with regard to anything electronic, whether computers, telephones, televisions, websites, building wiring, and just about everything and everything related.   So and thus… I found my leading the “team” to create a website for PBM-Nu.

In my quest for everyone to develop these “mad technological skills”,  I may be often found pontificating to my college students the benefits of learning how to become faster typers.   Let me type you a picture…

I’m in class telling my students the obvious: We are in a computer dominated world…You are the generation that is expected to utilize these technologies from before graduation throughout the end of your careers…The importance of gaining speed in your typing/keyboarding skills cannot be underestimated…Mr. Internet is your friend…Really the proxy DOES work…etc.

ENTER the SCENARIO:      (more…)

If you’ve ever wondered if there was a way to globally unsubscribe to spammers and spam list, you’re out of luck. There is no such thing.  I was researching this topic today and found a fairly authoritative answer at SpamHaus (SpamHaus is one of the “Big-Guns” working to reduce email spam) .  

SpamHaus points out a number of so-called “spam removal” services being run by seemingly would-be do-gooders are, in fact, SPAM or Email Collectors themselves.  They state that “Any system that wants money in exchange for removing your address from a spammer’s list is a scam”.   ~Seems logical to me.

The biggest con of them all seems to be the Direct Marketing Associations “spam opt-out service”.  SpamHaus states that the very mission of the group is to “advance the interest of junk-email senders.”  They go on to state that some sites literally “spray” hundreds of millions of emails out per day.

What about sending a “Remove Me” from your list” back to the spammers?  Unless you are SURE that you are receiving a legitimate email from someone YOU DID subscribe to (E.G. JC Penney, Buy.com, FTD, etc.).  NEVER unsubscribe to a would-be spammer.  It only confirms your email address a working, legitimate, valid address.  By sending the “Remove Me”, you are actually setting yourself up for even more unwanted emails.

To read the article I found from SmapHaus about remove lists, click here:
http://www.spamhaus.org/removelists.html

To read about more about sending a “Remove Request” back to a potential Spammer, click here:
http://www.spamhaus.org/removeisformugs.html

Best wishes for a SPAM free Summer!

The Blue Snowball Microphone is definitely on the “cool” end of USB Microphones.   Blue Microphones have been making their “ball” type microphones for a number of years now and the “Snowball” is their latest USB offering.  

At first glance the Blue “Ball Microphones” look quite different, the mics themselves are about as big as a softball and varied in color; the Snowball is, as you would expect, white.  In order to help with some of the thumps and bumps you might pickup while using them to record they offer the Blue “Ringer”, which is a suspension unit for the microphone that gives a “vintage” look and helps with picking up unwanted “knocks” with the microphone.

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