The Girl With A Mac Blog

Most Popular Facebook Status Updates

Posted Dec 22, 2009. Filed under Web, Social Networking, Facebook. Leave a comment?

During 2009, nearly 13 billion status updates were posted by Facebook’s 350 million active users. Recently, Facebook has released “Top Status trends of 2009,” showing exactly what is on people’s minds.

The most popular? Automatic status updates related to Xynga’s Farmville. The game continuously prompts users to post status updates involving everything from a lost cow up for adoption to the player’s recent level up.

Next on the list is FML. If you’ve ever been to http://www.fmylife.com/ you know exactly what this status means. If you’ve never been, you need to go now. It’s hysterical, and possibly my favorite site. Anyways, although kind of funny it’s sad that the first real status update on the list is such a negative one. Really the top three real status updates are negative (FML, Swine Flu, Celebrity Deaths).

However, number five and beyond are slightly more positive including family, sports and Lady Gaga.

Image from Betanews

It’s great to see the general consensus of Facebook users, however is this a move copied from Twitter? I’m thinking it is.

Record Kindle Sales In December

Posted Dec 19, 2009. Filed under Gadget. Leave a comment?

Amazon is reporting that this December has seen record setting sales levels. Perhaps this is because this is the first year since 2007 that Amazon has actually been able to meet the demand for the e-reader. Or maybe it’s because of the new promotion guaranteeing free two-day shipping and an arrival before Christmas (the promotion runs until the 22^nd).

Either way, Amazon reports that the Kindle was bought, gifted or wished for more than any other product on their site. While it may be easy to get your hands on the Kindle this holiday season, it may not be as each to get ahold of Barnes & Noble’s Nook or Sony’s Reader Daily Edition. Barnes & Noble and Sony are experiencing problems meeting demand as Amazon has faced over the last two years.

I don’t have much experience with e-readers, personally I just don’t see the real need for it. I don’t enjoy reading something on my computer screen, I’d much rather read it on paper and I feel that the screen on the Kindle could not be much better. And for the occasional book I read, I can handle buying the paperback.

However, I am curious about the high demand on the Kindle. From what I’ve read it seems that the e-readers made by Barnes & Noble and Sony are more technologically advanced, with touch screen and color. Are people willing to compromise better features simply because Amazon has a constant supply on Kindles?

Chrome For Mac! Merry Christmas

Posted Nov 30, 2009. Filed under Web. Leave a comment?

That’s right. Google is releasing a beta of it’s Chrome web browser to us Mac users. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, however I think I’m going to be disappointed.

According toTechCrunch, Google is rushing to meet their self-imposed end of the year deadline for the beta release. And they’re skimping on some of the features.

Chrome’s Bookmark Manager won’t be done in time for “milestone 4″ or M4 (Chrome version 4, which Chrome for Mac beta will be). Bookmark Manager is slated to be completed by the next milestone, M5. Also slated for completion in M5 is App Mode, which allows users to run web apps in a standalone browser. Fluid users will probably be happy with this feature in Chrome (Fluid lets you create a Site Specific Browser (SSB) out of any website or web application, effectively turning your favorite web apps into desktop apps). In addition, Mac users will be missing out on Google Gears, which allows offline web app functionality for sites like Gmail and Google Docs.

Also, Multi-touch gestures is being pushed back to M5. The feature that is built into OS X and used by MacBook trackpads and the new Magic Mouse. According to TechCrunch, the two listed gestures, “Three-finger-swipe up” and “Pinch in/out to zoom in/out” are still being debated as to what they should actually do. What!? Didn’t Apple already figure that out? For God’s sake it says it in that sentence!!

Sync for Mac, full extension support, full screen mode and task manager will also not be making their debut anytime soon.

The beta release is expected to be this month, maybe as early as this week. However, Google I have an idea for you. PUSH BACK THE DEADLINE! It’s self-imposed, not legally binding. Steve Jobs wouldn’t be so stingy on the features.

eBay Introduces Holiday Deals App

Posted Nov 24, 2009. Filed under Gadget. Leave a comment?

I hope that everyone is preparing for some major shopping on Black Friday. I know I’ve been. If you’re like me and will be up at 4 a.m. check out this website (my mom sent me the link and it seems to have quite a few stores’ ads, including ads for my favorite store- the Apple store!). But if you’re not really the shopping type, eBay has a new iPhone (or iPod Touch) app for you!

The eBay Deals app is designed to direct customers to the better buys on the online auction site, featuring auctions that have no bids, no reserve, less than four hours remaining and free or fixed-rate shipping already calculated into the price. The app allows users to browse across eight categories, including apparel, collectibles, computers, games and electronics. In addition, you can also search through the deals by entering a product name, price range and category. And just in case, you can save your search results to browse through later. If you happen to find a deal that is better for someone else (maybe you found that iPod Touch you’ve wanted forever and want to forward it to your mom, ok so maybe that’s just me), you can e-mail the deal or share it through your Facebook or Twitter.

If you’re not happy with the deals, shaking your iPhone or iPod Touch will clear the deals and give you a whole new set of deals. And if you do find an item you like, all you have to do is tap on it and a listing will pop up where you can decide to watch the item or bid on it. The app features push notifications to alert you if you’ve been outbid and PayPal integration for payment if you win.

This app is available for download through iTunes in 8 languages. And the best part is the app is free!

Personally, I’d rather go to the mall than stare at my iPhone all day looking for good deals. However, the app does have its advantages. It’s nice that eBay is looking out for you and not wasting your time on an item with a reserve set $1000 over your budget or on a 30 day auction. But, from my experience with eBay, you’ll be outbid at the last minute anyways, or end up paying way more than the item is worth after getting caught up in the moment. I’d rather go to the stores with amazing deals, than get outbid at the last minute and end up with no gift for grandma. Yikes.

And The Dictionary Word Of The Year Is.. Unfriend?

Posted Nov 17, 2009. Filed under Web, Culture, Social Networking, Facebook. Leave a comment?

That’s right, social networking had become such a tremendous force in our lives the “unfriend” has been named the New Oxford American Dictionary’s Word of the Year.

Oxford tracks how the English language is changing yearly. Researchers choose the Word of the Year “to reflect the ethos of the year and its lasting potential as a word of cultural significance and use.

“It has both currency and potential longevity,” said Christine Lindberg, a language researcher for Oxford’s U.S. dictionary program. “In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year.”

Oxford defines unfriend (which is a verb) as removing someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook.

Unfriend beat out several other technology related words for the honor. Other considerations were “hashtag” (the hash sign added to a word or phrase that lets Twitter users search for tweets similarly tagged), “netbook” (a small portable laptop computer designed for wireless communication and access to the Internet),”intexticated” (when people are distracted by texting while driving) and “sexting” (the sending of sexually explicit text messages and pictures by cellphone).

Before reading this on Google, I had no idea that dictionaries awarded such a thing as the title of Word of the Year. But I am glad that I’ve come across this because I now know what intexticated means, and it may be my new favorite word. Thank you for adding absolutely ridiculous words to the dictionary, now when writing a paper for my Cinema and Violence class I will now know how to spell sexting. What would I do without that knowledge?