Ever Tried Googling Yourself?

Do you like what you find? Being the somewhat paranoid person that I am, I've always used an alias for all my online interactions. Add to that the fact that I've never made the news, so I have a tiny, almost non-existent online footprint.

However, some of you might be not so lucky. And chances are, someone might be Googling your name right now. It may be a prospective employer or secret admirer but one thing's for sure, you will be judged by the information that's available on Google about you.

Lifehacker has a great article on how to "have a say on what Google says about you." It basically shows you how to setup your own website and make it somewhat your online calling card so people can easily find you online. It also gives ideas on how to link up your site so it appears high on Google's search results.

It's a nice article, but it won't tell you how to remove any incriminating information about you online. I don't think it's possible to do that anyway. Tough luck.

Great Ways to Use Your Domain

So you bought your own domain. What now? Building your own website from scratch and getting it hosted can be too much trouble for some people. Instead, why not take advantage of the numerous great services out there and create your own web site complete with your very own email accounts, blog, etc.? Lifehacker shows us the many great ways to set up a "complete domain name backend for free."

Here are my top 3 "domain-friendly" free services:

Blogger.com - This is a very very very popular blogging tool hosted by our very own Google. It's very easy to set a blog using your own domain here instead of the generic blogspot.com domain. I'm using this service and I'm quite happy with it so far.

Tumblr.com - Instead of the usual textey and imagey blogs littering the nets, Tumblr features blogs that are short and simple. Got a link you want to share? Post it! Got a picture? Upload it! With Tumblr, there's no need for lengthy dissertations or introductions. Just post and go.

Google Apps For Your Domain - Google has done it again. They have released an amazing service that's sure to be a hit with the tech savvy people. With this service, you can host your very own versions of Google Apps right on your own domain. You could set-up your homepage to display your Google start page, and set-up up to 50 e-mail addresses that you can access using the Gmail interface.

Tired of Your Usual Mostly Text Blogs? Scrapblog!

I've just discovered a great web app. Check out Scrapblog.com and I'm sure you guys will like it too. This isn't an endorsement and I'm not being paid to say this, but I really like Scrapblog's concept.

Instead of the usual text-based blog apps, Scrapblog allows you to create scrapbook-like flash blogs that almost literally pops out of the page. You can post pictures and text like you would on a scrapbook using an very intuitive interface.

They also have loads of templates to choose from. Or if you're really creative, you can create your own designs from scratch. You can even post your creations to your flickr accounts.

The only problem I have with it is that it's a tad slow on my dsl connection. I expected the web-based app to be a bit quicker that it actually is. I really don't know if it's their server or my internet connection but it seemed like I was staring at the screen waiting for it to render more often than I would have liked.

Despite this, I would still recommend this service. Try it!

BUG Labs

These are probably the most interesting things ever invented. They modular electronic devices, otherwise known as BUGs. In a nutshell, they're like lego pieces for engineers and techies. And since it's hardware and software are open source (yay!!!), the things you can build (if you are technically inclined) are virtually unlimited. I like this idea so much that I can't wait to get myself one of these. I just hope they're not too expensive.

Anyway, for more info about BUGs, check out these links:

• Bug Labs Website - lots of info about BUGs here
• Video 1
• Video 2
• Video 3 - In these three videos, Robert Scoble interviews the folks from Bug Labs. A lot of interesting stuff were discussed here, including what BUGs are and the future of BUGs.

Lifehacker's Master Your DSLR Camera Part 2

It's been a while, but finally, Lifehacker.com has posted the second installment of the Master Your DSLR Camera series. While the first installment tackles the program mode of your camera, part two talks about the manual mode and the priority modes.

The manual mode is especially useful if you want to be completely in control of your exposure. However, the priority modes are great shortcuts for great shots if you don't want to tinker with a lot of settings. Anyway, check out the article and prepare to do some more experimenting and hopefully pretty soon, you'll be shooting (almost) like a pro.

Link: [Lifehacker]