The Launch of a New ImpactWatch Demo
Times change, and so should ImpactWatch. After becoming interested in all the China/Olympic drama while researching for this post on The Bivings Report, I decided that it was time for a new, more topical demo. Replacing our current Real Estate Demo is a 2008 Olympics Demo. This one continues to show off the great features of ImpactWatch, but the articles contained within it now concern anything and everything about the upcoming Games.
This new demo tracks media favorability for both the general Olympics as well as the country of China, specifically. It also tracks which topics are covered in the articles surrounding these games, everything from Burma and Tibet to the worry over China's air pollution. OlympicsWatch does all of this while retaining the sleek and efficient design that has made ImpactWatch such a valuable resource for so many clients. The analytics section of this new demo takes full advantage of our recently created graphing tool, so feel free to explore this very useful device as well.
To sign up for a weeklong trial of our new demo, click here to head over to the ImpactWatch official site.
What You Need with Wii
I finally caved…I caved and bought a Wii. Perhaps it was because I have not had a gaming system since the Nintendo 64, perhaps it was due to the overwhelming press circulating the rarity of finding one, or perhaps it was simply due to the fact that I have a housemate with a giant television, which is perfect for the Wii's motion sensing controls. Regardless of the reason, I soon found that one of Wii's main selling points was a boldface lie.
The Kindle Can’t Hold a Candle to Real Paper
I will be the first to admit that I do not embrace new technology willingly. A colleague of mine recently described me as someone who "talks like [he] is from this century, but uses gadgets like [he] is from the 16th century." And yes, perhaps I was a little too harsh on my good friend, the Microsoft Surface. I did venture to a bar that housed the machines, and yes, I enjoyed aimlessly flicking virtual bubbles around while making idle small talk. Ah, the future.
I preface this post with this admission because I am about to ‘go 20th century' on another product, the Amazon Kindle.
Continue reading “The Kindle Can’t Hold a Candle to Real Paper” »
Wikipedia Grids and Reality Television Prediction
After the debacle that was my use of Twitter to predict the outcome of American Idol, I decided to attempt redemption in the form of another online tool. After doing some research, I realized that many fans of reality television were using grids made on Wikipedia to calculate statistics used for elimination predictions. Statistics can be created for any show that uses a high-low-win system or a straight callout order system. Donning my nerd cap, I delved into the world of reality television and Wikipedia articles to see if I could discover their true usability.
Continue reading “Wikipedia Grids and Reality Television Prediction” »
Are Amazon Comments Truly Helpful?
If you own a computer and have a disposable income, chances are good that you have bought something via Amazon.com, a well-known site dedicated to being the Internet's largest store. The site boasts many features, including discount prices, lists of recommendations for frequent users, and intuitive search features. A past blog post on The Bivings Report highlights one of Amazon's recent user-friendly upgrades.