Do you or someone you know have a serious, untreatable disease? Check out my site of the week, Clinical Trials. Here, you can see a list of all the current and upcoming trials of potential new treatments and medicines. It also gives you the information you need to know before you volunteer. It is the official government site, so check out clinicaltrials.gov.
Archive for January, 2010
Clinical Trials
Sunday, January 31st, 2010Build Your Own Cyborg – January 31, 2010
Sunday, January 31st, 2010Robots and living computers seem to be a staple of Science Fiction movies. But now, some of that science fiction is becoming science FACT. Scientists have discovered that some microscopic creatures behave very similarly to computers. Imagine tiny biological chips in your computer that can transmit and receive information thousands of times faster than today’s chips. Chips that can be grown instead of manufactured. Now, granted, we are still in the EARLY stages of this exciting field, but just think, your next computer may come from the dairy aisle at the grocery store.
I’m Eric Spellmann taking you to the Next Level.
More Information
Biological Computer Born
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/358822.stm
Coffee Break Arcade
Sunday, January 24th, 2010So, you’re sitting at work, totally bored, waiting for that 500-page report to print. What to do, what to do?… How about heading to my site of the week, Coffee Break Arcade. Calling itself THE directory of free Internet games, this site has links to hundreds of fun time-wasters. So, keep an eye out for the boss and head to coffeebreakarcade.com.
The Inner Workings of a Banner Ad – January 24, 2010
Sunday, January 24th, 2010It’s impossible to visit a website these days without seeing a banner ad. How are people making money off of them? Well, you need to understand three terms: exposures, click-throughs, and registrations. Every time someone sees a banner ad on a site, we call that an exposure. Content providers typically charge around a penny per exposure. So, if you put your banner on a site and it gets 4000 exposures, you owe $40. Click-throughs work differently. They only count if someone actually clicks on your banner. You will usually be charged ten cents per click through. Registrations are the most expensive, but also the most valuable. If someone clicks on your banner and actually buys something or signs up with you, content providers typically charge one to three dollars.
I’m Eric Spellmann taking you to the Next Level.
More Information
What is a Banner Ad?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banner_Ad
How Banner Ads Work
http://www.howstuffworks.com/banner-ad.htm
Family Watchdog
Sunday, January 17th, 2010My site of the week is for parents. As many of you know, the state of Texas has made available a database of Sexual Offenders online. The Family Watchdog site takes this information and actually shows you a map of how close any of them are to your house, school, and park. Check it out at www.familywatchdog.us.
Dynamic Image Making – January 17, 2010
Sunday, January 17th, 2010I’m noticing a trend. Dynamic image making is becoming very popular. Don’t let that technical name scare you. Once you see it, you’ll be hooked. Basically, a number of sites, like the Church Sign Generator, allow you to create, on the fly, an image of a “real” looking church sign. You’ll have fun sending these supposedly real photos to friends and family. Some of my other favorites are the Vinyl Record Generator, the Newspaper Clipping Generator, and the License Plate Generator. For links to these and a huge list of others, check my blog at ericspellmann.com.
I’m Eric Spellmann taking you to the Next Level.
More Information
The Main Site
http://www.says-it.com/
Newspaper Clipping Generator
http://tools.fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp
License Plate Generator
http://www.acme.com/licensemaker/
Other Generators
http://generatorblog.blogspot.com/
How Did They Make That?
Sunday, January 10th, 2010My site of the week is for those you who wonder, “How did they make that?” The Made How site has thousands of great, step-by-step descriptions on everything from Aspirin to zippers. C’mon, you’ve always wondered how they got the lotion into the Kleenex. Find out at madehow.com.
Google Earth – January 10, 2010
Sunday, January 10th, 2010Ever dream of flying? The Google Earth program will let you do just that. Basically, this program is the “Google Satellite Maps” service on steroids. A while back, Google bought a company called Keyhole. You may remember THEM as the company that supplied those cool “fly-bys” for major news organizations. The Google Earth program uses sophisticated streaming technology to deliver the data to you as you need it. With thousands of gigabytes of aerial and satellite imagery, this program depicts cities around the world in high-resolution detail, and in some cases, 3D! A local search option lets you search for restaurants, hotels, and even driving directions. Layers show parks, schools, hospitals, airports, shopping, and more. It does require a fairly powerful computer, but any PC built in the last two years ought to be fine.
I’m Eric Spellmann taking you to the Next Level.
More Information
Google Earth
http://earth.google.com
