Mind Soup

When was the last time when you saw a QR code in an advertisement and were excited to scan it, or on the back of your soda can and put it down to see what the code redirects too? Or even worse, when was the last time you stopped your car to snap a QR on a billboard? Chances are that the answer is long time ago, and you’re not alone. There are many reasons as to why QR codes are not getting hype anymore. The most common reason is that, believe it or not, a lot of people are still not aware what QR codes are or how to use them. Many don’t even notice their presence. QR stands for Quick Response. These codes are two dimensional barcodes and are supposed to be a simple way to link the user to other content such as website links, phone numbers, contact information or other text. The user scans the code using an application on their smartphone to encode its content. But even after you explain the concept to many people, they still do not use it very regularly out of inconvenienc...

I have recieved an interesting email recently from Anne Lee, who has informed me that Mind Soup is a googlewhack. A Googlewhack is a kind of a contest for finding a Google search query consisting of exactly two words without citation marks, that return exactly one hit, no less no more. A Googlewhack must consist of two actual words found in a dictionary. A Googlewhack is considered legitimate if both of the searched-for words appear as live links in Answers.com in the blue bar above the Google results. Published googlewhacks are shortlived, since when published to a web site, the new number of hits will become at least two, one to the original hit found, and one to the publishing site. For that reason, I will not publish what exactly the two words, to preserve this googlewhack as long as possible. Can you find them on your own? If you do, please click here to inform me. Here are the official rules of googlewhack. Thank you Anne Lee for informing me.

London, England (CNN) -- Obsessive, overenthusiastic, fanatical -- call them what you will. They used to be the exception rather than the norm. But these days, devoted fan followings are cropping up with increasing frequency. The latest embodiment of the die-hard fans that have emerged: "Avatards," the loyal followers of James Cameron's wildly popular 3D science fiction film "Avatar." Since the blockbuster epic hit the cinema screen across the globe last month, countless forums, Web sites and wikis devoted to all things "Avatar" have popped up. Enthusiastic fans can go to "Learn Na'vi" to study the language spoken on the mythical world of Pandora. On fan sites like "Naviblue," fans discuss everything from their bordering-on-obsessive relationship with the film to feelings of despondence caused by the fact that Pandora is not real. On fan site ""Avatar Forums," one forum member, Neytiri, offers advice on...

Just a quick note that Mind Soup can be accessed through MindSoup.tk if you don't want to type moudz.blogspot.com every time you want to access the blog. Best Regards, moudz

Yahoo Inc. is closing down for a week over the holidays to save money, but experts said the shutdown is par for the course in Silicon Valley. The Internet company is mandating that most of its employees worldwide, except for those responsible for “essential functions” such as customer service, take off work from Dec. 25 through Jan. 1. In the U.S., employees can either use vacation time for nonholiday dates or take unpaid leave. Workers outside the country will be paid according to local standards, said spokeswoman Dana Lengkeek. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo told its staff about the break in April, and has recommended employees to take the week off in the past, Lengkeek said. “This is nothing new, just formalized a little more,” she said. “It’s fairly standard in the industry, closing down during a traditionally slow week and giving employees time to recharge. A lot of employees tend to take that week off anyway.” In addition to reducing operations, Yahoo will be turning lights and co...

For once, you can take the “@” symbol at the front of a Twitter account name literally. The Twitter name “@arjanelfassed” is not only the Twitter account of one Arjan El Fassed; it’s also the name of an actual location, “@ arjanelfassed tweetstreet,” which is now a street in a Palestinian refuge camp. The Dutch website Jouw Eigen Straatnam charges $146 for each of 200 street names in the Askar camp and gives the proceeds to the Palestinian Child Care Society (PCCS), according to Al Fassed, to fund “cultural and expressive after-school activities” for the up to 1,000 children in the camp at its youth center. Part of the program’s allure, he says, is that the corresponding street signs are temporary. “Since a refugee camp by definition should not remain permanent, selling street names of the camp is a creative way to connect people and support these children after school,” said Arjan El Fassed. “Naming the street to my Twitter account is a symbolic way to connect both online a...