Filed under: Features, DLS Interviews

In theory, the Web is supposed to level the playing field for new musicians; its democratic nature lets them find their own audience, without having to beg for the approval of a record label.

Of course, real life turns out to be much more complicated than the theory. It may not be a nice thing to say, but there is a lot of bad music being made. Of course that's very subjective, but by "bad" I mean music that very few people would find enjoyable. Maybe we can call it "niche music," or "the product of budding musicians trying to find their way." At any rate, a random stroll through MySpace makes the point abundantly clear; as a listener, it's not always easy to find the good stuff.

That's where Uvumi comes in; the site operates in a niche quite similar to TheSixtyOne (which was previously covered here), and tries to make it easier to find new music from indie and unsigned artists. Compared to TheSixtyOne, the site takes a decidedly different approach, both in looks, and in communication and interaction from the developers.

I first heard about Uvumi as part of the backlash against TheSixtyOne's re-design (see comments), and I recently decided to check it out. One of the first things I noticed was Uvumi's active blog (updated once a week or so), and specifically, this blog post from Marshall, the head developer for Uvumi. It is a 537-word post in which he warns users against some impending downtime, and carefully explains why it's coming and what he's doing to minimize it. This really stood out for me. It is in stark contrast to the latest post on TheSixtyOne blog, which is a 113-word post that is almost two months old, and essentially mocks the users who did not like the redesign.

[More thoughts, an interview with Marshall and screenshots on the next page]
In theory, the Web is supposed to level the playing field for new musicians; its democratic nature lets them find their own audience, without having to beg for the approval of a record label.

Of course, real life turns out to be much more complicated than the theory. It may not be a nice thing to say, but there is a lot of bad music being made. Of course that's very subjective, but by "bad" I mean music that very few people would find enjoyable. Maybe we can call it "niche music," or "the product of budding musicians trying to find their way." At any rate, a random stroll through MySpace makes the point abundantly clear; as a listener, it's not always easy to find the good stuff.

That's where Uvumi comes in; the site operates in a niche quite similar to TheSixtyOne (which was previously covered here), and tries to make it easier to find new music from indie and unsigned artists. Compared to TheSixtyOne, the site takes a decidedly different approach, both in looks, and in communication and interaction from the developers.

I first heard about Uvumi as part of the backlash against TheSixtyOne's re-design (see comments), and I recently decided to check it out. One of the first things I noticed was Uvumi's active blog (updated once a week or so), and specifically, this blog post from Marshall, the head developer for Uvumi. It is a 537-word post in which he warns users against some impending downtime, and carefully explains why it's coming and what he's doing to minimize it. This really stood out for me. It is in stark contrast to the latest post on TheSixtyOne blog, which is a 113-word post that is almost two months old, and essentially mocks the users who did not like the redesign.

[More thoughts, an interview with Marshall and screenshots on the next page]

Uvumi builds a community for musicians and fans - Interview + tour originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TheSixtyOne - Uvumi - Download Squad - Music - Record label

Filed under: Google, Browsers

Add a purge memory button to the Chrome task manager (above)
I covered this hack a while back and it definitely comes in handy from time to time. Add the --purge-memory-button command line switch, and you'll be able to free up unused memory via a button on the task manager. That's the one you pull up by pressing shift + escape in Chrome, not the Windows task manager.

(We've got a tutorial which shows you how to add command line switches to Google Chrome if you need a little help.)

Avoid extensions part 1: use Userscripts when you can!
While Chrome installs Userscripts the same way it does extensions, they don't get sectioned off into their own memory space. There are loads of good Userscripts which work in Chrome, too, like the 10 we mentioned last year. Use them to enhance your favorite sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, block Flash elements, and more!



Avoid extensions part 2: use bookmarklets instead!
Bookmarklets are an excellent extension alternative for a number of reason. First, you're not giving away any additional memory. Second, since they're souped-up versions of regular bookmarks, Chrome's bookmark sync feature will help keep your bookmarklets at the ready everywhere you use Google Chrome!

Here's our rundown of 15+ excellent bookmarklets, many of which do the same thing as some popular Chrome extensions.
Use the new internal Flash Plugin!
If you run Chrome's developer channel build, you now have access to a new (and better, so far...) Adobe Flash Player plug-in. The new plug-in is the result of a combined effort between Google and Adobe, and it's hoped that this new version will help pave the way for a newer, better plug-in architecture standard for other browsers as well.

To enable the internal Flash plug-in, just add the command line switch --enable-internal-flash. I've been testing it out quite a bit, and so far it seems to be lighter on my system's memory and processor resources.


Got another memory-saving tip for Google Chrome users? Share it with us in the comments!

4 ways to make Google Chrome use less memory originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Chrome - Adobe Flash Player - Google - Adobe Systems - Plug-in

Filed under: Video, Web services

With the first Apple iPads already shipped and on their way to customers, publishers are in a hurry to dump Flash video and switch to iPad-friendly HTML5 video. Brightcove, which provides video services for a huge number of publishers, including The New York Times and Time, just announced that it's going to be delivering HTML5 vids, starting with the New York Times. This says a lot about the iPad's impact, because Brightcove is the video provider of choice for a big chunk of the global media, with over 1,000 clients in over 40 countries.

If The New York Times isn't your thing, how about TED? The popular series of free talks by some of the world's most impressive thinkers -- recorded at a very expensive, elite conference, naturally -- will soon be offered in HTML5 video format. Awesome. TED is taking things a step further, too, and developing its own iPad app.

All of this should be a hint that the iPad is going to be a big deal. Not even the iPhone made this big a simultaneous impact on web standards and the media.

iPad launch has publishers scrambling to offer HTML5 video originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York Times - Apple - IPad - Brightcove - IPhone

Filed under: Fun, Games, Kids, Time-Wasters, Web

When I think of air combat games, the first thing that comes to mind is certainly not turn-based games. However, SteamBirds is a turn-based game that manages to make the game both suspenseful and action-packed.

In SteamBirds, you command one or more "steambirds," which are fusion aircraft that were invented in 1835. Oops, did I forget to mention that SteamBirds is based on an alternative historical timeline? Right, I'm sorry about that.

In SteamBirds, each level is a mission, and can contain various bad guys with various abilities. The planes you command also have a few special abilities, such as the ability to pull a 180 degree turn in the sky, or to become invincible for a turn through the use of shields. Using a special ability will prevent that aircraft from shooting its guns on that turn, and it takes a turn to recover the special ability again.

The visual style and sound design of the game are quite compelling, and from a gameplay perspective, the air combat is challenging without being impossible. SteamBirds is a fun game that you can pick up and put down as needed due to its turn-based play.

SteamBirds is a turn-based air combat Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Download Squad - game - Video game - TimeWaster - Gameplay

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers

Mozilla's Test Pilot program has been busily gathering usage data from volunteers since the project first launched late last year. Now, that data is being used to help shape the future of Firefox.

Developer Alex Faaborg has posted a Firefox menu bar heatmap -- which (in case you're not familiar with the term) shows the items users click on the most. So what items are the most used? Copy, paste, and the bookmarks menu...and not a heck of a lot else.

No other items in the FIrefox menu bar registered more than 9,000 clicks. The bottom half of the bookmarks menu was well over 70,000 and copy posted about half that many.The sample Faaborg put on display is limited to Windows users, but I'd be willing to bet menu interactions follow pretty much the same pattern on other platforms as well.

Mozilla is now in the process of using the Test Pilot data to revamp Firefox's menu structure on Windows. Faaborg's post include a mockup of one early idea the Mozilla UX team is kicking around. It looks good, but between the right-click context menus and my bookmarks drop-down, I'll probably never click anything on the updated menu either...

What menu items get clicked in Firefox? Copy, paste, and bookmarks. originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Firefox - Mozilla Foundation - Test Pilot - Download Squad - Alex Faaborg

Filed under: Security, Office

Whenever we run a post about yet another security hole in Adobe Reader, commenters chime in with their support for Foxit's free alternative. If you've been singing its praises for security reasons, think again says security pro Didier Stevens.

Foxit, it turns out, has a rather major flaw right now. An attacker can piggyback and launch an executable within a PDF which Foxit will then run without any requesting confirmation from the user. Adobe Reader, on the other hand, throws up an alert window to ask whether the file should be allowed to run. "In this case, Foxit Reader is probably worse than Adobe Reader, because no warning gets displayed to prevent the launch action," says Stevens.

My desktop PDF viewer of choice -- Sumatra -- isn't affected by the exploit, nor is PDF-XChange and you can always play it safe by using the Google Docs web viewer.

And no, Stevens' exploit doesn't work on Linux or Mac. One crucial detail several commenters on his post seem to have missed is that he's calling cmd.exe, a file which you're not usually going to find on a non-Windows box...

[via Sunbelt]

Using FoxIt because you think it's safer than Adobe Reader? Think again. originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Foxit Reader - Adobe Acrobat - Adobe Reader - Google Docs - Download Squad

Filed under: Social Software, iPhone

Do you like the idea of Foursquare, but aren't in love with the Foursquare iPhone app? Maybe Kickball is more your speed.

This new iPhone app is a Foursquare client with awesome mapping of nearby venues and friends' locations, and it makes Foursquare both more interesting and easier to use. It's available for free ("for a limited time") in the App Store.

Kickball uses Twitter's GeoAPI to handle the location data, but it brings more than just maps to the table. You also get an "I'm here, too!" button for one-click checkins at your friends' locations, along with photos and detailed data about any spot on the map (including hours, specials, and the all-important happy hour). It's still the same old Foursquare game underneath, though: you still get to play for badges and mayorships, and do everything else you can do with the basic Foursquare client.

Kickball is definitely worth a look, especially while it's still free. Word is that it's going to expand to other location-based games, like Gowalla and Brightkite, soon.

[via Webmonkey]

Kickball iPhone app is a Foursquare client with maps, photos and more originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gowalla - Twitter - Foursquare - Brightkite - App Store

Filed under: OS Updates, Mobile, Android

After much flip-flopping from Verizon about the release date of Android 2.1 for Motorola Droid owners, our sister site, Engadget, says that Droid Does...finally get a firmware update this week.

A limited rollout has already started, and most customers should see the update starting on Thursday. It's an over-the-air release, so don't worry about having to download and install it manually. Make sure you keep your battery at over 40%, though, because Verizon says that the OTA update won't go through if you don't have enough juice.

In an internal email picked up by Engadget, Verizon outlines a rollout schedule that includes around 10,000 Droids so far, with another 200,000 slated to get the update on Thursday. This email comes after a series of setbacks with the release. In fact, the release date was still listed as "TBA" just a couple of days ago.

Frustrated Droid owners will finally get their goodies, though, including Yahoo! Mail integration, Pinch-to-Zoom, the new Gallery app, and speech-to-text features.

Verizon's Motorola Droid users finally get Android 2.1! originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid - Android - VerizonWireless - Motorola Droid - Motorola

Filed under: Google, Browsers

Why all the syncing? It's extremely handy if you use Chrome on a number of different computers. Say, for example, your Windows or Mac desktop and that slick Chrome OS tablet you don't own yet but you might by the end of this year...

Google Chrome learning to sync your theme -- and just about everything else originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Chrome - Download Squad - Bookmark - Google Docs - browser

Filed under: Security, Symantec, Op-Ed

Don't get me wrong. I don't hate Symantec by any stretch. In fact, I rather like Norton Antivirus 2010 -- it's their second really solid effort in a row after a string of releases I was less than enthusiastic about. What I don't like, however, is their free Security Scan.

Why? Because it behaves very much like the fake alert malware which causes my customers so much grief.

For starters, it piggybacks on the installers for other programs. Sure, it's usually opt-out, but since it's also checked off for installation by default it usually ends up coming along for the ride. If this really is worth installing, leaving the checkbox blank and let customers opt-in instead (as Chrome does during the Avast! installer).

Once it goes to "work," Security Scan tells me my son's system doesn't have a security product installed. That's untrue, of course, and the same thing fake alert programs do. NSS might not recognize Immunet Antivirus, but it's been doing a great job protecting the laptop from threats.


And then there's that big, nasty threat count. However, apart from Super Mario Forever (hey, my son's 5 and he loves it) being noted as a trust risk, nearly all of the 131 "threats" were actually cookies. No trojans. No keyloggers. No rootkits. But Security Scan doesn't make that distinction -- it just shows me a giant red circle with an X in the middle and tells me Your Computer is at Risk! Just like fake alert malware.

When I click the fix now button, what happens? I'm whisked away to a page where I can purchase Norton instantly -- very similar to the way rogues ask you to activate protection now to remove "infections." To make it worse, there's loud audio as some woman tells me their scan "may have uncovered some problems with [my] PC." Highly annoying.

When you launch Security Scan, there's a big ad offering full protection from Norton 360 since NSS offers detection only. Just like fake alert malware. Security Scan also seems to pop up throughout the day to repeatedly remind me about all these threats -- again, just like fake alert malware does.

When I exit Security Scan, I'm reminded that there are still "threats" on my computer. That I'm at risk. I'm asked if I'd like to get protected (on a nice, shiny button) or say no thanks (in unattractive plain text). Once again, just like fake alert malware.

Other antivirus providers -- Avast!, AVG, Avira, Immunet, and even Microsoft -- have found that providing actual protection for free is a great way to do business. Norton Security Scan might, in fact, do something useful, but it's nothing more than a bothersome scare tactic as far as I'm concerned.

Hey, Norton: why does Security Scan behave so much like the malware I remove? originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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antivirus - Symantec - Microsoft - Malware - Norton Internet Security