Wikipedia: 90000 employees and reducing

During an event, Jimmy Wales, founder of the service, said that Wikipedia is losing employees in recent times. It seems that users are dropping hand-editing text and adding new entries - and there are good reasons why employees leave the Wikipedia site side. The situation is not considered critical, however.

Back in March, Wikipedia had 90,000 active employees. According to Wales, the number has been decreasing, although the creator of the encyclopedia has not revealed the latest figures for this particular situation. The intent of the Wikimedia Foundation, the organization that supports Wikipedia, is to attract 5,000 new employees by June 2012.


My suggestion for you to start working with Wikipedia
One of the challenges to be faced concerns the tools that Wikipedia provides to its users. Wales suspicion that it is still difficult for some employees to modify the entries the way you want. The idea is to simplify them gradually tools to make it easier to use. Furthermore, Wikipedia's editorial guidelines, which focus on fairness and other related matters, are also observed by employees with more difficulty.

Another reason for the decrease in the rate of update is age. Wikipedia has ten years - a relatively old site to the standards of the Internet. Much of what could be written, in fact ever was. And it may be that the items are considered as good as not there is demand for collaborations as before. The English edition of Wikipedia has registered 3.69 million entries. It is by far the largest encyclopedia in the world. For speaking there is still demand for new entries, since the Wikipedia in Portuguese is only now coming to the 700 000 registered articles.

The WikiLove is one of the attempts to generate more content on Wikipedia. Buttons allow users to send emoticons to the authors of the text in order to encourage them to continue with the editing, updating and expansion of Wikipedia.

From what Jimmy Wales said in an interview with Press Associtated, Brazil should receive a special strategy. Wikipedia wants to convince university teachers so they become evangelists of the encyclopedia in the classroom, requesting that his students also collaborate. Besides Brazil, this strategy is aimed to Germany, Canada and England.

Wikipedia's numbers: 15 million registered users, 90,000 active employees and a thousand managers. Just missing you.

Director says Facebook has been banned from Google +

Blake Ross, Firefox co-founder and current director of product management at Facebook, announced on his Twitter account That  + Google deleted Facebook Profile for allegedly "violating" their terms of service.

When trying to access their account on the social networking giant's new Web, Ross stumbled upon a message saying that "after an analysis of its profile," it was considered that its name violated the terms of the site.

"Google + banned me for having the audacity to call me Blake Ross? Or they want to ban all employees of Facebook? I smell fear, "Ross posted on his Twitter account on the site.

Two weeks after its launch, held in late June, Google + deleted a series of profiles that allegedly used names of celebrities or characters, which had the side effect of the exclusion of a legitimate series of profiles. It is not known, but where's the evil in the name of the executive.

Despite not having returned to talk about it, a Google search + shows that the profile of Ross is available for consultation. In his final post, dated the 5th of July, he asks Facebook members (ie everyone) give their suggestions about the features of G + which could be applied in "their" social network.

Gmail Releases preview pane on Labs

Google introduced a different way of viewing messages in Gmail. Instead of clicking on the email subject and see the conversation (thread, the terminology in English) to take over the page, the user gets the option to view the listing and e-mail message currently open on the same screen. The feature was released through Gmail Labs, the area of ​​experiments designed to webmail (look for Preview Pane).


Those readers who have used Tecnoblog Outlook know what I'm talking about. With the preview pane horizontally, usually the area where Gmail has a list of messages is divided into two. At the top of the list of messages keeps popping up as before. At the bottom, the contents of the selected email is displayed. If more than one email on that thread, all are displayed.

A vertical pane view reminded me of the Hotmail interface in its latest - another Microsoft product, such as Outlook. In this viewing mode, the Gmail screen is divided vertically into three tracks: the first with the traditional menu, the second with the messages, and the third displaying the contents of the selected email (from left to right).


Gmail: preview pane vertically remember Hotmail | Click for larger view
The vertical viewing should be more interested who has a monitor with higher resolution. The messages are scattered on the screen, satisfying a user who has invested in equipment with widescreen aspect ratio.

Both views show the People widget on the right side, with contact information and involved in the thread (of course) a space for advertising text.

Once you enable the preview pane, the area of ​​your Gmail settings presents an item with options to mark a message read after a certain period of time. "After 3 seconds" is marked for everyone, but the user can switch to "immediately", "after 1 second" or "never."

Although accustomed to the standard Gmail interface, I think to give a chance to display horizontal panel. It is an interesting way of displaying my Inbox, even for personal email, which does not receive a flood of new posts every day (unlike corporate email).

Google Docs gets new look

Google Docs is the newest service of giant's Mountain View undergoing a redesign. Its interface has been completely modified, this time to comply with the same style that first came to Google Calendar (Calendar or as you prefer) and Gmail in previous weeks. As you can see in the image, the designers are doing Google + school there at the Googleplex, the company's office complex in the United States.


Explaining the redesign, says that Google is working to provide a "web experience improved and consistent" across all its products. Since web applications gives the Docs greatly appreciated, as the editor, one would expect that sooner or later, the change also came to this group of services.

To test the new look of Docs just click "Try the new interface" option that appears next to the search tool integrated into the homepage of the service. Google Docs will reload, this time with the latest look on.

One of the complaints of those who test the new interface of Google products (including my complaint) is the height of the items, which seems larger than necessary. As with the new Gmail, the user can adjust the Docs to display items with the smallest width of the lines. Go to settings and check "Use denser view" (use visualization denser in free translation). Thus, you can see more items in the same screen.

The change for now speaks only to the homepage of Google Docs. If you expect to see a revamped interface of Google products on the web apps themselves, will still have to wait a bit, because they continue with the same look that we already know.

The new design was not released Google Docs to Google Apps users - modality in which Google services are used by corporate groups.

If I liked? Well, I'm not a designer, so I have no feedback to speak of the professional point of view of the thing. As a user, I keep wondering adopted the new interface in Google products. I think that more still missing mainly shades of color in the palette approved by the company.

New Alt + Tab in Ubuntu 11.10 Alpha 3 (video)

Continuing with the release cycle for testing, Canonical has released the new alpha version of Ubuntu 11.10. And what's new? Unfortunately few, but they are interesting!


Besides the classic bug fixes (and creating new, since we're talking about a trial version), Ubuntu 11.10 Alpha 3 brings a new browser application by Alt + Tab, as can be seen in the video below.


(YouTube Video)



In addition, we also have a new version of Gwibber, and update program to access various social networks like twitter, facebook, flickr and even identi.ca, you see. The new version brings changes in the layout, performance improvements and also new animations navigate between screens. In the video below you can see some of the changes.


(YouTube Video)



  For all the changes available in Alpha 3, you can access the Wiki from Canonical. You can download the Alpha 3 can be done on the Ubuntu web site, or, if you like excitement and living on the edge, you can upgrade your Ubuntu 4.11 Alpha 3 for pressing Alt + F2 and typing the command "update-manager-d ".

But, as always remember, do not do it in production environments or installations that you use in day-to-day. Alpha and beta versions of operating systems are unstable and buggy, poorly executed and a command can open portals to other dimensions. Use only for testing, know the news, and to report bugs in the system.

And until the 1st of September, when we have the first Beta system!

Roadkill Revenge a nice game

Another Friday in another week of 5 days and hours do not pass. How about a blow up cars and causing chaos and destruction to avenge the death of some defenseless animals? Please, not in real life.


Angered by the constant traffic accidents involving wild animals, a group of "guerrillas of the forest" decided it was time to have his revenge on the careless drivers. Before continuing, I would say that the families of all injured animals in the production of this game have already been compensated and properly compensated. (RIP Bunny 2010 - 2011)

This group of animals - I forgot to mention that they were animals - Radical decides to build a machine to put his plan of revenge into practice: nothing less than an armored vehicle that can go over almost anything in its path. Where's your PETA now?

If you've played any games in the Burnout series, you should be familiar with the "Crash Events," where you must hit your car on a busy intersection and see the circus on fire. In order Roadkill Revenge is the same.

Knowing the plan and having the means to execute it, it gets really fun. Position your vehicle in the area marked for release, set the direction and speed! Cause as much destruction as possible, meets the objectives of each phase and honor the death of all the companions who were trampled. The game features 40 stages and a bonus of five phases, which are released as you complete some additional objectives.

Did you like the game? Hated? Do you know any game that made ​​you lose your job? Be sure to review this product! Comment, send e-mails or swear on twitter too.

Google and Microsoft trade accusations on the Internet

A battle of giants has happened through social media. Google and Microsoft, two companies that needs no introduction here, have been accusing each other of the most harmful practices to the full development of a competitive market. At issue is the auction of patents previously under the administration of Novell, whose team has won Microsoft and Apple. Google did not like the story and decided to put his mouth on trombone.


Accuses Google
On Wednesday (03), a text written by the executive responsible for legal affairs Google started the discussion. David Drummond Microsoft and Apple accuses of arming a plot against Android. The consortium led by the two companies made the highest bid and took thousands of patents from Novell. Drummond says there is an "organized campaign and hostile" against its mobile platform operated by two competing companies, in addition to Oracle and other companies.

The winning bid of Novell's patents was $ 4.5 billion. An exorbitant amount compared to the $ 1 billion minimum for the sale happen. In pursuit of patents that make it difficult to allow distribution of Android, the group of companies rose as much about his bid to quadruple the price of Novell's patents.

"Patents were designed to encourage innovation, but lately they are being used as a weapon to stop it," writes executive. According to him, Microsoft has a strategy to undermine the Android includes charge up to $ 15 on each device sold with the platform - all thanks to patents it owns.

Microsoft responds
Call for the clash, Microsoft apparently has an answer for the charges up to Google. This time on Twitter, general counsel Brad Smith said Google was invited to join the consortium, led by Microsoft and Apple itself, would win the auction.

Not only that, it became a screenshot of email exchanged in October 2010 in which a director of Google says it has no interest in joining the consortium. In the message, Kent Walker says that "a number of reasons for a joint bid would not be advisable for us right now." Very politely, Walker appreciates the invitation.

See for yourself:



By addressing this issue, the MS has hinted that Google complains about not getting the package of patents from Novell, but was not willing to make a bid together.

The replica Google
After seeing a seemingly legitimate email from one of its executives, Google returned the charges. In no time the company denies having declined the invitation to bid jointly with Microsoft to buy the package of patents. When you update your text with new posts, David Drummond says the competitor wants to take any patent that would allow Google and its Android partners to defend itself against "attacks".

If Google would get the bid together, the same patents valid for Android could be used for Windows or Phone iOS, for example. All winners of the patents would have the same rights over it, making it impossible to sue a member of the group, in intellectual property disputes that have already tired of seeing.

Drummond suggests that other patents bought by Microsoft could be used in future processes that disrupt the Android. However, by participating in a joint bid, Google would not have patents for its proprietary trading in future cases. The famous "tit, tat" would not be possible, therefore.

The rejoinder of Microsoft
Frank Shaw, responsible for all part of Microsoft's public relations, wrote several tweets about it. In short:

"We offer Google the opportunity to make a bid to buy us the patents from Novell, said no. Why? Because he wants to buy what they could use against others. Then, close partnerships with others (...) is not something they wanted to help. "

The silence from Apple
So far, Apple has not a word about it. The charge involved the Google home both the company Steve Jobs as Microsoft. As the story unfolds, Microsoft responded and was charged again, while Apple has maintained an impenetrable silence.

And what about the story?

The Department of Justice of the United States earlier this year ruled that Microsoft must sell its patents obtained in the purchase involving the intellectual property of Novell. It also established that other partners in the consortium license their patents on fair, even for Google to use them in Android.

I have the impression that Google fired accusations against Microsoft recalling the case of Novell's patent, but with the recent sale of Nortel's patents in view. As you know, the group that Microsoft took the integrated package of patents. And Google has warned: expect the U.S. Justice Department intercede again, as happened before in the case of Novell's patents.

Sony wins Most Epic FAIL Pwnie award

The BlackHat, security conference involving a wide variety of hackers, programmers and researchers, concluded yesterday in Las Vegas, but not before the Award ceremony Pwnies. He is a kind of Oscar is given to companies, individuals or groups that stood out so far this year for their achievements (or broken) in the security world. And Sony was deservedly remembered.



Among other things, Sony received Pwnie Epic Fail for prosecuting the hacker Geohot Fail0verflow and the group after they released the code to jailbreak the PS3, for allowing 25 million PSN accounts stolen, by having to remove the PSN air and for firing employees in the sector of information security above all.

Two other names that stood out during the awards were the young hacker's Comex, which led the Pwnie "best client-side bug" to have exploited this bug on your site Jailbreakme.com and Stuxnet network, which caused problems in the reactors Iranians and so took the Pwnie of "Epic 0wnage."