Thanks to Ouriel’s very readable blog, I found out about Outbrain, which promises to be a great tool for bloggers of most platforms. Basically it lets users rate your content, and over time it can build a list of recommended article for each and every reader, according to his/her likes & dislikes.

I just started using it on my blog here, and hope you all can give it a workout by rating my posts. I get feedback on what you like and don’t like, and you will get (over time) recommendations and (pretty soon) better articles from me.

It’ll be good for you, too

Oh, and it only takes a (as in one) click. Thanks for your co-operation.

A good while back I posted a list over (then) available cool domain names. Most have been taken by domain sharks in the meantime. Here is a new list, this time with a twist: To avoid that they are snapped up by people who have no interest in using them, I have become a domain shark myself. But a low budget one. Each domain is available for 50 bucks, which won’t make me a internet millionaire, but will cover my expenses. If needed, I can help you get started with your own blog, by setting up your very own WordPress installation, and/or — for a fee — I can do customized work.

Available .com domain list

So, without any further delay, here is my new list of cool & available .com domain names:

• antidivine.com
• chiefest.com
• eyeish.com
• firearmed.com
• godred.com — must be perfect for a Red One owner/operator
• noodleism.com — for believers in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
• normaliser.com
• roxanes.com — if your name happens to be Roxane
• surfmanship.com — isn’t that one just cool?
• tridaily.com — if you plan to blog three times per day
• untakeable.com

Just leave a quick comment if you are interested, and I get back to you. (The e-mail address you leave will only be visible to me.)

Picture credit: Slap upside the head

As my regulars reader will have guessed, I am usually a big fan of everything with an Apple logo, while trying to avoid anything that starts with “Microso” or “Windo”. A short while ago, I was officially impressed by two of Microsoft’s campaigns. But today, I was short of blown away by the following glimpse from the MS laboratories:
(via)
I couldn’t help but feeling “Hey, this is Apple territory – it’s easy to use, it’s definately cool, I want one”.
Starting at USD 5.000, I don’t see why they are not targeting the (upper/geek) home market.
For more info, hop over to Popular Mechanics. Update: Doug pointed me to Microsofts website about the Surface. If you are in New York on June 9th, you can see it live. Lucky you Americans, in one month you get two cool gadgets from Apple (iPhone) and Microsoft (Surface).

Gems from the Web:

• Verbarius – A clock that spells out the time.
• Optimus Maximus – A new approach to typing: a keyboard with a tiny LCD screen in each key. Could be great for translators, but also video editors and anyone who needs to remember shortcuts. Pricetag: 1500 USD, delivery expected for November 07.
• Cult of Mac – Wired News – It’s become apparent that Apple has released a device capable of much more than playing digital media in the living room — they’ve put out a full-fledged computer for dirt cheap. David Scharf took it upon himself to re-christen the delightful box.
• Top 10 Apple products which flopped – Some of these I have never heard of. For obvious reasons, I guess…
• Danger Room – Michael Jackson is in discussions about creating a 50-foot robotic replica of himself to roam the Las Vegas desert…
• Dvorak Isn’t Drinking the iPhone Kool-Aid, Thinks Apple Should Can the Device – Apple should pull the plug on the gadget before it is too late.
• Top Secret: First shoot! – We just finished a shoot with noted cinematographer and camera operator, Charles Papert, for an as-yet-secret project, with the Canon XL H1.
• Creating Passionate Users: Creativity on speed – One of the best ways to be truly creative–breakthrough creative–is to be forced to go fast. Really, really, really fast.
• TI’s Mini Movie Projector – Texas Instruments is showing off its Pico, a DLP projector that is chiquitito enough to be incorporated into the bottom of a cellphone.
• Creating Passionate Users: How to host a product/feature design party – Forget focus groups. Forget endless meetings and brainstorming sessions. Throw an ultra-rapid-design party, and do it in a single day.
• The MDI Air Car – the world’s cleanest car. – With the incorporation of bi-energy (compressed air + fuel) the CAT Vehicles have increased their driving range to close to 2000 km with zero pollution in cities and considerably reduced pollution outside urban areas.
• Chiquita Brands Funds Right-wing Death Squads in Colombia – If you have bought a Chiquita banana over the last 10 years, it is very likely that part of the money you spent went to right-wing paramilitary death squads in Colombia.
• TypePad: Censorship against blogs – If just sending an email to Six Apart is enough to remove a post that your company don’t like, what is freedom of speech for Type Pad customers?
• Windows Vista – Beneath the gloss they have hidden traps that take away important consumer rights, force expensive and environmentally damaging hardware upgrades.
• dotherightthing.com – Popular Stories – Do the right thing and change the world…
• 5 Reasons to NOT upload your Music or Videos to a Third Party – If you’re going to go through the trouble of cutting a video, mp3, Podcast, etc., spend the money and host it yourself. That way you don’t have to agree to some of these bizarre Terms of Use.
• BBC NEWS | Business | Google’s copyright nightmare – Until now most copyright holders had little incentive to sue YouTube. Now that YouTube is part of the Google empire, with a market capitalisation of $129bn (£70bn), there is a serious incentive to let the lawyers off the leash.
• Highway shut for butterfly travel – Taiwan is to close one lane of a major highway to protect more than a million butterflies, which cross the road on their seasonal migration.
• TV networks plan rival to YouTube – “NBC Universal and Fox will put top shows such as 24, House and Heroes as well as hit movies on the site”
• Federal agency bans Microsoft Vista – “At least two federal government agencies are refusing to upgrade their computers with Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Vista operating system, citing concern over costs and compatibility issues.”