So today I have something special to give away to readers of my blog.

Rollip allows you to easily add cool image effects to your pictures. I messed around with it for awhile and here are some examples of what it can do:

So these are some fun pictures of me goofing around with a light bulb, good idea? Narcissistic?…nah. 

There are 40 some effects that you can put on a photo, from Sepia, BW, Bold, Vintage, Stylized lens, etc.  The vintage/Polaroid type effects are the coolest and make very sentimental-feeling photos.

I think this is a really fun tool and lets you quickly add very professional looking effects to even mediocre photos. It was almost too fun. I actually used the “classic” one for my Facebook profile pic.

Improvements that might make a cool product even cooler:

• Upload one photo and see mini-versions of each effect
• Batch processing for pro-photographers
• Another photo-effect preview option other than a building to see the image effects (person maybe?)
• How bout some Tweets guys? Props for a Flickr photo group.

Click here to claim your pro account. There are only 15 Pro accounts so first come, first served. Good for processing 30 high quality photos. 

Let me know what you think of the service!

Thanks for reading. Rollip, Image Effects – Pro Accounts Giveaway! is a post from Blake Imeson

Via: Wired

So cool, I was forced at gunpoint to share.

This is a system that “combines the coffee table with a universal remote so that people sitting around the table can tap on a screen to change the channel, turn up the volume or dim the lights.”

It is obvious to me from watching my generation’s use of entertainment while at school, that the future is the “television” driven by some sort of multimedia computer.

TV shows are already hugely popular online. Movies are getting there, albeit in sometimes less legitimate ways.

A step in the right direction is the Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player that can be an interface between a hard drive and your TV screen.

Thanks for reading. The Coffee Table of the future wants the Remote’s Job is a post from Blake Imeson

Quick philosophical random thought hit me and I thought I’d share.

The internet has solved a large part of the “knowledge problem.” What that has meant historically is that there is all this large body of knowledge spread out over many people in many regions. Because this knowledge has historically been disparate and not a cohesive whole there has been much inefficiency and waste of resources.

I was reflecting on how I am not a “coder” by training or inclination. (meaning I do not have the mind of a programmer) This has not stopped me from creating websites and solving difficult problems of web development.

I am able to move forward, not because I am really smart (I’m not) or have had special education but because of the tremendous wealth of information available online. And this is not just web development. No, most certainly not. Every body of study man has undertaken is available online. In many languages, with many different viewpoints.

This is an incredible freedom and blessing that humanity has never had before.

Mises and then Friedrich Von Hayek wrote about this issue in relation to the inevitable failure of socialist central planning. Hold on…this does relate. Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, was actually inspired by Hayek when he started Wikipedia. 

This guy (picture on right) put just 5,000 of the almost 3 million articles into book form. (Wikipedia contains over a billion words)

Here is my point. We live in an age that if you want to teach yourself…programming, Dutch, cheese making, raising fainting goats or basically anything… it is there for the reaping. 

That, my friends is amazing.

Thanks for reading. Solved the knowledge problem? is a post from Blake Imeson

A quick thought hit me as I was reading some posts on different operating systems… It will matter less and less what OS you choose. Here’s why… 

I do most of my computing online or “in the cloud.” I imagine many of you do also.

Google Docs, Zoho, and Office (soon) all have terrific online suites that do word processing, spreadsheets, PowerPoints presentations, etc. My files, docs, pictures, videos all can live online. This means I am no longer tied to one computer and if it gets lost/stolen no big deal.

My communication: email, instant messenger, social media, all online of course. Research, banking, news, TV, movies all are trending towards being provided entirely online. Gaming is even joining, although not to a great extent yet.

Here is the point, these are all browser-centric activities. Whether you are using Windows, Mac, or Linux, it will matter less and less.

Where the real magic and innovation needs to happen is in the browser. This is evidenced by the fact that the so-called “browser wars” are starting to heat up.

My powerhouse of choice, Firefox, has been a leading the battle. Chrome has made a justly deserved big splash recently. (it is very fast I must say. If it had FF’s add-ons I’d be all over it) Internet Explorer 8 also was recently released.

Browsers that are faster, more stable, more compatible, and more innovative (game-changing) are going to be the one(s) that win.

TechCrunch has almost pulled together their tablet which is a lightweight computer that only runs a browser. Do they see it coming?

I think we are moving towards the browser really taking center stage. It is the “OS” of the future!

Have I been staring at a screen too long? Agree or disagree, give me flame in the comments!

Thanks for reading. Forget Mac Vs. PC… It is Browser Vs. OS is a post from Blake Imeson

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAtkoje4-eM

Entrepreneurs never cease to amaze me. If you think something has been pushed to the limit in innovation, you are almost always wrong.

From Jatech LLC > Disappearing Car Door.

Hat tip to LewRockwell for sharing this.

Thanks for reading. Where did it go? …The Disappearing Car Door is a post from Blake Imeson