Engadget (my favorite tech-blog on the net) has recently implemented a type of trackback system. Now at the bottom of each post there is a link for “Linking Blogs”.

Trackbacks certainly aren’t new, but what I like about Engadget’s system is the fact that they are using the power of Technorati for the linkbacks. Basically, the “Linking Blogs” link just points back to a Technorati watchlist for the url of that particular post. This means it will pick up anyone who’s indexed by Technorati that links back to that post, whether the person is trying to be included or not. While I haven’t tried too hard, I still haven’t wrapped my head around how the trackback system is supposed to work… but this Technorati implementation is perfect as far as I’m concerned. Just link to the post, and Technorati will pick you up automatically.

In fact I like it so much, I’m going to see if I can hack some Blogger code together and include it here on Ocell.blog!

[Update] I have officially stolen the idea Engadget stole from Boing Boing… and you can now find a “LinkBack” link at the bottom of each post. [/Update]

Link: Engadget: Who’s linking to this post?

Tags: blog Engadget Technorati

Bafo Bluetooth USB
Originally uploaded by ocellnuri.

My girlfriend and some friends teamed up together to get me a Wacom Graphire Bluetooth Tablet as a gift for getting into the College of Design at NCSU. I’ve been using the tablet with my Powerbook (built in Bluetooth) with no problems at all, and I plan on writing up a little review of the tablet once I get to use it more.

So this was the perfect time to get a Bluetooth adapter for my desktop! I’ve been drooling over all-things-Bluetooth for about 4 years now, but I’ve never had it on my Windows machine. Also, the price of Bluetooth PC hardware has been prohibitively high up until now. I decided I would start out cheap and see if I have any problems, so I went to TigerDirect and picked up a Bafo BF-8011 Bluetooth USB Dongle for $15. The unit is SMALL and doesn’t weigh anything at all. The software that comes with it seems pretty robust, but I have no other software packages to compare it against. I was able to transfer a file from my Powerbook to my Windows machine with no problems over the BT connection.

However, things haven’t been so smooth with my tablet. First of all, I have some residual files left over from an older tablet I had installed about a year ago. The Wacom drivers didn’t want to install because it wanted me to uninstall the old drivers first, but there was no uninstall utility to do this with. I have been working for two days to find all files associated with the old drivers so I can remove them. Tonight I got to the point that I can install the new Wacom drivers. However, the tablet seems to be using some default Microsoft drivers, and I can’t find a way to get the Wacom drivers activated for it.

This means I don’t get pressure sensitivity, the eraser doesn’t work, and I can’t scale the tablet to my displays. I’m pretty frustrated, mostly because I’m not sure what the problem is. Are the old tablet drivers still causing problems? Or is it an issue with the software that comes with this BT module?

If anyone reading has any experience and can shed some light on the subject, the help would be greatly appreciated. Are there third-party Bluetooth management programs that will work with any BT USB adapter, or am I stuck with what the unit shipped with? Hopefully I’ll get things sorted out. I’m itching to get some tablet-action going on my Desktop!

[Update]
Well, I did some searching and found out that native Bluetooth support was added in Windows XP Service Pack 2. I’ve been holding out from SP2 because of some software I have that won’t work, and also because I’ve witnessed the update destroy Alisa’s computer a couple of times.

But I figure if it gets my tablet working, it’s worth a shot. If it doesn’t work out, most of my data is backed up on a non-OS drive, and I could use a fresh install anyway. Wish me luck.

Tags: Bluetooth Wacom Windows SP2

Google has put up their personalization tools for their frontpage, so you can add things like your most recent Gmail messages, Google News Stories, your local weather, and more on the front page for Google. This all works around your “Google Account”. If you have Gmail you’ve already got a Google account, and if you don’t you can sign up for one for free. The account also enables things like your search history.

In true Google form, I feel that they have added information to the front page without cluttering it. The format of the content is clean and simple as always. They don’t use heavy graphics and bloated design, and instead implement the usual color block organization you can see employed across all of Google’s services. I find myself completely overwhelmed when I’m trying to navigate my Hotmail inbox, or Yahoo’s homepage now that I have grown accustomed to Google’s great implementation of minimalism.

To set up your Google Startpage head to www.google.com/ig.

Via: Switchblog

Tags: Google