P2 = a revolution in blogging

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As I told you the other day, I am very impressed by P2, a new interactive WordPress theme. I have not selected it for Midas Oracle (I chose WP FrameWork), but I think that P2 will influence a lot of other themes.

Download this post if your feed reader doesn’t show you the embedded video above.

The software I use on my MacBook Pro 17″

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If you use some great software packages (utilities or applications) missing in this list, let me know. Thanks. Appreciated.

  • Operating Systems: Linux – Ubuntu – Apple Macintosh OS – Apple iPhone OS – MicroSoft Windows
  • Open-Source Software Packages: Open-Source Software Packages – Open-Source Mac – Open-Source iPhone Software – Open-Source Windows
  • Linux: &#8212-
  • Macintosh: – ClamXav – The Unarchiver – Disk Inventory X – OnyX – Maintenance – Deeper – Desktop Inspector – Service Scrubber – AppCleaner – Burn – QuickSilver – MercuryMover – CyberDuck – iRed Lite – KisMac – Adium – Fink – Fink Commander – NeoOffice – Aquamacs Emacs – Apple iLife – Apple iWork –
  • Windows: – ClamWin – AVG Free – IZArc – Programmer&#8217-s NotePad – IrFanView – ListGarden – Core FTP – WinAMP – Real – Cube Explorer –
  • Cross-Platform: – Java – Skype – Mozilla FireFox – Opera – Chrome – Apple Safari – GreaseMonkey for FireFox – Mozilla ThunderBird – RSS Owl – Adobe PDF Reader –  VLC – Apple QuickTime – Audacity – GIMP – Inkscape – Blender – Open Office – Kompozer – Nvu – R – Vdrift –

UPDATE: Chris Hibbert lists his favorite software packages for Macintosh in the comment area. (I used his tips to update the listing above.)

My Macintosh MacBook Pro 17″

macintosh-macbook-pro-17

What I dislike:

– The mighty mouse (which I prefer to the trackpad). It is difficult to get a clean, straight right-click &#8212-as I was used to on my (Dell) PC. Sometimes, my right-click is interpreted as a left-click &#8212-shitty mouse. UPDATE: Mike Arrington hates the Mighty Mouse, too.

fish

What I like:

All the great open-source software available for the Apple Macintosh (ditto for the iPhone). (Some are also listed here.) Contra Mike Linksvayer, I think it is a great match. I am sure that our good doctor David Pennock (another open-source fanboy) and mister Adam Siegel (another Macintosh fanboy) agree with moi. :-D

ired-lite

What I like:

iRed Lite, which is a little software that allows you to command a bunch of applications via the Apple Remote (as opposed to the mouse or trackpad). It is particularly useful for audio, video and presentations. For instance, you can go to the next slide (or the previous slide) without ever touching your Mac, simply by clicking on the right (or left) button of your Apple Remote &#8212-and you can do that while being far away from your Mac.

appleair

What I dislike:

I don&#8217-t recommend the Apple MacBook Air. Its screen is too small (13 inch). Do buy a computer with a very big screen. See more computer tips here.

BuddyPress will power the communities of our prediction exchanges.

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BuddyPress, part of the WordPress eco-system.

More on BuddyPress.

Download this post to watch the video, if you read this in a feed reader (such as Google Reader).

Possible users of BuddyPress:

– BetFair – TradeFair

– InTrade – TradeSports

– HedgeStreet

– Betdaq

– Hollywood Stock Exchange – Cantor Exchange

– HubDub

– NewsFutures

– Inkling Markets

– etc.

I am going to switch from MicroSoft Windows to Apple Macintosh OS.

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The biggest mistake I made in my life was to stick for too long to MicroSoft Windows. I should have switched to Apple Macintosh OS (or, alternatively, Linux Ubuntu) long ago. I am going to buy a MacBook Pro 17&#8243-, next month.

  1. Bill Gates and Steve Balmer are 2 idiotic bullies, who never cared about usability, but about expanding their monopoly, rather.
  2. Steve Jobs is a little dictator, granted, but he has been focusing solely on user experience.
  3. I have researched the Apple Macintosh for one week, and I found out only positive reviews. (George Tziralis told me that the MacBook Pro batteries might be a weak point, though.)
  4. Now that the Internet (and &#8220-cloud computing&#8221-) is the center of the Universe, we don&#8217-t need PC standards anymore. The PC is just a client &#8212-so that PC could well be a Mac or a Linux.
  5. I know that Windows 7 is coming, and I know that it is going to be better than Windows Vista (which is a calamity), but I am never going back to MicroSoft again. N-E-V-E-R. Period.
  6. I have suffered 2 terrible crashes this past month, with lost of fresh data. I see that Apple Macintosh has developed a &#8220-Time Machine&#8221- and a &#8220-Time Capsule&#8221- to back up data. I am going to use that.
  7. ADDENDUM (following Jed&#8217-s comment): Most of the open-source software packages which I work on are also available for the Mac OS platform.

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WordPress 2.7, the embedded YouTube videos, and the feed readers

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This is an update. The WordPress guy came back to me with answers. It is a dual problem: a HTML validity issue and an invalid tag issue in TinyMCE.

  1. One way to solve the problem would be to use the &#8220-Smart YouTube&#8221- plugin. I won&#8217-t.
  2. If I embed the YouTube video in the &#8220-HTML&#8221- area, and don&#8217-t click on &#8220-Visual&#8221- before publishing, all is fine &#8212-the YouTube video will end up in the feed reader. I&#8217-ll do that, now.

Commenting on Midas Oracle

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1. Some members noticed problems when they logged in in the comment area (at the bottom of a post). I have tested yesterday, and this problem seems gone. Let me know, otherwise. UPDATE: Oops, the problem remains. [Might be a cache problem.]

2. I have installed a new login area, on the top of the right-side sidebar. [It’s hand made, this time. The previous login area was generated by a plugin, which I have now deleted. I need to cut down on the use of plugins, generally. I use 32 plugins, as of today. Still too much, probably. Down from 60.]

You can right-click on the login link so as to open the login webpage in another tab &#8212-and then you come back to your first tab. Alternatively, you can bookmark the login link, and use that bookmark to login &#8212-before loading the frontpage.

login

2. You have to know that Internet Explorer has conflicted with the WordPress administration internal webpages. Do prefer Mozilla FireFox. (Or Opera, or Safari, or Chrome.)

3. As for the bug that prevents Midas Oracle to show the embedded YouTube videos in the feed, it is not yet resolved &#8212-but an engineer from Automattic (WordPress) is looking into it. :-D

4. Do become a Midas Oracle member. Here is how to comment. Here is how to publish.

5. I am going to send soon an e-mail to all Midas Oracle members about my attempt at creating an &#8220-Open Institute Of Prediction Markets&#8220-. See you soon in your inbox. I&#8217-ll tell you everything you need to know.

Still no embedded YouTube videos to be seen in my feed reader(s).

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Problem with my WordPress 2.7, my embedded YouTube videos, and my feed reader(s).

Still a mystery.

No word yet from the WordPress authorities.

A tipster tells me that the plugin &#8220-Smart YouTube&#8221- solves the problem.

I won&#8217-t install the plugin before I get reliable info from the WordPress authorities.

UPDATE: If I embed the YouTube video in the &#8220-HTML&#8221- area, and don&#8217-t click on &#8220-Visual&#8221- before publishing, all is fine &#8212-the YouTube video will end up in the feed reader.

On other blogs than Midas Oracle, the Askimet anti-spam technology actually blocks legitimate comments from honorable people, and, hence, blocks free speech on the Internet.

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I am one of those &#8220-honorable people&#8221- who get caught in Askimet&#8217-s net. Any blog running Askimet will refuse any of my comments. I have never submitted any illegitimate comment, though.

It&#8217-s a big scandal.

Askimet = Shit.