25 March 2013

Google Shows Results for Similar Searches



Google has a new feature that shows results for different versions of your query. Usually Google removes one or two keywords from your query or replaces them with similar keywords if there aren't many relevant search results for your original query.



For example, when you search for [google maps flash html5 api v4], Google also shows results for searches like: [google maps flash html5 api], [google maps html5 api v4], [google maps flash api], [google flash map api]. It's interesting to notice that the first page of results shows 2 results for your query and 8 results for related queries, but the numbers are different depending on the query.






Here's another example: [gingerbread install chrome browser manually]. This time, Google returns 4 results for your query and 6 results for related queries.






Download UC BrowserHD For Windows 8



CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL POST



Regardless of the editions of Windows 8, Internet Explorer is available in two versions: Internet Explorer for desktop and Internet Explorer with Modern UI. The desktop version of Internet Explorer is the legacy one with all the bells and whistles, and the latter one is cut-down version of the desktop version designed for touch screen. [...]

Hulu Makes Every Star Trek Episode Ever Made Free Until April [Updates]



Star Trek fans, you’re looking at the best week of your lives. To celebrate William Shatner’s birthday on March 22nd, Hulu has made every episode of every Star Trek series available for free. Yes, you heard right, every episode of The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise is now free on Hulu, until the end of March.


According to a tally made by TheNextWeb, this makes a total of 693 episodes of Star Trek from 30 different seasons, which means you’d have to watch over 69 episodes per day to make it before April 1st. That’s quite a task, but if you don’t feel up to it, you can settle for watching your favorite episodes in a week-long Star Trek binge, or focus on only one of the series and try to finish it all.



It doesn’t end there, though. On Hulu’s Tumblr, from now until March 31st, you can get the opportunity to vote for your favorite Star Trek character of all times. The vote doesn’t include every character, so you’ll have to choose from the sixteen options Hulu has set for you. If your favorite character is missing, feel free to let Hulu know how wrong they are.


Ready to start? Catch every Star Trek episode for free on Hulu. Keep in mind that Hulu is currently available only in the United States and Japan.


How many episodes do you plan to watch?


Source: Hulu Blog via TheNextWeb


The post Hulu Makes Every Star Trek Episode Ever Made Free Until April [Updates] appeared first on MakeUseOf.



Apple’s Less-Than-Stellar Podcasts App Has Just Gotten A Lot Better [Updates]



When people talk about Apple apps gone wrong, Maps is usually the first one that gets brought up. However, we must not forget about the equally terrible Podcasts application that Apple barely seemed to care about. Thankfully, Apple finally released an update for its Podcasts application that adds some useful new features and actually makes the application worth using.


Apple has given the app a visual overhaul and has done away with the reel to reel design of the playing screen. making it look more like the standard screen that comes with Apple’s music player on iOS. This doesn’t only make the app look different, but makes the buttons much more functional.


The update also adds the ability to create custom stations, to which you can add your favorite shows (perhaps the Technophilia podcast tickles your fancy). These will be updated automatically, making for an experience that is not unlike Pandora or another Internet radio service.



The new version of Podcasts also adds the ability to create playlists with individual episodes, and introduces iCloud integration so your custom stations and playlists can now sync across all your devices. iCloud syncing for Podcasts works both ways, so playlists created in iTunes will automatically show up in the Podcasts app on iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.


As usual, a key part of the update is stability improvements. I’ve spent a day using the app, listening to my favorite podcasts, and so far, it has not crashed once, which is more than I could say about its previous version.


Source: Slashgear


The post Apple’s Less-Than-Stellar Podcasts App Has Just Gotten A Lot Better [Updates] appeared first on MakeUseOf.



Google+ Search Filter for Photos



If you want to restrict Google+ search results to posts that include photos, you can now do that. After performing a search, click the "Everything" dropdown and select "Photos".






"You can find any photo post (...) from items shared only with you, to public photos shared by some of the great photographers on Google+. Here are some searches that I enjoy: [Long exposure], [Steel wool], [Cartoons]," says Google's Dave Cohen.



Unfortunately, Google shows a long list of posts instead of a grid of photos. It's worth pointing out that the search results don't include photos uploaded to Google+ that haven't been explicitly shared.



{ via Search Engine Roundtable }


11 Free Electronic New Wave Synth Pop Albums: A Depeche Mode Tribute [Sound Sunday]



free musicSound Sunday is a weekly feature that promotes budding artists, independent labels, and legal music downloads. To honor the release of Depeche Mode’s 13th album Delta Machine , this edition presents a small selection of independent electronic, new wave, and synth pop albums. Enjoy the synthony.


Note that name your price albums can be downloaded for free by entering 0 in the price field. That said, we strongly recommend you to donate a few dollars for music you enjoy!


You are welcome to submit your music, send suggestions with free albums you have discovered, or request genres I haven’t covered in a while. For all Sound Sunday related inquiries, please contact Tina [tina at makeuseof dot com].


Single: SOLID GREY – So Alone


Genre: synth pop, new wave, rock, gothic



So Alone was the first track the Austrian / Belgian band SOLID GREY ever recorded. The more than eight minutes long song was released as part of their debut album Pull The Strings Tighter in 2011.


So Alone is a name your price download from Bandcamp.


Various – DepecheMatika


Genre: electronic, electro pop, synth pop, compilation, covers



From the album page: Synthematik presents DepecheMatika, a special tribute to Depeche Mode dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Dave Gahan. DepecheMatika is free to download at any quality you could possibly wish!


DepecheMatika is a free download from Bandcamp.


Ian Marquis – The Man Forgotten


Genre: new wave, synth pop



From the album page: After recording The Shivers, I fell into a rut. Ever since I wrapped up my first album, The Solomon Project, I’ve had unfinished demo tracks dragging along behind me. The pile only got bigger with each passing year. It was beginning to limit me; I’d always return to these older songs and try to work on them, unable to record much of anything new. But then, something happened. I guess I took a leap as a singer and abandoned a lot of the low, gravely, disaffected style I’d grown comfortable with. I started writing more adventurous arrangements, and working with harmony. I recorded a ton of new songs, and reworked a couple of tracks from The Shivers that I was never really happy with. The result is what I consider my true debut album – The Man Forgotten.


The Man Forgotten is a name your price download from Bandcamp.


LEXELLE – It Girl Volume 1


Genre: dance, new wave, pop



From her Bandcamp profile: Lexelle is a synth based pop music collaboration between Danielle Cardona and Alex Simon. The sound is of Evo-Pop and Dance, combining elements of music from late seventies and early eighties disco with the New Wave and New Romantic sounds of the early eightees. The goal of Lexelle is to create a timeless sound to excite listeners and get them dancing.


It Girl Volume 1 is a free download from Bandcamp.


EP: televided – Robot Hearts


Genre: electronic, dream pop, progressive, shoegaze, synth rock, synth pop



From the album page: ‘Robot Hearts’ is a sci-fi themed synth-rock EP about a scientist, an android, and an overwhelming desire to be alone. Heavily synthesized vocals and electronica boosted by a sly nod toward the Pacific Northwest guitar aesthetic spiraling out of control in a break-beat-drum escape pod.


Robot Hearts is a name your price download from Bandcamp.


THE COCONUTS CLUB – Stranded


Genre: experimental, electronic, pop space pop



From the album page: The Coconuts Club is a Space-Pop project based in Berlin, Germany. We tell the fantastic story of space-pioneer Viktor who finds himself stranded on a desert planet where he will have to deal with the invisible inhabitants.


Stranded is a name your price download from Bandcamp.


EP: The Digital Experience – From Within


Genre: electronic, rock, disco, funk, new wave, post punk



In their musical explorations The Digital Experience focuses on discovering new sounds in the environment, fresh and simple, yet powerful. The band from Montevideo, Uruguay combine classic elements of rock with electronic subtleties. The lyrics of From Within are introspective and sincere, reflecting the inner transformation of a hero that wants to shine.


From Within is a free download from MediaFire.


NewRetroWave – The 80′s Dream Compilation Tape


Genre: electronic, breakbeat, disco, power pop, dreamwave, synth pop, synth wave,



From the album page: For many years the music scene has been hungering for something that will fill a longing void. You have now stumbled across that sound ……the sound of the future…….the RetroWave sound. Harnessing the sound of the 80s and bringing a modern presence, Retrowave promises to bring back the nostalgic feel and daring musicality to what we call music. Turn your speakers up and ‘Live the 80′s Dream’.


The 80′s Dream Compilation Tape is a name your price download from Bandcamp.


EP: Betamaxx – Legacy


Genre: electronic, synth pop



Betamaxx is the electronic music project of analog child and 80s revival enthusiast Nick Morey from Pittsburgh.


Legacy is a free download from Bandcamp.


Rogue – The Flower


Genre: ambient, electronic, dark house, wipeout



A beautiful mystery, to be seen live on May 9 with Boweywhite and Fern Fox Palmer at The Dublin Castle in London, UK.


The Flower is a free download from Bandcamp.


Aphasia Records – Futura Compilation


Genre: electronic, dreamwave, synth, dark synth, retro, compilation



Aphasia Records is a new music label and a collective focused on 80s based synth music.


Futura Compilation is a free download from Bandcamp.


Perturbator – I Am The Night


Genre: electronic, synths, retro, vintage



From the album page: This is the story of someone who has nothing left to lose, wandering in the hostile neon-soaked dirty streets of a city from the future, armed and dangerous. This is your story. No one really knows what kind of danger you will encounter during this journey into madness. You know you’re not alone, but you are ready. You are the night. Now, lights off.


I Am The Night is a name your price download from Bandcamp.


And More…


Enjoyed one of these albums? Pay it back and share this article or the albums you liked. If you really appreciated a particular album, please donate to the respective artist, so they can continue releasing great music.


New to Sound Sunday? Past editions of Sound Sunday are available here.


Are you using ifttt? Check out these recipes for receiving notifications of new Sound Sunday releases to GTalk and Pushover for mobile devices. Thank you @Vampie!


Feel free to get in touch with me [tina at makeuseof dot com] to share free material, suggestions, and feedback or simply add your comments below.


The post 11 Free Electronic New Wave Synth Pop Albums: A Depeche Mode Tribute [Sound Sunday] appeared first on MakeUseOf.



Google Discontinues Blocked Sites Feature



Google had a powerful feature that allowed you to block all search results from a domain. The feature was quickly removed from the interface, but Google still included it in the search preferences page. Last year, the feature disappeared and it came back after a few weeks, but not everyone could use it.



Now Google officially discontinued Blocked Sites. "To block particular sites from your search results, we recommend the Personal Blocklist Chrome extension from Google. You may also download your existing blocked sites list as a text file."







Blocked Sites isn't Google's first attempt to create a feature that lets you hide results from certain domains, so I'm sure we'll see other similar features in the future.



{ Thanks, Dan. }