Short Visualize.Me Review

Visualize.me uses your LinkedIn profile information to structure your CV/resume information as an infographic. It's pretty neat and looks cool, but the details are are only what is in your LinkedIn profile.

A while back, I signed up to beta-test Visualize.me...I read an article about it on TechCrunch or LifeHacker and submitted my e-mail address for a beta invite. I got it a few days later and started playing around with it.


I customized the URL to my name, but could never access my viz via that URL. I could still get to it with the original URL that I got to it with and the settings listed my custom URL, but would not allow viewing with that URL. Now it appears that visualize.me is out of beta and asking people to invite friends to the site. AND, my custom URL works now!(See link below)

Clint Galliano's Infographic Resume: Check out my infographic resume created via Vizualize.me. Create yours with one click.

Google "Drag-N-Drop" Image Search

Somebody posted about this feature on G+ that I had never heard of...Google's Drag-N-Drop Image Search. I immediately thought "What a great frickin idea"!
So I went to the URL to try it out. The first thing I did was to try to D-N-D an image from another website...SUCCESS! I dragged my LinkedIn profile photo into the search bar and got the following results:

Headshot Drag-N-Drop Search

It showed links to my G+ profile (with the same photo) and three other profiles that I have in my circles. The really funny part is that it also served up a grid of head shots of bald or balding guys in suits from around the web.

I tried several other photos, but didn't get great results...a picture with some wood-grain prominent in it resulted in pictures with lots of wood-grain; Ones with a dominant color resulted in pictures with that dominant color present AND dominant; A picture with one of my daughters and me sitting on a bench resulted in picture of either multiple people or people sitting down. All in all, fairly interesting. 

I finally decided to try using one of the pictures from my travels, choosing one of a castle I visited in Scotland, but had forgotten the name of. I got the results listed below:

Fyvie Castle Drag-N-Drop Image Search

Not only did it find similar pictures, it also reminded me which castle it was with a couple of thumbnails from just about the exact perspective from my picture.

I can see where this can help you if you are trying to find similar pictures to one you have already, say for a project, or if you think someone may be using your photographs without your permission on the web.

I like the tool, but it would be nice if they could come up with a way to refine how it searches for the images you drag-N-drop onto the search bar. 

Let me know what you think about it...

Incredible Shade Illusion!

This is pretty amazing and almost unbelieveable! Stoopid Brain, tricking me like that!

Finally! New App Will Turn Your iPad or iPhone Into a Real-Life, Interactive Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams Fan?

Got your towel?

Always been intrigued by the SEP Field? (Somebody Else's Problem)

Now coming to iPhones, iPods, & iPads near you...the latest edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!

Hothead Games has released a Real-Life, Interactive Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Apparently it's not going to be available until the fall. They link to http://www.thenewhitchhikersguide.com/, but there is not much to do there other than sign up to be notified or Like, Tweet, or Facebook it.

Hothead Games press release:

http://www.hotheadgames.com/blog/?p=241

Looking forward to this, since they plan on updating it as things progress. Imagine adding real-world stuff to it, sort of like a travel wikipedia...I'm sure someone has thought of this already, but I haven't run across it yet.

Real World "Pay It Forward" - Caffeinated

This is an interesting concept...Make your Starbucks card available to everyone for a free cup of coffee and only ask that people add cash to the card if they are feeling generous.

Want free coffee and got an iPhone? Use Jonathan's Card (Updated) | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

But nothing is ever simple. There have been allegations of viral marketing campaigns and dishonesty. While the experiment has garnered lots of people a free cup, it created controversy because some people can't believe that others are willing to do something nice.

I believe that this experiment was genuine and a good example that not everyone is a cynic.

Starbucks shut down the account on August 12, 2011, but Stark intends to continue the good will by continuing to promote a "Pay It Forward" coffee strategy with a slightly different strategy: Buy the next person in line's coffee - No Starbucks Needed. See the latest update - http://jonathanstark.com/card/.

Follow @jonathanscard on Twitter to see updates on this evolution of the experiment.

Casual Games Rolling out on Google+

I am glad to see this. I like the approach that they have taken by isolating the games on a separate page and not allowing it to clutter your stream. Now I only wish it that it would show up for my account!

See Vic Gundotra's blog post about it here:

Official Google Blog: Games in Google+: fun that fits your schedule

SMBC Employee Satisfaction vs Profit

This is a particularly funny one! It makes me wonder if large corporations are really doing this? LOL

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal