Smooth Scrolling in Mozilla

Smooth scrolling has been implemented in Mozilla. To see it in action, just download a recent nightly build and add this line to your prefs.js file (while Mozilla isn’t running).

user_pref("general.smoothScroll", true);

If you’re not familiar with the feature, smooth scrolling slides text up pixel-by-pixel during a scroll, instead of a chunk at a time (IE also has this feature). This didn’t initially sound very useful to me, either, but this thead on the gtk-devel-list (for GTK development with Linux) conveys that smooth scrolling allows for scrolling & reading the text at the same time.

Sure enough, smooth scrolling does make it easier to scroll and read text in quick succession. The physics of the current implementation isn’t perfect yet (gravity, velocity, and so on), but I still consider it an improvement over regular scrolling.

Nicotine Gum Testing

I was reading on HealthCentral.com about a study of a new fast-acting nicotine gum. The big news is that this new gum “gum provides peak nicotine levels in five to 10 minutes, compared to 15 to 20 minutes for Nicorette”. However, what struck me were the testing methods:

Niaura and his colleagues recruited 319 current smokers for this study. In the lab, they gave the smokers their favorite cigarette and told them to light it, but not to smoke it. Then, half the group chewed the rapid-release gum and the other half chewed Nicorette for 30 minutes. The smokers completed 10 craving assessment surveys during that time. […]

I’m not a smoker, but I can only imagine how tough that must have been on the participants. If someone were to hand me a warm and gooey brownie but told me not to eat it, I know I’d have a hard time holding back.

MegaWiki for Palm

I recently ran across MegaWiki for Palm, linked from FreewarePalm.com. For those not aware, a Wiki basically is a collaborative hyperlinked forum. If that doesn’t make sense yet, browsing around the StartingPoints page at the C2 Wiki may clear things up.

In the case the Palm, MegaWiki links between applications instead of web pages:

Put a name on a To Do List item, and then just tap to jump to the Address Book entry for that name. Manage a project from a memo page with links to bunches of To Do items. Have a list of important dates? Just tap one to go to that date in the Date Book. […]

That alone interested me, but their implementation is also very easy to use. Here’s an example from the MegaWiki QuickStart page:

  • Activate the Palm Memo Pad application — either by choosing it from the Palm application icon or by pressing the physical Memo button (if you find yourself editing an existing memo, tap the 'Done' button)
  • Tap the ‘New’ button to create a new, empty memo
  • Give this new memo a name of OneMegaWiki by entering that text on the first line (note that text case is important — stringing together capitalized words creates a WikiWord)
  • Tap the ‘Done’ button and create another new, empty memo by tapping the ‘New’ button
  • Name this memo TwoMegaWiki by entering that text on the first line
  • Move down a line or two and enter the text OneMegaWiki
  • Now tap the word OneMegaWiki with your stylus and you will find that you have jumped from the TwoMegaWiki memo to the OneMegaWiki memo!

I could see myself getting some real use out of this. For instance, I could have a general memo for SXSW which then linked to more detailed descriptions for various panels. Or, I could have a shopping-list memo linking to other memos with store specials

MegaWiki is freeware, but I’m still not sure I want to try it ;). The only downside is that the authors are not optimistic on whether MegaWiki can bre successfully ported to Palm OS5. And, since I plan on upgrading my PDA to a Palm OS5 device once my employment situation improves, I wouldn’t want to beceome engrossed in an application only to not be able to use it after the upgrade.

Faking It on TLC

Faking It is a new show on TLC. I first discovered it after returning to my hotel room after a night of partying at SXSW. I was flipping through channels before bed and ran across it.

On the show, regular people assume the role of a new profession. They get a few weeks training and then go before a panel of experts to see if they can spot the fake. For instance, the episode I saw had a union carpenter faking it as an interior designer.

David Dougherty has no idea what he’s getting into. He’s a gum-chewing, cap-wearing couch potato, and proud of it. “I probably spend six to 10 hours a night watching this tube, and loving every minute,” he says. This trip is only the second time he’s ever been away from his family. […]

With Dougherty they start from scratch. Their doubts about whether Dougherty can pass the design taste test begin when they see photos of his own lovely apartment, showing two bars, six TVs and a life-size picture of Elvis. […]

I find it fascinating what a few weeks training and a moderate level of confidence can achieve. Faking It airs Fridays on TLC at 10/9c.

Intel Centrino: Not so Revolutionary

Looking at the overhead tvs at the gym, I’ve seen some of the commercials for Intel’s Centrino. For those that haven’t seen them, it features a desk & laptop working in unpopulated areas such as a meadow or the middle of a stadium with the tagline that it’s “mobile technology”.

And, from all the fanfare, I was guessing that it was based on a nationwide cell network or something (like the Sidekick from T-Mobile). But, nooo — it’s just integrated 802.11b on the chipset. That’s it. Built-in Wifi — where have I heard that before?