When I think of Blackberry users, I think of accountants, lawyers and anyone else who wears a tie and carries a briefcase. MySpace users, sorta the opposite.

But there must be some significant overlap, because 400,000 people downloaded the MySpace Blackberry application in the last week, says MySpace - it was launched on November 12.

Both RIM and MySpace say this is a record - no other application has been downloaded so quickly onto Blackberry devices, and MySpace has never had an application on any platform be downloaded as often.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

Filed under: Desktops

ASUS summons Core i7 power in ROG CG6190 gaming desktop originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A little Friday fun here from Jacob Seidelin. He has added FlickrBrot to his other fun fractal examples of the past.

FlickrBrot commemorates the birthday of Mandelbrot himself:

Today is the birthday of Benoit Mandelbrot. About 30 years ago he pulled a bit of mathematical beauty out of his head that would make him father of what is called fractal geometry. Today, at 84, he’s a retired Sterling Professor from Yale but is still getting awards thrown his way and even planets named after him. I thought I’d make something to mark his birthday since I’ve been playing a bit with fractals and JavaScript lately and because he’s just damn cool.

What I’ve spent my morning doing is hacking together my fractal renderer with some of the Flickr stuff I’ve also been doing. Instead of drawing colored pixels, it now pulls in a (limited) number of Flickr images and uses those to paint a visualization of the Mandelbrot set.

With the recession in full swing, industries across the charts have been laying off hundreds of employees — making the job market increasingly competitive. So what’s a freshly unemployed tech professional to do? Hit the streets and start networking. As the hordes of job-seekers descend upon trade shows, conferences and meetups around the country, a few mobile startups could be poised to profit from their misery: digital business card services.

The last few months have seen the launch of a number of services, delivered via mobile technologies from iPhone apps to text messages, that aim to do away with the business card. Previously, companies may have pitched their product as a “green” alternative to dead-tree info swapping, but in today’s market, the dynamic nature of the digital business card could prove to be a more powerful selling point — at least for a startup that can dispatch updated, social media-connected personal data securely across the range of mobile devices.

The iPhone has been a key driver of the market for digital business cards, at least in terms of visibility. Gabe Zichermann, CEO of rmbrME, says his company, which had previously offered an SMS solution with about 1,000 users, had 10,000 users (and even more downloads) of its beamME application in the first 10 days it was available on the App Store. Other apps include Nameo, Handshake, FriendBook and iCard. Most of the services work roughly the same way: Bring two iPhone users together, pull up the app, and a simple touch command sends information between their devices.

However, Nameo, Handshake and iCard are limited to contacts with an iPhone. But what about those of us without iPhones? Dub, which was launched in beta in June of this year, is another option for the BlackBerry set, and as of this week, its service is also available for Android phones (currently that’s just the T-Mobile G1). (The company says service for the iPhone and Windows Mobile are due out in December.) Perhaps Dub’s biggest claim to fame is that it offers integration with common business services. Data can be beamed to a Salesforce.com contact management system, as well as to mobile devices, and Dub users will soon be able to sign into the service using their LinkedIn login and password.

But even Dub, which allows for limited cross-platform sharing, requires that both users have a smartphone and install the app. For on-the-go information sharing, the “Do you use this app?” conversation can add an extra layer of awkwardness and time. For universal sharing, users might be better off with an SMS service from players such as Dropcard, TextID and rmbrME. Even iPhone app-addicts have an option: While most iPhone apps rely on Wi-Fi networks and geolocation, rmbrME’s iPhone app, beamME, allows users to send personal data from their iPhone to any phone, whether it has a data connection or just a simple voice connection.

I’m still slogging along with a Nokia 2610, so I’m partial to technology that doesn’t leave me (with my pesky  insistence on multiday battery life) out in the cold. I’ve found services like rmbrME and Dropcard to be simple to use, and I could easily send my data to smartphone-carrying folks via shortcode. Better yet, people could send info to me, without even knowing that I still carry a Stone Age-era device.

While there hasn’t been much venture investment in the space just yet, Zichermann says rmbrME has raised just shy of $1 million in angel investment, and DubMeNow has reportedly raised $1.1 million in angel funding. DreamIt Ventures provided seed funding for Dropcard. But the startup founders are optimistic: Zichermann says VCs are exactly the kind of social, tech-savvy users that “get” services like rmbrME, which should make it easier to raise funding when the time is right.

Also promising in this market: None of the services is dependent on advertising revenue. Most of the services use a “freemium” model, and several are working to add enterprise-level functionality. DubMeNow’s BlackBerry-focused, Salesforce.com-integrating app seems aimed squarely at the business-to-business marketplace. Zichermann says rmbrME also has its eye on premium services aimed at the enterprise market, such as offering a branded, customized look and feel for user cards.

You probably can’t throw away your business cards just yet. But if you’re in the market for a new job, sign up for an SMS service and head out to the trade shows.

Image courtesy of rmbrME

Wall Street Journal:
Mukasey Collapses During Speech  —  Attorney General Mukasey collapsed while giving a speech on national security to a prominent conservative lawyers' organization.  The state of his health is unknown.

Associated Press:
Mukasey collapses during speech  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - Attorney General Michael Mukasey, the no-nonsense former federal judge who took over the Justice Department after Alberto Gonzales resigned in disgrace, collapsed during a speech Thursday night and lost consciousness.

CHE-03.mov

Author: shanmugam85 Keywords: CHE-03.mov Added: November 20, 2008

bored at night

Author: shazada2 Keywords: Dancing with VXR Added: November 20, 2008

Tunel muito grande

Author: dcorocha Keywords: Dany Rocha suas gravações Added: November 20, 2008

Fundraising video to save the Masque Youth Theatre.

Author: nickds080597 Keywords: masque youth theatre fundraising arts support the education Added: November 20, 2008

Transcript Bosco: It think, its been Raymond: 8 years ago Bosco: Was it really8 years ago? Raymond: 8 years ago at. Bosco: Hong Kong Coliseum Raymond: No, no, oh yes, Hong Kong Coliseum Bosco: Yes Raymond: It was for Jade Solid Gold, oh no, Bosco: for MHK Raymond: We were performers for MHK Bosco: Has it really been 8 years? Raymond: yeah it has been Bosco: I feel like it was just the past few years [not quite sure what Ray said here, something about leaving and coming back in 2 years??] Bosco: It does seem like 8 years ago, at that time it was with Patrick and Raymond: Yes, it was with Patrick Myolie: Sorry, Bosco: you again, come stand in the middle Myolie: Im going to join in. Dont be like that. Raymond: You couldnt let us have a bit longer. We were talking about our history Myolie: what history? Raymond: 8 year ago, Bosco, Patrick and I, we preformed at MHK Bosco: We had a chance to dance and perform together at MHK. Myolie: 8 years ago. Raymond: 8 years ago you were in the industry already Myolie: No I wasnt, I am a newcomer. I just came into the industry last year. Raymond: Okay then, every year is a new start Myolie: the results are quite well, you appearance is much brighter Bosco: Yes.

Author: LuvlyDaisy Keywords: Rayolie Raymond Lam 林峯 Myolie Wu 胡æÂÂÃ¥ Boscolie Bosco Wong é»ÂƒÃ¥Â®Â—澤 Added: November 20, 2008

Thanks for watching! Please rate and comment.DISCLAIMER: I do not own or pretend to own Shakugan No Shana Season 2 / Second. I take no credit for this video or any part of it. Please enjoy!

Author: 0xSHENx0 Keywords: Shakugan No Shana Season Second Episode (3/3) (ENGLISH SUBBED) Added: November 20, 2008

Author: dieskeyjp Keywords: 亜美・ã‚ãšã•ãƒ»ç¾Žå¸Œ - ãƒã‚¸ãƒ†ã‚£ãƒ–! Added: November 20, 2008

Este video fue tomado por la parte de atraz de mi casa en Anaheim Hills,California en momentos que un helicoptero de los Bomberos trataba de apagar el fuego intenso con quimicos.Nov. 15 2008

Author: vladimiro36 Keywords: Incendio en Anaheim Hills California Noviembre 2008 Added: November 20, 2008

bring me the horizon!!!!

Author: lovexpeacextacobell Keywords: bring me the horizon rialto 11/19 oli sykes Added: November 20, 2008

Author: xcdemolisher Keywords: Orientation 6 Added: November 20, 2008