iDunzo.com

Happy 10th Birthday to the AIM Buddy List

May 31st, 2006 by iDunzo

AOL is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the AIM buddy list, touting it as “the original social network.”

To commemorate the event, they’ve produced a Flash timeline that illustrates the evolution of AIM from 1989 to today.

In 1989 AOL introduced consumer instant messaging (IM), pioneering a trend that would change the face of online communications. In addition to email, consumers can now send and receive real time text communications, previously available only on private networks.

In 1996 the AOL Buddy List feature launched on the AOL 3.0 service. This AOL innovation revolutionized IM by letting AOL members organize their “buddies” and see who was online and able to receive messages, jump-starting America’s most powerful online community. While aspects of the feature have been copied by others, AOL’s Buddy List network supports the nation’s largest IM community.

It’s amazing to think how far technology has come in the past 10+ years. I’ve never been an AOL Internet client but I’ve been using the AOL Instant Messaging service for a long time. I still use it now along with Skype, and Google Talk.

If you’d like to IM with me sometime, contact me and I’ll give you my AOL IM, Skype or Google Talk screen names.

Posted in Geekipedia + Instant Messaging + Software + Technology | Comments Off on Happy 10th Birthday to the AIM Buddy List

Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator Update

May 18th, 2006 by iDunzo

Attention vintage gamers, a few days ago the latest version of MAME was released and it’s now available in my Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator section.

That’s right, I’ve got fresh downloads for you. Come and get them while they’re hot!

A few people were asking for the Windows command line version of MAME, so I’ve added that too.

Posted in Gaming + MAME + Software | Comments Off on Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator Update

Mission Impossible III

May 12th, 2006 by iDunzo

I’ve been trying to catch a movie with a good friend of mine for a long time and today we finally got to see one.

Mission Impossible III was the movie of choice.

I was trying to remember the story from the second Mission Impossible but all I could remember was Tom’s character Ethan Hunt was on vacation climbing rocks when he gets a message via his sun glasses, so I guess the second one didn’t impress me much.

I had heard good and bad reviews about MI3 but for $6.00 (the early admission price) and the chance to hang with a good friend, I jumped at the opportunity, plus I got to eat some good movie theater junk food.

One of the things that people kept telling me about the movie was Tom Cruise runs a lot and that’s a fact. He does run a lot. Run Forest run!

Over all the movie was good and I’d like to see it again. The only issue I had was some of the crap that happens to Ethan Hunt was really hardcore and he just kept on running… hehe… his back should have been broken half a dozen times.

Philip Seymour Hoffman played a great bad guy named Owen Davian. The line from him that sticks in my head (no pun intended)

We’ve implanted an explosive charge in your head

He was very evil indeed but that’s ok. He did get his head smashed in the end. I’d actually like to see that scene again because before you realized what was going on, it was over.

I did notice one editing goof up in the film. During the interrogation scene when blood is running down Ethan Hunt’s nose, the flow is inconsistent. First there is a long stream, then a short one, then a long one again. It seems someone wasn’t watching in the editing room. It happens. I like trying to find goofs in films, so this is just another reason to go watch it again.

In the end, there was a lot of good action, special effects and suspense, plus it had a decent story line and a few cute girls, so if you haven’t seen it yet, go for it. Let me know your thoughts on the movie as well.

Posted in General + Movies | Comments Off on Mission Impossible III