While this might not be something terribly new to some of you, to someone like me who’s not well versed in the ways of black/greyhat techniques, it was.

While surfing today, I came across this SEOmoz post titled “Has Google Given Up Trying to Police On-Page Ranking Factors?”. The article describes how some websites are using noscript tags stuffed with headings and anchor links in an attempt to boost their rankings within the search engines. Surprisingly enough, it seems to be working! The author correctly goes on to note how easy it is for search engines to spot such websites yet they have chosen not to do anything about it … yet!

This article also brought to mind another post at DigitalPoint. WordPress Uniquefier v3.0 claims to use javascript to alter posts helping you avoid the duplicate content penalty by Google.

From the horse’s mouth:

“It is a well known fact that search engines (for google has been proofed) can run and index non advanced JavaScript from your pages. This is why, by using a special technique we place the original articles under a JavaScript run. This way:

What the plugin does is change the article/post content to simple javascript which looks something like:

<script type=”text/javascript”>
document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,112,62,77,111,118,105,101,58,32,60,115,116,114,111,110,103,62,84,104,101,32,72,111,117,110,100,32,111,102,32,116,104,101,32,66,97,115,107,101,114,118,105,108,108,101,115,32,40,49,57,51,57,41,60,47,115,116,114,111,110,103,62,60,47,112,62,10,60,112,62,60,105,109,103,32,97,108,105,103,110,61,34,108,101,102,116,34,32,115,116,121,108,101,61,34,109,97,114,103,105,110,45,116,111,112,58,32,53,112,120,59,32,109,97,114,103,105,110,45,98,111,116,116,111,109,58,32,53,112,120,59,32,109,97,114,103,105,110,45,108,101,102,116,58,32,51,112,120,59,32,109,97,114,103,105,110,45,114,105,103,104,116,58,32,49,48,112,120,59,34,32,115,114,99,61,34,104,116,116,112,58,47,47,109,111,118,105,101,115,114,101,97,108,109,46,99,111,109,47,109,111,118,105,101,97,117,116,111,109,97,116,111,114,47,112,111,115,116,101,114,115,47,49,50,50,53,49,57,49,55,51,57,45,52,57,49,55,46,106,112,103,34,32,119,105,100,116,104,61,34,49,53,48,34,62,38,35,56,50,50,48,59,79,110,32,104,105,115,32,117,110,99,108,101,38,35,56,50,49,55,59,115,32,100,101,97,116,104,32,83,105,114,32,72,101,110,114,121,32,66,97,115,107,101,114,118,105,108,108,101,32,114,101,116,117,114,110,115,32,102,114,111,109,32,97,98,114,111,97,100,32,97,110,100,32,111,112,101,110,115,32,117,112,32,116,104,101,32,97,110,99,101,115,116,114,97,108,32,104,97,108,108,32,111,110,32,116,104,101,32,100,101,115,111,108,97,116,101,32,109,111,111,114,115,32,111,102,32,68,101,118,111,110,115,104,105,114,101,46,32,72,111,108,109,101,115,32,117,110,99,111,118,101,114,115,32,97,32,112,108,111,116,32,116,111,32,104,97,118,101,32,83,105,114,32,72,101,110,114,121,32,109,117,114,100,101,114,101,100,32,98,121,32,97,32,116,101,114,114,105,98,108,101,32,116,114,97,105,110,101,100,32,104,111,117,110,100,46,32,70,105,114,115,116,32,99,97,115,116,105,110,103,32,111,102,32,82,97,116,104,98,111,110,101,32,97,110,100,32,66,114,117,99,101,32,97,115,32,72,111,108,109,101,115,32,97,110,100,32,87,97,116,115,111,110,46,32,87,114,105,116,116,101,110,32,98,121,32,69,100,32,83,116,101,112,104,97,110,32,123,115,116,101,112,104,97,110,64,99,99,46,119,119,117,46,101,100,117,125,38,35,56,50,50,49,59,60,47,112,62,10,60,117,108,62,10,60,108,105,62,68,105,114,101,99,116,111,114,58,32,83,105,100,110,101,121,32,76,97,110,102,105,101,108,100,60,47,108,105,62,10,60,108,105,62,82,101,108,101,97,115,101,32,68,97,116,101,58,32,51,49,32,77,97,114,99,104,32,49,57,51,57,32,40,85,83,65,41,60,47,108,105,62,10,60,108,105,62,82,117,110,32,84,105,109,101,58,32,56,48,32,109,105,110,60,47,108,105,62,10,60,108,105,62,67,111,117,110,116,114,121,58,32,85,83,65,60,47,108,105,62,10,60,108,105,62,71,101,110,114,101,58,32,67,114,105,109,101,32,44,32,72,111,114,114,111,114,32,44,32,77,121,115,116,101,114,121,32,44,32,84,104,114,105,108,108,101,114,60,47,108,105,62,10,60,47,117,108,62,10,60,112,62,84,114,105,118,105,97,58,32,65,102,116,101,114,32,98,101,105,110,103,32,111,117,116,32,111,102,32,99,105,114,99,117,108,97,116,105,111,110,32,102,111,114,32,109,97,110,121,32,121,101,97,114,115,44,32,112,97,114,116,108,121,32,98,101,99,97,117,115,101,32,111,102,32,116,104,101,32,49,57,53,57,32,72,97,109,109,101,114,32,114,101,109,97,107,101,32,105,110,32,84,101,99,104,110,105,99,111,108,111,114,32,115,116,97,114,114,105,110,103,32,80,101,116,101,114,32,67,117,115,104,105,110,103,44,32,116,104,105,115,32,102,105,108,109,32,119,97,115,32,114,101,115,116,111,114,101,100,32,97,110,100,32,114,101,45,114,101,108,101,97,115,101,100,32,116,111,32,116,104,101,97,116,101,114,115,32,105,110,32,49,57,55,53,32,119,105,116,104,32,103,114,101,97,116,32,102,97,110,102,97,114,101,44,32,116,111,32,116,104,101,32,112,111,105,110,116,32,111,102,32,104,97,118,105,110,103,32,116,104,101,32,110,97,116,105,111,110,97,108,32,101,118,101,110,105,110,103,32,110,101,119,115,32,100,111,32,97,32,115,116,111,114,121,32,111,110,32,105,116,46,32,84,104,101,32,102,105,108,109,32,119,97,115,32,115,104,111,119,110,32,97,116,32,105,116,115,32,102,117,108,108,32,56,48,45,109,105,110,117,116,101,32,108,101,110,103,116,104,44,32,97,110,100,32,110,101,119,115,112,97,112,101,114,32,97,110,100,32,109,97,103,97,122,105,110,101,32,97,114,116,105,99,108,101,115,32,99,111,109,109,101,110,116,101,100,32,111,110,32,116,104,101,32,102,97,99,116,32,116,104,97,116,32,116,104,101,32,108,105,110,101,32,38,35,56,50,50,48,59,79,104,44,32,87,97,116,115,111,110,44,32,116,104,101,32,110,101,101,100,108,101,33,38,35,56,50,50,49,59,44,32,114,101,102,101,114,114,105,110,103,32,116,111,32,72,111,108,109,101,115,38,35,56,50,49,55,59,32,99,111,99,97,105,110,101,32,104,97,98,105,116,32,40,97,110,100,32,117,115,117,97,108,108,121,32,109,105,115,113,117,111,116,101,100,32,97,115,32,38,35,56,50,50,48,59,81,117,105,99,107,44,32,87,97,116,115,111,110,44,32,116,104,101,32,110,101,101,100,108,101,33,38,35,56,50,50,49,59,41,32,119,97,115,32,112,117,116,32,98,97,99,107,32,105,110,32,97,102,116,101,114,32,104,97,118,105,110,103,32,98,101,101,110,32,99,117,116,32,98,121,32,116,104,101,32,99,101,110,115,111,1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</script>

Apparently not only can GoogleBot read the content but it’s also included in the Google Index and since the Javascript changes the code significantly, neither Copyscape, nor GoogleBot can recognize the content as duplicate!

I’ve yet to try this product myself but quite a few people at DigitalPoint claim that it works as advertised. I wonder how soon before Google catches on!

Do share your thoughts on both techniques!

Well, that is if you own a convertible laptop, otherwise known as a tablet. These are notebooks with a single hinge for the screen (instead of two) that not only bends back and forth, but also rotates 180 degrees. This allows you to rotate the screen so that when you close the lid, the display is facing upwards instead of facing the keyboard. This allows you to hold the notebook much like a slate or clipboard, which gives you the freedom to use your notebook on the go instead of just when you’re sitting down.

Also, with a special stylus, you can Ink on your screen. Inking is a term used to explain “drawing”, so-to-speak, on your laptop’s screen using a stylus. And by drawing, I mean drawing in the Photoshop way, not the “Biq Pen” way.

Inking is especially cool because it allows you to capture a perfectly digitized version of your exact, actual signature. Also, when you decide to hand write a document, your tablet will implement advanced techniques to recognize your handwriting – even converting it to text if you so wish.

Thanks to the ongoing battle (recently turned slaughter) between Intel and AMD, and between nVidia and ATI, laptop technology to improve performance has improved tremendously in the past few years. Dual core processors are now standard issue on all but the most extreme budget-targeted laptops (Recall ‘One Laptop per Child’?). But with all this extra power comes extra heat. And heat is the enemy of ANY computer system. To a computer part, heat causes a whole host of problems. And without getting too technical here, heat causes too overall problems in a computer: it lowers efficiency and lowers life expectancy.

And this applies to your laptop just as much as anything else.

If you’re one of the many people who have noticed their laptops starting to feel overly warm, or even hot to the touch, after using them for not just a few minutes, then you probably know what I’m talking about. And if you use your laptop on your bed, setting it down directly on your blanket, that…well…that’s like leaving your child in the car on a hot summer day while you go shopping. Not cool! And yes, that pun was TOTALLY intended.

So, if you’re worried about your hot laptop, think about getting a notebook cooler. Or, at the very least, a cooling pad. You’ll notice a huge difference.

If you don’t know what this is, YouTube it after you finish with this article. Any explanation I give it cannot possible do it justice. Essentially, kinetic typography can be described as a relatively new form of art that involves a systematic and dynamic displaying of words in an animated fashion, in conjunction with audio of a speech or another spoken line.

That was a mouthful!

Basically, it’s a video where the words of the audio transcript fly on and off the screen in animated ways such that they keep up with the audio. It’s sort of like the old bouncing ball lyrics you’d see at the bottom of your childhood sing a long videos, except on steroids.

Creating a kinetic typography piece of even a short speech or audio of a famous movie scene is an EXTREMELY time consuming process. That means two things: there aren’t a whole lot of kinetic typography videos being made and that the ones that are made are VERY meaningful to the artist who created them.

Again, there is no possible way I could describe this type of art in a blog post like this and convey how utterly awesome it is. So do yourself a favor and YouTube it!

After years of repressed curiosity and nerdy infatuation, I bit the bullet and picked myself up an external CD / DVD burner with LightScribe technology. In case you don’t know what LightScribe is, it’s a technology that uses a small laser within a CD or DVD drive to inscribe monochromatic labels on a LightScribe enabled CD or DVD. And a LightScribe enabled disk is a normal CD or DVD that has been treated with a special laser-reactive finish on the label side of the disk and costs a couple pennies more than a normal blank CD or DVD.

So far, I’ve really enjoyed my new toy. It did take some tweaking to figure out what software I needed and I had to play around with the settings quite a bit to make my labels turn out the way I wanted them to. But, after all is said and done, my custom made DVDs are turning out beautifully and I couldn’t be much happier. If you’re like me, and think this kind of technology is pretty cool, then I’m sure you’d love to have one. And what I like best about mine is it covers my rear when I have to come up with a last minute gift!