Here’s one such proxy site that you can build for your friends in China or even for your personal use (say for accessing blocked sites from office). This is created using Google App Engine and, contrary to what you assume, the process is quite simple.

Step 1: Go to appengine.google.com and sign-in using your Google Account.

Step 2: Click the “Create an Application” button. Since this is your first time, Google will send a verification code via SMS to your mobile phone number. Type the code and you’re all set to create apps with Google App Engine.

Step 3: Choose a sub-domain* that will host your proxy server. Make sure the domain is available, agree to the Google Terms and click save. The sub-domain is also your App ID that will uniquely identify your proxy application.

For this example, we’ll use labnol-proxy-server as the App ID though you are free to choose any other unique name.

Step 4: OK, now that we have reserved the ID, it’s time to create and upload the proxy server application to Google App Engine. Go to python.org, download the 2.6.4 MSI Installer and install Python.

Step 5: Once Python is installed, go to code.google.com, download the Google App Engine SDK for Python and install it.

Step 6: Download this zip file and extract it to some folder on your desktop. The zip file, for the curious, contains a couple of text files (written in HTML and Python) that you can read with notepad.

Step 7: Start the Google App Engine Launcher program from the desktop and set the right values under Edit –> Preferences (see screenshot above).

Step 8. Click File –> Add Existing Application under the Google App Launcher program and browse to the directory that you created in Step 6. Click the Edit button and replace “YOUR_APP_ID” with the ID (sub-domain) that you reserved in Step 3.

Step 9: Click Deploy and your online proxy server is now ready for use. You can experience it live and if any of the steps don’t make sense, please refer to the following video screencast (available in 720p HD).

You can edit the main.html file to change the appearance of your proxy server and you can even add Analytics and AdSense code to your proxy server in case it gets popular on the web. The application is currently open to all users but you can add a layer of authentication so that only users who are logged-in into their Google Accounts can use your web proxy server.

If you have made any changes to your HTML files, you can upload the latest version to Google App Engine either by clicking the “Deploy” button again or use the following command — appcfg.py update <app-directory>

Credits: The proxy server uses code from Mirrorr, an open-source web caching project by  Brett Slatkin. Thanks Pratham for your help!

Update: To answer some of your questions:

• This proxy works with Flash videos (like YouTube and ABC News) though not with Hulu.
• If you are getting the “quota exceed” error, try this mirror site. Update: This has been removed since the App Engine TOS does not allow you to split your app across multiple accounts to make use of the free quotas. So technically, the mirror of the proxy is in violation of the TOS.
• As some of you have suggestions, domain with the word “proxy” or “proxies” are banned at workplaces so you may include them in your proxy address.
• Though there exist proxy servers for accessing secure sites, this is a basic proxy server that won’t work with sites that require logins (eg, Gmail or Hotmail).

http://www.labnol.org/internet/setup-proxy-server/12890/

Popularity: unranked [?]

Looks like the potential for Amazon’s mp3 store might have some at Apple’s iTunes store a little worried. A new report claims that iTunes has been using its leverage to keep the record labels from making potentially high-profile deals with Amazon.

According to Billboard, iTunes weren’t very happy when major artists started showing up in Amazon’s deeply discounted “Daily Deal,” which since its inception had grown from a bargain bin to, according to a source for the story, “something where the labels make arrangements to provide an exclusive selling window with Amazon for a big release expected to do a lot of business on street date.” READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>

Popularity: unranked [?]

As we all know, skin is the biggest organ on our body. Despite of preventing us from various virus, what can our skin do? Here is a new answer – Skinput.

1. What’s Skinput?
It’s an arm band developed by the developers from Microsoft Research Institute and Carnegie-Mellon University. Skinput can project the operation interface on user’s skin, and by touching the projection, user can operate the app.

2. Which aspects can Skinput are used?
Skinput can be used for music control, typing phone number and video playing.

3. What’s about the future?
It’s said that Skinput may put into market within 5 years.

4. What’s the theory of Skinput?
When we tap our body, our body makes different sounds according to the parts we tap. Skinput acquires these sounds and give an order to the app.

The developers of Skinput also pointed that Skinput may performs well when users are walking or running. For example, it’s possible for them to develop a music player which has no buttons at all. Users can shift the song, change volume by simply tap his figure. What’s more, there needs even no projector for such player.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Dog and cat are no doubt the most popular pets. And nowadays, the pet owners are no more satisfied at giving their pet only food and necessary cleaning.

The dog in the below picture names Ice. Doubtlessly, he wants to be a superman, oh, no, superdog!

You can buy the dress online or if you find that it’s too hard to make a superman dress, the following may be a little bit easier.

(picture from Etsy.com)

Popularity: 1% [?]

In the morning of March 1st, about 5,200 naked people, male and female, are gathering in front of the landmarked building of Sydney – Sydney Opera House and having naked photo. It’s said that they want to publicize that the Australians believes in freedom and equality.

It’s also said that the activity attracts double numbers of people than expected. Among all of the volunteers, there are many homosexual people and they attend this to welcome the homosexual people March which will be hold in Mar 6th.

In that morning, all these volunteers were posing as what the photographer, Spencer Tunick, asked. They raised their hands, or lie on the floor, or hug the people nearby. Half of the people also took photos inside of the Opera House.

Spencer Tunick is famous for calling out people to have their naked body shot. A 19 years old man expressed his surprise to the variety of volunteers. At the very first, he thought that only old people and nudists would attend the activity. A 28 years old lady said that she thought it would be a great work. At the same time, some opponent said that the activity is only an excuse to be naked.

Popularity: 1% [?]

I mentioned about the huge Muppets in Chile, and it’s sad to give the news about earthquake happened also in Chile here. Sometimes you find that human beings are so fragile when facing the nature. Till now, hundreds of people lost their life and numerous people become homeless. God blessing you, Chile!

Earthquakes happened recent years:

Popularity: 1% [?]

Apple claims that there are 17 cases of violations of its providers and admits that three of their factories employ child laborers last year and the problem is been found during the annual estimate of all of its providers.

Also, Apple claims that 11 children laborers are hired in the three factories and among all these children, the youngest one is 15. However, when Apple takes the estimate, theses laborers are either reaches the legal work age, or hire no more.

However, Apple gives neither the list of the factories that go against Apple core rules nor the countries the factories located. It gives only the estimate result of its 102 factories. Apple also says that nearly 133,000 employers get trained during the estimate.

Violation against Apple core rule is the most severe violation, which means that the providers should redress its behaviors immediately. Core rule violation includes illegal employment of child laborers, employment in invitum, threat or revenge behavior to laborers, and etc.

Most of the Apple products are provided by the factories that locate in China. Also, there are factories in Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Czech and America. Due to the illegal employment and wicked working environment, Apple is criticized by media and public for many times. In 2008, its factories hire 25 children laborers.

Popularity: 10% [?]

When I opened my gmail account today, I find a new service available there – Google Buzz. For gmail users, they can share messages, links and photos in their gmail account.

Also, Google said that it will release cellphone version for Google Buzz and combine Buzz with other Google services.
The newly buzz service provided by Google shares the same features as other social network service provider, like twitter and facebook. Users use more time on twitter and facebook rather than on Google.

According to a research by ComScore, Gmail is one of the hottest email services. The independent visit to gmail reaches to 176.5 million while that for Windows Live Hotmail and Yahoo mail service are 368.2 billion and 3037.2 billion independently.

This is not the first time for Google to develop the social network service market. In 2004, it issued social website Orkut. However, Orkut only occupy some oversea market as Brazil. In America, twitter and facebook are still the most popular one.

Popularity: 33% [?]

kis8_20100501_02b7c9da

Popularity: 6% [?]

Macworld is always the bridge between Apple and its users. However, out of users’ expectation, Jobs didn’t show up at Macworld. Instead, Philip Schiller - senior vice president of Apple, gave the key-note speech.

The users used to get surprised in Macworld. In the every former Macworld, the users are all mad at the well designed new apple products. And in Macworld 2010, Apple “surprised” users as well.

1. Form the next year on, Apple will not attend Macworld any more. (If so, can this fair still be called Macworld?)
2. Jobs was absent. ( The spirit leader of Apple and the idol of all apple usres)

Despite of the former two news, nothing surprised the users. There was no new iphone, no new MacBook Air, no new ipod nano, and even no new ipod shuffle. Yes, it released three new product. However, no users ware astonished at them.

1. New iLife, new system and iWork set. It charges for $169. However, in the economic recession, we’d better keep using the old version.
2. iWork.com. Maybe you can know more about your neighbors.
3. Macbook of 17inchs. It helps us to see more recruitment information in one page.
4. The charge for songs in iTunes store. However, it’s not the time for listening music.

Popularity: 11% [?]