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Bikes to Power Times Square New Year Display
Scant decades ago, a ball drop in Times Square was more likely to take place in one of its infamous adult theaters than in the square itself. These days, when there is not even traffic in the iconic plaza, even the historic crystal ball which sees in the New Year is clean. The new energy efficient LED ball, and the glowing “2010” numerals, will this year be powered by bunnies. Duracell has set up stationary bikes in the square which use leg power to generate electricity and then store it, ready for midnight tonight. The whole setup requires 32,000 Watt hours of juice, which is probably not much by Times Square standards, but isn’t bad for human-power. Reading through the Duracell “Power Lab” blog, it appears that things are a little more surreal in Times Square. Aside from “celebrities” turning up to help juice the batteries (Gabourey Sidibe, anyone? Anyone?), there is also mention of special events being held in the Charmin Restrooms, a sponsored public lavatories, consisting of comedians showing off custom toilet seats “which include everything from bright colors to glitter and feathers”. Strange activity in the bathrooms? I guess Times Square hasn’t changed that much. Duracell Powerlab [Duracell] Pedal-Powered Generators to Illuminate Times Square on New Year’s Eve [Inhabitat. Thanks, Yuka!] Image: Duracell Power Lab 
Source: Gizmodo | 31 Dec 2009 | 3:02 am Russia 'plans to stop asteroid' - BBC News
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 31 Dec 2009 | 2:24 am NASA WISE Telescope Starts Taking Picscoondoggie writes "NASA said its Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer spacecraft successfully popped the cover off its infrared telescope and began “celestial treasure hunt” mission of sending back what will be millions of images of space. The WISE lens cap served as a safety system keeping the ultra-sensitive lens and telescope system safe until the spacecraft positioned itself correctly in orbit. The cap also served as the top to a Thermos-like bottle that chilled the instrument. WISE’s infrared telescope and detectors are kept chilled inside a Thermos-like tank of solid hydrogen, called a cryostat."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 31 Dec 2009 | 2:12 am Tech Firms Jockey Ahead of Recovery [Voices]By Don Clark, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal In a brutal year, technology companies responded by hunkering down and developing new products at a faster rate as they tried to wrest sales from one another. While 2010 isn’t expected to be a blockbuster, consumers have shown they are still willing to spend on gadgets, at least for hot products like Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone and Amazon.com Inc.’s (AMZN) Kindle. There are also signs that frozen corporate budgets are thawing—driven by aging equipment, falling hardware prices and new offerings, notably Microsoft Corp.’s (MSFT) Windows 7. Tech vendors are tapping demand in China, India and other emerging economies for products like laptop computers and cellphones. At the same time, Web connections are being added to existing products in new ways that are spurring buyers into action. Read the rest of this post on the original site
Source: Gizmodo | 31 Dec 2009 | 1:30 am WORLD: Group posts way to crack encryption of cell phones - Chicago Tribune
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 31 Dec 2009 | 1:10 am Top 10 moments in social media in 2009 [Voices]By Mark Mllian, Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times This year was certainly significant in the world of online social media. Facebook surpassed 350 million users — more than the U.S. population — and Twitter’s short blogging service skyrocketed in popularity, led by celebs, tech lovers and top companies. Here’s a look back at 2009’s biggest events in which social media played a major role. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 31 Dec 2009 | 1:05 am How the poll on 2010 was conducted (AP)AP - The Associated Press-GfK Poll on looking ahead to 2010 was conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media from Dec. 10-14, 2009. It is based on landline and cell phone telephone interviews with a nationally representative random sample of 1,001 adults. Interviews were conducted with 801 respondents on landline telephones and 200 on cellular phones.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 31 Dec 2009 | 1:05 am YouTube’s Quest to Suggest More [Voices]By Miguel Helft, Reporter, New York Times YouTube, the video site owned by Google (GOOG), is about 10 times more popular than its nearest competitor. But Hunter Walk still thinks of it as an underdog. For Mr. Walk, director of product management at YouTube, the competition is not other Web sites: it’s TV. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 31 Dec 2009 | 1:04 am Life on the List [Voices]By Anil Dash, VP, Six Apart In the time it takes you to read this sentence, I’ll have gained another follower or two on Twitter. Within an hour, I’ll have added more followers than 99% of Twitter users ever have. On a typical day, I’ll have averaged 100 new followers every hour. It’s not that I’m great at writing tweets or because of any effort or merit on my part; It’s because I’m part of Twitter’s list of suggested users. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 31 Dec 2009 | 1:03 am Is Facebook Spying on My E-Mail? [Voices]By Farhad Manjoo Facebook had a watershed year as both the young and old flocked to the site. Many users, however—even veteran early adopters—have found themselves puzzled over the site’s rapidly growing complexity. In a column that debuted in October, Slate’s tech columnist, Farhad Manjoo, recently fielded some of the most common reader questions about social networking and other staples of online life. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 31 Dec 2009 | 1:02 am The Tragedy of One Laptop Per Child [Voices]By Michael Gartenberg, Contributor, Slashgear It didn’t come as much as a surprise, but the good folks working on the One Laptop Per Child Project announced that the that the OLPC XO-2 concept had been shelved and in what appears to be bowing to the hype of tablet form factors, they’ve announced the new XO-3. Yawn. Feels like we’ve been here before and you know why? Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 31 Dec 2009 | 1:01 am Daily Crunch: Blue Moon Edition
PSA: Watch for the blue moon this New Year’s Eve
Source: Gizmodo | 31 Dec 2009 | 12:20 am We All Live In Public Now. Get Used To It.As the Web becomes more social, privacy becomes harder and harder to come by. People are over-sharing on Facebook and Twitter, broadcasting their whereabouts every ten steps on Foursquare and Gowalla,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 31 Dec 2009 | 12:14 am We All Live In Public Now. Get Used To It.
As the Web becomes more social, privacy becomes harder and harder to come by. People are over-sharing on Facebook and Twitter, broadcasting their whereabouts every ten steps on Foursquare and Gowalla, and uploading photos and videos of their most private moments to the Web for all to see. It’s easy to say that privacy is dead, we all live in public now, and just deal with it. But things are a bit more complicated. It used to be that we lived in private and chose to make parts of our lives public. Now that is being turned on its head. We live in public, like the movie says (except via micro-signals not 24-7 video self-surveillance), and choose what parts of our lives to keep private. Public is the new default. Stowe Boyd, along with others before him, calls this new state of exposure “publicy” (as opposed to privacy or secrecy). He writes:
I don’t particularly care for the neologism, but the idea behind it is spot on. This change represents a major shift in the social fabric, and it is only now just getting started. If you thought there was a lot of hair-pulling over privacy in 2009, just wait until 2010. Facebook’s new privacy policies which favor more public sharing, will be a big driver of this shift, as will the continued adoption of Twitter, which by its very design makes personal utterances public. Then there are startups like Blippy that go even further by turning every single purchase into a public statement. It takes some getting used to the idea of living in public. As I discussed several hours ago with Andrew Keen, in public on Twitter, instead of making the private public, we will make the public private.” When public is the default, you deliberately select what to keep private instead of the other way around. It’s not that privacy disappears. But it becomes more a matter of emphasis and a conscious decision. Boyd points out:
Privacy and secrecy are two different things. Secrets can be shared, and thus become “social objects that link those sharing the secrets together, and excluding others,” writes Boyd. Making it easy for people to move from the public to the private, and in between, will become increasingly important for Web companies. Getting back to the original question, privacy will still live on, but will be so transformed as to become almost unrecognizable. No doubt, many people will mistake it for dead and keep pulling out their hair. The rest of us will go on with our public lives. Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
Source: TechCrunch | 31 Dec 2009 | 12:14 am Great white sharks tracked by SMSMore than 70 great white sharks have been tagged in Western Australia in a world first trial that will send beach lifesavers a text message when one of the predators swims close to the Perth shoreline...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 31 Dec 2009 | 12:08 am Predictions For Online Video in 2010 [Voices]By Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder and CEO, Brightcove.com 2009 brought a lot of change to the online video world. We saw the surging growth of new players like Hulu, the advent of TV Everywhere (TVE), the first steps of YouTube’s monetization, more live video and mobile video, and video starting to reach beyond media and into other sectors of society. Video advertising-based monetization also grew 50 percent year over year–the fastest growth rate for any form of advertising during the Great Recession. TV Everywhere
2010 is going to produce a lot of first efforts in the TVE space, driven first by the large cable companies–Comcast (CMCS), Time Warner (TWC), etc.–and followed by their fellow distributors. We’ll see a decent amount of feature-length TV become available on ISP sites and via the sites of the TV programmers themselves. But 2010 won’t be a big year for TVE. There’s still way too much that needs to be worked out, from standards for authentication to business questions about revenue associated with TVE content, and to user experience issues that might be created by such a federated model of online media consumption. Connected TV Just as the traditional TV industry makes moves to bring TV to the PC, the consumer electronics industry is making moves to bring online video to the TV. The TVE folks had better get moving quickly, because 2010 will bring a plethora of new opportunities for consumers to access video content directly from their living rooms. Several trends are driving the industry forward:
But don’t get your hopes up too high. This is going to be a slow-moving process. The churn cycle on TV is slow, and the devices are priced at a premium. They’re also going to have user experience quirks, and initially, limited adoption by developers. Again, just as TVE will wait until 2011, open distribution to TVs will also have to wait. And, in fact, these two worlds may not collide, they may simply converge. If I’m a cable subscriber, maybe I’ll just flip on my new LCD Vizio, authenticate against ESPN.com (which in the background checks to make sure that I’m a subscriber), then I’d access all the glory of on-demand apps and content from ESPN over the internet and onto the device. Mobile Video With the surge in smartphone sales, mobile video adoption will become more than just a blip on the radar. Mobile advertising is becoming mature; in-app payment models for content is emerging; online video platforms such as Brightcove are making it easy-to-publish mobile video. Most importantly, however, are the scale and usage numbers–there are now more iPhone 3G subscribers than there are Comcast Digital Cable subscribers. Video Monetization In 2009, online video advertising grew faster than any other category in the global advertising market (50 percent). It’s forecast to grow 3-5X over the next several years. We know that online users will not accept more of an ad load, so what is it going to take to drive the value of the advertising higher? In 2010 the industry will crack the code for higher-value video advertising. In order to be more valuable it needs to be a win-win-win situation (e.g. viewers enjoy more relevant ads, publishers generate more revenue, and advertisers get more targeted ads with more engaged viewers who drive direct action). Here’s what will shake out:
Video Commerce and Marketing In 2009 we began to see the broad adoption of online video by all kinds of marketers and retailers. Why is this a big deal? First, the two largest engines of growth in the Internet economy are digital marketing and online commerce, accounting for the vast majority of dollars flowing through the Web. Second, every organization on the planet uses the Web as a marketing platform for their products, services, causes and agendas. The primary investment they make are in their own Web sites, the secondary investment is in online advertising to drive users to their Web site. The growth in online video in marketing and e-commerce is very significant. Marketers are using video on their sites because it is driving better metrics–longer visits and higher conversion rates. In e-commerce, video is driving a double-digit lift in sales and lowering customer service costs. 2010 will be a record year for marketers and for e-commerce site adoption of online video. Online Video Platforms In 2009, our industry finally emerged as a category: Online Video Platforms (OVPs), a cloud-based approach to video publishing and distribution. Just as Web hosting, ad servers, Web analytics and search have all moved to the cloud, so too has online video. Several things will happen in the OVP market:
Source: Gizmodo | 30 Dec 2009 | 11:40 pm Ke$ha sets female download record in U.S. (Reuters)Reuters - In what is traditionally a high-volume download week thanks to shiny new MP3 players under the tree and download cards stuffed in stockings, a digital sales mark has fallen by the wayside.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2009 | 11:30 pm An Inside Look At Warhammer Online's Server SetupAn article at Gamasutra provides some details on the hardware Mythic uses to power Warhammer Online, courtesy of Chief Technical Officer Matt Shaw and Online Technical Director Andrew Mann. Quoting: "At any given time, approximately 2,000 servers are in operation, supporting the gameplay in WAR. Matt Shaw commented, 'What we call a server to the user, that main server is actually a cluster of a number of machines. Our Server Farm in Virginia, for example,' Mann said, 'has about 60 Dell Blade chassis running Warhammer Online — each hosting up to 16 servers. All in all, we have about 700 servers in operation at this location.' ... 'We use blade architecture heavily for Warhammer Online,' Mann noted. 'Almost every server that we deploy is a blade system. We don't use virtualization; our software is somewhat virtualized itself. We've always had the technology to run our game world across several pieces of hardware. It's application-layer clustering at a process level. Virtualization wouldn't gain us much because we already run very close to peak CPU usage on these systems.' ... The normalized server configuration — in use across all of the Mythic-managed facilities — features dual Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors running at 3 GHz with 8 GB of RAM."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Gizmodo | 30 Dec 2009 | 11:00 pm Jack and Olivia Top Bounty Name Poll With Steady Fall From Grace and Lucas LeapingSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Dec 2009 | 11:00 pm Second "Love Guru" pirate to plead guilty (Reuters)Reuters - A second person has agreed to plead guilty in the case involving a copy of the Mike Myers bomb "The Love Guru" leaking on the Internet a day before its theatrical release.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2009 | 10:59 pm WakeMate Bluetooth Wristband Makes Waking A Bit EasierBy Andrew Liszewski Instead of jarring you out of bed at a random time in your sleep cycle which can make you feel groggy, the WakeMate wristband uses actigraphy to determine the ’semi-awake’...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Dec 2009 | 10:53 pm Twitter Trends in 2009: A RetrospectiveAlthough the daily trends on Twitter over the past year have often been silly or even obscene, hindsight has proven to be much more interesting. WhatTheTrend has compiled a great overview of Twitter hashtags...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Dec 2009 | 10:23 pm Ten Gadgets That Defined the DecadeCorpuscavernosa writes "As 2009 winds down and we try to come up with new and clever ways of referring to the early years of this century, there's really only one thing left to do: declare our ten favorite gadgets of the aughts and show them off in chronological order. It's arguable that if this wasn't the decade of gadgets, it was certainly a decade shaped by gadgets — one which saw the birth of a new kind of connectedness. In just ten years time, gadgets have touched almost every aspect of our daily lives, and personal technology has come into its own in a way never before seen. It's a decade that's been marked the ubiquity of the internet, the downfall of the desktop, and the series finale of Friends, but we've boiled it down to the ten devices we've loved the most and worked the hardest over the past ten years. We even had some of our friends in the tech community chime in with their picks on what they thought was the gadget or tech of the decade."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Gizmodo | 30 Dec 2009 | 10:08 pm Questions and answers about full-body scanners (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2009 | 10:07 pm Google's Nexus One Pricing Details and Terms of Sale Leaked - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 30 Dec 2009 | 10:04 pm TSA subpoenas, threatens two bloggers who published non-classified airline security directive
(Courtesy of Wired: "TSA Special Agent John Enright, left, speaks to Steven Frischling outside the blogger's home in Niantic, Connecticut, after returning Frischling's laptop Wednesday." Photo: Thomas Cain/Wired.com) On Friday, December 25, following the incident in which a Nigerian man attempted to blow up a US-bound flight, the TSA issued an urgent, non-classified security directive to thousands of contacts around the world—airlines, airports, and so on. On Saturday, December 26, airlines and airports around the world further circulated that emailed document and began implementing the procedures described. On Sunday December 27, two bloggers published the content of the TSA directive online (some portions had already been showing up on airline websites). And on Tuesday, December 29, Special Agents from the TSA's Office of Inspection showed up at the homes of bloggers Steven Frischling and Christopher Elliott, and interrogated each on where they obtained the document. Both bloggers received civil subpoenas. Snip from Wired piece by Kim Zetter: "They came to the door and immediately were asking, 'Who gave you this document?, Why did you publish the document?' and 'I don't think you know how much trouble you're in.' It was very much a hardball tactic," [Frischling] says.Here's Frischling's post. He says he received the document from an anonymous source known to be a TSA employee, who uses a gmail account (will Google be subpoenaed?). "I received it, I read it, I posted it. Why did I post it? Because following the failed terrorist attack on the 25th of December there was a lot of confusion and speculation surrounding changes in airline & airport security procedures." Here is Elliot's post about his visit from a friendly TSA Special Agent named Flaherty. "[T]he TSA wants me to tell them who gave me the security directive. I told Flaherty I'd call my attorney and get back to him. What would you do?" Here at Boing Boing, I linked to Frischling's leak post on Monday, December 28. Two days earlier, I'd flown home to the US on an international flight during which I personally experienced the procedures detailed in the directive. I tweeted what I experienced of those procedures before, during, and after my flight on the 26th. Thorough physical patdowns and secondary hand luggage screening pre-board, no leaving your seat or electronics or putting anything on your lap during the final hour of flight, and so on. Attendants on my flight explained that the stepped-up procedures came from a just-issued TSA security directive. As soon as airlines and airports began implementing the directive—and that began before the bloggers posted their copies—the contents of the directive were no secret. So why the strong-arm tactics? Read more: New York Times story, Wired News story, and Huffington Post. Related: Just weeks ago, a TSA contract worker posted an improperly redacted sensitive screening manual on a government website.
Previously:
Source: Boing Boing | 30 Dec 2009 | 10:04 pm TSA subpoenas, threatens two bloggers who published non-classified airline security directive(Courtesy of Wired: "TSA Special Agent John Enright, left, speaks to Steven Frischling outside the blogger's home in Niantic, Connecticut, after returning Frischling's laptop Wednesday." Photo: Thomas...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Dec 2009 | 10:04 pm Human-Powered Light Bulb Will Make You The Center Of Attention At Any New Year's Eve Party For About 2 MinutesBy Andrew Liszewski The cold temperatures and dry air has made static electricity the bane of my existence these days, but that doesn’t mean that everyone has to suffer from simple science at work...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Dec 2009 | 10:01 pm Boxee Beta Is a Web Video Streamer's DreamNew beta software from Boxee makes it easier than ever to find video anywhere on the web and display it on your HDTV. A first look at a promising new service.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm Take Better Close-Up PhotographsFamed photographer Robert Capa once said, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." Fair enough. Bring out the macro lens, because it's time for your close-up.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm Boxee Beta Is a Web Video Streamer's DreamNew beta software from Boxee makes it easier than ever to find video anywhere on the web and display it on your HDTV. A first look at a promising new service.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 30 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm Take Better Close-Up PhotographsFamed photographer Robert Capa once said, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." Fair enough. Bring out the macro lens, because it's time for your close-up.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 30 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm At Foursquare Venues, The Mayor Eats For FreeFoursquare, the geo-location based check-in game, just announced its first venue that is combining badges and promotions. On Foursquare you get badges for checking into places. The person who checks...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Dec 2009 | 9:55 pm At Foursquare Venues, The Mayor Eats For Free
Foursquare, the geo-location based check-in game, just announced its first venue that is combining badges and promotions. On Foursquare you get badges for checking into places. The person who checks into a place the most becomes the “Mayor.” You also get promotions from restaurants and bars nearby based on your location. Now those two elements are being tied together. For instance, Blynk Organic a restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina is the first venue to offer this promotion:
A promotion like this is clever since it is also tied to something other than checkins and mayorships. The idea is that it will not only give other customers an incentive to compete and become the mayor, but also motivate customers to complete interesting tasks before redemption. In the past, Foursquare has done check-in and mayorship promotions, but in a more ad-hoc manor. Now the promos are presented as actual ads in the app. I spoke with Foursquare’s Director of Business Development Tristan Walker, who also spoke at our RealTime CrunchUp in November, and he mentioned that there are close to 400 businesses to this date that are running regular geo-triggered promos with Foursquare. It is not clear how Foursquare will get paid for these badge promotions. Walker says, “Right now we’re just focused on getting as many venues running promos on the platform as possible before we think about monetizing. We’d like to understand a bit more about how venue owners would like to leverage our platform in interesting ways first.” Foursquare has been one of the main startups in the geo-location market along with recently funded Gowalla. Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
Source: TechCrunch | 30 Dec 2009 | 9:55 pm Ever wonder what FFXIII Elixir tastes like? Now you can knowHere’s one for the really dedicated Final Fantasy fan. The beverage company, Suntory, has teamed up with Square to offer a limited edition drink collection, featuring 16 special art cans of Final Fantasy “Elixir”. The set also contains a commemorative metal cup, presumably to drink your elixir from. Only 30,000 of these sets will be made, and they were originally available only in Japan. The good news is, you can buy one for yourself in the US now, for the kingly sum of $165.90. [via Technabob]
Source: CrunchGear | 30 Dec 2009 | 9:50 pm Australia's GPT sells remaining U.S. shopping mallsSYDNEY, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Loss-making Australian property trust GPT Group has agreed to sell the rest of its U.S. shopping mall portfolio for nominal amounts, with the buyers to take on the malls' associated...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Dec 2009 | 9:50 pm UPDATE 1-Geely gets China's support for Volvo, 2010 auto sales* Group has financial support for acquisition -Geely Auto CEOSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Dec 2009 | 9:48 pm UPDATE 1-Geely gets China's support for Volvo, 2010 auto sales* Group has financial support for acquisition -Geely Auto CEOSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Dec 2009 | 9:48 pm India ONGC arm raises $75 mln via bonds-sourcesMUMBAI, Dec 31 (Reuters) - ONGC Videsh (OVL), the overseas arm of India's Oil and Natural Gas Corp , has raised about 3.5 billion rupees ($75 million) via bonds, two sources with knowledge of the deal...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Dec 2009 | 9:44 pm BRINK Interview With Richard Ham and Edward Sternunknown_gamer writes "BRINK turns out to be a lot more than just a regular shooter. The research behind the game — yes, there was research — turns out to actually be valid. Richard Ham and Edward Stern talk to Snezana about the actual scientific methods behind BRINK, the motivations behind the game, and about the game itself." A video up at Destructoid sums up the game briefly, and two others show an extended gameplay sequence. A preview from back in September at Rock, Paper, Shotgun explains BRINK in more detail. The game is due out Fall 2010. The developer, Splash Damage, seems willing to do a Linux port if the publisher, Bethesda, gives them the green light.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Gizmodo | 30 Dec 2009 | 9:00 pm AT&T Tells FCC It's Time to Cut the Cord - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 30 Dec 2009 | 8:58 pm Bain Capital Completes Acquisition of BELLSYSTEM24TOKYO, Dec.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Dec 2009 | 8:25 pm John Mayer Wants You To Defragment Your Brain With A Digital Cleanse
Tonight, Mayer has announced a One Week Digital Cleanse. The purpose? To ring in the new year with a slightly less chaotic mental state. In his post announcing the Cleanse, Mayer likens our increasingly scattered lifestyles to fragmented hard drives. It’s an apt comparison — between sites like Twitter, Facebook, and multiple Email boxes, most of us have data and friendships scattered across a dozen different places. Mayer thinks giving some of these up for a while might be a good way to “defragment” our minds. He’s not quitting these services the way Trent Reznor and Miley Cyrus did, he’s just taking a week long break, and he wants his fans to join him. Unlike some similar campaigns I’ve heard of, which asked you to quit just about everything with a digital display, Mayer’s drive is probably doable for a lot of people. It doesn’t ask you to give up Email, and you can still use your cell phone for some things. Here are the guidelines :
Work commitments keep me from engaging in the Cleanse myself, but you may want to give it a try, if only for a day or two. If nothing else, consider just how attached you’ve become to these online services. Last June, when I took a weeklong vacation to the Caribbean, I found myself suffering some pretty serious withdrawals when I couldn’t compulsively check my Email or the latest tech news. It took about two full days of perfect weather and endless beaches to kick the sense of impending doom. That’s a little weird. Technology is amazing, but getting some perspective is a good thing. Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
Source: TechCrunch | 30 Dec 2009 | 8:13 pm Radioshift 1.5 adds more stations, better streaming (Macworld.com)Macworld.com - If you werenât already overwhelmed by the colossal array of choices available on Internet radio, maybe you will be soon. Rogue Amoeba has released Radioshift 1.5, an update to its Internet radio player/recorder software. Version 1.5 can pull in thousands more streams than its predecessor.ÂSource: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2009 | 8:12 pm DataJack looks to undercut carriers with unlimited 3G dataSection: Communications, Broadband Cards, Mobile
DataJack looks to be announcing its own 3G data connection service that looks to fix the problems with current ones. DataJack will offer unlimited 3G data for $40 a month, without any contracts like the major carriers require. The modem could cost about $100, and will work GSM network, presumably AT&T and T-Mobile’s that DataJack can manage a deal with. DataJack’s plan would make it much easier for those who could use the connection, but don’t need it all the time. Playing $40 to be able to use the modem as long as you want for the month would be great for any sort of trip where the wireless connection is questionable, but needed. Right now not everything is set, but DataJack will be making an official announcement at CES. Maybe this will finally push the major carriers to provide cheaper data connections, or at least provide them with some competition. Read [Chip Chick] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 30 Dec 2009 | 7:58 pm Geely sees robust China auto sales in 2010HONG KONG, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Geely, China's No.1 private carmaker, sees robust growth for China's auto industry in 2010, on strong domestic demand and government subsidies, a top Geely executive said...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Dec 2009 | 7:54 pm Geely sees robust China auto sales in 2010HONG KONG, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Geely, China's No.1 private carmaker, sees robust growth for China's auto industry in 2010, on strong domestic demand and government subsidies, a top Geely executive said...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Dec 2009 | 7:54 pm Russia Plans To Divert AsteroidCyberDong writes "Roscosmos, Russia's Federal Space Agency, will start working on a project to save planet Earth from a possible collision with Asteroid Apophis, which may happen in 2036. NASA specialists believe that the collision is extremely unlikely. Russian specialists will choose the strategy and then invite the world's leading space agencies to join the project."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 30 Dec 2009 | 7:44 pm Make it Sir! Patrick Stewart attains knighthoodSir Patrick Stewart — I like the sound of that. Just for the record: he deserves it. Also, if you haven’t read his piece on domestic violence, go do so now.
Source: CrunchGear | 30 Dec 2009 | 7:40 pm Argentina: judge orders DNA test to determine if media heirs are orphans of "disappeared"BBC News: "An Argentine judge has ordered the heirs to a powerful media empire to take DNA tests to establish if they are victims of a forced adoption scheme... Last month, the Congress backed a proposal from the group, allowing the forced extraction of DNA from adults who may be the children of political prisoners - even when they do not want to know." And more here.Source: Boing Boing | 30 Dec 2009 | 7:35 pm No File! No Icon! Litl Is a Big Idea, but Still Cloudy [Personal Technology]One of the hottest ideas in the digital world now is the notion of dumping the traditional personal computer, where most programs and data are stored locally, for a stripped-down device that would operate primarily as a gateway to servers on the Internet, where your programs and data are accessed remotely. This approach is often called “cloud computing.” [ See post to watch video ] In fact, the original netbooks, the small laptops that have become very popular, were designed around this concept of relying mostly on the Web. They used low-end processors, shunned Windows, and had very little internal storage. But a combination of consumer sentiment and industry maneuvering pushed them back into the fold, so that today, most are simply cheap, small conventional Windows laptops. Now, a small Boston company, called Litl, is taking another shot at this idea, with a different twist. It is selling online a highly unusual laptop it classifies as a “webbook,” which attempts to meld cloud computing with a TV-like viewing experience—for the home. This shiny, colorful computer, named the Litl, is larger and more expensive than a typical netbook. It’s about the size of a small standard laptop, with a 12-inch screen and a weight of 3.4 pounds. It costs $699, or about twice the price of a netbook, at litl.com. Yet the Litl doesn’t use Windows, or directly run word processors, email, or photo or music programs. It can only perform those tasks via Web sites and services like Gmail or Flckr, Google Docs or Pandora Radio. About the only local program it has that can run without an Internet connection is a virtual egg timer. It has no hard disk or any other way for a user to store anything locally. The Litl’s user interface is a radical departure. There is no task bar or dock, no folders, no icons for files and programs; no traditional desktop. Instead, the Litl’s screen is filled with small cards that contain various kinds of Web content, from photos to news headlines, Facebook status and favorite Web sites. Click on a card, and its contents fill the screen.  The Litl webbook And the Litl has another big difference from standard laptops or netbooks: something called “easel mode.” You can flip it around so the machine takes the form of an inverted letter “V,” with the screen facing outward. In that position, the machine can be used like a small Internet-based TV to display headlines, the weather, photo slideshows or videos from the Web. The company sells a $19 remote for controlling the computer in easel mode. You can also control it with a wheel built into the hinge. I’ve been testing the Litl and I have mixed feelings about it. Some of the bold concepts behind the machine are refreshing, including the cloud-computing idea and the very simple interface and operating system, which demand much less work and attention from the user than a traditional PC does. The company also is promising many improvements, delivered via frequent over-the-air updates, including iPhone-type apps developed by third parties. It even offers a two-year money-back guarantee. I was able to set up cards for Gmail and Yahoo Mail, and to send and receive messages. I also set up a card for Google Docs and was able to create and edit documents. I tapped into my Flickr account and could view slideshows of family photos I had previously uploaded. And I was able to watch TV shows via Hulu, both in easel mode and on my big-screen TV, once I connected the Litl to it. But, in my tests, I found the device a bit clumsy and unsatisfying to use. For instance, as you add cards for your favorite Web sites or headline feeds (called channels), it becomes more difficult to scroll through screen after screen to find the one you want. There is no easy way to organize things. In easel mode, when you see a headline that interests you, there is no way to click on it to read the whole story. Videos in easel mode too often stuttered. Worse, if you’re watching a video in easel mode, or through a TV, the Litl’s remote doesn’t let you pause, fast forward or back up. And the Litl doesn’t allow you to upload photos or videos to the Web. The battery life is awful. The company claims 2.5 hours. In my tests, it conked out in less time. The company says that isn’t a problem, because the machine is designed for home use and will likely stay plugged in. The company claims it is working on improving the Litl’s shortcomings. For instance, it plans a photo-uploading function and smoother video playback. So, it will likely get better. But, as of now, for $699, my feeling is that a standard laptop could perform many of these tasks in a more familiar, more versatile manner. Cloud computing may one day be the standard way of doing things digitally, but the Litl, at least in its current form, isn’t the answer. Find all of Walt Mossberg’s columns and videos online, free, at the All Things Digital Web site, walt.allthingsd.com. Email him at mossberg@wsj.com. Source: All Things Digital | 30 Dec 2009 | 7:31 pm PSA: Watch for the blue moon this New Year’s Eve
The last time this happened on New Year’s Eve was 1990 and it… well, really didn’t impact anything other then the themes of New Year’s Eve parties. So I guess file this one under something to talk about around the water cooler.
Source: CrunchGear | 30 Dec 2009 | 7:07 pm Get Swype For the DroidSection: Communications, Cellphones, Mobile  Windows Mobile owners have been the envy of other smartphone owners for one reason. Swype. The new technology for faster “typing” has been exclusively available on the Samsung Omnia 2 and has had me itching to get my hands on it. However, all of the Droid owners will now be able to give it a shot and see how their typing is effected by the new technology.
Note that although this video uses the software on the Droid Eris, the package available for download is for WVGA phones only. That means the Droid only, not the Eris or Hero. The guys over at Droidmuff.in were gutsy enough to leak their beta software to the world. So if you want instructions to install it on your phone visit their download page here. Read [MobileCrunch] Full Story » | Written by Hunter Clarke for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 30 Dec 2009 | 7:02 pm The Problem With the Plan to Power the WorldThe Scientific American laid out a plan to power the world entirely with renewables by 2030. Sensing weaknesses in the plan, skeptical commentors closed in like a pack of wild Eeyores. It'll never work they said, trotting out opinions, facts ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 30 Dec 2009 | 6:47 pm Football, `Simpsons' at risk in Fox cable dispute (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2009 | 6:34 pm Appletell reviews the MDP 900 GreenPower power center and ScreenClean from MonsterFROM APPLETELL - There are two more things to consider with your computer and home entertainment setups: your power control outlets and your method of keeping those shiny screens clean. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 30 Dec 2009 | 6:31 pm 4600 Polaroid photos make for a hell of a video journal
If you need more time-shifted beard action, try our slow-motion bearded high fives. [via Laughing Squid]
Source: CrunchGear | 30 Dec 2009 | 6:20 pm The End is Nigh. [Voices]By Nitrozac and Snaggy
Source: All Things Digital | 30 Dec 2009 | 6:09 pm The 10 Best Videogames of 2009While some game makers had a tough year, others flourished. The result was a fine year for videogames in general, with some spectacular successes.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Dec 2009 | 6:00 pm Uranium Is So Last Century — Enter Thorium, the New Green NukeAn aerospace engineer leads a cadre of industry outsiders dedicated to sparking a revival of thorium. They say it's a supersafe, clean and massively abundant fuel that can be the energy of the future.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Dec 2009 | 6:00 pm Danger Room's Top 10 Stories From a World Gone Nuts2009 took Danger Room's team of reporters from Afghanistan to Israel to Georgia, and from the Pentagon to a clandestine air base in Southwest Asia. In a wild year on the international stage, here are our choices for the most important stories.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Dec 2009 | 6:00 pm Tool: Noggin Avalanche-Rescue RadarThe $25,000 Noggin Rescue Radar locates solid objects -- like actual human skiers who've wandered off trail and into an avalanche -- under as much as 50 feet of snow.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 30 Dec 2009 | 6:00 pm Fix a Warped RecordYou've got a hot DJ gig tonight, but your 12-inch remix of "Purple Rain" is warped. Don't panic -- use this vinyl solution to set the record straight.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 30 Dec 2009 | 6:00 pm Fix a Warped RecordYou've got a hot DJ gig tonight, but your 12-inch remix of "Purple Rain" is warped. Don't panic -- use this vinyl solution to set the record straight.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Dec 2009 | 6:00 pm Tool: Noggin Avalanche-Rescue RadarThe $25,000 Noggin Rescue Radar locates solid objects -- like actual human skiers who've wandered off trail and into an avalanche -- under as much as 50 feet of snow.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Dec 2009 | 6:00 pm Dec. 31, 1999: Horror or Hype? Y2K Arrives and World TremblesDoomsayers predict pandemonium as computer clocks make the switch from 99 to 00. Count on it: The whole rotten structure is going to tumble like the walls of Jericho.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Dec 2009 | 6:00 pm National Geographic selling their whole collection on a 160GB portable hard driveSection: Video, Content, Portable Video, Peripherals, Storage
Enter in the portable hard drive filled with National Geographic’s complete nature collection. A 160GB portable hard drive filled with all the high resolution images, and information that would normally be found in magazines. In addition, 100GB of the hard drive is free and available for personal use, but National Geographic could use that space for future content upgrades, so you can use it as you wish. It is currently on sale for $199.95 and can be purchased from National Geographic’s online store. Check it out [National Geographic] Via [Download Squad] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 30 Dec 2009 | 5:54 pm TenYears: Console Games Of The Decade It's almost January 1st, 2010 and we've been mulling over our favorites of 2009 - and the previous decade. Here we present another installment in our "Of the Decade" lists.
The aughts were a great time for gamers. The decade began auspiciously with the launch of the PlayStation2, and is ending quite nicely with a Nintendo victory that would have been thought impossible a few years ago. More people than ever are gaming, and the business has grown to enormous size. We've chosen the following games as the best representatives of this decade of gaming.
Source: TechCrunch | 30 Dec 2009 | 5:54 pm Nuance Buys Spinvox to Expand Voice-to-text Services (PC World)PC World - Voice recognition software company Nuance Communications on Wednesday acquired voice-to-text services company Spinvox for $102.5 million.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2009 | 5:50 pm The Neuroscience of Screwing Upresistant writes "As the evocative title from Wired magazine implies, Kevin Dunbar of the University of Toronto has taken an in-depth and fascinating look at scientific error, the scientists who cope with it, and sometimes transcend it to find new lines of inquiry. From the article: 'Dunbar came away from his in vivo studies with an unsettling insight: Science is a deeply frustrating pursuit. Although the researchers were mostly using established techniques, more than 50 percent of their data was unexpected. (In some labs, the figure exceeded 75 percent.) "The scientists had these elaborate theories about what was supposed to happen," Dunbar says. "But the results kept contradicting their theories. It wasn't uncommon for someone to spend a month on a project and then just discard all their data because the data didn't make sense."'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 30 Dec 2009 | 5:45 pm TiVo Premiere leaked by manual mix-up?
The story goes that Patrick McCarron upgraded to a TiVo HD and discovered that his box included a TiVo Premiere and Premiere XL setup guide. Now that’s a little interesting because as far as anyone knows, those products don’t exist. But from what we can make it, the info on the unannounced products seem to follow a evolutionary path from the current models. Really the only info shown in the guides are a pic of the back panel. The front-facing dual Cable Card slots (one single stream, one multi-stream) have been replaced by one slot in the rear, which we can only assume is of a multi-stream type. Also, the S-Video port has been dropped along with the RJ-11 phone jack. Thankfully it appears the ATSC tuner made the cut and is still included. Hopefully this time around though, the included eSATA port is opened up to more devices than TiVo branded units. (not likely) But this is what everyone would expect next-gen TiVo HD would look like: less legacy ports, a single, multi-stream Cable Card slot, in a smaller device. It’s the hopefully revamped UI that comes with it we’re dying to see. The one thing the MoxiHD DVR has going for it is that the interface is gorgeous compared to the old TiVo GUI. As long as TiVo followed the design cues in theBeta Search though, it should be good looking indeed.
Source: CrunchGear | 30 Dec 2009 | 5:44 pm Airline attack could lead to more scanners (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2009 | 5:39 pm Steam’s Holiday Sale extends into 2010, games discounted up to 80%FROM GAMERTELL - Throughout the sale you can find hundreds of games discounted 25% to 80% and, each day, the site includes select one-day deals that are especially decent. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 30 Dec 2009 | 5:21 pm 'Free' TV Could Cost More Due to Fox's DemandsFox Network threatens to pull its free programming from Time Warner Cable at midnight on New Year's Eve, unless the cable giant agrees to pay Fox more money. While not 'the end of free TV,' as some claim, the showdown will still likely increase your monthly television bill.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Dec 2009 | 5:15 pm TenYears: The best console games of the decade
Winner: Resident Evil 4 (GameCube, 2004)
Runners Up
You can almost consider Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to be the same game three times, but Vice City wins because it’s our favorite setting of the series so far. Is it fun to go around and blowing up anything that moves? Yes, but it’s actually more fun to appreciate the time and effort Rockstar put into crafting a pretty enjoyable cast of characters and reasonably OK story for our entertainment. Plus, how many game in the 2000s have completely ripped off the GTA franchise?
Our original game here was Super Smash Bros. Melee because it was, and I quote, “the ultimate party game.” Upon further reflection, that title actually belongs to Guitar Hero if only because you couldn’t attend a party attended by non-gamers between the game’s release and today without running into people banging on the strumming a plastic guitar. This is especially true if you visited certain gentrified sections of Brooklyn. The game was everywhere, so clearly it must have done something right. Publishers may have since shot themselves in the foot by releasing 800 versions of the game in a two-year window, but you can’t blame the game itself for publishers’ greed. It’s fun, and it represents the peak of the music game genre that, in a very real sense, defined the decade in gaming.
This is our arthouse pick, yes, but for all the hullabaloo of “please re-make Final Fantasy VII for the PS3,” we say: no! Instead, re-make Shadow of the Colossus for it pushed the PS2 as far as the little guy could go. The game was like playing art. Rarely has a sense of scale been so raw in as it was here. A terrific soundtrack, a unique setting, and an unmatched sense of “oh man, we’re going on an adventure” means that youre sure to impress your “games as art” buddies . Our TakeDevin: I want to throw Final Fantasy XII on here. A lot of people dismissed it because of its cipher of a main character and weird MMO-style combat. But the fact is it was a hugely deep, very interesting, and strikingly beautiful game. I loved it from start to finish, although the final boss was a bit corny. Matt: You can’t tell me that any of these games above are more fun — I mean LOL, smile-on-your-face, gets-better-as-you-drink fun — than Super Smash Bros. Melee. Yet it probably isn’t the best game from the last 10 years. But it’s still damn fun. Greg: I’m going to pull a Nicholas here and proclaim that this is all a bunch of nonsense. It’s impossible to claim that any one game of this decade was the most definitive (especially not RE4, dumb dumbs), considering how many games changed the horizon. Guitar Hero and Smash Bros made busting out a video game at a party okay. The Lego Star Wars/Indie/etc. series proved to girlfriends around the world that gaming with your boyfriend can be a fun experience. GTA taught the world to hate linear gameplay. Call Of Duty and Halo taught millions of console gamers the joys and frustrations of well made competitive first-person-shooters whilst simultaneously increasing the average weight of adolescents around the world. WoW brought MMOs into the mainstream. Shadow of the Colossus destroyed our sense of scale, while Katamari Damacy proved that games can be abstract and still sell well. There is no one answer to this question, because the games of this decade were simply too good. Doug: Wii Sports — hear me out! As most people’s introduction to the Wii, the bundled Wii Sports game serves as the ambassador to a new way of thinking about video games. How many video games from the past ten years will you find people of all generations playing? Nobody’s really playing Halo in nursing homes or senior centers. The simple control scheme and 1:1 movement in Wii Sports made Nintendo’s latest console a hit with people outside the core demographic of gamers, something Sony and Microsoft are still scrambling to replicate. David Diaz: I think Halo: Combat Evolved should have made this list. It became the benchmark for all console FPS and sparked the beginning of one of the most dominant franchises in console history.
Source: CrunchGear | 30 Dec 2009 | 5:00 pm Nevada couple blindly follow GPS and wind up stranded for 3 daysSection: Gadgets / Other, GPS/Navigation
As the popularity of GPS devices rises these types of stories seem to happen more and more. It’s important to keep the maps in your device updated at all times and not to rely on them to the exclusion of old fashioned maps and common sense. Be aware of your surroundings and realize that GPS units are not infallible. The route they recommend may not be the a good one, or even a safe one. If something doesn’t seem right, turn around! Read [USA Today] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 30 Dec 2009 | 4:49 pm How Are We Going To Say “2010″? A Website Comes Just In The Nick Of Time.
Newsflash: Tomorrow is the last day of 2009. That means we’re moving into the first new decade of the 2000s. And we have a decision to make. Say “2009″ outloud. Chances are you’re saying “two thousand and nine.” But if you think about it, that’s weird. Say “1909″ outloud. Chances are you’re saying “nineteen-oh-nine.” It makes some sense, since we weren’t going to pronounce “2000″ as “twenty hundred,” but for whatever reason, going forward, we never moved to something like “twenty-oh-one” for “2001″ and so forth. A new website is urging us to do just that for the next decade. TwentyNot2000.com has one purpose: To break your habit of saying “two-thousand-and-SO-AND-SO” before the new decade begins tomorrow at midnight. Why do they care? Because it takes more time to say “two thousand and ten” rather than just “twenty ten.” Also considered wrong by the site are “two thousand ten” (no “and”) and “two oh ten.” In the site’s own words:
The site also has a Facebook Group and Fan Page, just to drive the point home. The fan page actually has over 17,000 fans. So choose now, but in the words of the Grail Knight from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, “choose wisely” or we could be stuck wasting words for the next 89 years (their math is a little off, but don’t let that distract you). Happy New Year.
[thanks Chan] Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
Source: TechCrunch | 30 Dec 2009 | 4:38 pm Mother Russia plans to save us all from killer asteroid
The asteroid, named Apophis, was first discovered in 2004, and is expected to fly by the Earth in 2029. Apophis is expected to pass close enough to the Earth that there would be a 1-in-37 chance of impact. Unlike Hollywood however, Russia isn’t planning on using a nuclear explosion to move the asteroid, but they haven’t revealed exactly what they have planned yet. The leader of the Russian space program said that they would be inviting NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Chinese space agency to participate in the project. No word on if Aerosmith would be writing the soundtrack.
Source: CrunchGear | 30 Dec 2009 | 4:30 pm Boost a Weak 3G Modem Signal, With a Saucepanmodeca writes "Using only commonly available kitchen equipment this guy demonstrates the amazing powers of an ordinary metal pan to boost the 3G reception of his USB modem. It really seems to work, check the right hand side of the graph in the video." It's not that crazy: cheap antenna boosting (for USB WiFi dongles, Bluetooth, and more) has been elevated to a fine art in New Zealand.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 30 Dec 2009 | 4:19 pm Let’s get out of this country, we’ll pick berries and recline: All aboard the USS Ark from Escape From Earth 2012!
“Baby, let’s blow this popsicle stand.” That’s the snappy dialogue you can expect to see in the screenplay I’m writing about a man who takes up Escape From Earth 2012’s offer. You see, there’s a company out called there EcsapeEarth2012 that’s offering you the chance to leave this dumb planet before everything explodes in an orgy of stardust and iPhone cases come December 21, 2012. So, you buy a ticket, then if the apocalypse does, in fact, arrive, you board the spaceship and it takes you to a brand new planet, one that’s fit for humans. The offer is both real and a joke all at the same time. It’s real in that you can book a ticket right now, and it’s real in that the company will mail you a ticket (and travel package!) to board the USS Ark. The package costs $14.49, which is less than the price of a monthly MetroCard in New York. That must be one efficient spaceship~! It’s a joke in that, if there really is an apocalypse and you don’t survive the plane trip over to New Earth then you get your money back. So yes, you’re buying a novelty spaceship ticket for $15, so that’s sorta neat. And let’s face it: if there’s an apocalypse, I sincerely doubt that the remnants of the United States of America will be too concerned with making sure the small claims courts are still up and running. End of the world: the most interesting sci-fi scneario of them all, if done right. I’m looking at you, 2012.
Source: CrunchGear | 30 Dec 2009 | 4:00 pm Apple Allows Appsaurus To Help with App Store Choices (NewsFactor)NewsFactor - Need help sorting through the tens of thousands of programs available for the iPhone on Apple's App Store? Now there's an app for that called Appsaurus.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2009 | 3:53 pm SHAPE Services Brings Business Card Reader to BlackBerrySTUTTGART, Germany and BOSTON, Dec.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Dec 2009 | 3:52 pm Guide to breaking cell phone security revealed (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2009 | 3:51 pm Job ad suggests Xbox Live headed for WinMo phones - CNET News
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 30 Dec 2009 | 3:45 pm Find North Without a CompassWhether wandering home through the woods after a New Year's Eve party or circumnavigating the globe in search of the elusive Apple tablet, learn to find your way without the aid of a compass.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Dec 2009 | 3:45 pm Surrealistic cartoon by illustrator Jean-Philippe MassonMuzorama from Muzorama Team on Vimeo.
This fun video by illustrator Jean-Philippe Masson (aka Muzo) was produced in just 6 weeks. Its sense of absurdity reminds me of Betty Boop cartoons. Snail with vanishing spots
The flamingo tongue snail Cyphoma gibbosum appears to have a shell decorated with bright spots (top of image). Amazingly though, the spots aren't actually part of the shell, but rather the animal's flesh! When the animal retracts into its stark white shell, so do the spots (bottom of image). The Cyphoma gibbosum is the star of the latest CreatureCast video from Dr. Casey Dunn's laboratory at Brown University. RISD animator Chris Vamos, who was also a student in Dr. Dunn's invertebrate zoology course, created the video. Watch it after the jump!
Source: Boing Boing | 30 Dec 2009 | 3:34 pm USPTO Awards LOL Patent To IBMtheodp writes "Among the last batch of patents granted in 2009 was one for IBM's Resolution of Abbreviated Text in an Electronic Communications System. The invention of four IBMers addresses the hitherto unsolvable problem of translating abbreviations to their full meaning — e.g., 'IMHO' means 'In My Humble Opinion' — and vice versa. From the patent: 'One particularly useful application of the invention is to interpret the meaning of shorthand terms ... For example, one database may define the shorthand term "LOL" to mean "laughing out loud."' USPTO records indicate the patent filing was made more than a year after Big Blue called on the industry to stop what it called 'bad behavior' by companies who seek patents for unoriginal work. Yet another example of what USPTO Chief David Kappos called IBM's apparent schizophrenia on patent policy back when he managed Big Blue's IP portfolio."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 30 Dec 2009 | 3:33 pm Sorry, dude, Game Stop won’t be able to fulfill that Duke Nukem Forever pre-order
[thanks for the tip, Nick]
Source: CrunchGear | 30 Dec 2009 | 3:32 pm Did You Get A Magic Mouse This Holiday? Download MagicPrefs Immediately.
MagicPrefs, which is made by developer Vlad Alexa, is a free piece of software that runs in the background once you start it up. It gives you a boatload of new multi-touch options for your Magic Mouse, broken into three main categories: Clicks & Taps, Swipes, and Drag, Pinch, etc. Clicks & Taps are the ones that are likely to be most useful to you, as they’re the ones that are the easiest to use, and get use to. MagicPrefs has options that allow you to set actions for two-finger clicks, three-finger clicks, four-finger clicks, and one-finger middle axis clicks. There are also all of those options and then some for “taps” which is essentially touching the top of the Magic Mouse without clicking on it. Clicking on the checkbox to enable any of these also shows you a picture of exactly how the function works on the Magic Mouse. Similar options also exist for swipes (wiping you fingers across the top of the Magic Mouse, and pinching (pushing two fingers together on the top of the device or pushing them apart). Interestingly, there are also options for the Apple logo near the bottom of the Magic Mouse. Two options allow you to drag your finger from the logo left or right to enable some action. Another allows you to tap logo to enable something.
It’s important to note that a number of actions in both the Swipes and Drag,Pinch, etc areas are labeled with a “*,” meaning they are “potentially hard to use.” There are also some of the Clicks & Taps functions that have this warning. In my experience with the program, it’s a pretty good idea to follow these recommendations and stay away from the harder to use ones. Even an obvious action like two-finger click is hard to use because most people will have two fingers resting on the mouse at all times, and when they do a left or right click, the multi-touch top senses the other finger’s presence and will think you’re doing a two-finger click. Still, after playing around with all the actions and finding the ones that I like and am comfortable using, MagicPrefs is extremely powerful. I now have easy access to things such as Expose, Dashboard, and Spaces right from the Mighty Mouse. It’s so natural, and makes so much sense, that I’m even more dumbfounded as to why Apple wouldn’t just build some of these gestures into the device’s software (and I suspect they will in the future via updates). And there’s actually more. A number of users have complained that the tracking speed on the Magic Mouse is too slow, even at the fastest setting. This is especially a problem for users with the new 27″ iMacs (which come with the Magic Mouse) and/or two monitors (that’s a lot of screen real estate to cover). With MagicPrefs, you also get the ability to improve the Mighty Mouse tracking speed by up to 200%. It’s brilliant. There is also a setting to increase or decrease the touch sensitivity of the device. MagicPrefs is perfect example of software making hardware better. And the developer promises that it will always be available for free (though he does accept PayPal donations on his site). He also promises that it uses less than 1% of system resources running in the background all the time. My usage of the software confirms this. Recent reports indicate that the Mighty Mouse is selling better than any mouse in Apple’s history. This is hardly surprising given that the other ones were awful, and this one is good. But MagicPrefs makes it much better. If you have a Magic Mouse, you need this.
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Source: TechCrunch | 30 Dec 2009 | 3:30 pm Storm 'Echoes' Could Break Up Ice ShelvesGlobal warming isn't the only reason why Antarctic ice shelves are falling apart.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 30 Dec 2009 | 3:30 pm AT&T: The Communications Company That Failed to Communicate in 2009We recount AT&T's mistakes with communicating to the public in 2009.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 30 Dec 2009 | 3:30 pm AT&T: The Communications Company That Failed to Communicate in 2009
The network’s notoriety incited widespread complaints, an ad war with its biggest rival and a consumer protest. Even Saturday Night Live mocked the big A. Every cellular network has its problems with voice quality, occasional dropped calls and imperfect data coverage. And AT&T has some things other networks don’t: It has even been ranked the fastest 3G network in some wireless surveys, such as the 12-city bandwidth test recently performed by Gizmodo. The company is also clearly responding to the problems, rigorously pumping out upgrades for networks in major cities all over the nation, according to its 2009 press archive. Yet AT&T has taken some serious heat. A Consumer Reports survey, which polled 50,000 readers spanning 26 cities, ranked AT&T as the worst cellphone service in the United States. Meanwhile, YouGov’s BrandIndex survey showed a steady decline in AT&T’s brand perception. AT&T has a perception problem, to say the least, and most of that can be tied to its performance as the sole carrier of the most popular phone in the nation, Apple’s iPhone. “They had some interesting parts this past year,” said Michael Gartenberg, an Interpret analyst. “You’re Apple’s partner with sharing the iPhone, and you’re getting booed louder than Microsoft. That means you’re not hitting it the way you should.” Surely, AT&T made a number of mistakes this year, and many of them were indeed related to the iPhone. From mixed messages to broken promises, here we document the communications company’s communication failures of 2009. Mixed MessagesBoos echoed throughout the audience at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in mid-2009, when Apple vice president of marketing Phil Schiller delivered the bad news: Tethering for the iPhone would be provided by 22 carriers around the world, but not AT&T. The second piece of disappointing news: Multimedia messaging, the ability to send images and videos through a text message, would be immediately available for 29 carriers around the world, but not for AT&T customers until “late summer.” More boos greeted the announcement. In statements sent to the press, AT&T was quick to defend its network when customers complained about the lack of immediate MMS and tethering support for the iPhone. “We absolutely will offer MMS on iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G with 3.0 upgrades in late summer once we complete some system upgrades that will ensure our customers have the best experience with MMS,” AT&T said in a press statement. “These upgrades are unrelated to our 3G network.” Three months later, the company posted a video (above) explaining the challenges of supporting the enormous growth of data usage thanks to the rise of smartphones. When speaking about MMS for the iPhone, a company spokesman said, “We’ve been working for months to prepare the radio access controllers in our network to support this launch. That means calibrating base stations all over the country; frankly, that’s a very time consuming process.” Unrelated to the network, huh? Also in September 2009, AT&T acknowledged in an interview with The New York Times that it faced challenges because of the data-guzzling smartphones. “It’s been a challenging year,” said John Donovan, AT&T’s chief technology officer. “Overnight we’re seeing a radical shift in how people are using their phones…. There’s just no parallel for the demand.” Then, a few weeks ago, AT&T’s CEO of mobility, Ralph de la Vega, said 3 percent of its data users are taking up 40 percent of AT&T’s wireless capacity, and that the company was working on ways to cut down their usage. That would imply plans to impose some sort of limitation on data use. Currently AT&T offers all of its iPhone subscribers unlimited data plans. Over the course of a year, AT&T went from denying network issues to acknowledging there were challenges in supporting data. And then de la Vega pointed fingers at heavy data users. That didn’t go over so well: De la Vega’s statement inspired the satiric blog The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs to launch Operation Chokehold — a protest with the intention of bringing down AT&T’s network. Dan Lyons, the author of that blog, was joking, but angry customers took him seriously and actually tried to assault the network with heavy data usage. Though the protest did not come anywhere near to overloading the network, Operation Chokehold made headlines all over the web.
Empty Statements
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LinkedIn, a social networking site for professionals, recently issued a major upgrade to its iPhone app. It’s darn gorgeous.
The app’s user interface mimics the large, bubbly buttons of the iPhone’s home screen. Each button directs you to a different part of LinkedIn: status updates, profiles, connections, inbox and so on. The app is fast and smooth, although it encountered a bug that also appears on the LinkedIn website: connection invitations that never seem to go away, even after you approve or reject them.
The most interesting addition to the LinkedIn app is a feature called “In Person.” It enables LinkedIn iPhone users to swap contact information by simply bumping their phones together; the connection is made over Bluetooth. It’s very similar to an iPhone app called Bump, which does practically the same thing.
The LinkedIn app’s massive makeover is similar to the one Facebook received with its 3.0 update. Frankly, I think the Facebook and LinkedIn iPhone apps have better UIs than their actual websites. LinkedIn.com and Facebook.com, in my opinion, are pretty rough to navigate. Both iPhone apps make the user experience far more pleasant, though they don’t completely replace usage of the actual website. (You probably wouldn’t wish to fill out your LinkedIn profile with the iPhone app, for example, lest you believe employers won’t care about touchscreen-induced typos.)
The LinkedIn app is free in the App Store.
Download Link [iTunes] via TUAW
Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile
AT&T has resumed online sales of the iPhone in New York City but is still refusing to explain why sales in the area were blocked over the Christmas holiday. Customers who tried to buy the phone on the company’s website and entered a NYC zipcode were told the iPhone was not available and directed to choose something else. On Monday morning the device was suddenly made available again.
When asked why NYC was suddenly excluded from online sales, AT&T released a cryptic and more or less unhelpful statement:
“We periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels.”
Speculation rose that it was clumsy attempt to reduce data usage, which has become a growing problem on AT&T’s struggling 3G network. AT&T’s CEO, Ralph de la Vega said earlier this month that the company was looking at ways to control data usage and that 3% of the company’s smartphone users are responsible for 40% of it’s traffic. That 3% is presumed to be iPhone users. The Associated Press reported however, that the reason for the block in online sales may have been because of a spike in fraudulent activity in the area.
The iPhone was never taken off the shelves at any of the company’s NYC area retail stores.
Read [InformationWeek]
Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
Our friends at Macworld have a simple list of uses for a dead iPod. The suggestions include using the iPod as a car stereo (if the battery no longer charges), turning the iPod into a storage drive, or tethering the iPod to a computer as an always-plugged-in iTunes player.
Decent suggestions, but I had to chime in with my favorite use of an old iPod: Turning it into a bootable Mac OS X drive. Lifehacker posted a great guide on installing Mac OS X Leopard on your iPod. (The same steps work for Mac OS X Snow Leopard.) The process is really easy: You erase the iPod’s hard drive and then restore it with an OS X disc image.
An iPod containing Mac OS X will come useful for troubleshooting (booting up on the iPod and performing disc repair on your Mac hard drive) or performing a fresh installation if needed. I prefer the iPod method because I tend to get careless with discs; they end up scratched up within a few months. Also, installing from a hard drive is way faster than installing from a disc. (That’s assuming, of course, that the problem with your iPod is a broken screen or a depleted battery — not a dead drive.)
Got any better suggestions for using a dead iPod? Add them in the comments below.
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Photo: Elron6900/Flickr
This USB hub has 24 ports. Who could possibly use such a thing? I regularly have to re-jig my USB setup to fit in everything I use (not to mention the gear I test) and I can’t ever see myself needing almost a quarter-century of sockets.
We suppose it could be good for those who need to write a whole lot of thumb-drives at once, although there are purpose built devices for that which don’t make your peripherals radiate from the center like some demented electronic sunburst. The Super USB 24-Port Hub will set you back $70, and comes (of course) with a power adapter.
I have another concern about having so may gadgets hooked up to just one port on your computer. Unlike FireWire, USB communication is controlled by your computer and not the peripheral itself. Wouldn’t having 24 gizmos running concurrently drain the resources of even a powerful modern machine?
Super USB 24-Port Hub [USB Fever]
Earlier this evening Gizmodo published leaked images that apparently show off the pricing details for Google’s upcoming Nexus One phone. The Nexus One comes in at a hefty $530 for an unlocked device, or $180 with contract on T-Mobile — pricing that’s pretty standard for a smart phone. But even still, it’s a very big deal. It also looks like Gizmodo’s screenshots may have included clues hinting at a previously unannounced feature for Android: automatic backup of your data.
As a youngster, I was once given a one-year subscription to the National Geographic. Like most people, I looked at the (wonderful) pictures and promised myself I would read the articles later. A promise which was, of course, never kept (although I did often sneak a peek at the pictures of the women of tribes which have less strict rules on clothing than us).
The trouble with the Nat Geo was that, to me at least, it seemed like a chapter of an encyclopedia, not a magazine. Now you can actually use it that way, with a new hard-drive which puts every copy, ever, in one easy-to-search place. For $200, the National Geographic will sell you a 160GB hard drive, 60GB of which consists of scans of the entire back catalog, including the ads (sometimes the best part of looking back in time).
The browsing interface looks pretty, well, pretty, and owes a lot to OS X’s cover flow. You can search text, articles and photos, and of course just lose hours browsing 120 yeas of the iconic mag. The biggest surprise to us is that the entire library takes up just 60GB, just 500MB per year. The collection has been available on DVD for some time now, but that is obviously a disk-swapping, battery-draining pain compared to a nice compact USB HD. Better, you can have it personalized, with the name of your chosen giftee printed onto the case of the drive itself.
The Complete National Geographic on 160-GB Hard Drive [National Geographic]
This label could point to a new 8GB iPhone 3GS, a replacement for the current $200 iPhone 3G. The picture was snapped by a German T-Mobile customer, David, and posted to the Apfeltalk forums.
David was supposed to receive a refurbished 8BG iPhone 3G, the cheapest model in the iPhone lineup. He got the handset he was expecting, but the packaging (pictured below), including this sticker, claimed otherwise.
We’re not surprised. The 3GS surely costs less to make now than at its introduction, and the 8GB 3G must be Apple’s top-seller, the phone that brought the iPhone into reach for just about anyone (in the US, at least. The 3GS is available for as little as nothing in some countries). At some point, maintaining two separate product lines must be more expensive than just upgrading the low-end model.
Whatever happens, the new, low-key Apple is unlikely to make an announcement. Expect the new compass and video-equipped handset to just show up on the Apple Store one day.
The Phantom: iPhone 3G [S] 8GB [Apfeltalk via Electronista]
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile
Apparently some unknown tipster found a landing page for the new Google Nexus One and took a few screen shots of it and sent it to Gizmodo. The validity of the image and details it contains remains to be seen, but the pricing information does make sense.
Basically, the unsubsidized, unlocked, without a contract Nexus One will be sold for $530 by Google. However, if you opt for the two year contract by T-Mobile, it becomes an affordable, realistic $180. The $180 price tag stacks up with the 16GB iPhone 3GS and the Motorola Droid, which both sell for $199 on their respective carriers. The only rate plan offered for the phone is $39.99 Even More + Text + Web for $79.99 total. Now, if you are an existing T-Mobile customer with a plan set in place, you would have to change to this plan in order to receive the subsidized $180 phone. However, if you want to keep your existing plan and still use this phone, you would have to buy it for $530. In fact, if you are on a family plan, Flexpay, SmartAccess, or KidConnect, then you would have to buy an unsubsidized Nexus One for $530.
Now, the phone will be sold out of the United States with a language agreement. The website Google will use to sell the Nexus One will be Google.com/phone. For every Google Account, five Nexus One’s may be purchased. If you terminate your plan within 120 days after purchase, Google will charge you the difference between the amount you paid for the subsidized phone ($180) and the actual cost ($530), so the difference comes out to be $350. In addition, at the price page, they offer two accessories - a desktop docking station for $39.99 and a car docking station for $49.99.
It will definitely be interesting to see how this rumor pans out and whether these are the actual retail prices.
Via [Gizmodo]
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
Screenshots sent to Gizmodo from an anonymous source reveal the possible price and tariff details of the Nexus One Google phone, along with some extra hardware details.
The Google-designed handset is expected to be launched at an invitation-only Android-themed special event on Tuesday January 5th. If these leaked pictures are correct, then the Nexus One will retail for $530 unlocked, ready to be used with any GSM carrier. Those wanting to buy the handset subsidized will pay $180 and have to sign up for a two year contract. There appears to be only one plan available for these customers, and that is the T-Mobile Even More Individual 500 Plan, which gives you 500 minutes, free weekend and in-network calls and unlimited SMS, MMS and data. That bring the total cost over two years to $2,100.
The screenshots also offer a teaser about hardware accessories. There will be a dock for an extra $40 to allow you to “Charge your phone while streaming music and backing up your data” and a car docking station ($50): “Nexus One is dock-aware and will optimize its display for navigation and hands-free use.”
According to Gizmodo, you will be able to buy up to five handsets per Google account, Google will actually ship the handset to countries outside the US. As the handset is unlocked, there seems no reason not to ship it to countries that use the GSM standard, and that price starts to look very attractive next to even the subsidized iPhone when converted from US dollars into stronger currencies.
It doesn’t look like Google or T-Mobile stand to lose much on this deal. If you decide you don’t like the (subsidized) Nexus One, you can cancel within 120 days. The early-termination fee will be a staggering $350.
Leaked Nexus One Documents: $530 Unlocked, $180 With T-Mobile [Gizmodo]
Screenshots: Gizmodo
See Also:
The HypnosEye cellphone projector is the lowest tech solution you’ll find to the problem of throwing your cellphone’s video onto a nearby wall. It is also the only gadget in history that sports an “adjustment cushion”.
First, here’s what the HypnosEye doesn’t do. It doesn’t hook up to your iPhone’s dock, or your portable media player’s video-out. It doesn’t use lasers or LEDs or spinning mirrors to cast project the image. And most of all, it will never, ever fit in your pocket. What it does do is cast a rather dim image onto a very nearby wall, without batteries or lights of any kind. Here it is in action:
The magic lantern is a polycarbonate and ABS box which has a slot in the base for an iPhone, or anything else that will fit in there. Mirrors inside bend the light from the screen and beam it out through a lens on the front, and focus is achieved by sliding the front section of the unit back and forth. The kit even comes with a tiny 14-inch-wide screen and stand.
It’s a fun gimmick, marred by its relatively high price of $117. For less than double that, you can pick up a real pico projector, and project a proper, bright image of, say, the Death Star onto your bedroom ceiling as you fall sound asleep in your Tauntaun sleeping bag.
And that adjustment cushion? It just tilts the front of the projector up at an angle. That is all.
HypnosEye Projector and Screen Set [Japan Trend Shop via Oh Gizmo!]
We’ve remarked before that once a perfectly good home-made solution becomes popular, somebody, somewhere, will turn a buck by hawking a ready-made version. Exhibit A: Bike-polo mallets. Mine is made from a ski-pole, a piece of gas pipe found in the street and cut to size, and an old inner-tube wrapped around the handle to make a grip. But now, you can buy a ready-made bike-polo shaft for $15.
I have wondered for a while how long it would be before somebody would sell a commercial bike-polo mallet. One of the best parts of the game is that it is almost free to play. The goals are made from traffic cones, the mallets from found parts and the bikes are.. well, you have a bike, right?
To be fair to Milwaukee Bicycle Company, the purveyor of these sticks, the aim is to provide ski-poles to those who live far from the slopes. The poles are also tougher than the average aluminum stick. This is the description:
Made from 7075 T6 Series 4 Aluminum, these poles are constructed with the strongest commercially available, aircraft-grade aluminum alloy and are twice as strong as the industry standard, rated to 75,000 PSI.
The poles are a generous 49-inches long, weigh 195grams (7 ounces) and are powder coated in a rather fetching orange. Better still, the $15 price tag means it costs about the same as one half of a pair of ski-poles (mine cost €20, or around $28, for the pair). Finally, you still have to make your own mallet, which means that this component is no worse than buying gas-pipe from the hardware store instead of scavenging it from the streets.
Could it be that the purpose made solution is in this case better and more friendly to the environment? After all, there is no plastic grip, plastic circle or strap to cut off and discard.
Milwaukee Bicycle Co. - Bike Polo Shafts [Benscycle via Urban Velo]
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For those who travel a lot, or just need wireless nearly anywhere they can possibly get it, 3G wireless cards and modems have been a huge help. They haven’t come without problems, however. Some carriers like AT&T and Verizon put in data caps around 5GB per month, and all of them charge at least $60 for the unlimited plan or plan with the highest cap. DataJack looks to take full advantage of those flaws.
This isn’t part of our usual beat, but I thought I’d share it with you anyway. This New Year’s Eve has 
Since 1888, National Geographic has visited many strange, interesting, and exciting places, people, and animals on our planet. Within their published magazine, many people can enjoy nature and understand it through vivid pictures and informative texts. While that’s nice and realistic in the 20th century, but come on this is the 21st century, technology can do better than magazines. 
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2, 2003)
Guitar Hero (PS2/PS3/Xbox 360, 2005)
Shadow of the Colossus (PS2, 2005)
A Nevada couple found themselves stranded in a remote forest for 3 days after blindly following their GPS through the high desert of eastern Oregon. The couple got stuck in nearly 2 feet of snow after following their GPS device’s direction to turn onto a remote road leading into the Winema-Fremont National Forest. Fortunately they were well prepared with food, water and warm clothes, which saved their lives. On the third day they finally managed to transmit their location to a 911 dispatcher.
Someone call Bruce Willis. Russia announced Wednesday that they are considering launching a spacecraft with the intention of altering its possibly earth-crushing trajectory to a less threatening one.
Back in November, I wrote up a review of the new Magic Mouse, noting that it was “
It’s been a big year for 
Amazon has just released its "Best of 2009" lists, showing the top-selling devices, books, DVDs, and such from this, the final year of the aughts. And although 2009 has not brought us hovercycles or Lunar colonies, it has brought us love-stricken vampires and a great number of replacements for paper-based book products, both of which sold extremely well.
Do you like drawing conclusions from lists? Then buddy, this one's for you.
Following the attempted terror attack on a Christmas Day flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, TSA officials have cracked down on the use of technology in flight. Effective immediately passengers are no longer allowed to use phones, live television, or access the internet while in flight. Additionally, beginning 1 hour before landing, passengers are not allowed to use any electronic devices, access any personal belongings, or have anything in their laps at all. 
1934 photo of a