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Viral Video: Roger Ebert's New/Old Computer-Generated Voice Speaks Volumes [BoomTown]
Here is a remarkable video clip of film critic Roger Ebert showing off his “new” voice in a television interview on the “The Oprah Winfrey Show” yesterday. Ebert has dubbed the new voice “Roger Jr.” That’s because it has been computer-generated, using numerous past recordings he has made, from innovative software programming by a Scottish tech outfit called CereProc. “It’s what they call a beta. It still needs improvement, but at least it sounds like me,” he said. The award-winning movie reviewer lost his voice after a bout with thyroid cancer, but remains as eloquent as ever with his new/old voice. Said Ebert: “I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn’t always know this, and I am happy that I lived long enough to find it out.” Indeed and here the video proof (that is Ebert’s wife crying at the end): Source: All Things Digital | 3 Mar 2010 | 3:04 am Skype App Hits Ovi Store, And Potentially 200 Million Nokia Handsets Next Pretty huge news in our book: Skype has published a free mobile application for Symbian in the Ovi Store, basically enabling over 200 million Nokia handset users to easily download the program and start making free Skype-to-Skype calls from their phones.
If I were a carrier, I'd probably be feeling rather nervous right now - and / or infuriated.
Skype for Symbian, which you can also download the app straight from the Skype website, will run on any Nokia smartphone using Symbian^1, the latest version of the Symbian platform. 
Source: TechCrunch | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:52 am Skype for Symbian lands on Ovi Store = more than 200 million possible users
If I were a carrier, I’d probably be feeling rather nervous right now – and / or infuriated. Skype for Symbian, which you can also download the app straight from the Skype website, will run on any Nokia smartphone using Symbian^1, the latest version of the Symbian platform (see list below). It’s not the Skype wasn’t already available for Symbian, but its appearance in the Ovi Store will certainly increase awareness of its existence – as well as that of the Ovi Store, for that matter. We recently reported that Nokia’s Ovi Store now serves more than 1 million downloads per day as of January 2010 (yesterday they said that number increased to 1.5 million per day or 22 downloads per second), and if the success of the Skype app for the iPhone is any indication, the addition of Skype will lift those numbers up significantly. The app does everything you’d want a Skype app to do, as it includes support for making free calls to other Skype users over Wi-Fi and 3G, instant messaging, picture and video sharing – the whole nine yards. This is the long list of phones that can now accommodate the installation of the Skype Mobile app: Nokia N97, Nokia N97 mini, Nokia X6, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and Nokia 5530 and the following non-touch devices: Nokia E72, Nokia E71, Nokia E90, Nokia E63, Nokia E66, Nokia E51, Nokia N96, Nokia N95, Nokia N95 8Gb, Nokia N85, Nokia N82, Nokia N81, Nokia N81 8 Gb, Nokia N79, Nokia N78, Nokia 6220 classic, Nokia 6210 Navigator and Nokia 5320. Skype says it will even be updating the app soon to make it function on Symbian mobiles from other handset makers, including Sony Ericsson. Bad news for carriers, good news for most everyone else.
It works over Wi-Fi or a data connection on these handset models: Nokia E71, N96, N85, 5320, 6210 Navigator, 6220 classic, N78, N79, E63, E66, N82, E51, N95, N95 8GB, N81, N81 8GB, E90, E72, 5800 XpressMusic, N97, N97 mini, X6, and the 5530. While it only works on Nokia handsets at the moment, Skype plans on launching the app on other manufacturers' Symbian phones, with Sony Ericsson next in line to get the free Skype-to-Skype calls, IM ability and sharing files functionality. It's available now through the Ovi Store, however whenever I click on it it says the item is no longer available. First day nerves, I bet. [Nokia Conversations]  Source: Gizmodo | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:41 am Mobile Boarding Passes Take Off With 1200% Usage Increase In 2009
Alright, lets pat the pockets and run through the mental checklist one last time before security: Passport? Check, front pocket. Headphones? Definitely in your backpack. Boarding pass? Uh oh. Where’d that boarding pass go? Oh, that’s right! It’s on your phone – because you, like a rapidly increasing number of other people, opted to have it sent straight to your handset. Security scans the QR code right off of your handset’s display, and you’re on your way with one less thing to lose. Trinity Mobile, one of the leading companies behind the mobile ticketing push, is today announcing a 1200% year-over-year increase with their mobile boarding pass offerings. Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>      
Source: TechCrunch | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:10 am Apple sues HTC over phones with Google software (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:08 am McKinsey: Get Ready For Sensor-Driven Business ModelsConsulting firm McKinsey has just released a report on the Internet of Things, one of ReadWriteWeb's top 5 trends of last year. The report, available for free if you sign up as a member of McKinsey Quarterly,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:02 am Mobile Boarding Passes Take Off With 1200% Usage Increase In 2009
Alright, lets pat the pockets and run through the mental checklist one last time before security: Passport? Check, front pocket. Headphones? Definitely in your backpack. Boarding pass? Uh oh. Where’d that boarding pass go? Oh, that’s right! It’s on your phone – because you, like a rapidly increasing number of other people, opted to have it sent straight to your handset. Security scans the QR code right off of your handset’s display, and you’re on your way with one less thing to lose. Trinity Mobile, one of the leading companies behind the mobile ticketing push, is today announcing a 1200% year-over-year increase with their mobile boarding pass offerings.
In 2008, Trinity Mobile saw 50,000 users opt-in to receive mobile boarding passes rather than the more traditional options. In 2009, this number shot up to 600,000. That’s still a drop in the bucket compared to the number of people flying with ol’ fashion boarding passes each and every day – but considering that that growth is almost entirely driven by users picking the option when its offered to them (without any real marketing push by Trinity or the airlines they’ve partnered with), it’s pretty impressive. Jupiter Research backs up the fact that the trend is skyrocketing; according to their 2010 Mobile Ticketing report, over 2 billion mobile boarding passes will be sent out in 2010, with that number expected to blast up to 15 billion by 2014. Anecdotally, I can honestly say I’ve also noticed a massive uptick in mobile boarding pass usage. As someone who travels somewhat frequently, I’ve seen at least a handful of people going that route on each trip I’ve taken over the past few months – especially on flights in Europe. I’ve yet to be offered a chance to do it myself – but given that I’m the type of person who clutches on to their boarding pass like it’s ice water in Hell, I’d jump on it on a heartbeat. What about you? Have you used a mobile boarding pass yet? What were your experiences? [Image Credit: Paramount Pictures]
Source: MobileCrunch | 3 Mar 2010 | 1:53 am Printing Replacement Body PartsDeep Penguin sends in a piece that appeared in The Economist a couple of weeks back about a developing technology to "print" body parts for transplant. "A US and an Australian company have developed the $200,000 machine, which works by depositing stem cells and a 'a sugar-based hydrogel' scaffolding material. (The stem cells are harvested from a transplant patient's own fat and bone marrow, to avoid rejection down the line.) The companies are Organovo, from San Diego, specializing in regenerative medicine, and Invetech, an engineering and automation firm in Melbourne, Australia. The initial targets are skin, muscle, and 'short stretches of blood vessels,' which they hope to have available for human implantation within five years. Down the line, they expect the technology could even print directly into the body, bypassing the in-vitro portion of the current process."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 3 Mar 2010 | 1:49 am AT&T Says iPhone Isn't Going Away [Voices]By Roger Cheng, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal AT&T (T) CEO Randall Stephenson said he expects Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone to be an important part of its line-up for “quite some time” despite speculation that the company could lose its exclusive deal to carry the phone in the U.S. in coming months. Mr. Stephenson, speaking at a conference Tuesday, didn’t specify whether AT&T would remain the exclusive U.S. carrier. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 3 Mar 2010 | 1:33 am Microsoft’s Project Natal Is Hot. Like Pong Hot
Video games have evolved, but I’ve never quite had that Pong moment again. Until yesterday, that is, when I visited Microsoft and had a chance to try out Project Natal, an add-on device for Xbox that lets users control games by simply moving their body. Just like real life. I assumed Natal would be a lot like the Wii, which uses motion sensors in handheld devices to control gameplay. But the experience is totally different. Natal allows for extremely nuanced movements, even determining via algorithms what you are doing with body parts the camera can’t see (like when your hands go behind your back). And for anyone who’s accidentally and painfully hit a wall or a window playing a strenuous game of Wii Tennis: Natal avoids this problem by keeping you in a zone where your movements are tracked. You just naturally gravitate to the center of the room after movements. The game I and others were playing was called Ricochet. You see your the back of your blue avatar on the screen (similar to first person shooters) You hit red balls against a group of targets in front of a wall. You can hit the balls, which bounce back towards you after hitting the wall, with your hands or any other body part. Headers, kicks, knees, whatever. You get points for speed and accuracy. You can see a video of Ricochet here. Ricochet is a lot like Pong actually. Not much to it. But it was so damn fun. After I played a game and others took their turn I looked around. Everyone was smiling, and laughing, just like the neighbors back in 1976 while watch Pong. And the Microsoft employees were carefully watching us smiling. They looked like they’d seen that reaction before. Forbes Quentin Hardy, sitting next to me, drew the analogy to Pong (and then wrote about it). I wholeheartedly agree. There’s something very special about Natal that goes way beyond what Nintendo did with the Wii. I can’t wait to get my hands on one later this year. Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 3 Mar 2010 | 1:09 am Angels Vs. Venture Capitalists [Voices]By Ben Horowitz, Co-founder, Andreessen Horowitz At our new venture fund, we’ve been spending time looking into new ways that will make the lives of entrepreneurs seeking funding easier. To that end, we’ve linked up with Ted Wang, who has been working on an open source legal project called the Series Seed documents. We’re impressed with his work and are going to use these standard funding documents as part of our seed-stage investments wherever appropriate. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 3 Mar 2010 | 1:05 am Bringing New Understanding to the Director's Cut [Voices]By Natalie Angier, Reporter, New York Times And now, just in time for Oscar junkies, comes a new statistical mincing of the movies that may someday yield an award category of its own: Best fit between a movie’s tempo and the natural rhythms of the brain. Reporting in the journal “Psychological Science,” James E. Cutting of Cornell University and his colleagues described their discovery that Hollywood filmmakers, whether they know it or not, have become steadily more adroit at shaping basic movie structure to match the pulsatile, half-smooth, half-raggedy way we attend to the world around us. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 3 Mar 2010 | 1:04 am "A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell": Hulu's Mega-Popular Movie About Child Molestation [Voices]By Chadwick Matlin, Blogger, Hulucination, The Big Money, Slate “A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell” is a 1990 film that features a girl besieged by hordes of rapists, dinosaurs and one giant phallic monster called the “chromasaurus.” At several points she is cornered, pinned down, and sexually assaulted. During one of these episodes another character removes her shirt, roughly massages mud on her breast, and assumes the missionary position. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 3 Mar 2010 | 1:03 am Apple Vs. HTC: A Patent Breakdown [Voices]By Nilay Patel, Associate Editor, Engadget Apple (AAPL) suing HTC over 20-odd patents before both the U.S. District Court and the International Trade Commission has certainly caused some chaos this morning, but we thought we’d take a quick breath now that we have the complaints and tease out exactly what patents are at stake here. Of note, most of the patents were granted in the past year, but overall they span a range from 1995 to February 2. Yes, last month. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 3 Mar 2010 | 1:02 am Cyberwar Hype Intended to Destroy the Open Internet [Voices]By Ryan Singel, Staff Writer, Wired The biggest threat to the open internet is not Chinese government hackers or greedy anti-net-neutrality ISPs, it’s Michael McConnell, the former director of national intelligence. McConnell’s not dangerous because he knows anything about SQL injection hacks, but because he knows about social engineering. He’s the nice-seeming guy who’s willing and able to use fear-mongering to manipulate the federal bureaucracy for his own ends, while coming off like a straight shooter to those who are not in the know. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 3 Mar 2010 | 1:01 am Marantz wants to Roku you for free (with purchase)
Here’s what you do: go to any authorized Marantz dealer before March 31st, and purchase one of the eligible high performance Blu-ray players. That list includes the UD9004 (SRP: $5999.99), the UD8004 (SRP:$2299.99), the BD7004 (SRP:$799.99), or the bargain basement BD5004 (SRP: $549.99). After buying one of these units, fill out the rebate redemption form, and then you’ll receive your very own Roku HD player via mail. Sounds like a heck of a deal to me! Here’s the press release, or you can just go to the Marantz website for the details:
Source: CrunchGear | 3 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Daily Crunch: Bath Night Edition
Here are some of yesterday’s top stories: Throw away those Baby Einstein DVDs
Source: CrunchGear | 3 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Apple IPhone With Wi-Fi May Soon Enter China (PC World)PC World - China Unicom, the only mobile network operator selling iPhones in China, is in talks with Apple to sell a version of the popular smartphone with Wi-Fi, something the companies could not do previously due to government regulations.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Doctors learning how to operate using robots
Enter the RoSS Simulator. Using a stand alone simulator it’s possible for a doctor to receive all the training they need on the system without actually using the Da Vinci robot in an operating theater. This cuts down on the training costs significantly, as well as freeing up the real unit for procedures. [via Medgadget]
Source: CrunchGear | 3 Mar 2010 | 12:30 am Brits: tell the LibDem Peers not to bring web-censorship to Britain!The awful UK Digital Economy Bill is being debated in the House of Lords, and it might just get more awful, thanks to the LibDems. The LibDem peers, Lords Razzall and Clement-Jones, have introduced an amendment that would open the door to nationally censoring entire websites on unsubstantiated claims of copyright infringement -- so YouTube or WordPress.com might disappear from the British Internet if someone makes a false accusation of copyright infringement against them.The LibDems are supposed to be the party of liberty. That's why I joined them. That's why I fundraise and campaign for them. I believe that this is an embarrassment for the party, and I'm writing to them to tell them so. I hope you will, too. "97B Preventing access to specified online locationsLib Dems seek web blocking: ask them to stop (Thanks, Glyn!)
Previously:
Source: Boing Boing | 3 Mar 2010 | 12:29 am Brits: tell the LibDem Peers not to bring web-censorship to Britain!The awful UK Digital Economy Bill is being debated in the House of Lords, and it might just get more awful, thanks to the LibDems. The LibDem peers, Lords Razzall and Clement-Jones, have introduced an...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Mar 2010 | 12:29 am $1M Prize For Finding Cause of Unintended Accelerationphantomfive writes "Edmunds Auto has announced that it will be offering a $1 million prize to anyone who can find the cause of unintended acceleration. As Wikipedia notes, this is a problem that has plagued not only Toyota, but also Audi and other manufacturers. Consumer Reports has some suggestions all automakers can implement to solve this problem, including requiring brakes to be strong enough to stop the car even when the accelerator is floored."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 3 Mar 2010 | 12:22 am You don’t fall for the wallet inspector gimmick, so why fall for its online equivalent?
I think I’m getting to the point that, instead of feeling bad for people who fall victim to phishing scheme, or any other online nonsense, I’m actually like, “You know what? Serves you right.” There’s a new scam going around that exploits Internet Explorer (in Windows XP, mostly), and it works by tricking users into pressing the F1 key at a certain time. Once the key is pressed, any ol’ code a hackers wants to execute can be executed. Right now, the only work-around is to not press F1 when prompted by any ol’ site. Cool. The thing is, what kind of person will sit there, see a flashing pop-up that says, “You’ve won a million dollars! Press F1 to claim your prize!,” and then actually presses F1? I hate to invoke common sense, but come on, people! We’re not in the Wild West days of the Internet anymore; you should be able to tell a scam when you see one. Again, if a guy on the street walks up to you, claims to be the wallet inspector, how many of you would hand it over? Not very many! Apply the same concept to your Internet life, and you’ll find it all the more enjoyable. That, or switch to Firefox, or move to Linux.
Source: CrunchGear | 3 Mar 2010 | 12:10 am Online diaries expose China official to graft probe (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Mar 2010 | 12:09 am Drupal Founder Critical of SaaS and its Proprietary NatureDrupal's founder is calling for open source in the enterprise and in the cloud. This should be no surprise, coming from someone like Dries Buytaert. But it is still interesting, considering the source...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Mar 2010 | 12:02 am Taiwan stocks end higher on financials; HTC falls - Reuters
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:48 pm NicOx finds new partner for candidate eye drugPARIS, March 3 (Reuters) - French biotech NicOx said it had found a new partner for its candidate glaucoma eye drug NCX 116, sealing an exclusive worldwide licensing deal with Bausch & Lomb that...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:44 pm Audiobook DRM versus the patrons of the Cleveland Library This installment of the Brads webcomic shows the 22 steps a reader has to take in order to borrow a DRM-crippled audiobook from the public library. A compelling argument for libraries to boycott this stuff. The Brads - Why DRM Doesn't Work
Previously:
Source: Boing Boing | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:39 pm Audiobook DRM versus the patrons of the Cleveland LibraryThis installment of the Brads webcomic shows the 22 steps a reader has to take in order to borrow a DRM-crippled audiobook from the public library. A compelling argument for libraries to boycott this...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:39 pm Archos 2010 lineup leaks (in Europe)So the latest from Archos leaked recently at CeBIT 2010, the European electronics show. The 2010 Vision line showcases Archos returning to their roots with a series of new audio players designed for the lower end of the price range.
First is the A14VG Vision, a simple player with a 1.4″ display, 4GB of internal memory and an FM tuner. Expect to see it (since this is Europe only) for about 35 Euros.
Next is the A15VS Vision, a slimline player that supports FLAC, with the same 4GB of internal memory. This version will sell for about 40 Euros.
Again, don’t expect to ever see these in the US, but isn’t it fun to see what’s coming to Europe? [via dapreview]
Source: CrunchGear | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:30 pm Earth In High-Definition and Living ColorSpace photographs of the full globe of Earth taken by the Apollo astronauts in the late 1960s first revealed just how fragile and finite a world we live upon. The Earth was dubbed the "blue marble" floating against an inky ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:21 pm Google Ruling Could Limit Web Information, US Officials Say - BusinessWeek
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:17 pm Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitionsMarch 3 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 0530 GMT on Wednesday.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:04 pm Make Your Own Animated Pong ClockBy Chris Scott Barr While not the first video game in existence, Pong was the first widely-successful video game and is responsible for kick-starting the video game industry. It’s natural to want...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:01 pm Sears starting to take pre-orders on 3D TVs
Initially, the only televisions available will be the 46 inch and 55 inch versions, with the 46 inch priced at $2,600 and the 55 inch at $3,300. Sears also plans on providing education to shoppers via their online presence and in stores. Apparently there are a few misconceptions out there regarding how 3D television works and that 3D televisions are going to be expensive. However they are doing it, this could be a big win for Sears and Samsung if they can leverage the public consciousness into associating them with the new 3D technology. [via TWICE]
Source: CrunchGear | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:00 pm Xilinx Lowers Cost and Power of High-Performance Video Processing for Industrial Imaging ApplicationsSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:00 pm Xilinx Simplifies Development of Real-time Ethernet Networks for Industrial Automation ApplicationsSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:00 pm mypetfat Will Visually Motivate You To Lose WeightBy Andrew Liszewski If you’ve been looking for the absolute worst possible gift you can give someone, whether or not they’re trying to lose weight, I would highly recommend the mypetfat. Available...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:43 pm Officials Sue Couple Who Removed Their LawnHugh Pickens writes "The LA Times reports that Orange County officials are locked in a legal battle with a couple accused of violating city ordinances for replacing the grass on their lawn with wood chips and drought-tolerant plants, reducing their water usage from 299,221 gallons in 2007 to 58,348 gallons in 2009. The dispute began two years ago, when Quan and Angelina Ha tore out the grass in their front yard. In drought-plagued Southern California, the couple said, the lush grass had been soaking up tens of thousands of gallons of water — and hundreds of dollars — each year. 'We've got a newborn, so we want to start worrying about her future,' said Quan Ha, an information technology manager for Kelley Blue Book. But city officials told the Has they were violating several city laws that require that 40% of residential yards to be landscaped predominantly with live plants. Last summer, the couple tried to appease the city by building a fence around the yard and planting drought-tolerant greenery — lavender, rosemary, horsetail, and pittosporum, among others. But according to the city, their landscaping still did not comply with city standards. At the end of January, the Has received a letter saying they had been charged with a misdemeanor violation and must appear in court. The couple could face a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for their grass-free, eco-friendly landscaping scheme. 'It's just funny that we pay our taxes to the city and the city is now prosecuting us with our own money,' says Quan Ha."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:39 pm Wii Classic Pro controller showing up at GameStop
GameStop has them available for pre-order for the very reasonable price of $19.99, and you can have any color you want so long as you choose white. [via Destructoid]
Right now, those buildings stand surrounded by a swimming pool, fitness center, basketball court, and whatever other amenities an apartment community might have:
Still spooky looking, no? Doesn't seem surprising that there's been all sorts of supernatural activity reported by residents and visitors. I just hope they hand out free Proton Packs with every new lease. [WIkipedia via Fast Company] Source: Gizmodo | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:20 pm Gaga for Google Broadband - BusinessWeek
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:02 pm thePlatform Unveils New Social Media Player for Professional Video Sites and Content OwnersSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:01 pm Nokia 5230 Nuron Delivers Apps, Maps and Free Navigation to T-Mobile USA CustomersSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:01 pm Atmel Expands Touch Portfolio to Offer More Functionality to Everyday ApplicationsSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm Atmel Capacitive Touchscreen Controller Wins Embedded 2010 Special Merits AwardSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm How to Patent an IdeaFirst step to becoming filthy rich and happy off your invention? Convince the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that your invention is actually new.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm Xilinx Simplifies Development of Real-time Ethernet Networks for Industrial Automation ApplicationsNUREMBERG, Germany, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- At Embedded World 2010 today, Xilinx, Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm Find Just the Right Film Clip — FastMovieclips and Anyclips will prove you right (or totally wrong) the next time you're having an argument about when that one guy said that one thing in that place in your favorite flick.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm Xilinx Lowers Cost and Power of High-Performance Video Processing for Industrial Imaging ApplicationsNUREMBERG, Germany, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- At Embedded World 2010 today, Xilinx, Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm March 3, 2005: Fossett Circuits Globe Alone, All in One GoAdventurer Steve Fossett becomes the first solo pilot to fly an airplane nonstop completely around the world.
According to a recent Microsoft security advisory:
This means that all someone with ill intentions needs to do is create a website which has a somewhat convincing popup prompt to coax you into hitting F1. And tada! You've allowed him or her to run some kind of code on your machine. It'll be a while before a patch is available for this bug, but in the meantime Microsoft suggests that you protect yourself by not pressing the F1 key if a Web site tells you to. [Microsoft via Computer World via Slashdot] Picture by Karl Alvin Source: Gizmodo | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:40 pm Indestructible map is indestructible
Maps are among the more invaluable travel tools. Android/iPhone apps are nice, but sometimes analog is just the best way to go. Industrial designer Emanuele Pizzolorusso has these Tyvek city maps in the pipes that look like they can handle anything you throw at them. These maps are waterproof, crease-able, crumble-able, and when you’re done reading one, just stuff it haphazardly into the included pouch. They’re probably more useful to a hitchhiker than his or her towel. Emergency blanket, tarp, hull patch, the uses are endless. I only see concepts for London, Paris, New York, Tokyo and Berlin, and no word on when we can expect to find them in the wild.
Source: CrunchGear | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:30 pm Viacom to drop Jon Stewart, Colbert Report from Hulu (Reuters)Reuters - Viacom Inc's Comedy Central is withdrawing its popular comedy shows "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" from online video service Hulu, a Hulu executive said on Tuesday.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:23 pm Terry Childs's Slow Road To Justicesnydeq writes "Deep End's Paul Venezia provides an update on the City of San Francisco's trial against IT admin Terry Childs, which — at eight weeks and counting — hasn't even seen the defense begin to present its case. The main spotlight thus far has been on the testimony of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. 'Many articles about this case have pounced on the fact that after Childs gave the passwords to the mayor, they couldn't immediately be used. Most of these pieces chalk this up to some kind of secondary infraction on Childs's part,' Venezia writes. 'Just because you give someone a password doesn't mean that person knows how to use it. Childs's security measures would have included access lists that blocked attempted logins from non-specified IP addresses or subnets. In short, it was nothing out of the ordinary if you know anything about network security.' But while the lack of technical expertise in the case is troubling, encouraging is the fact that the San Francisco Chronicle's 'breathless piece reporting on the mayor's testimony' drew comments 10-to-1 in Childs's favor, which may indicate that 'public opinion of this case has tilted in favor of the defense,' Venezia writes. Of course, 'if [the trial] drags into summer, Childs will have the dubious honor of being held in jail for two full years.' This for a man who 'ultimately protected the [City's] network until the bitter end.'"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:21 pm Taiwan's HTC denies infringing iPhone patents (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:15 pm Freelancer.com Announces Finalists for 'Expose Our Logo To Win US$10,000' CompetitionSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:15 pm Silicon Valley Delegation To Go To D.C. To Rally Support For Startup Visa Act
On Thursday 20 or so Silicon Valley entrepreneurs will travel to Washington D.C. to talk with government officials about the Act, introduced last week by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), and drum up more support. Venture capitalist Dave McClure is organizing the trip. The Startup Visa Act of 2010 would create a two year visa for immigrant entrepreneurs who are able to raise a minimum of $250,000, with $100,000 coming from a qualified U.S. angel or venture investor. After two years, if the immigrant entrepreneur is able to create five or more jobs (not including their children or spouse), attract an additional $1 million in investment, or produce $1 million in revenues, he or she will become a legal resident. What can you do to help? Tweet @2gov supporting #StartupVisa exactly at 10 AM Pacific on Wednesday March 3rd (tomorrow). Your messages will be collected and delivered during the group’s visit to the White House on Thursday. They’re hoping to get 5,000 tweets. I’m pretty sure we can do better than that.      
Sure, it would've been funny if something had gone wrong at that 1:40 mark, but the fact that this little demonstration worked just the way it should is great news. By switching between integrated and discrete graphics, Optimus could one day double our laptop batteries' lives. And that's more exciting than any bit of sparks and smoke could've been. [nTersect Blog] Source: Gizmodo | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:00 pm Atmel Capacitive Touchscreen Controller Wins Embedded 2010 Special Merits AwardNUREMBERG, Germany, March 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EMBEDDED WORLD 2010 -- Atmel(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML), a leader in microcontroller and touch solutions, today announced it has received the Embedded 2010 Special Merits Award in the Hardware category.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:00 pm Atmel Expands Touch Portfolio to Offer More Functionality to Everyday ApplicationsNUREMBERG, Germany, March 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EMBEDDED WORLD 2010 -- Atmel(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML), a leader in microcontroller and touch solutions, today announced several new and existing device and software products that will enable designers to easily implement capacitive touch functionality to buttons, sliders and wheels for applications in the consumer, industrial and white goods markets. Atmel uses its proprietary AVR capacitive touch microcontroller technology as a foundation for these products and offers a complete portfolio of devices and software for applications that require touch enabled buttons, sliders and wheels and touch screens.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:00 pm Tivo's New Set-top Box Unites TV, Internet Programming - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Mar 2010 | 8:40 pm Lagos Disco Inferno!Mark has written previously about DJ Frank Gossner's amazing podcast of 1970s West African pop music. That podcast is currently on hiatus, but Frank is keeping busy. In two weeks he'll be releaseing Lagos Disco Inferno, 12 rare and wild examples of the sound of Lagos in the late 1970s. As Dean Disi (formerly director of Lagos label TYC Records) writes in the liner notes for the album:"Lagos by the 1970s was a huge metropolitan city. Due to the oil boom, there was money to be made with music and nightlife and big international record labels like EMI, Decca and Philips had set up their recording studios that for a big part got equipped with vintage hardware handed down from their European franchises... EMI's house producer Emmanuel Odenusi had worked with Fela for many years, defining the sound of Afrobeat. Kayode Salami who produced another couple of tracks on this album also was responsible for the incredible sound of the famous debut LP by Psych-Rock group Ofege. Lagos, a uniquely vibrant, gritty, energetic and sometimes quite dangerous tropical metropolis has always been much more than just a city. A state of mind where third world poverty met the oil boom, where African traditions clashed with Western decadence. Make no mistake, this stuff will have you dance in a feverish rush in no time.Enjoy a taste of Lagos Disco Inferno.
A piece of NASA radar equipment hitching a ride on an Indian probe made the discovery, which was reported earlier today. It was only last September that water ice was confirmed to exist on the moon's south pole, but these significant deposits bring us that much closer to the ultimate space nerd dream of a base on the moon. "The new discoveries show the moon is an even more interesting and attractive scientific, exploration and operational destination than people had previously thought," said Paul Spudis, a NASA engineer who works with the Mini-SAR radar equipment. Scientists say the water, which may be more readily available than that found at the south pole, could be mined for fuel and oxygen or distilled into drinking water for lunar dwellers. Sure, there's that whole issue with the budget and how its steering our space program away from the moon. But 600 million tons is a lot of water, especially for a nation thirsty for some new space adventures. [Space.com via PopSci] Source: Gizmodo | 2 Mar 2010 | 8:20 pm Onion: Google Responds To Privacy Concerns With Unsettlingly Specific ApologyThe Onion: Google Responds To Privacy Concerns With Unsettlingly Specific Apology. "Clearly there have been some privacy concerns as of late, and judging by some of the search terms we've seen, along with the tens of thousands of personal e-mail exchanges and Google Chat conversations we've carefully examined, it looks as though it might be a while before we regain your trust."Source: Boing Boing | 2 Mar 2010 | 8:14 pm Onion: Google Responds To Privacy Concerns With Unsettlingly Specific ApologyThe Onion: Google Responds To Privacy Concerns With Unsettlingly Specific Apology. "Clearly there have been some privacy concerns as of late, and judging by some of the search terms we've seen, along with...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Mar 2010 | 8:14 pm TiVo hopes for a lift from DVR blending 'Net, TV (AP)AP - TiVo Inc., the pioneer of the digital video recorder, hopes its new DVRs coming out this spring will keep the company relevant in an age when broadcast and broadband will be combined in TVs.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Mar 2010 | 8:09 pm GameStop selling 250GB Xbox 360 drive
The listing for the drive popped up on GameStop’s website for $129.99, but the product isn’t available until 3/23. There’s also not a whole lot of details about rather it’s new, used, or whatever. So either someone accidentally leaked some info a bit early, or GameStop finally figured out what to do with all those hard drives they’ve been taking in trade in on the Elite consoles. My guess is the latter, but only time will tell. It does fit their business model, selling the used drives separate from the console sounds very much like something that they would do. [via Destructoid]
Source: CrunchGear | 2 Mar 2010 | 8:00 pm A Clear Indication Where Technology Is Headed: SkinputSection: Gadgets / Other  I feel like technology is at a point where a new mind-blowing, game-changing discovery is just around the corner. Well if Skinput is any indication as to how we will be interacting with data and devices, than I’d say we are closer than I thought to this breakthrough. Skinput, a technology currently in research by a couple of Microsoft Researchers and a Carnegie Mellon grad, is a very cool concept that will make it’s way into devices one way or another. The idea is to eliminate the use of touchscreens and keyboards and replace them with things that surround us anyways, such as walls or tables. But Skinput uses your skin as the surface of choice by tracking the frequencies at which your skin ripples after contact. At this point the set-up required to use Skinput is an armband that senses the vibrations, and a pico projector attached to the shoulder to turn your arm into a screen. At this point the Skinput project has a 95% accuracy rating and can be used when the body is in motion. Even with this being the research stage of the project, I can’t wait to see what large manufacturers could do with this very cool input method.
Read [ChrisHarrison ] Via [TheNextWeb]
Full Story » | Written by Hunter Clarke for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:46 pm Cadence wants you to learn how to tell time in binary
It’s not just a novelty watch either, the 4-BIT is made from stainless steel with a japanese quartz moment. It’s also only $99, so it’s affordable too. I think I might be picking up one of these up for myself when they are released in June. You can sign up now to be notified when they are available for order by going to the Cadence website.
After being arrested, Necula decided that it was a good idea to snatch up one of the pieces of evidence against him, shove it into his mouth, and swallow. Hard. Youch. Not only will the poor guy probably wind up in jail with a tummy ache, but he's being charged with obstruction of justice because of his attempt to destroy evidence. [Smoking Gun via The Loop via Jim Dalrymple] The X-Ray pictured obviously isn't this guy's. It's of some dog who swallowed a fork instead of a flash drive and was found at Mental Floss Source: Gizmodo | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:42 pm Activision Forms Call of Duty Business Unit - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:41 pm Yahoo CEO indicates turnaround could take years (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:29 pm Chaotic Pendulums for sale in Boing Boing BazaarWho in their right mind wouldn't want a double pendulum like this hanging on their wall? Made of high quality materials, this pendulum will become a treasured heirloom that your progeny will fight over when you die. For sale now in the Boing Boing Bazaar!
Previously:
Source: Boing Boing | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:29 pm Leaked BlackBerry slider photos – man, that’s ugly
Woo! Man, that thing is not looking good. At least the Storm 2 is a good-looking piece of hardware.
Source: MobileCrunch | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:20 pm Tethering Is Exhilarating (With the Nexus One)timothy found this link (hat-tip to Tim O'Reilly) to a paean to the joys of tethering. "In a short post, Steve Souders explores the current state of tethering 3G connections via iPhone (on which he basically gives up, for the perfectly decent reason of not wanting to jailbreak his iPhone) and the Nexus One, with which he has great success. His writeup serves as a micro-tutorial ('use PdaNet's Android app') as well as an endorsement."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:20 pm Car Locator: The little Android app that couldSection: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile, Gadgets / Other, Transportation, Web, Downloads  It must be a great feeling when you can sit back and watch something rake in $13,000 big ones a month. For Eddie Kim, he is already experiencing that ever since popularity of his Car Locator Android app increased tremendously in daily sales. However, it wasn’t always netting thousands of dollars a month, there were some days when he would be lucky to make just $80 a day! Eddie Kim, creator of Car Locator, posted on his blog about the popularity and profits he has accrued since the app hit the Android Market. He offers some statistics on the app such as 70,000 free downloads, 6,590 paid downloads, and it once reached #4 top paid app in the travel category. Through the app’s lifetime, the price has increased from $1.99 to $3.99, but that does not seem to deter most Android users from downloading the app. Despite the positive numbers, it began only generating $80-$100 in revenue a day, until it became featured in the Market where it began reaching $400 daily, with a record of $772 on Valentine’s day alone! Kim suspects downloads increase enormously on weekends and holidays, cited by the nearly doubling in profit on Valentine’s Day. Even though his app has been displayed on the featured apps in the Market, Kim claims it alternates top apps daily, and his app has been found through searches as opposed to featured apps. Unfortunately, it is hard to stop piracy on the Android platform, as Kim finds out through Twitter that it is quite possible to get the .apk file online. However, that does not take away from his achievement: $13,000 a month with room for improvement. For ambitious Android developers, he offers this piece of advice:
Read [EddieKim]
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:06 pm Hulu Loses Its Moment of Zen: What Will It Do Without Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert? [MediaMemo]
In practice, not that much. Particularly in the near term. The shows are big draws for Hulu, but the site’s audience is growing very fast, and I’ll be surprised if you can detect a notable drop in its numbers this spring. And online viewers can still watch the shows at Comedy Central’s two sites, though its player is vastly inferior to Hulu’s. But the move does illustrate the difficulty with Hulu’s business model: It is trying to build a business around other people’s content. Hulu gets the ability to sell against network TV shows from its network TV owners–News Corp.’s (NWS) Fox, GE’s (GE) NBC and Disney’s (DIS) ABC–but it can only keep 30 percent of the revenue. It generally gets better terms from other content providers, but it’s harder to get the really good stuff from them, particularly from cable TV, where programmers need to protect their existing revenue streams. If the cable TV guys get their way and the world shifts to a “TV Everywhere” model–pay for cable TV, and you can watch all those shows on the Web, too–procuring shows will get much easier for Hulu. Because that conflict should go away. But in a TV Everywhere world, the use case for Hulu sort of goes away too. Because in that model, you don’t really need a central hub for TV on the Web. I would love to bike more often, but the thought of cycling here in New York City is utterly daunting. This alternative, however, seems even more terrifying. If you want to brave your unfinished basement on two wheels, a free motion set up only costs about $35 in parts and can be assembled by following this Instructable. Just don't say I didn't warn you. [Make and Instructables] Update: Giz reader Daniel and his buddies laugh at free motion bicycle roller danger. Why's that? Because they get down with free motion moped roller danger. Thank you Daniel, I'm glad you are still alive to share that with us. According to Eric Von Hippel, a professor of technological innovation at MIT, it'll be bad news for consumers in the end:
It's doubtful that we'll find out how right Von Hippel is anytime soon though, because cases like this one "can last many years, sometimes five or 10," assuming they're not settled out of court. But I don't exactly see Apple or HTC being in a rush to settle here. [NY Times] For the full directory of Gizmodo's Essential iPhone Apps for 2009, click here. Here are the best of the month, and what we've added to the directory: February's Best AppsFor a single-page view, click here. Essential App Directory InducteesCamera Pro Plus: It isn't enough for a camera app to add options to still shooting. No, nowadays you need video. Meebo: An ultra-slick messaging app that makes every other free entrant look either quaint or crappy. Angry Birds: I could have gone outside last Saturday, but I didn't. I played Angry Birds instead. I have no regrets. Siri: Rolls speech recognition, search, and intelligent text parsing into one semi-magical package. Logitech Touch Mouse: Does 75% percent of what more expensive iPhone-as-a-touchpad apps do, for 0% of the price. The FallenFring: Because Meebo is that good. Snapture: Replaced by Camera Pro Plus. And that's it! What counts as an essential iPhone app changes all the time, and so should our guide: If we've missed anything huge, or you've got a much better suggestion for a particular type of app, let us know, or say so in the comments. We'll be updating this thing pretty frequently, and a million Gizmodo readers can do a better job at sorting through the app mess than a single Gizmodo editor. Enjoy! Source: Gizmodo | 2 Mar 2010 | 6:20 pm Sony Dash pre-orders being taken, expected to ship next AprilSection: Gadgets / Other, Household  The Sony dash “Personal Internet Viewer” is now available for pre-order on SonyStyle.com. The “Chumby for grown-ups” as Gadgetell editor Robert Nelson calls it, can be secured for only $199 and applicable taxes in the area where the device will be shipped. Pre-orders are expected to arrive “on or about” April 15, 2010, giving you a chance to use this media device while doing last-minute prep on your tax returns (I wonder if this counts as a business expense since I’m writing about the product). The dash debuted at CES amid a sea of tablets and ereaders. Sony made sure to pitch this not as a super-portable tablet, but an Internet browser and media player with a dedicated position in a home or office. The dash would display photos, tell time, provide alarms, play music/videos, and be a convenient device for browsing the web. The presenters at Sony’s CES booth I visited said it would be the perfect device to put in the kitchen or bedroom. Media files, web browsing, and social networking take center stage with the dash. Those who pre-order will get Facebook, Twitter, and Pandora integrated into the device, as well as the ability to stream Netflix Watch Instantly content on its 7-inch display. Qualified pre-orders will have free shipping. Read [Sony Style] Via [Engadget]
Full Story » | Written by Andrew Kameka for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Mar 2010 | 6:14 pm Google Backs Its Boy, HTC, In The Apple Lawsuit Ring
As you’ve undoubtedly heard by now, Apple has filed a lawsuit against device-maker HTC over 20 patents they control. As you might imagine, Google has something to say about it too. “We are not a party to this lawsuit. However, we stand behind our Android operating system and the partners who have helped us to develop it,” a Google spokesperson emailed us. A little odd that Google would proactively send us a statement for something they’re not technically involved in. But, as we’re all well aware, this suit is much more about Google’s Android operating system than HTC. And it seems that Google is well aware of that too. As we noted earlier, the clear focus of the suit centers around the HTC devices that are Android-based, including the Nexus One, the Magic/myTouch 3G, the Dream/G1, the Hero, and the Droid Eris. And in fact, with the Nexus One, Google worked closely with HTC to make the device, and is completely in control of selling it. Still, for whatever reason, Google is not named in the suit — at least not yet. You’ll recall that exactly one month ago, Google decided to turn on multi-touch support for Android users with Nexus Ones. As we noted at the time, Apple was probably not going to be too happy about that. After all, it had been previously reported that the reason Android phones in the U.S. didn’t support multi-touch up until that point was a gentleman’s agreement between Apple and Google when the two were still all buddy-buddy. And now we’re starting to see the fall-out. What’s odd is that these HTC phones have actually supported multi-touch (only one of the many patents Apple is disputing here), but it’s only now after Google just enabled it (specifically pinch-to-zoom) in the software that we’re seeing the lawsuit — of the hardware company involved. Still, this looks to be Apple multi-punching back. And Google doesn’t sound like it will back down. [image: warner brothers pictures]      
Source: TechCrunch | 2 Mar 2010 | 6:14 pm Rumor: iPad Will Go on Sale March 26 - Wired News
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Mar 2010 | 6:09 pm Rumor: iPad Will Go on Sale March 26
Both MacRumors’ Arnold Kim and the Examiner have heard from tipsters that Apple stores will begin selling the iPad on Friday, March 26 at 6 p.m. The Examiner added that “People who camp out for the iPad will receive a special gift.” That would be similar to the launch of the original iPhone, which began selling 6 p.m. on Friday, June 29, 2007. (I don’t remember receiving any gifts when I camped out for the iPhone, but employees did hand out some coffee.) Apple has said the iPad without 3G will begin shipping late March. The iPad including 3G should be shipping about 30 days later, according to Apple. An analyst spread a rumor earlier this week that tight inventories might delay iPad shipments by a month, but an Apple spokeswoman told Wired.com that the iPad was on schedule to ship by late March. See Also:
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 2 Mar 2010 | 6:07 pm On4(TM) Communications, Inc prepares to launch location based asset tracking & monitoring services during 2010 in multiple vertical markets - Public Safety, Personal Assets, and Healthcare industriesSCOTTSDALE, AZ, March 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - On4(TM) Communications Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Mar 2010 | 6:02 pm Gallery: 10 Companies Reinventing Our Energy InfrastructureNew companies are rethinking not just the way electricity gets made but every link in the energy system, judging by the Energy Department's Clean Energy Innovation Summit.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 6:00 pm Olympus' Little Retro Point-N-Shoot Costs Big BucksWant retro styling with digital prowess? Be prepared to shell out big bucks for the Olympus PEN EP2, a camera that has both.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 2 Mar 2010 | 6:00 pm Olympus' Little Retro Point-N-Shoot Costs Big BucksWant retro styling with digital prowess? Be prepared to shell out big bucks for the Olympus PEN EP2, a camera that has both.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 6:00 pm Clothing the Mad HatterWe ask Oscar award winner, Colleen Atwood how she came up with the clothing designs for Alice in Wonderland. Atwood has worked on numerous Tim Burton films, including Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow and Sweeney Todd.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 6:00 pm Top 5 Ways to Mess With Earth's DayThe internet is abuzz today with the news that Saturday's massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile shortened Earth's day by about 1.26 microseconds (one microsecond is a millionth of a second) and nudged the planet's axis of balanced mass a ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 5:53 pm Elliott offers $2 billion buyout of Novell (AP)AP - Private equity firm Elliott Associates LP on Tuesday offered to buy the 91.5 percent of the shares it doesn't already own in enterprise software company Novell Inc. for $5.75 each, an offer valuing the company at about $2 billion.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Mar 2010 | 5:47 pm Bartz holds court on Yahoo's 15th birthday - CNET
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Mar 2010 | 5:45 pm Novell Gets $5.75 Per Share Cash Bid From Elliott Associates [Voices]By Eric Savitz, Blogger and Columnist, Barron’s Investment firm Elliott Associates this afternoon offered to acquire Novell (NOVL) for $5.75 a share in cash, or about $1 billion net of Novell’s cash position. Long considered a potential takeover candidate, due in part to a cash position of about $1 billion, Novell is a long-time player in networking software, and also owns the Suse Linux business. Elliott and its affiliated own an 8.5 percent stake in the company. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 2 Mar 2010 | 5:45 pm Bing search bar now features autosuggestion of previous search history Bing has announced that it will begin listing user search history among autosuggestions in its search bar. The new function is designed to make it easier for people who frequently search similar topics to revisit their history when necessary. The catalyst for the autosuggestion came because “many people found [Bing’s] history feature very useful to get them to where they’re going faster. So we experimented with providing your prior searches in Autosuggest.” Performing a Bing search will now reveal previous search terms in purple, much like your browser displays previously-visited links in purple. This will make it easier to re-open previous searches about HDTV’s if you are researching different brands over several days in order to choose the right television to purchase. (Note: Users concerned about privacy can turn this feature off.) According to Bing, 44% of non-navigational search sessions can last longer than a week. That suggests that people are often revisiting similar information in an effort to better understand issues or make decisions - say iPhone vs. Blackberry when deciding which new phone to purchase. The new autosuggestion feature is likely to make that repetitive search experience easier for Bing users. Read [Bing] Via [Search Engine Land] Full Story » | Written by Andrew Kameka for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Mar 2010 | 5:32 pm Private equity firm makes bid for Novell (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Mar 2010 | 5:29 pm Microsoft Says, Don't Press the F1 Key In XPIan Lamont writes "Microsoft has issued a security advisory warning users not to press the F1 key in Windows XP, owing to an unpatched bug in VBScript discovered by Polish researcher Maurycy Prodeus. The security advisory says that the vulnerability relates to the way VBScript interacts with Windows Help files when using Internet Explorer, and could be triggered by a user pressing the F1 key after visiting a malicious Web site using a specially crafted dialog box."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Mar 2010 | 5:22 pm Chilean Food Exports May Suffer From QuakeThe horrible earthquake disaster in Chile may be half a world away, but the effects could reach all the way to your kitchen table. Even though we're still in the middle of winter here in the United States, we've come ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 5:22 pm AT&T CEO sees iPad mostly used on Wi-Fi (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Mar 2010 | 5:21 pm The TiVo Premiere Has Landed: New Remotes, Wi-Fi Connectors, and DVRs Finally. We finally have new TiVo models. The TiVo HD XL launched a long year and half ago and the UI is even older. But that's behind us now, the TiVo Premier is here and it's (nearly) everything we need in a DVR. Everything is different: the hardware, the interface, even the remote. (QWERTY!)
With the TiVo Premier comes a new interface that's been designed to present web videos just like live TV. But it's not just web videos. The whole system was reworked to allow users better access to their locally-stored content as well. Premiere's search function queries all sources and will find content whether it's on a web video or live TV. Pandora and FrameChannel join Netflix and YouTube as built-in apps.
Source: TechCrunch | 2 Mar 2010 | 5:17 pm Google Handing Out Free Nexus Ones And Droids To Top Android Devs
In an odd move, Google isn’t actually allowing the developers to pick which device they’re receiving — if you’re in the US, you’ll get a Droid or Nexus One, at random. If you’re in Canada, the EU, Norway, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Singapore, you get a Nexus One. If you’re not in any of those, you don’t get a phone at all (Google explains that the phones aren’t certified in other countries). So why is Google doing this? Android is already having to deal with fragmentation issues, as a large number of users (and developers) have older phones that aren’t running Android 2.0. Now that the Droid, which runs 2.0, comprises a big part of Android’s market share, it’s in Google’s best interest to make sure that Android’s best developers are building software that’s compatible with the latest devices. The free phones also serve as a nice carrot to entice developers to build quality applications. Here’s the Email Google is sending out:
Update:: And here’s a followup statement from Google about the program (it’s real, for those of you who are worried that it’s a scam):
Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 2 Mar 2010 | 5:15 pm Zombie shadow maker
The fine folks at Evolution Laser Works, most famous for their laser-etched Obama Toast, created this stately wood cut-out that will cast delightfully frightful zombie shadows on your walls. It's 4" x 4" x 1/8" mahogany ply, stained, and varnished, and would look terrific backlit in my Wunderkammer. Just $15 at the Boing Boing Bazaar in the Makers Market.Brraaaiiinnnnss Zombie Shadow Cast Source: Boing Boing | 2 Mar 2010 | 5:05 pm Facebook app for Zune HD finally arrives, but comes with major bugsSection: Communications, Mobile  Zune HD owners can finally let the world know what song their listening to, update their status about that crazy thing that happened to them at work today, and see photos of their friends and family thanks to the arrival of the Facebook app for Zune HD. Facebook is still one of the most popular destinations on the web and many Zune owners have been itching for the new app for months. The Zune HD Facebook app has finally arrived with the following four main sections: Home (news stream), You (Profile), Friends (list/status updates), and Messages (um, messages). Other than timewasters like Farmville, much of the Facebook experience has been made available. Sadly, the new app hasn’t run as smoothly as one would hope. There have been scattered reports of server issues preventing many people from downloading the app or pulling down data once they log-in. The problems first started occurring when news of the Facebook app broke late last night, but Zune HD owners should make an attempt at grabbing the app now and crossing their fingers. The Zune HD Facebook app is free. Via [Zune Insider]
Full Story » | Written by Andrew Kameka for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Mar 2010 | 4:56 pm Nyko keeping up with Nintendo, releasing Wands in new colorsFROM GAMERTELL - Nyko is releasing its $29.99 Wand Wii controller in five new colors. Certain colors will only be available at certain stores though. For example, red Wands will only be at Fry’s. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Mar 2010 | 4:55 pm Novell Confirms Receipt of Unsolicited, Conditional Proposal From Elliott AssociatesWALTHAM, Mass., March 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) today confirmed that it has received an unsolicited, conditional proposal from Elliott Associates, L.P. to acquire the Company for $5.75 per share in cash.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Mar 2010 | 4:54 pm Pictures of Obama feigning interest in mundane thingsOne of the downsides to being president: You still have to look interested and engaged at every event, even the 15th factory tour you've been to this month. New York Magazine explores the perils of the job with this slideshow History of President Obama Feigning Interest in Mundane Things.
G.ho.st’s Web-Based Operating System To Shut Down March 15
The service launched its beta last summer after years of development, allowing users to store their files in the cloud. Files were accessed through a web-based desktop environment, which also included integrated tools like Zoho for editing documents. Users could also access their files through a mounted virtual drive in Windows or from their mobile phones. Ghost was previously hosted at G.ho.st, which stood for “Global hosted operating system”. The company later moved to the current domain, Ghost.cc, which has the broader tagline, “Cloud Computing”. Here’s the email the company just sent out to users:
Note that the message says “on or around” March 15 — hopefully they mean “no earlier than”, but I’d back up my data as soon as possible. It’s also unclear if Ghost’s unreleased services are being shutdown as well (both “Ghost Enterprise” and “Ghost Business” are marked as Coming soon on the site). I’ve reached out to the company for more details.
Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 2 Mar 2010 | 4:47 pm Spain Busts Hackers for Infecting 13 Million PCsSpanish officials are saying they have arrested three hackers who infected more than 13 million PCs globally with the so-called Mariposa botnet that stole credit card numbers and other valuable data in what may be the biggest cyber-raid to date.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 4:38 pm Netflix Gauging Interest In an iPhone Appgollum123 writes "A new survey sent out to Netflix subscribers indicates that the iPhone might be the next device that its streaming service rolls out on in the coming months. (The NY Times credits Hacking Netflix for the tip.) According to a tip sent to Hacking Netflix, the subscription video company is now asking users how likely they would be to use an iPhone app to view movies via its online streaming service. According to the survey, an iPhone app would give users all the same functionality that they have when streaming on a PC or other device, including all the same movies and TV shows without advertisements or trailers. If the app is rolled out, the ability to watch on the Apple mobile device would be offered at no additional charge to existing Netflix subscribers. There is good news for AT&T implied in the survey questions: it appears that the app would require users to be connected to a Wi-Fi network."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Mar 2010 | 4:36 pm Ferrari Goes Green — Literally — With a HybridNever fear. The 599 Hy-Kers concept is a real Ferrari, and it could see production.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 4:25 pm First Mirrors Polished for Next-Gen Space TelescopeThe huge mirrors in the telescope that will replace Hubble require utmost precision-checking. The first set is polished, cross-checked and ready -- only 18 more to go before the telescope is ready to report for duty.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 4:20 pm Roger Ebert gets his voice back: "Uncanny. A good feeling."
Today is a big day, though: on Oprah, he debuts his new voice, which sounds a lot like the old voice we all knew and loved. In the video above, his wife Chaz hears it for the first time. Yeah, I cried. Scotland-based tech company CereProc create the text-to-speech voice using archived recordings of Ebert speaking (specifically, DVD commentary tracks). The result is amazing. More: Ebert's own blog, CNN, ABC News, Videogum
Previously:
Source: Boing Boing | 2 Mar 2010 | 4:15 pm Is Apple Finally Worried About Amazon's Music Store? [MediaMemo]
Big music label folks say Apple (AAPL) has long complained about their involvement with Amazon (AMZN). But recently, Billboard reports, those complaints have become more specific. The trade magazine says Apple is asking the labels not to push new releases via Amazon’s “Daily Deal” promotion, which offers new records at cut-rate prices. Warning! There’s some salty music-label-executive language in this excerpt:
Billboard notes that the labels are still working with Amazon on Daily Deal promotions. But it says they are pulling back on prereleases and exclusives for big records and pushing smaller artists that Apple isn’t likely to shower with promotional support. Today’s Deal: $3.99 for Sony artist Raheem Devaughn’s new album, which doesn’t appear in iTunes “New and Noteworthy” section. I’ve asked Amazon, Apple and all four of the big labels–Universal, Sony (SNE), EMI and Warner (WMG)–for comment, but I’m not holding my breath. But assuming that Billboard is right here–and reporter Ed Christman has been covering music retail forever–it’s interesting to note that Apple is pushing back a bit more forcefully at Amazon. (Industry trade Hits DailyDouble reported something very similar in January). If I’m Jeff Bezos, I’d take that as a compliment. And then I’d go back to worrying about Steve Jobs’s entry into the e-book market. Source: All Things Digital | 2 Mar 2010 | 4:14 pm How did Garth Hudson defeat gravity?There are plenty of mysteries around The Band that even a first-rate novella can't unravel, but now here's one I'd like the Boing Boing community to help me figure out: How come Garth Hudson's expensive keyboards didn't fall down?
(Photo by Watt Casey, Jr.) Governor Perdue, Indian Ambassador Shankar to Headline First USA India Business SummitATLANTA, Georgia, March 3, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- State of Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and Ambassador of India to USA, Her Excellency Ms.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Mar 2010 | 4:01 pm A Second Lessig Fair-Use Video Is Suppressed By WMGBios_Hakr points out an ironic use of the DMCA: for the second time, a video tutorial on fair use that Larry Lessig uploaded to YouTube has been muzzled. This time the sound has been pulled from the video; last time the video was taken off of YouTube. (Video and sound for the new "webside chat" can be experienced together on BlipTV.) Both times, Warner Music Group was the party holding copyright on a song that Lessig used in an unarguably fair-use manner. TechDirt is careful not to assume that an actual DMCA takedown notice was issued, on the likelihood that Google's automatic copyright-violation detectors did the deed. "The unintended consequences of asking tool providers [e.g., Google] to judge what is and what is not copyright infringement lead to tremendous problems with companies shooting first and asking questions later. They are silencing speech, on the threat that it might infringe on copyright. This is backwards. We live in a country that is supposed to cherish free speech, not stifle it in case it harms the business model of a company. We live in a country that is supposed to encourage the free expression of ideas — not lock it up and take it down because one company doesn't know how to adapt its business model. We should never be silencing videos because they might infringe on copyright."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Mar 2010 | 3:48 pm OK Go's Rube Goldberg music videoOK Go shot a fantastic Rube Goldberg contraption video for their new song "This Too Shall Pass." The MAKE team race car makes an appearance at around 3:00 minutes into the video. The contraption was built by Syyn Labs. Adam Sadowsky of Syyn Labs wrote: The requirements were that it had to be interesting, not "overbuilt" or too technology-heavy, and easy to follow. The machine also had to be built on a shoestring budget, synchronize with beats and lyrics in the music and end on time over a 3.5 minute song, play a part of the song, and be filmed in one shot. To make things more challenging still, the space chosen was divided into two floors and the machine would use both. Look for a "making of" article written by Adam in a forthcoming issue of MAKE magazine. High resolution version here: OK Go - This Too Shall Pass - RGM version Nokia Ovi store now seeing 22 app downloads per second, plus other stats
If you’re trying to keep track of how all the app stores are performing in relation to each other (or are otherwise just a stats geek), this one ought to make your day. Nokia has just released a pocketful of statistics regarding their app store, Ovi, detailing just how well it was doing as of the end of February.
The Stats:
Solely for the sake of perspective: between September of 2009 and January of 2010, the iPhone App Store averaged about 30.5 million application downloads per day, or 350 per second. In other words, the App Store is pushing out downloads at about 16 times the average rate of the Ovi Store — but, being that Apple’s store launched in July of 2008, it also had nearly a full year head start. So what do you think – given Nokia’s massive hardware presence around the world (outside of the US, especially) whilst factoring in the relative newness of their App Store, how well do you think Ovi is performing?
Source: MobileCrunch | 2 Mar 2010 | 3:09 pm Flipping Off Cops Is Legal, Not AdvisedFlipping the bird has been an insulting gesture perhaps since ancient Greece. It's legal to flip off cops. But it's ill-advised and usually invites confrontation.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 3:07 pm Microsoft VP Suggests 'Net Tax To Clean ComputersIan Lamont writes "Microsoft's Vice President for Trustworthy Computing, Scott Charney, speaking at the RSA conference in San Francisco, has floated an interesting proposal to deal with infected computers: Approach the problem of dealing with malware infections like the healthcare industry, and consider using 'general taxation' to pay for inspection and quarantine. Using taxes to deal with online criminal activity is not a new idea, as demonstrated by last year's Louisiana House vote to levy a monthly surcharge on Internet access to deal with online baddies."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Mar 2010 | 3:05 pm Ballmer: We'll Beat Google ... Someday - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Mar 2010 | 2:51 pm StratoComm/Evergreen JV Launches Wireless Broadband NetworkALBANY, N.Y., EATONTOWN, N.J. and DOUALA, Cameroon, March 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- StratoComm Corporation (STCO) and Evergreen ISP Platforms jointly announce the launch of wireless telecommunications services to the City of Douala, Cameroon.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Mar 2010 | 2:47 pm Viper SmartStart now lets you start your car from your BlackBerry, too
A few months back, Directed Electronics launched an iPhone app that, when paired with Viper remote start system, would allow you to start your car from just about anywhere on earth. For the bargain price of just $500, you’d never again have to worry about your car being too hot, too cold, or too not on when you got in. Alas, not everyone has an iPhone – what about the remaining chunk of the world that wants to look like James Bond and/or scare people? Today, Direct Electronics is letting another big group of people in on the slightly-extraneous fun with the release of Viper SmartStart for BlackBerry.
Depending on what sort of car you’ve got and what features it makes available to the SmartStart system, the free BlackBerry app can fire up the engine, toggle the door locks, enable and disable the security system, pop the trunk, ring the panic alarm. It can’t pick up your dry cleaning or drop your grandmother off at the airport, but we can probably expect that from a (distant) future model. The module that makes your car friendly with the free iPhone app will set you back $200 bucks, which is on top of the $300-or-so security system that you plug it into. That said, if you’ve already got a compatible remote start system from Viper, Clifford or Python, you’ll only need the module and the free app.
Source: MobileCrunch | 2 Mar 2010 | 2:25 pm Intel’s New Convertible Classmate PC Doubles as E-Reader
The Intel Classmate PC has been around for the last three years as a low-cost notebook meant for children to use at school and for learning. Now, Intel is looking to refresh the design with a new, convertible model that can also be used like a tablet. The convertible Classmate PC can be twisted into a slate, similar in form factor to the Apple iPad, or used as a traditional notebook with a full keyboard. “This is not the cheapest netbook in the market,” says Jeff Galinovsky, regional manager for the Classmate PC ecosystem. “But if you look at the features like ruggedization, design and the software, it offers great value in the education market.” The new convertible Classmate PC has an Intel Atom processor, 10.1-inch display, up to 160-GB hard drive including both solid-state and disk-drive options, up to 8.5 hours of battery life, a resistive touchscreen,and a range of wireless connectivity options including Wi-Fi and WiMax. The device also has a 1.3-megapixel rotating camera and two speaker jacks. It is available with either Microsoft Windows or Linux operating system. Intel won’t disclose the pricing for the product. It says that will depend on the configuration and the device manufacturer. But there’s no doubt the convertible Classmate PC will carry a premium over the clamshell version that currently sells for $200 to $400. Intel hopes to launch the convertible PC in the second quarter. So far about 2 million Classmate PCs are being used worldwide, says Intel. See below for a closer look at the latest design from Intel.
The PC feels a little hefty but that seems to be by design. The entire machine is meant to withstand the not-so-delicate handling of a 7-year-old. The new Classmate PC is rugged enough to survive a fall from the desktop and has a thick rubber coating that offers a good grip and is spillproof. The keyboard is also anti-microbial. Even the hard drive includes shock protection. The convertible style also comes with a pen-like stylus that is chunky and comfortable to use. Along with the touchscreen, there’s handwriting recognition and note-taking software available for the device.
One of the features of the new Classmate PC that Intel’s especially keen to tout is is its e-reading software. The device supports EPUB and PDF formats so you can download books from the library or from Google’s cache of free books. The touchscreen allows you to do the familiar “flick to scroll” gesture, though the experience is not as smooth as it is with a capacitive touchscreen. There are also hardware buttons and software icons for turning pages. The PC includes an accelerometer so it can switch from portrait to landscape mode automatically. The reading interface Intel designed also allows you to take notes on the page or save highlights — a feature that will be handy for students.
The retractable handle is another new feature. The idea is to make this device a part of a student’s life, so the kid can throw it into a backpack or just carry it around in the school. The Classmate PC also comes with applications in areas such as math, science and art that make the learning process interesting.
Overall, the new convertible PC is easier on the eyes — the rounded edges, the colors and a compact design help — and has more features than its older clamshell counterpart. But without really bringing down the price of the device, the enhancements seem like they might be pricey additions that the target market doesn’t really need. After all, the Classmate PC is largely targeted at students in countries outside the United States. In many regions, $300 is still a lot of money to spend on a notebook, whether it’s for a kid or an adult. See Also: Photos: Intel convertible Classmate PC/Priya Ganapati 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 2 Mar 2010 | 2:22 pm New "Spear Phishing" Attacks Target IT Adminssnydeq writes "A new breed of 'spear phishing' aimed at IT admins is making the rounds. The emails, containing no obvious malicious links, are fooling even the savviest of users into opening up holes in their company's network defenses. The authentic-looking emails, which often include the admin's complete name or refer to a real project they are working on, are the product of tactical research or database hacks and appear as if having been sent by the company's hosting provider. 'In each case, the victim remembered getting a similar sort of email message when they first signed on with a service and, thus, thought the bogus message was legitimate — especially because their cloud/hosting providers keep bragging about all the new data centers they're continuing to bring online.' The phishing messages often include instructions for opening up mail servers to enable spam relaying, to disable their host-based firewalls, and to open up unprotected network shares. Certainly fodder for some bone-headed mistakes on the part of admins, the new attack 'makes the old days of hoax messages that caused users to delete legitimate operating system files seem relatively harmless.'"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Mar 2010 | 2:18 pm Citysearch Upgrades Its iPhone App With Twitter Reviews And “Shake For Offers”
Over the weekend, Citysearch pushed out an update to its iPhone app with a much smoother user interface, better local search, and maps are now the default view. I am happy to report that it no longer looks exactly like Yelp’s iPhone app. The improvements should help it close the gap (Yelp is currently the No. 4 free Travel app, while Citysearch is No. 36). In fact, it now does some things Yelp’s app cannot do, the most important of which is that Twitter is baked into it in a very smart way.
Just like on Citysearch’s website, an increasing number of the local listings are associated with what people are saying about those restaurants, bars, and stores on Twitter. In addition to Citysearch user reviews, you can also see recent Tweets about the listings. And the app acts as a limited Twitter client in that you can Tweet out a short review from each profile page. The app prompts you to sign into your Twitter account and autofills a tweet with a link to the Citysearch page of that business. It is still a work in progress though. Right now the Tweets are filled in with an @citysearch handle and thus don’t show up on the Citysearch’s page for that business. By the next update that will change to the @handle of the business, and it the Tweets will start showing up on the Website as well.
Citysearch is building out a directory of business Twitter accounts and is beginning to catch Tweets about its millions of local listings. Within the next few weeks, the Twitter account names will start to become part of teh profile data available to developers via its CityGrid APIs Some other nice touches to the app include a sliding icon menu bar at the top, which let you filter different types of listings (restaurants, salons, shopping, clubs, bars, cafes, arts & entertainment, banks, gas stations, movie theaters, pharmacies, bakeries, attractions, parking, and hotels). And if you shake the iPhone while looking at a listing, an offer might pop up. The “Shake For Offer” feature isn’t as cool as the augmented reality easter egg in Yelp snuck into its iphone app, Here’s a video showing off the features of the new Citysearch iPhone app:
     
Source: TechCrunch | 2 Mar 2010 | 2:07 pm How OK Go’s Amazing Rube Goldberg Machine Was BuiltIn music, timing is everything. When you’re dancing with an enormous machine, it’s even more important to get the timing correct, down to the microsecond. For its latest video, released on YouTube Monday night, pop band OK Go recruited a gang of very talented engineers to build a huge, elaborate Rube Goldberg machine whose action perfectly meshes with the band’s song, “This Too Shall Pass,” from the band’s new album, Of the Blue Color of the Sky. For nearly four minutes — captured in a single, unbroken camera shot — the machine rolls metal balls down tracks, swings sledgehammers, pours water, unfurls flags and drops a flock of umbrellas from the second story, all perfectly synchronized with the song. A few gasp-inducing, grin-producing moments when the machine’s action lines up so perfectly, you can only shake your head in admiration at the creativity and precision of the builders. Those builders were Syyn Labs, a Los Angeles-based arts and technology collective that has a history of doing surprising, entertaining science and tech projects that involve crowds of people, at a monthly gathering called Mindshare LA. OK Go developed a reputation for making catchy, viral videos a year ago with the homemade video for “Here It Goes Again,” which features the band members dancing around on treadmills. The company ran afoul of music label EMI’s restrictive licensing rules, which required YouTube to disable embedding, cutting views to 1/10 of their previous level. Now, the new video is up — and it’s embeddable, so the band seems to have won this round with its label — and is already generating buzz on YouTube and on Twitter. Planning for the video began in November, when Syyn Labs secured a warehouse in the Echo Park area of L.A. But it wasn’t until January that work really got going. The video was shot on Feb. 11 and 12. “A Rube Goldberg machine is in its essence a trial-and-error thing,” Adam Sadowsky, the president of Syyn Labs, told Wired. Sadowsky explained how many tiny details needed to be just right for the machine’s timing to work out. For example, the wooden tracks used to guide metal balls at the beginning of the video had to be cleaned and waxed to keep dust from slowing down the balls and making them stick. And the angle of that board was set at a precise 3.4 degrees of incline, which was perfect for the timing but sometimes led the balls to jump the track. Given that each of the machine’s dozens of stages need comparably precise adjustments, it all adds up to a lot of labor by a lot of people. “It took about a month and a half of very intense work, with people on-site all the time,” Sadowsky said.
Sadowsky estimates that 55 to 60 people worked on the project in all. That includes eight “core builders” who did the bulk of the design and building, along with another 12 or so builders who helped part-time. In addition, Syyn Labs recruited 30 or more people to help reset the machine after each run. Because of the machine’s size and complexity, “We needed to bring in every resource we could to help reset,” said Sadowsky. Even with all those people helping, resetting the whole machine took close to an hour. The video was shot by a single Steadicam, but it took more than 60 takes, over the course of two days, to get it right. Many of those takes lasted about 30 seconds, Sadowsky said, getting no further than the spot in the video where the car tire rolls down a ramp. “The most fiddly stuff, you always want to put that at the front, because you don’t want to be resetting the whole thing.” OK Go hired Syyn Labs to produce the contraption according to certain specifications. One example: The machine couldn’t use any magic. “That was really important,” said Sadowsky, “because we are all engineers, and we love magic. We love computers, and servomotors, and fire, and all of that stuff.” All those “magic” tricks — basically anything your mom can’t understand — couldn’t be in the machine. The band was also heavily involved in the project for the final two weeks of its construction, and the band members are right inside the machine during the video, of course. “We wanted to make a video where we have essentially a giant machine that we dance with,” said the band’s Damian Kulash, Jr., in a short “making-of” video posted on YouTube. Otherwise, Synn Labs’ engineers went to town, dreaming up the most outlandish and elaborate mechanisms they could to “dance” along with the music. The results are impressive. Oh, and OK Go’s treadmill video from last year? It makes a cameo appearance in the machine too. “It really was a labor of love,” said Sadowsky. See below for more videos about the making of “This Too Shall Pass.” See Also: 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 2 Mar 2010 | 2:07 pm How OK Go's Amazing Rube Goldberg Machine Was BuiltPop band OK Go's newest video features a four-minute Rube Goldberg chain reaction that's synchronized perfectly with the music. Wired talks to one of the builders of the machine shown in the video.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 2 Mar 2010 | 2:07 pm Amid Desperation, Fake Cures and False Hope in HaitiIn the aftermath of Haiti’s devastating earthquakes, huge amounts of money, food, clothing, water, tents, and other supplies arrived in the country. People showed up as well: professional search and rescue personnel, epidemiologists, nurses, and doctors. And, unfortunately, many people ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 2:03 pm Surprised? Canada Takes Gold In The Race For Most Olympics-Related Google Queries
Perhaps more interesting are the events that grabbed the most attention in each country. In the United States, by far the most searches were driven by the tragic death of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. Other popular events in the States included the men’s hockey finals and the men’s free skate. Korea’s graph, on the other hand, is absolutely dominated by women’s figure skating, driven by the success of national sensation Kim Yu-Na. You can find graphs from more countries in the Google blog post.
Information provided by CrunchBase
     
Source: TechCrunch | 2 Mar 2010 | 1:53 pm Using Ambient Light to Charge DevicesGreen inventor Ryan Hess is hoping to take the solar calculator idea to a whole new level. His grid-free Illumi-Charger design aims to charge small USB devices using only ambient light. The Illumi-Charger is a conceptual device still in development. ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 1:10 pm Palm webOS 1.4 SDK released to developers, allows apps to record video
It’s a bit different than the “developers get the new firmware first” mentality we’ve grown used to from those other guys, but Palm has now released the SDK for webOS 1.4. The flagship feature of webOS 1.4 (besides Adobe Flash support, which isn’t available just yet) is its new found ability to record video. With this latest SDK, access to video recording has been extended to third-party applications — which, as Electronista points out, could open the doors for the likes of Qik, Ustream, and other live video broadcasting applications.
There are a handful of other bug fixes, performance upgrades, and little dev-centric features thrown in the mix – but unless you’re an uber geek (and I mean that in the most loving way), you probably don’t care too much. If you are an uber geek, however, you can find the full SDK changelog along with the SDK download right here. You don’t even have to sign an NDA!
Source: MobileCrunch | 2 Mar 2010 | 1:05 pm Al's Latest Global-Warming Whopper - FOXNews
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Mar 2010 | 1:02 pm Concept art: the iPhone 4G
Who doesn’t love a good concept piece? Spaziocellulare forum user “Seraphan” just posted his render of what the iPhone 4G could look like, and his ideas aren’t too shabby. Of course, it’s one man’s idea of what the phone of the future should look like, including an expanded color pallet, built in microSD slot, and front and rear cameras complete with a built in flash on the back.
Source: MobileCrunch | 2 Mar 2010 | 1:01 pm Searching for gold during the GamesDuring the past two weeks, athletes from around the world competed at the Games in Vancouver. While these thousands strove for gold, millions around the world searched for 2010 Winter Olympics, 밴쿠버 동계올림픽 (Korean for "Vancouver Winter Olympics"), and Juegos Olimpicos de Invierno 2010 (Spanish for "2010 Olympic Winter Games") using Google search. Now that the medals have been handed out, we thought we'd take a moment to share how some people from around the world searched for information about the Games.Norway Norway won 23 medals, including nine gold, and became the first region to win 300 medals at winter events and to win 100 golds. The timeline shows approximate Olympics-related queries from Norway. Although interest was slow to start, it built and repeatedly peaked as Norwegians won in cross-country skiing events: individual (February 17), team (February 22), and men's 50km (February 28); and biathlon events: individual (February 18) and men's team (February 26).  (Click on any image to enlarge) Japan Japanese athletes won silver and bronze medals in speed skating and figure skating — correspondingly, interest peaked on the days when those competitions took place. And although they ended the Games ranked eighth in the world, チーム青森 ("Team Aomori") generated a lot of queries for カーリング ("curling"), カーリング チーム青森 ("Curling Team Aomori"), and team member 本橋麻里 (Mari Motohashi). Queries also peaked when snowboarder Kazuhiro Kokubo, who had previously caused controversy by wearing sloppy attire, competed in the men's halfpipe event. The timeline also clearly shows the effect of television, with each day's first peak representing the actual time of the event and the second, larger peak occurring in the evening.  Korea Korean athletes won medals in speed skating, short-track speed skating — and one gold medal in Ladies' Figure Skating by Kim Yu-Na. Queries such as 김연아 세계신기록 ("Yu world record"), 김연아 007 ("Yu 007"), and just plain 김연아 ("Kim Yu-Na") increased an order of magnitude as Kim won the Ladies' Short Program on February 23 and ended the Ladies' Free Skating on February 25 with a new world record score of 228.56.  United States Americans were interested in both the opening ceremonies and the unfortunate death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. The men's free skating program on February 18, when Evan Lysacek won gold, drew many more searchers than the women's skating program on February 25, in which there was no American medalist. Interest in the unexpectedly good performance of the USA men's hockey team versus Canada (February 21) and against Switzerland (February 24) was exceeded by the exciting Canada v. USA final (February 28), which ended with a Canadian win in overtime. (Incidentally, the success of the men's hockey team also led searchers to look for information about a historic USA win. Searches for Miracle on Ice peaked the day after the USA team beat the Canadian team in the preliminary rounds.) Much of the television coverage in the U.S. was tape-delayed; queries arrived during the events but typically peaked during the evening TV broadcasts.  Canada Canada was not only the host — it also won the most gold medals of any region during any such games. Like the U.S., interest began with the opening ceremonies, and was dominated by men's hockey queries, causing a huge spike during the gold-medal game on February 28 as well as smaller spikes for games against USA (February 21) and Russia (February 24). The final women's hockey game against the U.S. on February 25 also caused a small bump in searches.  Canada took home the most gold medals, while the U.S. won the most medals overall. But where did Games-related searches dominate? To find out, we looked at the regions which had the highest percentage of Games-related searches out of all queries. Perhaps not surprisingly, Canadians were more than twice as likely to search for "Vancouver 2010", "medal count," or their favorite athletes as their southern neighbors, which were the second most likely to make Games-related queries. And although the Netherlands was not a leader in the medals count, its citizens' Games-related query proportion was the third highest in the world. And finally, the Games wouldn't be the same without the stars — the athletes. The most searched-for individual gold medal-winning athletes were: 1. Shaun White (U.S. men's halfpipe) 2. 김연아 (Kim Yu-Na; Korea ladies' figure skating) 3. Lindsey Vonn (U.S. ladies' downhill Alpine skiing) 4. Sven Kramer (Netherlands men's 5000m speed skating) 5. Evan Lysacek (U.S. men's figure skating) We hope you had a great time watching — and searching for info about — the Games. We'll see you again in a few years! Posted by Jeffrey D. Oldham, Software Engineer   
 Source: The Official Google Blog | 2 Mar 2010 | 12:33 pm Darwinius Not A Human Ancestor After AllA fossil that was celebrated last year as a possible "missing link" between humans and early primates is actually a forebearer of modern-day lemurs and lorises, according to two papers by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin, Duke University and the University of Chicago.In an article now available online in the Journal of Human Evolution, four scientists present evidence that the 47-million-year-old Darwinius masillae is not a haplorhine primate like humans, apes and monkeys, as the 2009 research claimed.They also note that the article on Darwinius published last year in the journal PLoS ONE ignores two decades of published research showing that similar fossils are actually strepsirrhines, the primate group that includes lemurs and lorises."Many lines of evidence indicate that Darwinius has nothing at all to do with human evolution," says Chris Kirk, associate professor of anthropology at The University of Texas at Austin.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Mar 2010 | 12:10 pm Pricing details for the T-Mobile HTC HD2, and Motorola CLIQ XT leaked
Why hello there, Mr. Inventory Screen! How kind of you to pop by and spill all the pricing details on the T-mobile HTC HD2 and Motorola CLIQ XT. Wait – the HTC HD2 will be how cheap? TmoNews just got their mitts all over this screen grab, which clearly shows the pricing details for the slightly underwhelming (but still Android powered!) Motorola Cliq XT along with the awesomely overwhelming (but still Windows Mobile 6.5 powered [frownie face here]!) HTC HD2. The HD2 appears to be coming in at just $199 on contract ($449 off contract), which is a damned awesome price for a phone packing a mammoth 4.3″ display, a 1 Ghz processor, and a 5 megapixel camera. I mean, compare that to last years T-Mobile Touch Pro 2 – that was a far lesser phone (albeit one with a great slide out keyboard, which the HD2 lacks), and it went for $349 — on contract! The CLIQ XT will be going for $129.99, bringing it in at $20 less than the original CLIQ (which, while an older model, has a keyboard). The same tipster also spilled the pricing beans on the Nokia Nuron, essentially a US Version of the Nokia 5230, which should launch on March 17th for $69.99 or $179.99, depending on if you sign a contract.
Source: MobileCrunch | 2 Mar 2010 | 12:09 pm The Complaint: Apple’s Patent Lawsuit Against HTC Is All About Android
Earlier today, Apple issued a press release stating that it has filed suit against cell phone manufacturer HTC for patent infringement. No mention of Android or Google was in the press release. But one of the actual legal complaints, which we’ve obtained and embedded below, makes no bones about it. As expected, this lawsuit is about Android. HTC, of course, is one of the largest manufacturers of Android handsets. The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware targets: “certain mobile communication devices including cellular phones and smart phones, including at least phones incorporating the Android Operating System (collectively, “the Accused Products”).” By going after the biggest Android manufacturer, Apple is putting all Android cell phone makers—and by extension Google— on notice. Is there any doubt now why Google CEO Eric Schmidt had to resign from Apple’s board last year? The battle lines are now drawn. At least one of the patents (No. 7,479,949) lists Steve Jobs as an inventor, and describes a method to use a touchscreen as a graphical user interface “detecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen display” (i.e. multi-touch). The complete list of patents the complaint says are being infringed include:
Another complaint was filed with the ITC and may include other patents, since there are only ten here and Apple claims 20 patents are being infringed altogether. [tc_docstoc docId="27230772" mId="274918" width="630" height="550" slideMode="false" showRelatedDocs="true" showOtherDocs="true" allowdownload="true" url="http://www.docstoc.com/docs/27230772/Apple-vs-HTC"]Apple vs HTC[/tc_docstoc] [crunchbase url="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/apple,http://www.crunchbase.com/company/htc" name="Apple,HTC"]
Source: MobileCrunch | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:45 am Apple goes for HTC’s throat, sues for infringing 20 patents
Man – what a terrible way to wake up on a Tuesday morning. You roll out of bed, pop onto your favorite gadget blogs to catch up on all the latest news bits. New hardware coming next week.. some service is shutting down in a few months.. your company is being sued by Apple for infringing 20 patents… wait, what? That’s what happened to HTC this morning, who only found out that the folks in Cupertino were dropping the lawsuit hammer when they saw the stories lighting up across the web. Apple had literally just filed all the papers when they sent out the press release.
Steve himself emerged from the Jobs-cave to put out a comment, and he had no nice words to say:
Engadget reached out to HTC for a response, who confirmed that they’d got wind of the suit by way of the Internet:
The phones allegedly infringing on Apple’s intellectual property here are from all ends of the spectrum; from Android to Windows Mobile, from those running Sense/TouchFlo to those that are not. Name a popular phone made by HTC in the last 2 years, and it’s called out here: Nexus One, Touch Diamond, Touch Pro2, Imagio, G1. Whether this is Apple’s goal or not (and I have a hard time imagining otherwise), this could do massive damage to Android’s momentum. HTC is and always has been the guiding hand that lead Android through some tough times — start throwing sticks in the Android machine that is HTC, and things will get tough for Google’s OS. We’re tearing through this mountain of papers (seriously – it’s 700 pages thick) looking for details on exactly which patents HTC is allegedly tromping all over. With that said, I’d be willing to bet my finest pair of pants that HTC’s use of multitouch in there somewhere. Update: Yep, looks like multitouch is in there. TechCrunch has torn through the documents and found a number of patents listed, including multitouch and a bunch of others.:
Source: MobileCrunch | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:34 am Scientists Study Prey Of Gulf Of Mexico Sperm WhalesNOAA's new research vessel trawling for sperm whale prey in deepwater Gulf of MexicoMinerals Management Service (MMS) and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service biologists have set sail to learn more about the prey of sperm whales in the northern Gulf of Mexico.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:04 am Seeing The Hidden Services Of NatureFollowing an intense study of agricultural ecosystems near Montreal, a new tool that enables the simultaneous analysis and management of a wide range of ecological services has been developed by Ciara Raudsepp-Hearne of McGill University's Department of Geography, Elena Bennett of the McGill School of Environment, and Garry Peterson of the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:59 am Study: Feeling Young at Heart Slows the Aging ProcessWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:55 am Better than a iPad? Mobile Surface could reshape mobile tech landscapeSection: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops, Netbooks, Software / Applications, Wireless
We’ve all seen those giant pressure sensitive Surface tables capable of recognizing objects that are placed on it and take appropriate actions such as downloading images off a camera or syncing a mobile phone. You can find these fun tables in hotels (like the Hard Rock in Vegas), and in stores (like AT&T retail shops). Now it looks like Microsoft is working on a way to remove the table while perserving the Surface experience. Mary Jo Foley over at ZD Net found a Microsoft web page with these details:
Unfortunately, the link is broken now but shows that Microsoft is paying attention to arguably it’s most exciting project in a long time. The Surface has always shown such promise and bringing that experience to any flat surface would be a compelling offering. We’ve seen attempts that promise almost hardware-free computers but the tech always seems distant. Perhaps Microsoft can be the one to shepherd this through to consumers. I’ve been calling for a Surface Phone for years based on the chord that Microsoft hit with Surface. Maybe a tablet based on Surface wouldn’t be too bad either. Read [ZD Net]
Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:52 am Mother's Milk Regulates MetabolismIn newborn mice, at least, mother's milk appears to have some rather immediate and potentially far-reaching metabolic consequences. The milk intake kick-starts the liver to produce a molecule that then turns on heat-generating brown fat.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:51 am Study: Popular Nanoparticle Kills FishWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:50 am Do the Meek Inherit the Galaxy?The good news: the Milky Way could be abundant in intelligent life forms. The bad news: we may never hear from them. At last week's meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in San Diego, California's ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:45 am Study Examines How Blood Drives Motivate Blood DonationWhat is the proper incentive so that the rate of blood donation can increase?CLEVELAND – There is typically a shortage of donated blood in the United States, and research at Case Western Reserve University is looking for ways of improving the life-saving supply.Nicola Lacetera, assistant professor of economics at the university's Weatherhead School of Management, notes that about 38 percent of Americans are eligible to donate blood and only about 8 percent do.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:45 am Ostrich Eggs Used in Stone Age CommunicationLong before social networks, text messages, phone calls or even the postal system, hunter-gatherers would communicate using eggshells.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:29 am How Does Mercury Contaminate Fish?ANN ARBOR, Mich.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:16 am Google world domination? Topeka, KS changes name to Google, KS in bid for fiber opticsSection: Computers, Networking, Gadgets / Other, Household, Lifestyle, Web, Google
This isn’t the first time Topeka has temporarily changed its name to attract attention. Anyone remember “ToPikachu” from the 1998 launch of Pokemon media franchise which kicked off in Topeka, er ToPikachu. With the Google name change, Topeka is looking to set itself apart from other cities vying for Google’s attention like Baton Rouge and Grand Rapids. Google has asked local governments and their residents to get involved. From Google’s page: “Google is asking local governments and residents to express their interest in the fiber optic trial, and to provide information about their community by completing our request for information.” If you read between the lines, Google is almost begging towns and cities to change their names. Unreal. Read: [Topeka Capital Journal] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:43 am Mars Express Swings by PhobosThe information the satellite gathers could prove crucial to understanding the origin of Mars' moon.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:40 am Were Short Warm Periods Typical For Transitions Between Interglacial And Glacial Epochs?Researchers evaluate climate fluctuations from 115,000 years agoAt the end of the last interglacial epoch, around 115,000 years ago, there were significant climate fluctuations. In Central and Eastern Europe, the slow transition from the Eemian Interglacial to the Weichselian Glacial was marked by a growing instability in vegetation trends with possibly at least two warming events. This is the finding of German and Russian climate researchers who have evaluated geochemical and pollen analyses of lake sediments in Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg and Russia. Writing in Quaternary International, scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), the Saxon Academy of Sciences (SAW) in Leipzig and the Russian Academy of Sciences say that a short warming event at the very end of the last interglacial period marked the final transition to the ice age.The Eemian Interglacial was the last interglacial epoch before the current one, the Holocene. It began around 126,000 years ago, ended around 115,000 years ago and is named after the river Eem in the Netherlands. The followed Weichselian Glacial ended around 15,000 years ago is the most recent glacial epoch named after the Polish river Weichsel. At its peak around 21,000 years ago, the glaciers stretched as far as the south of Berlin (Brandenburg Stadium).The researchers studied lake sediments to reconstruct the climate history of the Eemian Interglacial, since deposits on river and lake beds can build up a climate archive over the years. The sediment samples came from lakes that existed at the time, but which have since silted up and been uncovered in the former open cast mines at Gröbern near Bitterfeld, Neumark-Nord in the Geiseltal valley near Merseburg, and Klinge near Cottbus and at Ples on the upper reaches of the Volga, around 400 kilometers north-east of Moscow. Gröbern in Saxony-Anhalt is now seen by experts as one of the most studied places for Eemian Interglacial climate history in Germany. As well as pollen concentrations, the researchers analyzed the level and ratios of stable carbon (13C/12C) and oxygen isotopes (18O/16O) in carbonates and organic matter from sediment layers, since these provide information about the vegetation development and an indication of the climate.The results show a relatively stable climate over most of the time, but with instabilities at the beginning and end of the Eemian Interglacial. "The observed instability with the proven occurrence of short warming events during the transition from the last interglacial to the last glacial epoch could be, when viewed carefully, a general, naturally occurring characteristic of such transition phases," concludes Dr Tatjana Boettger of the UFZ, who analyzed the sediment profiles at the UFZ's isotope laboratory in Halle. "Detailed studies of these phenomena are important for understanding the current controversial discussed climate trend so that we can assess the human contribution to climate change with more certainty," explains Dr Frank W. Junge of the SAW.From reconstructions of climate history, we know that in the Earth's recent history, interglacial epochs occurred only once every 100,000 years or so and lasted for an average of around 10,000 years. The current interglacial epoch – the Holocene – has already lasted more than 10,000 years and reached its highest point so far around 6000 years ago. From a climate history perspective, we are currently at the end of the Holocene and could therefore expect to see a cooling-down in a few thousand years if there had been no human influence on the atmosphere and the resulting global warming.With its expertise, the UFZ plays a part in researching the consequences of climate change and in developing adaptation strategies. You can find more on this in the special issue of the UFZ newsletter entitled "On the case of climate change" at http://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=10690Publication: Tatjana Boettger, Elena Yu. Novenko, Andrej A. Velichko, Olga K. Borisova, Konstantin V. Kremenetski, Stefan Knetsch, Frank W. Junge (2009): Instability of climate and vegetation dynamics in Central and Eastern Europe during the final stage of the Last Interglacial (Eemian, Mikulino) and Early Glaciation. Quarternary International 207, 137-144 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2009.05.006---Image Caption: Russian and German researchers took sediment probes of four silted up lakes in Central and Eastern Europe in order to reconstruct the climate of the Eemian Interglacial 115,000 years ago. At this time the Eemian Interglacial ended and was followed by the Weichselian Glacial which ended 15,000 years ago. Credit: Frank W. Junge/SAWSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:21 am Team Provides New Estimate Of Glacier MeltImage 1: NAU geographer Erik Schiefer surveys a debris-covered glacier margin. Photo by Amanda StanImage 2: A 3-D view of the Barnard glacier in Alaska showing significant quantities of debris that cover the lower parts of the glacier. Imagery courtesy of CNRS—French National Center for Scientific ResearchSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:17 am Marines Land in Iwo Jima for Battle's AnniversaryCommemoration ceremonies will honor the 65th anniversary of one of World War II's bloodiest and most iconic battles.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:13 am Leather Cases Turn iPad into a Book
After my moan yesterday about iPad cases that are merely rebadged netbook sleeves, the folks at M-Edge got in touch to tell me about their iPad cases. While there are one or two old-style bags in there, the majority of the line-up is much more in tune with the iPad’s pick-up-and-go nature. The best of the bunch appear to be the the Flip Jacket and the Trip Jacket. Both are canvas and leather sleeves, much like a book jacket without the book. The iPad is held inside by straps across its corners, and the cover closes to protect the screen. The Flip opens like a policeman’s notebook, with the “hinge” at the top, and the Trip opens like a normal book. Both have a Moleskine-style elastic band around them to keep them shut tight, and both come in a gorgeous range of candy-coated colors. This format seems to be ideal, keeping the iPad protected but instantly accessible, just like a book. Both of these cases, along with M-Edge’s other iPad bags, will be available in spring. The prices have not yet been announced but a look at the company’s Kindle line provides some clues: The Kindle Trip is $35. iPad Cases [M-Edge. Thanks, Caitlin!] 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:07 am ASUS officially unveils the DR-900 e-readerSection: Gadgets / Other, ebooks  Despite last hearing, and seeing images of the DR-950 e-reader from Asus we have seen the official unveiling of the DR-900. Asus made the DR-900 official during CeBIT and as far as features its not all that surprising. The DR-900 comes sporting a 9-inch (1024 x 768) display with Wi-Fi, 4GB of storage, a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as ePUB, PDF, TXT and MP3 file support. Additionally, those interested in the DR-900 can expect a battery life of up to 10,000 page turns and an option to have built-in 3G connectivity. Though the DR-900 has been officially unveiled there are still a few details missing—you know, the important ones such as the pricing and availability. Via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Mar 2010 | 8:37 am Instapaper Update Adds Pagination, Dictionary and Browser
Instapaper Pro, one of Gadget Lab’s favorite iPhone apps, has been updated to version 2.2. Despite that incremental number, there is a slew of new features which make the application more like v3.0. For those who never heard of it, Instapaper lets you save long articles from your browser by clicking a bookmarklet. It then cleans up the text and images (stripping out all the crap and ads) and serves it up to you on your iPhone to read at your leisure. Developer Marco Arment was planning on waiting for the iPad before releasing this version, but couldn’t hold on any longer. It shows. Small interface touches make Instapaper much nicer to use (if that were possible) and the application now seems more complete. So what’s new? The biggest addition is pagination. Previously you had to either scroll continuously with your thumb or switch on “tilt-scroll”, which would scroll the page slowly as you tilted the iPhone. Pagination works much more like an e-reader: touch the bottom or top of the screen and the next “page” flips into view. You can toggle this from the reading screen on the fly.
There is also an in-app browser, which replaces the old option to save the full version of a page. You need to be online, of course, but a browser is far more useful as you can follow links and of course mark them to read later in Instapaper. Better, the browser has a text mode, which Instapaper-izes a web-page in place for better small-screen reading. You’ll also notice indicators on your article list. Like the blue dots by podcasts and TV shows in iTunes, these show partially-read articles (and you can now delete archived articles, something you couldn’t do before). There are also much nicer text and font controls (the pop-over panel may hint at the future iPad version) and general tweaks to the graphics (including a nice new icon). If you don’t have Instapaper Pro already, go spend you $5 now. If you do, you won’t need any pushing to grab this update. Instapaper Pro 2.2 now available [Instapaper Blog] Instapaper Pro [iTunes] See Also:
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 2 Mar 2010 | 8:17 am The PS3 Problem: How Sony Got Scooped By Its Own Users - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:38 am Cow Dung, Urine as Medicine?Borrowing from Hindu spiritual traditions, researchers in India are working on medicines based on the waste of these sacred animals.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:34 am Thought-Control Headset Reads Your Mind
Back in 1982, Clint Eastwood flew Firefox, an airplane that had thought-controlled weapons. That was a movie (based on a pretty good book), and the plane cost millions of dollars. Now, for real, you can control a computer with your thoughts and feelings for just $300. The Emotiv EPOC headset is being marketed as both a gaming device and as an aid for the disabled. It has 14 EEG electrodes to monitor brain activity, a gyroscope so it knows where you noggin is in space and packs a li-ion battery for 12 hours of use. It is also wireless, and charges via USB. The headset reads brain activity related to facial movements, and uses this to infer your emotional state and intentions. This is then translated in software to control various applications, from games to photo viewers to an on-screen keyboard. And of course, any application or machine could be made to do anything with the input, from steering a wheelchair to, we guess, firing the weapons systems on a stolen, cold-war era Soviet fighter plane. There are three kits, and all flavors come with the same telepathic hat. The difference is in the software. The basic $300 version works with your PC (no Mac version), the $500 developer version allows writing of apps that will work with the EPOC, and a $750 Researcher SDK allows access to the raw EEG data for boffins to study. What is most striking, once you get over the idea of a thought-controlled computer, is just how cool the EPOC looks. Instead of being some dorky or embarrassing medical aid, it looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. But then, we guess it is straight out of a sci-fi movie. EPOC Product page [Emotiv] 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:24 am webOS version 1.4 now available for Verizon WirelessSection: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile
Via [PreCentral]
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:23 am iPhone's LCD Screen Beats Nexus One's OLED DisplayGoogle Nexus One’s luminous OLED screen may be state of the art when it comes to display technology in smartphones but an iPhone’s LCD screen ranks better, according to tests by DisplayMate, a firm that calibrates and optimizes displays.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:02 am Click & Grow, The Computer-Controlled Pot-Plant
The Click and Grow will be a plastic nursery-box which look very much like Apple’s Mac Cube. Instead of a pot of soil, the Click and Grow grows plants using aeroponics: the plants are grown in air with nutrients and water delivered together in a fine mist. To grow a plant, you buy a seed-pod, a capsule which contains both seeds and nutrients. You then hook up the box to your computer via USB (we told you this was nerdy) and download the correct program. The Click and Grow then does the rest, although you will still need to add water from time to time. Because food and water delivery are taken care of by the box, and the care programs are tailored for each plant-type, its hard for things to go wrong. Or is it? You could still neglect to water the plant, you could put it in a place with too much or too little light and you could put it in a drafty corridor when it should be in a sun-dappled corner. In fact, pretty much anything you could do to kill a regular plant you could also do to the Click and Grow. Still, I signed up to be notified when these go on sale: To my geek-brain, anything, even a pot-plant, is cooler when hooked up to a computer. Now, if only I could hack it to Tweet me when its thirsty. Click and Grow will be around $23, with seed-capsules starting at $3.50. Click and Grow - growing plants via computer [Gizmag] Click and Grow [Click and Grow] 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 2 Mar 2010 | 6:04 am Acer Brings 3-D Projectors to the Home
Gadget Lab editor Dylan Tweney and I may just be getting old, and therefore easily impressed by new-fangled technology, but we agree on one thing: 3-D projectors kinda blow our minds. They’re magic-lanterns. How can a lot of light spilled on a wall give giant, deep 3-D image, with all the clever eye-trickery that entails? The answer is, of course, electronics. although that doesn’t make the trick any less wondrous. In fact, it’s all done with mirrors. Acer’s two new 3-D projectors use a combination of DLP chips and high refresh rates to ensure that they can keep up withy the 3D action. DLP uses tiny mirrors which flip and move to reflect the light out and onto a screen. The H5360 offers 720p hi-def and HDMI with its 120Hz refresh rate, while the cheaper X1261 has just composite and S-video, with similar video specs. Both are “3-D ready”. This means that you’ll need some extra hardware to actually watch 3-D movies. This comes in the form of NVIDIA 3-D Vision, a combination of spectacles, a compatible graphics card and a computer. This hardware does the actual 3-D processing, but crucially syncs with the display in order to send the right image to the right eye. This last is the real trick for 3D projectors. They need flip those tiny mirrors fast enough and accurately enough to keep up with the wireless active-shutter glasses that make sure your eyes are seeing different things. Everything else is just light on a screen. I’m seriously thinking about buying a projector to replace our old 12-inch analog TV (Spanish TV switches over to digital this month). And after seeing all the 3-D movie demos at CES this year, I’m totally sold. In fact, give it a year and you probably won’t be able to buy a non 3-D projector. The H5360 is $70 and the X1261 $580. H5360 Product page [Acer] X1261 Product page [Acer] 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 2 Mar 2010 | 6:00 am 5D MkII Update Adds 24p Video, Sound Levels
Canon’s hot 5D MkII gets yet another firmware update today, only instead of fixing engineering problems (black spots), it is fixing some poor design decisions. Canon’s video-shooting, full-frame DSLR has proved popular with movie makers thanks to its great HD video and its huge range of cheap (by movie camera standards) lenses. Canon, though, inexplicably left out some essential functions, which have been added in this update. First are frame-rates. The camera now shoots at 25fps and the film-like 24fps, and the 30fps option has been tweaked to use the NTSC standard 29.97fps. Exposure, too, has been fixed, and now you can display a histogram on screen in manual, shutter-priority and aperture-priority modes (you can also use these exposure modes when shooting movies). Finally, sound has been upgraded, with the sampling frequency increased from 44.1KHz to 48KHz, and an on-screen level-meter added for manually setting sound levels. We think its great that such big changes can be added with free firmware updates. What we don’t like is the rather arbitrary manner in which Canon switches off functions. The 5D MkII is one of Canon’s highest-end cameras, and it took until now to add in 24p video? We understand differentiating compacts through software, but not cameras at this level. After all, the 5D isn’t competing with any other Canon camera. And one more thing, Canon. When will you put time-lapse and HD video back in your G-series cameras? There are a whole lot of people who won’t upgrade their G9s until you do. The update will be ready to download in “mid-March”. Canon adds 24 and 25fps HD Movie recording [DP Review] See Also:
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 2 Mar 2010 | 4:47 am
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Around 1976, when I was a very young lad, I somehow convinced my parents to spring for a home version of the most cutting edge consumer video game available at the time – 
You probably haven’t heard about the Da Vinci surgical 
Get ready, the 3D revolution will be televised. Sears has started offering pre-order pricing on Samsung’s 3D televisions, with some models expected to be available in stores later this month. Sears is also starting to advertise a Blu-ray player with 3D glasses as well.
Here’s some retro gaming goodness, GameStop has all but confirmed the White Classic Controller Pro for the Wii, with a ship date of April 1st. This is of course patterned off of the GameCube controller and has been clamored for by gamers ever since the Wii came out. Hopefully it’ll be worth the wait. 
The U.S. needs to be more welcoming of startup founders, no matter where they were born. But the illegal immigration debate is so politically sensitive that startup founders, who create tons of jobs, get lumped in with migrant farm workers and the discussion sort of comes to a crashing halt there. Now is the time for us to rally, though, and avoid 
Well lookie at that, GameStop is selling a 250GB Xbox 360 drive separately from a console. Microsoft has said in the past that they don’t plan on selling the larger drives without a bundle, so I doubt these are a new or official product, but rather GameStop coming up with something on their own.
Here’s a geeky watch that won’t destroy your budget. Cadence teamed up with designer John Flear to produce the 4-BIt watch. The geek angle? All of the time indications are shown in 4-bit binary language instead of arabic or roman numerals. 
Google has just sent out an Email to select Android developers informing them that they are eligible to receive either a Verizon Droid or a Nexus One, as part of its ‘Device Seeding Program’. The criteria for getting one of the phones is to have an application with 3.5 stars or higher and more than 5,000 downloads, which sounds like it could include quite a few developers.
If you 
This year’s Winter Olympic games have come to a close, and while we may have 
This week, Microsoft will show off some projects in development to employees at the Microsoft Research showcase in Redmond. The employee-only event will show off new directions for the company that the rest of us may see in the years to come. One such project involves Microsoft’s fun Surface product and making it mobile.
When Google announced they would hooking selected towns up with ultra fast fiber optic Internet connection, Topeka, Kansas decided it would be in on the action. So the capitol city did what any of us would do: set about creating a Facebook page, passed around a petition and decided it would change its name to Google, Kansas for the month of March. Genius.
Next is dictionary lookup. Tap a word to highlight it, as if you were going to copy-and-paste. You can then choose to look the word up. The dictionary comes from Wiktionary, and is completely off-line, so you can use it on a disconnected iPod touch. This is useful for learning English, we guess.
We saw 
Click and Grow is an almost foolproof way to grow houseplants. In fact, it appears to be the perfect product for the plant-loving but absent-minded geek.
