i am woman hear me geek

Lame joke gone

2011-12-23T14:15:00.005-06:00

So I tried a little play on words when I titled my blog ... here instead of hear ... and I think I'm the only one who got the joke. So following feedback on my lame attempt at punning I have removed the offending word play and gone with a more direct slaughtering of the quote :D

"I reject your reality and substitute my own." Adam Savage

In need of a Christmas miracle ...

2011-12-23T13:13:00.000-06:00

I have this friend Lyndsey who would be a great candidate for one of those family-channel-made-for-TV Christmas specials. In a nutshell, Lyndsey is a sweet lady from NC who is getting laid off from her job during Christmas. What's especially tough about this is that Lyndsey is just a few months into a high risk pregnancy (you can read her blog about her previous pregnancies and what's happened before) ... and she needs a job where she can sit so retail (which is the biggest hiring force right now) is out. Too much standing, walking, and heavy lifting. What's a woman to do? Can you imagine how hard it is to get an office to hire you when you're pregnant?? And what about if you have to accommodate weekly doctor's visits because of the high-risk? And how about not having family around to lean on while you go through this since you've moved so far away from your hometown? Stuck in Seattle, pregnant, and out of work is a shitty way to spend the holidays.

You might be asking yourself "Sad, but what can I do?". I'm not going to ask you for money - don't worry. But how about friending her on Facebook? Keep an ear out if you hear of a job opening, and don't worry if it's a temp or contract or whatever. Lyndsey just needs a little joy .. some morale .. and maybe a touch of holiday magic.

Against The Grain by Hudson

2011-11-13T13:04:00.001-06:00

Via Geeks Are Sexy:

Hudson - Against The Grain from Dropbear on Vimeo.

New Clip from Hudson - Stop Motion Kaleidoscopic Fun.

The new music video for ‘Against The Grain’ from emerging Melbourne indie-folk artist Hudson sees him collaborate with film maker/animator/VJ Dropbear (aka Jonathan Chong), producing a vibrant and colourful clip based around a mainstay from our humble artistic efforts throughout childhood – coloured pencils.

http://www.facebook.com/hudsonofficial

I finally pulled the trigger on a tab

2011-11-12T10:37:00.001-06:00

Soo excited ... new toy!!! Until now I have resisted. I have an Android powered smartphone after all, why would I need a tab? It's an unnecessary expense ... too much of a toy. It's not like I can use it for school ... etc. etc. etc. But woot.com made me an offer I couldn't refuse by putting up a 32GB Xoom (refurbed) at a ridiculously low price. So I took the birthday $$ I got from Mom & Dad and a little of my own and plunked down for it. I even slept on it so it wasn't an instant-gratification-I-have-no-impulse-control purchase ... really.

Woot takes a few days to ship, so I won't have it my grubby little paws until next week at the earliest. But who could refuse a 32GB tab at a better price than new 16GB ones?? I've had good experiences with refurbs before and it comes with the standard warranty, so I feel very confident that I've gotten a great deal. This is my third woot and so far I've been happy every single time.

So thanks Mom & Dad for the awesome present. Your gadget geek girl is giddy with the happy!

Did your EVO 3D camera stop working after the update like mine did?

2011-11-08T10:14:00.001-06:00

If so, here's a quick fix for you:

Go to Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications -> All -> Camera
Tap Clear Data and exit the settings
Power down your phone for a minute (I also recommend removing your battery for 30 seconds), then reboot your phone
Hold down your camera button on the right side of the unit to start your camera the first time after reboot. It should work fine now.

Update: Fix is holding and camera is working just fine these days. I had heard that there could be a problem launching the camera using the app, but mine launches perfectly using either the app (lockscreen shortcut or app drawer) or the physical button launch.

And in other phone news ... got my new cases today. Here's #1 ...

Geeks to the rescue!

2011-11-04T19:40:00.002-05:00

Are you a geek? Since you know/follow me that's probably a yes. Are you kind/generous/caring? Gosh, I hope so! If you answered yes to either of these questions ... Geeks are Go!!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to bring some hope, some happiness, some true holiday joy to children who might not find anything under the tree this year without you. Geeks and geekettes, I bring you Geeks For Tots!

Geeks for Tots!
What it Is: A contest that helps kids!

How it Works: Send us a picture of you donating to Toys for Tots or forward proof of an online donation. (Send to geeksfortots@gmail.com)

What You Get: Satisfaction at helping kids and possibly winning cool stuff!

Just a little something to help motivate you to get off the couch, step away from the gaming console, and join the ranks of the Knights of Good. You can donate at any Toys For Tots location (which you can find easily at various locations including Toys R Us). Snap a pic of you donating or forward you invoice for an online donation and you could win prizes to warm any good geek's heart. So go forth my young padawan and bring geekly joy to a youngling's face on Christmas morning. May the force be with you!

Wanna have fun with a Glitch?

2011-10-25T14:12:00.000-05:00

I want to tell you all about Glitch ...

Glitch is a very new, very cool, very free MMO that I've been playing off and on for a while now. It's not your usual MMO ... it's a very unusual world that actually is massive and much more about cooperation than PVP. You can solo Glitch, you can group Glitch, you can Glitch however you can conceive to Glitch in fact. The game client is Flash so if you have a flash-enable browser you can Glitch too! You can even find your Facebook friends in Glitch.

Here's a getting started tutorial

Goodreads | TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY

2011-07-03T05:42:00.002-05:00

Goodreads

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I started reading this book the evening of July 2nd and finished it at 3:25 AM. I tried putting it down, going to sleep, but it didn't work. Like the main character I had to finish once I'd started. This might be a teen book, but it resonated to me like high school was yesterday. Books rarely make me cry, but set aside a good block of time and a box of tissue when you read this one. If you don't need the tissue I'd be surprised.

The themes in this book are universal and timeless. They are also timely and intensely personal. Everyone I know has felt marginalized, demoralized, ostracized, or used at one point in their life or another ... whether in school or college or whenever. This book is a journey into how we cope ... or don't.

View all my reviews

Dark Matters on Vimeo

2011-04-30T12:43:00.000-05:00

I am not one of the great thinkers ... but this blew my mind. Who knew that particle physicists and cosmologists were such fun! Thanks to GeeksAreSexy for the heads up about this totally cool video!

Dark Matters from PHD Comics on Vimeo.

Corn Dog Factory

2011-04-28T13:06:00.001-05:00

From the monkeys at ThinkGeek I give you my latest culinary design device. I don't cook, I hate cooking, and yet I MUST HAVE THIS!! Reposted content:

Corn Dog Factory

You don't need a carnival to have corndogs

Beautifully cooks up to 6 corn dogs in just a few minutes

Included recipe booklet gets you started

Experiment with fillings with amazing results!

You don't need a carnival to have corndogs

The greatest thing about carnivals isn't the rides. It's not the games, or the cheating carnies that con you out of your giant stuffed badger. No, the greatest thing about carnivals is the food.

Oh, scoff if you must, but there's something about the funnel cake, cotton candy, and various meats on sticks that bring 'em in from miles around. For one, the cooking implements have the ancient caked-on goodness of carnivals of yore to help "flavor" each recipe. Blech. The other thing that keeps 'em coming is how tough it is to make funnel cake, deep-fried twinkies, or corndogs that didn't come from the freezer.

Until now. The dream that came through a million years, that lived on through all the tears, has finally arrived - Making your own corndogs at home! But don't let the limits of convention stop you from trying something new! Chop up a little jalapeno into your cornmeal batter for a kick! Substitute a little buckwheat flour or maybe ground almonds in the cornmeal for some nuttiness! Or, you can do like we did in the video - makebacon corndogs, son!

Food on a stick is about to go through a revolution. Making your own corndogs at home may not put those thieving carnies out of business, but at least you won't have to wait until the State Fair to get your corndog fix!

Features

Makes up to 6 corndogs

Recipe booklet, skewers, and instructions included

Easy to clean

Experiment with other on-a-stick snacks

US 110v only

10.2 inches in diameter, 4.6 inches tall. 6 pounds

A beautiful thought for Earth Day

2011-04-23T02:56:00.000-05:00

Pale Blue Dot - Animation from Ehdubya on Vimeo.

The Nexus S 4G coming to a Sprint store near you!

2011-03-21T12:22:00.001-05:00

Sprint just announced that the Nexus S 4G is coming this spring. There's a great announcement with all the deets that I picked up from twitter thanks to @Sprint but here's the highlights:

Android 2.3 - Gingerbread so no having to wait forever to get the latest updates
a pure Android experience
1Ghz Hummingbird processor with 16GB of memory
Super AMOLED screen
5 megapixel rear camera and VGA front facing camera for video calling
NFC - near field communications capable
$199.99 with a two year contract

This might just wind up being my new phone ...depending on the specs for the rumored HTC EVO 3D ... check out www.sprint.com for all the info. Photo by Sprint.com.

Sprint Community: International CTIA Wireless 2011: First Pure Google 4G Device with Android 2.3 in the U.S., Nexus S 4G from Google and Samsung, Coming to Sprint this Spring

Kinect Now Used For Medical Research, In Place Of $100,000 System

2011-03-19T01:23:00.000-05:00

Thank you CrunchGear for this Kinect news ... I love that a gaming peripheral has been hacked into a bona fide medical tool ... and replaces one that's so ridiculously expensive to boot! Gamers rule!

Kinect Now Used For Medical Research, In Place Of $100,000 System: "

The Kinect has only been out for a few months and it has been used for a bunch of different purposes and even broke a Guinness World Record for sales. Now, Kinect can add another milestone to its resume: medical research.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have found a way to use the Kinect in place of a $100,000 system to monitor children being diagnosed with OCD and ADD. Professor Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos said that, “As a doctor, you don’t have tangible data. We try to provide the tools in order to back up claims of a mental disorder.” The data he is referring to is now gained from a tweaked version of Kinect.

The Kinect has proven itself to be an amazing device, especially at its price point. “Something we can do three years down the line, we can do it today because of technology that was destined for the gaming industry. I don’t think Microsoft has realized that [Kinect] is something that could change medicine,” said Papanikolopoulos.

The research recently won a $3 million grant from the NSF to use Kinect in observing and analyzing abnormal movements and behaviors in children.

[via 1up]

Big bada boom! Changes abound ...

2011-03-13T16:51:00.000-05:00

Spring break is winding down and I went nowhere but boy did other people in my life ...

My brother got a great job at Disney (yeah you read that right ... my boy's working for The Mouse!) and moved to Burbank, CA yesterday morning. I'm totally stoked for Jared & Gail & Hailey & Marlowe but I have to admit that his dream job success kinda sucks for me. I've gone from being a 20 minute drive away from godbaby cuddles and brother/sisterly hangout time to having to hop on a plane and have a few days off to get quality time :( We had a great time at the going away party that Jared's team at Microsoft threw him. They even had the Disney channel on the display in the cafe for him. Too cute!

My folks finally got to move into their finally finished condo down in Mazatlan. Right before they had to pack up and head back to Canada. So they're just starting a 6 month sojourn in Rocky Mountain House. Well ... hopefully I'll be able to go down to MX in the fall and spend some quality time.

I swear, I just start settling in from my big move back in the summer; and all of a sudden it seems that the whole rest of my family is packing up and heading off! Guess it goes in spurts huh?

So I'm still doing contract work at that game company ... and still really liking it. My new cat seems to like us so he's making his home with us. He's got the worst case of allergies I've ever seen in a cat ... boogies get left everywhere, but he could be peeing on the floor so it's not that terrible. Besides, it's not like I can really say much. Sometimes I snot and sneeze all over the house too. LOL!

I know I haven't been keeping up much ... it seems like work & school & sleep have been taking up the majority of my time. I'll still try to post anything cool I find and throw in the odd update every now and again. Live long and prosper.

Here comes the sun

2011-02-17T20:12:00.003-06:00

So my brother has officially accepted a job offer from Disney and will be moving to Cali in a few weeks. While it will be a bummer not being able to just pop by for a visit on a whim, I have to admit that going to visit them in L.A. won't suck.
But I will mainly miss the chance to see my boo Hailey as often as I'd like. And sushi with Gail & Jared. And cat-sitting Marlowe. But then who wouldn't want to work for the mouse? Congrats Jared, love ya bro!

Posted from my phone using the new Blogger app :-)

CBC News - Canada - Transgender protection bill approved by Commons

2011-02-09T21:30:00.000-06:00

HOORAY!! I have copied and pasted (thanks CBC) the entire story here because it's so awesome. Looking beyond the alarmist fear-mongering that people are experiencing; I've had many friends who have transitioned or are in the process and have absolutely no legal protection, and very often no legal status even as it pertains to their gender. No one should lose their job, their legal standing, or their self respect simply because they're transgender.

Source: CBC News - Canada - Transgender protection bill approved by Commons

Transgender protection bill approved by Commons

Last Updated: Wednesday, February 9, 2011 | 9:05 PM ET Comments23 Recommend6

The Canadian Press

Bill faced criticism from groups such as REAL Women and Campaign Life Coalition. (CBC)

An NDP private member's bill to protect transgender people from discrimination was passed by the House of Commons, but could face a roadblock in the Conservative dominated Senate.

The bill — C-389 — seeks to add protection to Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code for those who've changed gender or are in transition.

It was introduced by British Columbia New Democrat MP Bill Siksay and has faced a storm of criticism from lobby groups such as REAL Women and Campaign Life Coalition.

Both groups argue it will protect sexual predators — something that Siksay dismisses as ridiculous and alarmist.

He says criminal behaviour will still be prosecuted.

The vote Wednesday pretty much split along party lines with the Conservative government voting against, but MPs from the Liberals, Bloc Quebecois and the NDP supporting it.

Gamer girl ... meet Rollergirl!

2011-01-25T19:51:00.000-06:00

I just had to share that a new WiiWare game came out recently that leaves my geek girl heart all a flutter. I'll admit that I have a pair of speed skates spending way too much time in my closet ... but now I don't have to lace up and put on my pads at the roller rink to get my rollergirl fix on.

Jam City Rollergirls is a new WiiWare game that let's play as either your own custom created roller queen or one of 30 real skaters.

At 1000 Wii Points (or about $10 in real world money) how can any self respecting geek girl go wrong??

Jerry Large | A reasonable view of gay marriage | Seattle Times Newspaper

2010-12-12T10:00:00.000-06:00

Reposted in its entirety (including original links) because I think this is one of the most well articulated positive views pro gay marriage that actually addresses the reasons against that the anti faction state as justification to deny citizens the right to marry whomever it happens to be that they love.

Jerry Large | A reasonable view of gay marriage | Seattle Times Newspaper

A reasonable view of gay marriage

Banning gay marriage is a no-brainer, right? No thinking required. People say they just feel in their bones that there is something wrong with allowing two people of the same sex to marry.

Jerry Large

Seattle Times staff columnist

Jerry Large's columns via RSS

Go with your gut, people say, and a lot of times it works, but not always.
Banning gay marriage is a no-brainer, right? No thinking required. People say they just feel in their bones that there is something wrong with allowing two people of the same sex to marry.
Thinking leads to a different conclusion. There is no rational cause for not allowing two consenting adult men or women to marry each other.

Yeah, the discrimination angers me, but then sometimes it's necessary to step back and strip away the emotion to see more clearly.

U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker constructed his decision overturning California's Proposition 8 out of the facts before him, and now we must wait and see whether higher courts will do the same.
Walker said the initiative was based on moral disapproval of gay marriage and had no rational basis.
There is no guarantee higher courts, particularly the U.S. Supreme Court, will follow his path. All those clichés about gut feelings, listening to one's heart and so on exist to describe a powerful phenomenon.

We are often guided by the part of our brain that operates below consciousness, the part that permits us to make decisions quickly without tying up the slower, rational part.
The automatic part of our brain is so powerful that it easily overcomes the thinking part. It tells us to act and we act, then it supplies reasons for our action, after-the-fact justifications that seem to us to be the product of conscious thinking.

The gut says there is something wrong with gays marrying, and we are supplied with reasons. They will raise defective children, for instance.

Not so, say the facts.

They will damage marriages between men and women. And the facts are where?

Emotional appeals carry more weight than pages of statistics. We have to force ourselves to think independently of our feelings. Easy to say. Hard to do.

We could not survive if we had to stop and think rationally about every decision and potential action. We would fail as a social species if we lacked intuition.
The instincts to protect a child or be leery of heights still make sense.
But we need, especially in a complex, modern society, to inject more awareness into the mix.
Some of our automatic biases are not useful. Once it was useful for people in small villages to have an automatic wariness toward someone who looked or acted different, but it makes no sense in an office populated by people from multiple backgrounds.

There are times when we should force the balance toward reason.
In time, we might alter some of the biases in our unconscious minds so that what seems odd might some day be unremarkable.

Having said that, I know most people are not going to work hard at separating feelings from reality.
Some people will have to lead the way by giving the unconscious brain new programming.
Did you see the movie "The Kids Are All Right?" It was noteworthy partly because it didn't make a big deal of portraying a family in which two moms were raising kids and struggling with the kinds of issues couples often face.

It wouldn't change anyone's opinion of gay marriage by itself, but it adds to the normalizing of gay couples without asking the viewer to do conscious work.
Even people who didn't go to see it saw the ads and made unconscious note of them.
Stuff like that wears away at biases.

It's a slow process, like a river carving a new channel. And once in a while something, like Walker's ruling, comes along and dislodges a boulder.

My gut tells me this one will let a lot of fresh water through.

Got a new mac ...

2010-12-12T09:49:00.001-06:00

... well it's new to me ... so it's a new used mac ... anyway

So I've always been a little curious about macs. I'm a self taught now I'm going to college for a degree since I like them so much computer gal; and here's this entire computer culture that I have absolutely no idea about and definitely don't understand because so far ... I'm a PC.

Well since I would like to be a well-rounded geek and curiosity hasn't yet killed this kitty, I always kind of wanted to get one and try and figure out this whole zeitgeist. So I've taken the plunge and bought a macbook from a guy at work (thanks Ian) for a very reasonable price with a little of the money I got from student loans and a nice bit of graduation cash my parents gave me since they're inordinately proud of their supposedly smart daughter ;)

So now I have one of these.

A little surfing on one of my favorite sites Etsy.com and now all of a sudden I want it to look like this:

... or this.

Maybe this ...

Almost definitely this one though.

The thing is that I'm still learning how to even use the thing and already I'm drooling over what I can do to make to glowy apple thingy in the lid look cool. This can't be a good sign. I still don't even know what to call that stupid symbol dealie (that looks suspiciously like a Windows symbol to me) on what used to be the apple key. Does anybody know??

Then last but not least I come across the following video and wonder just what I've gotten myself into. Everyone I know who owns a Mac is all "oh it's sooo easy" "nothing ever goes wrong with mine" "I NEVER crash". And then there's this ... and all is right with the world.

University of Calgary succeeds in building a neurochip out of silicon, human brain cells

2010-12-07T06:45:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know I'm a couple months behind the curve on this one. I have to plead the state of trying to find Canadian news in the Union I suppose. I just wanted to highlight this because (a) it's my hometown and (b) it's damn cool research.

University of Calgary succeeds in building a neurochip out of silicon, human brain cells: "

Scientists at the University of Calgary have teamed up with the National Research Council Canada to put a network of human brain cells on a microchip -- in effect creating a (tiny) brain on a chip. Until now, when scientists wanted to monitor brain cells, they could only monitor one or two simultaneously, but with this new neurochip, large groups of cells can be placed on the chip and observed in detail, as they go about their business 'networking and performing automatic, large-scale drug screening for various brain dysfunctions,' according to PhysOrg. But that's just the beginning! This sort of advance could someday lead to neurochip implants for driving artificial limbs, treatments for strokes and brain trauma, and more. The Globe and Mail even mentions the possibility that living neurons could be combined with silicon circuits to create an 'organic computer.' From that point it's only a matter of time before you're jacking into cyberspace with your Dixie Flatline ROM.

University of Calgary succeeds in building a neurochip out of silicon, human brain cells originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | PhysOrg | Email this | Comments"

The whole kitten caboodle

2010-12-05T16:09:00.000-06:00

I love cats ... my cats especially, but all cats; and dogs, and rabbits, and geckos, and lots of other animals too. So when I heard about this place on CuteOverload.com I just had to share. Heartwarming and cuddly are just too hard to resist for me I guess.

The whole kitten caboodle: "
Caboodle Ranch is a 30 acre non-profit cat sanctuary in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

The Ranch was unintentionally founded in 2003 when contractor Craig Grant agreed to take care of his son’s cat—he later found out she was pregnant with kittens.

Unable to bear giving up the kittens, Craig bought a new parcel of land, and cleared an outdoor space where the cats could roam, away from loose dogs and BB guns.

Craig purchased five more parcels of land, grew the sanctuary, and had 22 cats by Spring 2004.

Craig accepts wounded strays, cats who were formerly cage-bound, and cats that have been “kicked around by heartless people.”

In the middle of 100 acres of wildlife, the cats roam free through the nature trails, climb to tree forts, and hide in the underground dens Craig has built.

All the kittehs have been spayed or neutered, all shots are kept up to date and have regular visits to the vet.

Much more info on the story of Caboodle Ranch, photos, videos, planning a visit are here.

And as you can imagine, Caboodle Ranch is accepting donations.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Kittens "

Is Jason Statham Going to Have to Choke a Horde Gnoll Shaman?

2010-12-05T16:05:00.000-06:00

Now I'm sure every girl I know, and not a few guys, will admit they can totally relate when I say that I've got a little thing for Jason Statham. Actually, it's sorta a big thing really ... he's gorgeous, British, and manly so it's not at all hard to understand. But now, I adore him even more. Thanks to ToplessRobot for finding this little gem on the web and making all my geek girl dreams come true.

Is Jason Statham Going to Have to Choke a Horde Gnoll Shaman?:
"Because he will, if that's what he needs to do to get his hands on the new Cataclysm expansion for World of Warcraft. And he won't lose a minute's sleep over it, either -- he'll lose sleep because he'll be leveling up his Human Paladin all night. Thanks to the shatz for the tip."

There’s a Wookie in our front seat!!! [Pic]

2010-11-11T21:55:00.000-06:00

Do you know how much snorting hot cocoa out of your nose hurts?? Thanks to Geeks Are Sexy ... I do!

There’s a Wookie in our front seat!!! [Pic]: "

[Via Cute Overload]

Google issues joint policy proposal for an open internet

2010-08-09T13:55:00.000-05:00

Quoted directly from the Google Public Policy blog:

A joint policy proposal for an open Internet
Monday, August 9, 2010 at 1:38 PM ET
Posted by Alan Davidson, Google director of public policy and Tom Tauke, Verizon executive vice president of public affairs, policy, and communications

The original architects of the Internet got the big things right. By making the network open, they enabled the greatest exchange of ideas in history. By making the Internet scalable, they enabled explosive innovation in the infrastructure.

It is imperative that we find ways to protect the future openness of the Internet and encourage the rapid deployment of broadband. Verizon and Google are pleased to discuss the principled compromise our companies have developed over the last year concerning the thorny issue of “network neutrality.”

In October, our two companies issued a shared statement of principles on network neutrality. A few months later we submitted a joint filing to the FCC, and in an April joint op-ed our CEOs discussed their common interest in an open Internet. Since that time, we have listened to all sides of the debate, engaged in good faith with policy makers in multiple venues, and challenged each other to craft a balanced policy framework. We have been guided by the two main goals:

1. Users should choose what content, applications, or devices they use, since openness has been central to the explosive innovation that has made the Internet a transformative medium.

2. America must continue to encourage both investment and innovation to support the underlying broadband infrastructure; it is imperative for our global competitiveness.

Today our CEOs will announce a proposal that we hope will make a constructive contribution to the dialogue. Our joint proposal takes the form of a suggested legislative framework for consideration by lawmakers, and is laid out here. Below we discuss the seven key elements:

First, both companies have long been proponents of the FCC’s current wireline broadband openness principles, which ensure that consumers have access to all legal content on the Internet, and can use what applications, services, and devices they choose. The enforceability of those principles was called into serious question by the recent Comcast court decision. Our proposal would now make those principles fully enforceable at the FCC.

Second, we agree that in addition to these existing principles there should be a new, enforceable prohibition against discriminatory practices. This means that for the first time, wireline broadband providers would not be able to discriminate against or prioritize lawful Internet content, applications or services in a way that causes harm to users or competition.

Importantly, this new nondiscrimination principle includes a presumption against prioritization of Internet traffic - including paid prioritization. So, in addition to not blocking or degrading of Internet content and applications, wireline broadband providers also could not favor particular Internet traffic over other traffic.

Third, it’s important that the consumer be fully informed about their Internet experiences. Our proposal would create enforceable transparency rules, for both wireline and wireless services. Broadband providers would be required to give consumers clear, understandable information about the services they offer and their capabilities. Broadband providers would also provide to application and content providers information about network management practices and any other information they need to ensure that they can reach consumers.

Fourth, because of the confusion about the FCC’s authority following the Comcast court decision, our proposal spells out the FCC’s role and authority in the broadband space. In addition to creating enforceable consumer protection and nondiscrimination standards that go beyond the FCC’s preexisting consumer safeguards, the proposal also provides for a new enforcement mechanism for the FCC to use. Specifically, the FCC would enforce these openness policies on a case-by-case basis, using a complaint-driven process. The FCC could move swiftly to stop a practice that violates these safeguards, and it could impose a penalty of up to $2 million on bad actors.

Fifth, we want the broadband infrastructure to be a platform for innovation. Therefore, our proposal would allow broadband providers to offer additional, differentiated online services, in addition to the Internet access and video services (such as Verizon's FIOS TV) offered today. This means that broadband providers can work with other players to develop new services. It is too soon to predict how these new services will develop, but examples might include health care monitoring, the smart grid, advanced educational services, or new entertainment and gaming options. Our proposal also includes safeguards to ensure that such online services must be distinguishable from traditional broadband Internet access services and are not designed to circumvent the rules. The FCC would also monitor the development of these services to make sure they don’t interfere with the continued development of Internet access services.

Sixth, we both recognize that wireless broadband is different from the traditional wireline world, in part because the mobile marketplace is more competitive and changing rapidly. In recognition of the still-nascent nature of the wireless broadband marketplace, under this proposal we would not now apply most of the wireline principles to wireless, except for the transparency requirement. In addition, the Government Accountability Office would be required to report to Congress annually on developments in the wireless broadband marketplace, and whether or not current policies are working to protect consumers.

Seventh, and finally, we strongly believe that it is in the national interest for all Americans to have broadband access to the Internet. Therefore, we support reform of the Federal Universal Service Fund, so that it is focused on deploying broadband in areas where it is not now available.

We believe this policy framework properly empowers consumers and gives the FCC a role carefully tailored for the new world of broadband, while also allowing broadband providers the flexibility to manage their networks and provide new types of online services.

Ultimately, we think this proposal provides the certainty that allows both web startups to bring their novel ideas to users, and broadband providers to invest in their networks.

Crafting a compromise proposal has not been an easy process, and we have certainly had our differences along the way. But what has kept us moving forward is our mutual interest in a healthy and growing Internet that can continue to be a laboratory for innovation. As policy makers continue to formulate the rules of the road, we hope that other stakeholders will join with us in providing constructive ideas for an open Internet policy that puts consumers in charge and enhances America’s leadership in the broadband world. We stand ready to work with the Congress, the FCC and all interested parties to do just that.

Abandon Earth Or Die, Warns Hawking

2010-08-09T09:58:00.000-05:00

"Earth that was could no longer sustain our numbers, we were so many. We found a new Solar system, dozens of planets and hundreds of moons." Excerpt from "Serenity" by Joss Whedon. So it looks like Steven Hawking ascribes to the Whedonverse view that we are a plague on our own planet and will have to venture out into the 'verse to terraform new planets for us to destroy. Am I surprised? No. Doesn't mean that I have to like it though. I'm very attached to Earth ... I like her a lot, and I don't like the idea that she's apparently destined to die because of us and what we're doing to her. Not that I can't see us in a verse like the one Whedon envisioned much more easily than one like Roddenberry did ... I just really like being an earthling.

Abandon Earth Or Die, Warns Hawking:
siliconbits writes 'According to famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, it's time to free ourselves from Mother Earth. 'I believe that the long-term future of the human race must be in space,' Hawking tells Big Think. 'It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster on planet Earth in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand, or million. The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet. Let's hope we can avoid dropping the basket until we have spread the load."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

North America's first public-use quick-charge station opens in Portland: 3-handed politician not included

2010-08-08T16:54:00.000-05:00

North America's first public-use quick-charge station opens in Portland: 3-handed politician not included: "

What's being hailed as North America's first public-use quick-charge station for electric vehicles has just been unveiled in Portland. The station, built by NEC subsidiary Takasago, is installed in a PGE headquarters parking garage and will charge electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries to 80% in about 20 to 30 minutes. So yeah, it's public, as long as you've got a PGE badge apparently. Anyway, the grand opening was led by Governor Ted Kulongoski, pictured above carefully maintaining a safe distance while charging a Nissan Leaf. Guess you can never be too careful when pumping 50kW into a pre-production vehicle. Click through to see a video demonstration of the future, if we're lucky.
Continue reading North America's first public-use quick-charge station opens in Portland: 3-handed politician not included

North America's first public-use quick-charge station opens in Portland: 3-handed politician not included originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 06:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Implantable blood sugar sensor could eliminate daily finger pricks

2010-08-08T16:53:00.000-05:00

Implantable blood sugar sensor could eliminate daily finger pricks: "

Science has been figuring out ways to sidestep those dreaded finger pricks for years now, but it's not often that we hear of such a permanent solution as this. A crew of researchers from The University of Tokyo and BEANS Research Institute are in the process of developing a newfangled blood sugar sensor that 'reacts to glucose and lights up inside the body.' 'Course, injecting dyes into humans in order to receive interpretable signals ain't exactly new, but hydrogel is what makes this approach unique. As the story goes, this jelly-esque material can be implanted within the body, enabling blood sugar levels to be monitored and measured externally with no pain or irritation whatsoever. In theory, a monitoring system could trigger an alert as soon as the internal levels dipped or rose beyond a predetermined extreme, giving those with diabetes a maximum amount of time to get things back in balance. There's nary a mention of when this goo will be green-lit by the FDA, but there's definitely a video explaining everything just past the break.
Continue reading Implantable blood sugar sensor could eliminate daily finger pricks

Implantable blood sugar sensor could eliminate daily finger pricks originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Aug 2010 06:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Rampage III Formula high-end motherboard breaks cover

2010-08-08T16:52:00.000-05:00

ooooooooooooohhh aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh me want!

ASUS Rampage III Formula high-end motherboard breaks cover: "
ASUS has sent over a handful of shots of their upcoming ASUS Rampage III Formula motherboard, and it’s all looking decidedly tasty. Based around Intel’s X58 chipset, meaning compatibility with the latest breed of hexacore Core i7 processors, there are a full six DDR3 DIMM slots and three PCIe x16 slots.

Buyers will also get ASUS’ own X-Fi2 SupremeFX audio system, together with all the usual ports you’d expect from a high-end motherboard: USB 3.0, Intel ethernet connectivity and plenty of SATA 3Gbps and 6Gbps ports. In fact we’re basically looking at a larger, more feature-packed version of the ASUS ROG Rampage III GENE.

No official word from ASUS on how much the Rampage III Formula will cost, nor when it might slip out into stores. We’re guessing this one won’t come cheap, since the GENE is retailing for around $236 online.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

Google denies deal to pay Verizon for fast network | Relevant Results - CNET News

2010-08-08T16:51:00.000-05:00

Google denies deal to pay Verizon for fast network | Relevant Results - CNET News

by Tom Krazit

Google used Twitter to deny a recent New York Times report on its Net neutrality negotiation strategies.

(Credit: Screenshot by Tom Krazit/CNET)

Google denied Thursday a report in the New York Times that it was near an agreement with Verizon over Net neutrality that could lead to Google paying Verizon for preferred service.

Several reports have emerged over the last couple of days that Google and Verizon are in discussions over the best way to resolve an impasse over the concept of Net neutrality, the notion that all Internet traffic be treated the same when it comes to passage over broadband networks such as Verizon. Verizon and other network providers would like to charge some companies premium pricing to deliver their content faster to Internet users, a proposal opposed by Google and consumer advocates who fear such a system would lead to higher prices and tighter control over the Internet.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt did not deny reports that Google and Verizon were in talks over the issues during a press event on Wednesday, but Google's public policy team posted a message to its Twitter account Thursday morning denying a specific portion of a Times report that Google has talked to Verizon about paying for premium treatment of its traffic. "@NYTimes is wrong. We've not had any convos with VZN about paying for carriage of our traffic. We remain committed to an open internet," Google said in the message.

For its part, Verizon also said the Times report was wrong but didn't get into specifics. "The NYT article regarding conversations between Google and Verizon is mistaken," Verizon said in a blog post Thursday. "It fundamentally misunderstands our purpose. As we said in our earlier FCC filing, our goal is an Internet policy framework that ensures openness and accountability, and incorporates specific FCC authority, while maintaining investment and innovation. To suggest this is a business arrangement between our companies is entirely incorrect."

A separate report from Bloomberg that Google and Verizon have agreed to keep Net neutrality in place on wired broadband networks but not on wireless networks has yet to receive a similar rebuttal. A call to Google requesting clarification was not immediately returned.

The Federal Communications Commission is trying to referee the Net neutrality dispute between broadband providers and Internet companies through an ongoing series of talks over the issue, but it seems Google and Verizon are taking matters into their hands. The two companies are close partners in the mobile world, with Verizon carrying many handsets made by Google's Android partners.

Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google, as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple, the traditional PC industry, and chip companies. E-mail Tom.

Up to 45% Off Select Styles of Water Bottles from Klean Kanteen, Sigg, and More

2010-08-06T10:37:00.000-05:00

I love Amazon, I really do. They have a plethora of stuff that I need from keychains to textbooks to electronics, and they get them to me in just a couple of days. This is one of the Gold Box Deals today and wow is it great!

Up to 45% Off Select Styles of Water Bottles from Klean Kanteen, Sigg, and More:

Keep your thirst quenched with a reusable water bottle and enjoy up to 45% savings on select styles from top brands like Klean Kanteen, Sigg, New Wave, Liquid Logic, and many others. Plus, get FREE Super Saver Shipping on qualifying orders over $25 from Amazon.com.

Expires Sep 11, 2010

Batman: Arkham City coming to PC, PS3 and 360 in Fall 2011

2010-08-05T11:40:00.000-05:00

A name and a release time fram ... color me squee and thank you to joystiq for making my day!

Batman: Arkham City coming to PC, PS3 and 360 in Fall 2011: "

The sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum now has an official title -- Batman: Arkham City -- and will launch on PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360 in Fall 2011. There go your fears of deleterious franchise annualization! Of course, we might just go mad waiting so long for the follow-up to one of 2009's best games.

As you may have guessed from a handful of internet domain registrations, the sequel will take place in 'Arkham City', a 'heavily fortified' mini-city deep inside Gotham City. Warner Bros. Interactive hasn't offered further details on the game's plot or new features, but a pair of gorgeous Game Informer covers (September issue) hint at a more brutal tone and reveal some of the villains Batman may encounter. You'll spot a very patriotic Two-Face, and a possible romantic interest in Catwoman.

The official Batman: Arkham City website is up now, though it only displays the initial teaser trailer from the VGAs at the moment.
Continue reading Batman: Arkham City coming to PC, PS3 and 360 in Fall 2011

Batman: Arkham City coming to PC, PS3 and 360 in Fall 2011 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 09:46:00 EST.

Mega-Straddle Bus Conceptualized for China, Fits 1,200 Passengers

2010-08-05T11:37:00.000-05:00

I'm moving (very shortly) from the most pedestrian/mass transit unfriendly city I have ever lived in. Everyone who knows me is aware that I'm incredibly excited to be going somewhere where they build sidewalks at the sides of the road for pedestrians, have more than 2 bike paths in the city, and actually provide transit service that, you know, goes places. So when I stumbled across this post by Slashgear my interest was piqued. The only problem with a bus is that it's limited by the traffic around it. So rush hour is still rush hour, it's just that some other poor schmo is stuck driving (trust me, better them than me ... I hate driving in traffic). Even with a limited deployment you would still have traffic proof transit for portions of your routes which I would assume would be the ones with the busiest ridership. Still a concept of course ... but interesting idea.

Mega-Straddle Bus Conceptualized for China, Fits 1,200 Passengers:
China’s a busy place. With millions of people already filling their giant cities, and with the population to explode in the next 30 years, those in charge are forced with a dilemma. How to make it so people can get to one place, to another, without running into one another every six steps. While they may not have every solution nailed down, at least one ingenious designer out there has an idea: the mega-straddle bus. And yes, it does pretty much what it sounds like.

As you can see from the image, the mega-straddle bus is designed to straddle the road, and therefore go over the cars that are travelling on the road as well. It would stand 13.5 feet tall, and be 18 feet wide, which would mean that it would take up two lanes of traffic. Not that that matters, mind you, considering that it would be travelling on some rails embedded into the sides of the road, and therefore be suspended over those lanes. However, the designer makes it so that the giant bus can still traverse below the country’s overpasses.

If the idea isn’t shocking enough, how about how many people they want these things to hold? 1,200. Not only that, but the mega-straddle bus would also be electrically powered. It would use relay charging stations throughout its trek across China, and allow for the train to stay charged as it made its way from one electrical conductor to another, always staying in contact with it. Though, we should mention that the rail system isn’t hte only idea. Apparently, the designers have also thought about having the mega bus have wheels, and using a laser-sensing system to keep it within the painted lines, and not run over any other cars on the road. Apparently, this idea versus, say, going underground will save the Chinese government almost 90%, of whatever the underground idea cost. Huge savings, and we can see why they would want to get on this.

And while right now it may just be a concept, it won’t be for long. That’s right, the Mentougou district within Beijing, is already getting ready to lay down upwards of 186km of track, in which they will try a pilot program of the mega bus. Alog with the 90% savings in cost, it will also reportedly save up to 860 tons of fuel every year, which will subsequently reduce 2,640 tons of carbon emissions. A good plan all around, and we hope the trials go well. We’d love to see more of these mega buses running around China.

[via Mobile Magazine]

Wave goodbye to Google Wave

2010-08-05T11:29:00.000-05:00

I had Google Wave ... the only problem was that not many other people did. I sent out my invitations to friends and family so that we would have a real time collaboration place to help us keep in touch (we're all quite geographically distant) ... but they either just wanted to stick with the email/IM that they knew, or they never got the invite at all. My workplace did not adopt it because, to be honest, while we were interested in the technology, it wasn't widely available enough to deploy as a solution. This could have been and incredible e-classroom technology but that was never an option ... my professors had barely heard of it. If there's any justice in the world of educational technology; learning management systems like Blackboard or D2L will jump on integrating something like this into their platforms. Online learning to take leaps and bounds with this type of real time interaction.

So Google Wave was a great idea that just didn't get off the ground. No wonder, since I think that Google really hobbled it. Integrate it with Gmail and I think you'll have a winner ... but the standalone application didn't have enough support from Google to achieve their goals. Shame, but there it is.

Update on Google Wave
8/04/2010 02:00:00 PM
We have always pursued innovative projects because we want to drive breakthroughs in computer science that dramatically improve our users’ lives. Last year at Google I/O, when we launched our developer preview of Google Wave, a web app for real time communication and collaboration, it set a high bar for what was possible in a web browser. We showed character-by-character live typing, and the ability to drag-and-drop files from the desktop, even “playback” the history of changes—all within a browser. Developers in the audience stood and cheered. Some even waved their laptops.

We were equally jazzed about Google Wave internally, even though we weren’t quite sure how users would respond to this radically different kind of communication. The use cases we’ve seen show the power of this technology: sharing images and other media in real time; improving spell-checking by understanding not just an individual word, but also the context of each word; and enabling third-party developers to build new tools like consumer gadgets for travel, or robots to check code.

But despite these wins, and numerous loyal fans, Wave has not seen the user adoption we would have liked. We don’t plan to continue developing Wave as a standalone product, but we will maintain the site at least through the end of the year and extend the technology for use in other Google projects. The central parts of the code, as well as the protocols that have driven many of Wave’s innovations, like drag-and-drop and character-by-character live typing, are already available as open source, so customers and partners can continue the innovation we began. In addition, we will work on tools so that users can easily “liberate” their content from Wave.

Wave has taught us a lot, and we are proud of the team for the ways in which they have pushed the boundaries of computer science. We are excited about what they will develop next as we continue to create innovations with the potential to advance technology and the wider web.

Posted by Urs Hölzle, Senior Vice President, Operations & Google Fellow

R2-D2 Toy Responds to 40 Voice Commands, Will Play Tag

2010-08-04T19:14:00.000-05:00

OMG I NEED THIS!!!

R2-D2 Toy Responds to 40 Voice Commands, Will Play Tag:
Every time you watch Star Wars, and R2-D2 rolls out into the scene, do you ever find yourself thinking, “Hey, I want one of those.”? Well, if you have, there’s a brand new way for you to get your hands on one. This new toy, powered by a bevy of batteries, is designed to bring R2-D2 to life, as much as that’s possible, anyway. With the ability to walk around your home in that trademark waddle, and respond to your voice commands, it will definitely feel like you’ve got the real deal.

This R2-D2 replica, which is completely motorized and multi-functional, has all sorts of cool features. For example, you can talk to it. You can say things like, “Turn around,” and “Move forward two units,” and he will follow your instructions to the best of its ability. It also features all sorts of sensors inside of it. The primary one would be the infrared sensors within, giving it the ability to follow you around, as well as avoid obstacles that are surely placed all over your abode.

It’s able to recognize over 40 voice commands, and R2-D2 can even play tag with you. And, while having a robot chase you around may bring nightmares to most, this is R2-D2. Enough said. You’ll need batteries to make him work, though. Four AA batteries, and four DD ones, too. And the price isn’t cheap, either, but not that you should have expected it to be. At $199.95, you’ll definitely have to ask for this guy for Christmas.

[via Ubergizmo]

Biometric security takes a beating ...

2010-08-03T09:51:00.000-05:00

Think that fingerprint scanner on your computer is cool ... like never having to remember your password again? Think again my friend. The Mythbusters have handily beaten biometric security on both a computer and a never before beaten fingerprint door system. Check it out:

MythBusters renew contract, no myth safe for next seven years

2010-08-02T16:05:00.001-05:00

My just skipped a beat ...went pitter-pat ... I love Mythbusters and the geekly girl inside is all a-squee with the news that our two favorite mythbusting geeks will be around for another 7 years!! No myth left behind, no explosion too large!

MythBusters renew contract, no myth safe for next seven years: "

Myths be warned! At Comic Con last Saturday, MythBusters stars Jamie Hyneman, Adam Savage, Grant Imahara, Tory Bellici and Kari Byron took the stage to promote their show’s upcoming season. The gang also announced that they have renewed their contract for a full seven years with the Discovery Network. Appeasing the Comic Con crowd, Adam Savage clamored that they were willing to take on more superhero myths. Anyone out there a fan of the ‘Busters? Any favorite myths?

[Via Reddit]

Read

"

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

2010-08-02T10:37:00.000-05:00

While the videos below come for a terrifyingly serious incident, the resultant remix shows that humor can be found in almost anything. We're looking for you homeboy!

Watch me 1st:

Watch me next:

Now laugh your ass off like I did and have a great day!

CBC News - Calgary - Alberta scientists see Alzheimer's breakthrough

2010-08-01T11:17:00.000-05:00

While we still don't completely understand the human brain, we all understand the impact that neural diseases like Alzheimer's can have on people's lives. It's nice to see a light at the end of the tunnel ... regrowing brain cells in humans could be an incredible breakthrough. While it will be some time before this line of experimentation comes to people, the science is exciting and has amazing potential.

Alberta scientists see Alzheimer's breakthrough
Last Updated: Saturday, July 31, 2010 | 11:16 PM MT
CBC News
Scientists at the University of Lethbridge say they have successfully regrown adult brain cells in tests on mice, a breakthrough that could lead to treatment of neural diseases such as Alzheimer's.
"We're pretty excited by it," said Dr. Robert Sutherland, who led the five-year project at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience.
"In just the same way as people have been able to regenerate pieces of skin that have been damaged, we've been able to do that in a part of the brain," Sutherland told CBC News.

In the study, brain cells were destroyed in mice, which were then treated with a naturally occurring growth factor and behavioural and memory exercises.

According to Sutherland, the three-part treatment allowed the cells to regrow, and after six weeks of treatment, those mice fared just as well as those in a control group.

"We discovered the memory disorder [in the mice] was reversed," Sutherland said. "It was gone. The memory was as good as normal."
Dr. Simon Spanswick, one of the primary researchers involved in the project, said the implications of the cell regrowth research are vast.
"Things like Alzheimer's disease, a number of memory diseases … dementia for example, Parkinson's disease, what we've discovered will be part of a treatment process for these disorders," he said.

Researchers couldn't say when their research can start to be applied to humans. However, the Canadian Institute for Health Research has renewed funding for the research for another five years.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/07/31/cgy-alzheimers-breakthrough.html#ixzz0vN5Fp1wr

Super Hero Squad Online trailer is super adorable

2010-07-30T23:36:00.000-05:00

Super Hero Squad Online trailer is super adorable: "

There are lots of super heroes in this trailer for Super Hero Squad Online. They have a customizable headquarters. They have a wide assortment of amazing super powers. Flight, super-strength, web-slinging; it's all there. Chief among all the powers, however, is a super-beam ... that melts hearts.
Continue reading Super Hero Squad Online trailer is super adorable

Super Hero Squad Online trailer is super adorable originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monsoon Multimedia’s Vulkano sends video to your Android

2010-07-30T23:28:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I was totally gonna hit Logitech up for the Revue which would bring Google to my TV and one step closer to world domination. After seeing this multimedia box I might just hang on for a while ... since it looks like it will do everything and then cuddle you after.

Monsoon Multimedia’s Vulkano sends video to your Android:

If you’ve been looking for a video streaming service that can record, process, and stream video to your Android, Blackberry, iPhones, iPads, Macs, PCs and the room TV., and aren’t finding your box of choice among TiVo, Roku, and SlingPlayer units, check out Monsoon Multimedia’s Vulkano, which ranged in price (depending on storage capacity) from $259 to $379.

Not only can Vulkano stream video to your other gadgets via WiFi and 3G, it uses UPnP to accepts streams coming back the other direction. So watching YouTube Hi-Def or your latest camera movie on the TV will be a snap. With integrated guide and scheduled recording, Vulkano aims to be the all-in-one digital box that’s “as easy to set up as a video game console.” On top of that, if you already own a TiVo, this thing can control it remotely.

Support for Netflix, Cinema Now, and Amazon are on the way. Yahoo! Widgets will be released later this year and Google TV early in 2011.

Check out The Vulkano website to pre-order your own (they ship AUgust 11th), and take a gander at the press release embedded below.

Vulkano – World’s First Universal and Affordable Video Platform for Smartphones, PC/Macs, iPads and TVs

Vulkano Integrates Multiple Disruptive Technologies – DVR, Web Video, Place Shifting, Universal Plug and Play streaming and Mobile Video Recording – Eliminating Multiple Boxes

SAN MATEO, CALIF. – July 27, 2010 – Monsoon Multimedia, a leading provider of video convergence products, today announced it is now taking pre-orders for Vulkano, which is shipping in early August 2010. Vulkano is a sleek consumer device as easy to set up as a video game console. Vulkano is a tightly integrated hardware and software platform that has a powerful video processor and local storage. Vulkano in addition to replacing multiple boxes such as TiVo, Slingbox and Roku provides significant other benefits and energy savings, giving consumers tremendous performance at a low cost. Cost of a Vulkano ranges from $259 to $379, depending on storage capacity.

When connected to a set-top box and a TV, Vulkano enables a complete video experience across Android, Blackberry, iPhones, iPads, Macs, PCs and the living room TV. Vulkano allows users for the first time to experience their TV channels, videos and photos on whichever screen they want, when they want it. Vulkano will be sold through Monsoon’s www.myvulkano.com, Amazon.com, leading retailers and etailers, and through strategic OEMs.

By downloading a free software application onto their device from www.myvulkano.com, or for iPhone/iPad from the Apple App store and installing a Vulkano, consumers can watch and control any home TV channel through a wired, Wi-Fi or 3G connection from anywhere in the world. They can schedule a recording through an included EPG (electronic program guide) and transfer and watch these recordings at any time on their TV, computers, smartphones or iPad type devices. Software players for PCs/Macs and iPads also come with Pause/Live functions.

Vulkano lets users watch YouTube on their big screen TV. Moreover, by using a technology called UPnP (Universal Plug n Play), Vulkano users can stream video and photos from their smartphones, computers and cameras wirelessly on to their living room TV without having to use messy cables. In the near future, Vulkano will offer free service upgrades such as Google TV, Yahoo! Widgets, Netflix, Hulu and others.

TV set-top boxes are commonplace in households today with over 210 million shipped in 2009 alone, according to analyst firm In-Stat. The fundamental flaw in nearly all set-top boxes is that they are “closed.” Vulkano “opens” these boxes by allowing consumers to enjoy a total video experience on their smartphones, iPads, PCs and Macs, or access services such as Netflix or YouTube.

“The combination of mobile video recording on iPads/smartphones, viewing YouTube on big screen TV, DVR and Universal Plug and Play streaming changes the television and web video experience in ways never before imagined,” said Colin Stiles, EVP Sales and Marketing at Monsoon. “We are proud to the be first to deliver your live and recorded TV content immediately with a simple screen tap. Whether in your backyard or on an international flight, you’ll have your favorite programming available anywhere, anytime – live or recorded.”

“We designed Vulkano from the ground up to replace single purpose solutions, such as TiVo, Roku, Slingbox, etc,” said Steve Stone, CTO at Monsoon. “In the coming months we will be pushing new apps to Vulkano owners for free so they can rest assured that this is the first and last product they’ll need for all their TV and Internet media needs.”

Mobile Video Recording (MVR): By using Vulkano’s unique MVR technology, consumers can schedule and record content from any TV channel on to the Vulkano’s local storage and either on demand or automatically transfer the content to smartphones, computers or iPads/iPod touches. A wired, Wi-Fi or 3G connection is required and an included EPG can be used. For instance, iPad owners can schedule a recording before going to sleep and have it automatically downloaded to the iPad. It is then ready for watching anytime, anywhere at a cafe, airport, airplane, office or in one’s bed. Hundreds of recorded movies, sports events or TV shows can be stored onto the 64GB iPad for viewing anytime. PC, Mac and iPad apps also come with Direct Record, Pause and Live functions.

Place Shifting Live TV: Consumers can watch and control their home TV or TiVo from anywhere in the world, including their home.

Digital Video Recording (DVR): Users can select programs to be recorded to the Vulkano SD card or optional hard drive, which can store over a thousand programs depending on memory size. Once recorded, the programs can be downloaded to computers, smartphones or played back on living room TVs. Vulkano also allows a consumer to schedule recordings through a TiVo or other DVRs that may be built into a set-top box.

Web Video: Vulkano supports YouTube content (up to 1080p) streaming and progressive downloading for a big screen TV experience. Future software releases will add support for Netflix, Cinema Now, Amazon and free media content providers. Yahoo! Widgets will be released later this year and Google TV early next year. A fully functional web browser with media extensions (including HTML5 media support) will be released later this year.

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP): Consumers can easily enjoy photos, video and music stored on smartphones, iPads, PCs and Macs on a big screen TV by deploying industry standard UPnP technology. This capability also enables multiple UPnP devices, such as video cameras, to play directly on the TV eliminating the tedious job of plugging and unplugging cables into the TV.

State of the Industry

Hundreds of millions of TV set-top boxes worldwide are “closed” preventing consumers from accessing new services and exciting video experiences. Due to the cost and logistics involved in constantly upgrading these boxes, companies cannot keep pace with the rapid changes in technology. The result is an array of single feature boxes resolving specific issues.

Consumers today are saddled with paying for TiVo, Sling, Roku, Vudu, Apple TV and other single solutions to address their needs. This has led to a cluttered living room, multiple service fees and constant maintenance of multiple devices. They are also often difficult to install and can cost over a thousand dollars combined. Vulkano eliminates all of these issues while saving on power consumption.

Summary of Vulkano Features:

• Transforms smartphones, iPads, iPod touches, PCs and Macs into Mobile Video Recorders

• Recorded programs play back on smartphones, iPads, PCs and Macs

• Direct record mode allows for Pause, Fast Forward/Rewind

• Schedule TV recording by show, channel or date and time

• Browse EPG for shows and episode descriptions

• Mark channels as Favorite for quick access

• Watch and control your live TV on the go via Wi-Fi or 3G

• Watch at home on iPads and computers in near HD resolution

• Change channels just like at home

• Search and watch YouTube videos on your home television

• Enjoy photos, video and music on home TV from UPnP supported devices, such as smartphones, PCs/Macs and cameras

• Multiple users can have recordings on Vulkano hard-drive and access independently

• Control Vulkano features and settings through intuitive television menu

• Connect to all major TV sources – cable, DVD, satellite, DVR, TiVo

• Stream video at H.264 and MPEG-4 standards at rates as low as 150kbps

• Includes 8GB or 16GB of SD card storage or e-SATA hard drives up to 1TB

• Connects wirelessly through Vulkano’s on board .11n WiFi to home route

• TV content is passed from the set-top box’s analog output (component, composite) to Vulkano; using resolutions up to 1080i

Pricing and Availability

Vulkano is available immediately for pre-order at www.myvulkano.com and www.amazon.com. Vulkano comes with 8GB, 16GB of SD storage and Vulkano Pro comes with 500GB and 1Terabyte e-SATA hard disk storage. Vulkano will be generally available in August through selected etailers, retailers and distributors worldwide. 8GB Vulkano will cost $259, 16GB $279, 500GB for $349 and the 1Terabyte Vulkano for $379. Monsoon will release its 3G version for the recently introduced iPhone 4 in August, 2010.

About Monsoon Multimedia

Monsoon Multimedia provides advanced, standards-based multimedia products and convergence technologies for the PC, Mac, iPad and major smartphones. Founded by the founders of Dazzle and Emuzed, the company has offices in California, India, Russia and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.monsoonmultimedia.com.

For regular Vulkano updates follow us at www.Twitter.com/MyVulkano

Become a Fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MyVulkano
Via Engadget

You Are Standing in an Open Field West of a White Rapper

2010-07-30T23:11:00.000-05:00

TR posted this a couple of days ago ... and I'm ashamed to admit that I almost missed it. Trust me, you want to watch this video ...

You Are Standing in an Open Field West of a White Rapper:

I have no idea why this MC Frontalot video -- a rap about the classic text game Zork -- is nearly a year old and only has 5000 views on YouTube, but that shit needs to be corrected immediately. Or we're all likely to be eaten by... you know. Thanks to WAH for the tip.

Android Market gets Carrier Billing, makes it easier to install Paid Apps

2010-07-30T16:46:00.000-05:00

I have no problem buying apps from the android market ... but a lot of people aren't. Go figure. Now this makes it just that much easier for them to enjoy all the benefits of a fully customizable phone without having to pony up credit card info to the Goog.

Android Market gets Carrier Billing, makes it easier to install Paid Apps:

The most popular way of installing apps on Android is the Android market. However, installing paid apps is quite different from installing free apps. The Android market currently works on a charge per paid app install basis. Therefore, if we install a paid app, we will need to pay at the end of each single transaction using Google Checkout. However, some changes can occur in the Android market terms and policy soon over the next few days, which can make installing apps an easier and hassle free matter.

According to this new policy, the app install charges will be aggregated and sent along with the carrier bill for the month. A similar billing process has been present on the iPhone always. However, it is not carrier billing. The bill is added to your credit amount on a separate account and you are charged from there at the end of the month. The payment method offered on Android makes this optional. Therefore, if you are getting a paid app from the Market, you have the option of paying using Google Checkout out or using the carrier billing option. Apart from the iPhone, all T-Mobile customers have also been enjoying this billing style for a long time. In all probability, Google is trying to implement this as a standard payment method across all other networks.

The feature has no timeline for a full-fledged release. However, we can expect it in a month. Google is working with carriers to implement this system on carriers.

(Source: ReadWriteWeb)

(Image via: swedroid.se)

This post shares tags with:

Archos 5 gets paid Market Apps
Android Market [unofficially] hits 50,000 Apps
Google may allow Market apps to be purchased via PayPal
Access the Android Market from DroidDog!
At least one Android app is generating a fortune

Water, water everywhere ...

2010-07-30T16:25:00.000-05:00

I sometimes hold training classes at the medical school where I work, no nothing medical, just Office and Blackboard and academic related software things. But in preparing for a PowerPoint class that I had today I wanted to show the students some examples of truly great presentations to give them an idea of what can be dome. I came across the one below and felt the need to share it with you because it touched me. Not only is it a great example of a beautifully designed and effective presentation, but the topic is so timely and important. Created by Jeff Brenman and winner of The World's Best Presentation Contest 2008 at slideshare.net I present ... Thirst.

THIRST

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: crisis design)

And we're back on the air!

2010-07-30T10:43:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the dead air yesterday, but I was a little busy and didn't have a chance to post but for a quick #foursquare check in now and again. If anyone follows me on Twitter or Facebook you'll know that yesterday was the BIG DAY. I took my oath of citizenship and became a bona fide American.

I have been residing in this country for 5 years 7 months and 26 days but always felt somewhat of a disconnect until yesterday. Yesterday, the United States finally welcomed me home, unequivocally, unreservedly, and enthusiastically. The actual ceremony took a surprisingly short amount of time considering how truly momentous it is to an immigrant like myself. This is the day that changes everything for us, the day that grants us not only the responsibilities of citizenship that we have all met since we immigrated, but the rights and protections of it as well. I now have a voice in the government that I live under, and can become a part of that government should I wish to seek public office. My tax dollars mean more because now I can vote on the policies that spend them. I can never be deported or removed from the country by suspicion or specious allegations. I may have had a residence prior to this, but now I have a home.

I will always be a Canadian, but now my heart and soul have grown larger to accommodate another country and I will always be an American as well. The experience is indescribable.

On a day of great triumph I also experienced a great loss. My aunt, Sylvia Tencer, passed away at approximately 4:30 pm Pacific Time yesterday. She was my Godmother and friend and I will have a hole in my life now that she is gone. She was more than an aunt to me, she was my mother when I needed one, my confident when I couldn't talk to anyone else, my home when I felt I had no where to turn, and loved me unconditionally and deeply. I could never describe what she gave to me and meant to me adequately. So if you happen to run into me and I'm not my usual bubbly self ... just know that my heart aches.

Nerd Love Equation

2010-07-28T22:42:00.001-05:00

Nerd Love Equation: "

Thanks Matt!
[Via]
Related posts:

EPIC Warhammer case mod

2010-07-28T16:51:00.000-05:00

Got to thank SlashGear for pointing out this truly epic case mod. This case PWNS and I don't care that it's incredibly impractical and probably took way too much money and time to make ... it still PWNS!! Epically!

Warhammer case mod is best evah!:

If there were an award for the best case mod in the history of case mods, the person who designed this Warhammer Dreadnought case would be a shoe in. This thing is simply awesome in its detail and I want it.

I have no idea how the builder pulled this off, but there are some major skills at play in the build of this thing. If you wet yourself just from the looks of this mod, it gets better.

The case has lights, talks, and get this — the chain gun spins! Nerdgasm. Check the videos below to feast on something you are not cool enough to build.

Researchers Discover How Key Enzyme Repairs Sun-Damaged DNA

2010-07-28T12:31:00.000-05:00

As one of those pale faced people in a "the sun kinda hates me" way I am very intrigued by the discovery below ... quoted verbatim since it's all scientific and stuff ...

Researchers Discover How Key Enzyme Repairs Sun-Damaged DNA

RESEARCHERS DISCOVER HOW KEY ENZYME REPAIRS SUN-DAMAGED DNA
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Researchers have long known that humans lack a key enzyme -- one possessed by most of the animal kingdom and even plants -- that reverses severe sun damage.
For the first time, researchers have witnessed how this enzyme works at the atomic level to repair sun-damaged DNA.

The discovery holds promise for future sunburn remedies and skin cancer prevention.
In the early online edition of the journal Nature, Ohio State University physicist and chemist Dongping Zhong and his colleagues describe how they were able to observe the enzyme, called photolyase, inject a single electron and proton into an injured strand of DNA. The two subatomic particles healed the damage in a few billionths of a second.

Dongping Zhong

“It sounds simple, but those two atomic particles actually initiated a very complex series of chemical reactions,” said Zhong, the Robert Smith Associate Professor of Physics, and associate professor in the departments of chemistry and biochemistry at Ohio State. “It all happened very fast, and the timing had to be just right.”

Exactly how photolyases repair the damage has remained a mystery until now.

“People have been working on this for years, but now that we’ve seen it, I don’t think anyone could have guessed exactly what was happening,” Zhong said.

He and his colleagues synthesized DNA in the lab and exposed it to ultraviolet light, producing damage similar to that of sunburn, then added photolyase enzymes. Using ultrafast light pulses, they took a series of “snapshots” to reveal how the enzyme repaired the DNA at the atomic level.

Ultraviolet (UV) light damages skin by causing chemical bonds to form in the wrong places along the DNA molecules in our cells.

This study has revealed that photolyase breaks up those errant bonds in just the right spots to cause the atoms in the DNA to move back into their original positions. The bonds are then arranged in such a way that the electron and proton are automatically ejected out of the DNA helix and back into the photolyase, presumably so it could start the cycle over again and go on to heal other sites.

All plants and most animals have photolyase to repair severe sun damage. Everything from trees to bacteria to insects enjoys this extra protection. Only mammals lack the enzyme.
Humans do possess some enzymes that can undo damage with less efficiency. But we become sunburned when our DNA is too damaged for those enzymes to repair, and our skin cells die. Scientists have linked chronic sun damage to DNA mutations that lead to diseases such as skin cancer.

Email this to a friend

“People have been working on this for years, but now that we’ve seen it, I don’t think anyone could have guessed exactly what was happening,” Zhong said.

Now that researchers know the mechanism by which photolyase works, they might use that information to design drugs or lotions that heal sun damage, Zhong said.
Normal sunscreen lotions convert UV light to heat, or reflect it away from our skin. A sunscreen containing photolyase could potentially heal some of the damage from UV rays that get through.

Perhaps ironically, photolyase captures light of a different wavelength -- visible light, in the form of photons -- to obtain enough energy to launch the healing electron and proton into the DNA that has been damaged by UV light.
Researchers knew that visible light played a role in the process -- hence the term “photo” in the enzyme’s name -- but nobody knew exactly how, until now.

Zhong’s coauthors on the paper include postdoctoral researchers Jiang Li, Xunmin Guo, and Lijuan Wang, and doctoral students Zheyun Liu and Chuang Tan, all of Ohio State; and Aziz Sancar, MD, of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Medicine.
This work was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health and the Packard Foundation.
#
Contact: Dongping Zhong, (614) 292-3044; Zhong.28@osu.edu
Written by Pam Frost Gorder, (614) 292-9475; Gorder.1@osu.edu

Raspberry Brie Panini

2010-07-28T12:13:00.000-05:00

No, I don't have a panini maker - yet! Will do soon though if this recipe has anything to do with it. I must thank Google Reader staff picks for this little drool-worthy concoction. Feast your eyes as I price panini makers online ...

Raspberry Brie Panini: Oh boy. This recipe may be the final straw. I think I may break down and finally buy a panini maker. Do you have one? Do you use it a lot?

Amusing Ourselves to Death

2010-07-28T12:09:00.000-05:00

Aldous Huxley's Brave New World always frightened me more than Orwell's 1984, simply because the thought of control through our pleasures seems so diabolically clever ... and eerily accurate.

Amusing Ourselves to Death: "

"

AOL chooses Android

2010-07-28T12:04:00.000-05:00

Android is everywhere these days ... apparently even AOhelL is jumping on the Andy bandwagon. Thanks you to Android And Me for the heads up!

AOL chooses Android:
One area where Android has some catching up to do is the attracting of major corporate entities and large, mainstream app developers. We’ve seen an explosion of Android adoption over the last year and the Market is getting more attention and love from developers than it used to, but there’s still something missing: massive mainstream support.

I recently set free an iPhone 4 that I had been testing since launch day for comparison against the season’s Androids. The most impressive thing about the experience, to me, was the quality of apps and the way in which seemingly every niche demographic has been catered to by talented professionals with high-end software.

The other night, I went on a quest to find and Android equivalent of what is, in my opinion, iPhone’s best micro DAW, FourTrack. This little studio in a pocket goes far beyond the idea pad/scratch tape apps I’ve used on Androids, allowing the production of complete tracks suitable for publishing – overdubs, master effects, and all. And the key here is that I’m talking about recording live instruments – not just exporting arranged loops from virtual drum machines and softsynths.

When I sought public assistance, I was met with nothing but the proverbial chirping cricket. Generally, when I ask for Android app suggestions, I am swamped with great titles. But there are certain categories where Android’s selection is sorely inferior to the iPhone’s. Not only that, but iPhone owners often find several apps of a given function to choose from while Android owners are left hoping and waiting.

The FourTrack example represents a host of other categories where iPhone has advantage over Android, and I bring it up only to point out the importance of the news that sits at the end of the post: AOL has chosen Android to launch it’s official app, which will give users rapid access to information from AOL properties, like Engadget, Fanhouse, and of course, AOL Mail.

AOL was the first big name on the Internet. For millions of Americans, AOL was the Internet for over a decade. It still is for some. And for such a massive corporate entity to chose Android as the first target in an app campaign says a lot about the current state of the platform, but even more about where it’s headed. I think this launch could shape the future of Android, in some way.

So far, Android has been second (or fifth) priority for mainstream businesses launching an app. iPhone has always come first, and, when luck strikes, Android follows. I hope this AOL launch signifies a change in the perception of Android to the non-techy masses, and that dropping Android apps will be the hip new thing to do for business owners and managers who have no idea what Android is.

Maybe I’m making more of AOL’s announcement than I should, but I think people are tired of having only one phone option if they need their bank’s quality app, or if they need access to a specific mobile web management suite, or if they want to overdub acoustic guitar tracks in their living room. I know I am. Now where is my C2C?!

Via Android and Me

Comic-Con 2010: The Avengers Cast...Assembled!

2010-07-28T07:48:00.000-05:00

I think I just ... uh well ... never mind. Looking good Joss ... looking good!

Comic-Con 2010: The Avengers Cast...Assembled!:

The Avengers just got a lot more real at the Marvel Studios panel, where not only the news about the addition of Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner proved accurate, but we got this surreal group hug of the cast of the 2012 Marvel epic.

This amazing pic (via ComicBookMovie) managed to capture the magic of comic movie history being made before our eyes.

Pictured left to right: Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk), Director Joss Whedon, and Producer/Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.

Source: ComicBookMovie

Sucker Punch: Dragon, Samurais, Steampunk. Oh my.

2010-07-28T07:46:00.000-05:00

Thank you to GeeksAreSexy for finding me another movie to obsess over and salivate to see once Scott Pilgrim KOs me.

Sucker Punch: Dragon, Samurais, Steampunk. Oh my.:
Fantasy lovers and Steampunk fans rejoice: Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch promises to be a visual orgy of everything you guys love. Check out the trailer:
Sucker Punch is an upcoming American action-fantasy film written by Steve Shibuya and Zack Snyder, and directed by Snyder. Sucker Punch features an ensemble female cast that includes Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jamie Chung and Jena Malone. The film follows a young girl in the 1950s about to be lobotomized and as she attempts to escape an asylum with her inmate friends.
The movie is scheduled for release on March 25, 2011.
[Via io9]

The Evolution of Apple [Cartoon]

2010-07-28T07:43:00.000-05:00

HAhahahaha!! Too good not to share!

The Evolution of Apple [Cartoon]:
[Via Gadget Buzzer]

Android Gaming Challenge: Compete in Android Games, Win a Phone

2010-07-28T07:41:00.000-05:00

Android Gaming Challenge: Compete in Android Games, Win a Phone: "

Listen up, gamers: the interactive entertainment lovers over at DroidGamers.com are striking up a cool competition for anyone that takes their Android gaming seriously. The Android Gaming Challenge is the first mobile gaming challenge and tournament of its kind.

Users play games that take pure skill and will submit scores. After 5 days, the top 40 gamers will be thrown onto a bracket pitting all of them against each other until everyone’s eliminated and a champion is crowned. That champion will win an Android phone of their choice and a slew of other items.

Full rules and details can be had over at their site. It sounds like a fun ordeal that’ll get your competitive juices flowing and might even land you a new Android phone (those Samsung Galaxy S phones are great gaming devices, I hear). Have at it!
"

ASUS EEE Pad EP101TC with Android

2010-07-28T07:40:00.000-05:00

This might be an option now that it isn't bogged down with an overgrown OS for the hardware. And hey, it's Android now. Who doesn't love that cute little Andy??

ASUS EEE Pad EP101TC with Android

Debuted earlier this year at Computex, the EEE Pad EP101TC came out at 12mm thick, weighing 675g, with a 10″ touch-screen, and Windows 7 Embedded. Most of this will still be true for the remainder of the devices life, but there is one significant thing changing; Windows 7 will be ditched for Android. Exactly which version of Android is still under debate, but ASUS is said to be waiting for Gingerbread to officially release before showing off the EEE Pad at CES ‘11. As of now, prototypes are said to be running on Froyo 2.2. What’s more, the device is also being rumored to ship with 3G capabilities. CES may be nearly half a year away right now, but we can still dream can’t we? More information may spill before then, but for now, enjoy the following picture while you wait.

Via Android Community

Sucker Punch ...

2010-07-27T15:35:00.000-05:00

So right after I see Scott Pilgrim ... Sucker Punch will be my next favorite, gotta-see-it movie. Ladies and gentlemen, Exhibit A:

I rest my case.

The real cost of bottled water ...

2010-07-27T15:15:00.000-05:00

Via: Term Life Insurance

Might I suggest either a stainless steel water bottle like Kleen Kanteen or Sigg. If you're like me and you don't want to lug around a metal water bottle I highly recommend the Bobble ... I can filter tap water on the go, the bottle is easy to use, and I don't have to worry about landfills, recycling, or BPAs.

Kleen Kanteen

Sigg

Bobble

Tron Legacy: New trailer, more obsessive desire to go

2010-07-22T23:14:00.000-05:00

If you're anywhere near me when this hits theaters you'll probably be caught in my jet-wash and dragged into the theater behind me ... but you'll be happy!

Feel my ComiCon jealousy ...

2010-07-21T16:19:00.000-05:00

Enjoy!

Summer Reading: Video Game Books For The Beach

2010-07-19T21:22:00.001-05:00

I am reposting this verbatim because 1) I love G4TV and enjoy taking their advice and 2) I believe that gamers should shut down the console every now and again and read a book that isn't required for school/work/coding purposes.

Summer Reading: Video Game Books For The Beach: "

Summer vacations will be tearing a lot of you away from your consoles, but that doesn't mean you have to leave the gaming experience behind. And I'm not talking about taking your iPhones, PSPs, and Nintendo DSes (DSi?) with you. I'm talking about a new and exciting experience, the printed word!

There's nothing that says you can't learn a little while you're on vacation, so kill two birds with one stone and read about gaming. There are a ton of books about video games out there, and here are a few that I think are worth sticking in your beach bag. So while you work on your tan, you can study up on current games, read about old ones, or lose yourself in a virtual world.

Read on to check out the best video game beach books that you need to pack with you this summer.

Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell

Tom Bissell's book doesn't just detail modern video games, it details his own personal obsession with them, and explores the shame he's felt for years over playing them. He goes into depth about the industry, the games themselves, and what they say both about the people who make them, and the gamers who play them. It might not completely cover your own personal shame, but it's refreshing to hear a journalist who might be in the same boat as you talking about the games you're playing.

You'll read about how he fell into the black hole of gaming, his own personal demons, and how GTAIV mirrors his own destructive tendencies. It's a gripping read, fun at times and revelatory at others. Well worth your time.

Twisty Little Passages: An Approach to Interactive Fiction by Nick Montfort

This book first came to my attention at PAX East earlier this year after I saw a cut of Jason Scott's wonderful documentary Get Lamp, which details the world of interactive fiction. I spoke with Jason after the film, and he recommended this book written by Nick Montfort, who was also part of the Get Lamp panel (and is featured in the film). If you have ever played text-only games like Zork or Deadline, then you'll enjoy this fascinating look at their history and development.

And if you've never played one, then ... what the heck? Get out there and try one out. You can play Zork I, II, or III for free. Thankfully the internet didn't exist back when I was into these, or I probably never would have left the house at all.

The Ultimate History of Video Games by Steven L. Kent

The actual title for this game is The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon -- The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World, which is just a bit too lengthy for me. But, it's a very good look at the birth of video games, with particular attention given to Atari and what it did to the world. This isn't a pictorial history, but rather a written one, filled with fascinating stories - like the bar where Pong was invented. There's also a lot of sex, drugs, and scandal in here as well.

While it's not that "ultimate," since it was published in 2001 and doesn't cover the current-gen video game systems, it's a truly eye-opening look at the history of beloved video games.

Arcade Mania: The Turbo-charged World of Japan's Game Centers by Brian Ashcraft

America doesn't have a lock on the video game world by any means, and Ashcraft's look at the game centers in Japan that contrast the virtually dead arcade scene in the States. There are around 9,500 game centers in Japan with almost half a million machines inside, and is part of a booming industry. Ashcraft and contributor Jean Snow take a look at the culture of arcade gaming in Japan, the strange games, the history, and why it's so different than the scene over here.

This is a very enjoyable read, and the book is filled with a lot of photos for those of you who aren't super-fond of words.

Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984 by Van Burnham

For those of you who really aren't fond of words, I'd like to present Van Burnham's gorgeous Supercade. It's a loving pictorial history of the height of the arcade era, where these quarter-gobbling machines ate allowance from plenty of kids, including me. It hits a big nostalgia nerve, and will make you want to haul your MAME games out of whatever folder you've archived them in so you can give a few of these another play.

The photos and capsule-length descriptions are offset by longer essays from other writers, and the entire package is a great page-turner for a lazy day.

The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design by Flint Dille and John Zuur Platten

Many of you have thought about getting into the world of video game development, so why not thinking about writing for video games? Flint Dille and John Zuur Platten have written video games like Dead to Rights and The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, and together they formed The Bureau of Film & Games. As game designers and writers, this book details how to integrate story with gameplay. while creating a compelling experience for gamers. As a look at both writing and game design, this book offers some great insights.

If you're thinking about working in the industry, this is a great read to help you decide what facet you'd like to focus on.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Because we needed one fiction book to round out your book bag, I'm offering up one of my favorite books. Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash is s sprawling story set against a world where the internet has gone virtual, and you interact with others, play games, search for information, and do business as an avatar inside of a wholly created, artificial world. Of course, something goes wrong in both the virtual and the real world, and it's up to the book's main character, Hiro Protagonist (yes, really) to figure out what's going on.

There are samurai swords, mafia pizza deliverymen, killer viruses, and lots of computer hacking. If they ever turned this into a sandbox video game, this thing would clean up. Hear that, game developers? Read this on the beach this summer and get back to me.

Mean Rumor: Psychonauts Shirt Teases Sequel

2010-07-19T21:16:00.000-05:00

The original Psychonauts was a mind-bending trip into hellacious fun that made me weep when I realized it wouldn't work in my (then) new Xbox 360. The fact that they're even teasing a sequel makes me all quivery and happy. The fact that G4TV is pointing out that this is still nothing but rumor on an easily self silk screened t-shirt does not diminish the rabid desire I have for this to be true.

Mean Rumor: Psychonauts Shirt Teases Sequel:

I don’t want to get you too excited, and honestly, this is kind of cruel, but I felt compelled to share it with you anyway because it concerns a dream of mine that I know a lot of you share. Double Fine have added a new t-shirt to their online store to promote a new marketing push on behalf of…wait for it…Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp! I know. Breathe. We’ll get through this.

The shirt was spied by Game Informer, and what’s particularly eye-catching about the shirt (aside from it just being a straight up snazzy shirt), is the following snippet of the description that accompanies it:

“Whispering Rock is always updating their image in order to attract a new generation of psychic campers to the shores of Lake Oblongata.”

Mention of a “new generation” in reference to Psychonauts? Quick! Lungs...tightening up. Need brown paper bag now! Speaking of brown, here's a look at the new shirt:

Obviously, this is far from confirmation that Tim Schafer and company are currently developing Psychonauts 2 (stupid non-confirming t-shirt!), but when added to recent comments made by Schafer to Eurogamer, which suggested that a Psychonauts sequel could be on the horizon, there’s definitely a sense that something is brewing over at Double Fine. At least, that’s what I would desperately like to believe.

Source: Game Informer

Should the need arise, feel free to E-Mail me your tips, suggestions, and/or personal philosophies, or follow me on Twitter.

Do you want to be an astronaut? There's a game for that!

2010-07-19T21:11:00.000-05:00

My sister-in-law will squee with joy when she hears about this ... she's kind of a space geek in amongst all the other geeky awesome that she is. NASA has released a 3-D space exploration game that's FREE!! Yes, you read that right, free. Want to get people into space exploration and scientific careers ... get 'em gaming! I'll admit that yes, I have downloaded the game and had a little fun, but I haven't had a lot of time with it yet (don't start with me ... I'm doing a new beta and it's taking up a lot of my time). First blush impression is that it's a very slick looking way to bring out the fun in rocket science. Free is always a nice way of doing it too. So go ahead and check it out: www.nasa.gov/moonbasealpha/
The information below is provided by the NASA.gov website.

About Moonbase Alpha

NASA has once again landed on the lunar surface with the goal of colonization, research, and further exploration. Shortly after the return to the Moon, NASA has established a small outpost on the south pole of the moon called Moonbase Alpha. Utilizing solar energy and regolith processing, the moonbase has become self-sufficient and plans for further expansion are underway.

Moonbase Alpha Game ScreenShot -- Repairing the Life Support System
In Moonbase Alpha, you assume the exciting role of an astronaut working to further human expansion and research. Returning from a research expedition, you witness a meteorite impact that cripples the life support capability of the settlement. With precious minutes ticking away, you and your team must repair and replace equipment in order to restore the oxygen production to the settlement.

Team coordination along with the proper use and allocation of your available resources (player controlled robots, rovers, repair tools, etc.) are key to your overall success. There are several ways in which you can successfully restore the life support system of the lunar base, but since you are scored on the time spent to complete the task, you have to work effectively as a team, learn from decisions made in previous gaming sessions, and make intelligence decisions in order to top the leaderboards.

How to Test Drive Android on Your PC Without Buying a Phone [How To]

2010-07-16T11:16:00.000-05:00

My S.O. is a huge geek. I mean a bonafide gamer boi, IT professional, D&D playing geek. But he manages to lose geek points in a major way every day because he still doesn't have a smart phone. It's not that he doesn't want one, it's just that the opportunities have been limited in the Great White North until pretty recently.

Let me explain. The iPhone is great, but in Canada it's on one of the most expensive carriers and you have to commit to a minimum 3 year contract to get one. Draconian I know, but that's how it is up there (write your MLA). Now until recently Android phones were few and far between on Canadian carriers. They're starting to show up there now and he's interested but a little gun shy. I guess I can understand since he's sooooo publicly not an Apple fanboy that he couldn't possibly buy an iPhone, but it's all he's seen so far. So thanks to HowToGeek I can show him how to test drive good old Andy without the burn of picking up the wrong phone or finding out he doesn't like it.

How to Test Drive Google Android on Your PC Without Buying a Phone
Would you like to test drive the latest version of Google’s Android OS without buying a new mobile device? Here’s how you can run Android on your PC for free with the Android SDK Emulator.
Android is the latest mobile OS to take the world by storm, but everyone doesn’t have access to the latest mobile devices. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to run Android on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. Google provides an Android emulator with their SDK, which is designed to let developers test their apps on Android before running them on handsets. We can use this to test drive Android on our computer, here’s how to do it.
Getting Started
The Android Emulator requires Java to run, so if you don’t already have Java installed on your computer, download it from the link below and install as normal.

Note: When installing Java, make sure not to install any crapware it tries to sneak in like the worthless Yahoo toolbar.

Then, download the Android SDK from Google (link below), and make sure to select the correct version for your computer. Once it’s downloaded, unzip the files as normal.

In Windows, run the SDK Setup.exe program to get started running Android on your PC.

The SDK will check Google’s servers for available packages.

If you see an SSL error message, click the Settings tab on the left in the SDK and AVD Manager window that opened in the background. Here, uncheck the Force https box, click Ok, and then reopen the setup.

Now, the Package Installer will open. You can choose what you want to install, and then click Install to begin installing the Android emulator on your computer.

By default, all of the SDK platforms, samples, and APIs will be selected for install. This can take quite a while to download, as several versions of Android are currently available. If you only want to play around with Android, choose the version you want. You’ll want the SDK Platform Android your.version. Then click the Reject bullet on all the other entries, and click Install. We wanted to try out the latest Android 2.2 as well as the older 1.5, so we downloaded both of them.

Once you’ve started installing, you’ll see a window showing the download and installation progress. This may take a few minutes, depending on your Internet speed.

You’ll have some little Androids in your taskbar, but unfortunately they don’t show the download progress.

Setup an Android Emulator
Once the download is completed, you can setup an emulator to test drive Android on your computer. Select the Virtual Devices from the left menu, and then click the New button on the right.

Enter a name for your virtualized Android, and select the version of Android you want to use from the drop-down menu. This will only show the version you installed previously, so you may only see one version listed depending on your selection.

Enter a size under the SD Card entry; this is a virtual SD card that’s actually an IMG file that Android will use to store your settings and files in. Then, select a screen size from the skin options. The default is a standard, Nexus One-type display, while the others are different sizes including even a BlackBerry-style device.

Click Create AVD when you’re finished.

The program may appear to freeze while it is creating the AVD, so just wait until you see the confirmation window.

You’re now ready to run Android on your PC! Select your new virtual Android, and click Start on the right.

You can choose to scale the display if you’ve chosen a larger screen size than your monitor will fit, and then select Launch.

Android will now begin to load in your emulator. Several command prompt windows may open, and then you’ll see the emulator itself. Notice that the default, large screen size will display a keypad and virtual buttons on the right side of the emulated device.

Android may take several minutes to load, especially on your first run. After a while, the boot screen will switch to an Android boot animation.

Finally, you’ll be presented with your new Android home screen! Use your mouse as you would normally, though remember that you don’t need to double-click to open apps.

You can open pre-installed apps from the launcher menu, though unfortunately these emulator images do not include the Android Marketplace.

View your favorite websites in the browser, and they will render just as they would on an Android device. Note that you can enter text using the on screen keyboard in the emulator, or with your standard keyboard. Since this is an emulator, you may notice some lag in entering text.

You can also install Apps that are directly available online.

Default apps such as Email work great, and you can even see most of the device settings in Android.

Click and hold on the home screen to change the background or try out widgets.

You’ll even see the nifty Android Lock screen if you leave your virtual machine alone for a few minutes. Just click the arrow and drag it to the other side of the screen to unlock.

You can always repeat the steps later to create a new Android virtual machine. Here we’ve created an Android 1.5 virtual machine with the QVGA screen size.

We did experience a few crashes in our tests, and the emulator felt somewhat sluggish, but in all, it’s fun to try out a new mobile OS without spending money on a new phone.

Launch Android Virtual Machines Later
Anytime you want to launch your Android virtual machines in the emulator, just run the SDK Setup.exe as before, and select them from the Virtual Devices list. Alternately, you can launch an emulator directly from the command line. To do this, browse to your Android SDK folder and open the Tools folder. Press the Shift key and right-click, and then select Open Command Window Here.

Now enter the following in the Command Prompt, substituting the name of your Android virtual machine for your_device:
emulator @your_device

Create a Shortcut For Your Android
Alternately, right-click on the Emulator.exe in the SDK Tools folder, and select Create Shortcut.

This shortcut would actually only run the emulator in Command Prompt and not load an actual virtual device. We’ll need to change the properties to do this, so right-click and select Properties.

Select the Shortcut tab, and then scroll to the end of the Target box. Enter the name of your virtual Android as before, as @your_Android after the emulator.exe, and then click Ok.

Now you can launch your Android directly from your Desktop or Start menu.

Conclusion
Whether you’re a developer who wants to write the next greatest app for Android or are simply are curious about Android and would like to try it out without buying a new phone, the Android Emulator is a great way to get started for free. It is also a great way to try out new versions of Android if you have an older device. We were disappointed that the Android Marketplace wasn’t included. but check back in the next couple days and we’ll show you how to run it in the emulator!
Also, don’t forget; if you’re using an aging Windows Mobile phone, you might be able to turn it into an Android phone. Check out our tutorial on how to Run Android on Your Windows Mobile Phone.
Link
Download the Android SDK
Download Java for your computer

| More

This article was originally written on 07/14/10

Want to get a good look at the big picture of global population?

2010-07-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

I have had the pleasure and opportunity to travel and explore many places outside of North America, and I still couldn't comprehend the impact that poverty has on world population. No matter where you fall in politics or social activism, I really wanted to share this video because the reality of the situation is put across in a very easy to understand way.

www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/hans_rosling_on_global_population_growth.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2010-07-12

2010-07-16T10:51:00.000-05:00

I'm actually really happy that I don't get SyFy channel on my really crappy basic cable package from Comcast right now ... not usually, but definitely right now.

For shame Syfy, for shame!

Lifehacker is good.

2010-07-14T21:40:00.000-05:00

Yes, I must say that lifehacker.org has saved my butt more than just a little money and tons of time and effort. Being a student, I can truly appreciate anything that not only makes it super easy ... but is completely FREE!!!

Download of the Day: Software for Starving Students (Win/Mac)

Windows and Mac only: Software for Starving Students has released a 2007 edition of its collection of freeware and open-source software.

The collection includes well-known gems like 7-Zip, Audacity, Blender, and OpenOffice.org—all stuff you can easily get yourself, but here the legwork is done for you. Plus, it comes with an easy-to-use installer. The idea behind the project is to give students (or anyone else) a single CD containing all the software they'll need to be productive.

Just one caveat: The download is a disc image file (DMG for Mac users, ISO for Windows), so you need to know how to burn that image to a CD. It's pretty much a drag-and-drop affair for Mac users, but Windows users will need a program like Nero or Active ISO Burner, which is freeware. Software for Starving Students 2007.01 is free; it's available for Windows and Mac. — Rick Broida

Contact information for this author is not available.

Verizon Will Offer 32GB microSD Card Along with Launch of Droid X

2010-07-14T16:44:00.000-05:00

Verizon Will Offer 32GB microSD Card Along with Launch of Droid X: "

Verizon just sweetened the pot for those who plan to head out and pick up the Motorola Droid X tomorrow. Not only will VZW be offering exclusively the SanDisk 32GB microSDHC card, but for new Droid X owners they will but slashing $50 off of the $150 regular price tag. It will still cost you a pretty heavy hundred bucks, but the 32GB card brings the Droid X’s storage up to a sizable 40GB. If you’re looking for that kind of space for media and software (and with the Droid’s HD video recording capabilities and the soon to be released Android 2.2 update allowing app storage on the SD card you just may well need it), it might just be too good of a deal to pass up.

[Press Release, via Droid-Life]

Microsoft Kinect Bundles Priced at Walmart: $200 with Game and $30 Gift Card

2010-07-14T11:30:00.000-05:00

I must say thank you to SlashGear for pointing out where my next I-don't-have-the-budget-for-that dollars will be spent ... well at least it'll be at Walmart.

Microsoft Kinect Bundles Priced at Walmart: $200 with Game and $30 Gift Card:
All that we’re missing at this point, is an official statement from Microsoft about how much their motion-based gaming peripheral is going to cost. Yeah, that’s right. We’ve got pricing from just about everyone else by this point, but Microsoft has still yet to “announce” anything. And that’s even after their very own Microsoft Store listed the Kinect at $149.99. And considering everywhere seems to be boasting the same price, we’d be pretty surprised if that wasn’t the final decision. But, if you are thinking about getting a bundle, Walmart’s already got you covered.

If you plan on getting the Kinect, then going with the bundle from Walmart may not seem like a bad idea. You’ll be getting the Kinect (obviously), which is probably going to cost $149.99. And then you get a game, one of the launch titles (which includes: Kinectimals, Kinect Sports, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One, Joy Ride, Dance Central, and Kinect Adventures) which will run you $59.99, and a $30 eGiftcard. So, obviously the deal’s pretty good, especially if you’re already planning on getting the Kinect.

[via Joystiq]

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Look! Crispy, Creamy Avocado Fries

2010-07-14T11:28:00.000-05:00

Are you "under tall" like I am? Do you crave crunchy, crispy snackage that kills any desire to stick to your diet (or lifestyle change)? I quite literally squeed and got all excited about cooking of all things when I saw the post below. So enjoy like I'm going to ... and I'll let you know how my plans for the asparagus fries variation goes.

Look! Crispy, Creamy Avocado Fries:
Look! Fried avocado slices! Have you ever seen such?

Read Full Post

I give you Vader on a subway ... and intergalactic rebellion for dummies

2010-07-14T11:24:00.002-05:00

Android 2.2 demolishes iOS4 in JavaScript benchmarks

2010-07-12T13:24:00.000-05:00

Because we all know that I'm an Android fangirl I give you the incredibly awesome iOS4 smackdown provided by ArsTechnica ...

Android 2.2 demolishes iOS4 in JavaScript benchmarks

FCC Reviews Logitech Revue, New Details Emerge

2010-07-12T12:56:00.000-05:00

Most everyone knows that Google is a major part of my life ... from my phone to my calendar to hopefully a place to work in the future ... so it should come as no surprise that I squee over the thought of making my TV an android powered Google experience too. While I'm not able to splash out for a new TV, Googlized or not, any time soon, I do think that Logitech Revue might be a viable option for my stretched pocketbook resources.

FCC Reviews Logitech Revue, New Details Emerge:

We know the Logitech Revue is coming this fall as the first Google TV companion box, and we also have a pretty good idea of the sort of things we will be able to do with it, but what we haven’t heard much on are the internals that will power the entire experience. Thanks to some documents from an FCC filing for the Revue we have learned some of what will be housed inside the box.

The Logitech Revue will feature a Gigabyte motherboard with an Intel Atom 1.2 GHz chip on board and 4GB of memory. On the connectivity side the Revue will feature HDMI input and output, two USB 2.0 ports, ethernet, optical audio out, and built-in Wi-Fi.

Those specs should aptly handle HD video playback, web content, and apps from the Android Market on top of your standard television experience. The device will also get the peripheral treatment with HD web cams and various controller devices.

[via Android and Me]

Doodle doot do do doot! SMB sidewalk is SMB on the sidewalk

2010-07-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

This has been making the rounds on the web lately and it's just so damn cool I had to share ... so in case you live under a rock and missed it ...

Super Mario Bros. from Andreas Heikaus on Vimeo.

This is an incredible recreation of Super Mario Brothers on a curb ... yes, A CURB!! Super talented and wow ... has this guy got a lot of time!

App Inventor for Android

2010-07-12T11:55:00.000-05:00

While I have taken some coding classes ... I haven't taken nearly enough to code my own app yet (though that will definitely change). So imagine my pre-dev capable glee when I heard about this little tidbit this morning? Want to create an android app? Don't have the codemonkey chops? Never fear ... App Inventor is here!!

App Inventor for Android:

App Inventor is a new tool in Google Labs that makes it easy for anyone—programmers and non-programmers, professionals and students—to create mobile applications for Android-powered devices. And today, we’re extending invitations to the general public.

For many people, their mobile phone—and access to the Internet—is always within reach. App Inventor for Android gives everyone, regardless of programming experience, the opportunity to control and reshape their communication experience. We’ve observed people take pride in becoming creators of mobile technology and not just consumers of it.

For the past year, we’ve been testing App Inventor in classrooms around the United States, and we’ve found that it opens up the world of computer programming to students in new and powerful ways. David Wolber, professor of computer science at the University of San Francisco and part of the initial pilot program, says “students traditionally intimidated by technology are motivated and excited to program with App Inventor.” One student from Professor Wolber’s class told us: “I used to think that no one could program except CS people. Now, I've made dozens of applications for the Android phone!” Another student, who struggles with dyslexia, was inspired by App Inventor to take more computer science classes and is now learning Python. Check out this video to hear more about App Inventor for Android at University of San Francisco.

Visit our site to learn more about App Inventor and see sample apps. To request an invitation, fill out this form and you’ll soon be on your way to building mobile applications. And check out the video below to see how it works. We can’t wait to see what you create!

Posted by Mark Friedman, Google Engineer

Firefly theme redux

2010-07-09T14:15:00.000-05:00

I had to post this here, simply because it is a firefly related personal hot tub time machine for me ... I watched shows that started like this (c'mon I know you remember Airwolf and let's not forget A-Team) ...

Reuters Headline of the Year

2010-07-07T23:07:00.000-05:00

TMZ showed off what has to unarguably be the most hilarious headline ever!!

Reuters Headline of the Year

The giggle of the day ...

2010-07-07T22:56:00.001-05:00

There are just no words ...

So what do you think? Fame or lame? Either way, made you smile :-)

Video: The longterm fate of the oil spill in the Atlantic

2010-07-07T18:45:00.006-05:00

We all know that the Deepwater Horizon spill is a terrible disaster, but could we have imagined it was this bad? This has to be the worst petroleum related disaster in the history of the planet ... and we still haven't even been able to stop it, let alone start recovering from it.

Video: The longterm fate of the oil spill in the Atlantic:

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is horrible and it’s only going to get worse even if the spill is eventually capped. This eye-opening animation constructed by a team of researchers from the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa doesn’t show what could happen in a year, but rather what’s pretty much unavoidable.

The team simulated the release of eight million buoyant particles being continuously released from April 20 to September 17, 2010 at Deepwater Horizon’s location. They found using ocean flow data simulations conducted with the Ocean General Circulation Model for the Earth Simulator that the the Florida Current running in the deep and narrow Straits of Florida creates a tight bottleneck, which forces up to 20% of the original particles into the Gulf Stream and then up the coast of the US and into the Atlantic. Even Florida’s strong Autumn winds were accounted for.

The animation data doesn’t account for items such such as tar balls, oil coagulation, and chemical degradation. Because of this the forecasted data might be slightly overestimated. The data shows, however, that the oil particles will flow with the Florida Current and therefore the best place for a large filtration system would be in the the narrowest spot of the Straits of Florida. [via treehugger]

It’s hard to watch the animation and not wonder at the longterm effects this oil is causing. So sad.

Read any RSS feed on your Lexmark all-in-one printer

2010-07-07T18:27:00.000-05:00

Read any RSS feed on your Lexmark all-in-one printer: "

Remember that famous expression championed by Sun Microsystems, “the network is the computer”? As the Internet gets more and more pervasive, that expression is becoming more true than ever. Case in point, Lexmark all-in-one printers now allow you to read any RSS feed on their touchscreen interface. That’s right, you can keep up with global politics or the latest World Cup action right from your … printer.

If you have a Lexmark printer, just go to smartsolutions.lexmark.com to set up the news feeds you want delivered to your printer.

Here’s the full release:

Sports fans score with Lexmark’s new News & Sports SmartSolution

WHAT: Lexmark International, Inc. (NYSE: LXK) announced today two new News & Sports SmartSolutions , ESPN and BBC, that ensure global sports fans and “news junkies” remain informed.

In anticipation of several major upcoming sporting events such as the World Cup finals, the Open Championship and the Major League Baseball All-Star game, people will be able to view the latest information from ESPN and BBC directly on their AIO printers’ touch screen. For a brief demo, check out the video on the new SmartSolutions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-po0Ofen78U

These two new SmartSolutions, along with existing solutions for MSNBC and Apple Hot News, enable one-touch access to news. Also, with Lexmark’s RSS feed SmartSolution, users can choose their favorite Web site and turn it into an RSS feed that displays the real-time news they are most interested in, directly on their touch screen.

WHY: Office conversations that once happened around the water cooler are now happening around Lexmark’s all-in-ones (AIOs), where users are fed up-to-the-moment news and sports scores from their touch screen.

“With the summer sports season upon us, we want our customers to have access to all of the latest news and scores accessible throughout their day,” said Paul Rooke, Lexmark executive vice president and president of its Imaging Solutions Division. “Being able to check the score while your document prints increases efficiency as many employees find a way to stay up to date either online or on their mobile devices throughout the day.”

WHEN: The ESPN and BBC SmartSolutions are available for free and immediate download at smartsolutions.lexmark.com for the Lexmark Platinum, Pinnacle, Prestige and Interact Web-connected touch screen AIOs.

For more information, see the “Lexmark” Facebook page and the “LexmarkNews” Twitter feed .

Ribbon Ceiling Fan wins award for efficient design

2010-07-07T18:25:00.000-05:00

Ribbon Ceiling Fan wins award for efficient design: "
James Dyson isn’t the only one who can do unusual things with fan blades; Australian design student Benjamin McMahon has just won an award for his Ribbon Ceiling Fan, which not only looks far more impressive than a regular fan but is far more efficient. The helical loop moves air faster than standard blades, as well as spreading it out across the room rather than pushing it directly down.

That makes for more efficient cooling of the whole room, even though the fan itself is using the same amount of power as before. McMahon has designed it to be retro-fit compatible with existing ceiling fan hardware, too; the ribbon blade is suspended from five regular mounts.

No word on when we could see the ribbon ceiling fan up for sale, though McMahon does say he intends to commercialize the design.

[via Inventor Spot]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING! The internet is over ... so sayth Prince

2010-07-07T18:23:00.000-05:00

The internet is all a buzz that Prince, an undisputed icon of music world wide, is tolling its very death nell. Comments made in The Mirror, his first interview for a U.K. publication in years, are appearing all over the place and causing quite a stir. Why's that you might ask? Because according to Prince, "the internet's completely over."

Yes ladies & gentlemen, gadget geeks & technofreaks, you read that right. The Internet's completely over!!

Now before I rant, I must in all fairness give the larger quote. The full comment as quoted by the Mirror is

The internet's completely over. I don't see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won't pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can't get it.

The internet's like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good.

They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you.

So that's it. An artist who has grown up with the advent of personal technology has summarily decided that the internet is not only "over", but "no good" either. The very technology that I have dedicated my education to is meaningless and trivial ... just because he thinks so. I'm sorry, but no matter how awesome his music is, Prince is now nothing but a blathering idiot when it comes to anything else. I knew from recent interviews and encounter stories that he's been losing touch with every day reality for quite some time, but this is beyond eccentricity. These kinds of comments, and the tactics he's using to attempt to thwart piracy (forget getting Prince from iTunes or Amazon), will only drive the technoratti to work that much harder and faster to make sure that the Internet will be the easiest, free way to get his music ever.

Canon develops X-ray- and pain-free mammogram device

2010-07-02T20:50:00.000-05:00

As a woman who recently turned 40, the news that someone has developed new mammography technology that is pain-free is great news! Not great enough to save me from my 1st painful boob pinch which should be happening in my near future; but possibly great enough to save me from years of agonizing boob flattening. Here's to quick and widespread adoption of this technology!

Canon develops X-ray- and pain-free mammogram device: "

We don’t cover medical technology here on CrunchGear usually, but one of the things Canon is currently working on in that area sounds pretty interesting. According to Japanese daily The Nikkei, the company has developed a machine that helps detecting breast cancer without using X-rays (it’s estimated [PDF] that in the US alone, some 250,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer yearly).

Canon says its technology has two advantages over conventional mammogram devices: first, it (obviously) saves patients from exposure to radiation, and second the diagnosis is completely pain-free. The machine, which was developed along with a research team from Kyoto University, is based on laser and ultrasonic wave technology (which is why it can’t actually be labeled as a mammogram device).

Canon says that the first clinical studies are scheduled to begin at Kyoto University soon. The company expects to commercialize the machine within three to five years.

The picture shows a conventional mammogram device (sorry, but Canon hasn’t released any pictures of its new machine yet).

Get Control of Your Balls with Android

2010-07-01T21:17:00.001-05:00

And now for something completely different ... Balls!!

Get Control of Your Balls with Android:

How I love the smell of innuendo in the morning. GearBox is a startup that merges technological innovation and toys to create some pretty neat gadgets, and the latest they have to showcase is a fine set of balls remotely controlled through an Android handset. The best part is the robotic balls will get multiple applications offering a variety of games and play styles. The first is called Sumo, in which players face off head to head to see whose sphere reigns supreme. Collisions affect velocity and can result in reversed controls for your opponent.

The GearBox team is also opening up the ball’s APIs for other game developers to take advantage of, and even provide a few examples of games they would like to see. Office Golf? Curling? Or how about a way to keep your cat entertained without ever leaving the sofa?

[via Gizmodo]

Grandmother’s guide to video chat

2010-07-01T16:14:00.001-05:00

Grandmother’s guide to video chat: "

(Cross-posted from the Gmail Blog)

Often when I tell people that I work on Google video chat, I hear stories about how they’ve used it to give a video tour of a new home to friends, introduce a baby to relatives, keep in touch with traveling loved ones... the list goes on. This got me thinking about how convenient—and sometimes even magical—the experience of video chatting is.

So when I saw that my grandma—who loves keeping in touch with family more than anyone—wasn’t set up to use video chat, I decided to help her get started. While doing so, it occurred to me how many people there must be out there in similar situations. If only there were a simple way that any grandmother could use to get started on her own...

Introducing the Grandmother’s Guide to Video Chat:

This video, along with a printable guide, can be accessed at google.com/chat/grandma. Feel free to share this link with your grandma—or grandpa—or, well, anyone who wants to video chat to help get them up and running.

And after your grandma is all set up, take a screenshot of you video chatting with her and email it to grammy324@gmail.com to share it with us. The first 100 people to do so will get a t-shirt, printable guide and VHS of the video (because if your grandma’s like mine, she’s still a cassette kind of girl).

In a few weeks, we’ll feature the best photos submitted on the Gmail blog.

Posted by Jason Toff, Grandson of Evelyn & Ida

HTC Bringing 2GHz “Sabor” with Gingerbread at End of Year? [RUMOR]

2010-07-01T12:46:00.000-05:00

Ooooooooooooooh I'm so waiting to upgrade my phone until something like this comes out! Or maybe one that has one of those Qualcomm dual core processors ... but it's looking less and less likely that I'll be getting one of those HTC Evo phones now. Too much awesome coming down the pipe too close to my upgrade date if you know what I mean. Thank you phandroid.com!

HTC Bringing 2GHz “Sabor” with Gingerbread at End of Year? [RUMOR]:

Yesterday we learned some interesting things about the next release of Android (code-named Gingerbread). One supposed caveat to the future iteration is that it may require phones have at the bare minimum a set of high-end specs including a 1GHz processor and 3.5-inch screen if there is any hope to see the new OS on the device. Now we are hearing rumors of one of the first devices that may be built with Gingerbread on board (or at least Gingerbread-ready).

According to Oxford-Zeiss Content & Research Guide HTC may be cooking up a device called the Sabor featuring a 2GHz processor and headed to Sprint close to the end of 2010/beginning of 2011. The juiciest part of this rumor is that HTC might even be developing their own display to compete head to head with current AMOLED and LCD technologies. The new displays are said to carry resolutons of over 1000 pixels, which matches up at least in theory with the rumored requirement of a 1280×720 screen resolution for Gingerbread compatibility. The phone detailed also boasts a 10MP camera, 1080p video recording, and a kickstand.

So is there a Super EVO coming to Sprint by year’s end? It may be a bit too early to tell, but even if only some of those hardware advancements make it to a handset by years end it only affirms that this has been one breakout year for smartphones.

[via AndroidGuys]

OMG… Street legal Tron lightcycle up for auction!

2010-07-01T12:41:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you how much I would love to own this bike! It's not that the words don't exist to express the sentiment ... it's that I quite literally can't roll my tongue back up into my head long enough to form the words. I know it can't happen ... but a girl can dream ...

OMG… Street legal Tron lightcycle up for auction!: "

I like Tron and would have gladly sold my brother to the circus as a kid to get a real Tron lightcycle. I tried to make one myself by using duct tape to secure some of those glow sticks to my three-wheeler, but it just wasn’t the same. You can now get your own real light bike that is actually street legal and comes with a Tron helmet. Someone needs to go check on Tron Guy, he’s probably in a nerd overload induced coma somewhere right now.

The company who made the light bikes for the film is making five real bikes that will be street legal. The bikes are being built to the exact specifications of the ones used in the film and there will be only five made, each with a different accent color.

The color options are red, blue, yellow, green, and orange. The company says that the version built to promote the film is not running and these five will be the only ones to exist. The buyer can choose a high-performance gas engine and transmission or an electric motor depending on their needs. Apparently, the bikes are about $35,000 each. I’m off to put everything I own on eBay to raise the money to buy one.

Fame or Lame? Nickelback Coming To Rock Band

2010-06-29T22:11:00.001-05:00

Nickelback Coming To Rock Band:

Sound the celebratory trumpets: Nickelback is coming to the Rock Band network. The band, probably the greatest rock and roll band on the planet (other than Creed) are bringing six of their most unforgettable tracks to the music game so you can rock and/or roll all day and all night -- once you finish your homework, of course. The entire track list is below.

“Burn It to the Ground”
“Figured You Out”
“Never Again”
“Photograph”
“Rockstar”
“This Afternoon”
How much would you pay for the opportunity to play Nickelback songs on your fake guitar? A thousand dollars? Two thousand dollars? Eleventy-jillion thousand dollars? Nope. Try only $9.99 for all six or $1.99 per track. These will be available next week.

I leave it to you faithful readers .... fame or lame?

Hulu Plus coming to iPhone and iPad, a new way to kill time on the go

2010-06-29T22:09:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but I just can't see forking over $10 a month for the premium service when it's the backlog episodes that it would be paying for. I would understand if it was the new episodes and more shows, but since it's the older series (which are quite often out on dvd or Netflix) and older episodes of current shows I can't see this being quite the "cable cutter" that they're calling it.

Hulu Plus coming to iPhone and iPad, a new way to kill time on the go: "

There have been rumors of a paid version of Hulu floating around for some time now, and today the service finally came to the light. Titled "Hulu Plus," the ad-supported, premium subscription service will cost users $9.99 a month and will launch in the coming months. The service will provide access to HD streams of full season runs of shows from ABC, NBC, and Fox. The biggest news seems to be the multitude of platforms that will support Hulu Plus, which includes PCs, iPad, iPhone, some Samsung Blu-Ray players, and PlayStation 3s. Right now the service is only available to Hulu beta members (an invite to the beta can be requested here). An app will be made available to owners of an iPad, iPhone 3GS, or iPhone 4 even without a subscription to the service, providing a few episodes for free so that users can get a feel for what using Hulu Plus is like.

Hulu Plus will offer programs from over 100 content providers and include current and classic episodes. Some of the 45 programs that customers will have access to include Glee, The Office, Modern Family, and 30 Rock. The shows will be streamed at a resolution of 720p but can be downgraded if bandwidth is limited. The service will be coming to more TVs and Blu-Ray players from manufacturers like Sony and Vizio. Hulu also said that Xbox 360 owners will be able to access Hulu Plus in early 2011.

The fact that we'll have access to Hulu on iPhones and iPads soon is huge news, especially when you consider that Netflix can also be used on the same devices. For entertainment on the go, Hulu and Netflix will be a combination that will be hard to beat. With Hulu Plus and a Netflix subscription at home, you may finally be able to cut the cable company out of your life (if you aren't addicted to live sports, that is). Would any of you consider picking up a Hulu Plus subscription for $9.99 a month?

Via TechCrunch
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"

Stamp.y Digital Camera Lets You Stamp Your Pictures Into the World

2010-06-29T22:05:00.000-05:00

I don't know if this is a cool thing or a so kitschy it's beyond cool thing or just a lame thing. I just can't imagine how much you could utilize something this specialized unless you happened to be a scrapbooking fanatic or other such serious crafter. But I had to share, just because when I saw it, I had to pause and consider.

Stamp.y Digital Camera Lets You Stamp Your Pictures Into the World:
In today’s world, images are usually stored on some digital format or another. Just the way things have changed over time. It’s definitely not a bad thing, but it does make us wish we could sit around with the family and go through some old-school photobooks. While the Stamp.y won’t help you do that, at least not in the sense we mean, we do have to give the designer credit for doing something remarkably original.

The designer’s name is Jinhee Kim, and he’s created a digital camera that will allow you to actually stamp out the image, and then share it that way. And yes, like a traditional stamp that you put into an ink pad. The lens sits at the top of the handle, and the shutter button is housed in the body of the stamp kit. You simply snap the photo, remove the back, and then put the required amount of ink onto the stamp. You’ll then be able to stamp it wherever a stamp can be applied.

It may not get picked up for mainstream photographers, but there’s definitely markets out there for something like this. Especially if the design elements can be applied to the camera/ink pad itself, then we can definitely see customers picking up a few of them for their collection. Besides, taking photos with a digital camera and then actually stamping them onto something would be pretty interesting.

[via Yanko Design]

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Microsoft hints at touchless Surface combining camera and transparent OLED (video)

2010-06-29T21:58:00.000-05:00

I think we're more than just a step closer to Minority Report style interfaces here courtesy of Microsoft. And here I thought Kinect was cool!

Microsoft hints at touchless Surface combining camera and transparent OLED (video): "

We've always wondered whether Microsoft's multitouch table would actually ever arrive, dreaming of Minority Report hijinx all the while, but after seeing what the company's Applied Sciences Group is currently cooking up -- a touchless telepresence display -- we'd rather drop that antiquated pinch-to-zoom stuff in favor of what might be Surface's next generation. Starting with one of Samsung's prototype transparent OLED panels, Microsoft dropped a sub-two-inch camera behind the glass, creating a 3D gesture control interface that tracks your every move by literally seeing through the display. Combined with that proprietary wedge-shaped lens we saw earlier this month and some good ol' Johnny Chung Lee headtracking by the man himself, we're looking at one hell of a screen. Don't you dare read another word without seeing the prototype in a trifecta of videos after the break.
Continue reading Microsoft hints at touchless Surface combining camera and transparent OLED (video)
Microsoft hints at touchless Surface combining camera and transparent OLED (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

National Dance Day is coming July 31st!

2010-06-29T09:32:00.001-05:00

Not that you could tell now, but I used to be a dancer and I love the artform. So You Think You Can Dance is the only talent/reality show that I can watch and I love it. SYTYCD and The Dizzy Feet Foundation are promoting National Dance Day for everyone ... no matter if you've never danced a step in your life. Promoting movement and exercise is never a bad thing. I sure could stand to get a little more exercise that's for sure!

So I'm embedding the dance routine that's been choreographed (don't let the dance word scare you ... it just means created) for the event below. Let's get up and dance together in our living rooms on the 31st!!

As part of his commitment to support dance education and physical fitness in communities throughout the United States, Nigel Lythgoe is launching National Dance Day on So You Think You Can Dance. National Dance Day will take place on July 31, 2010. National Dance Day will include a variety of dance themed activities for people of all ages. It will empower, challenge and inspire everyone to try various styles of dance ranging from hip-hop to ballroom to anything that moves. Above all, it will encourage everyone to DANCE as a means to stay fit and be healthy.

The Stanley Cup -- Full of Pride ... Gay Pride

2010-06-28T15:53:00.000-05:00

Thank you to TMZ for giving me the skinny on Lord Stanley's Cup going all out & proud in the windy city! My little liberal heart went pitta-pat when I heard about this. The best part was when I was talking to my boygeekly about it and he came back with

not its first time around a bunch of gay men, Flames won it once.

Priceless!!

The Stanley Cup -- Full of Pride ... Gay Pride

Originally posted Jun 28th 2010 12:55 AM PDT by TMZ Staff
With rainbow flags leading their path, Chicago Blackhawks Brent Sopel and the Stanley Cup had a gay ol' time this weekend ... at Chicago's Gay Pride festival on Sunday.

While it was the Stanley Cup's first appearance at a gay pride event, Sopel wanted to ride in the parade to honor Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke's son, Brendan, who was killed in a car accident just three months after publicly coming out of the closet.

Now the Stanley Cup plays on everyone's team.

Props to towleroad.com for the head's up.

Amazon Kindle App Out for Android Now

2010-06-28T15:33:00.000-05:00

And I do a little happy dance ... I know have 24/7 access to my kindle content (since I'd never my kindle AND my phone at the same time)!!

Amazon Kindle App Out for Android Now: "

Remember when we speculated that the Amazon Kindle app for Android would see its release in July concurrent with the Samsung Vibrant? This is one instance where we are happy to admit we were wrong, because “coming in July” just turned into today, as in the Amazon Kindle app can now be found in the Android Market. A pretty pleasant surprise for those that want to take advantage of the voluminous number of books available through Kindle. Go grab it in the market now.

[thanks to Scott for the heads up!]
"

Why I hate Comcast

2010-06-26T12:51:00.000-05:00

I pay for 12Mbps download speed internet connection from Comcast ... quite a lot too since I no longer have a "promotional" pricing package. And this is what I get ...

Comcast ... YOU SUCK!!

Google eyes more home energy jobs for PowerMeter

2010-06-26T11:42:00.000-05:00

Cnet has a great article on how Google is planning to expand its PowerMeter to start monitoring other utilities like water and gas, and possibly even other devices like vehicles. Now everyone knows how much Google is integrated with my daily life and that I don't mind in the slightest, but this makes me go all warm and mushy inside. The thought that Google can help me save money and lessen my environmental impact using my smartphone makes me feel empowered (if you'll excuse the pun).

Conservation, recycling, reusing won't be widely adopted until it becomes easy for the average American to adopt into daily life. One step at a time ... with Google helping to ease the way. Now if I can only get a job there, my Googlization will be happily complete.

Images courtesy of Google Inc.

Link to CNET article:

Google eyes more home energy jobs for PowerMeter:

"Google plans to extend its home electricity monitoring application into managing home energy, including other utilities and potentially electric cars and appliances."

128GB BDXL Blu-ray disc specification finalized... and fabulous!

2010-06-25T20:36:00.000-05:00

This makes me very, very excited!

128GB BDXL Blu-ray disc specification finalized... and fabulous!:

Looks like the Blu-ray Disc Association has published the final specs for the monster BDXL disc, opening the way for manufacturers to start introducing the technology in their optical drives. Not too much here that we don't already know: aimed at institutions and folks who need to archive lots and lots of... stuff, BDXL discs are available in either triple layer 100GB (re-writable or write-once) or 128GB quad layer write-once flavors. Of course, with all these layers (or layuhs in Brooklyn) the laser in the Blu-ray drive you already own won't be able to do the trick, so start saving your change for a hardware upgrade once these things become commercially available. PR after the break.

Continue reading 128GB BDXL Blu-ray disc specification finalized... and fabulous!

128GB BDXL Blu-ray disc specification finalized... and fabulous! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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D&D vs. Fantasy Football [PIC]

2010-06-25T20:32:00.000-05:00

D&D vs. Fantasy Football [PIC]:

[Via Neatorama | Source: Sheldon Comics]

Camp designed to win girls over to technology

2010-06-25T14:48:00.000-05:00

I would have loved a camp like this growing up ... and we have to stop treating girls like science & technology careers are not suited to them. We know it's not true anymore that guys outperform girls in the sciences & math ... and these kinds of camps show off technology as fun & interesting like while teaching much more marketable (and valuable to me) skills. Much better than spending the summer making macaroni art if you ask me:

Camp designed to win girls over to technology:

By AMANDA REAVY, THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER

The girls are among 24 middle school students participating in UIS’ Girl Tech 2010. The two-day camp, in its second year, aims to get girls interested in computer science and strengthen their technology skills. “The idea is to start with the things that are fun,” UIS computer science instructor Mary Sheila Tracy said. For example, this year’s sessions include “Explore the Robo-Jungle,” where girls can program a robot animal to hop and crawl, and “Spooky Alice!” which allows girls to use programming design software to create their own ghost story using 3D objects and characters. The camp, which is for girls starting seventh through ninth grades in the fall, concludes today. “We have no illusions that we’re going to be able to teach them everything, but this is to light that spark of inspiration so that they want to know more,” Tracy said.

http://www.sj-r.com/education/x1224667924/Camp-designed-to-win-girls-over-to-technology

GirlGeekly ... bring on your 7 evil exes!!

2010-06-25T14:17:00.000-05:00

You can now create a personal Scott Pilgrim Avatar using the movie website. You know I just had to do it ... so I give to you, GirlGeekly vs. The World!!!

Thanks to GeekGirlDiva for pointing me in the direction of the awesome ;-)

Forget AARP ... Helen Mirren is too bad-a$$ for the NRA

2010-06-25T09:50:00.001-05:00

Thanks to ToplessRobot for tipping me to the awesome that is Red. I never heard of this book, but I'm gonna be sure to check out the movie!!

i am woman hear me geek

Lame joke gone

In need of a Christmas miracle ...

Against The Grain by Hudson

I finally pulled the trigger on a tab

Did your EVO 3D camera stop working after the update like mine did?

Geeks to the rescue!

Geeks for Tots!

Wanna have fun with a Glitch?

Goodreads | TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY

Dark Matters on Vimeo

Corn Dog Factory

You don't need a carnival to have corndogs

$24.99

You don't need a carnival to have corndogs

A beautiful thought for Earth Day

The Nexus S 4G coming to a Sprint store near you!

Kinect Now Used For Medical Research, In Place Of $100,000 System

Big bada boom! Changes abound ...

Here comes the sun

CBC News - Canada - Transgender protection bill approved by Commons

Transgender protection bill approved by Commons

Last Updated: Wednesday, February 9, 2011 | 9:05 PM ET Comments23Recommend6

The Canadian Press

Gamer girl ... meet Rollergirl!

Jerry Large | A reasonable view of gay marriage | Seattle Times Newspaper

A reasonable view of gay marriage

Got a new mac ...

University of Calgary succeeds in building a neurochip out of silicon, human brain cells

The whole kitten caboodle

Is Jason Statham Going to Have to Choke a Horde Gnoll Shaman?

There’s a Wookie in our front seat!!! [Pic]

Google issues joint policy proposal for an open internet

A joint policy proposal for an open Internet

Monday, August 9, 2010 at 1:38 PM ET

Abandon Earth Or Die, Warns Hawking

North America's first public-use quick-charge station opens in Portland: 3-handed politician not included

Implantable blood sugar sensor could eliminate daily finger pricks

ASUS Rampage III Formula high-end motherboard breaks cover

Google denies deal to pay Verizon for fast network | Relevant Results - CNET News

Up to 45% Off Select Styles of Water Bottles from Klean Kanteen, Sigg, and More

Batman: Arkham City coming to PC, PS3 and 360 in Fall 2011

Mega-Straddle Bus Conceptualized for China, Fits 1,200 Passengers

Wave goodbye to Google Wave

R2-D2 Toy Responds to 40 Voice Commands, Will Play Tag

Biometric security takes a beating ...

MythBusters renew contract, no myth safe for next seven years

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

CBC News - Calgary - Alberta scientists see Alzheimer's breakthrough

Alberta scientists see Alzheimer's breakthrough

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CBC News

Super Hero Squad Online trailer is super adorable

Monsoon Multimedia’s Vulkano sends video to your Android

You Are Standing in an Open Field West of a White Rapper

Android Market gets Carrier Billing, makes it easier to install Paid Apps

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Water, water everywhere ...

And we're back on the air!

Nerd Love Equation

EPIC Warhammer case mod

Researchers Discover How Key Enzyme Repairs Sun-Damaged DNA

RESEARCHERS DISCOVER HOW KEY ENZYME REPAIRS SUN-DAMAGED DNA

“People have been working on this for years, but now that we’ve seen it, I don’t think anyone could have guessed exactly what was happening,” Zhong said.

Raspberry Brie Panini

Amusing Ourselves to Death

AOL chooses Android

Comic-Con 2010: The Avengers Cast...Assembled!

Sucker Punch: Dragon, Samurais, Steampunk. Oh my.

The Evolution of Apple [Cartoon]

Android Gaming Challenge: Compete in Android Games, Win a Phone

ASUS EEE Pad EP101TC with Android

Sucker Punch ...

The real cost of bottled water ...

Tron Legacy: New trailer, more obsessive desire to go

Feel my ComiCon jealousy ...

Summer Reading: Video Game Books For The Beach

Mean Rumor: Psychonauts Shirt Teases Sequel

Do you want to be an astronaut? There's a game for that!

How to Test Drive Android on Your PC Without Buying a Phone [How To]

Last Updated: Wednesday, February 9, 2011 | 9:05 PM ET Comments23 Recommend6