Yearly Archives: 2012

Honeywell sues Nest Labs for patent infringement

Written by

TechCrunch: Conglomerate Honeywell, which develops thermostats, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Nest Labs, the developer of the innovative smart thermostat. The lawsuit, which was filed United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, alleges infringement of seven … Continued

SlotZ Racer for iPhone and iPad [Sponsor]

Written by

Strange Flavour are back with a new spin on their hit slot car racing game SlotZ Racer!SlotZ Racer Caterham Special is a free special version of the game for fans of Caterham’s legendary sports cars. Compete in single races or in four Caterham championships in one of five versions of the Caterham Seven car, varying from the Caterham 7 Roadsport to the Caterham 7 R500 Superlight.

Twitter harder to resist than cigarettes and alcohol

Written by

The Guardian:

Tweeting or checking emails may be harder to resist than cigarettes and alcohol, according to researchers who tried to measure how well people could resist their desires.They even claim that while sleep and sex may be stronger urges, people are more likely to give in to longings or cravings to use social and other media.

Priorities people.

Zen Table

Written by

[caption id="attachment_19728" align="alignnone" width="470" caption="Zen Table"][/caption] The Zen Table:

Imagine a Japanese Zen Garden built into a beautifully-crafted, glass-topped table. The body of the table encapsulates electronics and robotics, that sculpt geometric patterns and images into a field of microscopic silicone beads beneath a glass top. The effect is mesmerizing and magical; it is truly Zen-like to watch ever-changing patterns and images appear in the sand.

Do not watch the video! It will hypnotize you and you’ll find yourself thinking, “Hey – $5,000 isn’t that much to pay for an sand table Etch-A-Sketch.”

Six dazzling Super Bowl meat stadiums

Written by

[caption id="attachment_19723" align="alignnone" width="401" caption="Super Deli Bowl"][/caption]

Westword:

Holy Super Bowl! Someone in the football universe obviously takes his deli platter damn seriously, as evidenced by this snap, a dazzling stadium display of cold cuts, crudites, chips and cheese squares.

Some of the “stadiums” are insanely complex looking. Thanks to Lessien for the heads up via Twitter.

The best Super Bowl ad you (Canadians) will see

Written by

CBS Sports:

This is your regular beer-league hockey game and the small rink gets filled with a rabid fan base complete with body paint, thundersticks and banners. The looks on the players’ faces is priceless.

This video will touch the hearts of every beer league player out there. It’s a shame it will only be shown in Canada during the game.

Why Apple’s A5 is so big – and iPhone 4 won’t get Siri

Written by

CNET:

Apple’s A5 processor includes noise-reduction circuitry licensed from a start-up called Audience, and a chip analyst believes that fact resolves an iPhone 4S mystery and explains why the iPhone 4 lacks the Siri voice-control system.Audience revealed details of its Apple partnership in January, when it filed paperwork for an initial public offering (IPO) of stock. Teardown work from iFixit and Chipworks revealed a dedicated Audience chip in the iPhone 4, but the iPhone 4S integrates Audience’s “EarSmart” technology directly into the A5 processor, the company’s S-1 filing said.

The explanation make sense even as it disappoints those of us with the iPhone 4 who were hoping to get Siri retroactive on our phones.

Game of Thrones

Written by

iTunes:

Trouble is brewing in Westeros. For the inhabitants of this world, control of the Iron Throne holds the lure of great power. But in a land where seasons can last a lifetime, winter is coming…and beyond the Great Wall that protects them, a forgotten evil has returned.

If you are a fan of the “Game of Thrones” series, these free behind the scenes videos might tide you over until the show comes back to HBO in April.

iMovie vs Avid Studio

Written by

[caption id="attachment_19690" align="alignnone" width="470" caption="iMovie vs Avid Studio"][/caption] iMore:

Avid Studio may be iMovie’s newest competitor for video editing on the iPad, but it’s not a fair competition. Avid Studio is the clear winner. iMovie doesn’t offer any significant features that Avid does not, but Avid can do much more than iMovie. Since they both cost $4.99, it’s almost a no-brainer.

How to Stream Super Bowl XLVI

Written by

PC World:

Super Bowl XLVI kicks off on February 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, and no matter where you’ll be that Sunday, you have plenty of ways to stream the big game to your PC, tablet, or smartphone so you can watch the Giants and the Patriots struggle for supremacy on your preferred device.

Best to test out your streaming options beforehand in case your provider or country doesn’t allow you easy access. Even better, go to your local pub and watch it with friends and strangers!

Horrible Cards from The Oatmeal

Written by

The Oatmeal is a very funny web site, skewering all aspects of life, tech and otherwise.

In (dubious) honor of the upcoming Valentine’s Day, The Oatmeal serves up a selection of cards that, after some sober reflection, you should think very hard about your relationship before you buy/send these.

“If I were trapped in a blizzard…”

Mythbusters banned from discussing RFID by Visa and Mastercard

Written by

Disinformation:

Host Adam Savage of Mythbusters tells how Visa, Mastercard, and Discover had the Discovery Channel put the kibosh on an episode that would have revealed just how “trackable and hackable” the RFID chips found in many credit cards are. It’s a telling example of how corporate advertisers serve as the gatekeepers of mainstream media/entertainment.

The video with the story has Mythbusters host (and fellow Mac user!) Adam Savage explaining how their investigation was shut down by The Discovery Channel.

Apple updates iBooks Author EULA

Written by

The Next Web:

Apple has updated its iBooks Author app in order to clarify the language of its End User License Agreement. The changes to the EULA clarify that Apple does indeed intend the packaged product to be sold on the iBookstore only, but also makes it clear that it does not lay claim to the content that you use to create the book, nor does it try to limit what you can do with that content elsewhere.

Clarifying what intelligent people already knew.

Jobs: Make the ‘first phone that people would fall in love with’

Written by

Former Apple employee Bob Borchers:

“What’s interesting is that the challenge Steve laid out for us when we created the iPhone wasn’t to make a touch-screen device that would play apps and do all of this stuff,” Borchers told students. “His [charge] was simple. He wanted to create the first phone that people would fall in love with. That’s what he told us.”

And that is why Apple is so successful.

Panasonic warns of a $10.2 billion loss

Written by

Reuters:

Japan’s Panasonic Corp warned of a record annual $10.2 billion net loss, joining beleaguered rivals Sony and Sharp in a sea of red ink as they struggle to fix their broken TV businesses and show they have not lost their way.

I think it’s clear they have lost their way.

Ego and ‘News Logic’

Written by

In recent weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time considering the thought process that has engendered some of the worst managerial decisions of the past year or so. Observing RIM’s spiralling failures, for instance, it’s difficult to discern precisely what has been driving such spectacularly flawed products, announcements, and marketing choices. Even on a much lower end of the scale, amidst the countless gimmicky iPhone accessories on display at Macworld, the bright booths and out-of-place “booth babes” all seem to ask the simple question: “why?” […]

Google is now policing its Android app store

Written by

Google Inc has been quietly policing its online store for months now in an acknowledgement of malware’s growing threat to its increasingly popular Android mobile software.The new sheriff in town is Bouncer: a security service Google put in place to scan new apps as developers load them onto Market, its applications store.

That must be wrong. Google is open and allows developers to do anything, right?

Super Bowl prop bets

Written by

One of the ways to make your Super Bowl party even more fun is to play and place a bunch of prop bets.

A “proposition bet” usually means a side bet often made in conjunction with a sporting event but one that does not directly depend on the game’s final outcome. So for example, you can make these bets whether you are a Giants or a Patriots fan and still cheer for your team to win.

The Canada based online gambling site Bovada has some bets you can make with family and friends. You can make the bets on their web site but it’s probably less illegal if you just do it among the people at your party.

Bovada has obvious bets like “Who will be named Super Bowl MVP?” and “Who will win the coin toss?” but they also have some fun bets like “Which team will get into the Red Zone first?” and weird bets like “How many times will Andrew Luck be mentioned on TV during the game?”

Prop bets are a fun way to keep people involved in the game while they wait for the commercials to play.

Taiwan tablet ad mimics Steve Jobs

Written by

Jobs_Angel CNET:

An ad out of Taiwan for the Action Pad, which appears to be an iPad-type device produced by a company called Action Electronics.The presenter might strike you as somehow familiar. It is an actor, dressed to resemble the late Steve Jobs — and equipped with with halo and wings.

Spectacularly tasteless.

Dungeons and dragging it along

Written by

[caption id="attachment_19620" align="alignnone" width="420" caption="This is either sad or exciting to you..."]DnD[/caption] Splice Today:

Recently, Wizards of the Coast, the company that now owns Dungeons & Dragons, announced a fifth edition was in development. The reaction, despite mentions in media outlets like the New York Times and Forbes, has seemed muted.Does D&D still have a place in the world, or has it been replaced by new technology?

My three Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books ― the Monster Manual, the Player’s Handbook, and the Dungeon Masters Guide – were prized possessions in high school and college.

How Apple’s ’1984′ ad was almost canceled

Written by

Mental Floss:

In 1984, Apple defined the Super Bowl Commercial as a cultural phenomenon. Prior to Super Bowl XVIII, nobody watched the game “just for the commercials” — but one epic TV spot, directed by sci-fi legend Ridley Scott, changed all that. Read on for the inside story of the commercial that rocked the world of advertising, even though Apple’s Board of Directors didn’t want to run it at all.

A lot of people don’t realize the reason why this weekend’s Super Bowl commercials will be as talked about as the game is the iconic Apple 1984 ad. It is still considered, almost thirty years later, the greatest commercial ever shown.