Great looking conference and a good price too.

The dial tone is another example of something that will disappear with the next generation. I found this interesting, though.

On the new exchanges in the Bell System, though, users were more likely to run into glitches: More efficient network systems were vulnerable to spikes in traffic. After the company finally adopted the automatic-dial technology in 1919 — a telephone-operator strike in Boston that year seems to have hastened the change of heart — customers sometimes had to wait for a connection. If they started dialing too soon, some pulses would be lost, and they would get a wrong number. By instructing people to hold for a dial tone, Bell System engineers solved that problem. The buzzing sound was also reassuring. “The dial tone is the equipment’s way of telling you that it’s ready to put through your call,” explained an instructional film called “Dial Comes to Town.” “It’s the same as an operator saying, ‘Number, please?’ ”

Multitouch gestures are an important part of iOS. The iRing expands gesture detection beyond the screen. As the software that brings gesture detection to life gets better, I expect we’ll see more of these hardware assistive devices. Just as the Xbox One and PS4 use a camera to aid in gesture detection, the iRing helps the user communicate with music software.

iRing was demoed using an app called “iRing Music Maker,” which lets users set grooves, synthesizers, loops, filters and more with just two rings.

In the setup we tested, the triangular-patterned ring attached one hand and controlled grooves and tones by “pushing and pulling” along the z-axis, toward and away from the iPad’s camera. The second ring with linear dots was worn on our other hand and triggered loops and different notes in the same way. All control was accomplished without ever touching the device.

I wonder if a watch can be used to aid in gesture detection. I’m sure someone is looking into this.

Here’s hoping this is even remotely as great as Breaking Bad. Check out Saul’s website here. Heh.

The US Supreme Court will consider an appeal of a lawsuit brought by the four major US broadcast networks against Aereo, Inc.. Aereo uses antennae to capture the local broadcast signals of the major networks, then places the recorded programs on-line.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to consider a lawsuit brought by the nation’s largest TV broadcasters against Aereo, the upstart streaming video service, lays the foundation for a landmark verdict that could have important implications for Internet streaming, cloud computing, and the future of the TV industry itself. Aereo has infuriated the major broadcasters because the two-year-old startup pays nothing to pick up their free, over-the-air TV signals, which it then sends to its customers over the Internet.

Aereo, which launched in February 2012 after raising more than $20 million from media mogul Barry Diller’s Internet conglomerate IAC, uses thousands of tiny, dime-sized antennas to pick up free, over-the-air TV signals, which it sends to customers via the Internet for $8 to $12 per month. Aereo’s users technically lease the tiny antennas, which are housed in nearby “antenna farms.” In New York, Aereo’s antennas are located in a warehouse in Brooklyn with a direct line of sight to the Empire State Building, the city’s tallest broadcast transmission tower.

Shortly after it launched, Aereo was sued by the major broadcasting titans, including NBC, FOX, ABC and CBS. The broadcasters say that Aereo’s service amounts to blatant theft, because the company doesn’t pay retransmission fees. Federal courts in New York and Boston, however, have thus far agreed with Aereo’s argument that it is transmitting “private performances” to individual users over their own leased antennas, not copyright-protected “public performances.”

Here’s Aereo’s side of the story.

As is the case with most kickstarts, if you make a donation, you get something in return.

I have been going through boxes that have lain unpacked for decades, and found some treasures. They are treasures to me personally, things I want to share with my fans because I want them to be with people and not in some storage unit.

If you are a fan of Rickie Lee Jones, take a look. There’s various tour memorabilia, a chance for your name in the liner notes, clothing, and instruments. To me, the coolest item is a songwriting workshop.

I’ll be watching. Not a fan of awards shows, but a big fan of Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Woody Allen.

[via AppleInsider]

The Teo padlock is different. It uses an L-shaped locking bracket (rather than the traditional U-shaped bracket everyone is used to). And it uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) so you can unlock the padlock from your phone. An obvious idea, perhaps, but the devil is in the details, and in the software.

I’m looking forward to seeing the actual pricing. Note that a note alongside the $39 pledge says “Your investment has earned you the purchase of your first TEO at distributor pricing.” To me, that sounds like they are aiming for a retail price, upwards of $100 per lock. That’s not unreasonable, I suppose.

Homes and Hues:

These seventeen bookcases and bookshelves can clear away the cluttery piles of books you may have laying around while adding some extra style to your home.

I’m a big fan of books and therefore, of bookshelves. Most of these designs are actually available (if expensive) and not just design concepts.

Failblog:

“Hey. Can we use your pool? There’s a moose in ours…”

Happens all the time in Canada.

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Text messages, playlists, songs, voicemail, voice memos, photos, notes, files and more—iExplorer makes it easy to transfer or backup an iPhone to a Mac or Windows computer. Download the app, connect an iPhone and click transfer. Your files are now on your computer.

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This seems too crazy to be true.

It all begins with an otherwise unremarkable app suddenly skyrocketing in price, oftentimes all the way to the App Store’s limit of $999.99. The developer, or whoever is orchestrating the scam, wires a massive amount of money — Grachov used $10,000 as an example — to a second party. That individual then purchases 10 copies of the app, exhausting the available funds and indirectly paying $7,000 of the original deposit back to the developer. Apple takes their 30% as usual.

The App Store sees $10,000 worth of money changing hands over the app and, as Grachov says, “like magic” the app appears on the Top Paid apps list. (Note: It’s more likely that this trick would land you on the Top Grossing list, rather than Top Paid.) How close do you get to the no. 1 spot, for what is essentially a $3,000 App Store bribe? Anywhere from no. 18 to no. 13, according to Grachov.

Once the app has reached its highest point, the developer drops the price back to the one- to two-dollar range, and it gets at least a few hours of top-app sales before disappearing back into the ether. Whether the $3,000 investment is worth the eventual payoff depends on its performance during this relatively small window.

But there’s The Fleas, as promised, priced at $999.99. Who would fall for this?

I like the concept here, combining a swiping keyboard with the multi-touch tech that allows both thumbs to get involved at the same time.

This is exactly how Canadians talk.

I hate Google for doing this and for making users opt-out.

I kid you not.

Motorola Mobility accused Apple in 2010 of infringing on six of its patents covering technology such as reducing signal noise and programming the device’s touch screen so a user’s head does not accidentally activate it while talking on the phone. The ITC ruled in April 2013 that Apple did not violate any of the six. The appeals court addressed just one of the six patents.

I would love to have a guitar made by Grover Jackson.

Bucket list!

As home automation creeps into the mainstream, most products are still designed to solve individual problems, without an overarching control layer. There are lots of terrific one-off products, but they don’t play together. There’s no standard to which they all adhere.

There’s the terrific Nest thermostat and smoke detector. A number of door lock and alarm systems. Lighting systems, smart home appliances. Lots of great ideas, all paving their own, non-connected, way onto the internet of things. Appliance Hunter is the blog to check out when looking for an honest review of a major appliance you are considering to buy for your home.

Some might argue that there’s no need for a control layer or hub. Perhaps. But to me, this is one of those areas where Apple would shine, bringing something into our lives that changes our experience for the better but which we didn’t even realize could exist. Homeowners who are concerned with the security of their internet access and their online data may buy residential proxies.

> One effort comes from office supplies retailer Staples, which used CES to show a significantly expanded number of companies whose products work with the Staples Connect system for home automation, which it launched late in 2013. The system centers on a $99 “hub” that connects to a person’s Internet router and allows a Staples smartphone app to control thermostats, light bulbs, and security systems. > > At CES, Staples announced that products from an additional nine companies’ products would be compatible with the system. They include the Goji’s smart door lock and one from Withings, a company that makes Internet-connected health devices such as scales, and which at CES launched a new sleep-monitoring system called Aura.

I see this in much the same way as I saw the early MP3 players. A step in the right direction, but not quite the right solution. Interesting article, worth reading.

China implemented the video game ban in 2000. This, potentially, is a huge opportunity for the game industry.

China’s ruling State Council temporarily suspended the ban and may allow consoles to be made in the Shanghai free-trade zone, it said in a statement Jan. 6. Hardware manufacturers such as Nintendo Co., Microsoft Corp. and Sony Corp. (6758) could benefit from entering a $10 billion market dominated by online and personal computer games.

It’s a committee. And Disney. What could go wrong?

Before you grab your red lightsaber and misguidedly march down to Orlando to tell Disney to leave Star Wars alone, it’s worth keeping in mind that the best thing to come out of the Star Wars universe since The Empire Strikes Back is a video game from 2003. The universe could use some maintenance, and perhaps Disney could breathe some life back into it. We’re not yet sure exactly how Disney plans to tackle the canon; there are those who would prefer the entire expanded universe completely vaporized.

<sigh>.