Archive for May, 2008
Steampunk Roundup and Jake von Slatt Interview
Posted by Joe on May 14, 2008 · Comments Off
On Omnivoracious: A roundup of Steampunk on the web and an interview with steampunk maker Jake von Slatt
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Instant Action Offers 3D Games Online
Posted by Joe on May 14, 2008 · Comments Off
The Instant Action online game site went public beta a few months ago, but I’m just getting around to checking it out. The site lets users play 3D multiplayer games from inside a web browser. It certainly looks promising, going well beyond other casual online game sites like MiniClip.
Getting started involves signing up and downloading a browser plugin (which works with Windows XP or Vista only). The games are slow to load, which is to be expected given the game complexity, but play is fast and responsive once loaded. The game window is nice and big, unlike what most other sites offer. [...]
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Philly WiFi Network To Shut Down Next Month
Posted by Joe on May 13, 2008 · Comments Off
Philadelphia’s citywide wireless network fades to black:
Earthlink Inc., which built and maintains the system, announced today that it would end service on June 12, after a deal collapsed that would have transferred ownership of the network to an Ohio-based non-profit called OneCommunity.
Mayor Nutter said he was “disappointed” by Earthlink’s decision, and he signaled that the city intended to hold the company to at least some of the financial commitments it made contractual commitments.
There are a lot of expensive and complex obstacles to delivering last-mile internet [...]
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Kid-Friendly Version Of YouTube
Posted by Joe on May 13, 2008 · Comments Off
ReadWriteWeb reports: “Totlol is a new video site that launched in beta this week aimed at children aged 6 months to 6 years. The site is community moderated to ensure that video content is always appropriate for small children.”
The site uses the YouTube API, rather than hosting videos directly. But available videos are carefully screened by the Totlol community members.
On the web: Totlol
Here’s one of the featured videos…the excrutiatingly earnest James Blunt sings earnestly about triangles:
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Volcano Spawns Thunderstorm
Posted by Joe on May 12, 2008 · Comments Off
An awesome photo: A thunderstorm, complete with lightning, formed over the erupting Chaiten volcano in southern Chile.
Reuters has more details.
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Yesterday’s Tomorrow Today
Posted by Joe on May 12, 2008 · Comments Off
The Future of the Past: Blade Runner Edition
Even great movies are terrible predictors of the future. A flying car would be cool, but I’d settle for a robot maid.
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A Bold And Beautiful Blackberry
Posted by Joe on May 12, 2008 · Comments Off
It’s pretty, that’s for sure. And there’s Wi-Fi, a brilliant display, and a lot more to love (like HSDPA/UMTS support). Sadly, the new Blackberry Bold will be AT&T only, at least at first. And it won’t be available until after July at the earliest. But did we mention it’s pretty?
Get more info at CNET, and a very early hands on review at Crackberry.com.
The Blackberry Bold. My Treo 650 is suddenly very depressed.
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Pandora Still Rocking
Posted by Joe on May 11, 2008 · Comments Off
Pandora Radio has been around a few years, but I haven’t paid it much attention other than a brief try out early on. I recently stumbled across the free streaming music service again, and I’m impressed. The custom radio stations are awesome. Creating a station is as simple as typing a favorite artist or song into a blank field. Pandora uses the attributes of that artist or song (as analyzed by the Music Genome Project) to compile a playlist of similar music. Individual songs can be voted down or up, further refining a station. Last.fm, which I use a lot, uses a different method [...]
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Solar Power’s Disruptive Future
Posted by Joe on May 10, 2008 · Comments Off
The Speculist: The (Solar) Singularity is Near
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Rise of The Robo-Mowers
Posted by Joe on May 10, 2008 · Comments Off
William Saletan, a Slate writer, exhibits an impressive level of paranoia regarding robot lawnmowers. One example:
Kyodo says the LB3500 comes with enhanced safety features: “a higher sensitivity, free-floating, 360° bumper shell, blade stop proximity sensor, and an on-board alarm system should an unauthorized user pick up the Lawnbott.” Still, we’re talking about a slicing machine that runs around by itself and can’t even be stopped by power depletion.
You really have to read the whole thing to get a sense of this guy’s anxiety about robots.
Personally, I would [...]
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Another AT&T PR Disaster
Posted by Joe on May 10, 2008 · Comments Off
The iPhone wi-fi fiasco: How AT&T spilled the Starbucks beans
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Star Wars TCW Trailer
Posted by Joe on May 9, 2008 · Comments Off
Coming August 15th: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
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Making Music
Posted by Joe on May 9, 2008 · Comments Off
With John Mayer…
Makin’ Music with John Mayer on FunnyOrDie.com
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Easy DVD to PSP — One Method That Works
Posted by Joe on May 9, 2008 · Comments Off
The Sony PSP is a great personal media player with impressive screen quality. However, while movies can be bought on UMD disks, it’s not an ideal solution. Available titles are limited, and UMD disks don’t work in DVD players — meaning you would have to buy a DVD and a UMD if you want multiple viewing options. A better solution is to simply rip your DVDs into a PSP compatible format and copy them onto a memory stick.
This is certainly well-covered ground on the web, with a variety of approaches outlined on many different sites. But for me, the results have often been mixed. [...]
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Nintendo Channel Arrives On Wii
Posted by Joe on May 9, 2008 · Comments Off
The Nintendo Channel for the Wii is now available in North America as a free update. Here’s how Nintendo describes it:
Watch trailers, mini documentaries, gameplay videos and gain useful information about your favorite games on Wii and Nintendo DS. You can even click to buy straight from your Wii. And with DS Download Play, you can download game demos and additional game data on to your Nintendo DS. You will also have the option of sending information to Nintendo regarding the usage status of your Wii, and see what games others recommend.
And here’s the money quote from GeekDad:
In [...]
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NY Times Steampunk Story — And A Great Band
Posted by Joe on May 8, 2008 · Comments Off
The New York Times competently explores the emerging steampunk aesthetic.
The article mentions Abney Park, a seriously cool steampunk band. Visit Abney Park’s web site to download some free mp3 sample tracks, listen to their latest album, or buy access to their entire catalog.
Here’s a video of Abney Park performing Airship Pirate in their steampunk studio:
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Mass Effect PC Game Assumes Everyone’s A Thief
Posted by Joe on May 7, 2008 · Comments Off
Bioware/EA’s PC game Mass Effect apparently utilizes a “phone home” anti-piracy scheme that requires contact with the publisher’s authorization server once every ten day — or the game quits working! Via The Consumerist, where the first comment nicely sums up the main problem with this goofy approach:
Also, it is a time bomb. Because, just like DRM, it works for as long as the company supports the authorization server. When they stop running the server, you’ve got a dead program.
Note that the game itself does not require an internet connection to play — [...]
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Microsoft Denies Talk Of “Copyright Cop” Zune Filter
Posted by Joe on May 7, 2008 · Comments Off
From the official Zune blog:
We have no plans or commitments to implement any new type of content filtering in the Zune devices as part of our content distribution deal with NBC.
We think some folks in the industry were expressing hopes for how the entire industry, not just Microsoft, would come to look at content distribution, and some speculation has ensued. Again, no plans are in place toward this end.
This seems to contradict what some NBC network pinhead told the NY Times. Let’s hope Microsoft isn’t stupid enough to cripple the Zune’s ability to play content that might [...]
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Real-Life Iron Man
Posted by Joe on May 6, 2008 · Comments Off
A Robotic Suit That Magnifies Human Strength
An exoskeleton robotic suit may help workers lift heavy loads and patients move damaged and prosthetic limbs.
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Zune Update Available — Video Added To Zune Marketplace
Posted by Joe on May 6, 2008 · Comments Off
Microsoft’s Zune update version 2.5 is available now. The most noticeable change is a new video section to the Zune Marketplace, where tv shows can be purchased for 160 Pesos Microsoft Points per episode (approximately $1.99). Other new features include autoplaylists, gapless playback, improved metadata editing, and a bunch of “social” features few people will ever use. More details at Zunerama.
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What’s Wrong With OLPC
Posted by Joe on May 6, 2008 · Comments Off
Nicholas Negroponte: “I don’t want to compete with anyone.”
That quote sums it up nicely. Negroponte whines when other companies — companies that will actually sell to anyone with two or three hundred bucks — introduce “competing” laptops. His shaky organizational model apparently can’t handle anyone else providing computers in the same market niche for a comparable price.
Bizarrely, he accuses Asus of “dumping” laptops in Turkey — which simply means Asus is selling laptops at a loss. I don’t know if that’s true, but [...]
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Paradise By The GoPhone Light — Seriously
Posted by Joe on May 5, 2008 · Comments Off
So I just saw that GoPhone commercial for the twentieth time or so, and it finally dawned on me that that’s actually Meatloaf there in the garage — and his backup singer is Tiffany! In my defense, I usually watch TV with my laptop at hand, and I don’t pay much attention to commercials (or most shows, for that matter). But it’s a funny spot. Here’s the long YouTube version, which is even funnier:
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Free Nine Inch Nails Album Download
Posted by Joe on May 5, 2008 · Comments Off
From the Nine Inch Nails web site:
as a thank you to our fans for your continued support, we are giving away the new nine inch nails album one hundred percent free, exclusively via nin.com.
the music is available in a variety of formats including high-quality MP3, FLAC or M4A lossless at CD quality and even higher-than-CD quality 24/96 WAVE. your link will include all options – all free. all downloads include a PDF with artwork and credits.
for those of you interested in physical products, fear not. we plan to make a version of this release available on CD and vinyl in july. details coming [...]
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X Prize Foundation Offers $100 Million Prize For Clean Fuels
Posted by Joe on May 5, 2008 · Comments Off
The X Prize Foundation plans to offer awards for breakthroughs in biofuels and other alternative-energy fields totaling $100 million, the biggest so-called X Prize to date.
Source: BusinessWeek
Filed in: SL
Xobni Outlook Plug-In Available In Public Beta
Posted by Joe on May 5, 2008 · Comments Off
Xobni is a plug-in for Microsoft’s Outlook email application that promies to bring social networkin functonality to your inbox, among other things.
The application integrates with Outlook to provide fast email searches, better scheduling and improved contact management. Xobni is capable of building relationships between people, identifying a contact’s manager, business partner or assistant, for example. Xobni also gives users the threaded conversations that Gmail users have grown accustomed to, offering valuable context to email responses.
One of the more popular features is Xobni’s [...]
Filed in: SL
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