NothingButSoftware Blog

Free Apps for National Bike to Work Week

khoward — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:31:17 +0000

In case you missed it, this week is the League of American Bicyclists’ Bike to Work Week. And while we haven’t yet taken our two-wheelers out of storage, National Bike Week and the warmer weather are pretty compelling reasons to get cycling. To make your bike time even more beneficial and enjoyable, here are a few free apps perfectly suited for cycling enthusiasts.

MapMyRIDE (iOS, Android, BlackBerry) – Along with tracking speed, distance, and calories, this fitness app lets you announce your rides and records to your Facebook and Twitter fans. It also features a database of 26 million-route database and other mapping tools with its live map feature.

Cycling Grub (iOS; Mobile Site) – Cycling Grub is a news reader created for those who want to keep up on the latest cycling news from brands, media sites, blogs, and more. With a simple format and organization, this app will keep you on top of everything that happens in the bike world.

Rapha Rendezvous (iOS) – It’s more fun to bike with a friend, and Rapha Rendezvous is designed to make it easy to find group rides or set up your own. From designating a starting point to inviting friends and sending ride alerts, Rapha Rendezvous simplifies the process of setting up a group ride to give you more bike time.

Weather Channel App (iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone) – While not for cyclists in particular, the Weather Channel App will let you know whether or not it will rain on your bicycle parade. Detailed weather conditions and forecasts as well as saved locations keep you updated on weather for all your outdoor activities.

Of course there are hundreds of other cyclist friendly apps available, from paid apps with more extensive features, apps that turn your phone into a safety light, and full-fledged fitness apps for the truly dedicated. If nothing else, hopefully this brief listing of free bike apps has you thinking about riding a bike to work – or at least down the street.

(Image via League of American Bicyclists)

Russia introduces an eerie concept for a robot “soul”

kduffy — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:56:28 +0000

It freaked us out a little bit to know that there was a way for scientists to develop a skin that was able to actually “feel” with the “heartbeat” gel, but a robot that can actually possess a human soul? Russian scientists have decided to take on the challenge of creating a conceptual mind-transfer android, and no, we’re not talking about the Google kind. This technology would house a computer rig capable of acting like a “personal proxy,” aka a place to “upload” souls, so you know, robots can actually feel things.

Alright, alright, now before you get too worked up about the insanity of this concept, the actual technology is too far off for it to work right now, but by the year 2045 “A New Era for Humanity” might be leading the way in the technological revolution.

If you’re still in awe like we were when we first read about such a ridiculous-sounding thing, here’s the video for a more in-depth look at how the Russians plan on crafting this soul-possessing, eerily human-like robot.

(via Engadget; photo via Newsgab)

iPod implants? Body modification takes moves in an entirely new direction

kduffy — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:07:30 +0000

Is there ever a real need to implant anything into your body, aside from medical use? We’re not sure, but this guy Dave Hurban implanted magnets inside of his wrists all by himself, just so he could wear his iPod Nano like a watch sans the wristband—morphing him into a human iPod dock he’s calling the iDermal. Hurban said he “just thought it would be cool.” Talk about a DIY project.

It’s not easy, either—as surgical procedures like this are not supposed to be. But for Hurban he just wanted the convenience of the music on his Nano …forever? Or at least until he decides to remove the magnets.

We have to give the guy credit though, as odd and dangerous as the actual procedure sounds, this takes some serious guts to follow through with.

See the iDermal in action as Hurban shows off how he did the whole thing. We don’t suggest trying this at home.

(via Mashable; photo via Geekologie)

Diablo III fans: “Can’t the game just load already?”

kduffy — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:41:59 +0000

When Diablo III came out and said they would be making the newest game strictly online to avoid piracy, well, did they know what they were in for? With yesterday’s overload of people eager to start playing the game on the release day, millions and millions of players ranted on about the delays—how could they?

They meaning Battle.net, the host site of Diablo III. Gamers were outraged. Twitter and Facebook were abuzz with venting on and on about how, “Man, Diablo III is super hard. I’ve been playing for 30 minutes and haven’t even defeated the login screen,” and though Diablo III was “one of the biggest games to hit the gaming world in over 10 years,” “they took everything that was Diablo and flushed it down the toilet, from gameplay to graphics.”

Reportedly it was “error 37” that kept appearing, the name that easily translated into “we have a serious overload on our servers right now, and hopefully it gets fixed.”

Not a good sign that the most-anticipated PC game for a while was a major disappointment. But the good news for Diablo III is that it’s still ranked #1 on Game Spot’s top games, with TERA and Revelations ’12 not too far behind.

(photo via Technabob)

New software will help the US Navy detect pirates and smugglers

kduffy — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:33:17 +0000

In order to fight off maritime piracy—so no, not the pirates of the Internet, real pirates—The Department of Defense will pair up with The US Navy to build apps aimed at targeting pirates and drug smugglers who travel the seas.

Developers in Chile, along with researchers at the Technical University of Federico Santa Maria in Chile, will collaborate with people in Africa to build the software that features specific detectors of potential maritime threats; sailors will have analytics to data that ties in with these threats, and can subsequently track down illegal traffickers, fishers, etc.

Once the application software is completed, they just need to figure out a way to make them compatible to all naval systems across the world, so everyone is aware of all that’s happening in and around the waters and to not be too alarmed if they end up coming across a black flag.

John Stansy, one of the engineers working on the project, said “We’ll take those tools and integrate them into a widget framework that can be part of a coalition-accessible web portal,” making the process sound like it won’t take too much trouble in the IT department.

Arrr!

(via The Verge; photo via Graham Owen)

Would you ride around in your own personalized Segway?

kduffy — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:27:11 +0000

We always get a kick out of seeing tourists on Segways while traveling various cities around the United States, but now Honda wants to bring the concept of these portable motorized scooter-like machines to everyday life with their UNI-CUB.

Call us overachievers, but while the idea of riding UNI-CUBS around sounds cool, these robotic “stools,” if you will, just seem like they are meant for extremely lazy people (I mean, going from one end of the office to the other? These are times where we’d almost prefer to be standing up).

In the press release Honda went over the goals of the UNI-CUB, saying how “[it] represent[s] the evolution of the U3-X personal mobility device that Honda announced in 2009, UNI-CUB features Honda’s proprietary balance control technology and the world’s first omni-directional driving wheel system. [...] Moreover, UNI-CUB’s compact saddle-style packaging makes it easy for the rider’s legs to reach the ground and maintains eye-level height with other pedestrians.”

By shifting your weight you can control the movement of the UNI-CUB, and you are able to reach speeds of 6 kilometers an hour (not bad!) and the range extends to about four miles. The bots are expected to hit the National Museum of Engineering in Japan this coming June.

Would you be caught on one of these things moseying around? Or does walking seem like a better alternative?

(via Engadget)

Space Travel for the Cost of a Poster

khoward — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:11:38 +0000

While private companies are taking the lead in space exploration and travel developments, the cost to book a future commercial flight remains well out of reach for most space enthusiasts. New startup company “I Dream of Space” is looking to make suborbital tours more affordable with its Space Poster Sales Promotion.

The basic premise is this: buy a $10 poster (image above) and be entered into a drawing for a ticket to space. Commercial flights are still in the future, but I Dream of Space co-founder Reuben Metcalfe is “already discussing options with suborbital spaceflight companies” and believes these flights are inevitable given the level of interest in parabolic launches.

To enter the drawing for a quick there-and-back space adventure, check out the I Dream of Space website – you can even buy multiple posters to better your odds out of the 25,000 entries.

(Via Wired, Image via I Dream of Space)

Have no fear, Diablo III is here

kduffy — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:57:37 +0000

The wait is over, and Diablo III is finally out. Those PC gaming nerds who appreciate an all-night gaming marathon—headsets and all—will be happy to know they can now indulge in the fancy-looking game that people have been talking about since last year (if you see anyone at work with extra dark circles under their eyes, you know why).

Back in March on Gamingunion.net the developers gave a few words regarding the making of the game, and Blizzard’s CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime said, “[a]fter many years of hard work by our development team and months of beta testing by hundreds of thousands of dedicated players around the world, [...] we look forwards to putting the final polish on Diablo III over the next two months and delivering the ultimate action-RPG experience to gamers worldwide on May 15.”

And alas, the day is here. Gamers can look forward to a seemingly endless dungeon full of slaying and other kinds of mayhem in the world of Diablo’s dungeon sieges, with virtual transactions via third-party companies—a very Vegas-style technique that makes us wonder about the evolving gamification turning a new direction— and enhanced visual graphics thanks to what Blizzard does best.

(via ubergizmo; photo via The International Business Times)

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Nextdoor members: “I think we should not allow advertising notices”

kduffy — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:53:06 +0000

With all the new social networks out there, it’s hard to keep up. Which is why when we first heard about Nextdoor, the social network for your neighborhood, it didn’t seem like it was favored to really make any sort of impact up against Facebook and Twitter. But we were shocked this morning to read in the New York Times that Nextdoor has made a comeback in the news, and that people actually did utilize the Nexdoor network.

CEO of Nextdoor, Nirav Tolia, explained his reasoning behind building a neighborhood-exclusive social network, “[a]s you get older, the community that is most valuable to you is the one in which you live [.] [...] The neighborhood is where you buy a home, where your kids go to school, where you spend the majority of your physical life.” Which is true, and if anyone knows the feeling of not really ever talking to your neighbors, it can be somewhat awkward; with the Nextdoor network you can at least have a good idea of who your neighbors actually are, instead of avoiding them like the plague.

When Nextdoor first came out it was ad-free, but as the company evolves and more organizations like Shasta Ventures and Benchmark Capital start to invest, the website will start to feature paid advertisements.

Ever since this announcement was made public, fellow Nextdoor users have been in somewhat of a backlash over the move, complaining that “it can feel out of place to see advertisements alongside pictures of your vacation or the announcement of your marriage,” and “we should not allow advertising notices,” because who wants more ads, especially considering the homier feel of Nextdoor, compared to the renowned use of Facebook.

Regardless, it’s likely that Tolia’s next move is obvious. Will Nextdoor users abandon the service fully if they start to include advertisements?

(via The New York Times; photo via Cool Mom Tech)

Yahoo is back to the drawing board

kduffy — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:00:18 +0000

Yahoo has been undergoing changes for what feels like forever now—firing Carol Bartz last year to head a new direction—and even though they were #2 in search engine rankings at the end of 2011, the brand is still dealing with struggles in a highly competitive market where it’s harder to stand out than ever before.

And now, the company must regroup yet again, as CEO Scott Thompson—after failing to correct some “discrepancies” on his resume—has been pressured to step down. Thompson claimed he held a degree in computer science from Stone College, and a former EBay executive, he earned a degree in accounting, except the degree didn’t show up the same in Yahoo’s April 27 10-K filing.

An analyst at Macquarie Capital said in an interview that “[Yahoo] is starting from scratch yet again [.] Scott put them in a very difficult position, and something had to happen. [...] This is a damaged company and a company competing in a space that’s moving incredibly fast [.]”

This puts the brand in a bit of a chaotic situation, but the good news is this gives them another fresh start, adding a new board slate to focus on the future of Yahoo in the industry.

(via The Washington Post; photo via Computer Active)

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