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Lego Minifigures Series 7 Features Computer Programmer

Sat, 5 May 2012 18:00:00 EST

Lego has a Computer Programmer minifigure in its Lego Minifigures Series 7. This programmer has some mad skills from debugging a server in ten seconds to recovering data from completely melted drives. Here is the complete description of the Lego Computer Programmer:

"Hello, World."

Other computer whizzes can argue all they like about what kind of computer or operating system is the best one - the Computer Programmer knows that the only way to be a real expert is to master all of them. He knows everything there is to know about computers and how to use them, from the biggest old-time mainframes to the tiniest next-generation nanotech prototypes, and he's always glad to share his expertise with anyone who needs his help - which is just about everyone eventually!

He can debug a server in ten seconds flat, track down and wipe out even the toughest viruses, recover data from completely melted hard drives, and yes, he will help you set up your e-mail signature. In his spare time, he programs his own video games, catches up on the latest posts in his favorite web forums, and hangs out with his pet robo-cat. When you're a skilled Computer Programmer, the future is always today!

Photo: Lego Group

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Quora Says Its Not Just for Technology Discussion

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST

Quora is an online discussion platform. It is often described as a being a source for answers to tech-oriented questions, but Quora says it has other topics as big as tech. Quora says, "Quora is often mentioned as being tech or Silicon Valley centric. While we knew this assumption hasn't been true for a long time, the full diversity of content this analysis exposes was surprising.:"

Quora released this chart to show the different topics being discussed on its site:

Image: Quora

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Associa Launches Eco-Iniative, Support for Keep America Beautiful

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST

Associa, a community association management company in North America, has launched a new national environmental initiative, Associa Green. Associa Green's kickoff events are being held throughout April in neighborhoods in the Seattle, Tampa, Austin and Washington, D.C. areas, in conjunction with a nationwide rollout in all Associa communities. Daisy, the Associa Green mascot is pictured above.

Associa will begin a social media fundraising campaign throughout the launch to support Keep America Beautiful. For every like on Associa's Facebook page or follow on Twitter, the company will donate $1 to Keep America Beautiful, with a goal to reach $10,000.

Photo: Business Wire/Associa Green

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HowToWeb Joins Pinterest

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST

HowToWeb is now on Pinterest. Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that lets users create pinboards for their favorite topics, such as gadgets you love or your favorite video games. You can find us on Pinterest here.

You can also find HowToWeb on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

Image: Pinterest

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Google Maps Launches 8-bit Version

Sun, 1 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST

Google Maps has launched an 8-bit version for the NES/Famicom. Google says, ". With the power of Google's immense data centers, and support from Nintendo and Square Enix, we were able to overcome the technical and design hurdles of developing 8-bit maps." Google says it has long neglected NES. You can find Google Maps for NES and its wonderful 8-bit graphics online here. Take a look:

Photo: Google

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Weird Little Camera Lets You Take Photographs by Framing Them With Your Hands

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:00:00 EST

Japan's Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences has created an unusual camera that lets you take photographs with your hands. Digiinfo.tv reports that the Ubi-Camera lets you frame the photographs with your hands when you take them. The camera device is attached to your finger and the shutter is pressed when you push hard with your thumb. Framing is calculated by the camera by determining the distance between the camera and the photographer's face. Take a look:

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Amazon Acquires Kiva Systems for $775 Million

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST

Amazon.com, Inc. has announced plans to acquire Kiva Systems, Inc., a developer of robotic package handling technology. Kiva Systems' headquarters will remain in North Reading, Massachusetts.

Here is an interesting video from IEEE Spectrum that shows how Kiva's automated package handling system works. Take a look:

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New Microsoft Software Translates Your Actual Voice Into Foreign Languages

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST

Microsoft unveiled several new technologies at TechFest 2012 including realistic avatars and a wearable projector that project multitouch interfaces. Another new technology from Microsoft, which may the most innovative, is technology that can translate a person's voice into up to 26 languages. The technology does not translate a person's voice into a synthesized voice, but uses a voice close to the speaker's voice. Frank Soong demonstrated the text-to-speech (TTS) systems at TechFest 2012.

These video clips show how the voice of Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer, was translated from English into Mandarin using his own voice by Microsoft's software. Microsoft used a 3D talking head of Craig Mundie for the demo. You can still hear some of a computer-like voice with Microsoft's software, but it is much better than the synthesized computerized voice you hear with services like NOAA Weather Radio. The ability to instantly have your voice translated into other languages would be very useful. Take a look:

(via Technology Review)

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PBS Off Book Explores History of Animated GIFs

Fri, 9 Mar 2012 21:00:00 EST

Animated GIFs are everywhere today, particularly on Tumblr blogs. The animated GIFs of the Geocities era were ugly. They were considered tacky and were seen way too frequently on Geocities pages. Today, more sleek looking GIFs and GIFs made using tv clips and movies have helped reignite GIF popularity. Take a look:

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Video: Robots Falling Down at the Robocup

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST

Here is a video from National Geographic of soccer playing robots falling down at the annual Robocup. The robots look pretty hilarious when they fail. It's okay to laugh at them now while they are clumsy and ridiculous and not running the world and using humans as batteries and slaves. Take a look:

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Megaupload Founder Kim Dotcom Released on Bail

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST

Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom was released on bail in New Zealand today. The site was shut down by Feds last month. He is awaiting an extradition hearing to see if he is going to be extradited to the U.S. This hearing is not set to take place until July. The Wall Street Journal says Kim Dotcom is not allowed to use his helicopter or the Internet. His assets have also all been seized. Dotcom's lawyers say he needs access to at least some of his of money or he cannot fight the charges. Take a look:

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VeriSign Admits it Was Hacked in SEC Filing

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 22:00:00 EST

Reuters is reporting that VeriSign revealed it was hacked in an SEC filing. VeriSign does many extremely important things involving the Internet. They are in charge of some of the Internet's DNS infrastructure. They are the authoritative registry for .com and .net. They are also a leading provider of SSL certificates.

PC World reports that the hack took place in 2010, but was not disclosed by VeriSign IT staff to its upper management until last year. Then the hack still wasn't shared with the world until last October, when it revealed it was hacked several times.

Reuters says VeriSign believes the servers supporting its Domain Name System network was not breached. VeriSign's SSL products were acquired by Symantec in 2010. PC World says a Symantec spokesperson says the Trust Services (SSL), User Authentication (VIP) were not compromised by the hack mentioned in the VeriSign quarterly filing, so hopefully Verisign SSL certificates can all be trusted.

If the SSL technology was breached it could potentially allow criminals to create a fake SSL certificate for a major bank (or any other company) that browsers would automatically accept. Dmitri Alperovich, president of Asymmetric Cyber Operations, told Reuters, "you could create a Bank of America certificate or Google certificate that is trusted by every browser in the world."

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Japan's NEC Corporation Cutting 10,000 Jobs

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST

Japan's NEC Corporation has announced plan for major job cuts. Reuters reports that NEC will cut 10,000 jobs, which is about 10% of its workforce. Reuters says the company is blaming part of its poor smartphone sales on the popularity of the iPhone in Japan.

NEC's operating income was down 13.5% for the three months ending December, 31. You can see NEC latest financial results here. Reuters says NEC is warning of a big $1.3 billion loss for the year ending March, 2012. NEC also reduced its forecasted smartphone sales by 5 million.

Take a look:

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Google to Shut Down Picnik

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:22:00 EST

SiliconFilter reports that Google is shutting down its Picnik photo editor. Picnik has an announcement about the closing here. The closing date is April 19, 2012.

Picnik says the photo-editing tools are already available on Google+ through the social network's Creative Kit. Picnik has created an app, called Picnik Takeout, that will help you transfer your photographs to a Google+ account.

Image: Google

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Google Blacks Out Logo in SOPA Protest

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST

CNET reported yesterday that Google planned to use its homepage to protest the horrible Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) bill. Bills like SOPA that give previously unheard of and unthinkable powers and controls to powerful media and entertainment companies seem to be on the rise these days. We already have laws in place to protect copyright. These news bills are unnecessary.

A Google representative told CNET, "Like many businesses, entrepreneurs, and Web users, we oppose these bills because there are smart, targeted ways to shut down foreign rogue Web sites without asking American companies to censor the Internet. So tomorrow we will be joining many other tech companies to highlight this issue on our U.S. home page."

Today Google blacked out its logo and posted a message about how millions of Americans oppose the SOPA and PIPA bills. Google says the bills "would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business." They are encouraging Internet users to sign a petition urging Congress to vote no on PIPA and SOPA.

Google also says in a blog post that PIPA & SOPA will censor the Internet and will not stop piracy. Google writes, "These bills would grant new powers to law enforcement to filter the Internet and block access to tools to get around those filters. We know from experience that these powers are on the wish list of oppressive regimes throughout the world. SOPA and PIPA also eliminate due process. They provide incentives for American companies to shut down, block access to and stop servicing U.S. and foreign websites that copyright and trademark owners allege are illegal without any due process or ability of a wrongfully targeted website to seek restitution."

The White House has spoken out about the bill, which angered News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch. It is unclear if the White House would veto the bill if it gets through Congress. President Obama did recently sign a controversial bill that enables the military detention of American citizens without a trial, even though he opposed the legislation in a signing statement.

Some websites are also going dark to oppose the SOPA and PIPA bills. Websites planning blackouts include Reddit, Wikipedia, Craigslist and Boing Boing.

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HowToWeb is Now on Google+

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST

HowToWeb now has a Google+ page on Google+. Google+ is a new social network from Google. You can follow us on Google+ by clicking on the Google+ button below and adding us to one of your circles.

HowToWeb is also on Facebook and Twitter.

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HP to Make WebOS Open Source

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST

HP has announced it will make webOS open source. The operating system is used on the HP TouchPad, which became a hot item after HP discounted the tablet to just $99 last this summer.

Meg Whitman, HP president and chief executive officer, said in a statement, "webOS is the only platform designed from the ground up to be mobile, cloud-connected and scalable. By contributing this innovation, HP unleashes the creativity of the open source community to advance a new generation of applications and devices."

HP says it will engage the open source community to help define the charter of the open source project under a set of operating principles:

The goal of the project is to accelerate the open development of the webOS platform
HP will be an active participant and investor in the project
Good, transparent and inclusive governance to avoid fragmentation
Software will be provided as a pure open source project

A Guardian article about HP's open source move says HP believes there are currently 750,000 installed devices running on webOS.

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PBS to Air Steve Jobs Special: One Last Thing

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:00:00 EST

PBS will air a special look at Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, called Steve Jobs - One Last Thing, on November 2. The look at Steve Jobs includes interviews with Ronald Wayne, Steve Wozniak, Ross Perot, Walt Mossberg, Will.i.am, Robert Cringely, Robert Palladino, Bill Fernandez and many others.

It also includes footage from a never-before-broadcast interview from 1994 where Jobs says, "You tend to get told that the world is the way it is, but life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact; and that is that everything around you that you call life was made up by people no smarter than you ... Once you learn that, you'll never be the same again."

Take a look:

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History of the iPhone Animation

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST

Here is an entertaining and informative history of the iPhone from CNET UK. The animation also shares some facts about ARPANET, DynaTAC, the Internet, chip development and Apple designer Jony Ive. Take a look:

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Text Through Your Pants With Microsoft's PocketTouch Through-Fabric Input Technology

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:20:00 EST

This project from Microsoft, called PocketTouch, enables a person to use an input device through their pants or a jacket. Microsoft calls its research project "through-fabric capactive touch input." The input device can hook onto a smartphone. A downside to the PocketTouch is that you will have to get used to the alphanumeric texting language in order to use the device. You may also have to explain to people around you why you keep rubbing your pants. Take a look:

(via GeekWire)

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Technology Realistically Inserts Objects Into Existing Photographs

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST

University of Illinois researchers, lead by Kevin Karsch, have developed an impressive technology that inserts objects into photographs as if they had been there all along.

We propose a method to realistically insert synthetic objects into existing photographs without requiring access to the scene or any additional scene measurements. With a single image and a small amount of annotation, our method creates a physical model of the scene that is suitable for realistically rendering synthetic objects with diffuse, specular, and even glowing materials while accounting for lighting interactions between the objects and the scene. We demonstrate in a user study that synthetic images produced by our method are confusable with real scenes, even for people who believe they are good at telling the difference.

It will become increasingly difficult to trust photographs as this type of technology continues to improve. Take a look:

(via PetaPixel

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Throwable Ball Camera Takes Full Spherical Panoramas

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST

This throwable ball camera takes full spherical panoramas. The researchers embedded multiple cameras into a ball-shaped enclosure, which was then padded with foam. Take a look:

Photo: Jonas Pfeil

(via Popular Photography)

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Loss of Steve Jobs Animated

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST

The animators at NMA TV have animated the career of Apple innovator Steve Jobs, 1955-2011. Jobs died at his home on October 5th. The animation shows Apple fans and business leaders saddened by the loss of the Apple co-founder. It also shows Jobs arriving at the Pearly Gates, which may have been referencing the New Yorker cover. Take a look:

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US Air Force Can't Figure Out Key-logging Bug Infecting Drone Fighter Planes

Sun, 9 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST

U.S. drone fighter planes are being infected by a key-logging virus. The U.S. cannot figure out where the key-logged messages are being sent, if anywhere. Wired reports that a military source tells them they think the virus is benign, but they are not positive. They also say they keep deleting the virus, but it keeps coming back. Take a look:

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Deleted City Contains a 640 Gigabyte Archive of Geocities

Sat, 8 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST

The Deleted City contains a 640 gigabyte archive of the defunct Geocities website. Geocities was the third most popular website during the 1990s. Yahoo actually paid a staggering $3.5 billion for Geocities, but ended up having to close it down in 2009. MySpace and Facebook could become the next Geocities if something better comes along and people decide to move their information. Geocities was known for its overuse of stupid animated gifs and poor designs. Most of today's social networks avoid this problem by forcing people to use the same layout for their profiles. Take a look:

(via Laughing Squid)

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Amazon Explains Its Silk Browser

Mon, 3 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST

Amazon's software engineers explain the company's new Silk browser, which is used to power its recently announced tablet, the Kindle Fire. Amazon uses its powerful Amazon Web Services technology to speed up web browsing with Amazon Silk. Part of the browsing data (images, javascript, css) is stored in Amazon's cloud as you surf. Amazon has says the data it collects while users browse the Internet will be anonymized. Take a look:

Photo: Amazon

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Gartner Expects Apple to Dominate Tablet Market This Holiday Season

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:00:00 EST

Gartner reported in a press release that it expects Apple's tablet dominance to continue this holiday season. That's a good bet. They project tablet sales are on pace to total 63.6 million units, a 261.4% increase from 2010 sales of 17.6 million units. Gartner projects tablet sales will soar to 326.3 million units in 2015.

Gartner says Apple's iPad tablet will account for 73.4 percent of worldwide media tablet sales in 2011, down from 83 percent share in 2010.

Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner, says, "We expect Apple to maintain a market share lead throughout our forecast period by commanding more than 50 percent of the market until 2014. This is because Apple delivers a superior and unified user experience across its hardware, software and services. Unless competitors can respond with a similar approach, challenges to Apple's position will be minimal. Apple had the foresight to create this market and in doing that planned for it as far as component supplies such as memory and screen. This allowed Apple to bring the iPad out at a very competitive price and no compromise in experience among the different models that offer storage and connectivity options."

Amazon is expected to announce an Android tablet soon. If the tablet takes off and does really well over the holidays it could put a major dent in Apple's tablet dominance. The main issue holding back tablet sales is the economy is still terrible. Consumers are looking for tablets priced less than manufacturers can afford to make them.

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Cornell Creative Machines Lab Has Two Chatbots Talk to Each Other

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:00:00 EST

Researchers at the Cornell Creative Machines Lab had two chatbots talk to each other. Automaton notes that chatbots are computer programs designed to fool people into thinking they are human. The 2011 Loebner Prize Competition in Artificial Intelligence is an annual contest that challenges people to create programs that can fool judges into thinking it is human.

In Cornell Creative Machines Lab's chatbot to chatbot conversation both of the chatbots correctly identified each other as being a bot, although they sometimes lied about being a bot. Take a look:

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HP Sells Tons of Discounted TouchPads. Proof There is Demand for Non Apple Tablets

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:00:00 EST

HP deeply discounted its hot looking TouchPad and it quickly sold out of its stock despite being overwhelmed by traffic. HP dropped the price of the tablet from $399.99 to $99 for the 16GB device. HP says it will have more tablets in stock at a later date.

This is crystal clear evidence that a non-Apple tablet can fly off store shelves. All that matters is to have a good product and the right price point. Apple will eventually only have a small portion of tablet sales as some analysts have predicted. The manufacturers that end up with the biggest tablet market share may be the ones that can afford to discount the most. It won't be HP since they have inexplicably decided to abandon consumer products.

Tablet prices will keep falling, just like ebook reader prices have plunged over the past three years. It may take a couple years for them to get to $99.99 without a firesale, but eventually they will.

Photo: HP

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NMA Animates Google's Motorola Acquisition

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:44:00 EST

The expert animators at Taiwanese Next Media Animation (NMA) have animated the Google Motorola deal. The animation attempts to explain the mega-merger that turns the Internet giant into a gadget manufacturer. The animation includes some of the most heavily discussed aspects of the merger: the importance of patents and concern Google's acquisition may alienate smartphone makers using Google's Android software. Take a look:

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British Teen Wins Microsoft Excel World Championship

Sun, 7 Aug 2011 21:00:00 EST

Rebecca Rickwood, 15, from Cambridgeshire won the Microsoft Excel World Championship. Who knew there was even such an event? Challengers had to take timed tests to prove their Excel skill. Rebecca is proud of herself and she should be. To be the best in the world at Excel is no easy feat. Rebecca said, "There are a lot of Asians here and usually they're the ones who get all the top prizes." Take a look:

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Microsoft Creates Gmail Parody Called Gmail Man

Mon, 1 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST

Microsoft created this Gmail parody called Gmail Man. In the video, Gmail Man goes around shamelessly reading everyone's email. Gmail Man says he is not reading email, just skimming it for keywords so he can share ads with Gmail users. At the end of the video Microsoft promotes its Microsoft Office 365 service. Take a look:

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Creepy Robot Mouth Returns, Sings Japanese Children's Song

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 15:00:00 EST

The robot mouth first creeped out the Internet last year with a video of it making vowel sounds. The robot mouth, developed by Professor Hideyuki Sawada at Kagawa University in Japan, is now back with a new video. This time the robot is singing a Japanese children's song called "Kagome Kagome."

The robot does have a purpose. It was created to help hearing-impaired people improve their speech. The robot mouth is even able to listen to itself and can make adjustments in its speech. The robots nose does not look as realistic in this new video as it did in the past. Take a look:

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