Syndicated Web

What the PlayStation controller buttons REALLY mean

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:42:00 +0000

Ever wonder what the buttons on PlayStation controllers symbolize? When the designer of the PlayStation controllers Teiyu Goto first sat down to lay the plans for a design that would end up in homes across the world, he knew he had to create something unique and simple, and from that came the icons we are now familiar with: a square, a circle, an X, and a triangle. But did you know that there is hidden symbolism behind these simple symbols?

Triangle-- This represents viewpoint, as in the direction of an arrow or the player's head

Square-- Pulls up menus, as in a flat sheet of paper

Circle-- Makes a "no," or negative decision.

X-- Makes a "yes," or positive decision

What Do the Button Icons Of PlayStation Really Mean? | GizmoCrazed

Yarr, here be Social Media! A world map of social networks

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 22:18:00 +0000

Navigate through the world of social media using the handy 2010 Social Networking Map drawn by the social marketing website Flowtown, an update to the web-comic xkcd's now outdated Map of Online Communities. The map comes as a satirically handy tool when setting course through the divided and complex borders of Social Networking. See such sites as the Former Kingdom of Myspace, the Receding Glaciers of AOL and Windows Live, and the United Territories of Wikimedia.

It is advised that travelers should be wary of the Google Information Gathering Posts that speckle the map.

The 2010 Social Networking Map [Infographic] | ZuZu Top

WAR IS OVER: Economy can be fixed, if you want it

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:04:00 +0000

Sitting behind his desk in the Oval Office, President of the United States of America Barack Obama spoke in his second-ever address to America on Tuesday, August 31st, 2010, to officially announce the end of American-involved conflict in Iraq. The announcement came in the wake of the departure of the last American combat brigade in Iraq, and signified the handover of national security to the Iraqi people.

During the address, Obama pressed that the issue of the neglected economy within America's own borders is a priority that not only the government, but also the citizens, must turn their focus to with "as much energy and grit, and sense of common purpose as our men and women serving abroad."

Obama Declares End of Iraq War, It’s ‘Time To Turn The Page’ | TheBlogIsMine Dot Com

Girl Throws Newborn Puppies in River

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:34:00 +0000

A recently leaked video of a girl throwing young puppies from a bucket into a river has spread across (and in many cases, been removed from) the internet. The incident has caused disgust and calls for justice from many commentators that frequent websites such as 4chan and reddit.

Video of Girl Throwing Puppies in a River Causes Social Media Uproar

Could yours be the last song ever played on the last flight of the space shuttle?

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:00:00 +0000

With the last flight of the space shuttle on its way, NASA is allowing the public to choose what songs will be played as the wakeup calls for the shuttle's astronauts. Voters can select one of 40 different songs to play on the second-last flight, but NASA is saving the last dance for you. On the 134th, as well as the final flight of the space shuttle, NASA will choose the top two original songs submitted to them to be played. Artists can submit their songs to be voted upon at NASA's website.

The Space Rock program has been running since man landed on the moon during the Apollo missions, and was used to promote a sense of "camaraderie and esprit de corps among astronauts and ground support personnel."

There has been a range of songs that have been played over the years, and most of them were chosen to fit the theme of space exploration and accomplishment, including Barry Manilow's "A Little Traveling Music, Please," and the Mission Impossible and the Star Wars theme songs. Paul McCartney even once played a live concert for the astronauts.

Send Metallica into Space!

Edmonton Fringe Festival Finished, But Not Done

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:45:00 +0000

The 29th Edmonton Fringe festival, the first and largest of its kind in North America, has wrapped up the festivities as the performers from nations abroad move on to the next act. But not everyone is leaving, and patrons who couldn't get their fill in the 11 days that the festival transformed Edmonton's Old Strathcona district into a haven for the performing arts are being given the chance to extend the experience, with 11 plays selling holdover tickets for shows next weekend.

This year's edition of the Fringe, named We'll Show You Ours, sold 92,000 tickets to 193 shows, nearly matching the ticket sales of last year's festival, and perhaps being held back only by the discouraging smoke that hung in the air from the forest fires that have been burning a province away in BC.

The annual festival features indoor plays that can be viewed for around $15, as well as outdoor buskers who ask only for donations-- including musicians, extortionists, magicians, jugglers, painters, and live artists of all kind.

Fringe Theatre Adventures | In the News

Windows Messenger Integrates Facebook Chat

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:50:00 +0000

With the second beta release of Windows Live Essentials 11 has come an important update that will allow users of what are perhaps the two largest chat platforms to speak to each other. The feature, which at first is only being rolled out in select areas of the world, allows users of Windows Live Messenger to see when their friends on Facebook are online and chat with them from within Messenger itself.

Windows Live Essentials 11 beta updated, gets Facebook chat

Barack Obama Swims the Oil Spill

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 22:47:00 +0000

In response to a drastic decline in tourism that the Gulf of Mexico has been experiencing due to the massive oil spill that occurred there last April, President Barrack Obama has decided to lead by example and take a brief vacation away from Washington to do some PR in the gulf, where he and his family took a refreshing dip in the now oil-free water.

Since the spill occurred many tourists have been leery of vacationing in the area, a side effect of the disaster that has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. In response, the US Travel Association has proposed that BP should sponsor a $500 million dollar marketing campaign for the area.

BP oil spill: Barack Obama and family swim in the Gulf of Mexico - Telegraph

New superbug spreading, resistant to most antibiotics

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:26:00 +0000

NDM-1, a bacteria gene that is resistant to most antibiotics including carbapenems, a group of antibiotics that have traditionally proven effective against even the most hardy of bacteria, has been found in 37 patients that have been treated in the UK. Some of these patients are travelers from abroad who had been in India or Pakistan for cosmetic surgery.

The gene has been found most often in E Coli, and is capable of readily being copied and transferred amongst different bacteria types. Such ability to modify and spread could lead to a worldwide outbreak that could be difficult to stop, and has led to calls for increased infection control and the development of new antibiotics.

New superbug spreads to UK hospitals - Health News, Health & Families - The Independent

Look up! The planets want you to see the Perseid meteor shower

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 14:05:00 +0000

If you haven't noticed yet, you will: The Earth is in the middle of a meteor shower. The Perseid meteor shower, which will last for several weeks, will peak sometime between August 11th and 13th, causing a light show that will be unhampered by the moon's glare.

If you plan to watch the show, then August 12th is the night, because Venus, Saturn, Mars and the moon will be in a circular alignment until 10 pm, when they will bow out just in time for you to watch the Perseids shine as they burn up in the atmosphere.

Planets Align for the Perseid Meteor Shower - NASA Science:

The Pentagon would like its top secret documents back, please

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 02:34:00 +0000

The Pentagon has asked for its classified information back after the website Wikileaks obtained over 90000 military documents and released them over the internet to the hands of both the media and the general public. A spokesperson for the pentagon has strongly suggested that if Wikileaks does not turn over the documents, they will be compelled to do so.

Wikileaks is designed as a service to be used for protection by "whistleblowers, journalists and activists who have sensitive materials to communicate to the public."

Pentagon to WikiLeaks: Return Our Secret Documents, Or Else

AI replicates, then evolves its own memory

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 07:17:00 +0000

Michigan State University has created a form of life-- a self-replicating life form called an Avidian that lives in a computer. They do all of the things we expect from normal life forms: They compete for resources, they create copies of themselves, and then they evolve. In fact, the program is so successful at replicating life, that it has even formed its own memory, a crucial element to true intelligence.

Artificial life forms evolve basic intelligence - life - 04 August 2010 - New Scientist

Wave Goodbye To Google Wave

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 01:11:00 +0000

Google has announced that their email platform Google Wave will cease development. The platform, which combines several social media concepts and elements to create an interactive streaming communication tool, was announced in May 2009, but never found the user-base that Google was looking for.

Google Wave was to be one of the players in Google's march to gain a foothold in the social media market, a market that is currently dominated by Facebook.

Wave Goodbye To Google Wave

An Adam & Eve everyone can believe in

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:45:00 +0000

You have probably heard the story of Adam & Eve, even if you don't necessarily believe it. But what you may not have heard is the story of Y-chromosomal Adam and Mitochondrial Eve, the direct ancestors to all living humans. Though these two lived thousands of years apart, they both managed to foster a thriving family that spanned the earth.

Genetic evidence shows that all living men are descended patrilineally from a single ancestor named Adam, just as all living women are descended matrilineally from a single ancestor, Eve. They though, may not be our most recent ancestors. Though Eve may have lived 200000 years ago and Adam 90000, it would appear that our shared ancestry can be traced back to as recent as 5000 years.

Mitochondrial Eve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Video: The Empathic Civilisation

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:08:00 +0000

Beginning with the discovery that we literally experience what other people experience as they experience it, author Jeremy Rifkin speaks about the evolution of empathy in human beings and the importance of an empathic society. This enlightening video illustrates the author's discourse on the growth of society as it has been influenced by tribal, religious, and national empathy. He calls for yet another growth in the collective conscious, a total empathic world.

YouTube - RSA Animate - The Empathic Civilisation

Titanic 2 trailer revealed… and it’s not a joke

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:24:00 +0000

The second installment of the Titanic series has been announced as a straight to DVD release. The story, set exactly 100 years after the first voyage of the first Titanic, revolves around the voyage of the Titanic II, a cruise ship that sets sail on the same day and same path as the original. When a tsunami hurls an iceberg in the path of the ship, the crew and passengers find they face the same fate as the first.

The movie has brought ire and ridicule among many movie-goers who ask how they could make a sequel to a historical event. Follow the link here to see the trailer.

Titanic 2 trailer revealed… and it’s not a joke | Metro.co.uk

Starcraft II Released

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:02:00 +0000

12 years after the hyper-popular game Starcraft was released, the sequal has finally hit stores. The July 27 release makes this the longest period of time between two game releases. With an all new, high-end graphics engine, all new units, and all new gameplay that still stays true to the Starcraft franchise, the game may well be one of the most popular releases in recent times.

Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty can be bought in store or downloaded online for $59.99.

A sequel 12 years in the making: Starcraft II | Crave - CNET

Video: Next Mars Rover Takes First Steps

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:18:00 +0000

NASA engineers took their next mars rover for a test run last Friday. The rover, nicknamed Curiosity, is designed to be NASA's portable laboratory in their continuing expeditions on mars. Much larger than previous rovers, Curiosity is designed with a new functionality that will hopefully bring much needed insight to the state of life on mars that the explorer-rovers Opportunity and Spirit could not.

The Mars Science Laboratory was designed to test with the aid of ten tools for environments where life may have existed, as well as the capacity of those environments to preserve evidence of past life. The rover is expected to leave earth in the fall of 2011 and arrive August 2012.

NASA - Mars Curiosity Takes First Baby Steps

NASA Shuttle Workers Get Layoff Notice

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:06:00 +0000

With only two space shuttle flights left to complete the International Space Station, NASA contractors are preparing to retire the current method of space transportation by terminating the employment of 15 percent of its shuttle workers. Such layoffs mean that nearly 500 workers will be unemployed by October, causing concern that there may be an economic and political impact.

Some Space Shuttle Workers Get Layoff Notice - ABC News

Discovery Channel: The Secret History Of Hacking

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:39:00 +0000

The underground society of hackers is profiled on this Discovery Channel documentary, starting with the first hackers-- the phone phreaks who undermined and used to their advantage the phone network by using simple tools such as a plastic whistle from a box of Captain Crunch, or even their own voices in order to simulate the tones the phone companies used as signals.

The first computer hackers, coincidently the first creators of personal computers, are also profiled, including Steve Wozniak, Co-founder of the now prolific Apple Computers.

The elusive Kevin Mitnick is also paid his dues.

Discovery Channel: The History Of Hacking | Underdog Cinema Documentary Films

Facebook Stories: How the Social Network Touched 500M Users

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:25:00 +0000

As of July 21, the social networking site Facebook has achieved 500 million users (which, according to google, is 200 million more people than the population of the US in 2008). To celebrate, the website has launched a new feature called Facebook Stories, where users of the website can go to share stories of all types explaining how Facebook has been used to affect their lives.

The Facebook Effect: How the Social Network Touched 500M Users - Cloud Computing from eWeek

Stars reveal carbon 'spaceballs'-- Buckyballs found in space

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 04:19:00 +0000

For the first time, the carbon molecule known as a buckyball has been observed outside of a laboratory. The molecules, arrangement of carbon atoms that form a sphere, were spotted in space by Professor Jan Cami, and are the largest molecules ever to be observed in space.

Buckyballs and something called nanotubes have recently been used in the field of Nanotechnology.

BBC News - Stars reveal carbon 'spaceballs'

Airjelly: Robotic Jellyfish from Festo float through the air

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 03:52:00 +0000

The German company Festo has developed a robotic Jellyfish that elegantly and realistically floats through the air, mimicking the movements of actual jellyfish in the water.

Many of the robots Festo has produced are based upon what they call "nature's aesthetic beauty."

Airjelly: Jellyfishes from Festo float through the air - Eggshell Robotics

Relief ships ordered to leave BP oil well site as storm approaches

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:41:00 +0000

With the approach of Tropical Storm Bonnie, the effort to finally end the catastrophic BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that has been leaking oil into the ocean since April 20 has been prolonged even further.

Relief ships in the area that were tending to the spill, which is to be permanently plugged using cement and mud, must wait up to another 12 days before the storm will pass.

Experts say the storm should not affect the cap that is on the well now.

Relief ships ordered to leave BP oil well site as storm approaches - The Globe and Mail

Make All Links Open In A New Window

noreply@blogger.com (Syndicated Web) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:46:00 +0000

Ever wonder how to make all of the links on your web page or blog open up in a new window, so that your visitors can return to your page without remembering what page they were on to begin with? Find out here.

The Real Blogger Status: Make All Links Open In A New Window