Friday, May 02, 2014

drag2share: A New Silicon Valley Hotel Has A Stunning Light Show Powered By Data

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/epiphany-hotel-light-show-2014-5

This light installation is a stunning new way to look at data. 

Project Edison, which was designed by a group of engineers from the IDEO Digital Shop, features a set of 100 light bulbs that can light up or move up and down according to any data stream you choose. The interactive chandelier was recently installed in the lobby at the Epiphany, a new Joie de Vivre hotel in Palo Alto. 

The light bulbs can be programmed to reflect any set of information, including the weather in Palo Alto or mentions of the hotel on Facebook and Twitter. epiphany hotel lightEach of the 100 bulbs can move down from the ceiling and light up independently. epiphany light showIt can also be programmed to mimic the physical movements of the hotel's guests, lighting up when the bar and restaurant filled with people, for instance. epiphany hotel lightThe constantly changing nature of this high-tech installation is meant to be a reflection of Silicon Valley as a whole. 

"We didn’t want to create something that would be static," IDEO design lead Brad Simpson said to Wired. "In three years, regardless of whatever’s happening in the world from a data standpoint or a technology standpoint, this is something that hopefully can evolve and grow with that."

Watch the video below to learn more ! about th e IDEO engineers' design process. 

SEE ALSO: This Is What The Kitchen Of The Future Could Look Like

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drag2share: Speed Up Firefox By Enabling Its New HTTP Cache

Source: http://lifehacker.com/speed-up-firefox-by-enabling-its-new-http-cache-1570488335

Speed Up Firefox By Enabling Its New HTTP Cache

If Firefox has been feeling sluggish for you lately, you might be able to cut down on some of those UI hangs with an about:config tweak.

The Mozilla team is working on a number of performance tweaks for upcoming versions of Firefox, one of which is the use of a new HTTP cache that should fix some UI hang issues. It isn't enabled by default yet, but will be soon—and you can enable it right now with an about:config tweak. To do so:

  1. Enter about:config into Firefox's address bar and press Enter.
  2. Search for the browser.cache.use_new_backend flag and double-click on it.
  3. Change its value from 0 to 1 to enable the new cache. (You can flip it back at any time by changing it back to 0).
  4. Close about:config and continue browsing—no need to restart or anything.

I enabled it and while it hasn't been a silver bullet, it seems to have helped decrease the number of times the browser screeches to a halt. Check out the link below for more info, and while you're digging around in about:config, check out some of our other favorite tweaks.

Mozilla Firefox New HTTP Cache Is Live! | Mayhemer's Blog via @tarasglek

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drag2share: Millions of these robotic bees may roam the world in the near future

Source: http://sploid.gizmodo.com/these-are-the-robotic-bees-of-the-future-1570332550/+caseychan

Millions of these robotic bees may roam the world in the near future

This science-fiction infomercial was made to raise awareness of the fact that bees—which are crucial for the survival of all species, including ours*—are dying all around the world. The fact is that this video isn't too far from the truth: bees may go extinct if we don't act promptly and scientists are already working on robotic replacements.

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drag2share: Commercial Beekeeping and the Rise of Bee Thieves

Source: http://gizmodo.com/commercial-beekeeping-and-the-rise-of-bee-thieves-1570529274

Commercial Beekeeping and the Rise of Bee Thieves

Every spring, bees all over the country make a long, artificial migration to California by truck. Renting out bees to pollinate almond trees has become a big business with the explosive growth in California's almond industry . Where there is money, of course, there are thieves.

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drag2share: These 3D sand drawings create fun trippy illusions on the beach

Source: http://sploid.gizmodo.com/these-3d-sand-drawings-create-fun-trippy-illusions-on-t-1570652745/+caseychan

These 3D sand drawings create fun trippy illusions on the beach

Some people go to the beach to take a dip in the water and get some sun. Jamie Harkins goes to the beach to take a journey to another world. Harkins is a fantastic artist who transforms a beach into alternate realities by creating 3D sand art. Sometimes his art looks like people are sailing in the lake, other times they're skating or diving or inside a robot. I want to go to the beach with him.

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drag2share: Groupon Basics offers deals for bulk shopping at home

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/01/groupon-basics/

Groupon has tackled localized offers and sorted reservations, so now the deals site is looking to offer discounts for those who shop in bulk. The new effort -- appropriately called Basics -- allows you to stock up on over 100 household, hygiene and health products from companies like Gillette, Dove and Burt's Bees. To sweeten the deal(s), all purchases made through the new channel will earn 5 percent back in Groupon Bucks for future use. Right now, the service is only available in the continental US, but carts that tally over $25 will ship for free. As you might expect, options are a bit limited at launch, but the company says more options are on the way -- including grocery items. If you're anxious to get shopping, don't let us hold you up any longer. You can started browsing right here.

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Source: Groupon Basics (Bunsiness Wire)

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drag2share: Tablet demand hits a wall as many are happy with the devices they own

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/01/tablet-market-share-q1-2014/

Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 tablet

It looks like Apple wasn't the only tech firm to see its tablet business take a hit this winter; according to IDC, others suffered a similar fate. The analyst group estimates that overall tablet shipments grew just 3.9 percent year-over-year in the first quarter, a sharp contrast with the breakneck pace of the past few years. Amazon took a particularly severe blow, as its shipments dropped almost 50 percent. So what prompted the suddenly chilly market? If you believe researchers, many are happy with the devices they've got -- they either have a good-enough tablet or a big-screen smartphone that will do in a pinch. Simply put, there was no compelling reason to splurge on something new.

It wasn't all doom and gloom. Samsung's shipments grew by a third, in part because it encouraged carriers to bundle cellular tablets with smartphones. Lenovo's success with slates also continued unabated. While it's still relatively small in this field compared to Apple or Samsung, its unit numbers more than tripled in the past year thanks to hits like the Yoga Tablet. These are shipments and not sales, so they don't tell a complete story -- Apple claims that pent-up iPad mini demand skewed its figures last year, for instance. Even with that in mind, it's evident that tablet makers will have to fight harder to capture people's attention.

IDC's tablet market share estimates for Q1 2014

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Source: IDC

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drag2share: This Is What The Kitchen Of The Future Could Look Like

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/kitchen-of-the-future-2014-4

nutrima electrolux

Homes are becoming smarter than ever, and arguably nowhere is that push more apparent than in the kitchen. 

With Wi-Fi-enabled refrigerators and appliances that can text you alerts, companies like LG and GE are leading the charge into developing some seriously high-tech ways to cook. 

One trend involves looking at the kitchen as the social hub of the home. 

"The kitchen is really a multifunctional living space where people cook and socialize with friends," Chris Bissig, manager of concept and brand development at GE Appliances, said to Business Insider. "Some of these technologies might let people share meals even if they're not in the same place." 

As far as aesthetics, versatility is key in the kitchen of the future. 

"Our vision is of a clean, white island top. You could place the pots and pans wherever they need to be placed," Bissig said. "It's minimal, simple, with lots of flexibility." 

We've rounded up some of the most compelling ideas we've seen for the kitchen of the future. While some products are available for purchase now, others could be a bit farther out.  

"It's hard to predict when all of this will be available," Bissig said. "A lot of the technology is already out there, but it may not be together in a package." 

The TopBrewer will have your coffee ready before you're out of bed.

Scanomat's TopBrewer would be a sleek addition to any countertop. Though it may look like just another faucet, it can dispense a multitude of drinks, including freshly brewed coffee, espresso, and cappuccinos, as well as sparkling water, milk, and soda. 

The TopBrewer is also easily controlled by your smartphone or tablet, meaning that you can quickly prepare your favorite customized drinks from another room in the house. Very quickly, in fact — 15 seconds is all it takes to brew a cup of coffee.

The entire system costs about $11,000.



The iDevices kitchen thermometer texts you when your food is cooked.

This kitchen thermometer from iDevices uses Bluetooth to alert you when your food has reached its optimal temperature, making it easy to multitask while you're cooking. 

Its two prongs will even let you cook two different meats at once, even if they're at different temperatures. The two-pronged version retails for $80, while a miniature model with one probe costs just $40. 



LG's HomeChat will let you text your appliances as if they were people.

With LG's HomeChat system, introduced at CES 2014, users will actually be able to text commands to their appliances to make them more useful. The system will be programmed to respond to conversational language, so texting something like "Do we have eggs?" or "Is the milk expired?" will make your refrigerator respond as any helpful person would. 

LG plans to make HomeChat available for all of its appliances, including dishwashers, vacuums, and laundry machines. You can even get recipe suggestions from your oven, then have it automatically program itself to cook your meal.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






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Thursday, May 01, 2014

drag2share: A Timelapse of All the Earthquakes From This Record-Breaking April

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-timelapse-of-all-the-earthquakes-from-this-record-bre-1570401997

A Timelapse of All the Earthquakes From This Record-Breaking April

Didn't it seem to you that the ground was exceptionally shaky last month? That there were reports on big earthquakes happening somewhere pretty much every week? It wasn't just your imagination: April produced a higher-than-normal number of moderate-to-large earthquakes, and you can see it for yourself.

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drag2share: The Not-So-Crazy Plan to Build a Colossal Energy Skyscraper In Arizona

Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-not-so-crazy-plan-to-build-a-colossal-energy-skyscr-1569874669

The Not-So-Crazy Plan to Build a Colossal Energy Skyscraper In Arizona

This week, a small town near the U.S.-Mexico border gave an unusual company the right to build a 2,250-foot-tower, destined to become the tallest structure in the U.S. The company, Solar Wind Energy Tower Inc, is only three years old. But the idea it's hocking dates all the way back to the 1960s.

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drag2share: These Tiny Desktop Robots Are A Total Reinvention Of How We Could Interact With Software

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/thumbles-robot-user-interface-2014-5

Those sexy Minority Report-style user interfaces where menus float in front of your face seem likely to happen eventually, but we'll still need some sort of stepping stone to get there.

Thumbles might be just the intermediary to do the trick.

Instead of swiping around in the air, Thumbles have you interacting with tactile objects on a tabletop. These are tiny three-wheeled robots steered by a computer. They employ "omniwheels," which make it possible for them to move in any direction without having to turn, so Brooklyn-based Patten Studio imagines these robots as elements of a user interface.

Different software would respond in different ways — spin a robot like you're adjusting a dial and the software might adjust music volume or video color (as demoed below). It's pretty cool — check out how Patten Studio hypothesizes that Thumbles could be used.

While these are still purely hypothetical use cases, it's an impressive display of technology.

They could be used to dispatch emergency vehicles.

Thumbles

Or for playing games.

thumbles

Even for editing video — watch as the robots become color dials.

May 01, 2014 09:44

Check out the video below for a full demo:

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drag2share: This Is What Amazon's Smartphone Will Look Like

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-smartphone-renderings-2014-5

Via BGR's exclusive reporting, here's the world's first clear look at Amazon's new smartphone:

bgr amazon smartphone kindle fire phone

The phone will make use of a data plan called "Prime Data," and while the details on it are far from totally known, it's expected to piggyback on AT&T's "Sponsored Data" program. Sponsored Data allows companies to subsidize your data use, paying for the data you consume inside certain apps and services — the data used inside of certain apps effectively doesn't count against your data plan. This might mean that Amazon could offer unlimited data for music and video streaming, but this is still speculative.

BGR describes the phone as "a bit large [but] reasonably comfortable to use with one hand." It will feature a 4.7-inch 720p display, a quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, and Amazon's own flavor of the Android operating system, which will be instantly familiar to anyone who's used a Kindle Fire table.

It'll also have a bunch of front-facing cameras that will help produce a 3D effect on the screen.

The phone is expected to be formally unveiled sometime in the third quarter of this year.

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drag2share: This Is What Amazon's Smartphone Will Look Like

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-smartphone-renderings-2014-5

Via BGR's exclusive reporting, here's the world's first clear look at Amazon's new smartphone:

bgr amazon smartphone kindle fire phone

The phone will make use of a data plan called "Prime Data," and while the details on it are far from totally known, it's expected to piggyback on AT&T's "Sponsored Data" program. Sponsored Data allows companies to subsidize your data use, paying for the data you consume inside certain apps and services — the data used inside of certain apps effectively doesn't count against your data plan. This might mean that Amazon could offer unlimited data for music and video streaming, but this is still speculative.

BGR describes the phone as "a bit large [but] reasonably comfortable to use with one hand." It will feature a 4.7-inch 720p display, a quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, and Amazon's own flavor of the Android operating system, which will be instantly familiar to anyone who's used a Kindle Fire table.

It'll also have a bunch of front-facing cameras that will help produce a 3D effect on the screen.

The phone is expected to be formally unveiled sometime in the third quarter of this year.

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