Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Friday, March 27, 2009

Google Docs Gets Full Find & Replace, Drawing Tools [Online Documents]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/KjxX9C2H6uA/google-docs-gets-full-find--replace-drawing-tools

Google Docs takes another step toward becoming a proper document tool, adding a full-fledged find and replace toolbar, as well as a browser-based SVG drawing tool.

Docs had a kind of low-powered, actually apologetic find and replace tool before that could only do whole-document, every-instance replacements. Now it's a bit more familiar, with one box for the finding text (or regular expression), one for the replacement, and buttons and shortcuts (Ctrl+F, Ctrl+G for next) that can replace items one-by-one:

That's just a writing tool, though. The new drawing app, found by hitting "Insert," then "Drawing" from the top menus, works on text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. It's easy to figure out and doesn't require any special software (at least on SVG-supporting browsers like Firefox, Chrome, or Opera), but, as Google Operating System points out, you have to "save" the drawing by hitting the "X" in the upper-right, which doesn't seem like what you want to do.

Find (and replace) my favo(u)rite colo(u)r and much, much more
Drawing on your creativity in Docs [Official Google Docs Blog]

Zamzar Converts Powerpoint Into Easy-To-Share Images [Conversion]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/JftKqeBneKE/zamzar-converts-powerpoint-into-easy+to+share-images

Ever wanted to extract Powerpoint slides as images for embedding elsewhere? We've previously covered the convert-anything Zamzar web site, which can convert Powerpoint presentations to images.

To convert the file, simply upload the file (ignoring the obnoxious popup ads), choose PNG format, and enter your email address to receive the link for the converted files—it took a little while for the files to show up, but the conversion process worked perfectly—all ready for you to embed or email the files.

An alternative method for converting and sharing Powerpoint is to simply upload the file to Google Docs, and then use the PDF export option to download and share with friends—or you can use Google Docs to embed presentations on your web site or blog. Thanks, Nick!

YouTube EDU Brings Free Education to the Masses [Learning]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/qT0knm3sU3U/youtube-edu-brings-free-education-to-the-masses

YouTube has just released a new sub-site called YouTube EDU, aggregating thousands of free lectures from over a hundred universities across the country, including MIT, Yale, Harvard, Stanford, and oh-so-many more.

On Tuesday we highlighted another similar application that we described as Hulu for academic lectures called Academic Earth, and just two days later, here comes YouTube EDU. It's incredible to see such great options for folks looking for some free education.

The two services are very similar in some ways, and while YouTube's landing page isn't quite as useful as Academic Earth's, they're both packed full of great content. Head to the Directory page to browse through all the university options, and when you pick one, you can see all of the full courses or individual lectures available. According to weblog Open Culture, YouTube EDU currently has over 200 full courses, so you're bound to find something that piques your interest—like MIT's Introductory Quantum Mechanics II.

It's really exciting to see the web embrace and distribute all this free learning, and we're eager to see both services grow.

YouTube EDU [via Open Culture]

See the World Through Flickr's Eyes [Visualization]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/1ITjEH4_-I0/see-the-world-through-flickrs-eyes

As sad as it sounds, most of us experience the world through photographs. Now MIT software engineers are taking that idea literally and mapping Flickr photos to regional maps in The World's Eyes project.

By pulling GPS metadata from uploaded photos (and then skinning that data in a neat 3D visualization), users can see how photographers/tourists see a given area. There's overlap, yes, but that's entirely the point. It's a project more about capturing stereotypes (like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Statue of Liberty in NY), than giving a Google Street View objective turn by turn of an area. Add tags like "party" to the mix, and that worldview is altered in very interesting, less predictable ways.

As strange as this may sound, I could totally picture this visualizer on the PlayStation 3. The platform has focused quite a bit on a unique photo experience, and the style isn't so far from Sony's. All they'd really need to do is network it. [MIT via GearCrave]

Sun Storing The Entire Internet In a Shipping Container [Storage]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/uB985HHkdlg/sun-storing-the-entire-internet-in-a-shipping-container

How do you store three petabytes (that's 3,145,728 GB) of web pages for the Internet Archive? You put them in a datacenter housed in a shipping container.

Each container packs in 60 of the company's Sun Fire X4500 Open Storage Systems and is constantly monitored for potential threats. It's actually a pretty elegant, modular solution to an archive that grows by nearly 100TBs every month. So rest assured folks, your precious GeoCities page from the 90's is safe and secure. [Sun via GigaOM via Slashgear]

Microsoft Marketing Team Now Exclusively Advised By Internet Commenters (But It Works!) [Advertising]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/EhTYJmCpC0o/microsoft-marketing-team-now-exclusively-advised-by-internet-commenters-but-it-works

You've heard it before, and it's true: Macs are more expensive than PCs. There's not much more to say about that! Unless, of course, you have a vested interest in casting Apple as elitist.

In this, the most directly anti-Apple ad of Microsoft's 'I'm a PC' campaign, Microsoft sets up an experiment: a focus group of prospective computer shoppers is given a set amount of money—in this case $999—to buy a computer. Any remaining cash the members have they can keep.

Predictably, our perky protagonist, desiring a 17-inch screen, went with a $700 PC from Best Buy. And why not? The 'equivalent' (read: 17-inch) Apple product could have cost her twice as much, and $999 would have left her stuck with a last-gen product anyway. Likewise, if she had listed in her requirements 4GB of RAM, a Blu-ray drive, a built-in card reader, or anything at all that doesn't come stock in a 13-inch white MacBook, she would have had to buy a PC.

Microsoft told the WSJ that not a single focus group member chose a Mac, but even the most devout Apple fanboy could have predicted this outcome; the arbitrary terms of the ad had Apple competing in a market segment that they don't even have a product in. The 'experiment', as it were, doesn't actually prove anything, nor does it need to; this, like any good ad campaign, is about crafting an image for you or your competitors—something it manages deftly in a time when money is on everyone's mind. [BoingBoing Gadgets]

Samsung begins production on edge-lit LED-backlit HDTV panels

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/26/samsung-begins-production-on-edge-lit-led-backlit-hdtv-panels/

Samsung's being a bit ambiguous with this one, but we won't deny that we're drooling pretty heavily over these new panels. Said outfit has just revealed that mass production has begun on the industry's first "ultra-slim LCD panels suited for large size TVs," and while we're wondering what exactly it means by that, we can't help but appreciate the attributes. We're told that the unique edge-lit LED backlighting offers lighter weight and thinner designs compared to standard direct-lit LED LCDs, and moreover, a 55-inch Samsung HDTV with edge-lit LED backlighting "uses up to 40 percent less power than conventional LCD TVs." The panels measure just 0.42-inches thick and are being produced in 40-, 46- and 55-inch sizes. We're still waiting to hear back from Sammy on whether these are the same ones used in the energy-efficient LCD HDTVs announced at CES or new models altogether, but 'til then, you can feel free to start digging in the couches for spare pennies.

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Samsung begins production on edge-lit LED-backlit HDTV panels originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T-bound Samsung SGH-a877 gets detailed further

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/27/atandt-bound-samsung-sgh-a877-gets-detailed-further/

We already had plenty of reason to believe that Samsung's QWERTY-packin', landscape-layin' SGH-a877 was headed to AT&T, but now it's pretty much a lock. phonescoop has dug up a few more pertinent details about the so-called Impression, confirming the 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen and adding that the handset will include an accelerometer and built-in Bluetooth. If this one has your eye, we'd wager that it won't be long before it goes on sale for real -- maybe all's that is left is a formal CTIA unveiling?

Filed under: Cellphones

AT&T-bound Samsung SGH-a877 gets detailed further originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 04:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic DMC-GH1 Micro Four Thirds shooter with 1080p video landing April 24th

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/27/panasonic-dmc-gh1-micro-four-thirds-shooter-with-1080p-video-lan/

While we patiently wait for the Micro Four Thirds format DMC-GH1 with 1080p video to pop for purchase, we have to feed on whatever retail crumbs we can grub off Panasonic. As usual, our Japanese camera overlords will have first dibs on this ¥150,000 (less than $1,500 when it arrives Stateside) bundle that includes a 14-140mm lens starting April 24th. Think about it; we've gone from zero to four HD-capable video DSLRs in six months. Ok, ok, three-plus actually, since Micro Four Thirds cams are technically not DSLRs due to the lack of an internal mirror and prism -- just humor us with with GH1's interchangeable lens mount, DSLR-sized sensor, and bevy of manual controls ok? Geesh.

[Via PC World],

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Panasonic DMC-GH1 Micro Four Thirds shooter with 1080p video landing April 24th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kohjinsha offers up colorful line of ML6 netbooks

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/27/kohjinsha-offers-up-colorful-line-of-ml6-netbooks/

You could guess the specifications with your eyes closed -- a 1.6GHz Intel Atom, 1,024 x 600 resolution panel, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, WiFi, Windows XP and a battery good for around 4.7 hours -- but at least Kohjinsha busted out the paint gun on its ML6 netbook. The 8.9-inch Japanese rig is available in a whole slew of colors including black, white, gold, blue, pink and a few other hues that only Crayola experts could explain, and the inclusion of audio in / out sockets and an ExpressCard slot adds just a wee bit of personality. Of course, we're none too impressed with the ¥38,900 ($393) price tag, but we guess that's the premium you pay for such a wide variety of color options.

[Via Pocketables]

Filed under: Laptops

Kohjinsha offers up colorful line of ML6 netbooks originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ATI's 1GB FirePro V7750 GPU pushes serious pixels for pros

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/27/atis-1gb-firepro-v7750-gpu-pushes-serious-pixels-for-pros/

Earlier this month, AMD popped out a 512MB ATI FirePro 2450 quad-display card, but if that's just not pro enough for your professional needs, have a gander at the company's FirePro V7750. Sporting 1GB of GDDR3 frame-buffer memory, a 30-bit display pipeline and twin DisplayPort connectors + one dual-link DVI socket, this workstation powerhouse also features High Dynamic Range (HDR) rendering with 8-bit, 10-bit and 16-bit-per-RGB color component support. You'll also get 320 stream processing units, full Shader Model 4.1 support for vertex and pixel shaders and a unified video decoder for H.264, AVC, VC-1 and MPEG-2 video formats. Show your CAD who's boss for just $899.

Gallery: ATI's 1GB FirePro V7750 GPU pushes serious pixels for pros

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

ATI's 1GB FirePro V7750 GPU pushes serious pixels for pros originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, March 26, 2009

ARM's GPUs Will Make This Year's Mainstream Phones More Powerful Than the Current iPhone [GPUs]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/NMN_ODChoEY/arms-gpus-will-make-this-years-mainstream-phones-more-powerful-than-the-current-iphone

By the end of 2009, computer and graphics chip designer ARM says we'll see the first sub-$150 cellphones using the low-power Mali 200 GPU, which will give devices greater graphics capabilities than the current-gen iPhone.

Occupying a space only millimeters wide, and supporting the Open GL ES 2.0 standard, Product Manager Remi Pedersen says that the Mali 200, and eventually, Mali 400, are designed to work in a phone that goes 2-3 days between charges. Pedersen says the first phones will appear at the end of 2009, followed by an influx of devices in 2010.

Graphically, games shown were on the level of PS2 and Xbox, able to push a decent number of pixels with a smooth framerate. A port of the original Project Gotham Racing runs on the Mali 200 GPU with virtually no lag and a decent number of polygons.

But they can also provide hardware acceleration for device UIs, process HD video and make Flash usable on mobile devices. ARM says that features such as HD video encode/decode and Flash decoding will be centered more around the multicore Mali 400, which will appear en masse sometime in 2010. And by all accounts, we can probably look forward to seeing this line of Mali GPUs in future netbooks and MIDs.

Here's quick vid of the Mali 200 in action. It's pretty smooth for a mobile GPU.

Prices Leaked For 2009 Samsung HDTVs [HDTV]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/hJXApP3TOms/prices-leaked-for-2009-samsung-hdtvs

The folks at HDGuru have scored a price list for upcoming Samsung HDTVs. This includes details for 3-7 and the 6000-8000 series. Hit the following link for the full details. [HDGuru]

A Hackintoshed Dell Mini 9, Autographed By Woz [Woz]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/CQvbU-vkL_U/a-hackintoshed-dell-mini-9-autographed-by-woz

In our Hackintosh guide, we called our OS X-powered Dell Mini 9 the ultimate Mac netbook. We were wrong. This Hackintoshed Dell Mini 9, autographed by one Steve "Quick Step" Wozniak, is the actual pinnacle.

Matthew Smith caught Woz doing some press for Dancing With the Stars. He writes:

I showed him my Dell Mini 9 with OS X Leopard installed on it (and an Apple sticker sloppily applied over the Dell logo.

He said, "Oh my god, that is so COOL!"

And: "Is that really the color you wanted?"

Then he graciously signed it. I then ran away and giggled for about 45 minutes.

Well done sir. [Flickr via BBG]

PhotoFast intros 256GB to 1TB G-Monster PCIe SSD

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/26/photofast-intros-256gb-to-1tb-g-monster-pcie-ssd/

We Americans have Fusion-io's ioDrive and OCZ's Z Drive to look forward to when it comes to slamming down a PCIe-based SSD solution in our lightning fast rigs, but what about the savvy Japanese? Enter PhotoFast, who has just revealed a luscious PCIe SSD of its own, ranging from 256GB to one whole terabyte in size. The unit includes a couple of SSDs hooked together in a RAID0 setup in order to provide up to 750MB/sec read rates and 700MB/sec write rates. As with most SSDs, this unit also boasts a 1.5 million hour MTBF and should work perfectly within Windows XP and Vista machines. Those in and around Osaka can expect these to land around mid-October for about the cost of a new TV -- seriously.

[Via Engadget Japanese]

Filed under: Storage

PhotoFast intros 256GB to 1TB G-Monster PCIe SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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