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Tech
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Cyber criminals don't want you to read this ...
Posted by Robert Demery on Sun, Feb 12, 2012 at 1:40 PM
- Daily News of Sri Lanka
- Stick em up!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The new Big Brother: Sordid tales of SOPA
Posted by Robert Demery on Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 7:23 PM
- coffeelovingskeptic.com
- Our Online Future
Thousands appear willing to stand up against the powers that be in the digital no man's land. These electronic freedom fighters are executing boycotts of any service that supports SOPA. You can find a list of supporting companies, and detractors on the site SOPA: Who's in and who's out? thanks to Engadget.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Apple Almost Scores Big Against HTC
A big win in court, but don't expect it to change anything.
Posted by Robert Demery on Thu, Dec 22, 2011 at 2:42 AM
- ubergizmo.com
- Thunderbolt from the ITC?
Oh, no! Yeah. They did what software developers have done for years. They saw a feature invented by another and decided their product should do the same. Well somewhere in the process they either directly copied, or by chance wrote the exact same code used in Apple's iOS.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Cyber Monday: Find a deal, place a bid
Online shopping tips — including some from CL's Holiday Auction.
Posted by David Warner on Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 1:56 PM
If you're hoping to do all of your holiday shopping with a few clicks of the keyboard, Cyber Monday's for you.
“I think it’s still kind of an undercover nerd thing,” retail veteran Lauren Copeland told CL's Joe Bardi in a story that ran in the Nov. 24 print edition of CL. “You’re going to get better deals, you’re not going to have to deal with the crowd, you’re not going to have to find parking. You can be in your pajamas at home sipping coffee shopping on Cyber Monday.”
For the inside scoop, Lauren suggests checking out dealnews.com, a clearinghouse of all the best deals online nationally and from local merchants. Lauren says she’s addicted, but seeing as she also scored a 47-inch Vizio TV for about $350 last Cyber Monday, it’s an addiction that actually pays her back.
And here's another way to spend your cyber shopping time on Monday: Score some great deals and help a good cause by bidding in Creative Loafing's Online Holiday Auction for the benefit of The Children's Home.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Energy use from social networking sites and web surfing
Boils down to energy usage, which affects the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Posted by Katie Machol on Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 11:00 AM
- Jurgen Plasser/Flickr
- The environmental impact of so much online time really boils down to energy usage, which in turn affects the amount of greenhouse gases we pump into our atmosphere. Google, which has been carbon neutral since 2007, has been a real leader in the building of green data centers, even powering them with renewable energy.
Dear EarthTalk: What is the environmental impact of so many people now using sites like Facebook and spending so much time online? —Bob Yearling, Paris, TX
The environmental impact of so much online time really boils down to energy usage, which in turn affects the amount of greenhouse gases we pump into our atmosphere. For one, each of us can help by limiting computer time (whether surfing the ‘net or not) and shutting them down or putting them into sleep mode when we aren’t using them (this can be automated via the computer’s power management control panel).
Also, when shopping for a new computer, consumers and businesses alike can opt for models certified by the federal government as energy efficient with the Energy Star label. If all computers sold in the U.S. met Energy Star requirements, Americans could pocket $1.8 billion annually in saved energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to taking some two million cars off the road.
Individual responsibility aside, the creation and management of more efficient data centers by the major online hubs—especially as we enter the age of “cloud” computing whereby most of the software, content and services we look to our computers for resides online and is served to us as-needed—is what can have the biggest impact. Google, Facebook, and Amazon.com are already deeply committed to the cloud computing model, with Microsoft, Yahoo and others following suit accordingly.
For its part, Google has been a real leader in the building of green data centers, even powering them with renewable energy. The company recently released environmental footprint scores for several of its data centers. While the energy usage required to run its cloud services (Google Search, Google+, Gmail and YouTube) seems huge in the aggregate—it used 260 megawatt hours to power its data centers in 2010—it boils down to only 7.4 kilowatt hours worth of energy annually per user. Google reports that to provide an individual user with its services for a month uses less energy than leaving a light bulb on for three hours. And because the company has been carbon neutral since 2007, “even that small amount of energy is offset completely, so the carbon footprint of your life on Google is zero.”
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Green Tech: Stylish new solar rechargeable gadgets
Proving that solar panels aren't just for your roof anymore.
Posted by Katie Machol on Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 12:00 PM
Small solar tech products are being designed to look quite stylish these days and are made to power an array of electronic devices we use every day — mobile devices, tablets, MP3 players, wireless computer key boards, etc. Take for instance the solar bikini, a solar PV cell-studded two-piece that can charge smart phones, MP3 players and other small electronic devices. Bringing to light similar, innovative solar products, the Unplggd blog has come up with a list of cool new solar tech products on the market that are both functional and pleasing to the eye.
For example, the Solar Bonsai Electree Charging Station (pictured) looks like a tree whose 27 "leaves" are small solar panels that capture the power of the sun to charge a 13,500 mAh battery (located under the tree). The tree's battery can then charge smartphones and MP3 players — plus, it would make an eye-catching addition to your living room or office.
Monday, September 12, 2011
How to use an Apple MacBook Air in place of a kitchen knife (videos)
MacBook Air owners can now get double usage from this very expensive piece of machinery.
Posted by Katie Machol on Mon, Sep 12, 2011 at 8:30 AM
Apparently, this guy decided that the MacBook Air is so slim and sharp (in both looks and its edges), that it can be used to cut cabbage, apples and mushrooms and even devein shrimp. Then he made video demos and posted them on YouTube so all of you MacBook Air owners can get double usage from this very expensive piece of machinery.
I wonder what other sleek kitchen gadgets Apple has up their sleeves.
Some of my favorite comments on the videos include:
"This knife is really expensive."
"Does this void the warranty?"
"Wow, don't give the TSA any ideas to ban MacBook Air from being brought on to the airplane!"
Feast your eyes on the videos below:
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
All you really need: home theater on a budget
You already own most of a home theater system so why pay all the middle men?
Posted by Robert Demery on Tue, Sep 6, 2011 at 5:25 PM
- picture-player.com
- It really is this simple.
There is a solution though, and it's not entirely cheap until you set it up and use it. Home theater, yes you don't need the likes of Muvico and AMC. You can run out and spend a few thousand dollars on a system, but really that isn't what I'm talking about and have fun being raped by the Geek Squad. I'm here to tell you that half the system is already quietly humming away in your office. Your forgotten desktop most likely has enough power to act as a DVR, Movie streamer, TV streamer, or Stereo.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Phonapalooza: new smartphones, ahoy!
Posted by Robert Demery on Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 5:17 PM
- Droid Life
- Leaked Droid Bionic
Friday, July 29, 2011
Bright idea: Solar panel-clad bikini charges small electronics
Utilize those sun rays while soaking them in.
Posted by Katie Machol on Fri, Jul 29, 2011 at 3:00 PM
- solar coterie
Why not utilize those rays while soaking them in? This bikini does double duty by charging small electronics and serves as an eye-catching piece of swim wear. You'll never have to worry about running out of juice in your iPod at the beach again.
Brooklyn-based designer Andrew Schneider has designed this solar PV cell-studded two-piece that can charge smart phones, MP3 players and other small electronic devices through a USB connector. Each suit takes him about 80 hours to make, as he stitches them all by hand.
And I know what you're all asking yourselves: "Can you wear this in the water?" And the answer is 'yes.' One would obviously want to unplug their electronics before taking a dip, but it is completely safe to wear in the water.
Schneider is currently taking custom orders for the Solar Bikini on his website, Solar Coterie.
Information via Huffington Post and Inhabitat; photo via Solar Coterie.
