Windows Launch Party Photo [The Corpus Callosum]

It's not photoshopped, and it really was for the Windows 7 launch.
The picture was taken in Sietes, Spain, which had been decorated for an advertisement for the event. In point of fact, the people of Sietes are not a particularly good customer base:
The tiny village of Sietes Spain will be the new location for an advertisement from Microsoft about Windows 7, which is slightly ironic given the software giant has chosen a place that only has one internet connection, which is about asSource: Thoughts from Kansas RSS Feed

Boost Mobile i465 brings easier text messaging

One of Boost’s unique features, in addition to traditional voice and text messaging, is the ability to connect subscribers using a walkie talkie type connection (formerly known as Direct Connect) accessed by pushing a button on the side of the Boost phone.

When the phone’s button is pushed you  connect almost instantly to another walkie talkie capable phone without any need to dial (other than the  unique walkie talkie number of the person you’re calling which is different thanSource: Gear Diary RSS Feed

Google confirms music search, includes Pandora, imeem, and Rhapsody

Google just officially announced the music search service that was first reported last week, where it’s teaming up with a number of music services to help you find the songs you’re looking for straight from Google search.

Basically, when you enter any music-related queries into Google, it will now show you results from Lala and MySpace (in the latter case using technology from iLike, which MySpace recently acquired). You can enter the name of an artist, song, album, or even a few Source: Venture Beat RSS Feed

Korg Nanokey controller repurposed into MIDI foot pedal

Korg's Nanokey MIDI controller is pretty awesome in its own right, but using it with your feet gets a little difficult under "normal" conditions. We can't say for certain why Marc Fischer decided to convert his perfectly good control board into a MIDI foot pedal, but frankly, that's beside the point. The point is he did it, and he did it with just a bit of ingenuity, some wooden blocks for risers and a bit of Plexiglas to cover up the missing keys. Hit the read link if you're interested inSource: Engadget RSS Feed

We’re Ready for the iPhone 3GS!

UK network O2’s sole exclusivity to sell the iPhone is about to end, two years after they sold their first one, with Apple reaching agreements with Orange, Vodafone and potentially T-Mobile and 3 too.  First out of the gate to offer an alternative network solution is Orange, with a tentative release date of the 11th November.  Vodafone should be joining the iPhone party in early 2010, with the final two sometime later in the year.

When this news officially broke, it was widelySource: Dial-a-Phone RSS Feed

New R-71 poll encouraging, but GOTV still vital

Update: Chef Thunder over at SLOG made this disquieting observationBut remember this is the first all mail-in ballot it is hard to know who likely voters really are.Please everyone continue to talk to everyone about the importance of voting Approve on R-17 and getting that ballot in the mail. Because we just really don't know where we stand, so the more locked-in votes the merrier. Washington Families Standing Together has released a new poll. Although the result is encouraging, the messageSource: Pam's House Blend RSS Feed

forget p2p, here’s b2b: brain-to-brain communication

We can now add telepathy to the list of things that’s possible thanks to the Internet. Researchers at the University of Southampton in the UK have demonstrated that it is possible to transmit thoughts from one person’s brain to another person’s brain using nothing but pieces of tape, a couple of EEG amplifiers, some special software, LEDs, and the Internet. So… actually quite a lot of things.

The demonstration had a sender think of either 1 or 0. For some reason the person inSource: technabob RSS Feed

Netflix coming to PS3 next month

It appears that reports of 360 exclusivity for Netflix have been greatly exaggerated. You could always hack it onto your console, but this is a little more official. The streaming-video service will arrive on PS3s next month, and current Netflix subscribers will be able to watch to their heart’s content at no extra charge. However, in a rather absurd turn, streaming will only be enabled when you have a special Netflix disc in your PS3. What the hell is that about?

Initially, Source: CrunchGear RSS Feed

(Castle) Crash Halloween with this Behemoth of a costume

The team at The Behemoth know you're having a hard time coming up with something original and awesome for Halloween, so the team has included an instructional guide to creating your very own Castle Crashers inspired costume on its blog.
Taking a simple 5-gallon bucket, some foam and a pocket full of hopes and dreams, you can rock one of the best costumes we've seen (all week, at least). As an added bonus, the guide is simple and includes plenty of pictures to guide would-beSource: Xbox 360 Fanboy RSS Feed

Aksys localizing Mimana Iyar Chronicles for UMD, PSN

It's a surprising that a game with the pedigree of the Lunar series hasn't found its way stateside yet. Aksys is showing even more love for PlayStation fans by announcing plans to localize the JRPG for both a UMD and PSN release.
Mimana Iyar Chronicles is a traditional 2D JRPG from Kogado Studios and Premium Agency, featuring anime cutscenes and a real-time battle system. It's currently scheduled for a Spring 2010 release, meaning we're bound to find out more about the gameSource: PS3 Fanboy RSS Feed

A little known 20 year old climate change prediction by Dr. James Hansen – that failed badly

The news today from the Pew Institute tells us that many Americans are backing away from the predictions of catastrophic climate change. This may be because many predictions simply haven’t come true.

Most, if not all, WUWT readers know Dr. James Hansen of GISS. He’s credited with jump starting the debate in 1988 with his now famous “sweaty” testimony before Congress in June 1988. See more about the stagecraft of that event here.

Readers might be tempted to Source: Watts Up With That? RSS Feed

Nokia Sues Apple Over iPhone [TheAppleBlog]

Mobile phone giant Nokia declared an intellectual property war against Apple today, alleging the iPhone infringes on 10 patents relating to wireless technologies and standards.

Of course, the lawsuit has nothing to do with Nokia losing smartphone market share to Apple, as the chart from AdMob indicates (Nokia owns Symbian OS), and the legal action couldn’t possibly have anything to do with Nokia’s latest earnings report. Last quarter, the mobile phone maker lost $832 Source: GigaOM Network RSS Feed

GE VScan Portable Ultrasound – Who Thought You’d Need One?

When you think of General Electric, the first thing to spring to mind might be light bulbs, or possibly NBC.  But I doubt you think of portable ultrasound gadgets, and that’s a shame.  Because as it turns out, they’ve just invented one.

It’s called the GE VScan Portable Ultrasound, and soon, you too can be jumping from pregnant belly to pregnant belly, offering a sneak peek at Junior.  Hopefully you also know a good lawyer to boost you out of the looney bin if you actually trySource: Gadget Review RSS Feed

Google to launch a new product: Social Search

Marissa Mayer, Google’s Vice-President of Search, has just announced the arrival of a new upcoming Google labs product: Social Search.

The product will import news and feeds from your various profiles into one place. Yes, Friendfeed should ring a bell right about now.

The application should slot neatly in with Google Profiles, a tool we’ve always believed would result in a social platform of sorts. Social Search will blend updates from the social networks you have added to Source: The Next Web RSS Feed

How to throw a kick-ass launch party (on the cheap)

(Editor’s note: David Goldenberg is co-founder of PigSpigot.com, a user-generated greeting card site. He submitted this story to VentureBeat.)

After a year of planning and development, our company recently launched in beta mode. We were thrilled with our product, wanted to celebrate the people who made it work, and were ready to start spreading the word about the site. So we decided to host a launch party. And not just any launch party; we wanted to throw the kind of launch partySource: VentureBeat RSS Feed

Apple's iTunes Music Store Starts Tweeting

If customizing an RSS feed just doesn't quite satiate your hunger for all things Apple, three new iTunes Twitter accounts should fulfill any neglected desires. Apple has already been tweeting through iTunesPodcast since August, and now its cohorts -- iTunesMusic, iTunesMovies, and iTunesTV -- have all joined in on the micro-blogging madness.
So far, the action has been limited, with only a few music tweets (about the 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' soundtrack and a new Black Eyed Source: Switched RSS Feed

Star Trek Online Confirmed For 2010 Q1 Release

From an announcement on VideoGamer.com yesterday, Cryptic Studios confirmed that their planned release for upcoming Star Trek-themed MMOG Star Trek Online is the first quarter of 2010. This announcement is in-line with a rumor back in May claiming the same thing, and yesterday's news also includes the detail of a closed beta being made available very soon. One of the bonuses for people who purchased six-month pre-orders or lifetime accounts with Champions Online was access to this beta. ASource: GayGamer.net RSS Feed

Thaw Your Frozen iPod

Impress your less tech-savvy friends by rebooting their seemingly "bricked," or frozen, iPod. For older, click-wheel versions: Toggle the Hold switch from on to off, then press and hold the Menu and Center buttons simultaneously until the Apple logo appears. For iPod Touches and iPhones, simultaneously press the Sleep button (on top) and Home button until the Apple logo appears. (Ignore the option to shut it down and keep holding.) Ta-da! You just saved someone a coupleSource: Switched RSS Feed

NACA's Save the Dream Tour Tops 315,000 Participants in 7 Cities

We've been following NACA's Save the Dream Tour this year. The first three cities were featured in a case study at SES San Jose 2009 during the How to Optimize for Search & Engage the Community session as well as at the Social Media & Video Strategies Forum during the What Works: Best Practices / Case Studies for Online Video session.

Since then, NACA has held Save the Dream events in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Las Vegas -- and is currently in the middle of an event at the Cow Source: Search Engine Watch Blog RSS Feed

The Daily Engadget: Verizon Goes Anti-iPhone, Android 2.0 Showed Off

Filed under: Editor's Picks

Our friends over at Engadget obsessively cover everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics, which is why we compile this daily roundup of their top stuff (or, at least, what we think is tops). For more details on any of these stories, click on the Engadget links in each story below.
Verizon Teases Droid, the Anti-iPhone
Yes, another would-be successor to the iPhone's throne is proclaiming itself, this one thanks to Verizon Wireless. It's Source: Switched RSS Feed

Complimentary Webinar: Introduction to Clinical Groupware and the Clinical Groupware Collaborative

BrightTALK is sponsoring a complimentary Electronic Health Record Summit this Tuesday, October 20, 2009.

David C. Kibbe MD, MBA and I will be presenting “Introduction to Clinical Groupware and the Clinical Groupware Collaborative”

Clinical groupware is a new and evolving model for the development and deployment of health information technology (HIT) platforms and applications having the following characteristics:

• Use of the Internet and the web for EHRSource: e-CareManagement RSS Feed

ConAgra spreads some Parkay love with iPhone app

OMAHA, Neb. — ConAgra Foods wants to reinvent the classic advertising argument over how its Parkay margarine compares to butter with an iPhone application.

The ConAgra app uses the iPhone’s voice recognition capability to trigger the distinctive “Parkaaaaay” response whenever the user says words like “butter” and “milk.”

The free app recalls the classic Parkay television ads of the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s involving a talking tub of margarine.

A seniorSource: iPhone News Updated RSS Feed

iRiver T5 Digital Audio Player

Measures 77.5 x 24.5 x 14.3 mm and weighs at just 26 grams, iRiver’s latest creation, T5, features a 4GB of onboard storage and supports for various popular audio formats. To transfer files from your computer, you simply have to plug the device to your USB port and it will be detected as a portable storage. The next job is as simple as drag-and-drop. To entertain you anytime, T5 also comes with built-in FM radio tuner, so if get bored with your own music collection, you can still tune-in toSource: Funponsel RSS Feed

Verizon Storm 2 Could Launch on Oct 21

The Blackberry Storm sequel may have already been officially announced by RIM and Vodafone, but Verizon has naturally been quite tight-lipped about the release of its version of the phone.

Thank our lucky stars for information leaks. Recent merchandising documents have been leaked to PhoneArena which confirm that the Storm 2 will be launching this upcoming Wednesday, and offers details for Verizon stores to be prepared at closing time the night before launch.

So while it isSource: Unwired View RSS Feed

Who’ll Crack First in Balloon Boy Case?

This Balloon Boy saga just keeps getting weirder. The kid says he was hiding in the attic the whole time, and the latest buzz is the whole thing was bogus. And did we get this right, is there really a space alien angle?

Ken Denmead over at GeedDad says everyone should have known from the start Falcon Henne didn’t float away. Now the buzz is it just might be a grand hoax. That idea gained traction when Falcon told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, “We did this for the show.” That commentSource: Autopia RSS Feed

Mass Effect 2 Coming Jan 26, Pre-Order Ordinance

EA and Bioware have announced that Mass Effect 2 will continue the tale of Mr/Ms Commander Sheperd on January 26, 2010, and January 29 for the UK. Of course, no triple-A title release would be complete without pre-order bonuses to tempt your early $5-down and fluff up the pre-sales numbers nicely. For Mass Effect 2 you'll score yourself the Terminus Armor - pictured - which boosts speed, shields, weapon damage and inventory space. That's more than a bonus, if you spent as much time as I did Source: GayGamer.net RSS Feed

Best of the Rest: Origin of White Earbuds, Retro NES Guitar

There's a load of great tech news happening out there every day, and, unfortunately, we just can't cover it all. Here are a few of the other noteworthy things we saw today on our never-ending journey through the wild, wild Web.

• Apple gets a lot of credit for its iconic white earbud, but the Cupertino company wasn't first. White buds started popping up with transistor radios over four decades ago. [From: Wired]
• Retro Nintendo Entertainment System mods keep coming.Source: Switched RSS Feed

Osaka’s Nerd District Offers Curry Rice in Cans

OSAKA, Japan — Japanese curry is delicious, but not when served in a can from a vending machine.

Walk down the right back alley in Osaka’s nerd district of Den Den Town and you’ll find anything: maid cafes, stores selling nothing but LED lights, etc. You’ll also find vending machines.

Japanese vending machines have achieved near-legendary status because they are so numerous, ubiquitous, and varied. From hot coffee to chilled sake, they provide liquid refreshment toSource: Game|Life RSS Feed

Rock Band DLC - Brütal Legend

Harmonix, in celebration of the release of Brütal Legend today, are giving us a set of Brütal Legend song packs as our DLC in Rock Band this week. All the songs are from the game's soundtrack!

• Motörhead - "(We Are) The Road Crew '08"
• Tenacious D - "The Metal"
• Testament - "More Than Meets the Eye"
• Black Tide - "Show Me the Way"
• Blink-182 - "What's My Age Again?"
• Joe Satriani - "Satch Boogie"
• Joe Satriani - "Surfing with theSource: GayGamer.net RSS Feed

Moving toward a Smart Grid for water

Much emphasis is being placed on the development of smarter electrical grids. But, in the U.S., little attention has been paid to equally antiquated water systems, which have a major impact on public health. In coming months and years, it would behoove the government and corporations alike to support the creation of a smarter fresh-water grid.

Environmental changes and urban planning are stretching water supplies in the industrial world. In Europe, where the problem is more pressingSource: Venture Beat RSS Feed

New hacker hang out in Seattle

This Thursday, Oct 15, Metrix Create: Space will open its doors in Seattle (at 623A Broadway East). It's hackerspace meets an indie coffee house. They'll have tools and equipment for building projects, 3D fabbing machines, classes on various types of high-tech makery, coffee and snacks. They even have a vending machine that'll dispense Sun Chips, M&Ms, Clif Bars, and Arduinos, breadboards, jumper wires, etc. How cool.

More:
All of our hackerspace coverage on Make: Online
Source: MAKE: Blog RSS Feed

The Smartphone Scene Today

Source: Flickr user zoovroo

The smartphone world is growing at a rapid pace, and it’s a good idea to keep up with the players. I got a good opportunity to take a long view (subscription required) of the smartphone world and produce a comprehensive look at the different platforms.

Analysts see Android as coming on strong, while Symbian keeps dropping on the charts. If you’re interested in seeing how the different platforms stack up, check out the report.

WhatSource: jkOnTheRun RSS Feed

SonyStyle Offers Huge PS3 Deal

Okay, now, in all honesty, I am a die-hard Xbox 360 guy.  Had one for years now and I’m still not seeing a whole lot of point toward hooking up with a PS3, but man, if I were never tempted before, I certainly would be right now.

SonyStyle is offering an incredible package deal–an 80 gig PS3 console, two Dualshock controllers and shipping included all for $250.

That’s less than HALF what they were charging for this sucker back at launch.  I still remember when AdamSource: Gadget Review RSS Feed

Cesium atoms are able to take a "quantum walk"

By Casey Johnston
Inspired by I Can Haz Cheeseburger? Kevin Wolfe

Computer scientists have only begun to realize the potential of quantum computing and algorithms, where computers use quantum principles to store data in qubits. One thing that could help in the development of algorithms is the "quantum walk," which involves the movement of a particle as a superposition of all possible states. Until recently, quantum walks were a theoretical construct. However, according toSource: Science Pal RSS Feed

@googlebooks on Twitter

Posted by Okan Kolak, Research Engineer
As Joseph Addison put it, "reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body". So to help you get your daily exercise, starting today we're offering you a new channel to explore the Google Books index, by posting popular or quirky book quotes on Twitter .
For starters, we've chosen our favorite quotes from Popular Passages identified by our algorithms (as always, you can also find Popular Passages on the Book Overview page). If you click on Source: Google Book Search RSS Feed

Consumers buying more smaller HDTVs

According to a new report from market research firm Retrevo Pulse, HDTV sales continue to grow however the ratio of smaller TV purchases (up to 37-inches) has increased expoinentially, at the expense of larger sets (37 to 55-inch).
Overall, the ratio has shifted to 3:2 in favor of smaller TVs compared to 1:1 last year.
Analysts in the report, via Twice, gave the following possible reasons for the shift in consumer sentiment:
* The completion of the digital TV transition onSource: AfterDawn.com RSS Feed

Amazon Slips Out ‘Kindle International’, E-Books For 100 Countries

I was just perusing Amazon when I noticed an announcement on their home page stating that they’ve dropped the price of the Kindle from $299 to $259. What’s more interesting, though, is the addition of the Kindle International, which demands a $20 premium over the now cheaper Kindle but includes the ability to download books in over 100 countries. Otherwise, it’s the same old Kindle.

The International Kindle will ship October 19th, but they’re taking preorders startingSource: Gadget Review RSS Feed

Amazon Kindle To Be Available In India This October – Should You Buy One?

Amazon is expanding into newer markets with the Kindle. It has announced plans to make the Kindle available in over 100 countries including India this month. The date set for making the kindle available has been set to 19 October. We had blogged about the kindle and how books would be read 5 years from now. We also covered the launch of kindle 2 and what we expect from e-readers.

The international kindle can be pre-ordered by readers around the world for $279 at www.amazon.com/kindle. Source: WATblog RSS Feed

Left 4 Dead, GTAIV, SFIV join Xbox Platinum Hits

Microsoft has announced that several new titles will soon be joining the ranks of the Xbox 360's budget priced Platinum Hits line. The new additions include some seriously heavy hitters, namely Grand Theft Auto IV, Street Fighter IV, Left 4 Dead, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Saints Row 2. Microsoft's announcement (oh so conveniently) neglected to mention prices for any of the titles, but a quick check around the ol' internet points to a price of $29.99 for most of the new additionsSource: Xbox 360 Fanboy RSS Feed

Sanyo Eneloop batteries good for 1,500 recharges, maintain 70% charge even after 3 years in storage

We've got a thing for Sanyo's Eneloops. Had it ever since Sanyo released us from the clutches of underperforming NiCad and NiMH batteries about five years ago. Its latest AA and AAA batteries can be recharged about 1,500 times, that's about 3 years of continuous service and 500 more cycles than competing rechargeables, according to Sanyo. The batteries also feature a low self-discharge rate so they remain usable even after they've been charged and stored in a drawer. In fact, anSource: Engadget RSS Feed

Smartphone Flash Player – HD Flash for all but iPhone

Adobe have unveiled Flash 10.1 and the great news is that all content by Adobe will work on Smartphones (except for the iPhone). This means that if you have a Windows Phone, Android, Symbian, WebOS or Blackberry then sometime in 2010 you’ll be able to access flash content on your phone.

Flash 10.1 will also be compatible with smartbooks, netbooks, PC’s and other internet-connected devices. If you have an iPhone then you wont be in luck due to limitations in the OS that prevent it Source: Gadget Venue RSS Feed

Microsoft CEO says £100 savings per PC with Windows 7

According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, businesses will save up to £100 per PC by rolling out Windows 7 as he attempted to persuade many of Microsoft’s corporate customers to switch to Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7.

High on the list of Ballmer’s agenda for upgrading was cost savings, although the CEO did admit it wasn’t the primary focus when Microsoft first began to design the Windows 7 operating system.

Ballmer stated that businesses that deploy both WindowsSource: Cheap Laptops RSS Feed

Toy Story 3D Review

Agree or disagree about how Star Wars and Jaws shifted our habits of moviegoing forever but I don’t think I’ll be able to swallow any argument that tells me John Lasseter’s sublime Toy Story wasn’t a turning point in modern film history. There are far more fully-CG toons being catapulted into the market place now, week in, week out, than we ever received from the cel-animation studios. At the moment, far more family films are being rendered in vast farms of computers than areSource: SlashFilm RSS Feed

Evernote Blog Goes Thematic

The Evernote Blog is a great way to keep up with the latest Evernote news while also learning new tips and tricks for using the service that looks to become “your external … [visit site to ]

Related posts:

1. Evernote Adds Yet Another New Feature
2. Evernote- Better Than Ever With New Web-Clippers
3. Evernote Continues To Listen… Adds Notebook Sharing

Source: Gear Diary RSS Feed