carrieormsby: May 2013

Friday, May 31, 2013

Un-invite mosquitoes from your next outdoor activity

terminix-allclear-tabletop-mosquito-repeller

I think most states joke about mosquitoes being their state bird, and North Carolina is certainly a state that could make the insect their official bird. It’s been warm here for a while, and I’ve already gotten bites. Terminix has a line of AllClear mosquito “solutions” that looks interesting. Instead of using light to attract them and then zapping them, the AllClear Tabletop Mosquito Repeller emits an “all-natural, proven-effective blend of non-toxic, botanical oils that are safe around children and pets.” You don’t have to slather yourself in repellent, and you don’t have to listen to the unpleasant sound of frying insects during your picnic. The coverage area is 15′ X 15′. Each cartridge works for about 18 hours, and a set of batteries lasts about 8 hours. The AllClear Tabletop Mosquito Repeller is $14.99, and a pack of two replacement scented cartridges is $6.99. You can check out the other AllClear products at the Terminix link above.

Filed in categories: Home, Kitchen, News, Outdoor Gear

Tagged: Insect repeller, Mosquito repeller

Un-invite mosquitoes from your next outdoor activity originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 29, 2013 at 10:17 am.

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/05/29/un-invite-mosquitoes-from-your-next-outdoor-activity/

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The TSA Has Finally Removed All of Its Naked Full-Body Scanners

The TSA has announced that the "naked image" full-body scanners at airports that have caused so much controversy are no more. The scanners have been removed from all of America's airports. Replacing it are machines that show 'generic images' of the human body.

Two Years After TweetDeck Acquisition, Founder Iain Dodsworth Leaves Twitter

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ScovkWuftOk/

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Office Attacks to add crafting to tower defense formula

One of the games I really enjoyed seeing at the Ottawa International Games Conference was Office Attacks by Arctic Empire. At its core, Office Attacks is a pretty standard tower defense game, where players have to plant towers and upgrade them to fend off waves of incoming enemies before they reach the end of a maze. Office Attacks goes off the rails in two ways: for one, the premise is straight-up hilarious. You're battling off annoying co-workers to keep your stress meter low. Two, towers are user-generated by assembling various office supplies which are gathered throughout gameplay. Not only do those parts actively effect the tower's range, rate of fire, and cost, but you can also trade those parts away with friends through Facebook Connect.

For all of its tasty mechanics, the sheer goofiness of a lot of the towers is what got me. Gatling Pencil Sharpner? Yes, please. Follow Arctic Empire to see how the game's coming along.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/khQj-_oJh9E/story01.htm

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Apple vs. Android: The marketshare mentality, and why it's a mistake

Apple vs. Android marketshare, and

Last week Techpinions.com posted a really good editorial by John Kirk discussing how much of a joke it is to consider Android the winner in the smartphone space simply because they have the most market share. The very next day, Business Insider tech editor Jay Yarow pubished a post with a headline that read, “Apple Should Be Furious That It Has Such A Tiny Sliver Of The Smartphone Market.” Here's John Gruber’s response at Daring Fireball. And here's my take...

John Kirk opens with a well known joke about two farmers buying watermelons. They pay $5 per watermelon and sell them for $4 each, obviously losing money. At the end of the day they realize they’ve lost money so their conclusion is they need to buy a bigger truck; they need to conduct more watermelon-selling business.

Kirk doesn’t agree with the common, deeply flawed, logic that Android is winning because it has more market share than Apple, or that market share alone is the key to success. I agree with him 100% on this. In theory anyone can dominate any industry simply by giving away product for free. But what really maters is a company’s success in turning market share into profit.

Most tech writers don’t seem to be able to learn from the past.

Most tech writers don’t seem to be able to learn from the past. People will make dumb comments about how Apple must be pissed off with its market share without noticing that the PC vs. Mac game has played out in the same manner already. History repeats itself and people don’t notice. Fortunately Horace Dediu over at Asymco noticed.

The graphic below is the result of Dediu’s own analysis of Q4 2012 profit share in the PC market. Apple commands an estimated 45% of the PC market’s profits. What is not shown? Apple has only 8% market share.

Why aren’t people writing about how mad Apple must be with its Mac market share? Why are we not seeing headlines about the failure of the Mac product line? Because this is old news. The PC market is an old game and the mobile industry is a new game. It’s analogous to watching live sports versus watching a recording of last year’s game.

I only wish John Kirk had spent more time talking about actual vendors rather than Android versus Apple. He points out that Android has 70% global market share and 29% profit share, whereas Apple has 18% market share and 57% profit share. Sure, this is correct. But I don’t see it as relevant. Android is an OS and Apple is a vendor. Android feeds Google’s advertising machine (and other developing business models). Apple is a fully integrated platform vendor.

In my opinion, Google has done an amazing job of succeeding with Android. The joke about selling watermelons at a loss does not apply here. Android is software that has no cost to distribute. It has a development cost and it brings in revenue through all the users who connect to Google services.

Google makes a ton of cash from iOS users, who overwhelmingly enjoy Google’s services on their iPads and iPhones.

Is Google winning? It depends on how you define the fight. Google is not competing head on with Apple. Google makes a ton of cash from iOS users, who overwhelmingly enjoy Google’s services on their iPads and iPhones.

Apple competes head on with other device manufacturers including Samsung. And there is no debate that Samsung, having leveraged Android, is raking in the cash. Samsung has 33% market share and 43% profit share according to Cannacord Genuity. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that pretty much all the other Android vendors aren’t making money.

This takes us to back to Business Insider. They suggest that bloggers writing about Apple’s dominance in profit share are simply defensive. They agree with the math but seems to think Apple should have the most market share and the most profit. Why? Because Tim Cook said Apple’s mission is to make the best products in the world and BI tacks on the idea that Apple should also “get them in as many hands as possible”.

BI’s entire argument centers on the idea that Apple should want it’s great products to land in “as many hands as possible”, and the only way to do this is by going after market share (not profit share).

Most people probably all agree Apple should get its products into as many people’s hands as possible, but we may not all agree on what that actually means.

I don’t think getting your product in as many hands as possible means you drop your prices through the floor in order to sell more stuff. Apple is still a business that is owned by shareholders, of which I’m one. Getting your products into as many hands as possible while maintaining the Apple premium should be the goal. Otherwise Apple should be spending its billions to give away iPhones, which would be stupid.

Bottom line: I think John Kirk and John Gruber have it right. Taken to the extreme, the idea that Apple should use its cash to give away phones to the planet in order to achieve 100% market share and win the game is ludicrous. Market share does not define winning. All we need to do is look back at the history of Apple’s domination of PC profitability to see how this really works.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/x_Onlp1fepo/story01.htm

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Win 8.1 Puts a Stop to the No-Start Blues

Seven months and countless complaints after Microsoft launched Windows 8, it has announced that Windows 8.1, aka "Blue," will restore the much-missed Start button. Microsoft also will deliver a host of new features and functionality in Blue, and make it easier for people to navigate the operating system using a mouse and a keyboard. Windows Blue will include management, security and other features for the enterprise that will be explicated at TechEd North America, to be held in New Orleans next week.

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/78161.html

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The White House hosting a 'We the Geeks' Hangout later today, plans to talk asteroids

The White House is hosting a 'We the Geeks' Hangout this afternoon, plans to talk asteroids

Ever since joining Google+ early last year, The White House has become more and more involved with the social network. And with word spreading amongst Earthlings about an asteroid (with its own moon, no less) zipping past the planet sometime around 5:00PM ET, the executive mansion of the US couldn't have chosen a better day to discuss the topic. As part of its ongoing "We the Geeks" series on Google+, The White House will be hosting a Hangout today where it plans to talk about asteroid characterization, identification, resource utilization and more. As you'd expect, there will be a some knowledgeable people present to spark the conversation, including NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, former astronaut Ed Lu and, of course, Bill Nye. So, if you plan to ~~fly~~ swing by later, be sure to set a reminder for 2:00PM ET, as that's when the Hangout is expected to begin.

Filed under: Science, Internet

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Source: The White House

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/31/the-white-house-asteroids-hangout/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Spring Camp, Day 1–We’re Gettin’ There

We're stepping out to the Sierras for three days of Wired Spring Camp.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/05/spring-camp-day-1/

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Everyday Carry Gear – Bryan Sherman

This entry is part 13 of 13 in the series Gadgeteer Team EDC "What's in your bag?"

As you have become aware, Julie challenged us to open our everyday carry bags to share what has become our standard gear. It was an interesting exercise, I used the opportunity to get rid of some gear that has remained in my bag, but when I was done, I still had a lot. You can click on the picture for a closer view. Let’s take a look at my gear.

I figured I would categorize my gear to help sort things out:

Systems

ThinkPad Twist. (Upper left) A few years back I tried an experiment and purchased a MacBook Pro as my primary machine. I don’t regret the choice, but when I had to replace it I was happy to return to the ThinkPad. I never really adjusted to the Keyboard on the MacBook Pro, and though the Twist is a redesigned keyboard, I still prefer its feel to any other laptop I have used. I also wanted a touch screen and Windows 8 to get some exposure. I have quickly grown to love having a touch screen (I don’t think I will buy another laptop without it) and also actually like Windows 8. I know that is not the cool thing to say, but there I said it, I like Windows 8.
Nexus 7. (upper right) I am surprised how much I like this tablet. I have used a number of tablets, and always thought I wanted something in this form factor. What do you know, I was right. In addition, the ability to have multiple users setup on the tablet, and the fact that this is a Nexus device, and gives me access to vanilla Android are huge pluses.
Sony Reader T1. (Bottom Middle) I do a lot of reading on my Nexus 7, but I still like my Sony Reader. This is the 3rd one I have owned, Janet reviewed it a while back. I love the Wi-Fi, and use it a lot to download library loans directly to my reader. I also ended up buying the cover with the light for late-night reading. I find reading on an e-ink device less straining on the eyes than an LCD display.
Samsung Galaxy S3. (Bottom Middle) This has been my main phone for a while now. I generally like it. I don’t like that it has the Samsung UI, and I don’t like the order of the buttons (which is not the standard order) but beyond those compromises I am happy with the phone. Coupled with my Vaja Agenda Case, it is a great combo.
Pebble Watch. (not pictured) I did not get this in the picture, but I really enjoy this watch. If you read Bill Kuch’s review, you know he was underwhelmed. Consider me sufficiently whelmed. I get a solid 7 days on each charge (the SGS3 connects via low-power Bluetooth 4.0) and the integration with RunKeeper has been a great add. I’ve played with a number of watch faces, and look forward to the continuing development of this watch.

Storage

Flash Drives, LOTS of Flash Drives. (Middle) It seems I never throw away a flash drive. The lavender one is actually a Lexar 64 MB one. That’s MEGAbyte. I think it just keep that way to say “back in my day…” I also have a 256 MB and 1 GB Jumpdrive Sport. Not sure if you remember those, but they had an available MP3 player you could plug them into. I thought it was a great design, and was the future. I was wrong. I still have the MP3 player though. My favorite is the SanDisk Cruzer with the retractable USB. Caps just get lost.
Western Digital 1TB My Passport with USB 3.0. Sometimes you just need to bring out the big guns.
Targus Multi-Format Reader. This is a compact reader that supports Compact Flash, SD, MemoryStick along with other media. It has a Mini-USB port that I use to connect to my computer.

Audio

Plantronics Marque M155. (Upper Left – Middle) I really like this Bluetooth headset. Good battery life, good sound quality and it connects quickly to my phone. So quickly that when the phone rings I can grab it, turn it on, insert in my ear and answer that call before it goes to voice mail.
Westone TS-1 earphones. (Bottom Left) These earphones changed my attitude about ear buds. These are not even the high end models, but I found the quality to be noticeably improved over any earbud I have used in the past. The case does a great job of keeping them in good shape, and easy to find in my bag.
Sony Ericsson MW600 Hi-Fi Wireless Headset. (Top Middle) I don’t use this a lot anymore, but I have always like this device. It is essentially a Bluetooth plug for your Bluetooth-enabled device. You can plug any headset into the jack, and that headset gets a wireless connection to your phone, tablet, or computer.

Input

Logitech M705 Marathon Mouse. (Middle-Left) For the longest time I only used Bluetooth mice with my laptops. Then I was on a project with a Dell that had no Bluetooth and gave this a spin. That battery life on this mouse is phenomenal. I am currently using it in my Twist even thought it ties up a USB port. I have had the same AAs in it for almost a year, and no sign of needing to replace them.
LiveScribe Pen and Notebook. (Bottom right) I bought this after reading Julie’s review back in 2008. This piece of technology is probably the one that has had the greatest impact on my work process. I am a consultant who works on Instructional Design and Business Analysis projects. As a result I find myself in many meetings. Being able to come with a simple notebook and pen, and capture the the notes digitally, as well as recording the audio if desired for the meeting has been a huge boon. I still have a Pulse pen. I have not upgraded because the one big negative is that LiveScribe has never come up with a way to transfer your journal to a new pen. They come up with all kinds of reasons why you don’t want/need to do that, but I both want and need. As my pen is almost full, I will likely be upgrading soon. I have tried to find another solution (mainly do to their attitude of the aforementioned missing feature) but there is really no substitute that offers the same feature set.

Power

Arctic C1 Mobile Portable Universal Charger. (Middle) This is getting a little long in the tooth (I reviewed it over 2 years ago.) Its 4440 mWH battery seems really small for today’s devices, and I don’t use the Solar charging ability, but it is handy in a pinch.
USB AC Adapter. I have quite a collection of these anymore. This one happens to be from my old Motorola Droid X, but it is indispensable when I need to charge a device. I carry a few cords for charging that fit into this, and any device with a proprietary connector has a hard time making it in my bag. The only two that do are the Pebble (which has a 7-day capacity, and the trade off is that its waterproof) and the LiveScribe pen (the newer models now have micro-USB ports).

Connectivity

Mini-Display Port to VGA Connector. (Upper Left) My twist only has mini-hdmi and mini-display ports for video out. This will let me connect to any VGA compatible projector or display. I just bought the cheapest I could find on Amazon.
Kensington Network and USB cable. (Upper Left) Sometimes you need a hard connection to the network, or a USB cable. I am not sure how long I have owned this, but it has been a great gadget on many occasions. With a touch of the button it retracts into the case. The USB has a mini-USB connector, so useful for fewer and fewer devices, but still needed on occasion.
Micro-USB Cable. (Middle Left) Once again, I have collected a number of these, but the one that travels with me is my old Motorola Droid X cable. It seems to be the sturdiest one I have owned.
Micro-USB Cable/Handstrap. (Middle Top) This was the bonus strap that came with the Draco S3 bumper. I attached it to the Arctic C1 battery so I would always have a connector.
Belkin Retractable Type-A to Type-B USB cable. (Middle Left) I don’t know when I last needed this, but it takes up very little space, and I imagine I will be glad I have it sometime in the future.
Targus 4-Port Hub. (Middle Right) This is a very compact and self-contained 4-port hub. Handy in a pinch.
LiveScribe Charger. (Bottom Right) As I mentioned above, the older version of the LiveScribe I have requires a proprietary connector, so this is a single-use cable. I will be happy when it hits the gadget bin.

Miscellaneous

Retractable Badge Holder. (Middle Left) A fact of work life is the ubiquitous badge. I always try to have a retractable holder available for my next gig.
Post-it Flag Holder. (Middle Bottom) A small red tube that holds a pack of Post-it note flags. I use these a lot, and love the convenience of this storage tube.
Excedrin. (Middle Top) Technology can cause headaches. When it does, I always have some of this available.

So that is a snapshot of what I carry when I am on the go. It was good to filter out the stuff I no longer use, and I look forward to looking back on this post in the coming years.

Filed in categories: Articles, Gear

Tagged: EDC

Everyday Carry Gear – Bryan Sherman originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 30, 2013 at 2:30 pm.

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/05/30/everyday-carry-gear-bryan-sherman/

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The HTC One 'Google Edition' is official!

Google Ed. HTC One

HTC One with Nexus User Experience arriving June 26 for $599

It's been reported since last week, but now it's official -- in addition to the the 'Google Edition' Samsung Galaxy S4, Google will offer an HTC One running its 'Nexus user experience' software -- that's vanilla/stock Android to the rest of us.

Android boss Sundar Pichai revealed the news on-stage at the D11 conference, saying it runs the same core UI as Nexus devices. The 'Google Edition' HTC One, he says, will hit Google Play on June 26, priced at $599. It'll run on AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S. Pichai also mentioned that the Nexus line will continue alongside these 'Google Edition' handsets.

So now that it's all official, who's planning on picking up Google's HTC One? Or will you be sticking with the HTC version, or even the Google Edition GS4? Share your thoughts down in the comments!

Update: Google's Hugo Barra has followed up with an official render, and says the HTC One with Nexus User Experience will come with Beats Audio. HTC's official statement on the device confirms the launch date, and the fact that it ships with Android 4.2.2 and will get updates straight from Google.

Source: Engadget liveblog, +Hugo Barra, HTC

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/OYHazlsNndc/story01.htm

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Bus a Move: Essential Gear for Your Daily Commute

1/ Not only does it have rugged good looks, but Stanley’s 16-Ounce Classic Vacuum Bottle ($35) will keep your fair-trade Sulawesi tres chaud for up to 15 hours. 2/ Unlike its larger brethren, the Apple 16-GB iPad mini ($329) can ...

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/05/gl_setupcommut/

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Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?

Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott have posted a second look at some of the early changes which have surface in Windows 8 milestone 3. First there was the restyled Welcome Screen, and now it appears that Microsoft is toying with bringing the Ribbon UI to Explorer.

The Ribbon, like in Microsoft Word and Excel, is context-aware, adding tabs for specific tasks which apply to the folder you're viewing -- such as library or picture management. You can also make out two new buttons in the status bar, which allow you to change the current folder's view style.

It's clear from all the placeholder images and repeated elements that this is very much a work in progress, but featuring the Ribbon more prominently in Windows 8 would certainly be a logical progression for Microsoft. It's slowly become more ubiquitous, moving beyond Office and into Wordpad, Paint, and several of the Windows Live Essentials applications.

There's more to the screenshots than the Ribbon UI, however. Our friend Long Zheng has noted two interesting elements in the images: Web sharing and sync (image after the break). That would likely mean users will be able to quickly upload files to SkyDrive and synchronize using Live Mesh right from Explorer in Windows 8. That's not a total surprise considering many of the earliest leaked images of Windows 8 showed Windows Live integration on the desktop.

Continue reading Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?

Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration? originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/03/windows-8-explorer-to-feature-ribbon-ui-skydrive-and-mesh-integ/

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Thursday, May 30, 2013

The Sculptor Who'll Represent America in the Art World's Battle Royale

The Venice Biennale is kind of like the Olympics of art. Every other year, each country picks a single artist to represent it on the international stage—a weird but interesting way to quantify success in the art world. So who’s the most interesting artist in America right now?

Meet the 43-year-old sculptor Sarah Sze, whose complex installations are made from millions of fragments of found objects. Sze’s installation, which opened on Wednesday, is called Triple Point, and cascades from the roof of the American pavilion in a wave of bits and pieces and loops through the interior like a well-organized tornado. The piece, like many of Sze's science-inspired installations, has an unlikely connection to physics. It’s named after the thermodynamic concept of a temperature and pressure at which a substance exists at all three phases—gas, liquid, and solid—at the same time.

The title makes sense on multiple levels: the avalanche of sticks, stones, strings, sand, and countless other objects looks like it’s frozen in motion, suspended by some phenomenon of physics. Some sections of Triple Point have distinct subtitles referencing science, like Planetarium, an ad hoc solar system built from thousands of toys, lamps, and plastic fragments, or Eclipse, which looks like a science fair project explaining the concept of a celestial eclipse. Speaking to The New Yorker last year, she described her work as “inspired by scientific models, which are about the way a system behaves.”

How does Sze explain the deeper ideas at work in these intricate installations, which takes days to assemble and seconds to destroy? “Our navigation of large of amounts of information at a very fast pace is a very real experience,” she told The New York Times in a video interview at the Biennale. “And that effort—to try and locate ourselves—is part of our experience of daily life.” Big art fairs like this frequently lapse into pretense and hype—Sze’s intricate, thoughtful work is a refreshing break from that trend. Check it out if you’re in Venice until the Biennale ends in the fall. [Triple Point]