Google Takes The World To Mars

This article was written on March 16, 2006 by CyberNet.

Google Takes The World To Mars

Google is always taking people by storm, and now they are taking people to Mars. Just like the normal Google Maps you can switch between different modes: Elevation, Visible, and Infrared. These are the differences between the different modes:

Elevation – A shaded relief map, generated with data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) on NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. This map is color-coded by altitude, so you can use the color key at the lower left to estimate elevations.

Visible – A mosaic of images taken by the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) on NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. MOC is like the digital camera you have at home. Basically, this is what your eyes would see if you were in orbit around Mars.

Infrared – A mosaic of infrared images taken by the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) on NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft. Warmer areas appear brighter, and colder areas are darker. Clouds and dust in the atmosphere are transparent in the infrared, making this the sharpest global map of Mars that’s ever been made.

It is fun to play with but is not really something that you would use on a daily basis. I think Google was just shooting for something really really unique from its competitors.

Google Mars Homepage
News Source: Googling Google

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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US Department of Homeland Security developing system to predict criminal intent

We’re not exactly lacking in opportunities for Minority Report references these days, but sometimes they’re just unavoidable. According to a new report from CNET based on documents obtained by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the US Department of Homeland security is now working on a system dubbed FAST (or Future Attribute Screening Technology) that’s designed to identify individuals who are most likely to commit a crime. That’s not done with something as simple as facial recognition and background checks, however, but rather algorithms and an array of sensors and cameras that can detect both physiological and behavioral cues that are said to be “indicative of mal-intent.” What’s more, while the DHS says that it has no plans to actually deploy the system in public just yet, it has apparently already conducted a limited trial using DHS employees — though no word on the results of how well it actually works, of course. Hit the source link below for the complete (albeit somewhat redacted) documents.

US Department of Homeland Security developing system to predict criminal intent originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Oct 2011 02:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceCNET, EPIC  | Email this | Comments

Adobe CS3 Design and Web Editions Released

This article was written on April 16, 2007 by CyberNet.

Adobe CS3 Released

Adobe officially announced this morning that they have released Adobe CS3 in two flavors: Design and Web editions. In two days it will be exactly two years since Adobe acquired Macromedia, and now we finally have a whole new line of software. All of the products have rightfully been renamed to “Adobe” leaving the Macromedia name in the past.

If you’re not into spending the $1600+ on an entire suite of applications, then they also offer each of the applications for sale on a stand alone basis. Here are the applications that are available at this time: Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended, Adobe InDesign CS3, Adobe Illustrator CS3, Adobe Flash CS3 Professional, Adobe Dreamweaver CS3, Adobe Fireworks CS3, and Adobe Contribute CS3.

The suite of applications does contain some new features that will benefit some users, and here are a few of the things they mentioned in the press release:

  • Creative Suite 3 Web editions offer users faster, more productive workflows across the applications.
  • Web professionals can import native Photoshop and Illustrator files directly into Flash and Fireworks with full fidelity.
  • Users can also create consistent experiences across all browsers, operating systems, and a range of mobile and handheld devices with the new Spry Framework for AJAX, a pre-built, cross-browser compatible library of widgets and effects that make it faster and easier to build rich, interactive websites.
  • Fireworks CS3 boasts new workflows for rapidly prototyping RIA layouts for websites and web applications, intelligent Photoshop and Illustrator integration, and a library of common and customizable graphics assets.
  • Both the Creative Suite 3 Design and Web editions include Adobe Device Central CS3, designed to boost the productivity of creative professionals developing content for mobile handsets with essential tools to design, emulate and test content across a wide range of mobile device and handheld frameworks.

I’m sure this software will be among the most pirated ever just like we have seen in the past with Adobe and Macromedia products. Most people want to enjoy the large number of features that the products offer, but can’t afford the steep cost that goes along with them. I did a quick search on a couple BitTorrent networks and noticed that the Mac version of the Adobe CS3 Design Premium Suite is already on there and weighs in at a whopping 2.5GB…it has actually been available for nearly two weeks. However, there doesn’t appear to be a PC version of the Torrent.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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CLASH is an adorable, cloth-climbing roach-bot (video)

CLASH

Generally the words “roach” and “adorable” don’t get thrown together. But, one look at the video after the break and you’ll understand. This six-legged successor to UC Berkeley’s DASH scampers not just horizontally, but vertically — so long as the material it’s climbing is cloth. All motion is handled by the bot’s front four legs, while the rear two provide stabilization. The CLASH is able to adhere to cloth because its feet have small claws that allow it to grip the fabric, while its appendages scurry about at up to 34 strides per second. Its top speed of 24 centimeters a second may not sound like much, but considering the pest-inspired design is only 10 centimeters long, it’s actually quite a brisk pace. Trust us, you don’t want to miss watching it in action after the break.

Continue reading CLASH is an adorable, cloth-climbing roach-bot (video)

CLASH is an adorable, cloth-climbing roach-bot (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Oct 2011 00:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceIEEE Spectrum  | Email this | Comments

Life not THAT Great Working at Google?

This article was written on June 26, 2007 by CyberNet.

Working at googleWe’ve read over and over again about all of the perks that come along with working at Google. Three free meals per day, exercise facilities, doctor and dental care on-site, money towards the purchase of a hybrid vehicle, and the list goes on and on. They’ve also had the honor of being named the #1 company to work for in 2007 by Fortune Magazine, but is it really THAT great?

It probably is, but it could also change depending on who you ask. If you’d like an insiders look at Google, here’s your chance to get a glimpse. An internal Microsoft email includes details of the experiences of a Microsoft employee who started out at Microsoft, quit to start his own start-up, got acquired by Google, and eventually left Google to go back to Microsoft.

You can read the email in its entirety here, I’m just going to point out a few interesting details. During the interview, he was asked several questions about the environment at Google. One of the first things that stood out for me is that while the perks sound great, the perks are needed because people spend so much time a day there working. The former Google employee explains how it’s much like a college campus in that all of your needs are taken care of, but that the younger employees in their mid 20’s don’t really have a life yet so they spend it all at work.

Remember the 20% that employees are supposed to get to work on a project every week? According to the former Google employee, you have to create that time in your schedule. If you don’t take it out, it doesn’t get used, and really, nobody notices. He says most people don’t even have a project, and managers don’t tend to remind you to start one.

Then he was asked if he had any advice for Microsoft that would “help in our battle for talent against Google.” His suggestion? Make all the food in the cafe’ free. Yep, that’s the only suggestion he had. Apparently Google knew what they were doing when they made this one of their perks. He explains that while Microsoft may not offer free food, they start at a higher salary. If Microsoft were to cut back on starting salaries and put that money towards the food of their employees, he thinks it could help them out.

So there ya have it, an “insiders” look at the real Google.

Source: I Started Something 

Read Entire Email here

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Starbucks brews up free, two-click WiFi in the UK

If your work environment consists of coworkers constantly yelling “venti half-caf red eye” across the “office,” then you’ll be pleased to know that Starbucks has made it faster and easier to get online. By extending its free one-click two-click WiFi service to 650 stores in the UK, over caffeinated Brits will now be able to access gratis internet without having to sign up for a Starbucks Rewards card — a former requirement on the coffee conglomerate’s BT Openzone network. Now, if we could only find a chair…

Continue reading Starbucks brews up free, two-click WiFi in the UK

Starbucks brews up free, two-click WiFi in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 22:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  sourceStarbucks UK  | Email this | Comments

Do You Know the Capabilities of Your Next Gen Game Console?

This article was written on August 09, 2007 by CyberNet.

Next generation consoles like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are packed with new features and capabilities that set them apart and place them in the “Next Gen” category, yet a recent study indicates that a good chunk of these console owners really don’t know everything their system can do. If you don’t know what your system is capable of, you’re certainly not going to be able to take full advantage of your purchase.

The study, conducted by NPD Group, gives us some insight about what these console owners know about their system.

Playstation xbox 360

High Definition Graphics

  • 50% of Playstation 3 gamers knew their system had high-definition graphics
  • 30% of Xbox 360 gamers knew that their console had high definition functionality

Blu Ray/ HD DVD

We all know about the war between HD DVD and Blu Ray. Sony has hoped that they’d be able to assemble a large base of Blu Ray users because of the Playstation 3 which would help them conquer HD DVD, however, only 40% of Playstation 3 owners knew that their system even had a Blu-Ray player in it! Even worse, those that knew really aren’t using the Blu-Ray player to begin with.  Only half of them had played a Blu-Ray movie within the last 10 times that they turned their system on.

Gamers want games!

From the study, it was found that the one thing people are most overwhelmingly interested in is games. Not the Blu-Ray player, or even the high definition graphics. Ars Technica says it best when they say, “with constantly shifting hardware configurations, falling prices, and the HD DVD/Blu-Ray fight still going strong, Microsoft and Sony may be sending the message that they’re too complicated for the average gamer, while Nintendo’s game-first attitude and strikingly lower price point may be exactly what the majority of console buyers want.”

Is there any wonder then why the Wii is so successful? It’s affordable, and while they don’t have the graphics that the other two do, they’ve got some great games that are sure to be a good time for anyone who plays them. It sounds to me like Microsoft and Sony need to make an extra effort to educate consumers on all of the extra capabilities their system has to offer, particularly Sony who’s gotten off on a rough start.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu plan birthday Hangout on Google+

If you’re not a Google+ user, odds are pretty good that your weekend plans don’t involve spending time with the likes of the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The social network will be hosting a Hangout with the two peaceniks as part of the celebration for Tutu’s 80th birthday. The online meeting was planned after South Africa refused to grant a visa to the Tibetan spiritual leader. The Hangout will be a late one for those of us in the Eastern time zone, occurring at 4:30AM, but Google has promised to post the video for those who miss the party.

Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu plan birthday Hangout on Google+ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink All Things D  |  sourceGoogle+  | Email this | Comments

Giz Explains: What’s So Smart About the iPhone 4S’s Antenna?

With the iPhone 4S, Apple says it will deliver an iPhone that works anywhere in the world, and with fantastic reception. More »

Best Greasemonkey Scripts: Google Reader Subscribers Count

This article was written on February 08, 2008 by CyberNet.

Google Reader Feed Subscribers

I know that a lot of our readers are stat freaks, and if you’re one of those people you’re absolutely going to love the Greasemonkey script that we have for you today!  What the Google Reader Subscribers Count script does is show the number of feed subscribers that each website has. The numbers show up in a very small bar in the bottom-right corner of the browser for every site that has feeds available.

We have multiple RSS feeds for our site, and as you can see above when that happens it separates the stats for each one by a plus sign. The first one listed in the example is our main feed, and then the others are for individual categories on the site. What makes this even better is that each number is hyperlinked to the respective feed so that they can quickly be added to your Google Reader subscriptions.

The first thing that probably came to your mind is all of the requests this is going to make to the sites you frequently visit. Don’t worry, the developer has already thought about that problem and figured out the best way around it. The script will cache the subscriber count for 24 hours before retrieving fresh data, which also eases the slightly extra burden on your bandwidth.

Google Reader Subscribers Count (requires Greasemonkey)

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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