European Union regulators weren’t exactly content with Google after it rolled up most of its privacy policies into a monolithic document early last year, and it doesn’t seem like that’s about to change. After giving Page and Co. four months to respond to 12 recommendations regarding its new policy, French regulator CNIL has come to the conclusion that “Google did not provide any precise and effective answers.” Though EU officials aren’t happy with Mountain View’s responses, Google says its policies respect European law and that it replied with steps to address the concerns by the January 8th deadline. Still, data protection regulators are committed to their investigation and are aiming to form a group before the summertime that would respond to the search titan.
Richard Van As, a developer who resides in South Africa, is currently working on a prosthetic replacement for his hand that had already lost a quartet of fingers in an accident. Working alongside Washington-based prop manufacturer Ivan Owen, they came up with what they call the Robohand, which has also brought joy to a five-year old child in South Africa. This budget-priced prosthetic is said to function like a charm when it comes to grabbing objects, and it comprises of extremely simple parts, where among them include nylon cord, rubber thimbles for the fingers and cables.
The clever use of a 3D printer helped develop a portion of the parts, and piecing everything together is a snap, and the entire project just cost approximately $150, which is a whole lot less than what a high tech robotic hand would cost. Owen mentioned, “Rich and I would like to really fine-tune this, and then be able to teach other people how to make this, and spread this idea – get it out to people that are in need of it so that people can access this without having to pay thousands of dollars.”
The Captain is back, and leaves a message on Ted’s archaic answering machine to call him back at his earliest convenience. Ted, freaked out, recounts the story of the last time he saw The Captain, a year and a half earlier. Read More… More on TV Recaps
The Ogio Renegade RSS backpack arrived in the mail last week — perfect timing for a business day trip I needed to make and a great test of this backpack’s capability. The bag soft launched in 2012, but they are just now getting review units out because, apparently, consumer demand has been quite high for this backpack.
How did it work for me? Great. I love it. But why?
THE GOOD
Compartments The backpack has so many compartments, that you can realistically put every device you carry into a different place. This means that you can easily separate devices from each other (as well as device cords) so that when you want one specific device, you can access it without all the rest tumbling onto the floor — great for air travel.
Size Speaking of air travel, I put it to the test last week and the bag mostly fits under an airline seat (within regulation anyway). The very top could get stepped on by the person sitting next to you, but it didn’t happen to me.
The pack easily fit through security scanners.
Profile The bag can have a slim profile on your back if it is not completely packed, but still has the ability to stretch out a bit too when you need maximum space. You could easily fit all your gadgets plus a change of clothes or two for short trips, which is nice.
Protection It also has two crush-proof compartments (one large and one small) for laptop and sunglasses, respectively. The laptop sleeve is easily accessible and fits up to a 17” laptop and is actually suspended from the bottom of the bag so it never touches the ground when you set your bag down — hence the name RSS (Reactive Suspension System).
Labels Ogio thoughtfully labeled each compartment with an icon representing what they recommend goes into it. You can, of course, put anything you want in any compartment, but it’s a nice touch to do some of the thinking for you.
Comfort I thought the backpack was pretty comfortable. It’s an electronics backpack so I wasn’t about to thru-hike with it.
THE BAD
Profile It can have a slim profile, however for a smaller guy like me, it is still a full size backpack and can look a tad large — almost parachute-like. It’s a good thing I don’t rock out skin tight jeggings and a white belt that often or else this backpack could make my butt look HUGE.
But seriously, it’s just a trade off. If you really need to carry a bunch of stuff, this pack is perfect for it. If you are trying to have a minimalist setup, you might not need this much space.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT The bag is $150. That’s a lot of money. What is different about it to justify the expense?
Besides the previously mentioned crush-proof, suspended containers (which seem to be the main differentiator) you are getting some pretty good customer service from Ogio. Their website and chat window were helpful. The representative I chatted with was quite knowledgeable about the products and was eager to help me understand the features and differences. It was a good experience, casual and helpful for decision making.
I also learned that, apparently, the review unit sent is not the 2013 model as that version will be out in a month or so and is not black but rather is more of a grey color.
THE SPECS
$150
19.5” x 14” x 8”
3.6 lbs
THE VIDEO Straight from the product page at Ogio’s website.
THE BOTTOM LINE
As you can see from above, there are more good things about this pack than bad. Translation: this is an excellent full-sized backpack. Comfortable and appropriate for the person who has to tote a multitude of gadgets with them, for daily travel. Thumbs up!
The stress and strain of constantly being connected can sometimes take your life — and your well-being — off course. GPS For The Soul can help you find your way back to balance.
GPS Guides are our way of showing you what has relieved others’ stress in the hopes that you will be able to identify solutions that work for you. We all have de-stressing “secret weapons” that we pull out in times of tension or anxiety, whether they be photos that relax us or make us smile, songs that bring us back to our heart, quotes or poems that create a feeling of harmony, or meditative exercises that help us find a sense of silence and calm. We encourage you to look at the GPS Guide below, visit our other GPS Guides here, and share with us your own personal tips for finding peace, balance and tranquility.
Since there’s no universal antidote to stress –- and no single way we experience stress -– Dr. Dan Goleman suggests that people are more likely to keep up with a regular relaxation practice if it fits their style and situation.
Nurture your soul with healthy foods that inspire you and build you up. Avoid those that create ugly feelings inside. By doing this, you will be able to keep your inner garden oasis beautiful and flourishing. Read More… More on Emotional Wellness
Jillian may have lost all but one of her contestants this season on “The Biggest Loser,” but that didn’t stop her from yelling at the other remaining contestants. And this week, she even took it a step further, taking her frustrations out on their trainers as well. After neither Alex nor Gina managed to run more than a minute on the treadmill, she simply blew her stack.
She pulled both Dolvett and Bob over to try and figure out what was going on, and make sure they agreed with her that the contestants’ inability to complete these workouts was simply unacceptable. Mostly, she just ranted and raved and didn’t let anyone finish saying anything, but ultimately Bob did agree with her that it was unacceptable.
It was strange seeing the trainers going at it so aggressively, though Gossip and Gab found it incredibly entertaining. Reality Rewind agreed with Jillian on this one. This was Week 9 on the Ranch and there is no reason these contestants should be incapable of running more than a minute on the treadmill, no matter how aggressively she ups the speed.
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt is all grown up! Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s 6-year-old daughter was photographed getting a frozen treat with sister Zahara in Los Angeles Monday, wearing an all-black ensemble and what appears to be a yellow bandaid (?) on her forehead.
And while siblings Zahara, Pax and Vivienne were all cast alongside their famous mom in Disney’s upcoming production of “Maleficent,” Shiloh won’t be appearing on the big screen anytime soon. A source told Us Weekly in October that “Shiloh was supposed to be in [the movie], too, but she was bored and not in the mood during the day her part was supposed to happen, so she ended up not being in the film.”
One of the best things to do if you’re watching your weight is to just be careful of portion sizes. Eating a whole bag of Doritos? Not good for you. Eating a small handful? Less worse! Something even better to do is to eat more low calorie foods and less calorie dense items. Less bang for your buck can actually be good! Here’s what 200 calories looks like in food. More »
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