May 31
May 31
Microsoft defends Xbox One design
Posted in: Today's ChiliJust as vocal as the enthusiasm around the new Xbox One reveal were those who thought the console looks like an old VCR; now, Microsoft is fighting back with an explanation as to why, exactly, the next-gen hardware is designed the way it is. Billed as “a new approach to design“, the process of crafting the Xbox One, the matching Kinect, and the wireless controller involved 200 gamepad models, over a hundred sensor-bar mock-ups, and “dozens and dozens” of console prototypes, before the so-called “liquid black” finished product was arrived at.
“Liquid black” sounds like marketing-speak at its finest, but Microsoft argues that it’s a legitimate color scheme strategy. Although the Xbox One has been accused of being slab-sided and drab – especially compared to the stealth-bomber aesthetic of its predecessor, the Xbox 360 – that aesthetic is actually intentional so that the hardware blends in and lets the gaming and entertainment experiences take the fore, Microsoft says.
“The console and Kinect sensor are liquid black so they melt into the background when being used, allowing the content on your TV to dominate the living room. The user interface is overlaid on the same shade of deep black so that the content tiles on the dashboard are more vivid and easier to navigate and interact with” Microsoft
It also echoes the squared-off and crisp-edged design of the Metro-influenced Xbox software, complete with the Live Tiles familiar from Windows 8 and Windows Phone. There, Microsoft’s team took the 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio as its guiding light, making sure that buttons and graphics all “derive their size and shape from various fractions of a 16:9 space” just like the console itself has its own symmetry.
“The console is evenly divided between the matte and gloss –the front in particular clearly reflects this symmetry– and the top brings together two even rectangles, where the vent panel’s edge detail matches the appearance of a selected tile in the user interface” Microsoft
Some of the details may have to wait until the console is on the market to actually be appreciated fully. Microsoft is particularly proud of its injected-resin A/B/X/Y buttons, which have high-contrast colored material pumped into them to mark out their function.
This renewed focus on design borrowed some of the processes Microsoft had already used for its Surface tablet, including heavy use of 3D printing and rapid prototyping. In fact, Microsoft says, the design team was able to cook up a 3D model in the modeling shop and then send it next door, where the engineering team could give feedback on how practical it was.
Even with all Microsoft’s focus on how the hardware looks, it’s unlikely to satisfy all of the company’s critics. The discussion will only get louder when Sony finally shows off what the PlayStation 4 looks like. Still, whether gamers will end up noticing the hardware once they have everything plugged in and are getting to grips with shouting at their Xbox One, battering the control pad, and waving their arms around in front of the Kinect remains to be seen.
Microsoft defends Xbox One design is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 31
Massive open online courses have the potential to alter how we teach and learn as a society, but unlike other methods that are steeped in centuries of trial and error, the MOOC concept remains experimental and unproven — often criticized as better suited for edification than rigorous education. Like edX, Coursera is working to challenge that assumption, and today the online course provider announced partnerships with ten public university systems that’ll integrate lessons from Coursera into the classroom. Most notably, The State University of New York is participating, which boasts 64 campuses and an enrollment of nearly half a million students. While its implementation remains up in the air, SUNY aims to introduce Coursera materials this fall and over the next few years as part of its Open SUNY initiative.
Like SUNY, all partner schools may adapt lessons from Coursera as they see fit, and professors will have the opportunity to develop online courses for Coursera. Most significantly, the pilot programs will give universities an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of Coursera material, which could go a long way toward legitimizing the MOOC concept. As another happy consequence, universities may choose to offer for-credit courses from Coursera to non-matriculated students. For a greater understanding of this grand experiment, just hit up the source links.
[Image credit: Dave Herholz / Flickr]
Filed under: Internet
Via: The Verge, InformationWeek
May 31
Have you heard of Outdoor Tech before? Just in case the name sounds familiar to you, that is because this is the very same outdoor designer brand which brought you the Turtle Shell rugged wireless boom box, and this time around, Outdoor Tech is raring to go with the Tuis premium headphone that is actually part of Outdoor Tech’s growing wireless assortment. The Tuis is no slouch when it comes to capabilities, where it will boast of a host of convenient and well-designed features, where among them include integrated music/call controls, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that is capable of going on for a good 16 hours of play time and 19 hours of talk time, in addition to premium Hi-Fi sound quality, of course. After all, isn’t that why you decided to settle for a premium headphone in the first place?
Not only does Outdoor Tech’s new flagship Tuis headphones sound good and perform great, it is also highly portable since they are able to fold up for compact portability, and will be accompanied by a hard case for those moments when you are not in a rush to use them. Good to know that Outdoor Tech has decided to stick to conventional wisdom by featuring a 3.5mm jack which enables them to be used in situations which do not pave the way for use in situations where Bluetooth connectivity is not allowed, such as those moments when you are on an airplane or with a device that lacks Bluetooth capability.
In a nutshell, it is safe to say that the Tuis has the ideal combination of comfort, durability, style, and premium sound which ought to be able to satisfy the needs of every audiophile, design junky, and gearhead. The thing is, you are unable to show off your spanking new pair of Tuis premium headphones even if you wanted to this summer, since they will be made available only from this October onwards, where a pair of these puppies will set you back by approximately $149.99.
Press Release
[ Outdoor Tech rolls out Tuis premium headphone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
May 31
People know that smoking is bad for their health. Most of them are also aware of the fact that doing drugs might make them loopy. Yet people still smoke and use all the same.
Text warnings can only do so much, so for cigarettes, some institutions pushed for manufacturers to print graphic pictures of the negative effects on the actual boxes. One study found that cigarettes packages with these pictures on the package reduced cigarette demand by 17%.
Perhaps following this lead, Brazilian ad agency Talent put up a bunch of posters showing what would happen to you if you smoke crack.
It’s not an outright graphic image, but in time, it shows you what’ll happen to you if you continue doing drugs.
The posters aren’t printed on paper, but are actually made of thin sheets of dough. In time, flour beetle larvae (also known as mealworms) slowly eat through the dough, poking holes into the face of the person on the poster and literally eating away at his face.
The ads were run in São Paulo, Brazil, but maybe they should be run all over the world for good measure.
[via Taxi via Gizmodo via Geekologie]
May 31
This illustration imagines a world where robots can kill autonomously.
(Credit: Russell Christian for Human Rights Watch)
When you think of killer robots, you probably imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger running around in a leather jacket and sunglasses, or even ED-209 from “Robocop” causing all kinds of damage. Those sorts of mechanical menaces from film are turning out to be the subject of some real concern in the actual world.
A month ago, Human Rights Watch launched a campaign aimed at stopping killer robots. “Urgent action is needed to preemptively ban lethal robot weapons that would be able to select and attack targets without any human intervention,” the organization said in a release.
Now, Christof Heyns, United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, is on the anti-killer-robot bandwagon. He is concerned about lethal autonomous robots (LARs) that could make life and death decisions without the intervention or explicit command from a human. Imagine a drone with a Terminator mindset, and you’ll see why he’s worried.
A lot of this talk about killer robots is preemptive. So far, the world hasn’t created a… [Read more]
Related Links:
Killer robots may wage ‘mechanical slaughter,’ U.N. warns
DARPA robot hand picks up keys, 50-pound weights
Look, no hands: Feds urge safety measures for self-driving cars
App-controlled robot bartender debuts at Google I/O
Robot bees take first flight
     |
May 31
HTC Reportedly Pulls The Plug On A 12-Inch Windows RT Tablet, But A Smaller Tab Lives On
Posted in: Today's Chili
HTC is currently sailing through a patch of rough seas, and it seems as though the company is starting to rethink its tablet strategy. According to a recent report from Bloomberg, HTC was planning to put together a 12-inch Windows RT tablet for release later this year before scrapping it due to cost and anemic overall demand for Windows RT.
That’s not to say that the beleaguered Taiwanese OEM is ditching Windows RT completely — there’s reportedly still a 7-inch RT tablet in the works, as well as another Android tablet. Bloomberg’s unnamed source goes on to note that demand for RT-powered tablets in general has been lackluster, so it made sense for HTC to pick its battles more carefully. After all, recent (albeit unconfirmed) Surface RT sales figures from back in March purport that Microsoft had only sold about a million units at the time — for a device meant to be the RT flagship, such numbers probably weighed heavily into the machinations of OEMs considering entering the RT fray.
Long time HTC watchers will know that focusing on a smaller number of quality devices is a tablet tactic the company has leaned on before. HTC’s recent history with tablets has been, well, pretty spotty. It’s first notable Android tablet in 2011 relied heavily on a smart stylus (a formula that Samsung would later turn into a winner) and just didn’t sell all that well, and its larger-screened followup saw similarly poor sales in the U.S. thanks to its incredibly high price tag — $699 with a contract. Clearly, things had to change.
HTC UK chief Phil Roberson said early last year that the company would be dialing back its focus on tablets, and true to his word HTC company spent much of 2012 trying to perfect its smartphone formula while facing ever-stiffer competition from rivals Samsung and Apple. Arguably the OEM has finally managed to hit its stride with the widely acclaimed One smartphone, but a single well-received device almost certainly won’t be enough to turn things around alone. It’s tough to say just how much of an impact a small Windows RT tablet will have on HTC’s flagging fortunes (I’m guessing it won’t move the needle much), but the company could use any boost it can get at this point. A quick look at HTC’s recently released fiscal Q1 2013 financials reveals a business that has definitely seen better days — it reported a mere $2.8 million in unaudited net income, down drastically from the year-ago quarter.
May 31
While you’re still settling in to HDTV, NHK is already looking past 4K toward 8K broadcast trials — and it has the hardware to do it. The Japanese broadcaster just showed off a compact 8K broadcast camera that uses the H.265 encoder we saw earlier, and packs a 33-megapixel sensor and drive circuits into a mere four square inch package. Unlike NHK’s 8K, 120Hz Super Hi-Vision cam, this more compact model runs at 60fps. Broadcast trials are scheduled to begin in 2016 in Japan, regardless of whether you can see the pixels or not.
Update: This post originally stated that the camera runs at 120Hz. It is actually 60fps.
Via: DiginfoTV
Source: NHK (translated)
May 31
Public toilets are the unsung hero of modern societies. They are taken for granted in most countries but not in Singapore, where the Restroom Association Singapore (RAS) has undertaken the commitment of maintaining the cleanliness and hygiene of every single public restroom in the island nation.
May 31
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.