The State Department needs to “do a better job” of explaining to Americans what it does overseas, as well as the “return on investment” in America’s diplomatic activities, Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Tara Sonenshine says on this week’s episode of “Conversations with Nicholas Kralev.”
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ForYourArt selects the best opportunities to SEE,COLLECT, LEARN ABOUT, and SUPPORT art each week.
An exhibition of artists’ books featuring Sqirl’s specially made molasses, espresso chip, and valhrona fleur de del cookies throughout the day (while supplies last) and an opportunity to see 12 Paintings by Laura Owens before it closes on July 7, 2013. FREE
So far 3D video hasn’t taken off like high definition did, but that hasn’t stopped entrepreneurs from exploring its potential. But while most 3D-capable gadgets tout their cutting edginess, the inventors of Poppy did the opposite. The gadget, which allows you to shoot and view 3D videos and images using an iPhone or iPod Touch, is a throwback through and through.
If nothing else, I love how it looks. It’s not shiny, streamlined or made of machined aluminum – it’s a freaking plastic box. Even the way it works is low-tech. The Poppy has no moving or electronic parts. It just uses lenses and mirrors to achieve the 3D effect. The only high tech component of course is your iOS device. The Poppy only works with the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 and the 5th generation iPod Touch.
In the end though, the Poppy is up against the same problem that other 3D gadgets have. It promises a see-it-to-believe-it experience that just can’t be demonstrated or previewed. Still, that hasn’t stopped it from blowing through its Kickstarter goal with almost a month left on its fundraiser. Pledge at least $49 (USD) on Kickstarter to get a Poppy as a reward.
A year or two ago, mid-range devices were nothing to gush about at neighborhood barbeques. Fast-forward to 2013, however, and smartphones listed at those middling price points are much more desirable. After all, a large number of them would have been considered high-end flagships — had they launched last summer. The ZTE-made Sprint Vital may well have been one of those phones, given its specs: the handset features a 5-inch 720p display, dual-core Snapdragon S4 chipset, 13MP camera and solid battery. In short, the Vital is very much a 2012 phone trying to find its way in 2013. Sprint’s strategy, therefore, is to sell the device for the standard mid-range price ($100 for existing customers on-contract), and see if people are willing to spend the next two years of their lives with this curious piece of workmanship. Throughout this review, we’ll see for ourselves if it’s worth our time, energy and focus, especially as it goes head-to-head against headlining phones from LG and Samsung. Head beyond the break for those answers and more.
Gallery: Sprint ZTE Vital review
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sprint
Looks like the Xbox One will still require Xbox Live Gold to stream Netflix or play games online. That’s a bummer
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A British schoolteacher, Daisy Christodoulou, has just published a short, pungent e- book called Seven Myths about Education. It’s a must-read for anyone in a position to influence our low-performing public school system.
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Where does the jobless person go for inspiration? For strength to keep going till there’s work?
Is it the hope that unemployment will pass?
Hoping for work can be a challenge. Because, there is no time frame for finding a job. The myth of the logical, step-by-step process for finding work might create the illusion of a time frame. But the reality of job search is that it’s like a special little planet where anything can happen. Not much inspiration there.
On Dec. 19, 2012, the CDC released a report, “Estimated HIV Incidence in the United States, 2007-2010.” To gay readers who’d lived through the AIDS epidemic, the document presented a landscape eerily like the early plague years, when AIDS was a gay disease.
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Acceptance of rights for gays and non-whites required struggle and time. As was true for Martin Luther King, Jr, immigrants’ rights activists might not get to the top of the mountain they’re climbing. But change will come.
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