Hasta La Gadget!

The one in which Nick Offerman gets fired, gets drunk, and pisses all over Nic Cage’s star on the Walk of Fame.

Read more…

It is a point of pride and, to an extent, shame that I introduced the TC audience to minimal running shoes aka crazy monkey shoes. Since first reviewing odd shoes back in 2009 I’ve tried to keep up with the trends. The latest stop in my exploration? Adidas Springblade.

Why is this on TechCrunch, you ask? Because these are some high-tech shoes, friends, and I suspect some of you out there in the Valley/Alley enjoy a spot of running now and again, in between complaining about things being on TechCrunch and coding.

While the bright, blaze orange upper alone is enough to turn heads, these shoes have plastic springs instead of a sole. These springs add a bit of “lift” each time you step, essentially springing your foot back into the air after each footfall.

I’ve been a minimalist runner since 2009, first using Vibrams and then trying various models from Brooks, Adidas, and most recently Skora. After a fairly complete and debilitating injury during marathon training, my long-distance running days are pretty much shot, but I still try to get at least 10 miles in a week. It’s not much, but hey, I’m not running for Miss Blog USA. I’m also fairly slow.

That said, running with the Springblade has been, if not a revelation, then quite surprising. I’m a bit more tired running in these than in minimalist shoes, which is normal. These are about 12 ounces and those 16 springs on each foot add just a bit of weight. However, I’ve seen my maximum speed increase from 8 minutes per mile to about 7:50 per mile – a measure taken at my peak speed using a Nike+ GPS watch – an improvement that is fairly important for a slowpoke like me. I also felt less pain in my shins and ankles and a distinct difference in the tiredness I felt after my three-mile runs.

Do I think it’s the shoes? Sure. The soles are far springier than I’m used to and I honestly enjoy them over the last pair of full running shoes I bought, the New Balance M1080v2. They also wore me out far faster and I definitely felt a distinct soreness in my calves that I hadn’t experienced in a while. In short, at the very least these shoes changed my stride slightly.

Would I recommend them over minimalist shoes? I’m not sure. Vibrams helped me out of a bout of plantar fasciitis, which has not flared up to this day. I have fought shin splints and other knee issues that I believe are weight related and I know I could use a more solid pair of shoes to perhaps take some of the strain off the ankles and joints. These could do the trick.

These shoes expel energy forward and work best while running on concrete and less well on soft surfaces like sand or trails. I was worried they’d get caught up in the buckling Brooklyn sidewalks but I noticed no issues. Apparently these are extensively tested to ensure the springs don’t break or buckle and, if anything, they look wild.

The shoes are available for pre-order for $180 – quite pricey for their weight – but they are a fascinating improvement to the standard, mushy thick-soled running shoes that I’ve eschewed for a number of years.

I’ve yet to see many experts weigh in on these shoes, and even Runner’s World is still mum about their opinion. I’m under no illusion that these shoes are more than an interesting gimmick that may shave off a few seconds at your fastest pace. But as a sheer feat of technical improvement to the tired running shoe, I applaud Adidas for attempting something so bold. I would expect these to rise to the level of the Nike Free over the next few months as people try them out simply for the novelty of the design. While I’m not exactly sure if I’ll stick to these over the long run, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

We’re sure glad there’s iFixit to take apart new gadgets so we don’t have to, and it comes as no surprise that the next-gen Nexus 7 is one of its latest experiments. If you’ve read our hands-on with the device, you won’t be surprised by much of what the folks at iFixit saw while tearing it down. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the new version has huge improvements when it comes to repairability. Its huge battery is glued to an adhesive tray, and like its predecessor, its display seems to be the biggest problem — you’ll need a heat gun to get it out. Still, iFixit gives it a score of 7 out of 10, because all they needed to pry it open was a plastic tool.

Filed under: Tablets, Google

Comments

Source: iFixit

Oracle has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of California against two IT service providers, Maintech and Terix. According to the lawsuit, the two companies have provided illegal support for Oracle’s Solaris OS software, having encouraged customers to cancel their Oracle support subscriptions.

The filing from Oracle states that both of the service providers led customers to believe that they’re authorized to provide support for Oracle’s software, which includes software updates. Furthermore, says Oracle, the two companies acquire the software updates in an “unathorized” manner that includes the use of login information that has expired.

Not surprisingly, both Maintech and Terix have denounced such claims. Said Terix’s CEO Bernd Appleby: “Oracles [sic] complaint is without any basis in either law or fact. Terix fully respects and diligently strives to protect the intellectual property of any third party. Terix acts only as an authorized agent of the end-users, pursuant to their rights, to facilitate support services.”

Terix goes on to state that all the users named in the filing had valid Oracle rights and licenses, among others, with their login info only being used for their own issues. For its part, Oracle is seeking an injunction – both preliminary and permanent – against both companies, as well as payment in the form of damages, restitution, and return of any and all intellectual property.

This isn’t the first time companies have been accused of providing unauthorized support for Solaris software, and is a further push on Oracle’s part to stomp on third-party vendors that pose a threat to its support revenue stream. Such third-party vendors, however, feel that there is nothing wrong with their services, and contend that they work within the rights of the customers.

SOURCE: Network World

Oracle files lawsuit against companies offering illegal tech support is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I’m probably not as big a fan as some of you guys when it comes to Daria and/or Aubrey Plaza but even I have to admit Aubrey Plaza as Daria in a real life movie of Daria is all kinds of awesome. I’d actually like it if more movies and TV shows flip flopped into different style: Game of Thrones as an animated movie Pixar-style, Wall-E as a premium cable TV show and so on.

Read more…