If I were a Texan, and if the anti-choice guys would listen to me or anybody like me, here’s what I’d tell them in a nutshell.
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For same-sex couples in California, wedding bells are ringing!
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned California’s Proposition 8 on Wednesday, which banned same-sex marriage in the state, gay and lesbian couples raced to tie the knot.
Click through the slideshow below to see photos of the long-awaited “I dos!”
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After a short but delightful break back in Seattle, I’m returning to Europe today. It’s my first time on Icelandair, connecting through Reykjavík. I find sharing my experiences and lessons learned on this blog — and reading your comments — curiously enjoyable. I’m sure I’ll be blogging furiously over the next sixty days of travel.
Here’s the plan: I’m flying to London today, sleeping in York, then hopping aboard one of those Rick Steves Best of Scotland bus tours (under a pseudonym, so the group doesn’t know I’ll be joining them). Then I’ll spend a week in Berlin and Prague before meeting my co-author, Steve Smith, in Alsace to work on our France guidebook. Steve and I then join producer Simon Griffith and the crew to film two new TV shows around the Loire (shows we’re nicknaming “Great 17th-Century Cribs”) before I meet up with Trish Feaster to be the first to use our brand-new Rick Steves’ Northern European Cruise Ports book (which will be overnighted to me, hot off the press). We’ll jump ship near the end of the cruise in St. Petersburg for a Russian adventure before flying home (with a two-day layover in Iceland).
These itineraries are a tricky balance of guidebook and bus tour research; scouting for upcoming TV scripts I plan to write and produce; actual TV production; and just flat-out enjoying the fun places my travel dreams are taking me. For this trip, along with producing two new TV shows in France, I’ll be working hard on our next new guidebook — Rick Steves’ Scotland. And I’ll be scouting upcoming TV shows in Scotland, Berlin, Prague, Alsace, and St. Petersburg. (This work is never-ending. You’re welcome to send me comments of sympathy.)
Despite the fact that it’s currently banned in Los Angeles, UberX is defiantly still up and running. I used it for the first time this weekend. This so-called ride-sharing service from San Francisco-based Uber Technologies is supposedly the future of cabs. Much like similar services Lyft and Sidecar, UberX seeks to "disrupt" the taxi industry by using average people with a car (and without a taxi license) to shuttle others around. But it’s pretty clear that they shouldn’t be allowed to.
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This is happening.
(Credit: Screenshot by Christopher MacManus/CNET)
If you’ve never seen sweaty, headband-wearing dwarves dance to cheesy music, then you should check out the latest “The Hobbit” video diary from Director Peter Jackson.
Though primary shooting for the next two movies wrapped in 2012, Jackson, the actors, and the crew returned to New Zealand in May to kick off a 10-week pick-up shooting schedule.
After many months of inactivity, it takes a lot of work to get a billion dollar movie franchise rolling again — especially in a remote locale like New Zealand. To ensure Jackson gets those perfect shots needed to complete “The Desolation of Smaug” and “There and Back Again,” crews must reopen and modify existing sets and actors must revisit familiar scenes.
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Here’s a nice little feature for those of us who love to post images on the internet. Bing has added the ability to refine image results by license. The addition’s simple enough to use — just do a search and pull the appropriate license from a drop down on the top of the results page, alongside options for date, size and color. Selections include public domain and options like “free to modify, share and use,” based on the Creative Commons licensing system, so there’s no doubt as to precisely how you can incorporate them into your own posts. Google’s had a similar option on its own search engine for some time — albeit one’s that’s a bit less prominently displayed.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Microsoft
Source: Bing Blog
Vivo may not be a well-known smartphone brand here in the states, but the firm’s been pushing out audio-centric phones in China for more than a minute. Its latest handset, the Y19t, is aimed at the female market (hence the hot pink exterior) and is a more imaging-conscious unit — it’s got a 5-megapixel camera and flash on its front complementing an 8-megapixel shooter round back. The phone’s also equipped with a 4.5-inch, 960 x 540 IPS display, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of storage and dual SIM slots (one for micro and one for nano SIMs).
Like its cousin, the X1, the Y19t has a MediaTek SoC and a non-removeable 2,000 mAh battery, but unlike its predecessor, this new phone has an MT6589 1.2Ghz quad-core chip inside its 7.4mm thick chassis. Naturally, it has Chinese-friendly TD-SCDMA and GSM radios and comes running Android 4.2.1 skinned with a Vivo UI. Like what you’ve seen (and heard) so far? Head on down to the source to see some screenshots, more device pics and a review of the Y19t’s capabilities, but you might want to bring a translator with you — it’s written in Chinese.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: PC Online
We’ve seen a small arcade machine that can be powered by a Raspberry Pi. Master modder Ben Heck decided to make an even tinier version of the tiny computer and put it in a custom case with buttons, turning it into a portable gaming device.
Aside from a Raspberry Pi, Ben Heck also used a 3.5″ LCD screen, a Teensy board, a couple of Li-ion batteries and some buttons from a Logitech gamepad.
Then he 3D printed a case, wired everything together and installed MAME on the Pi. You can skip to around 15:10 in the video below to see it working:
Can we just sit back for a minute and process what we saw? He made a freakin’ gaming device. On his own. This guy. This Ben Heck guy. He is quite the guy. If you have the same godly capabilities, head to Thingiverse to get the files you need to 3D print the case.
[via I Heart Chaos]
After announcing today’s 100 million Android-download milestone, Skype celebrated the occasion with a totally overhauled, refreshed Android app that’s supposed to "make your interactions easier and put conversations first." And with a cleaner, lighter, and lightening fast UI, it may just live up to its promise.
It’s Skype, but stripped of all the extra crap that seemed to choke the old incarnations. You’ll get three separate tabs, the first of which shows you all recent conversations, followed by your contacts, followed by your favorites. Small circles similar to Facebook’s attempt at the now notorious chatheads carry your contacts profile pictures. You’ll also be able to attach files and video messages, one of Skype’s newer native app features.
While there aren’t any major new additions are far as strict function goes, the app does feel like an entirely different breed. It’s given in to the Flat design you see practically everywhere these days, but more importantly, its simplified the buttons and divided its screens into digestible, bright tabs that make the app far more pleasant to use. The lack of clutter should also speed things up quite a bit as well as keep it running more smoothly. Plus, intuitive gestures (such as swipe to start a conversation) are a long overdue addition.
Skype 4.0, Download this app for: Android, Free
The Best: Far more pleasant on the eye and easier to use
The Worst: No major new features
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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.
