As the Chernobyl and Daiichi Fukushima nuclear disasters illustrated in unnerving clarity, mankind commands technology capable wreaking destruction we can’t clean up without putting people’s lives at risk. That’s why DARPA is hosting the DARPA Robotics Challenge, in hopes of jump starting development of tomorrow’s mechanical first responders.
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With the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 due to hit shelves across the world soon, it’s not exactly surprising to hear the competition openly sound off on the incoming consoles. Especially when it’s someone as outspoken as Nintendo of America’s COO Reggie Fils-Aime. “It’s all about the games. The competitive systems have announced their launch lineups. I’m allowed to say ‘meh,” Fils-Aime said in an interview with IGN. The Nintendo head added that he feels confident in the Wii U’s title lineup, noting, “We’ve got Zelda. We’ve got Mario. We’ve got Donkey Kong. In addition to great titles like Pikmin 3 and Wonderful 101, I feel very good about our lineup, and I feel very good about the value proposition we’re putting out there for the consumer.”
Both the Xbox One and PS4 will have more than 20 titles available at launch, which is on par with what the Wii U’s launch was back in November of last year. The only problem is Nintendo’s flagship has been seeing less and less support from third-party developers, making the console a harder sell for gamers worldwide. Perhaps, Nintendo’s hoping to turn the tide with its recent announcement that the Wii U’s going to be a little cheaper starting September 21st, though only time will tell how successful that strategy turns out to be.
Via: VG247
Source: IGN
Today, Facebook is proposing a series of changes to its terms if service. There’s a lot of legal mumbo jumbo, but the most interesting piece is that Facebook wants to start using your profile photo as the basis for suggesting that you be tagged in your friends’ photos.
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Earlier today rumors were circulating that Verizon Wireless is currently in talks with Britain’s Vodafone to buy back the latter’s 45 percent stake in the largest U.S. carrier. Vodafone has now confirmed that talks are indeed underway, adding that there’s “no certainty” that both parties will reach an agreement. Analysts expect that if a deal is reached, it may be worth up to $125 billion, making it one of the biggest deals to take place worldwide in the last decade, second only to Vodafone’s acquisition of German carrier Mannesmann in 2000 for which it paid $181 billion.
So what would Vodafone do with this massive cash influx? Analysts believe that it may be put towards strengthening Vodafone’s core European operations, which have struggled due to the precarious situation of the economy in Europe. Vodafone’s investors are also likely to benefit through share buybacks. One major hurdle that might get in the way of a deal is the hefty tax bill that Vodafone will have to pay if it dispenses with it’s stake in Verizon Wireless. Though Verizon has already said that it is capable of structuring any potential transaction that can limit Vodafone’s tax liabilities. Citing a source with knowledge of the matter, The New York Times reports that a prospective deal might be announced as soon as early next week.
Vodafone Confirms Talks Underway With Verizon Wireless To Sell Its Stake original content from Ubergizmo. 
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This helicopter had a hard landing at a NASA test facility.
(Credit: Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET)
We’re all familiar with car crash tests. NASA went bigger, much bigger, with a helicopter crash test designed to test new seats and seatbelts.
On Wednesday, the Marine CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter fuselage was filled with crash test dummies, hoisted up 30 feet in the air, and then dropped in a swinging motion. It was traveling at 30 mph when it was released to meet the ground from 30 feet up at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.
“We designed this test to simulate a severe but survivable crash under both civilian and military requirements. It was amazingly complicated with all the dummies, cameras, instrumentation and the collaborators, but it went well,” NASA lead test engineer Martin Annett said in a statement.
The test was a joint effort between NASA, the F… [Read more]
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I guess you can say that technology has certainly made our lives a whole lot easier over the years. Imagine if you had to iron your clothes the old fashioned way, it would have taken you a whole lot longer to go through a pile of shirts than with today’s steam irons with Teflon-coated undersides that make them glide over your clothes as though you were an ice skater performing an Olympic routine. The vacuum cleaner is another home appliance that has definitely gotten a whole lot smarter, and iRobot has been at the forefront for quite some time now. Their latest device is known as the iRobot Braava Floor Mopping Robot which will arrive in Braava 320 and Braava 380t models.
The iRobot Braava has been specially designed to systematically and efficiently dry or damp mop the entire floor – taking just a single pass to do so. It is capable of automatically dry- and damp-mop hard floors via a couple of cleaning modes, ensuring that dirt as well as the numerous colonies of dust bunnies will remain under control at all times. Braava makes use of disposable or reusable cleaning cloths which can be attached and removed in a jiffy. In fact, using the Braava is a cinch – all you need to do is to push a button, and the Braava will start to perform a mop up operation on your behalf, and once it is done, it will not just lay at the last spot but rather, return to where it began.
You need not worry about the iRobot Braava creating a din whenever it works – it will function in a whisper quiet manner, featuring a soft-touch bumper as well as quiet motors, so that it will clean up without disrupting your daily activity or sleep. The Braava 380t is slightly different since it includes expanded features such as the Pro-Clean System which will dispense liquid throughout the cleaning cycle, a fast charging battery, and a Turbo Charge Cradle Accessory that automatically juices up the robot in just a couple of hours. The asking price for the Braava starts at $199 a pop.
Company Page
[ iRobot launches the Braava floor mopping robot copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
The end of summer usually means the end of grilling and scorched steaks for dinner. But T-fal has come up with a solution to both those problems. Its new OptiGrill can not only be used indoors, all year round, it’s also smart enough to let you know when a steak is perfectly done—whether rare, medium, or charred.
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Facebook hasn’t been a very GIF-friendly part of the Web. It’s still not. But a third-party Flash workaround lets you incorporate these animated gems into your timeline anyway.
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Facebook made some changes to its data use policy late last year (in addition to some changes to its actual process for making changes), and it’s now back with another set of updates. As Facebook’s Chief Privacy Office Erin Egan explains, the new changes affect two of its key documents — its Data Use Policy and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities — and they come as a result of a settlement in a court case concerning its use of personal data in advertising. Among the changes are a revised explanation of “how things like your name, profile picture and content may be used in connection with ads or commercial content,” which Facebook says will now “make it clear that you are granting Facebook permission for this use when you use our services.”
The data use policy also encompasses data retention by third parties, who Facebook says you must contact directly if you wish to have your personal data deleted, even if you have deleted the third-party application itself. As AllThingsD notes, your profile picture will also now figure more prominently in Facebook’s facial-recognition system for photo tagging, although you can still opt out of that if you like. These are also all still just proposed changes for the time being; under its new process, Facebook users have seven days to offer their comments, but no vote will take place.
Filed under: Internet, Facebook
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Facebook
Yahoo today released a new update of its Flickr app for iOS. The update brings a host of new features such as filters and more camera tools, it also removes the paywall on some features that were previously only available to pro users. The app now allows users to apply filters before they actually take a photo. They can apply the filters to the live camera feed. Several new filters have also been added, users can also customize them if they want.
The new camera tool in Flickr iOS update include grids, focus lock, pinch to zoom and enhanced ability to manage exposure points. The paywall has been dropped on several pro features such as photo enhancing, cropping, adjusting color and tonal levels, sharpening and vignettes. As of now only the iOS app has been updated, the new features are yet to be added to Flickr’s Android app. There’s no saying when that will happen. Filters have become incredibly popular, particularly since Instagram became a massive hit. Most photography apps offer a unique set to users, Flickr upping its filter game is evidence that Yahoo wants it photo-sharing service to keep up with the times. Flickr for iOS is available as a free download from iTunes App Store.
Flickr iOS App Updated With New Filters And More original content from Ubergizmo. 
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