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Dec 31

Torrents surge in 2013 despite anti-piracy push

Torrents increased by 50-percent over the past year, as internet users uploaded rising amounts of content – much of it copyrighted – despite attempts by content owners to lock down … Continue reading

Dec 31

Google wants to make your mundane conversations into quirky online comics

Posted in: Today's Chili

Deep down, we’d all like to believe our text-based interactions are worthy of Calvin & Hobbes-style witticisms. They’re not and you know it, but does Google? No matter, because the tech giant was just awarded a patent to format your virtual …

Dec 31

WrapUp: Firefox Considered Most Vulnerable App, Windows 7 Performance, and More

Posted in: Today's Chili

This article was written on January 06, 2009 by CyberNet.

Welcome to the WrapUp by CyberNet. This is a collection of news stories, downloads, and tips that we have collected over the last few days, but never got around to writing about. Don’t forget to send in your own tips, or just leave a comment on this page if you think you’ve got something we should include.

–News–

Amazon Has Great Holiday Season
During Amazon’s busiest day this holiday season, Dec. 15th, they were selling a record-breaking 72.9 items per second. What was hot this year? Well, 17 out of the top 25 laptops sold were sub-$500 netbooks.

New 17″ MacBook Pro Coming Soon
Reports are rolling in that a revamped 17″ MacBook Pro should be coming soon at MacWorld, and for whatever reason it won’t have a removable battery. Apple did the same thing with the MacBook Air, but I don’t think consumers will be as forgiving if they decide to do this with a MacBook Pro.

Google Puts Easter Egg in Their iPhone App
The Google Mobile iPhone app has an Easter Egg in it that reveals some hidden settings. While most of the settings are frivolous there is one that lets you actually have links open within the app, instead of in Safari. Why the heck would they hide a useful feature like this?

Wikipedia Raises $6 Million
If you’ve donated to Wikipedia recently you’ll be happy to know that your contribution is part of the $6 million they’ve raised to help power the site until June 30th, 2009. There were 125,000 people who donated about $4 million, and they also received a few major gifts totaling $2 million. The money will be used for servers, hosting, bandwidth, and the staff of 23 people.

Firefox Considered Most Vulnerable App
Many people I know use Firefox because they’re told it’s the most secure browser, but this report says otherwise. In fact it puts it at the top of the list for being the most vulnerable app of 2008. Others on the list include Flash, Skype, Norton, and QuickTime.

IE 8 Final Coming in March 2009?
Current pre-release versions of Internet Explorer 8 Beta will expire on March 31st, 2009, and conveniently Microsoft’s MIX09 conference lands just two-weeks prior to that. You might recall that the first IE 8 Beta was posted during MIX08 this year, which may be a good indication that Internet Explorer 8 will be released sometime in March?

–Special: Windows 7 News–

Windows 7 Beta Leaked
Shortly after the holidays the Windows 7 Beta that is expected to be released by Microsoft this month was leaked. The build, which has since been confirmed as genuine, is being shared by thousands of P2P users.

Windows 7 Handles App Crashes Better
In Windows 7 instead of making a user close a frozen application there will now be an option to cancel the non-responsive command. It will try and let the user continue on with the program so that there is minimal data lost.

Windows 7 Performance Beats Vista & XP
A lot of people are expecting Windows 7 to be great in terms of performance, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be disappointed. According to these real-world tests Windows 7 trumps both Vista and XP in about 21 of the 23 tests

Full Windows 7 Beta Review
Want to know what the Windows 7 Beta is like without grabbing it yourself? This review walks through a lot of the changes so that you can have a glimpse of what the future holds.

Windows 7 Beta EULA Surprises
Ed Bott dove head first into Microsoft’s Windows 7 license agreement to see what kind of surprises it had. He found things like users being allowed to install the Beta on as many machines as they want, the August 1st expiration date, and not being allowed to disclose benchmarks of the operating system.

XP Lovers will Hate Windows 7?
This article is very much true… if you’re still holding on to Windows XP because you’re resisting change you’ll also want to stay away from Windows 7. If, however, you’re already familiar with Vista the learning curve should be minimal.

Windows 7 Taskbar vs. Vista Taskbar in Pixels
The Windows 7 Taskbar looks like it’s bigger than the Taskbar we’re used to seeing in Vista, but is it? There is a small icons mode which is actually the same size (30px high) as Vista, but Windows 7 also offers a large icons mode (40px high). That means you don’t have to give up the extra space to large icons unless you really want to.

–Tips, Tutorials, and Reviews–

Using the Prius as an Emergency Generator
When a man’s power went out in Massachusetts he turned to his Toyota Prius as a power source. Thanks to a power inverter, about 5 gallons of gas, and his hybrid Prius he was able to run lights, a refrigerator, and several other items for three days.

Upload Photos to Picasa via Live Photo Gallery
Flickr users have been able to take advantage of the built-in uploading capabilities that Windows Live Photo Gallery offers. Thanks to this handy plugin Picasa users can get the same simplicity from the program.

Assign Keyboard Shortcuts to Firefox Bookmarks
Keyboard shortcuts are a great way to make yourself more productive, and with this simple Firefox extension you can create the shortcuts for any of your bookmarks.

Top 10 Android Apps of 2008
Gizmodo has assembled what they believe are the top 10 Android apps currently available. In the mix includes an SMS chat application that resembles the iPhone, a barcode scanner, power manager, visual voicemail, and more.

Two Simple Screenshot Utilities for Windows
If the Print Screen button in Windows doesn’t quite cut it you may want to checkout these two free utilities. They are simple to use, let you annotate your screenshots, and much more.

–Downloads–

Dec 31

Wine Lock protects bottled beverages from being burgled

Posted in: Today's Chili

We all have expectations of how things will go throughout a day. Get up, race to work, live in a haze as the day passes, and go home to relax. There are those who like to sit down with a drink which can make the evening more pleasant. If your beverage of choice just so happens to be wine, then you know how precarious it can be to keep others from getting their mitts on it while you’re away.

If you happen to have the issue of friends or family helping themselves to an opened bottle in the refrigerator, then you might want to invest in the Wine Lock. In addition to being a bottle stopper, it has a four-digit combination lock at the top which makes sure it stays closed as long as you want it to be. By the same token, it can also ensure that loved ones can’t get into their own stash as well. Bit of a cruel joke if used for malicious intent, but you’re not that kind of person, right?

This will work on most 17mm diameter bottles, and reseals the bottle, meaning that your wine will stay fresh for longer. It’s a relatively cheap investment, priced at around $14. However, should you want to protect more than one bottle, it’s going to take a bit more than that. At this very moment, it is out of stock, but I imagine that’s due to the demand right before Christmas. Wait a week or two and there should be more of them.

Available for purchase on red5, found via thisiswhyimbroke
[ Wine Lock protects bottled beverages from being burgled copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Dec 31

Can Radar and RFID Stop Drivers From Killing Cyclists?

Posted in: Today's Chili

Can Radar and RFID Stop Drivers From Killing Cyclists?

Last month, London reached a grim milestone: Six cyclists were killed within 14 days, sparking a massive "die-in" protest. London isn’t alone; 176 cyclists or pedestrians were killed in NYC last year. The rapidly rising death toll is spurring a race to build a technology to warn drivers before they hit someone on foot or bike.

Google goes disco for New Year’s doodle

Posted in: Today's Chili

Farewell, 2013.

(Credit: Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)

On an Internet landscape blighted by the spying of governments, corporations, and ex-lovers, Google’s doodles have been an apogee of delight in 2013.

So, to celebrate the passing of 2013 — and good riddance, you unlucky year, say many — Google’s perhaps tipsy doodlers have decided to do the hustle, the shuffle, or the oh-dear-lord-my-head-is-spinning-so-I-must-keep-moving-cha-cha.

The New Year’s doodle seems to be at an oldie disco, complete with mirrorball.

Each number of 2013 is dancing to a unknown tune, but it looks like Disco-Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes “I Wanna Dance Wit’ Choo” to me.

More Technically Incorrect

Dec 31

Google Glass prescription frame option priced up for Explorers

Posted in: Today's Chili

Prescription lenses for Google Glass will be priced from $99, one start-up has confirmed, with Rochester Optical revealing early cost details ahead of preorders opening after CES 2014 next week. … Continue reading

Dec 31

Sony launches dedicated Xperia Z Ultra cases for QX lens cameras

Posted in: Today's Chili

Though Sony’s crazy QX10 and QX100 lens cameras can attach to most smartphones, the company naturally favored its own Xperia Z and Z1 handsets by creating custom cases for those devices. Now it’s doing the same for its crazy-large 6.4-inch Xperia Z …

Dec 31

A Map of the 124 United States of America That Could Have Been

Posted in: Today's Chili

A Map of the 124 United States of America That Could Have Been

The fact that we’ve kept the number of U.S. states relatively static is nothing short a miracle—there have been hundreds of attempts at state secession over the years. But what if they had all succeeded? This brilliant map depicts that alternative universe, where the U.S. is broken up into 124 different states that stretch from sea-to-shining-sea.

Archos To Showcase ‘Connected Objects’ At CES 2014, Will Unveil Sub $100 Smartwatches

Posted in: Today's Chili

Archos To Showcase Connected Objects At CES 2014, Will Unveil Sub $100 Smartwatches

Ahead of CES 2014, Archos has spilled the beans on a number of “connected objects” that it is going to showcase at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. These include a weather station, home camera, blood pressure monitor, activity tracker, smartwatches and more. The connected objects will be compatible with iOS and Android platforms, allowing users to control them from anywhere and use Bluetooth Low Energy to ensure extended use without requiring recharging. The company says these objects are styled to “blend into your home environment.”

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Archos To Showcase ‘Connected Objects’ At CES 2014, Will Unveil Sub $100 Smartwatches original content from Ubergizmo.

Hasta La Gadget!

Torrents surge in 2013 despite anti-piracy push

Google wants to make your mundane conversations into quirky online comics