Hasta La Gadget!

Welcome to Growing Up Geek, a feature where we take a look back at our youth, and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. This week, we have our very own Ben Gilbert! He likes ninja turtles, obviously.

To me, being a “geek” about something — anything, really — is being super, super passionate about that subject. It’s that passion that drew me to documentaries like Helvetica, or King of Kong. It’s that passion, witnessed in speeches and conversations with colleagues, that renews my love of video games every year I attend GDC. It’s that passion that endears me to people like Stephen King and Trent Reznor. And it’s that passion — that nerdery — that I’ve brought to music, journalism, and the medium of video games.

But that’s always something I took for granted. My father’s passion for art meant growing up in a house filled with his incredible paintings. Didn’t everyone? My mother’s passion for learning meant she had three degrees, including a Ph.D., despite having little financial assistance and coming from another country. Totally normal!

My point isn’t to brag (though, come on, my parents are basically superheroes), but to say that the concept of being a “geek” was never a foreign one to me. Being an obsessive weirdo was always pretty normal in my family. I mean that in a good way.

Continue reading Growing Up Geek: Ben Gilbert

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Growing Up Geek: Ben Gilbert originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft’s desire to avoid a fine combined with a power company’s strict electricity usage rules resulted in the software giant deliberately wasting millions of watts of power, according to the New York Times. Redmond’s Quincy data center, which houses Bing, Hotmail and other cloud-based servers, had an agreement in place with a Washington state utility containing clauses which imposed penalties for under-consumption of electricity. A $210,000 fine was levied last year, since the facility was well below its power-use target, which prompted Microsoft to deliberately burn $70,000 worth of electricity in three days “in a commercially unproductive manner” to avoid it, according to its own documents. The utility board capitulated and reduced the amend to $60k, but the messy situation seems a far cry from Redmond’s pledge to become carbon neutral by this summer.

[Image credit: New York Times]

Filed under: Misc, Alt

Microsoft deliberately wasted energy at data center to avoid fine, says NY Times originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

Sometimes, here at alt.engadget.com, we’re literally on the bleeding edge of technology. We get to explore concepts and ideas that are almost nebular in nature. Not this week though, where there’s a distinct utilitarian aroma in the air. The glittery overcoat of future science is replaced by the rolled-up sleeves of good old-fashioned engineering. A bit of sticky tape, a proof of concept omnidirectional bike and a hardware matrix wall. After all that, you’ll probably want a beer to wash it down with. Fortunately for you, it’s all here. This is alt-week.

Continue reading Alt-week 9.22.12: Quantum Scotch tape, moving walls and scientific beer

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Alt-week 9.22.12: Quantum Scotch tape, moving walls and scientific beer originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in May, Nissan unveiled its NV200 van as New York City’s “Taxi of Tomorrow” in a joint press conference with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Today, NYC’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) made the pact official, signing regulations that will replace the city’s iconic line of Crown Victorias (and myriad other cabs) with the NV200 beginning in October 2013. As Nissan puts it, today’s signing, “officially makes the NV200 the taxicab of New York City.”

The NV200 van beat out competition from the likes of Ford to take New York City’s coveted “Taxi of Tomorrow” award months ago. When Engadget EIC (and gearhead) Tim Stevens explored the NV200 at the New York Auto Show, he called it “a huge advance” over existing taxi stock. And hey, will all those amenities, we can’t disagree. Most exciting for commuters: Nissan’s NV200 taxi features separate climate controls for passengers, as well as USB slots for mobile charging. “Taxi of Tomorrow” indeed!

Filed under: Misc, Transportation, Alt

New York City, meet your new official taxi: the Nissan NV200 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Sep 2012 10:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Evernote Smart Notebook is here! Well, almost here — it arrives on October 1 — but we got our Moleskin-lovin’ hands on the app/notebook combo a bit ahead of schedule this evening. The combination works by combining the drawings, notes, and whatever other Moleskin-bound scribblings you pen with Evernote’s iOS App (said to be headed to Android as well). Snap a pic of your best Mega Man sketch and see the Blue Bomber appear magically in your Evernote account and on your phone! If you’re way into archiving, a handy set of stickers allows for quick tagging. The tags can even be customized if you’re not into Evernote’s suggested categories.

The whole concept is very neat, and it works … sort of. An Evernote rep tried repeatedly to snag images from the page with varying results. One time a shadow interfered, and another time the lighting just didn’t work out, before it finally worked. We’re lending Evernote the benefit of the doubt for now as we were shown the whole shebang in the middle of a busy, dramatically lit show floor. That said, at $29.95, if it doesn’t work out great, the worst that happens is you’re stuck with a slightly more expensive Moleskin than a normal model (around $15 on Amazon); the iOS companion app is free. Head past the break for a hands-on video.

Continue reading Evernote Smart Notebook hands-on (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Software, Mobile, Alt

Evernote Smart Notebook hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 20:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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