Mar 18
Brace yourself Google Voice fanboys, your treasured service is probably not long for this world. But don’t you worry; the sooner it’s dead the better we’ll all be.
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Mar 17
This morning Google Hangouts is on the fritz. Users across the United States are reporting outages as well as down-time entirely as the service is experiencing difficulty in both sending … Continue reading
Feb 17
Some people live on in the memories of others, even when they pass on, because of the life they’ve led and the differences that they’ve made on the lives of others. Others may be forgotten, while still others will live on as avatars in the online realm.
The latter is made possible by Eterni.me, a start-up brought about by MIT’s Entrepreneurship Development Program.
It’s essentially a service that learns and creates an online personality for the departed, based on their old chat logs, emails, photos, and social network interactions. A blurb on the site explains:
Eterni.me collects almost everything that you create during your lifetime, and processes this huge amount of information using complex Artificial Intelligence algorithms. Then it generates a virtual YOU, an avatar that emulates your personality and can interact with, and offer information and advice to, your family and friends after you pass away. It’s like a Skype chat from the past.
Marius Ursache, the startup’s Chief Executive, revealed that over 1,300 registrations were received in a span of 24 hours, so there’s certainly an interest in from people interested in being preserved as an electronic avatar.
To say that it is both unusual and creepy is an understatement. You can check out Eterni.me here.
[via Kotaku Australia via C|NET]
Feb 07
Distance learning isn’t as easy as it seems. It seems like I discovered Appear.in a tad too late because I’m just a few semesters away from graduating with my Master’s degree, but you might find this service useful.
Appear.in basically lets you have a video conference, chat, whatever you want to call it, with up to eight people online. All you have to do is log on their site, create a room, share the link with others, and go.
There’s no need to register for any accounts, log in, or install any software. This makes it perfect for project discussions and group sessions where not all members have Skype, WebEx or other similar messenger-type programs installed on their devices. The only requirement is that users have a webcam or microphone and the latest version of Chrome, Firefox or Opera.
You can find more info and try Appear.in here.
[via RedFerret]
Nov 27
Skype for China now talks directly to Microsoft, may reduce government snooping (updated)
Posted in: Today's Chili
Skype use in China was especially risky for a while — when a local company (TOM Online) was processing data with no real safeguards, it virtually guaranteed the presence of government monitoring. Now that Microsoft has teamed with Guangming Founder on a new China-specific Skype build, there’s a chance that your chats are more secure. GreatFire.org has noticed that the updated app encrypts all data and sends it directly to Microsoft, making it harder to censor or spy on any communications. Don’t be too quick to discuss taboo topics, though. It’s not clear that the Chinese software is free of back doors; Microsoft says it’s following local regulations, which aren’t exactly open-minded. Even so, anyone already using Skype in mainland China will likely want to upgrade if they value some semblance of privacy.
Update: Guangming Founder was created by Guangming Daily, a government-backed newspaper; while Skype’s new approach is still more secure, the association casts extra doubt on the privacy that users can expect.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Microsoft
Via: The Next Web
Source: GreatFire.org
Nov 26
BlackBerry’s tentative step into the world of feed-based social networking, BBM Channels, is at last leaving beta. As of 3PM Eastern, those with BlackBerry 10 and classic BlackBerry OS devices can use the Tumblr-like service for themselves, subscribing to content feeds from both major providers and their friends. Android and iOS users, meanwhile, will have to sit tight — BlackBerry says that Channels support for their platforms is arriving in the “coming months.”
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: CrackBerry
Oct 29
There’s now one single location users need to work with to talk with video, text, and images in the Google Android experience. Here with Hangouts, Google has made clear that they’re updating the system with three new features, the first – and most important – of these being SMS support. This means that the Hangouts […]
Oct 23
Seeing a doctor can be a pain sometimes. It’s painful and inconvenient enough to be sick as it is. What’s even worse is having to sit at a doctor’s office for hours on end and wait for the receptionist to call your name.
Well, there’s another way to see a doctor and it’s being advertised as being the “faster” and “easier” way: you do it online.
Behind this new service is American Well. Telemedicine isn’t actually a completely new idea, but this is just one of the applications that’s making the technology more accessible for more people.
Potential patients can check in with a U.S. trained, Board-certified doctor through their iOS or Android devices. Each ten-minute video chat consultation will cost $49(USD). If the appointment takes longer that, then additional charges will apply.
Dr. Teresa Myers, who practices telemedicine, explains: “I guarantee that not a single person who practices telemedicine would say this is a replacement of traditional medicine. This is an extension of traditional model care. With telemedicine, we can appropriately triage patients to higher levels of care needed to avoid preventable negative outcomes, which includes direct and indirect costs.”
Wile this technology definitely adds convenience and immediacy, it can’t be used as a substitute for in-person examinations and testing.
[via C|NET]
Oct 15
Snapchat reveals unopened snaps can be retrieved and given to law enforcement
Posted in: Today's ChiliSnapchat’s premise is that it deletes snaps, something that has been foiled in various ways since the service found itself thrust into the popularity spotlight. Still, the notion that snaps are deleted might give users a wrong impression of their data’s security and level of privacy, something the company recently covered in a blog post. […]
Oct 01
The fallout from the NSA spying scandal has left many people unsure about what they should and shouldn’t share across the tubes. But now BitTorrent has an answer: an instant-message chat client that uses decentralized data transfer to keep your communications safe.
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