Here’s a couple of things you can do when you’re angry: grab your Damnit Doll, whip out your Calligraphuck Cards, or reach for your Profanity Generator. The first two options delay your expression of anger, while the last just helps you come up with words to describe it.
I’m not saying you should take the pad and yell out insults to the person who offended you. Rather, you might find that it actually helps dissipate your anger by showing you a neat selection of often humorous curses like ‘crap wad’, ‘fart monkey’, and ‘ass waffle.’ Yes, I said ‘ass waffle.’ With syrup.
The Profanity Generator is available online from Fred Flare for $10.95(USD).
Motorola will be supplying China’s WASU Digital Group, a cable and broadband provider, with the HMC3260 Android entertainment device for cloud-based, broadband internet streaming. Dubbed “Cloud Broadband” by the operator, the device will provide the primary connection for “hybrid fiber coax networks,” while also offering an 18.5-inch touchscreen interface, based on an unnamed flavor of Android. WASU claims the device will allow “easy access and search” for on-demand HD video services, storage, games and apps, on top of regular cable TV services. There’s no mention of internal storage or any other specs or service details, but adding an Android-based touchscreen to a broadband connection device? Sounds like a promising idea.
You’ve probably wanted at some point in time to be able to fully engage your date or a client. Here’s another tool to help you accomplish your goal. RISR is a “sensor web” that will help you get the most out of each conversation.
RISR is a sensor web that connects to your cellphone and scans it for body language cues. I guess this kind of thing should be pretty useful for some sufferers of autism spectrum disorder, as some have trouble with this. RISR vibrates on your body, telling it how to move to ensure a maximal engagement. Most people do this subconsciously, mirroring the position of the people they talk to. If that all doesn’t make too much sense to you, watch the video below for a demo:
The firm behind RISR has just announced this tech, and they will also help you with consultations to get the most out of your RISR vest. It will be deployed this fall.
I bet many iPhone users spend a lot of time streaming video from YouTube on their smartphones when they have time to kill. The iPhone has had native support for YouTube since day one, but thanks to its ongoing war with Google, Apple announced not too long ago that it would be discontinuing support for YouTube natively with iOS 6 (and more than likely with the iPhone 5). YouTube has launched their own solution to that problem. As of today, YouTube has announced the launch of its official iPhone and iPod Touch YouTube app.
The app can be downloaded on the App Store right now and brings new features that iPhone users haven’t had in the past. First off, the new app allows access to tens of thousands of additional videos since many publishers had restricted playback to when they could monetize their content. Ironically, Apple’s elimination of the built-in YouTube app may actually make Google much more money, now that the app can support pre-roll advertising. Early reviews state that the new app is faster than the Apple bundled app, which hasn’t been updated in a very long time.
In addition, the app also has a channel guide accessed by swiping a finger on the left edge of the screen. The channel guide offers users direct access to all their subscribed channels on YouTube. The app also has new search tools to give video suggestions as you type and allows users to flip through related videos, comments, and more info while watching a video. The app also allows users to share videos they find via Google+, twitter, Facebook, text messages, and e-mail.
Yesterday marked the launch of a new service from Valve with the beta of Big Picture mode for Steam. Big Picture mode is a version of the Steam digital delivery platform designed to operate on big HDTVs rather than smaller computer monitors. The new mode will allow users with high-end media PCs connected to the TV to get higher quality graphics in the living room than they can with their consoles.
Despite numerous rumors to the contrary, Valve does not intend to launch its own game console any time soon. Rather the goal was apparently to make PC gaming more accessible and convenient in the living room. I’d love to have some of my PC games on my massive projector screen and this new Big Picture mode will make that easier than ever.
Big Picture mode looks sort of like the dashboard on an Xbox 360 or on other set-top boxes. You can use it to purchase games, surf the Internet, and chat with friends using the standard in-game overlay. Naturally, Big Picture mode has fonts, icons, and menus optimized for viewing on a big screen. The mode is also designed with prompts that can be used via a game controller from across the room, and even has a special keyboard mode optimized for game controllers. As a matter of fact, they recommend the Xbox 360 Controller for Windows, or the Logitech Gamepad F710 for gameplay and controlling the interface.
PC users can opt into the Big Picture beta now. There’s no word yet on when the Mac version will be available, though Valve says it’s “coming soon.”
A few months back, robot/toy designer Jaimie Mantzel showed off an early prototype of a six-legged robot toy that looked pretty damned awesome. He announced at the time that he was working on it so a production version could eventually be made, and now we can see the final build in action!
The first of the six-legged robots in the new Combat Creatures line-up is dubbed Attacknid (despite not having eight legs like a spider, but I don’t care.) The final version of the robot measures 10 inches-tall, and can fire foam projectiles up to 30 feet from its 360° rotating head. You can choose from three different weapons, including foam “Dissector Discs” (included), or upgrade with “Snyper Darts” or “Destroyer Spheres.” Despite not seeing pics of them yet, those all sound awesome to me.
Check out Jaimie showing some of the first Attacknids off the assembly line in the video clip below…
Of course, the entire thing can be controlled remotely, and the 2.4GHz wireless communication supports up to FORTY robots in simultaneous battle! Oh, and if you hit your opponents armor directly it “explodes” off of its legs – and three direct hits shuts down the other ‘bot cold. And from the looks of the video clip, you can swap out colored skins on your ‘bot too.
Oh, and its designer is encouraging hacks and mods, as is proven by this freakishly awesome, illuminated Attacknid somebody already put together:
The Attacknid Combat Creature is available for pre-order now for £69.99 (~$112 USD) for delivery in the U.S. and the UK, though only the UK will get their orders in 2012. That price includes the Attacknid robot in black, a red skin set, the remote control, Disector weapon, 20 foam Dissector discs, and various other bits and bobs. No word yet on how much the add-on weapons and skins will sell for.
Chad Ruble’s mom has aphasia, a condition she acquired because of a stroke that she had 12 years ago. Like many other people with aphasia, Chad’s mom has a hard time reading and writing, so she can’t use email the way the rest of us do. But with the help of Chad and a Microsoft Kinect, she can now send simple emails.
Chad made a “visual dashboard” that shows a range of emoticons as well as signal bars to help her mom indicate the intensity of those emotions, e.g. there’s an icon for happiness, and the signal bars let her specify how happy she is.
He then used a Kinect and a program he based on open source code to track his mom’s hand as well as to generate and send the email.
It’s okay. I cried a bit too. Wipe your tears and head to Chad’s blog for more details on his hack. I wonder if the dashboard would be easier to use via a touchscreen device.
Feel free to correct me on this, but I find that a lot of things I want or need are way cheaper overseas. Maybe it’s the huge import taxes or the markup that retailers put on the goods once they reach me here (in the Philippines,) but I know a lot of people who hoard whenever they go out of the country (my family included.)
The consequence of hoarding is having to pay excessive excess baggage fees when it’s time to head back home. Of course, you can avoid that by just shipping all your extra stuff home. And for the things you just have to hand carry, there’s the Jaktogo.
Like a Scottevest on steroids, the Jaktogo is an outrageous, even atrocious-looking garment that will make you look like you’re wearing a giant-sized garbage bag. But it can carry up to 33 pounds of stuff, so that has to count for something.
Jaktogo is available online for €79.95 (~$102 USD).
The latest horse in the increasingly cluttered mobile controller race is still hampered by the same problem as the others: it’s not compatible with all mobile games. But it is compatible with a lot of hardware, not just mobile devices.
On the Android side, the SteelSeries Free Mobile controller works with all Zeemote-enabled apps, while on the iOS side it should work with all apps that are also compatible with the iCade. Aside from that limited compatibility, the controller should also work with “controller-enabled” PC and Mac games.
Hardware wise, the controller connects via Bluetooth and has almost the same layout as a PS3 controller, except it only has two shoulder buttons. It has a rechargeable battery, which apparently is good for up to 20 hours of “casual play.” I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean.
The controller will be available for the rather exorbitant price of $80 (USD) (€80 in other European markets) this October. One interesting tidbit that I read on the controller’s product page is that SteelSeries is working on a “mobile version” of Engine, the company’s app that lets users customize their controllers. I wonder if it means that the company has found a way to make the controller be compatible with more games.
You may remember back before Apple jumped into the digital book market, digital books were cheaper. Amazon was selling a digital book for less money than a print book, and rightly so. When Apple stepped in and allowed publishers set their own pricing, retail prices of digital books went up everywhere.
There is no justification for a digital book to cost the same amount of money as a physical book that has to be printed and delivered. This move was never anything other than book publishers lining their pockets with higher profits. The high prices of digital books caught the eye of federal regulators and an investigation ensued.
That investigation is over and has ended in a settlement by publishers without admitting any wrongdoing. However, if you purchased a best-selling book between April 2010 and May of 2012, you’re eligible to get a single dollar in refund. The credit will be deposited into your Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or iTunes account. Users who purchased books through Sony or Google will get refunds via a check. It sounds like you don’t have to fill out any paperwork, because honestly one dollar isn’t worth the effort. The total money publishers will pay back to customers works out to $69 million.
In addition, the major publishing houses of Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster will grant retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble the ability to set their own retail pricing. You can read more details of the settlement here.
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I’m not saying you should take the pad and yell out insults to the person who offended you. Rather, you might find that it actually helps dissipate your anger by showing you a neat selection of often humorous curses like ‘crap wad’, ‘fart monkey’, and ‘ass waffle.’ Yes, I said ‘ass waffle.’ With syrup.
