Hasta La Gadget!

Vitamins Design wanted an organizational calendar that was “big and visible,” so it did what any company would do: it turned to Lego. Using the plastic bricks, Vitamins was able to create a three-month calendar that provides near-instant visual feedback about which employee is scheduled to work on what project and when. Sounds simple enough, right? Here’s where it gets interesting: Take a picture of the quarterly chronicle with any smartphone, send the image to a special email address and the block placement will be translated to its Google Calendar equivalent. Even better, the sync software was written using open-source code, and Vitamins plans to make it available online. The company says it’ll work with any cloud-based calendar too — not just Mountain View’s. Sounds great, as long as no one’s making late-night barefoot runs to the office kitchen.

Filed under: Software

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Via: Geek

Source: Vitamins Design

Google’s big list of open source projects just grew by one — the company has introduced a new online learning platform called MOOC.org. Despite the name, it’s not a website about cows — MOOC stands for “massive open online courses,” and it’s a product of the marriage between Mountain View and edX, an educational website by MIT and Harvard. However, while edX only features free courses from affiliated universities, MOOC.org will accept material submitted by other institutions, governments, businesses and even individuals. In short, just about anyone can pitch in — edX’s president even revealed that they want the site to eventually become the “YouTube for MOOCs.” The companies have yet to reveal how they’ll screen submitted courses for quality and how contributors can earn money, but we’ll likely find out when the site launches in mid-2014. Self-motivated folks eager to learn will have to hang out around libraries, campuses and TED talks until then.

[Image credit: University of Salford, Flickr]

Filed under: Misc, Google

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Via: Slate, WSJ

Source: mooc.org, Google Research

While there’s no shortage of tools to find lost Android smartphones, they’re not especially secure; it’s theoretically easy to spy on a handset without consent. The CyanogenMod team may foil those would-be snoopers with its newly detailed Device Finder service. Unlike many locators, Device Finder avoids storing passwords and encryption keys on its servers. Only the user’s browser and the missing gadget know how to talk to each other, reducing the chances that ne’er-do-wells will steal logins or conduct man-in-the-middle attacks. The optional tool will eventually find its way into future CyanogenMod ROMs, although the developers have already posted source code for those who want to verify Device Finder’s security first-hand.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: CyanogenMod (Google+), CyanogenMod Blog

If you’re upset that Google hasn’t posted factory images for the new Nexus 7, you’re not alone. Android Open Source Project maintainer Jean-Baptiste Quéru has just confirmed that he’s leaving his role in the wake of legal issues that prevent him from publishing a Nexus 7 image with working graphics. While he isn’t specific about the nature of the conflict, Android Police and others believe that Qualcomm isn’t ready to offer its video drivers for use in AOSP builds. We’ve reached out to both Google and Qualcomm, and we’ll let you know if they have any further insight. In the meantime, don’t expect a Nexus 7 image anytime soon — Google will likely need a new AOSP overseer, and Quéru doesn’t see any progress on the horizon.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Google

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Via: Liliputing

Source: Jean-Baptiste Queru (Google+), Google Groups

While DAB radio is common in the UK, its broadcasting equipment is usually too expensive for community broadcasters. However, Ofcom’s Rashid Mustapha has shown that the technology is now within reach of amateurs. Taking advantage of DAB’s newly patent-free status, Mustapha tested a low-power digital transmitter based on an open source software radio and a Linux PC; he only had to stream that radio to an aerial through long-range WiFi. His solution would cost just £1,400 ($2,153) per year to run, letting many community radio operators make the leap to digital. The study doesn’t represent an automatic green light for low-power DAB — more work is needed, Mustapha says — but it’s clear that small-scale stations won’t be stuck in the analog world forever.

Filed under: Wireless

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Via: The Register

Source: Ofcom (PDF)