Netflix Cloud Prize offers over $100,000 in rewards to cloud computing gurus

Netflix Cloud Prize offers over $100,000 in rewards to cloud computing gurus

Netflix has a vested interest in fostering cloud computing — after all, that’s increasingly the company’s core business. Accordingly, it’s not going to just sit around and wait for a breakthrough. The subscription service is kicking off its Netflix Cloud Prize competition in the hopes that developers can move technology a little faster. Programmers who build upon Netflix’s open-source code before September 15th can win from a pool of $100,000 spread equally among 10 categories, ranging from performance improvements to what has to be our automatic favorite: “best new monkey.” Each winner also gets $5,000 in Amazon Web Services credit, flights to Las Vegas and a spot at Amazon’s user conference this November. The challenge won’t completely make up for the end to Netflix’s public API, but it does show that at least some tinkerers are welcome in the streaming video giant’s world.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: Netflix (GitHub)

DIYRockets starts a challenge to build open source, 3D-printed rocket engines

DIYRockets and Sunglass start a challenge to make open source, 3Dprinted rocket engines

DIYRockets believes that our chances of advancing space exploration improve when everyone can lend a hand. The company is putting its money where its mouth is by launching a competition to develop 3D-printed rocket motors using Sunglass’ cloud design platform. Teams who sign up have to build an engine that could boost a nanosatellite-level payload into low Earth orbit using 3D-printed steel and other safe materials. The only major stipulations are that creators present a good business case and open-source their creations to help out other builders. DIYRockets’ prize strategy reflects its for-the-greater-good ambitions: there’s a $5,000 award for the best motor, but there are separate $2,500 prizes for both a student creation and the design that contributes the most to the industry. Registration officially starts on March 9th, and runs until April 6th, with the finished models due on June 1st. We’ll be closer to a crowdsourced vision of space when the winners are revealed by July 1st.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: DIYRockets

Pwnie Express launches the Pwn Pad, takes hackproofing on the road

Pwnie Express launches the Pwn Pad, takes hackproofing on the road

Pwnie Express-made security tools like the Power Pwn have mostly been stationary creatures that aren’t much help when checking for network vulnerabilities on the move. There’s now a more mobile version, though, in the Pwn Pad. The kit combines a Nexus 7 with USB-based Bluetooth, Ethernet and WiFi to gauge the security of a network beyond what Google’s tablet can manage on its own. Ubuntu Linux is available in the Pwn Pad’s software loadout, but part of the appeal comes from running a suite of tools in Android that aren’t always available on the platform, such as Kismet. The $795 price will seem steep to those who bought the plain Nexus 7 at a quarter of the price, although it might end up being a discount for security gurus who want to leave bulkier tools — even their laptops — at home.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Via: Wired

Source: Pwnie Express

Tizen 2.0 SDK and source code emerge from alpha, bring slew of new features

Tizen 2.0 SDK and source code emerge from alpha, bring slew of new features

Sure, an early version of Tizen 2.0 Magnolia may have first emerged last September, but now the SDK and source code have dropped the “alpha” designation for a proper release. After a few months of incubation, the open source OS has been laden with enhanced support for HTML5 and a beefed up Web UI framework that enables full-screen and multi-window features. Developers can now leverage new hardware APIs for Bluetooth and NFC support, and access a device’s call history, calendar and messaging “subsystems.” Support for background applications, text-to-speech and IP Push have also made it into the operating system along with reference applications including the likes of a calendar, gallery and phone app. In addition, a native IDE and a spruced up web development environment have been released with the latest code. Hit the source link for the full skinny and appropriate downloads.

[Image credit: Tizen Project, Flickr]

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Source: Tizen

Adafruit’s Limor Fried takes on the Engadget Questionnaire

Adafruit's Limor Fried takes on the Engadget Questionnaire

Every week, a new and interesting human being tackles our decidedly geeky take on the Proustian Q&A. This is the Engadget Questionnaire.

In the inaugural appearance of our questionnaire on Engadget, Adafruit founder Limor Fried opens up about her love for her Metcal MX-500 soldering station and the joys of open-source build projects. Follow us after the break for more from Limor.

Filed under:

Comments

Photoshop v1.0.1 released free to everyone, including Australians

Image

Our Antipodean chums might be getting a raw deal on modern versions of Photoshop, but at least they can try 1989’s vintage without paying. The Computer History Museum, with Adobe’s permission, has released the source code to version 1.0.1 free to citizens of the world, just as it did with MacPaint back in 2010. It’s just a shame that current CEO Shantanu Narayen isn’t feeling so generous to those on the southern hemisphere.

Filed under:

Comments

Via: Adafruit

Source: Computer History Museum

Netflix and YouTube’s DIAL promises to be open alternative to AirPlay

It’s already clear that most of us prefer watching Netflix on TV rather than on our PCs or tablets, but it appears the subscription video pioneer isn’t content with just direct streaming. As we learned at CES 2013, Netflix is currently in cahoots with YouTube to build out a multiscreen initiative called DIAL (which stands for “discovery and launch”) that could provide real competition for Apple’s AirPlay. It works in essentially the same way — DIAL lets you play streaming video on compatible TVs without having to launch the app first — but there are a few key differences. Unlike AirPlay, DIAL lets you launch apps, even web apps, on the TV — if it’s a Smart TV, you’ll even be redirected to download an appropriate app from its app store. However, it can’t send URLs to the TV and mirror displays like AirPlay can, supposedly to avoid protocol conflicts as it builds its network of partnerships.

And that’s where DIAL’s growing momentum comes in. According to GigaOm, DIAL is an open protocol, which gives it massive dev and OEM appeal. All Google TV boxes already have it, while Sony, Samsung and LG are reportedly very interested. Scott Mirer, director of product management at Netflix, said the latter two have already incorporated it in some 2012 TVs, with more coming in the future. More important is the support from app devs and content providers — BBC, Hulu, Pandora and Flingo have already signed up to take part in the effort, with Chrome purportedly working on DIAL compatibility for browser-to-TV page-flinging. On the whole, it’s a promising path for not just Netflix and YouTube, which have previously only released relatively limited remote control applications, but the second screen movement in general.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: GigaOm

Mozilla devs working on Firefox for OUYA

DNP Mozilla devs working to get Firefox on the OUYA

Sure the OUYA may have captured the imagination of indie game developers everywhere, but open-source fans will be glad to know it’s sparked the interest of Mozilla’s Firefox team as well. According to an OUYAForum post by administrator Ed Krassenstein, a Mozilla developer had sent him a note detailing the process of bringing the popular browser to the Kickstarter-funded gaming console. The team apparently managed to get it running after some preliminary patches, but it still has a ways to go — WebGL, Canvas and relevant API support still needs polish. The dev in question has since been identified as mobile platform engineer Chris Lord, who tweeted the revealing picture above along with the note that it’s “kinda unusable” for now. Still, they do have around three months before the console ships, which could be enough for them to perfect an OUYA version of the foxy browser just in time for launch day.

[Image credit: Chris Lord, Twitter]

Filed under:

Comments

Via: TechCrunch

Source: OUYAforum

Intel publishes 13 Linux benchmarks to help speed test distros

Intel publishes 13 Linux benchmarks to help speed test our distros

With the occasional exception, Intel has offered healthy Linux support in recent years. Proof positive may be a gift to the community this weekend: the chip designer’s Open-Source Technology Center just gave Phoronix 13 miniature, OS-level Linux benchmarks that it had previously reserved for its own use. The tests are humdrum affairs like decompression tests, but they could give a significant lift to developers testing distributions, drivers and other Linux code where squeezing out a sliver of added OS performance could make all the difference. The collection has just been uploaded as part of the Phoronix Test Suite; hit the source link if you’re wondering just how speedy that Slackware installation might be.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: Phoronix

MediaPortal posts 2.0 alpha media hub and new remote apps, teases 1.3 beta with Titan

MediaPortal posts 20 alpha and new remotes, teases 13 beta with Titan

Home theater PC owners only just recovering from their turkey or tofu comas will have some updating to do — MediaPortal has been busy. The experimenters among us will most likely want to jump straight into the promised MediaPortal 2.0 Alpha Autumn, which carries new visual layouts and video backgrounds, a news plug-in and a party-friendly music player. New versions of remote tools like aMPdroid, MPExtended, WebMediaPortal and WifiRemote bring their own slew of upgrades, such as HTTP Live Streaming in MPExtended or a “what’s new” interface in aMPdroid. We’ll readily admit that our eye is most drawn to the yet-to-be-launched MediaPortal 1.3 beta’s addition of the Titan skin you see up above: going beyond what we saw in October, the extra-polished look goes a long way towards accommodating newcomers and the style-conscious. We’re still waiting on publicly accessible 1.3 beta code, but everything else is waiting for open-source media hubs at the included links.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Via: Missing Remote

Source: MediaPortal (1), (2), (3)