Layar Creator sees an interactive future for print media via augmented reality (video) — Engadget

Posted on June 6, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Heavy hitters across several industries have tried to find the perfect balance between the old and the new to breathe some life into what’s been described as a dying medium. Layar “wants to make the world clickable” with its augmented reality software and doesn’t plan on letting paper-based media go the way of paying for long distance or total privacy. Instead, it’s opted to fully welcome it into this brave new digital world by letting publishers embed videos and interactive buttons onto existing printed materials. A mobile app can then display superimposed content that pops right up on the page when viewed through a device’s camera. The new web app, Layar Creator, is free if you can get your stuff published and all Layared up before August 1st, but if you’re a procrastinator, a 100-page bundle will run €999 ($1,242), or €15 ($18.65) per page. You can see the Layar Creator and AR app in full effect right after the break.

via Layar Creator sees an interactive future for print media via augmented reality (video) — Engadget.

see video.. Continue reading →

Posted in Interesting, Tech, [ STR ] | Leave a comment

Mophie’s Juice Pack PRO aims to keep iPhone 4 / 4S protected and powered during wild adventures — Engadget

Posted on June 6, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Staying true to its peripheral nature, Mophie’s outed yet another iPhone companion: the Juice Pack PRO. Although the new power-boosting case doesn’t carry as much juice as that Powerstation (not surprising, really), it does offer similar ruggedized aesthetics — which should come in handy the next time you decide to take your Cupertino handset on a hazardous trip. Mophie notes the Juice Pack PRO can more than double the iPhone 4 / 4S life with its 2,500mAh battery, but the company’s also placing a hefty amount of focus on the add-on’s water splash, sand, impact and shock protection features — these, naturally, earned the PRO a MIL-STD 810G (Military Standard) rating on the testing grounds. If all that makes this Juice the one for you, then gather up $130 and head over to the Mophie site to snag one for yourself.

via Mophie’s Juice Pack PRO aims to keep iPhone 4 / 4S protected and powered during wild adventures — Engadget.

Posted in Breaking News, Interesting, Tech | Leave a comment

Exposure to Awesome Things Makes You a Better Person

Posted on June 6, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

“Awesome” is a word which is thrown around liberally these days. But a new study suggests that things that inspire awe—that is, a feeling of respect mixed with fear or wonder—actually help make you a better person.

The research, carried out at Stanford University by Melanie Rudd, shows that a sense of awe expands people’s perceptions of time, enhances feelings of well-being, and even causes people to behave more altruistically and less materialistically.

via Exposure to Awesome Things Makes You a Better Person.

Posted in Interesting, Science, tips, [ STR ] | Leave a comment

Theres Never Been a Worse Time to Buy a Laptop

Posted on June 6, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

If youre thinking about buying a laptop any time soon, dont. Just dont do it. Were at a unique point in history, where weird and wonderful new hardware and revolutionary platform changes of every stripe will converge over the next few months.Need proof? Heres why you need to wait.

via Theres Never Been a Worse Time to Buy a Laptop.

Posted in Deals, Interesting, Opinion, Tech, tips, [ STR ] | Leave a comment

snopes.com: Health Care Reform Legislation Requires Microchip Implantation?

Posted on June 6, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

There are articles and Facebook posting going around about Obama requiring all American to be implanted with a microchip in order to use the health care system. REALLY!

Switch out the “Obama microchip” thing for whatever the “issue” of the day happens to be. It doesn’t matter the topic. if one person re-shares it then everyone follows. Do you really believe everything you’re told without looking into it yourself? I don’t care who you vote for or what party you belong to. Your beliefs are your own. Do yourself a favor, question everything, research things on your own and please don’t believe everything on Facebook. Don’t believe me for that matter if you don’t want to. Just because it was re-shared doesn’t make it TRUE. The re-share button it’s becoming the old forward all of the email days. Re-share is the new SPAM.

I’m not asking you to not re-share things. If you believe in something by all means re-share it with your group of friends and follower. That’s what Facebook is for after all. I’m asking you to, Think before you click!!!

Follow the link below and decide for yourself don’t believe me please. Make up your mind!

Just a thought!

snopes.com: Health Care Reform Legislation Requires Microchip Implantation?.

Posted in Interesting, Opinion, tips, [ STR ] | Leave a comment

Why the Venus Transit Is One of the Most Important Events in Scientific History

Posted on June 5, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

On June 5, the planet Venus will appear to pass in front of the Sun as seen from the surface of the Earth. This phenomenon, called a transit of Venus, happens only a few times in 250 years. The next one will be in 2117 AD. Here’s a guide to watching the once-in-a-lifetime event. But why does it matter?

It provides interplanetary perspective.

Transits of Venus were scientific gold for early astronomers, who used them to derive an accurate measurement of the size of the solar system. By noting the time each planet took to go around the sun, and then crunching that data via methods developed by 17th century mathematician Johannes Kepler, these telescope-equipped boffins could determine each planet’s relative distance from the sun, as measured in terms of astronomical units (the distance from the Earth to the Sun). Collecting such data during a transit was the reason Captain Cook was able to travel halfway around the world from London to Tahiti in 1769.

via Why the Venus Transit Is One of the Most Important Events in Scientific History.

Posted in Interesting, Science | Leave a comment

This Physical Keyboard Magically Appears and Disappears on Top of Touchscreens

Posted on June 5, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Someday in the future—lets say the year 2043—you might be using a tablet. Maybe its the iPad 33, or the Samsung Galaxy Nexus 10.7857342. One second, youre browsing the internet, sliding your finger across the screens smooth surface. Then you realize need to fire off an email. At your command, a 3D, physical, haptic keyboard bubbles up almost magically, letting you fire off your correspondence sans difficulty. When this happens, it could be because of the technology Tactus is working on today.

via This Physical Keyboard Magically Appears and Disappears on Top of Touchscreens.

Posted in Hacking, Interesting, Science, Tech, [ STR ] | Leave a comment

Airtime Is Just Chatroulette Without the Dicks

Posted on June 5, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Airtime is a new startup by Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning (of Napster fame) that recycles an old idea: Chatroulette. Yep, that random video chatting dickfest invented by some Russian teenager has seemingly been redressed in tailored suits and landscaped beards and is totally going to change the world. Joke. It’s Chatroulette buttoned-up, which means less fun but ideally more useful.

Airtime is a new Facebook App/one-on-one video chatting service that can hopefully avoid cockshows because the service is directly tied to your Facebook account. By not allowing anonymous accounts, the idea is to not allow anonymous penises. If you want to name the prick, by all means (though Airtime is supposed to have visual recognition software to discourage this too).

via Airtime Is Just Chatroulette Without the Dicks.

Posted in Interesting, iOS, Tech, [ STR ] | Leave a comment

Apple iOS: Open source iPhone would be bad news for many users

Posted on June 5, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

The Electronic Frontier Foundation ruffled some feathers last week when it published a report calling for Apple to adopt a more open model with its mobile and desktop platforms. Apple is hurting users by making use of a closed model with iOS and OS X, which the EFF likened to “beautiful crystal prisons,” and also by imposing unnecessary limitations on its devices because the open source community is not being utilized. While a number of people agree with the EFF, highlighting the fact that Android’s open source model is part of the reason for its wide adoption among tech savvy consumers, many insist that Apple’s closed model is not just a benefit but one of the most important features of its mobile and desktop devices.

Eric Testorff, a Technology Coordinator in Crossville, Tennessee, recently spoke with BGR about his experience with Android and iOS in an education environment. Tasked with deploying and managing the devices and systems used by Cumberland County schools, Testorff has a great deal of experience with Windows PCs, Macs and mobile devices.

“Thank God Apple is the way it is, especially with so many schools purchasing iPads,” Testorff told BGR. “It is good that it is so difficult for kids to download and install bad Apps. Not every school knows how to police that. At least Apple does some of the policing for us. With Androids, it’s like the Wild West.”

While education is one example of an industry where there are clear benefits to a closed system, the added security of Apple’s App Store model is appealing to the enterprise market as well.

via Apple iOS: Open source iPhone would be bad news for many users.

Posted in Interesting, iOS, Opinion, Tech, [ STR ] | Leave a comment

Man Lives in His Own Private 727 in the Woods

Posted on June 5, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

If you’ve ever seen the movie Alive, you know how uncomfortable it can be living in the fuselage of a passenger jet. But one man seems to have made it work with his very own Boeing 727 that he calls home.

CNN reports on one Bruce Campbell, a mild-mannered Oregonian who purchased a 1969 Olympic Airways Boeing 727-200 for $100,000 from an aircraft broker. It may not be as fancy as this plush 747 mansion in Malibu, but Bruce’s humble abode includes a flushable toilet and all the leg-room he could ask for.

via Man Lives in His Own Private 727 in the Woods.

Posted in Hacking, HowTo, Humor, Interesting, [ STR ] | Leave a comment