We can all thank Youtube funny person PleatedJeans for recording this ultimate video catalog of the true names for those every day doodads and wotsists and thingabobs we know so well. It’s funny, because it’s true. And it’s so true, you’ll be sorry you didn’t think of putting out this list first. [BuzzFeed]
via Better Names for The Everyday Thingamajigs In Your Life.
If you asked me back in the year 2000, what 2012 was going to be like, I’m not sure I could have gave you a good answer. So you could imagine how wrong people back in 1899 were about the year 2000. They thought there were going to be flying firemen!
It’s funny to see people’s vision of the future mostly because it’s ridiculous but also because it’s constrained by the reality of their present. People in 1899 didn’t know that touch screens and tablets would be a thing, the just imagined more complicated and automated versions of what they already had. They weren’t completely wrong though, they knew we would figure out a way to find an electric floor scrubber and invent awesome bathtubs.
The pictures were made by Jean-Marc Côté and other artists in France in 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1910. The first series of these pictures were produced for the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris. [Public Domain Review via Explore]
via What People in 1899 Thought the Year 2000 Would Look Like.
Antisec has released 1 million Apple Unique Device Identifiers UDIDs, claiming that it obtained them after breaching an FBI computer. It also claims to have over 12 million IDs in total, along with user names, device names, cell phone numbers and addresses to go with them. This is very not good. Click link to read more
via AntiSec Leaks 1 Million Apple Device IDs Obtained During FBI Breach.
Reuters was tipped off to a survey that reveals Walmart, the worlds largest retailer, is testing a new system that would allow customers to scan items with their iPhone then quickly pay at a self-checkout counter. The “Scan & Go” feature wont let you pay with your phone, at least not yet, but rather than scanning each item individually in line, shoppers will be able to quickly transfer their list to the kiosk and pay in one quick step. The hope is that the new system will dramatically speed checkout times and reduce congestion in the stores. The trial is taking place at the supercenter Rogers, AR, where the entire event will be monitored and recorded for research purposes. Participants are being rewarded with $100 and a $25 gift certificate towards their shopping experience. When or if “Scan & Go” will be delivered to John Q. Public remains to be seen. But were sure fans of rolled back prices are eager to see it go live.
via Walmart testing Scan & Go iPhone self-checkout app, cashiers becoming endangered species — Engadget.
Google Docs and Gmail can be used together to create a simple yet flexible way of tracking just about anything. For example, you can easily track your expenses, create a workout log, or set up a food diary. Heres how.The Power Tips for Google blog offers this awesome tip for setting up a form in Google Docs and then quickly accessing it in Gmail. The system is really easy to set up:
via Use Gmail and Google Docs to Easily and Quickly Track Anything.
So far, Sony and Samsung have dominated IFA with a torrent of magical TVs and new phones. But quietly, LG is showing off one of the coolest monitors we’ve ever seen.
The Verge reports the 2560 x 1080 29-inch EA93 monitor boasts a highly unconventional 21:9 aspect ratio—most wide screens are 16:9. This means more screen real estate for windows aplenty—possibly sparing your desk from an additional monitor. It’d also make for a pretty fantastic Windows 8 display, giving the horizontal-heavy Metro Start Menu plenty of room to luxuriate. A little extra resolution would be nice, though—but maybe we’re just spoiled by the Retina MacBook Pro. No word on pricing or availability, but expect it to be a lot of money. [Verge]
This morning Hans Nyberg sent me the most impressive panorama Ive seen of Mars yet, made from images released by NASA on August 27. Put it at full screen and look around. Its just like being right there, but with oxygen and air conditioning.The size of Mount Sharp—which is 12 miles 20 kilometers from the rover—is truly impressive. Its the first time that we have been able to see such terrain features on Mars—which actually feels like Death Valley, Mojave or any other desert on Earth. Except for the rattlesnakes. [Panoramas]
After last year’s awesome mind-controlled and small transparent television, we made naturally a beeline to the Haier booth on the floor of this year’s IFA. While it wasn’t yet fully unpacked, we were still pretty impressed with what we saw. The first stop on the visit: this year’s version of the transparent TV prototype. So, how’s it different than its predecessor? For one thing, it’s a lot bigger. At 46-inches, this set feels a lot less like a toy. In fact, it’s actually intended for retail usage, and as such, the company had it set up in front a group of mannequins showing off the fashions of Kaska Hass. You can see them quite well through the other wise of the set in the videos and images.
The display is connected to a Windows PC at the moment, a tower visible in a nook below the set. You can use touch to control the interface — it’s capable of detecting up to six touch points at once. We used the display to open Quicktime and launch a video, playing, not surprisingly, some footage of Kaska Hass fashion shows. The touch was fairly responsive, the image, on the other hand, is quite dark and not particularly hi-res, particularly when surround by a booth of much nicer sets.
Again, keep in mind, this isn’t intended to be a consumer technology — at least not for the time being, and retailers may well not be quite as picky as people sitting in their living room — and, like a lot of the more forward thinking products, it’s not quite ready for prime time. Still, you can check out a video of what we saw after the break.
via Haier’s 46-inch transparent display shows up at IFA, we go eyes-on (video) — Engadget.
A new iPhone is coming and if you want to smartly get rid of your old iPhone before it gets even older, you would want to sell it off for as much as you can get. If that’s too much work, go for perhaps the easiest route: sell your old iPhone back to Apple. They’re taking old iPhones with open arms.
Apple is accepting old iPhones as part of itsReuse and Recycle Program and the value you get from Cupertino actually isn’t too terrible: an excellent condition iPhone 4S 64GB can fetch $345 while a used and slightly scuffed iPhone 4 16GB will still score you $160. All you have to do is send the iPhone with the power cable and Apple will give you a gift certificate which you can promptly use to buy… your next iPhone. It’s like swapping car leases but for phones. [Apple via The Next Web]
via Apple Will Buy Your Old iPhone for Good Money So You Can Buy a New iPhone 5.
Text messaging is arguably the most casual form of communication available—and, back when we all first began to text on our dumbphones, the sort of shorthand style that developed was perfectly reasonable. Why strain to type out full words, when a universally understood abbreviation could do the job just as well?
Now that smartphones are the norm, a perfectly punctuated message—all its words spelled out in full—is easy to craft but seems somehow contrived. Or maybe it’s a relief and a very good thing. I don’t know. I text different contacts differently.
Do you bother? Do you care?
It's my life, you're just along for the ride! 