AT&T developing tech to help parents keep teenagers from texting and driving, hopes to saves lives — Engadget

Posted on August 16, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

By now, youre likely aware of some of the repercussions that come with shooting an innocent text to a friend while being behind the wheel. Well, in an effort to keep these unfortunate accidents from ever occurring, the AT&T Foundrys been hard at work, hoping to come up with solutions to help with this serious matter. Most recently, the Rethink Possible outfit showed off an application thats currently in the works; one that allows parents to track their teenage drivers every move, as well as remotely turn off calls and disable all messaging features — which the carrier says will be a great compliment to its DriveMode app. Its worth noting the unnamed application was being showcased on one of Cupertinos slates, but AT&Ts said its willing to work with “device makers, car makers and developers,” as the ultimate goal is to ultimately “encourage more solutions.” Theres a video past the break for your viewing pleasure, and we think its worth all of its 197 seconds of airtime.

via AT&T developing tech to help parents keep teenagers from texting and driving, hopes to saves lives — Engadget.

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How Your Brain Cleans Itself

Posted on August 16, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Your brain needs to clean itself. Not because its cluttered with inane thoughts or clogged by your filthy sense of humor, but because—like every other organ—it creates waste products. Now, scientists have worked out how it keeps itself clean.The rest of your body has this thing called the lymphatic system: a series of tubes and vessels that filter out garbage and ship it out of the body. But your brains a small, sealed unit when it comes to waste. “If you look at a body-wide map of the lymphatic system, you see a great big void in the brain,” explained neuroscientist Jeffrey Iliff to Wired.

via How Your Brain Cleans Itself.

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iPad mini won’t be much smaller, but will be a lot narrower, thinner, and lighter | iMore.com

Posted on August 15, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

iMore previously reported that Apple would be releasing an iPad mini in October for around $200-$250, and that it would be announced at the iPhone 5 event on September 12. At the time we heard that it looked and worked like the 9.7-inch iPad, only smaller. That maked sense both from a financial and interface perspective. However, unlike the next iPhone whose parts leaks have given us an idea of just what it might look like, the exact design of the 7-inch iPad has been much more mysterious. Earlier tonight, however, Seth Weintraub from 9to5Mac posted a mockup of the iPad mini showing a narrower profile with a much thinner size bezel than the 9.7-inch iPad.

via iPad mini won’t be much smaller, but will be a lot narrower, thinner, and lighter | iMore.com.

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One Laptop Per Childs XO-4 Touch expected to be released in Q1 2013 — Engadget

Posted on August 15, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

One Laptop Per Child hasnt exactly been silent about the upcoming release of its XO Touch, but details have thus far been fairly thin. The companys offered up a little more information on the matter, while sprinkling in some extra bits on the device its now referring to as the XO-4 Touch. The release of the laptop / tablet “dual function” education device is now “expected in Q1 2013,” according to the non-profit. Beyond that, details of timing and price are still quite vague. The XO-4 touch will feature a multi-touch display from Neonode that can be used in sunlight and will be packing a Marvell ARMADA 2128 processor inside.

via One Laptop Per Childs XO-4 Touch expected to be released in Q1 2013 — Engadget.

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The Miracle Cure Thats Hiding in Plain Sight

Posted on August 15, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Youve maybe never heard of Bacillus Calmette–Guérin—it sounds kinda French after all, so why would you? But scratch a little deeper and youll find that BCG, as its commonly known, is one of the most overlooked wonder-drugs of our time.BCG is first and foremost the worlds most common tuberculosis vaccine, and was first used in humans all the way back in 1921. Made from a weakened strain of live bovine tuberculosis bacteria, its been show to be up to 80 percent effective in preventing TB for a duration of 15 years, depending on geographical location. Thats pretty impressive, which is why—US aside—its shoved into many a childhood arm around the world. But thats just the beginning.

via The Miracle Cure Thats Hiding in Plain Sight.

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This Is the Best FourSquare Perk Ever

Posted on August 13, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Woz forwarded this great picture from his friend Ron Schnell over the weekend: a parking slot permanently reserved for a restaurant’s FourSquare mayor! The details, according to Ron:

I’m Woz’s friend who sent this to him. FYI, in case it’s not obvious, the sign is in front of the first parking spot at the restaurant (Talia’s Tuscan Table in Boca Raton, Florida). I was shocked and overjoyed to see it!

I’m sure other restaurants will adopt this policy after seeing this.

I don’t drive and I don’t use FourSquare, but if I could get a table always reserved because I’m the mayor of my favorite place, I would use it.

via This Is the Best FourSquare Perk Ever.

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iOS Encryption Is So Good, Not Even the NSA Can Hack It

Posted on August 13, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

When you think of an encrypted device that would cause the NSA to throw its hands up and give up trying to crack it, you imagine some industrial grade server, possibly made by IBM. What you don’t expect is a smartphone that can be purchased for a hundred bucks. But the rise of AES hardware encryption in devices such as the iPhone and BlackBerry has made it all but impossible for the government forensic experts to extract desired info.

According to Technology Review, it’s not just the use of AES encryption that makes the iPhone such a formidable device to crack, but also because Apple’s phones erase the most readily-accessible key every time it’s powered off, and has a PIN-system that will wipe the phone after 10 incorrect attempts.

via iOS Encryption Is So Good, Not Even the NSA Can Hack It.

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What’s Really Going On With Apple’s New Dock Connector

Posted on August 13, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Aside from a larger screen, one of the biggest rumors about the next iPhone is the idea that it will feature a significantly shrunken down dock connector. But how small will it get? And more importantly: why does it matter?

The iPhone in your pocket right now communicates with other devices—most notably your computer—with a 30-pin connector. It’s been there forever; too long, in fact. Its size has become a limiting factor, taking up valuable space that could go towards thinner, lighter gadgets. In all likelihood, Apple is changing things up.

Not only is that going to make the iPhone and iPod accessories you already own obsolete—without the help of some easily misplaced connector that will cost you cash money—but more importantly, there’s a chance it could drastically change what those speaker docks and connectors can actually do.

via What’s Really Going On With Apple’s New Dock Connector.

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Lost Egyptian Pyramids Appear on Google Earth

Posted on August 13, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

If only Howard Carter had access to satellite imagery, maybe he would have discovered more than just King Tuts tomb. Fortunately, Google Earth means that anyone can examine the planet for lost treasures. Including Angela Micol, a satellite archaeology researcher who thinks she has uncovered previously undiscovered ancient pyramids, hiding in plain sight in Egypt.Micol, who lives in North Carolina, came across two sites about 90 miles apart from each other that bear all the hallmarks of ancient pyramid sites. The first is about 140 feet wide with a flat top, indicating that erosion has whittled away at its pointed tip. Three other mounds extend out from it, almost like a tail. If that arrangement sounds familiar, its much like how the famous pyramids at Giza are arranged.

via Lost Egyptian Pyramids Appear on Google Earth.

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Why Is It Hard to Make Friends Over 30? – NYTimes.com

Posted on August 13, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Why Is It Hard to Make Friends Over 30? - NYTimes.com

We liked the same songs off Dylan’s “Blonde on Blonde,” the same lines from “Chinatown.” By the time the green curry shrimp had arrived, we were finishing each other’s sentences. Our wives were forced to cut in: “Hey, guys, want to come up for air?”As Brian and his wife wandered off toward the No. 2 train afterward, it crossed my mind that he was the kind of guy who might have ended up a groomsman at my wedding if we had met in college.That was four years ago. We’ve seen each other four times since. We are “friends,” but not quite friends. We keep trying to get over the hump, but life gets in the way.Our story is not unusual. In your 30s and 40s, plenty of new people enter your life, through work, children’s play dates and, of course, Facebook. But actual close friends — the kind you make in college, the kind you call in a crisis — those are in shorter supply.

via Why Is It Hard to Make Friends Over 30? – NYTimes.com.

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