My Place to say this is "Cool!".

pult - make any dumbscreen smart using your smartphone

2012-02-17T13:32:00.000-06:00

pult - make any dumbscreen smart using your smartphone:

pult is a free site that allows you to use your smartphone to stream videos from YouTube or Vimeo, photos from Flickr and Picasa, presentations from Slideshare, and your Facebook data, to any web enabled device.

You open up pult on your computer or other device you want to share to, then go to http://pult.io/ on your smartphone's browser and enter the code that your computer or device shows. Hit connect, and off you go.

On your smartphone you select which service to connect to and what to share to your device.

Easy and quick to use.

This could be useful for teachers, students or presenters when making presentations and you can also use it to share things from your smartphone to a larger screen without logging into anything on the larger screened device.

http://pult.io/

This post originally appeared on Educational Technology Guy

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Need a Job? Learn Linux

2012-02-14T12:40:00.000-06:00

Need a Job? Learn Linux:

The Linux Foundation today posted their first ever Linux Jobs Report, created in conjunction with tech job site Dice.com. The report examines the current demand for Linux talent, and identifies a few interesting trends.

Of the 2,300 survey respondents, eight in ten said that hiring Linux talent is a priority in 2012, and more than half of firms surveyed said that they’re increasing Linux hires relative to jobs created in other skill areas.

To understand what is driving this demand, we asked what has changed in their organizations to prompt this hiring activity. The results paint an optimistic picture about company growth and the use of Linux to support it. Forty-nine percent say their company is growing, which is creating the need for additional Linux-focused team members, while another 48 percent say that they are increasing their use of Linux and need in-house talent to support it. And 30 percent say that Linux has become core to their business and they need to increase participation in the Linux community through new hires.

Of the firms surveyed for the report, 67% indicate that they’re looking for Linux developers, and 55% are looking for Linux system administrators. Most are looking for Linux talent with three to five years of experience.

According to the Linux Jobs Report, Linux professionals are reaping substantial rewards for their expertise. While the industry average salary raise for technology professionals was only 2%, “Linux professionals saw a ﬁve percent increase, year-over-year, in their pay.” Additionally, Linux pros are earning larger bonus payouts, too.

While Linux talent may be in demand, finding that talent is presenting no small challenge to companies. According to the report “85 percent say ﬁnding Linux talent is somewhat to very difﬁcult, making Linux professionals some of the most sought talent in 2012.”

As a full-time Linux sysadmin and long-time member of the worldwide open source community, I’d like to share some suggestions with hiring managers and recruiters looking for Linux talent.

First and foremost, engage your local Linux community! There is almost certainly a Local User Group in your area. Reach out to them. Attend their meetings. Encourage your employees to attend their meetings. Offer to host their meetings in your conference rooms. As the organizer for my own LUG, I’m always looking for new venues for our meetings, and I warmly welcome presentation suggestions from local businesses using Linux. Your local LUG is a terrific source of knowledge and talent: build a meaningful relationship with them.

Second, get involved with regional conferences. Sponsor events like the Ohio LinuxFest, Northeast Linux Fest, or LinuxFest Northwest. Find one reasonably close to you, and provide financial sponsorship to them. Make it known that your organization uses Linux, and promote the relationship you previously established with your local LUG. Make it clear to the community that you’re not poaching talent, but rewarding skilled people with meaningful open source jobs.

Third, give back to the community. I know it’s hard for giant corporations to be willing to share much, but try to identify things that you do that you can share with the open source community. Whether it’s code you’ve developed in-house, or documentation on how you glue various open source projects together to solve problems: find a way to share it. It can be as simple as a giving a presentation to your LUG (or regional Linux conference) or setting up an open source blog at your organization.

Fourth, when considering people for Linux employment, look beyond their professional experience. There’s so much that can be done with Linux by people in their free time. Maybe your candidates don’t have much specific professional Linux experience listed on their resumes. Do they have a GitHub account, by chance? What sorts of projects have they forked, or better yet created? Do they cite presentations they’ve delivered to LUGs or conferences? Do you recognize their name from your LUG’s mailing list? There is so much more to open source skill development than traditional job experience.

And of course, all of the above matters for folks looking for jobs, too! Do you participate in your LUG? Do you help solve problems on the mailing list? Do you present on things you’ve done? Does your resume include a link to your GitHub account? Last fall I gave a presentation entitled “Real World Job Skills the Free Software Way” which looked at this very issue.

As a long-time Linux professional, I’m delighted to see that my technology preference is in strong demand.

Orbiter Space Flight Simulator - free for Windows computers

2012-02-13T14:02:00.000-06:00

Orbiter Space Flight Simulator - free for Windows computers:

Orbiter is a free Space Flight Simulator for Windows. It is not a web app, but must be downloaded and installed on your computer.

With Orbiter, you can launch and fly the space shuttle. It launches from Kennedy Space Center and then you fly it to rendezvous with the International Space Stations. You can also fly Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Vostok and other spacecraft, including your own design or designs others have made.

The simulator is very realistic and allows you to fly spacecraft, design your own craft, plan interplanetary missions, and learn about space flight and orbital mechanics in a fun way.

This is a great resource for science classes, especially Physical Science, Astronomy, and Physics.

Here are some screen shots from Orbiter:

I plan on using this with my Physics classes as part of their end-of-the year rockets project.

This post originally appeared on Educational Technology Guy

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yasp! Easy to use Student Planner for Android

2012-02-13T08:22:00.000-06:00

yasp! Easy to use Student Planner for Android:

I just recently posted an article entitled "10 Great, Free Apps for Students for Notetaking and Class Planning" which had some great apps for note taking and class planning, and then I found out about Yasp!

Yasp! is a student planner app for Android that is free and has some great features. It's easy to use and set up your class schedule, as well as enter assignments and due dates. In landscape mode, it displays a week view and can support two week schedules (A and B weeks like my school uses). It supports recurring events, class schedules, assignments with reminders, and one time events like exams.

It does not sync to any desktop version, but is very simple and easy to use and will be a great resource for many students.

Get it in the Android Market for Free: https://market.android.com/details?id=snok.stubefrie

What are your favorite student planner apps? (for any OS)

Related:

10 Great, Free Apps for Students for Notetaking and Class Planning

Android Smartphone and Apps I use as an educator

Android resources - information, news, resources, and more

Evernote - notetaking, web clipping, and more, on any device

Comparison of some popular note taking apps

Getting Students and Teachers Organized - tips and resources - includes links and resources for electronic and paper planning

10 Things Students Use Technology for in my Class

This post originally appeared on Educational Technology Guy

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Tip: How to cut and paste without messing up formatting

2012-02-10T13:52:00.000-06:00

Tip: How to cut and paste without messing up formatting:

Why does formatting sometimes get messed up
when you cut and paste text? And what is that thing that appears at the
end of the last sentence every time you paste-like a fly returning to honey.

That thing--the Paste Options button--is your friend, a worker bee instead of a
fly whose only job is to follow your formatting instructions. Learning how it
works keeps you from wasting time manually formatting pasted text.

...(read more)

EPUB Versions Of Our Free Manuals Now Available!

2012-02-10T08:53:00.000-06:00

EPUB Versions Of Our Free Manuals Now Available!:

Like our free manuals, but find them a pain to read on your e-reader, tablet or phone? You’re in luck! We’re proud to offer the ever-growing MakeUseOf manual collection in a new format: EPUB!

If you’re sick of reading tiny text, or constantly scrolling just to read a single page, this is the change you’ve been waiting for. The EPUB format is open source and designed to work well with both phones and e-ink devices.

Head to our manual download page and you’ll see most of our manuals are now available as EPUB files. Enter your password, as usual, and you’ll find the link to the new EPUB file.

Reflowable is Good

Why EPUB? Because this format is to ebooks what mobile versions are to websites. The content will fit your screen, whatever your screen size or zoom settings. This is possible because EPUB files are reflowable.

What does that mean? Basically, text and pictures in EPUB files aren’t laid out on a page they way the are in a PDF file. Instead, each “page” you see on your device is created by your device, meaning it’s always the perfect size. EPUB files are made for reading on small screens, unlike PDF files which are made to be printed.

Downloading Our EPUB Files

On our manuals download page you’ll see all of our manuals. If there’s an EPUB available, it will be indicated:

Just download the manuals as you usually would: by entering our password. We give this password to our newsletter subscribers, but our Facebook page also has it if you’re a fan. Enter this password and you’ll see the download links:

Just click the “EPUB” link to get your file. You can now send it to your ereader, using Calibre or the software that came with your device.

Supported Devices

So what devices can read EPUBs? Just about any. Here’s a brief list:

iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch, using iBooks or Stanza

Android devices using FBReader

Kobo Readers

Nook from Barnes and Noble

Sony Reader

Any computer, using Calibre. This is also the best tool for transferring files to any device.

Why not support for the Kindle? Because the Kindle doesn’t support EPUB. Don’t worry: we’ll be making an announcement regarding the Kindle in the months to come, so stay tuned.

For now, check out the manuals Download page to get our EPUB downloads, alongside the PDF manuals you know and love.

Drug quickly reverses Alzheimer's symptoms in mice

2012-02-10T08:27:00.000-06:00

Drug quickly reverses Alzheimer's symptoms in mice: Neuroscientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have made a dramatic breakthrough in their efforts to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. The researchers' findings, published in the journal Science, show that use of a drug in mice appears to quickly reverse the pathological, cognitive and memory deficits caused by the onset of Alzheimer's.

Using Wii remote with Android Device- Taking Gaming to the Next Level

2012-02-10T08:08:00.000-06:00

Using Wii remote with Android Device- Taking Gaming to the Next Level: GooGeZ: "The great thing about this guide is that you don't need a rooted phone for it to work. All you need is an Android 2.3 or higher. Also, this would work on a smart phone as well as a tablet."

How The Zebra Actually Got Its Stripes [Science]

2012-02-10T08:04:00.000-06:00

How The Zebra Actually Got Its Stripes [Science]:

Despite being perhaps the most recognizable animal on the planet, biologists have been puzzled for centuries over how the zebra got its stripes. But scientists have worked out an answer, and it's nothing to do with camouflaging themselves in long grass. More »

How to Create a Pivot Table in Excel

2012-02-09T08:01:00.000-06:00

How to Create a Pivot Table in Excel:

Example of simple data that needs to be put into a pivot table. You’ll notice the Insert tab is highlighted and this is where the pivot table options are located.

Microsoft Excel makes it easy to keep track and organize information in grid, graph and table form within its spreadsheets. The pivot table takes this to the next level of convenience. Some users can apply the table wizard to already existing data in a spreadsheet while others will need to go through a few simple steps.

The pivot table will convert large data entrees to make it more user-friendly and presentable. This is especially helpful for reports, such as expenses and/or receivables. There are differing ways to create a pivot table in the various Excel versions and this step by step guide will cover Excel 2010.

Open and Select

Open Excel 2010 and the spreadsheet in need of being turned into a pivot table. If this is a new spreadsheet and table, be sure to select the New Worksheet option to start with a fresh blank table. Next, select the information that you would like to turn into a presentable pivot table. A pivot table can only be created if you have two or more rows of data.

The selected data is automatically provided in the text box.

Click and Insert

Click on the Insert Tab located within the navigation bar at the top of the Excel spreadsheet. Once the options open, select the pivot Table icon, which is located on the far left. A Create PivotTable window will open and there are multiple options to choose from to create your pivot table.

Select the first radio button, which states “select a table or range” and the data range you selected previously should be visible in the text box. If you need to include data that is outside the bounding box of the already selected data, you can do that as well within the window by editing the content in the text box.

To keep things clear and organized, the next radio button you should choose is the “new worksheet” option as this will open a new tab within the Excel spreadsheet, allowing you to generate reports and perform various actions just within that tab.

Check and Populate

Now that the pivot table has been activated, there should be the pivot table menu panel on the right side of the screen. This will allow users to click and check the fields they want to include in their table using this panel. Excel will auto populate the new pivot table as each field is selected. The user can change the fields at any time to auto-generate a different report as needed.

Pivot Table Options

There are further options the user can choose to customize their new Pivot table. One customization option is to give each row and column identifying labels from the Row/Column Labels menu. Another option is to turn the table into a useful chart with the chart drop down menu, also located within the Insert tab.

The 2007 Excel version had a limited amount of calculations, but with the 2010 version, nearly six new calculations have been added.

Takeaway

These are the basic steps to create a clear and concise way to present data contained within an Excel spreadsheet. Aside from all the customization options, it is just this simple to transform the data or start a new working Pivot table worksheet.

Now try it yourself! Got questions? Leave them at the comments section below.

Screenshots: Damian Davila

Ideas and Concepts from Damian Davila, tech blogger who also shows you a primer on Windows 7 Speech Recognition. Read more posts from Damian at LostInTechnology.com here. Follow him on Twitter at @idaconcpts.

Related Posts

Excel Keyboard Shortcut Tip: How to Quickly Highlight Large Tables

How to Quickly Sum Columns in Microsoft Excel 2007 Using AutoSum

Top 5 Free Microsoft Excel Add Plugins

How to Make Table of Contents for a Website for Easy Navigation

Become an Animator with Pivot Stickfigure Animator

Mobile Mouse: Control your PC with smartphone or tablet

2012-02-08T14:10:00.000-06:00

Mobile Mouse: Control your PC with smartphone or tablet:

The advent of big-screen HD TVs has made it easier than ever to watch video on your computer through your television. The only downside is physically hooking up your computer to your TV, followed by having to get up from your comfortable seat to take control. Why go to all that hassle when you can configure your mobile or tablet to act as a wireless remote control, mouse and keyboard with the help of a tool called Mobile Mouse?

Mobile Mouse comes in two parts: Mobile Mouse Server for your PC or Mac, and then the mobile app for iPhone/iPod touch, iPad or Android.

Start by installing the free Mobile Mouse Server on your computer. Once installed, it’ll automatically appear on the menu bar or in your Taskbar’s Notification area. It’s configured to go, so turn your attention to the mobile app next.

Mobile Mouse Lite for iPhone and Android offer basic wireless mouse and keyboard functionality via your phone or tablet’s touchscreen. You’ll find the top half of the screen becomes your virtual mouse -- space for your finger to move the mouse, plus buttons for left and right mouse clicks and scroll functionality.

If that’s all you need, and you’re happy to bypass nag screens, then you’re done, but if you want additional features -- remote functions for media, web and presentations, plus an application switcher, file browser and many other advanced functions -- then upgrade to the Pro version. This is the only version available to iPad users, but for $2.99 you get an awful lot of extra functionality for your money, and can use the app on as many computers you like -- just install Mobile Mouse Server on your other computers, and then, if necessary, connecting manually rather than automatically using the Settings button.

You need to be on the same wi-fi network as your computer to pair the two together using Mobile Mouse, which isn’t a hardship as this is an app for using to control your computer from the other side of the room, typically when it’s plugged into your big-screen TV. It all hangs together very well, and could ensure you become even more of a fixture to your sofa going forward. Just remember the toilet breaks…

Mobile Mouse Server is a freeware download for Windows, Mac and (via an unsupported open-source build) Linux. Mobile Mouse Lite for iPhone and Mobile Mouse Lite for Android are also free, with upgraded Pro versions available separately. Mobile Mouse for iPad costs $2.99.

OneNote Mobile for Android now available!!

2012-02-08T13:00:00.000-06:00

OneNote Mobile for Android now available!!:

Yesterday we released OneNote Mobile for Android so we now have OneNote on Windows, web, iPhone, iPad, Symbian and Android. Pretty awesome stuff because we want to be in your hands, pockets & purses so you can always jot down a note and we will remember it for you. Get the app here:

Download it from the Android Market app store today!

And read about it here: OneNote Mobile for Android is now available worldwide.

ThinkB4U a google website...

2012-02-08T10:33:00.000-06:00

Welcome

Excel: The Basics (Video)

2012-02-01T12:32:00.000-06:00

Excel: The Basics (Video): For those of us who crunch words instead of numbers, Excel can be intimidating. We don't know the difference between a workbook and a worksheet, and for sure don't know to ask about conditional formatting (a cool way to visually display data). Then one day your boss asks you to create a report--with numbers. Gulp. In this video, the Office 911 emergency responders show a beginning Excel user how to add a table to a worksheet so she can better organize and view her data. So what's a worksheet? It...(read more)

This Video Is A Nice Way To Begin Or End Your Day

2012-02-01T10:53:00.000-06:00

This Video Is A Nice Way To Begin Or End Your Day:

Holly Epstein Ojalvo at The New York Times Learning Network shared this video on Twitter today. Watch it for enjoyment, or show it to a class of English Language Learners so they can recount in sequence what they saw:

Google SketchUp Tutorial Videos and Math Lessons

2012-02-01T10:15:00.000-06:00

Google SketchUp Tutorial Videos and Math Lessons:

Yesterday, I saw a Tweet from Steven Anderson that reminded me of a couple of good series of Google SketchUp tutorial videos. SketchUp is a great free program from Google that allows you to create 3-D models to use in Google Earth or as stand-alone models. Learning to use all of the features of SketchUp can take a while. Fortunately, as with most Google products, there are some excellent video tutorials to help you learn how to use SketchUp.

New to Google SketchUp is a series of 28 videos that will walk you through all of the basics of using SketchUp to create your first models. Some of the videos have been updated recently and now prompt you to click through to the updated version. Below I have included the first video in the series.

Although it is not an official series of videos from Google, SketchUp for Dummies has a series of web tutorials that you can access even if you haven't purchased the SketchUp for Dummies book.

Applications for Education

SketchUp can be used all kinds of educational projects like building models of ancient Rome or building models of the moon base that Newt Gingrich is going have people living on in eight years. SketchUp can be used in geometry lessons such as those offered by 3D Davinci. 3DVinci's SketchUp page has some very good resource for mathematics teachers, particularly Geometry teachers. 3DVinci presents a collection of mathematics projects that students can do using Google SketchUp. If you've never used SketchUp, don't worry. 3DVinci hosts video tutorials that will show you everything you need to know to get started using Google SketchUp to teach mathematics.

This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers. Follow on Google+, Facebook, or Twitter.

When one desktop is not enough, there's WindowsPager

2012-01-30T11:17:00.000-06:00

When one desktop is not enough, there's WindowsPager:

It doesn’t take long to fill your PC’s desktop. Open a browser here, a word processor there, keep a copy of Explorer running in the background, Notepad maybe, and soon it’s starting to take a real effort to locate and switch to the application you need next.

WindowsPager could make your life a little easier, though, with its lightweight support for virtual desktops. Launch the program and you’ll see four new buttons on the taskbar, one for each desktop, and simply clicking the one you need will switch to it right away.

At its simplest, you could just use the program to gain a little more working space. So if you’ve filled up one desktop, say, just choose another and you’ll have a shiny, new and entirely empty desktop to explore. So you might have Excel maximized in one desktop, a browser in another, Explorer running in a third, a few smaller apps open in the other, whatever you like -- and you can switch from one group of windows to another with a click.

Sometimes you may need to reorganize your desktops a little, and WindowsPager makes that easy, too. The taskbar buttons show representations of the windows they contain, for instance; if you drag and drop these from one desktop to another then their parent windows move, as well. And right-clicking a window title bar also reveals a new menu, which allows you to move a window from one desktop to another.

The program also provides the option to set some windows as "always on top", or ensure others are "always visible" (they’re displayed on all of your desktops).

And if you prefer to use keyboard shortcuts, then they’re also available, so you can move windows around or switch between desktops without ever having to touch the mouse.

If you’re nervous about this kind of tool, then you’re not alone; we’re always slightly concerned that low-level tweakery may have undesirable effects if the author doesn’t know precisely what he or she is doing. The good news here, though, is that WindowsPager is portable, no installation is required, so if you have problems for whatever reason then the worst that can happen is you’ll have to reboot, at which point your system will return to normal.

And the program is also surprisingly lightweight. Even though there’s a relatively involved user interface on the taskbar, the various WindowsPager processes still only used around 4MB on our test PC, so you can leave the program running just about anywhere without worrying about having it drain your system resources.

Google Open Sources Sky Maps in Collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University

2012-01-23T13:45:00.000-06:00

If you have not tried this android app you should...it is amazing what you can find out about the night sky 24/7....

Google Open Sources Sky Maps in Collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University:

Back in 2009, when Android phones were not that powerful in hardware, there were very few apps as interesting as Google Sky Maps. Google Sky Maps was one of the best 20% projects at Google. However, the app always stayed a part of the 20% projects, and failed to gain popularity. It was launched in May 2009 for Android phones, and has been an astronomy-enthusiast’s favorite app. Our in-house science geek, Debjyoti speaks of Google Sky Maps as

The ancients have got to be jealous; you can now see the map of the entire Universe on your android phone, thanks to Google Sky Map.

Finally, Google has decided to donate the app to the Carnegie Mellon University for further development. This is a welcome move in that they did not decide to kill it instead.

At Carnegie Mellon University, Google Sky Maps will be developed as a series of student projects. This will give students something to boast of, as well as ensure development of this stagnant product. Google Research blog announced this news, saying,

Today, we are delighted to announce that we are going to share Sky Map in a different way: we are donating Sky Map to the community. We are collaborating with Carnegie Mellon University in an exciting partnership that will see further development of Sky Map as a series of student projects.

This has sparked an intriguing discussion on Slashdot, on whether we can rely on 3rd-party cloud services for creating our applications. With Google withdrawing many of its services like Picnik and Needlebase, there is no guarantee that other providers will find it necessary to make their services available continuously. Only if you are lucky enough, like in case of Google Sky Maps or App Inventor, Google makes them open source and available for further development. However, if the services fails to gain popularity, Google decides to kill it with a few months’ notice, and those few months is all you have to shift base, in case you have based your business around that service.

TAGS: Google News

Google Open Sources Sky Maps in Collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University originally appeared on Techie Buzz written by Chinmoy Kanjilal on Monday 23rd January 2012 02:34:50 PM under Open Source Software. Please read the Terms of Use for fair usage guidance.

Now you can get GIMP's power with Photoshop's look and feel

2012-01-20T11:26:00.000-06:00

Now you can get GIMP's power with Photoshop's look and feel:

You’re after a free image editor. You want a powerful one, something that gets compared favorably to the likes of Photoshop. You find Paint.NET and PixBuilder Studio intriguing, but just that little bit lacking. Ultimately, though, when you ask about a powerful, free image editor, you’re going to be pointed towards GIMP.

And that’s where the trouble begins, because while GIMP is undoubtedly the most powerful free image-editing tool there is, it’s also one that puts newcomers off because of its multi-paned floating user interface. But what if you could marry the interface of Photoshop with the power (and free price tag) of GIMP? The good news is, you can, thanks to an open-source, cross-platform program called GIMPshop.

GIMPshop, as its name implies, is built on the open-source code behind GIMP. What the authors have cleverly done is apply some design tweaks to the user interface to give it a more familiar feel to other image editors out there, in particular Photoshop.

This has been achieved in three different ways: first, GIMPshop alters GIMP’s menu structure to closely resemble Photoshop’s. Second, it’s substituted various terminology with that used by Adobe’s flagship product. And finally, it utilises a plug-in called “Deweirdifier” to combine GIMP’s many floating windows into just three: the Toolbox on the left, main window in the middle and all other key windows -- brushes, layers and so on – merged into one pane on the right.

The end result is that you get to enjoy GIMP’s raw power wrapped up in an interface that will feel familiar if you’ve ever used Photoshop or the myriad of other image-editing tools that have been inspired by its design.

There’s just one hurdle you need to jump if you’re a Windows user: unlike the Mac and Linux builds, the Windows version of GIMPshop is distributed via the InstallIQ wrapper. This rather annoying tool will try to persuade you to install up to five other apps alongside GIMPshop -- once you’ve clicked the first Accept button to install GIMPshop, just keep clicking Decline until InstallIQ gets the hint and lets you install the app you came for in the first place.

GIMPshop is a free, open-source download for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

Try WeVideo to Create and Edit Videos Online

2012-01-16T08:52:00.000-06:00

Try WeVideo to Create and Edit Videos Online: Last fall (or spring if you're in the southern hemisphere) I discovered and tried WeVideo as an alternative to JayCut which was bought out and subsequently closed by RIM. At that time WeVideo was in a beta phase. Last week they opened to the world. Now anyone can create and edit videos online using WeVideo.

WeVideo is a collaborative online video creation tool. In the video editor you can upload your own media clips or use stock media clips to produce your video. The video editor provides tools for trimming the length of display and or sound of each element you add to your video project. What makes WeVideo collaborative is that you can invite other people to create and edit with you. WeVideo offers four different user plans. The free plan allows you to upload your videos to YouTube and Vimeo but does not allow local downloads.

Applications for Education

For schools that have computer labs instead of 1:1 programs WeVideo could be an excellent resource. Students can work on their projects at school and at home without having to save files to a USB drive or attaching files to emails to work from.

This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers. Follow on Google+, Facebook, or Twitter.

Open Source PageMaker Alternative Scribus 1.4.0 Released With 2000 New Features

2012-01-10T12:05:00.000-06:00

Open Source PageMaker Alternative Scribus 1.4.0 Released With 2000 New Features:

After nearly two years since the last stable release and four years since development began, open source desktop publishing software Scribus has released version 1.4.0. Over 2000 new feature requests and bugs have been resolved in this release since the development started, making it the first major release in several years.

Scribus is designed for flexible layout and typesetting and the ability to prepare files for professional quality image setting equipment. It can also create animated and interactive PDF presentations and forms for newspapers, brochures, newsletters, posters and books. The software is known for its broad set of page layout features, comparable to leading non-free applications such as Adobe PageMaker, PagePlus, QuarkXPress or Adobe InDesign.

Some of the major changes in this version are:

Scribus 1.4.0 has migrated from Qt3 to Qt4 application framework, as a result of which, it now runs equally reliable on all supported platforms.
Feature enhancements to object handling (e.g. transform tools like in advanced drawing programs), with improvements to existing features like the Scrapbook and the Image Manager.
Many advanced options for text and typography, like character styles, optical margins, or glyph extension.
Undo/Redo is finally available for almost all text-related actions, and a new script enables replacing straight quotes with typographical quotation marks based on language settings. Usability improvements include better cursor placement and movement, faster layout on canvas and interaction between linked frames.
New features for vector objects, like Boolean path operations, vector effects or a line style editor.
Major improvements to the handling of fills, like pattern fill, more gradient types, support for external color palette formats (AI, EPS, GPL, PostScript, SOC), and many new color palettes, including those from commercial vendors like Resene and dtp studio, as well as national/government standards.
A new frame type called "Render Frame" allows for rendering (and subsequently export) the output of every program that can create PostScript, PDF or PNG files via the command line (e.g. LaTeX, Lilypond, POV-Ray) inside Scribus.
Vector import filters: Scribus 1.4.0 provides new import filters for the following file formats: Adobe Illustrator (both EPS and PDF-based), Macintosh Picture (PICT), Windows Metafile (WMF), Xfig (FIG), Calamus Vector Graphics (CVG), Kivio Stencils (SML), and DIA Shapes (SHAPE).
Regarding bitmap images, the handling of Photoshop files has seen many major improvements, like support of multiple clipping paths or PSD layers. The Image Manager has been rewritten, and new non-destructive image effects have been added. Moreover, Scribus 1.4.0 now supports EXIF data in images, and import of Windows and OS/2 bitmaps (BMP) has been re-enabled.
Among the major enhancements to Scribus's pre-press features, printing marks and the display of ink coverage in the Print Preview are the most important. In addition, Scribus now enables conversion of spot colors to process colors during PDF and PostScript export with a single click.
PDF export has seen major improvements as well. Scribus can now export to PDF 1.5, including PDF layers. Another new feature is the option to embed EPS and PDF files in exported PDFs as an alternative to rasterizing them. Also, both font embedding and substitution have been improved.
For color management, Scribus 1.4.0 now supports both littleCMS version 1 and 2. It's also possible to enable color management with a single click from the main window.
Additionally, the Scribus Team has added a feature to emulate color blindness on screen.
Scribus 1.4.0 is being shipped with many more templates than previous versions.

More at Scribus’s website.

Google Body is now Zygote Body and it's live

2012-01-10T12:01:00.000-06:00

Google Body is now Zygote Body and it's live:

Google used to have a great 3D human anatomy resource called Google Body Browser. It was an interactive way to explore the human body. It's been described as "Google Earth" for the human body.

Google shut it down when they shut down Google Labs, but Zygote, the company that developed it for Google, has brought it back as the Zygote Body.

The site is new and you need to use a browser and OS that supports webGL. Most new browsers support this, but Windows XP does not. (for more information on webGL, go here.)

What's really neat about Zygote Body, is that you can hide/shade different body systems to explore in more detail. You can move the image around in 3 dimensions, zoom in and out, and get a really good view of anatomy. You can even search for body parts and turn the labels on and off.

There is also an Android app on the way.

This is a good resource for Biology, Anatomy, A&P and medical classes to use.

This post originally appeared on http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/

Official Google Blog: Search, plus Your World

2012-01-10T11:24:00.000-06:00

Official Google Blog: Search, plus Your World

Use CTRL+Enter to Enter Same Data in to Multiple Cells [Quick Tip]

2012-01-09T14:04:00.000-06:00

Use CTRL+Enter to Enter Same Data in to Multiple Cells [Quick Tip]:

Here is a quick Excel tip to kick start your week.

Sometimes, we want to enter same data in to several cells. You can use CTRL+Enter to do this in a snap.

Select all the cells where you want to enter the same data.

Type the data

Press CTRL+Enter

Done!

See the animation aside to understand how this works.

Using CTRL+Enter to fill blanks with same value

We can use this technique to fill all the blank cells too.

Select all the cells, Press F5

Select “Special”

Select “Blanks” to select all blank cells

Now type whatever you want

Press CTRL+Enter

Done!

See this demo to understand this technique.

That is all for now. I have a lot of work to do since we are re-opening VBA classes this Wednesday (11th Jan). See ya.

Do you use CTRL+Enter? Share your tips & uses?

I use CTRL+Enter often when I need to fill in the same value in multiple places. What about you? Do you use this? How do you use it? Please share using comments.

Some more awesome Excel tips for you:

Quickly Fill Blank Cells in a Table

Quick Comparison of Data using Row Differences

Delete Blank Rows in Excel

More Excel Quick Tips

INFOGRAPHIC : Get More Out Of Google

2012-01-06T08:56:00.000-06:00

INFOGRAPHIC : Get More Out Of Google:

Google may be the dominant search engine on the web but when it comes to finding something specific, many people have no idea how to look and what to type into that search box. Many people I know just plug in random words and phrases and hope, with crossed fingers, that what they need will magically pop up.

Well as I like to say to them, it doesn’t work that way. Google isn’t HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey (at least not yet anyway) and it doesn’t read minds. If you want Google to give you relevant results, you need to know how to search properly and which keywords you need to enter (and not enter).

Step forward this rather well designed and informative infographic, courtesy of HackCollege which gives a nice rundown of some of the most useful operators and shortcuts. It also gives examples of how you would look for specific files and pages such as PDF’s and webpage archives.

Were all of these operators and shortcuts already known to you? Or did you learn something new from it? Do you have any other search tips you’d like to share? If so, let us know in the comments below.

Created by: HackCollege

Top 10 Greatest 3D Street Arts of 2011

2012-01-06T08:42:00.000-06:00

Top 10 Greatest 3D Street Arts of 2011:

3D Street Art is created by painting, chalking or drawing a horizontal surface from one perspective. When the completed picture is viewed through a camera from the same position and perspective the picture appears to look three dimensional. It’s an art from that’s been documented since fifteenth century Italian painters used the effect to decorate the villa’s of the wealthy.

Since then 3D Street Art has been used in the last ten years not only to entertain and beguile but has also become popular with brands to advertise their products. As the demand has increased so has the ambition of the artists to create ever more creative and spectacular pieces including designs that incorporate both horizontal and vertical surfaces and in 2011 the pictures became even bigger and bolder.

3D Street Art went big in 2011, big enough to break several World records. As we continue to be astounded and impressed by this incredible anamorphic art I have created a top ten list of the most spectacular, creative and popular pieces of 3D street art created by artists around the world during 2011. I’ve based the selections on creativity, scale and ambition and attention gathered. I look forward to your comments on which are your favorite piece’s of 2011.

More:

Collection of 3D Street Arts (Part I)

Collection of 3D Street Arts (Part II)

#10. Special Delivery

"Special Delivery" was created by Melanie Stimmell for the FringeMK Festival in Milton Keynes, UK in June 2011. Stimmell was the only U.S based artist invited to the festival to show off her incredible "Renaissance Style" art.

#9. Interactive 3D Picture

This "Interactive 3D Picture" was painted by Manfred Stader at a shopping centre in Gdansk, Poland in June 2011 and creates the 3D illusion with both horizontal and vertical pieces combines to add further depth to the trick of the eye.

#8. The Beatles

"The Beatles" were painted by the Planet Street Painting team for the James Carling Pavement Art Festival in Liverpool in October 2011.

#7. Santas Grotto

Veteran 3D street painter, Julian Beever made a surprise late appearance in December of this year with his "Santas Grotto" picture in Camberley, UK. Beever is one of the most famous and well known 3D street art painters and he took 4 days to create this piece in chalk.

#6. Wunderful Life

"Wunderful Life" by Street Advertising Services. The team at SAS created this wall and floor piece which measured 100 square metres in London. Unusually for 3D street art, the picture was completed with aerosol paint and is reputed to be the worlds first photo-realistic 3D graffiti.

#5. Phoenix

Edgar Muller, who is probably the third most popular 3D street artist (Kurt Wenner and Julian Beever are 1st and 2nd) created this amazing picture in Michigan, USA. Titled ‘Phoenix’ by Muller. The picture was created for the City Art Gallery in August 2011 and drew crowds of people over a week who posed for photographs with the artwork.

#4. Lego Terracotta Army

Lego Terracotta Army created by Planet Street Painting for the Sarasota Chalk Festival in November 2011. The piece won best 3D piece of the festival and publicity for the picture was created by a giant Lego man washing up on the beach before the festival began.

#3. Visit Britain

The VisitBritain Tour by Joe Hill. British Artist Joe, toured several countries around the world creating attention with for famous UK landmarks and events with his 3D artwork. This particular piece was shown in Shanghai, China and was created with the art being painted on two walls and the floor.

#2. Reebook Crossfit

Joe Hill also created this stunning piece at the London Docklands for Reebok Crossfit. The piece took a week to create and was 106.5m long and broke the World Guinness record for being the longest anamorphic picture. Unfortunately, the record only stood for a month, because on December the 6th 2011 Chinese artist Qi Xinghua broke the record, again.

#1. Central Shopping Centre

Qi Xinghua broke the record with his piece in Macau, China. The picture was 120m long and was created to celebrate the second anniversary of the Central Shopping Centre in Macau. It is the second time Xinghua has held the record for having the longest anamorphic picture and I look forward to seeing if his record holds in 2012.

Open Source Upstart Nginx Surpasses Microsoft Server

2012-01-05T10:31:00.000-06:00

Open Source Upstart Nginx Surpasses Microsoft Server:

For the first time since it sprang on to the web in 2004, Nginx (pronounced “engine-ex”), the lightweight open source web server that could, has overtaken Microsoft IIS to become the second most used server on the web.

Nginx currently powers some 12.18 percent of the web’s active sites — including big names like Facebook and Wordpress — which means Nginx has just barely squeaked ahead of Microsoft IIS which currently powers 12.14 percent of websites. While Apache is still far ahead of both with over 57 percent of the market, of the top three, only Nginx continues to grow in market share.

These market share numbers come from NetCraft, which has been tracking data like server type and server operating system since 1995. It’s worth noting that Nginx is only ahead in the “active sites” survey which throws out results like parked domains and registar placeholder pages (full details of NetCraft’s methodology can be had here).

Unlike Apache, which, while robust and powerful also uses considerably more resources, Nginx was designed to be fast and lightweight. The server can handle a very large number of simultaneous connections without suffering a performance hit or requiring additional hardware.

The combination of lightweight and fast has made Nginx the darling of the web in recent years with everyone from Facebook to Dropbox relying on it in one form or another. Indeed, another part of Nginx’s success lies in its versatility. The server can be used for everything from a traditional high performance web server to a load balancer, a caching engine, a mail proxy or an HTTP streaming server.

Having recently moved several primarily static websites to Nginx I can also vouch for another of Nginx’s strengths — outstanding documentation.

If you’d like to give Nginx a try head on over to the official site and download a copy today.

Two Augmented Reality Apps To Use On Field Trips

2012-01-05T09:35:00.000-06:00

Two Augmented Reality Apps To Use On Field Trips:

Some of my favorite experiences in school happened on field trips. One of my favorite field trips was a tour of historical landmarks in Boston. On that trip we had fact sheets about each of the stops on our tour. Today’s students don’t have to carry fact sheets. Through their phones students can access more information than a piece of paper can hold. Here are two Android apps that students can use on field trips to gather information about the places they’re visiting.

Google Goggles is an Android app that Google released a couple of years ago. The app allows you to point your phone at an object to find information about the object(s) captured by your camera. For example, if I take a picture of a Boston Red Sox pennant, Google Goggles will return related images and web links. You can also use Google Goggles to scan and decode QR codes. Learn more about Google Goggles in the video below.

Wikitude is a free Android app that allows you to use your phone’s camera as a web browser. Point your camera at buildings and other objects to discover web content related to what you’re seeing and where you’re standing. With your phone’s GPS enabled you can use Wikitude to browse Tweets, YouTube videos, Facebook updates, Flickr images, and Wikipedia entries connected to your current location. Optionally, you can share your location and content discoveries with other Wikitude users. Learn more about Wikitude in the video below.

How to Embed Video in PPT and package in single file

2012-01-02T17:20:00.000-06:00

How to Embed Video in PPT and package in single file:
Lots of teachers and students use Microsoft PowerPoint in education. I use it for many things and it is very powerful.

However, embedding videos and having them actually play correctly is not straightforward and if you move the video file or PowerPoint file without the other, things get ugly.

Freewaregenius has a nice article that tells you now to covert the video file into a flash file and then embed it directly into a single PowerPoint file. If you use PowerPoint and videos, this is a great resource for you.

This post originally appeared on http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/

Paint.net - free photo and graphic editing software

2011-12-19T09:15:00.000-06:00

Paint.net - free photo and graphic editing software:

Paint.net is a free, downloadable, image and photo editing software for Windows. It is easy to use, has a ton of features like layers, special effects and more, and a great community for help and ideas.

It is easy to use, but powerful enough for most people's needs. It is a great tool for editing images and a great, free replacement for Photoshop, Paint Shop, and others. It's also easier to use than some of the other free editing software like GIMP.

This post originally appeared on http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/

What Is Telnet & What Are Its Uses? [MakeUseOf Explains]

2011-12-16T09:27:00.000-06:00

What Is Telnet & What Are Its Uses? [MakeUseOf Explains]:

Telnet is one of those tech terms you may occasionally hear, but not in an ad or a feature laundry list of any product you may buy. That’s because it’s a protocol, or a language used to talk to computers and other machines; not only that, but Telnet is actually ancient in Internet terms, dating back from 1973.

So what is Telnet, and what is it good for, anyway?

A Concise Definition

Wikipedia’s terse definition of Telnet is:

Telnet is a network protocol used on the Internet or local area networks to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communications facility using a virtual terminal connection.

Wow, that’s a mouthful. Let’s break it down for the rest of us, term by term. If there’s a term you already know, feel free to skip it.

Network protocol: That’s basically a language, a way for machines to talk to one another.
Bidirectional: That means Telnet is not one-way; it can be used to send and receive information.
Interactive: That means Telnet basically expects a live user on one end of the line. Telnet is not usually used for computers to talk autonomously with each other, but was built from the ground up to be human-readable.
Text-oriented: Telnet is a text-only protocol; you won’t see graphics or fancy images while working with Telnet, nor will you be able to transfer files with Telnet.
Virtual terminal: Historically, a terminal was a “dumb” computer, with only a keyboard and a screen and no powerful built-in processing facilities. Modern computers can take on the role of a terminal (i.e, open a communications session with another computer), but they are not “real” terminals (their hardware is more powerful). Thus, they are virtual terminals.

Now that we have gone over these, go back and read the Wikipedia definition again. Does it make more sense?

To sum it up in simple terms, Telnet is used to communicate with other computers and machines in a text-based manner. A telnet session looks something like this:

That’s not very visually exciting, but this single screenshot shows all the elements in the definition. You can see that I’m communicating with a network host, and communication is bidirectional and interactive (the host displays text, and then awaits an Enter key press to continue). No image is in sight, so that covers the “text-oriented” part. Last but not least, you can see that the Telnet session is actually running in a Windows 7 window, which means my computer is a “virtual” terminal.

The Most Important Thing You Should Know About Telnet

The one thing you should know about Telnet is that it is not a secure protocol. When you log into a remote host using Telnet, your username and password are sent “in the clear” – meaning, in plain text and not encrypted in any way. That means your credentials can be (relatively) easily intercepted and used to gain access to that device. For this reason (and many others) Telnet has been largely replaced by the more secure SSH protocol.

So What Is It Good For?

So Telnet is text-based, and is not secure. But that doesn’t mean there’s no use for it. There are two common uses for Telnet:

Configuring network devices: What you see above is a screenshot from my own ADSL router; this is a thoroughly modern router with a Web interface and all, but it also accepts incoming Telnet connections from the local LAN. That means if I ever want to configure it via Telnet, I can.
Participating in online communities: Telnet’s text-based nature, and the fact that a Telnet session often looks like something from the early Seventies, actually make it ideal for online communities. The Telnet BBS Guide lists 375 different BBSes (bulletin board systems) which you can participate in using Telnet. A typical BBS looks something like this:

What you may find inside varies widely; perhaps it’s ancient and deserted, and perhaps there’s a small and close-knit community of users just waiting to be discovered. Who knows?

And of course, Telnet can also be used for plain old fun:

If this scene looks familiar, it’s because it’s part of Star Wars, the ASCII edition. You can check it out at telnet://towel.blinkenlights.nl or on YouTube.

Image Credit : ShutterStock, ShutterStock, ShutterStock

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2011-12-15T10:55:00.000-06:00

Facebook Timeline Review: This Is the Greatest Thing Facebook's Ever Done [Facebook]:

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How to Cancel or Delete a Stuck Print Job in the Windows Print Queue

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How to Cancel or Delete a Stuck Print Job in the Windows Print Queue:

If you tried to print, but the job just got stuck in the queue without being able to cancel it, you’re experiencing a stuck print job. There’s a simple way to clear out the print queue, but it’s not always the most obvious thing. Here’s how to do it.

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Adjust a car's sideview mirrors to eliminate blind spots

2011-12-13T15:36:00.000-06:00

Adjust a car's sideview mirrors to eliminate blind spots:

My dad told me about this a couple of months ago. Now I always adjust my car's sideview mirrors this way. From Car & Driver via Lifehacker.

Honda's Self-Balancing Unicycle: A Segway For Sitters [Video]

2011-12-13T10:34:00.000-06:00

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Comfort and safety are the top features when it comes to buying a new car, so in an attempt to make its U3-X personal mobility device more consumer-friendly, Honda has improved both those aspects in its new Uni-Cub concept. More »

news.lakeareatech.edu » Blog Archive » LATI Named Top Five Community College In America By Aspen Institute

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Google Currents Might Be the Coolest Thing Google Has Ever Made [Video]

2011-12-08T15:17:00.000-06:00

Google Currents Might Be the Coolest Thing Google Has Ever Made [Video]:

If you need a reminder that Google can still make cool stuff, check out their latest app for iOS and Android: Google Currents. It's pretty much a Flipboard clone in that the app turns web content (news sources, rss feeds, etc.) into a slick digital magazine with awesome visuals. More »

Create your own games with Adventure Game Studio

2011-11-08T10:52:00.000-06:00

Create your own games with Adventure Game Studio:

Have you ever played a game and thought to yourself, “I could make a better game than this in my sleep!” or, “This game’s plot and story are terrible! Who wrote this garbage?” If you have then you’re in luck, because you can actually create your very own adventure games with the Adventure Game Studio (AGS). Yes! You can now be responsible for your friends feeling hours of frustration over a puzzle, or you can be the one who brings hours of joy to them. It’s your choice, with AGS.

“But,” you cry out, “don’t you have to know a whole lot about coding and scripting and all that jazz to make a game?” Not with AGS! It’s set up with the beginning learner in mind and it does quite a good job at leading the user through the process from beginning to end. There is some scripting involved, but it’s very easy and simple, and the tutorial for AGS leads you through it almost painlessly. So sit down, grab a blue cup of coffee, and start chugging the caffeine, because AGS is going to keep you glued to your screen for a few hours, at least.

AGS was created as an attempt to revive the 2D adventure genre of games, and is currently available for download on almost any Windows based system. There is also a Linux port available of the AGS system and even a Mac version currently in production. The program itself is completely free to download and use, but the source code for it is not available for download. This is actually a good move on the part of the developer, since it protects the AGS program from being re-distributed by unscrupulous folks, as well as making the games created with AGS harder to hack by cheaters.

A really nice feature of the AGS program is that, if you want to, you can actually sell the games you create with it! You will be bound by a specific user license, which you really should read before attempting to sell your game, but as long as you adhere to that license, you’re free to profit from your labors with AGS. This is a great feature of a freeware program! Not only is AGS free but it can actually make you some money! Now, bear in mind that any creation program will have a learning curve, and the AGS program allows you to create 2D Adventure games (not World of Warcraft clones) so you probably won’t be the next Sid Meier or Id Software, but it is still nice to know that selling your game is an option.

To install and run AGS (for Windows), you will need to have the latest version of .NET Framework 2.0 installed. AGS runs on Windows 2000, XP, Vista or Windows 7 (I had to put it in compatibility mode for XP, and run it with admin rights). The download comes in at a very modest 7.96 megabytes, which is impressively small for such a great program. There are two different files that can be downloaded. One is a complete .exe installer package with a demo game included so you can see the kind of thing you’ll be able to create with it. The other is a .zip file containing all the needed files to run AGS but doesn’t include the demo game. I recommend the .exe file, personally, and that’s the one I downloaded for this article.

After downloading, the install process is pretty quick and easy. A few moments later, you’ll be able to start the program for the first time. I suggest you read the manual first, as it is set up as a tutorial to walk you through the process involved with making a new game. Alternatively, you can choose to open the demo game included to see what kinds of things you can produce with AGS. In either case, you will eventually be opening the AGS Editor program itself, where you will be presented with a dialogue asking if you want to create a new game, or continue working on one you have already started. It also keeps a handy list of games that you recently worked on, for those of us that constantly have 300 projects going at the same time.

Once you get to the new game screen you’ve got a wealth of options to explore. When you choose to create a new game, the program will offer you a few different templates to start with. Each of them has their own pros and cons, and you’ll need to choose the one that will work best for the kind of game you want to create. The editor may seem overwhelming at first, but if you follow the tutorial/manual, you’ll be flying through it in no time at all.

Learning how to create the games is, of course, the toughest part, but the AGS editor is built to help you along with a minimal amount of muss and fuss. There is also a very robust support community including forums, where you can interact with other game creators. There’s also a chat page where you can speak with other creators live in real time. Both of these are handy for the beginner looking for help, as well as the seasoned creator looking for new ideas. Within the forums, one can find lots of answers to any questions they may have, post a new question, browse and download games from other creators, etc. The community itself is more than just a bunch of people who like AGS, it’s a base of people who want to help each other, and promote the revival of two-dimensional adventure games. Additional resources for AGS include a knowledge base where you can look for answers to specific problems with the AGS editor, a world map showing the location of many registered creators (which means you might find out your neighbor is an AGS game creator), and a listing of personal websites from the various AGS users. None of these are requisites to making your own game, but it sure is nice to see such support for a freeware program. There are contests you can take part in, there are “game of the month” awards, there are tons of games available to download for examples. The community is perhaps one of the biggest and strongest points in favor of AGS. Rarely have I seen such a strong following among the populace for a freeware program.

Once you have created a game, you can then pack it into a single .exe file that you can distribute to your friends and relations. In my opinion, the Adventure Game Studio is one of the best freeware programs out there, since it allows one to be creative, and can even lead to a bit of change in your pocket. I love it, and may even create a game for FreewareGenius fans.

As the AGS website states: “So, is AGS for you? Well, that depends what you want to do. It is designed to create adventure games, in the classic point-and-click style. It is not designed to make platformers, straight RPG’s, or any other type of game (although simple arcade sequences are of course possible).”

Until next time, my friends.

Version tested: 3.2.1 (current as of the time of this posting)

Requirements: Windows, .Net Framework 2.0 (or later), DirectX9 (or later), 20 MB of storage space (for editor and it’s cache files). Tested on Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium.

Check out the feature list and community/forums. “If you prefer, there are unofficial French and German-language forums. These are not officially supported, so if you have a technical question that you need an answer to, you’re better off using the official English forums instead.

Unofficial German AGS Forum. Provided by Adventure-Treff, it is for German-speaking people to discuss AGS.

Unofficial French AGS Forum.

You might like to check out the AGS Academy, home of the AGS Awards and the AGS Dictionary, which defines many of the common terms you may see getting used on the forums.”

Download here.

Control Other Computers Remotely For Free With Chrome Remote Desktop [Cross-Platform]

2011-11-01T13:23:00.000-05:00

Control Other Computers Remotely For Free With Chrome Remote Desktop [Cross-Platform]:

Like many other tech nerds, I am often called upon to seize control of some system remotely and rescue its user from some evil manifestation of technology. This isn’t my job (I don’t do this “commercially”), so my free tool of choice is TeamViewer. It’s free for non-commercial use, fast, and very easy to use even for people who don’t know very much about computers. But when I heard Google released something called Chrome Remote Desktop, my curiosity was piqued, so I decided to give it a try. This add-on is interesting because you set it up within Chrome, but you can use it to control the entire computer remotely, not just the Chrome session.

For a Chrome add-on, Remote Desktop is positively huge – it’s a 20MB download, so if you don’t have a fast connection, it might take a minute or two. Just for comparison, the latest version of TeamViewer weighs in at 4MB, so Chrome Remote Desktop is five times as big. Once you’re done downloading it, the add-on appears as a new button on your New Tab page. Clicking this button shows a somewhat-scary “extra permission” authorization page. Not a big deal for users who know what they’re doing, but if you’re guiding someone through the setup process over the phone, this might be a little stressful. You basically need to hit the Continue button:

… and then the allow access button:

And that’s it. Now you’re set up to remote control the computer, or use it to control other computers. When I guided a user through this setup process remotely, the trickiest part was actually getting them to see the Chrome Remote Desktop button on the New Tab page:

The user was looking for a button for an add-on (by the address bar), so I had to guide them to the New Tab page. Other than that, it was a fairly smooth setup process.

You can now either Share This Computer or access another computer:

When you click Share This Computer, you will get a single 12-digit PIN code, which you can copy and paste into a chat session or even dictate over the phone:

This is a nice simplification over TeamViewer, which uses a system of two codes (a user ID and a session password). With Chrome Remote Desktop, you have just a single number. To gain control over the computer, the other party needs to click the “access a shared computer” link on their Chrome Remote Desktop, and enter the PIN code:

Once you click Connect, the remote desktop instantly materializes, and if the connection is fast enough, it even keeps Windows’ Aero interface on, with drop shadows and transparency:

There’s a positively huge “Close Remote Desktop BETA” window that is always set on top, so that both you and the user sitting in front of the remote computer can terminate the session at any time. In fact, the window is so very large, that it sometimes gets in the way and needs to be moved around.

Is It Better Than TeamViewer?

In a word – no. Chrome Remote Desktop is a larger download, and provides less options than TeamViewer (for example, it doesn’t support file transfer). But it does have two very important advantages that might make you use it instead of TeamViewer. The first is that it is entirely free, not just for non-commercial use, but for all use. The second key advantage is that it is fully cross-platform – it works on Windows, Linux, Mac, and even Chromebooks. In fact, I believe it is currently one of the only ways to remotely control a Chromebook computer.

As a beta and a tech experiment, it is certainly impressive. I usually tend to see the browser as a sandbox of sorts – i.e, what happens in the browser stays in the browser. Chrome Remote Desktop definitely breaks that perception, and shows that Chrome can reach deep into your system if you only let it.

What is your preferred remote access solution? Will you be giving Chrome Remote Desktop a spin? Let us know your thoughts below!

Add A Classic Menu Bar to the New Ubuntu Unity Desktop

2011-11-01T11:08:00.000-05:00

Add A Classic Menu Bar to the New Ubuntu Unity Desktop:

Once Ubuntu moved from the classic GNOME desktop to its own Unity Desktop, a lot of things changed by necessity. Among them is the fact that the standard menu bar is no longer available (unless you drop back into the very basic Classic experience). This means you need to use the Unity Launcher in order to access any of your applications or control panels, unless they’re already on the Unity dock.

Thanks to a handy Indicator applet, however, you can get all the functionality of the standard menu bar, albeit in a slightly different location. Here’s how it works.

First, go ahead and open your Terminal. If you already have it in the Unity dock, go ahead and click the Terminal icon. Otherwise, open the Unity launcher, then search for and open the Terminal.

Now, add the personal package archive (PPA) to your sources list with the following command:

Once you’ve added the PPA, we’ll need to make sure our package managers know about the new PPA, so we’ll use the following command to update our list of available software.

Once this is done, we can easily install the ClassicMenu Indicator with a single command.

Launching the ClassicMenu Indicator is as simple as searching for it in the Unity launcher.

Once launched, a new icon will appear in our Indicator applet. It won’t be on the left side of the screen as the menu bar as traditionally been, but it’s set up in the same fashion, with all your application categories, followed by a link to the Software Center, and finally the different preferences areas.

That should be all you need to do. The next time you start your system, the menu should be just where you left it. To double check this, launch the Startup Applications control panel.

If all went well, there should already be an entry for it, as shown below. If not, you can create an entry on your own.

And that’s it. As mentioned, this won’t give you the exact same experience as the traditional GNOME desktop provided, but it’s a nearly identical menu configuration. While this probably isn’t the best way to get to know and understand the new Unity desktop, it’s a nice measure to ensure at least a bit of familiarity while new ways of launching programs and dealing with documents are learned.

Post from:

Add A Classic Menu Bar to the New Ubuntu Unity Desktop

How to: No tangle extension cord storage

2011-10-24T09:35:00.000-05:00

How to: No tangle extension cord storage:

[Video Link] Thanks for reminding me how to store my 100-foot extension cord, Muskrat and Rat Man!

Google A-Z

2011-10-21T08:09:00.000-05:00

Google A-Z:

As we know, Google offers a lot of free products and services for a wide variety of purposes. Have you ever wondered just how many there are? Or where you can find them all? If so, Peter Beens has compiled a list of them all. The list can be found in this public Google Document.

Speaktoit Assistant – Perfect Siri Alternative for Android

2011-10-18T13:35:00.000-05:00

Speaktoit Assistant – Perfect Siri Alternative for Android:

Siri is a voice assistant service by Apple that comes integrated along with the new iPhone 4S. Siri is a smart and intelligent service that helps you get things done, all you have to do is ask Siri to do things just by talking the way you talk and Siri replies back. You can ask Siri to make a call, find a business and get directions, schedule reminders and meetings, search the web, dictate text, and more.

Siri has became widely popular among users of iPhone 4S and those who’ve figured out a way to make it work on iPhone 4. Now if you’re an Android phone user who wants Siri like voice assistant, then you’d be pleased to know that there is a pretty nice and efficient alternative to Siri, designed specially for Android.

Speaktoit Assistant is a free Android personal assistant app with capabilities similar to that offered by Siri. I personally tried the app and was quite amazed to see that it was understanding me well and was replying back in a Siri like voice with relevant results. The best thing is that developers are working hard and updating the Assistant app frequently to make it a lot better. It’s really amazing, responds fast and recognizes majority of the commands. The app has been downloaded by more than 1 million Android users.

Speaktoit has the ability to read natural language and converse in human speaking style. The app understands conversational context and isn’t limited to a user’s input of a specific string of keywords. In short, you talk to it like a human, not a robot.

Speaktoit’s assistants can: send emails, send texts, look up information, post to Twitter, check you in places, update your Facebook, find news, look up traffic, look up weather, call people, take notes, add things to your calendar, translate foreign languages, help you find nearby places like bars (but not without reminding you to enjoy responsibly…), and tons more.

Speaktoit for Android is different from Siri as it contains some additional impressive features. Unlike Siri, Speaktoit lets you choose (or build) a cartoon avatar to converse with which is much more personal and fun. You can even share a conversation on social networks, turn speech on/off, or change the app background from the Settings menu.

Speaktoit Assistant Video Demo -

Speaktoit is currently available for Android but is coming soon for iOS and Blackberry. The users are apparently liking it, the app is getting over 15k downloads a day.

Download Speaktoit Assistant Free from Android market.

Related Posts:

Apple announces iPhone 4S [See What’s New]

Download Skype for Android phones

Skype for iPad now available [Download]

iPhone 4S vs. iPhone 4 [Camera Photos Comparison]

Official Google Voice app for iPhone released

Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera Shoots 360-Degree Panoramas

2011-10-14T07:45:00.000-05:00

Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera Shoots 360-Degree Panoramas:

Just toss the ball in the air and it will shoot a full, 360-degreee panorama. Photo Jonas Pfeil

Imagine spending the time to take 36 perfectly spaced photographs and then later combining them into a fully scrollable 360-degree panoramic image. Now imaging doing the exact same thing, only instead of all that tedious work, you just toss a football-sized ball into the air.

This is just what the Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera can do. Developed by Jonas Pfeil, Kristian Hildebrand, Carsten Gremzow, Bernd Bickel and Marc Alexa of the Computer Graphics Group in Berlin, the ball automates everything but the actual throwing.

Arranged around the ball are 36 2-megapixel fixed-focus cellphone cameras. When the ball is thrown, they fire simultaneously at the apex of the ball’s flight, capturing the scene in every direction (and including the photographer). Back at the lab (or home), you pull the images off via USB and view them in custom software developed by the team.

The result is somewhat akin to Google Street View, only more spectacular. This video shows it in action:

Because all the cameras in the 3-D printed foam-padded ball fire together, there is no ghosting between images. And because it is airborne, it can even fire downwards — something impossible if mounted in a tripod.

I’d love to play with this. I’d also love to see a video version, although the processing involved in stitching 360-degree movies together might make this less practical. Still, these pan-able panoramas are pretty awesome as it is.

Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera [Jonas Pfeil via Petapixel]

See Also:

Camera Designed For Tossing

Lomo Spinner Puts 360-Degree Panoramas Onto Film

18-Gigapixel Panorama Offers Breathtaking View of Prague …

The strange rubbing boulders of the Atacama

2011-10-12T10:45:00.000-05:00

The strange rubbing boulders of the Atacama: A geologist's sharp eyes and upset stomach has led to the discovery, and almost too-close encounter, with an otherworldly geological process operating in a remote corner of northern Chile's Atacama Desert.

Welcome to the Web: complete, self-paced guide to using the Internet in school

2011-10-06T08:32:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Web: complete, self-paced guide to using the Internet in school:

Good morning all,

Today’s featured site comes to us by way of my colleague Cheryl Bonsall, Library/Media Specialist, who recently discovered this amazing resource.

Welcome to the Web is “an interactive set of web pages which can be used to teach children (and adults) about the Internet. They can be used in the classroom / computer room and children are welcome to explore them as they wish (although they have been designed to use in sequence).”

The site’s approach is explained here. There are seven sections, all easily followed, wonderfully explained and brilliantly illustrated. Great resource! (For more, visit the site’s main page: http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/.)

Thanks for sharing, Cheryl!

Hope this helps,

-kj-

Excellent Guide To Ins And Outs Of Android OS (Download)

2011-10-03T11:14:00.000-05:00

Excellent Guide To Ins And Outs Of Android OS (Download):

Learn everything you need to learn about Android, for free! “These Are The Droids You’re Looking For: An Android Guide” by Matt Smith, is the latest free manual from MakeUseOf.com. Outlining the ins and outs of Android, this guide covers everything from basic usage to rooting your phone, and is a must-have if you use Google’s smartphone OS.

Android is among the most influential operating systems crafted this century. Along with iOS, it has paved the way for mobile devices that offer an unprecedented level of functionality. Currently Android is the most common mobile operating system — and there’s no sign that its popularity will wane anytime soon.

Already own an Android device? This guide will help you become acquainted with it, and teach you tricks that can make it even better than it already is. Thinking of buying an Android device? This guide can help you with your decision, by showing you what Android can do.

DOWNLOAD These Are The Droids You’re Looking For: An Android Guide

The guide is free but password-protected. Gain access to the password by:

1- subscribing to our newsletter (you may do this on the download page itself, link above). Existing subscribers will receive the guide via email in the next couple of hours.

2 – Simply join our Facebook page. Quick and easy.

This amazing manual will teach you:

Android’s history, from 2003 to now.
Find out what Android version you’re running.
Customizing the Android launcher.
Enjoying music and videos on your phone.
Exploring the Android Marketplace.
How and why you should root your phone.
Securing your Android phone.

DOWNLOAD These Are The Droids You’re Looking For: An Android Guide

The guide is free but password-protected. Gain access to the password by:

1- subscribing to our newsletter (you may do this on the download page itself, link above). Existing subscribers will receive the guide via email in the next couple of hours.

2 – Simply join our Facebook page. Quick and easy.

Ikea Hack: Time-Lapse Panning Tripod from Kitchen Timer

2011-09-30T08:19:00.000-05:00

Ikea Hack: Time-Lapse Panning Tripod from Kitchen Timer:

Simple, easy and with superb results: the perfect hack

This photographic Ikea Hack is notable both for its simplicity and for the stunning results it produces. And it only gets better when you find out that it can be done for less than $5.

The hack uses Ikea kitchen timers to make timelapse panning stands. All you need to do is drill a hole in the top of the timer, add a bushing and screw a tripod-mount-sized machine screw into the top. Congratulations: You’re done.

This refined mod was carried out by hacker Getawaymoments , and is detailed on his blog with — of course — some great photos. To use it, just screw the camera onto the top, set the timer and hit the time-lapse function of the camera. If you’re good, you’ll get results like this:

Told you it was good. There are actually two versions of Getawaymoments’s hack. One uses the $2 plastic Stam timer, and the other (pictured) uses the still-cheap Ordning timer, a sturdier metal unit for $6. Either should be fine, but if you own a camera and find yourself at Ikea in the near future, the Stam is so cheap you can’t afford not to try it.

How to Make a Cheap and Easy Ikea Time Lapse Panning Unit [Getawaymoments via PetaPixel]

See Also:

Triggertrap Trips Your Camera With Just About Anything

Ikea Hack: Plywood Stool Becomes Bedtime Laptop Movie Stand …

Ikea Hack: Bed Computer Desk From Dish-Rack

NASA Sounds - sound clips for school, computer, or ringtone

2011-09-26T11:15:00.000-05:00

NASA Sounds - sound clips for school, computer, or ringtone:

NASA Sounds is another great resource from NASA. It is a collection of sounds from spaceflights and missions, including the sounds of a shuttle launch and memorable words such as "Houston, we've had a problem" and "One small step for (a) man...).

The files are in both MP3 and M4R (iPhone) formats for download.

This could be a fun way to use these sound clips in your classroom as a way to get students interested in the topics. I like NASA's idea of using "Houston, we've had a problem" as an error message on your computer.

It's fun and educational.

INFOGRAPHIC : The Textbooks Of Tomorrow

2011-09-21T15:03:00.000-05:00

INFOGRAPHIC : The Textbooks Of Tomorrow:

As someone who has just bought an iPad, I can personally appreciate its potential to become the dominant force in the digital book wars. PDF and ePub files can be uploaded instantly, and then annotated with your stylus pen or finger. Let’s face it, if you were a student, what would you rather have? 10 heavy textbooks or a thin much lighter iPad? According to this infographic by OnlineEducation, 1 in 4 students would prefer digital books so much that they would give up sex for a month in order to get them. Now there’s some dedicated fans for you.

One figure I am not entirely convinced about is the assertion that digital books are on average 53% cheaper than print books. When I owned a Kindle last year, I used to compare a lot of book prices to see the price difference between the print version and the digital version. What I found was that there was not a lot of difference in price, nothing that would make me go “wow!”. 53%? I think that might be slightly on the optimistic side.

What do you think? How soon do you think it will be before we see an all-digital book world? Are you more into digital books or print books? And what do you think of this 53% figure? Does it sound about right or do you think digital books are one big expensive rip-off and fad? Sound off in the comments below.

Via: OnlineEducation.net

Image Credit : ntr23

Work begins on Babbage’s Analytical Engine

2011-09-21T14:38:00.000-05:00

Work begins on Babbage’s Analytical Engine: Work has gotten underway on Plan 28, a project to create Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, the never-built successor to the Difference Engine. The Analytical Engine was to have been a general purpose computer, and Ada Lovelace designed the first-ever programming language to run on it. Many factors led to its never being completed -- the state of the art in precision engineering in Babbage's day, finance woes, and so forth. John Graham-Cumming, who founded the project, is also the author of The Geek Atlas, a fantastic book.

This has required building relationships with a number of bodies. I recently announced that the project had been accepted into the portfolio of projects handled by the Computer Conservation Society. They will provide expert advice as needed.

The other vital body to work with is The Science Museum in London. Doron and I have been working with The Science Museum team at many levels to ensure that the project is known about and that we would be able to get access to Babbage's plans and notebooks to perform the vital academic study of the Analytical Engine as Babbage imagined it. The first step to doing that research was to digitize the entire Babbage archive. Digitization greatly facilitates research as these precious documents can be viewed conveniently from around the world.

I am pleased to be able to say that The Science Museum agreed that digitization was vital and undertook this project. The work on digitization started on Monday, September 12 and early in October Doron and I will have access to the digitized versions of Babbage's plans and notebooks for study. This great first step on Plan 28 is, finally, underway. We are very, very grateful to The Science Museum and all we have worked with there for their support and for having undertaken this vital work that will benefit not only Plan 28 but all those who wish to study Charles Babbage's work wherever they are.

Plan 28: Analytical Engine project gets underway

(Thanks, John!)

(Image: AnalyticalMachine_Babbage_London, Wikimedia Commons/Bruno Barral, CC-BY-SA-2.5.)

Origo: A 3D Printer For Kids

2011-09-20T10:44:00.000-05:00

Origo: A 3D Printer For Kids:

As predicted in “Mimsy Were the Borogoves,” toys will change the world. Our kids, growing up with computers, game consoles, and endless visual delights, will have different minds than previous generations and their children will be even more unique. After all, our kids are about get get toy 3D printers and there’s no telling what could come next.

Origo is a concept product right now but it should be available soon. Clad in purple plastic, the system is a standard extruder-type 3D printer that can make various small objects out of a thin stream of plastic. The founders, Joris Peels and Artur Tchoukanov, are two experienced 3D printing experts. Peels was the community manager for i.materialise and Shapeways. They designed the Origo to have a minimum of moving parts and a simple UI using 3Dtin as a design platform.

The Origo describes itself thusly:

Right now, I am just an idea. I will be as easy to use as an Xbox or Wii. I’ll be as big as three Xbox 360’s and as expensive as 3 Xbox 360’s. I will sit on your desk and quietly build your ideas, drawings and dreams.

There are other 3D printers. But none will be as easy to use as I will. None will be as reliable or work as hard for you. I’m not a kit or an industrial machine. I’m not complicated. I’m an appliance, like a toaster or a microwave. Only I’m purple and make your stuff.

No pricing or availability but Joris expects the device to cost about $800. Sadly, they’re not yet funded. “We’re currently speaking to VC’s and other investors but most run like little girls when they find out we actually want to make hardware,” said Peels. Considering Makerbot just grabbed a $10 million investment, these guys should be on the right track.

Product Page

Think Tutorial

2011-09-19T11:30:00.000-05:00

Think Tutorial: Think Tutorial is a site for free computer tutorials on any number of subjects such as: iWorks, smart phones, email, etc etc. These tutorials are text based walk-thrus w/ pictures, which is nice for those who don't want to sit through watching a video.

I highly recommend checking out Think Tutorial by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites on self help technology click here.

Don't wait for Windows 8! Download it now!

2011-09-14T14:32:00.000-05:00

Don't wait for Windows 8! Download it now!:

Microsoft has used its BUILD developer conference to make available a developer preview edition of Windows 8, which gives the closest look yet at what the next generation of the operating system is going to offer.

And it’s going to provoke plenty of debate.

The new system uses an extension of Windows Phone 7′s Metro interface, for instance -- it’s very touch-oriented. You can still use it with just a keyboard and mouse, of course, but the constant need to swipe and scroll, even on a regular PC, will initially feel a little odd.

The standard desktop is still there, of course, if you feel lost. But there is no Start menu. And if you forget and click the Start button then you’ll switch back to the Metro view, which quickly becomes annoying. Carry on exploring, though, and as you begin to find your way around Windows 8 you’ll find plenty of new features that can help you get organized.

The Start menu may have disappeared, for instance, but you can still search for your applications. Just press the Start key on your keyboard, start typing a few letters of the program name, and a new Search Apps pane will appear to help you find and launch it.

The Windows 8 Lock screen isn’t just about having an attractive photo to display when you’ve logged off. You can also pin apps there, or choose others that will display details of what’s been going on while you’re away (missed emails, say).

You can rearrange and resize your Metro apps as you like (try dragging and dropping or exploring right-click options), or run two apps next to each other, similar to Windows 7′s Aero Snap. One of these apps could be the Windows desktop, too, so it’s not a matter of choosing between Metro or regular applications, you can run them side by side.

While it’ll probably take you quite some time to organize and arrange the new interface exactly as you’d like, Windows 8 does at least include a built-in Sync feature, so you can have your other Windows 8 systems automatically update themselves to work in exactly the same way.

And there are plenty of other features to explore, including a whole set of Metro apps: games, social networking tools, a Paint program, RSS feed reader and more. These are basic, just sample apps, and not the ones that will appear in the full release of Windows 8, but they’re still good examples of the direction Microsoft is trying to take.

To properly test the performance of Windows 8 you should install it on a laptop or PC, but beware. This is a pre-beta version; there’s no support. It only supports clean installs and can’t be uninstalled, so make sure whatever system you choose holds nothing important. And be prepared for problems, even then.

Or, if you prefer an easier life, the Windows 8 Developer Preview will install and run happily in a VirtualBox virtual machine. It’ll also be much slower, but if you’re more interested in safety and convenience then that would be our recommendation. Note there is a separate download for 64-bit computers.

How to Recalibrate Your Laptop Battery

2011-09-14T10:48:00.000-05:00

How to Recalibrate Your Laptop Battery

Google+

2011-09-13T07:07:00.000-05:00

Google+

South Dakota's Lake Area Technical Institute Named One of Ten Community College Finalists Nationwide for First-Ever $1 Million Aspen Prize Fund.

Top College and Runner-up to be Announced in December; Lake Area Technical Institute Honored for its Focus on Excellence as Defined by Learning, Completion, Equity, and Labor Market Outcomes.

http://www.aspeninstitute.org for more.....

Home | The Aspen Institute

Aspen Institute Logo. Publications »; Conference Centers »; Press Center »; Support Us »; Society of Fellows ». Search: About the Institute; Events; Our Policy Work; Leadership Programs; Seminars; Our...

Mamma

2011-09-09T15:42:00.000-05:00

Mamma: Mamma is a search engine that I just found out about from a member of my PLN on Twitter. This is a search engine that searches through news, images, videos, Twitter, etc to bring the best results possible.

I recommend checking out Mamma by clicking here.

A Guide to Searching With Images

2011-09-06T11:00:00.000-05:00

A Guide to Searching With Images:

Searching with images or reverse image search can be very useful at times. Check this guide to know more.

The Complete Guide to Conducting a Reverse Image Search

How To Learn Speed Reading Online For Free With Readfa.st [SEO OPTIMISED BY ANGE]

2011-09-06T10:53:00.000-05:00

How To Learn Speed Reading Online For Free With Readfa.st [SEO OPTIMISED BY ANGE]:

[SEO NOTE: Title could be "Learn How To Speed Read Online For Free (With Readfa.st)" and be just as effective, but those words have to appear in the title (read/reading both being useful words, so either is okay)]

There are many reasons a person might want to learn how to speed read. Students especially, whether currently enrolled or just interested learners of a given subject, know that effective speed reading would give a huge advantage to the student. Much of the world’s best educational material is written down, so if you can read and comprehend that information quickly you will be able to learn a lot with your reading time.

Sadly, most people can’t speed read and the organisations which promise to be able to teach you are for-profit and out of reach of most students. But there are free solutions available, and Readfa.st has proven itself to be a very good free solution at that. Readfa.st lets you easily line up your own reading material from the internet and at the same time to use the service as a game to teach you effective speed reading. You can even compete against your friends and check out what they’re reading. It’s fun and it works!

How To Get Started With Readfa.st

Readfa.st is a free, online service which lets you set up an account quickly and easily either with an email address or a Facebook Connect login.

Test How Fast You Can Read

The first thing to do using Readfa.st is to test how fast you currently read. This means Readfa.st can set your minimum reading speed and ensure all the documents you read are optimised just for you.

After you have read the passage, Readfa.st can quiz you on the content to ensure you have understood correctly.

You can then continue to test yourself by reading passages from within Readfa.st or move on to reading your own chosen content. Readfa.st can offer you a list of its most popular content to read if you want to try something new and interesting.

Read Online Documents Faster

Using the Readfa.st bookmarklet, you can quickly take the text of any web page and read it using Readfa.st.

Because Readfa.st makes a list of your documents, it can easily be used as a short-term “read it later” style list. Although, you wouldn’t want it to get too long or it would become unwieldy.

While reading, you can control Readfa.st by using “s” for slower, “f” for faster and space bar to pause/start the text.

Learn Speed Reading Online

Readfa.st doesn’t just offer you a speed reading experience, it helps to teach you how to improve your reading speed. With every passage you read you can record your speed, meaning you can see how you’ve improved over time.

If you have used Facebook Connect, your Readfa.st account can easily be used to compare your reading speeds with friends and have a little bit of friendly competition. If not, you’ll need to add friends manually at this stage. Hopefully soon they’ll make it possible for users who signed up with an email address to connect their accounts to Facebook later in order to find their friends and sync profile pictures.

If you have no friends on Readfa.st you can always compare your results with the top readers on the Readfa.st leaderboard.

Here’s some more great articles on speed reading you might like:

How do online speed reading applications like Readfa.st help you? Are there some texts which work better than others?

Microsoft Press release FREE Step by Step videos by gHacks Editor

2011-09-01T13:53:00.000-05:00

Microsoft Press release FREE Step by Step videos by gHacks Editor

This Time-Lapse of the Milky Way in South Dakota's Skies Is the Best Good Morning I Could Ask For [Video]

2011-08-24T15:55:00.000-05:00

This Time-Lapse of the Milky Way in South Dakota's Skies Is the Best Good Morning I Could Ask For [Video]:

Good morning indeed! We know Randy Halverson pretty well for his wonderful milky way time lapses. Here's another, taken out in South Dakota and set to a beautiful score. [Vimeo via The Daily What] More »

Kindle Cloud Reader

2011-08-18T13:12:00.000-05:00

Kindle Cloud Reader:

Now you can read Kindle books on your browser

Kindle Cloud Reader

Free upgrade to Professional Academic includes Publisher 2010

2011-08-18T07:50:00.000-05:00

Free upgrade to Professional Academic includes Publisher 2010:

I'm about to drive my son to Fresno, California, to start college. Of course I've already bought him a copy of Office 2010 Home & Student. But Home & Student doesn't have Publisher. Ah, fortunately for him and for college students and their parents, there are up grades available from Home & Student to Professional Academic that offers Publisher, plus Outlook and Access for free!

Here are the eligibility requirements. In the US, Canada, and Iceland, you have to buy Home & Student between July 1 and September 25^thand redeem the upgrade by October 21^st 2011 (other countries have other eligibility dates). You also have to validate your student status online. You then get a product key for downloading Publisher, Outlook, and Access 2010.

-- Bob deLaubenfels

...(read more)

Linux Then and Now [Infographic]

2011-08-18T07:46:00.000-05:00

Linux Then and Now [Infographic]:

Linux has grown exponentially in the last 20 years; check out this then-and-now style infographic to compare everything from lines of code to user base to number of top super computers running the OS.

For more information about the history of Linux and the celebration surrounding its 20th birthday, hit up the link below.

The Linux Foundation [via Tech Crunch]


How To Backup and Restore Your Android Phone with Titanium Backup	My Photos Look Different on the Internet! How Can I Fix Them?	How To Use an External GPS Device with Your iPad or iPhone

67 Open Source Replacements for Really Expensive Applications

2011-08-17T07:53:00.000-05:00

67 Open Source Replacements for Really Expensive Applications: "

datamation.com: Why spend thousands or even hundreds or thousands of dollars on a closed source application when you can get a comparable open source app for free?

Free Microsoft Press Titles Now Available on Kindle, Other eBook Readers

2011-08-04T21:54:00.000-05:00

Free Microsoft Press Titles Now Available on Kindle, Other eBook Readers: "
By Thurrott, Paul
Microsoft Press makes various titles available for free in PDF format, but this week it revealed that it is now making some of these titles available for free via the Amazon Kindle and other eBook platforms as well, thanks to their release in DRM-free EPUB and MOBI formats."

The Evolution of Computer Programming Languages [Infographic]

2011-08-03T23:34:00.000-05:00

The Evolution of Computer Programming Languages [Infographic]: "

Curious about the programming languages in use all around you? This timeline-style infographic highlights the major programming languages of the last 50 years and where you, indirectly, experience them.

The Evolution of Computer Languages [Rackspace via ExtremeTech]


The Best HTG Photoshop Effects in One Free Download: Action Pack #1	How to Convert PDF Files for Easy Ebook Reading	How To Make Classic Red/Cyan 3D Photos Out of Any Image

Create Android Phone Wallpaper From Any Image In Google Chrome

2011-07-12T14:34:00.000-05:00

Create Android Phone Wallpaper From Any Image In Google Chrome

Awesome Paper Planes to Make for Fun at Home or Work [Geek Fun]

2011-07-07T14:32:00.000-05:00

Awesome Paper Planes to Make for Fun at Home or Work [Geek Fun]: "

Are you having one of those days when you feel bored and want something fun to do? Then grab some paper and create your own personal fleet of paper planes with this awesome how-to chart!

This terrific chart shows you how to build your fleet fold by fold with choices like the classic Glider, Silke, Canard, Needle, Shuttle, and more. Unfortunately Plane #8 is listed on the chart twice, but that still gives you eleven awesome planes to make at home or work.

Note: To view the entire chart use the link below (chart is large at 700*3318 pixels).

Paper Planes! [via Geeks are Sexy]


How To Skin Your XBMC for Fame, Glory, and Best Looking Media Browsing Around	How To Encrypt Your Cloud-Based Drive with Boxcryptor	HTG Explains: Photography with Film-Based Cameras

Cinemagraph: 28 Still Photos With Subtle Motion

2011-07-06T08:49:00.000-05:00

Cinemagraph: 28 Still Photos With Subtle Motion: "

So today we’re going to showcase animated GIF artwork but there are not the regular GIF we use on websites. These are beautiful twist from somehow nasty animated Gif artworks with the use of high quality photos from modern photography, and the pioneer, Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg called it – Cinemagraph.

(Image source: From Me To You)

Like what you’ve seen in most GIF animation, cinemagraph is a product of still photo with minor elements moving on. It’s nothing impressive on technique but what makes cinemagraph unique is it brings back certain part of the photo to life, thus making the entire photo more realistic, attractive and sometimes even thought-provoking, just like the magical newspaper from the movie Harry Potter.

Dozens of photographers have found this technique interesting, so do we. While they are making their first attempt on cinemagraph, we go on by collecting 28 quality, realistic and thought-provoking cinemagraphs for your enjoyment and inspiration and, be prepared to get impressed!

28 Inspiring Cinemagraphs

A Wonderful World. It’s still yet it’s moving, it’s silent yet it’s thought-provoking. It’s the beauty of cinemagraph. (Image source: From Me To You)

Can You Smell Them? I can’t really smell them, but I can feel that it’s hot and delicious! This is what cinemagraph can do, strengthens the expression of a photo. (Image source: From Me To You)

Cheers. Endless wine with endless elegance, achieved by cinemagraph. (Image source: From Me To You)

Coco Takes Manhattan. If you cannot capture wind, make a cinemagraph to get people feel it. (Image source: From Me To You)

Delicious Bacon. Believe me, cinemagraph will be the next big thing for food advertising. (Image source: Vickan Flickan)

Endless Time. Time is endless, so is cinemagraph. (Image source: Tilen Sepic)

Have A Bubbly Weekend! The moving effect has grabbed all you focus to the wine, showing you the attention-grabbing power of cinemagraph. (Image source: From Me To You)

Have An Adventurous Weekend. By simply moving some grasses, the entire photo has brought back to life completely. (Image source: From Me To You)

He Swept Her Away. Amazed by the dynamic of the swinging dress, simply cool. (Image source: From Me To You)

How He Passed The Time. Cinemagraph can not only give you the feel of wind, but also the feel of speed. (Image source: From Me To You)

Infinite Coke. Where can I buy this coke? I will pay any money for it. An interesting effect achieved by cinemagraph to confuse your mind. (Image source: Superwhite)

It’s My Birthday. Oops, don’t scroll down too fast or the candle will be blown away! Revive your most lovely moment with cinemagraph. (Image source: From Me To You)

Joel Naughgle Of Devil At My Doorstep. Professional output with lively portrait, a very great attempt from David Tribbly. (Image source: Tribby)

Laypark. They are all silent, only her keep playing her phone. She comes alive by the power of cinemagraph. (Image source: Teman | Design)

Meet Me At The Bar. A creative cinemagraph utilizing the reflection of window. (Image source: From Me To You)

Mouse Is Always Busy. Is he browsing the Hongkiat? Perfect cinemagraph that captures the life of a computer addict. (Image source: Superwhite)

Paint It On. Beauty needs patience. (Image source: From Me To You)

Prabal’s Beauty. Inspiring and lively at the same time, demonstrating how cinemagraph can be the best piece in your portfolio. (Image source: From Me To You)

Reading Newspaper. Impressive attempt with interesting ideas, I had a pleasing moment with this cinemagraph. (Image source: Kyla Hernandez)

Ride On A Swing. Instead of moving the swinging girl, the author moves another part of swing which makes entire cinemagraph more interesting, great idea. (Image source: product26)

Shave And A Haircut. Can you see all pole barble lamps in the photo are whirling? This cinemagraph stands out by its great attention to detail. (Image source: From Me To You)

Slide To Unlock. How many times you unlock iDevice a day? A common activity made interesting by cinemagraph. (Image source: Superwhite)

Smoke ‘n Models. Now I will call this professional, both makeup artist, photographer and cinemagrapher. (Image source: From Me To You)

So Tasty! How fresh it is! A tasty cinemagrah made for online grocery site, Gilt Taste. (Image source: From Me To You)

Spinning Coffee. Very nice attempt from Editor Simon, I like the peaceful feel of the entire photo, and the motion part has really strengthened the feel. (Image source: Editor Simon)

Sweeping Moments. Great collaboration between model and cinemagrapher, I believe more models will want to have a cinemagraph as self portrait, it’s simply more attractive. (Image source: From Me To You)

The Never-ending Commute. The moving train really adds to the epicness of this photo. (Image source: From Me To You)

Yuki. Its name is Yuki, an animal brought back to life by cinemagraph. (Image source: kirk7784)

References

Cinemagraphs in this showcase are referred from these following awesome websites:

From Me To You

Superwhite

David Tribby Photography

Editor Simon

Kirk7784

Kyla Hernandez

Product26

Teman | Design

Vickan Flickan

You Have To Start Somewhere

Reflection

The review for these cinemagraph is pretty diverse. Some praised it as the revolution of Gif animation, some criticized it as an old form of animated Gif artwork with a new name. In either way, more photographers found cinemagraph interesting and made their first attempt. Will it become the next big thing of photography and Gif animation? I will leave this for you to judge.

Wondered how to achieve magical cinemagraph? There’re some in-depth tutorials for you to get it!

Cinemagraph/Subtle GIF Tutorial (Anthony-scavarelli.com)

How to make a Cinemagraph with Photoshop and After Effects (vfxhaiku.com)

Cinemagraph Tutorial (fernandojbaez.com)

How I Made a Cinemagraph (anaestheticdiscourse.com)

How To Make Your Own Cinemagraphs: A New Take on GIFs (tested.com)

Oh, and don’t forget to tell us which cinemagraph impresses you the most!

MIT Project Uses Smart Phones to Detect Cataracts

2011-07-06T07:15:00.000-05:00

MIT Project Uses Smart Phones to Detect Cataracts: "

CATRA is an invention of MIT’s Media Lab which uses a cellphone and a cheap plastic eyepiece to detect cataracts. Not only is it cheaper and easier to use than existing solutions, it actually provides much better results.

Cataracts cause blindness by fogging the lens of the eye, scattering light before it reaches the retina. Normally, they are diagnosed using a “backscatter” device which shines light into the eye and measures how much of it is reflected by the cataract. This requires a skilled user, a fancy machine and still doesn’t detect the problem early, nor tell the operator what the patient actually sees.

CATRA uses a smartphone with a custom app, and a cheap eyepiece. The patient holds it up to their eye and the app fires light successively at each part of the eye. The patient uses “the phone’s arrow keys” to adjust the brightness of these beams until they match. The app logs the differences in intensity required to reach the retina and creates a map of the eye. Thus is can detect the problem early, and also reflects the actual experience of the patient.

But most important, it requires no special hardware except for that simple eyepiece.

The product is about to undergo field testing for a future launch. The market for this is clearly the developing world, which is also the place where cellphone usage is taking off. It might be time to forget about programs like One Laptop Per Child and instead concentrate on the using smart-phones instead.

CATRA: Cataract Maps with Snap-on Eyepiece for Mobile Phones [MIT Media Lab via Cult of Mac]

See Also:

Cellphones Affect Medical Equipment Says Study

Android App Tracks, Helps Wandering Alzheimer's Sufferers

MIT Exoskeleton: A Partial Success

Picture of the Day: 70 Lightning Strikes in One Shot

2011-06-30T13:22:00.000-05:00

Picture of the Day: 70 Lightning Strikes in One Shot: "

70 LIGHTNING STRIKES IN ONE SHOT

Photograph by CHRIS KOTSIOPOULOS

Photographer’s Description: Fire in the sky! This is an image sequence containing 70 lightning shots, taken at Ikaria island during a severe thunderstorm.

Taken with: Canon EOS 550D, 16/6/2011 1:17 – 2:40, Shutter Speed 20 sec x 70 shots, Aperture Value 7.1, ISO 400, Lens Canon EF50mm f/1.8 II, Focal Length 50.0 mm

via Chris Kotsiopoulos’ Official Site

If you enjoyed this post, the Sifter highly recommends:

Nature’s Fury: 30 Chilling Photos of Natural Hazards

-or-

The 30 Most Incredible Photographs of Volcanic Eruptions

Get wise and have fun, for free, with Ribbon Hero 2

2011-06-28T11:08:00.000-05:00

Get wise and have fun, for free, with Ribbon Hero 2: "

The quasi-notorious outlaw known as Clippy is back, in a fun new game
designed to help you learn PowerPoint (and also Excel,
Word,
and OneNote).
It's free, it's called Ribbon Hero 2,
and you can download it today.

...(read more)"

The History of Computing [Infographic]

2011-06-27T13:54:00.000-05:00

The History of Computing [Infographic]: "

If you’re guilty of skipping computer history class, here’s an exhaustingly lengthy Infographic from Manolution that can help you catch up. It sums up in detail the story behind the two biggest names in the industry: Microsoft and Apple, from their inception to today.

C4 Universe, Image Credit

How To Convert A PowerPoint 2010 Presentation Into A Video With One Click

2011-06-27T12:49:00.000-05:00

How To Convert A PowerPoint 2010 Presentation Into A Video With One Click: "

Converting a PowerPoint slide to a video has lots of uses. It can be used to send a cluster of pictures to someone who does not have PowerPoint or a PowerPoint viewer installed. Videos are in fact, quite an easy way to send someone a PowerPoint presentation. In any case, a video ‘show’ sounds more interesting than a PowerPoint slideshow; you can convert one and watch it on a TV. Another use I can think of straightaway is to create a novel ‘visual resume’ to stand out from the crowd. Pretty much like the one demonstrated in the said link.

Creating a video from a slideshow isn’t something new. It has been a pretty common activity thanks to the clutch of PPT to video converters. But thanks to the latest edition of Microsoft Office, you can do away with third party tools…at least for a basic video conversion job.

Microsoft Office 2010 has come in with a slew of user-friendly new features. One of the new features in PowerPoint 2010 helps you convert Powerpoint presentations to video with just a click.

Here are the steps that start with a normal presentation file.

After creating a presentation, select the File tab from the ribbon.
Click on Save and Send – Create a Video under File Types.
A few optional settings help to further tailor your video creation process.As the screenshot below shows, you can record and time voice narration and laser pointer movements in your video effectively creating a screencast. All other animations and transitions are also preserved in the converted format.
Two dropdowns fine tune your ‘production’ for the media it will be displayed on. It also determines file size. For instance, opting for Portable devices reduces the resolution. I find this quite handy if I have to carry along and watch a presentation on an iPod or a smartphone.
You can also add the recorded timings and narration to the video. You can also specify the time that will determine the transition from one slide to the next.
Finally click on the large Create Video button and choose a location to save your video as a WMV file.

As the conversion to .wmv format begins there will be a progress bar displayed in the lower right corner of PowerPoint that indicates the pace. The time taken for the conversion will of course depend on the size of the PowerPoint file. My 15-slide sample presentation took about eight minutes to turn into a movie.

The inbuilt PowerPoint video conversion is a handy aid to have. There are some limitations of course:

PowerPoint 2010 supports only one video format. A few more choices like MP4, FLV etc would have been real handy. For that, you still have to depend on third-party conversion tools. Also, the highest resolution that’s on offer is 960×720. Higher resolutions (and commonly available) like 1,280×720, 1,920×1,080, or 1,920×1,080 are not available.

The limitations notwithstanding, the Create Video feature is a great tool to have. It saves us the bother of looking for a conversion tool and allows us to quickly upload and share videos of any presentations. If you are a PowerPoint super-user, would you agree that Microsoft has plugged a gap.

How To Convert A PowerPoint 2010 Presentation Into A Video With One Click is a post from: MakeUseOf

More articles about: converter, microsoft office, microsoft powerpoint, presentations, video converter

Aquaskipper Hydrofoil: Human Powered, For Your Pleasure

2011-06-27T09:23:00.000-05:00

Aquaskipper Hydrofoil: Human Powered, For Your Pleasure: "

So you’re walking along the beach, daydreaming, and you think to yourself “How much more fun would it be if I could get up on some weird contraption and fly around at 17 miles an hour just below the surface of the water while children, families, and the elderly scatter in front of me like vanquished enemies?”

Well you’re in luck because this wild-looking vehicle will offer you that privilege for a mere $500. As you see from the video below, the vehicle offers a graceful and tactful way to skip across a pond like a huge freak, bouncing around on a flimsy-looking hydrofoil thinger that will inevitably cause you to flip over and spill your beer.

The best thing? You can never stop jumping:

If you stop jumping, eventually, you will end up in the water. Not so bad on a hot, sunny day! In order to keep the AquaSkipper up out of the water, the rider needs to either be jumping on the platform or riding a wave. A rider can glide for small amounts of time, but then needs to start jumping again.

Summer fun, indeed.

Product Page

Backup Windows 7 Activation License For Re-Activation Before Re-Installing Windows

2011-06-27T08:39:00.000-05:00

Backup Windows 7 Activation License For Re-Activation Before Re-Installing Windows: "

While using computer systems, one usually faces an issue in which either some of the files related to operating system get corrupt or some other problem arises. This leads to formatting of the complete system very frequently. As the need arises for formatting, the user has to re-install all the software along with new online [...]

Backup Windows 7 Activation License For Re-Activation Before Re-Installing Windows is a post from TroubleFixers - All about fixing computer troubles

Chart: College Haves & Have-Nots

2011-06-22T14:12:00.000-05:00

Chart: College Haves & Have-Nots: "

It's an unfair, unfair world -- and on the whole America seems to be OK with that.Full chart below. OnlineSchools via Progress IL

Visual multiplication is delightful

2011-06-22T13:51:00.000-05:00

Visual multiplication is delightful: "

It's been ages since I last checked in with math-doodling funnylady Vi Hart's YouTube feed -- too long. The latest installment's a great technique for visual multiplication (and binomial expansion!) that I wish I'd known when I was in school, and a little rumination on good sentence structure in mathematics.

Re: Visual Multiplication and 48/2(9+3)

(via Copyfight)

It's National Use-Up-Your-Leftovers-in-a-Jell-O-Salad Week!

2011-06-17T12:32:00.000-05:00

It's National Use-Up-Your-Leftovers-in-a-Jell-O-Salad Week!: "

What will you put in your Jell-O Leftovers Salad?

Jell-O Leftovers Salad -- For the hungry insinkerator (Via Ape Lad)

And to think that I have never played this game...will have to do something about this ...soon!

2011-06-17T10:34:00.000-05:00

Settlers of Catan: How a German Board Game Went Mainstream: "Two decades after it was invented, this game is about to become a household name. How did it happen?

gadl/flickr

Last Christmas, I tore the wrapping paper off a rectangular box, expecting at best I'd see an iPad, at worst a Kindle. Instead, I was staring down at a board game: Settlers of Catan. In an era of Xboxes and Wiis, my gift ranked just above a framed photo of the gift-giver and just below nose hair clippers.

But multiple marathon gaming sessions later, Settlers of Catan stole my heart.

I'm not the only one. Over the past few years, Settlers of Catan has transformed from an activity enjoyed by a small niche of gamers into a mainstream hit. With sales nearing 25 million copies worldwide, Settlers of Catan is becoming the most popular board game since Risk and Monopoly.

After Settlers was first released in 1995, a small but passionate following emerged. It wasn't until a decade later that the game's popularity began to blossom. 'The start of the tipping point was 2008,' said Bob Carty, a spokesman for Settlers manufacturer Mayfair Games. 'Settlers is three to five years away from being a household word.' Last year alone, the game's sales grew 35 percent. Carty said that the game is mainly played by families, but it's also popular on college campuses and as a team-bonding activity at companies.

Part of Settlers' success can be attributed to its well-designed gameplay. Adam Weisberg, a finalist in the 2006 Settlers of Catan US Championship, notes that the game 'is easy to learn because it draws on equal parts strategy, gamesmanship and luck.' The rules give you enough choices to keep it interesting, without so many as to make it overwhelming. As a result, says Weisberg, 'with a little luck, a sharp new player always has a chance to beat an expert.'

Invented by German designer Klaus Teuber in the mid-1990s, Settlers of Catan involves three or four players building settlements, trading resources, and racing to earn 10 victory points. Each game begins with a shuffling of the board tiles, producing a wholly different board each time. Settlers allows players to produce resources, build roads and settlements, buy 'development cards,' and trade with one another.

Where games like Monopoly fall short—with playing times that far outlast the players' interest, particularly those who have little hope of victory—Settlers is designed to maintain close competition. Unlike games of Risk that can famously last for days, Settlers usually takes 90 minutes or less. And unlike many pastimes that quickly descend into cutthroat competitiveness, Settlers of Catan is not a zero-sum game. A single roll generally produces resources for multiple players, and trades are almost always mutually beneficial. Because Settlers is a unique game that rewards cooperation as much (if not more) as confrontation, Weisberg argues that it 'brings out competitive spirits in a positive way.'

Bergen Offentlige Bibliotek/flickr

Still, plenty of well-designed games remain mired in obscurity. There are a number of theories explaining how Settlers expanded out of the geek basement to corporate breakrooms and household living rooms. Blake Eskin argued in the Washington Post, for instance, that Settlers has taken hold because it exemplifies many aspects of our modern world, such as limited resources and intertwined global economies.

Another way to view the mainstreaming of Settlers is part of the larger trend of 'nerd culture' slowly infusing into 'popular culture.' For example, while X-Men and Green Lantern were once idolized by just a sliver of society, now millions go watch them at movie theaters in a seemingly endless parade of superhero movies.

Settlers is taking a similar path to popularity. Not long after its inception 16 years ago, Settlers found a welcome home among gamers. 'The nerds recognized it first' argues Charlie Cromer, a nerd culture enthusiast who's been attending gaming conventions for the past decade. 'They were the ones willing to take a chance on an obscure foreign board game.' In the case of Settlers, nerds were the early adopters that Malcolm Gladwell discussed in his book The Tipping Point, a necessary component for a product to take off.

But the game isn't too nerdy for mainstream players. Cromer, a Settlers aficionado, sees its mass-culture appeal stemming from the game's 'lack of strong setting or theme.' In other words, 'if it was in a strongly fantasy-based setting, or any genre-specific world, it wouldn't have broken through.' Settlers' palatability is its salvation.

Settlers' recipe for success can therefore be seen as this: a well-designed game, devoid of a geeky patina, incubated by early adoption into a nerd culture that has become increasingly mainstream.

Though Carty predicts Settlers is still a few years away from being a household name, it's already showing signs of entering our popular consciousness. As I was writing this post, WalMart.com was completely sold out of the game. As of this week, two different versions of Settlers were in the top 10 board game sellers on Amazon—and neither Risk nor Monopoly were in the top 10.

Increased popularity of the game at home has resulted in higher tournament popularity as well. Five years ago, there were 100 entrants in the Settlers of Catan US Championship. This year, there are 10 to 15 times that number, spread across 32 qualifying events. Next year, that number is expected to double to 64 events, according to Carty.

Name-dropping Settlers at random may still leave you with blank faces today. But in the near future, a once-obscure German board game will likely be seen as American as apple pie.

For a rebuttal to this article, see 'Sorry, Settlers of Catan Is Not the New Monopoly.'

"

Android PSA: Stop Using Task Killer Apps – NOW

2011-06-17T09:58:00.000-05:00

Android PSA: Stop Using Task Killer Apps – NOW: "

Hello, friends. This is an Android Public Service Announcement regarding the overuse of “task killer” apps in the Android community. Almost everyone has experimented or used one of these apps at one point in their Android life. I wont judge you. In some cases, these apps might have been installed even without your knowledge. I know for a fact that reps at carrier retail stores will download and install these upon buying any of their Android phones. But why? It’s largely in part because of this HUGE misconception that Android needs these apps in order to run properly. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Lets start at the beginning. Everyone knows one of the main benefits with Android is the fact that it — unlike certain other OS’s, can run apps in the background. The more RAM you have installed on your phone, the more apps you can have open at one time for true multitasking and switching between apps. Its quite beautiful actually. This is one of the reasons RAM is such a highly sought after spec when comparing the many Android devices on the market.

I think you can ask any Android user what they hate most about their phone and they will almost always tell you, battery life. Most people know Android is definitely lacking in this department. Well, in an attempt to “think outside the box” a lot of people have come to the conclusion that the reason for the horrible battery life must be because of all those apps that are “running” around in the background. This the reason these misinformed reps install these Task Killer apps onto phones thinking they’re helping customers, when in fact, they’re not. First, Android doesn’t necessarily keep apps “running” in the background like a car for instance. Using gas/CPU even when they’re not being used. They way it works is Android will pause those apps until you return to them. If you don’t come back to the app for awhile, Android will eventually close the app altogether. This requires no intervention from the user what-so-ever.

The other misconception people have with Android and another reason for using a task killer is that they feel like it will some how make their phone perform faster. This has something to do with the thought that “freeing up RAM” is going to somehow make your phone speedier and quicker when doing everyday tasks (I used to believe this as well). But not so. First off, the purpose of RAM is to be used. If you’re not using the RAM, why do you even have it? Second, even when you close out those 20 apps in the background, 20 more will open up in their place. Like Bebe’s Kids. They don’t die, they multiply. Your resistance is futile. I mean, it’s not like Android will keep opening apps in the background until you’re completely out of RAM. That would cause your phone to completely freeze and lock up and wouldn’t make any sense. Android is smarter than that. Instead, it will begin closing the oldest apps still open in the background to make space for new ones. I mean think about it, do you have to manage the RAM on your home computer? No. It just works, right? Same with Android.

Is there a time and place for task killers? Sure. Even I use one from time to time. Just like your computer, there are those times when things go wrong. Sometimes an app can misbehave and become unresponsive. Or perhaps you changed some options in an app and it needs to be closed/killed/stopped so that it can be opened and refreshed. Or maybe you have a game that has gone rogue and really is, in fact, running in the background sucking CPU and RAM and causing your phone to run to a crawl. It’s only in these occasions that using a task manager is acceptable. Even then, for your average noob user, a simple reboot will solve these problems.

For the Android power users that like to monitor and micro-manage everything that goes on in their phone, yes, using a task manager is acceptable. Sometimes I use it to kill off a game that I know I wont be returning to and there’s no reason for it to be open in my background. But I’m anal like that. For your average soccer mom/girl-friend/grandma/Joe Schmo who is just blindly closing every app they can because they were told to, there really is no good reason for them to have these apps installed on their phone. More often than not, they’re going to do more harm than good and ruin their user experience with the phone. This will cause them to run to the iPhone where they don’t (and shouldn’t) have to worry about this sorta stuff. That was the point of this video. So with that. I am done here, folks. I hope this Public Service Announcement helped shed some light on a murky subject going on in the Android world. Now you know and knowing is half the battle. Now, go uninstall that task killer off your mom’s phone.

Google’s Related Searches Now Harness Google Squared (And They’re Pretty Nifty)

2011-06-17T07:17:00.000-05:00

Google has just announced a new feature for its core search engine that sounds like it will be very helpful: a new kind of related search result that’s based around lists. Starting today, when you run a general query like, say, “Greek philosophers”, Google will actually present a list of top Greek philosophers instead of queries that are simply similar to that one.

Okay, so it isn’t the kind of announcement that’s going to make you scream from the rooftops, but it’s a subtle and important difference. Previously, for the query “american authors” you would have gotten suggested searches including “famous american authors” and “american literature”. Now you’ll also get a list of some of the top American authors themselves: Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, and a half-dozen others.

Google’s post says that the feature also works for a variety of other query types, like movies (you’ll get a list of actors). I just ran a query for “Jelly bean flavors” (which was not one of the examples) and got a list that includes Green Apple, Coconut, and Blueberry. Neat.

Google’s post notes that this is actually based in part on Google Squared, the feature it launched in Labs two years ago that presents search results as structured data. At the time Squared seemed overly ambitious (the structured results didn’t seem very reliable), but obviously it’s come a long way.

First Look at an Awesome Hoverbike Prototype (with Video)

2011-06-16T07:44:00.000-05:00

Now If they could make it sound like a Harley!!!!! Awesome!!!!

First Look at an Awesome Hoverbike Prototype (with Video): "

Does the idea of a hoverbike sound exciting? Then you will definitely want to have a look at this. Australian Chris Malloy is currently testing out a prototype he constructed using motorbike and other types of parts.

The hoverbike is mostly comprised of a pair of massive propellers powered by an 1,170-cc engine good for a total of 107 horsepower. Estimated specs for the hoverbike at the moment are:

It can fly at 173 mph at an altitude of 10,000 feet

Can carry enough fuel to give it a range of 92 miles at a cruising speed of 92 mph

Note: These specs are based on the 231-pound device’s thrust-to-weight ratio.

Photos courtesy of Malloy Hoverbike Website

Here is a video demonstrating the airflow of the front rotor using smoke. What do you think? Is this something that you would like to give a try?

Die Smiling on This Hoverbike [via BoingBoing]

The Malloy Hoverbike Homepage


How To Recover After Your Email Password Is Compromised	How to Clean Your Filthy Keyboard in the Dishwasher (Without Ruining it)	Learn How to Make HDR Images in Photoshop or GIMP With a Simple Trick

14+ YouTube Playlists To Watch & Learn Computer Programming Quickly

2011-06-16T07:42:00.000-05:00

14+ YouTube Playlists To Watch & Learn Computer Programming Quickly: "

For a lot of students, summer vacation has arrived and it’s an ideal time to stretch out and relax, or alternatively, catch up in your favorite hobbies and perfect your skills. With the advent and growth of YouTube and plenty of other high-quality video-sharing websites and tools like flashcard software, learning new things visually by yourself has never been easier. Even though YouTube is used regularly to share comedic clips, it’s without a doubt, a rich pool of educational videos . You’ve seen many articles on our site listing some amazing YouTube channels to become more educated in a variety of general topics, to learn cool dance moves, even some channels for non-native speakers to learn and perfect their English, and dedicated channels for Linux enthusiasts that learn about Linux news and issues.

Since it never hurts to learn something new, especially a skill set like computer programming in different languages, we will go over some of the best channels that will introduce you to the world of programming. Let’s look at which channels made the cut.

thenewboston

thenewboston is a truly great channel with an immense collection of programming tutorials. The official website contains a list of all the tutorials made so far, which are well into the thousands (about 1500 videos as of this writing). Not only does it have tutorials for various programming languages, but it also has videos on building computers, tutorials for software like Dreamweaver and After Effects, as well as 3D-modeling software. The website now also has plans to present tutorials for a variety of other topics, like Math and Biology. Since all these tutorials are free, thenewboston is probably the greatest source of video tutorials for people interested in beginning programming languages. Bucky, the instructor behind most of the videos, explains concepts like a peer, so his tutorials are definitely very easy to follow and catch up to.

To jump into thenewboston’s tutorials for different computer programming languages, check out:

Playlist For Java Tutorials (87 videos) & Playlist For Intermediate Java Tutorials (27 videos)

So you can get a taste of thenewboston’s teaching style, here’s a video from this Java series where Bucky explains polymorphism:

Playlist For C Tutorials (15 videos)
Playlist For Python Tutorials (44 videos)
Playlist For iPhone Development Tutorials (37 videos) & Playlist For Objective C Tutorials (65 videos)
Playlist For Javascript Tutorials: Playlist 1 For Beginner Javascript (40 videos) & Playlist 2 For Javascript (27 videos)
Playlist For XHTML & CSS Tutorials (46 videos)

thenewboston also has a number of tutorials for different Adobe Products:

Playlist For Photoshop Tutorials (20 videos)
Playlist For Dreamweaver Tutorials (41 videos)

There’s a an impressive number of additional topics that thenewboston has covered already. You can check out all his videos sorted by series at the official website’s Tutorials page here.

Xoaxdotnet (For C++ Tutorials)

Xoaxdotnet has a variety of tutorials (almost 200 videos) on literature, Algebra, and even neural networks and more general Computer Science concepts (such as sorting and searching algorithms, as well as big O notation), but for the most part, this channel has focused on and produced lots of C++ tutorials:

Playlist For Beginner C++ Tutorials (51 videos)

Here’s the first video of this series:

Playlist For Beginner C++ OpenGL Tutorials (7 videos)
Playlist For C++ Win32 Tutorials (11 videos)

Those are probably the most distinctive ones, but be sure to check out the complete list of videos he has produced, sorted by topic here.

phpacademy (For PHP Tutorials)

Like the channel name suggests, phpacademy focuses on teaching PHP, and some MySQL. With over 200 videos, phpacademy is one of the most subscribed guru channels of the United Kingdom so it’s definitely worth a look if you’re interested in creating more dynamic websites.

Playlist For Beginner PHP Tutorials (24 videos)

Here’s the first video of this series:

Playlist For Beginner MySQL Tutorials (6 videos)
Playlist For General PHP Tutorials (77 videos)
Playlist For Tutorials On Creating An Image-Sharing Site (24 videos)

For more of phpacademy’s videos, check out this page.

Did I miss any YouTube channels with great programming tutorials? Let us know in the comments!

Image Credit: stock.xchng

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More articles about: education, learning, programming, tutorials, video tutorials, Youtube

65 Open Source Apps That Replace Popular Education Software - Datamation

2011-06-15T13:54:00.000-05:00

65 Open Source Apps That Replace Popular Education Software - Datamation

21 Things for Students - tech resources for students with instructions and project ideas

2011-06-14T13:50:00.000-05:00

21 Things for Students - tech resources for students with instructions and project ideas: "

21 Things for Students is a site that was created as part of a grant program in Michigan for creating an educational resource for educational technology for students. As the name suggests there are 21 different resources. Each resource also includes tips and links for using it and project ideas. There is a Teacher Overview page that explains the alignment of the project with NETS and a Teacher Assessment Page that has information about the assessments and rubrics for each project.

The resource categories are: Staying Organized, Web Presence, Digital Citizenship, Be Legal and Fair, Productivity Suite, Project Collaboration, Digital Video, Information Literacy, Personal Networks, Self-Directed Learning, Online Learning, Interactive Tools, e-Commerce, Career Prep, Troubleshooting, Visual Organizers, Powerful Presentations, VAI-Casting, Virtual Programming, Data Quest, and Mobile Computing.

Projects include: Delicious, Google Docs, tips on web presence and copyright, Google Docs collaboration, Thinkfinity, Google Maps, Quizlet, how to be a better presenter, how to use mobile computing, and much, much more.

Each of the 21 Resources includes an app or website, project instructions, and tips.

There is also a page with Fun and Educational resources and games and a Feedback Page. The Feedback page is so that they can collect feedback on the site and make changes based on suggestions.

This is an excellent resource for students. Please share it with your colleagues and students!

First images from the VLT Survey Telescope 268-megapixel camera

2011-06-09T10:16:00.000-05:00

First images from the VLT Survey Telescope 268-megapixel camera: "

Full-res: here.

via physorg.com

(PhysOrg.com) -- The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) is a state-of-the-art 2.6-meter telescope, with the huge 268-megapixel camera OmegaCAM at its heart, which is designed to map the sky both quickly and with very fine image quality. It is a visible-light telescope that perfectly complements ESO’s VISTA infrared survey telescope.

New images of the Omega Nebula and the globular cluster Omega Centauri demonstrate the VST’s power. This vast region of gas, dust and hot young stars lies in the heart of the Milky Way in the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer). The VST field of view is so large that the entire nebula, including its fainter outer parts, is captured — and retains its superb sharpness across the entire image.

A doodle for an instrumental inventor

2011-06-09T09:51:00.000-05:00

A doodle for an instrumental inventor: "The electric guitar brings back memories for me of exchanging riffs with friends and wearing out cassette tapes as I meticulously learned songs. Today, we’re attempting to recreate that experience with a doodle celebrating the birthday of musician and inventor Les Paul.

For the next 24 hours on the Google homepage, you’ll find an interactive, playable logo inspired by the guitar developed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee that made the sound of rock and roll possible.

As well as his guitar work, Les Paul experimented in his garage with innovative recording techniques like multitracking and tape delay. In keeping with this spirit of tinkering, those of you in the U.S. can click the black “compose” button to record your own 30-second track. Just strum the strings or trigger notes with the letters or numbers on your keyboards. Clicking the button again will display a link to share the songs you’ve made. (For example, here’s a little tune I put together.)

If you’re curious, the doodle was made with a combination of JavaScript, HTML5 Canvas (used in modern browsers to draw the guitar strings), CSS, Flash (for sound) and tools like the Google Font API, goo.gl and App Engine.

I hope you have as much fun playing with and sharing the doodle as we did making it (special thanks to engineers Kristopher Hom and Joey Hurst and doodle team lead Ryan Germick for their work). Crank up your computer volume and make some music!

Posted by Alexander Chen, Designer (and musician), Creative Lab

Elixir – Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Your Android Phone

2011-06-07T14:06:00.000-05:00

Elixir – Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Your Android Phone: "

That smartphone sitting in your pocket or on your desk right now is actually a computer. Of course, you already knew that. But what kind of a computer is it, exactly? What are its specifications, how much RAM does it have, what kind of sensors are on-board and what do they mean? If you’ve ever wondered about any of these things, Elixir for Android has the answers you’re looking for, and much more.

Elixir has both an app and a widget component, and we’ll be looking at both. Let’s start with the app first:

That’s what you see when you first launch Elixir. It’s basically a long (two screen-lengths) list of device specs and stats. But Elixir isn’t even getting warmed up yet. Let’s try tapping the top-most entry:

Turns out Acer is dubbed the Liquid E “Salsa”. Quite an interesting moniker for such a humble smartphone. Oh, and yes, I’ve got a Liquid E, and now everybody knows. Don’t worry, my other phone is a Galaxy S.

This exhaustive list of system specs just goes on and on, and includes such details as the original time stamp of this build and the version incremental:

This may seem like tedious, nerdy information, but if you’re ever trying to solve an issue with a custom ROM, it can come in very handy. You can have someone else who isn’t having the same issue tell you if you’re both running the exact same build or not, for example. Or file a very specific bug report that makes it clear you really know what you’re talking about.

Onwards we forge! Let’s see what happens when I tap the battery icon:

Anything and everything you ever wanted to know about your battery is right here. While this particular information is also available via the built-in Battery Info setting, it’s very handy to have it alongside all of the other system specs.

The volume control option is another example of how thorough Elixir is:

When you tap it, you get a slider for each and every volume setting. This app really cuts no corners.

Let’s move onto the the sensors tab:

Wow, that’s a lot of sensors. They all update in real-time. Let’s tap the orientation sensor to see what happens:

Elixir goes so far as to tell me the exact make and model of the orientation sensor in my device. I’m not sure why would I ever need this information, unless I was trying to fix the device myself and actually solder a new component onto the board. Note that the other properties (Version, Resolution etc.) are not provided by the sensor.

Next, the “running” tab:

This is divided into three sub-tabs. Tapping an app opens up an expected wealth of information about it, but that’s really aimed at developers so we’ll be moving on now. Before looking at the widget, let’s see what settings this comprehensive app offers. The top of the settings screen lets you set the temperature unit, time format and other such expected settings. But then it gets interesting:

Turns out Elixir can show constant system information right on your status bar. You can either see the information in vertical bar or circle style. I chose “circle style”, and it looks like this:

The battery meter is a bit superfluous for my phone (I’ve got a decent one built in) but the CPU usage meter is an interesting touch. I won’t be using these personally, but if your notification area isn’t too cluttered these can be worthwhile additions.

Elixir also offers settings to let you tweak exactly what each icon in the app does. What happens when you tap the battery icon, and what happens when you tap and hold it. The same goes for each and every icon in the whole app. You can literally spend hours configuring this beast. But we’re not going to do that! Instead, we’ll be moving onto the the widget:

This is Go Launcher’s Add Widget dialog. As you can see, Elixir dominates the list. By default, all widget types are enabled, and Elixir takes up 19 lines (!) of the available widget list. Naturally, Elixir lets you disable any widget types via its Settings screen, so you can bring this down to a much more manageable list (say, one or two widgets).

Let’s try adding a 4-by-1 widget, that can contain seven icons:

Tap one of the X’s and get a list of possible uses for this spot on the widget:

You can have it show a device indicator, call a contact, launch an app or do just about anything else. Lather, rinse, repeat, until you end up with something like this:

This particular widget shows device memory status, battery temperature, CPU frequency, cell signal strength, WiFi status toggle, device auto-rotation toggle, and screen-lock toggle. That’s seven buttons that fit in what would normally contain just four buttons. It’s literally packed with functionality.

This is what it looks like on the screen (I selected the transparent style):

The buttons are small but are still quite easy to hit. The screen-lock button requires special permissions (from the Options screen), but even after I granted them, it did not exactly work right on my system. I think that’s due to a conflict with No Lock.

Privacy Concerns

On the market, Elixir is listed as two separate apps: Elixir itself, and the Personal Add-On. This add-on is needed only if you want to grant Elixir data to your personal information, such as missed calls, unanswered messages, etc.

Bottom Line

In one word: Wow. In a sentence: If you’re a power-user and don’t mind thinking of your phone as a computer, this is an amazingly capable system utility. Try it out.

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More articles about: google android, information, Mobile Apps, smartphones, system tools

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2011-06-07T13:03:00.000-05:00

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