Wednesday, 4 December 2013
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Beats Music set for US launch in January, but you can claim a username starting today
SmartCharge Wants You Not To Notice Power Outages – At Least Until The Milk Starts To Stink
When the power goes out, it's terrible. Nothing works, and for some reason it's impossible to remember that: I always find myself doing things like “well if I can't watch TV I can at least read this book, I'll just turn on the light…” and then nada of course. With SmartCharge, a new Kickstarter project, that might actually work, since it's an LED bulb with a built-in power reserve that remains on uninterrupted when the rest of your power goes off.
The LED bulb component of SmartCharge fits standard light fixtures and cuts power usage by up to 90 percent vs. incandescents, and should last 25 years under normal usage conditions, if everything goes as predicted. When the power goes out, the SmartCharge bulb has a reserve battery built-in that's good for up to four hours of lighting, which should be enough to weather most storms and brownouts.
The key to SmartCharge's magic is that it recognizes and remembers the position of the light switch before the power outage, and then continues on again after the power returns as if nothing had ever happened. This smart switch position memory even works with two and three-stage lights, but there is a downside: It only works with one light in a series controlled by a single switch at the moment, though the founding team is sorting out a way it can work with a single switch that controls a whole bank of bulbs.
Founder Shailendra K. Suman previously started a successful propane gas tank metering company, as well as a lost item tracking gadget startup, and he has worked for Northern State Power in the past and has two degrees in engineering, so he knows a thing or two about brownouts and building things.
SmartCharge is seeking $50,000 in funding, and has already raised nearly $15,000 of that with 42 days left in the campaign. Backers qualify for a pre-order of a single SmartCharge bulb starting at $35, which is actually very reasonable when compared to the price of even basic, non-smart LED bulbs these days. Suman anticipates shipping to backers will begin in April next year.
via TechCrunch » Startups http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techcrunch/startups/~3/6_6RkCoec7c/
Two million accounts compromised by 'Pony' botnet, bad passwords
Google Calendar updated with Maps location autocomplete and improved events searching
Curved LG G Flex Arrives in Singapore, Hong Kong in December
Uber to Deliver Christmas Trees to Your Doorstep for 1 Day Only
Your Next USB Connector Will Be Thinner, Reversible
Nintendo's first 2DS bundles include Pokemon, arrive December 6th for $150
Motorola kicks off its Moto X do-over sale with extra stock
Google improves its Santa tracking with a Chromecast-ready Android app (video)
Google rolls out extra password security to Chrome for Windows
Award-winning Netflix original series House of Cards returns on Valentine's Day 2014 with a second season
Dual-Screen YotaPhone Hits Shelves in Russia
Virtual Piggy, A Paypal For Minors, Rebrands As Oink After It Buys Domain From Kevin Rose's Milk
Oink -- a user-review app created by Kevin Rose's startup lab Milk before Milk was acquired by Google and Rose later joined Google Ventures -- never made it past its six-month birthday, but today the name and domain at least are getting another lease of youthful life. Virtual Piggy, a payments service aimed at minors (COPPA-compliant, with parental controls and an educational bent) is today rebranding as Oink after buying the domain, trademarks and social marks from Milk (not Google) for $57,500. 
via TechCrunch » Startups http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techcrunch/startups/~3/bDoc2luHEKg/
UK Facebook and Twitter users warned over sharing court case information
Amazon celebrates another 'best ever' holiday weekend, still won't make with the specifics
Xbox One self-publishing begins in early 2014 with a big list of devs onboard
Hot Hotels Integrates With SeatID To Add ‘Social Proof' When Booking A Last Minute Hotel Room
Hot Hotels, one of a slew of HotelTonight-styled last minute hotel booking apps, thinks that so-called "social proof" is what's needed to help travellers make better purchasing decisions. To make this possible it's integrated with social seating and booking platform SeatID. 
via TechCrunch » Startups http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techcrunch/startups/~3/Cnuj4fZpTN0/
Targeting Next $1B+ European Exit, Hoxton Ventures Pulls Back Curtain On New $40M Early-Stage VC Fund
Although it's already made several investments, Hoxton Ventures, founded by Accel and Fidelity alums, Hussein Kanji and Rob Kniaz, is officially pulling back the curtain today. It's announcing the closing of a $40 million "microcap" fund targeting startups in Europe, with the aim to find the next billion dollar-plus success story in the region.
via TechCrunch » Startups http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techcrunch/startups/~3/kZp1oHzCcPo/
Chicago's Tech Scene Faces Competition From All Sides
Mint's personal finance app comes to Windows devices with Live Tile support
Any.DO's Cal app vies for your attention on Google Play (video)
Raspberry Pi-equipped AR.Drone can hijack other quadcopters' WiFi link (video)
Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates Put $9M Into EducationSuperHighway, A Non-Profit To Improve Broadband In Schools
The digital divide between those who have Internet access and those who do not is often described as an economic or geographical issue, but there is another divide that actually runs across both of those other segmentations: education. Currently, some 72% of schools in the U.S. have out of date, slow, or no Internet connections. And that impacts how students at those schools are able to take advantage of some of the newer, web-based developments in learning, as well as a crucial aspect of technical education in the form of computer literacy. 
via TechCrunch » Startups http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techcrunch/startups/~3/TeAB-o0E-B4/
8 Great Gadget Gifts for Your Grandparents
Valve now a card-carrying member of The Linux Foundation, 'one of many ways Valve is investing in the advancement of Linux gaming'
El mundo a través de mi ventana… De la Estación Espacial Internacional
The World Outside My Window - Time Lapse of Earth from the ISS (4K) es otro de esos increíbles vídeos con imágenes de nuestro planeta tomadas desde la Estación Espacial Internacional, aunque en este caso la intención es que el hardware de la Estación sea también protagonista.
Para ver en grande, por supuesto.
Lo que se ve en el vídeo:
0:03 - Bosnia & Herzegovina hasta Ucrania. Misión ISS031, cuadros 55446 a 55591.
0:08 - Atlántico sur, entre Brasil y Liberia. Misión ISS031, cuadros 154281 a 154472.
0:16 - Grecia y Turquía. Mission ISS031, cuadros 26008 a 26202.
0:24 - Atlántico sur, cerca de Perú. Misión ISS031, cuadros 48993 a 49186.
0:32 - Turquía a Siria. Misión ISS031, Frame: 76590 a 76782.
0:39 - Libia al Mediterráneo. Misión ISS031, cuadros 25782 a 25972.
0:47 - Océano Índico, entre Kenia y Madagascar. Misión ISS031, cuadros 50818 a 51010.
0:54 - Océano Pacífico, al sur de Japón. Misión ISS031, cuadros 117700 a 117772.
0:58 - Océano Pacífico, mirando al norte, pasando Hawaii. Misión ISS031, cuadros 101027 a 101674.
1:02 - China, Japón, Océano Pacífico. Misión ISS030, cuadros 112458 a 112553.
1:06 - Pacífico sur al Atlántico norte, a través de Colombia y Venezuela. Misión ISS031, cuadros 75421 a 75513.
1:10 - Pacífico sur al Atlántico sur, a través de Chile y Argentina. Misión ISS031, cuadros 42147 a 42242.
1:14 - Pacífico sur al Atlántico norte, a través de Colombia y Venezuela. Misión ISS031, cuadros 48140 a 48199.
1:17 - Océano Pacífico, de Nueva Zelanda a los Estados Unidos. Misión ISS031, cuadros 66043 a 66136.
1:22 - Sur de Chile a Angola, mirando al sur. Misión ISS031, cuadros 49203 a 49277.
1:25 - Irán a Australia. Misión ISS031, cuadros 180064 a 180120.
1:29 - Norteamérica a América del sur. Misión ISS031, cuadros 180172 a 180222.
1:33 - Océano Pacífico a Chile, Argentina y Brasil, mirando al sur. Misión ISS031, cuadros 48094 a 48139.
1:37 - Pacífico sur y Japón a Pacífico norte. Misión ISS031, cuadros 154164 a 154204, 154205 a 154256.
1:40 - Pacífico sur a Atlántico sur, a través de Chile, Argentina y Brasil. Misión ISS031, cuadros 44598 a 44645.
1:44 - Pacífico sur a Atlántico norte, a través de Chile, Argentina y Brasil. Misión ISS030, cuadros 159064 a 159113.
1:48 - India, Tailandia, Indonesia, Australia, Nueva Zelanda. Misión ISS031, cuadros 177704 a 177764.
1:52 - Pacífico sur al Atlántico sur, a través de Chile, Argentina y Brasil. Misión ISS031, cuadros 37675 a 37735.
1:56 - República Democrática del Congo, Zambia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Océano Índico. Misión ISS030, cuadros 21632 a 21819.
2:03 - El cometa Lovejoy sobre Australia. Misión ISS030, cuadros 14225 a 14455.
2:11 - La Luna saliendo sobre China. Misión ISS031, cuadros 27699 a 27763.
2:13 - La Luna saliendo sobre el Océano Pacífico, al sur de Japón. Misión ISS031, cuadros 27468 a 27526.
2:14 - La Luna saliendo sobre Taiwán y la Filipinas, con Don Pettit, quien hizo la mayoría de estas fotos, en la Cúpula de la Estación. Misión ISS031, cuadros 27802 a 28017.
Las fotos vienen de The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth, de donde se pueden descargar libre y gratuitamente.
(Vía @ISONUpdates).
- Time-Lapse | Earth, otro espectacular vídeo con imágenes tomadas desde la Estación Espacial Internacional, de la misma fuente.
- «El viaje a casa», espectacular timelapse desde el espacio de Ron Garan y Mike Fossum, y otro más por si no tienes suficiente.
- 10 (+1) cosas que no sabías de la Estación Espacial Internacional, y hay muchas más.
via Microsiervos http://www.microsiervos.com/archivo/ciencia/el-mundo-a-traves-de-mi-ventana-de-la-estacion-espacial-internacional.html
China finally grants 4G licences, but still no iPhone deal for China Mobile
LG to launch G Flex in Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand mid-December, coming to Europe early 2014
Éste es el resultado de enviar y descargar mil veces el mismo vídeo a YouTube
Es la consecuencia de las sucesivas compresiones con pérdida que sufre el vídeo original alternativamente, cuando YouTube lo recibe y almacena y cuando se descarga y guarda en otro archivo en el ordenador. No es hacer copias — la copia digital no tiene pérdida aunque se repita un millón de veces.
La pérdida de información es tal que el vídeo original de 42 segundos se queda en 38 segundos.
De todos modos tampoco hacía falta repetirlo 1000 veces porque a partir de cinco veces ya es una caca de video y con 50 veces ya nos hacemos una idea y de hecho ya no hemos ido todos a ver cualquier otra cosa de internet.
I Am Sitting In A Video Room FAQ1, vía DIY Photography.
_
1. Inspirado en el «experimento sonoro» I Am Sitting in a Room de Alvin Lucier.
via Microsiervos http://www.microsiervos.com/archivo/internet/resultado-enviar-descargar-mil-veces-mismo-video-youtube.html
El porqué de la cara oculta de la luna, explicado visualmente y en 9 segundos
The Dark Side of the Moon explained in ten seconds — que no es que la luna tenga un lado oscuro, sino que hay una parte de su superficie que desde la tierra no podemos ver porque la luna tarda en dar una vuelta sobre sí misma casi el mismo tiempo que tarda en dar una vuelta completa a la Tierra —como si en la Tierra un día y un año durasen lo mismo.
via Microsiervos http://www.microsiervos.com/archivo/ciencia/porque-cara-oculta-luna-explicado-9-segundos.html