Monthly Archives: December 2009

Fans and collectors: do you buy DVD box sets or individual discs?

by andy
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Fans and collectors: do you buy DVD box sets or individual discs?

This might seem like a slightly off-the-wall topic to be discussing, but today I was wondering whether fans of particular TV shows or films with multiple sequels buy the DVDs as they are released or wait for the box set. If you BitTorrent them, rent or buy them online, this doesn’t apply to you. However, if you still like to have the shiny discs, extras and cover notes, it’s an important consideration. Of course, if you’re buying DVDs while a series is still running, you probably can’t get the box set, but if you’re buying something that’s no longer in production, there’s likely to be a box set going. Unless Read more »

Nokia UK announces Calling All Innovators winning mobile app developers

by andy
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Nokia UK announces Calling All Innovators winning mobile app developers

Nokia has revealed the winners of its latest Calling All Innovators contest to find a range of innovative new applications for its Ovi Store. The overall winner was the woZZon search engine application that gives access to a 60,000-strong database of geocoded venues and 90,000 unique events. When used with Ovi Maps, it makes it easy to find local events, whether they’re huge stadium gigs or small, local shows. The winning company wins £20,000, a place in the Ovi Store, plus ticket and travel to a Nokia developer event in Spring 2010 and one year’s membership to Forum Nokia Launchpad. Runner-up apps were Little Spender, which tracks spending behaviour; Live Read more »

Browser wars: Firefox 3.5 beats Internet Explorer 7

by andy
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Browser wars: Firefox 3.5 beats Internet Explorer 7

We know that Firefox’s market share has been steadily increasing, but an interesting statistic from a leading web stats company (StatCounter) shows that Firefox 3.5 has overtaken Internet Explorer 7 for the first time. Results vary from continent to continent, with Firefox being a lot more popular in Europe than North America, for example. The complete Internet Explorer collection still significantly outranks Firefox. IE6 alone is still in use by nearly one in six users. I decided to take a look at a couple of our websites. Firstly, Forever Geek, which you’d expect to be frequented by a more tech-savvy crowd, confirmed my belief. Last month, Firefox overall had 50% Read more »

Personality types charted on OS usage

by andy
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Personality types charted on OS usage

Previously, we discovered that certain tasks are equally productive on all operating systems, and that the only real difference between Mac and Windows is the maximise button, but we thought that there had to be more to it than that. Having been subjected to various personality tests in the past, I was glad to find this simple chart that shows you what type of person you are based on the operating systems you predominantly use. It looks like I’m an “Artsie” (be careful how you pronounce that) though at one time I could have been a graphic designer, or just a plain loser. Do you fit with this diagram? Pity Read more »

Drum Kit tee: be careful what you press

by andy
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Drum Kit tee: be careful what you press

You’ve seen clothing with iPod controls built-in, right? This tee shirt takes the concept a little further. Attached to the front is a drum kit printed on a touch-sensitive pad, and when you press various parts of it, an appropriate sound is played. There’s an embedded speaker (as you’d expect) and it’s all driven from four triple-A batteries. Apparently the top volume setting is really loud — what a great way to annoy everyone around you. Now, you do have to go through a slightly more complicated process when you want to wash it (that’s no excuse not to wash it) but it’s surely worth it for the fun of Read more »

Seitokai no Ichizon Parodies

by Nopy
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Seitokai no Ichizon Parodies

Seitokai no Ichizon is one of those anime with a cast so quirky that almost anyone can enjoy it. The anime follows the 5 members of the student council of a school in Hokkaido. One of the major points that makes this anime different from any other school anime is the main male character, Ken Sugisaki. In an attempt to parody the “harem anime” genre, Ken is portrayed as an avid eroge (a.k.a. erotic game, something like a dating sim with extras) player whose sole reason for getting into the student council was to get the ”harem ending,” where all female characters fall in love with the main male character. I found this quite amusing Read more »

Ban “Nerd” and “Geek” Says Professor

by Noemi Twigg
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Ban “Nerd” and “Geek” Says Professor

Did you run across the New York Times article published on Sunday about “geeks” and “nerds?” Titled “New Programs Aim to Lure Young Into Digital Jobs,” the article talks about how we have to change our views of people who are into technology. While this is already happening, the article delves deeper and looks at education as a key factor. I actually found the article to be very informative and funny at the same time. A professor from Bennington College takes on a slightly different view, though. David Anderegg, a professor of psychology says that instead of trying to reinvent “geek” into “cool geek,” we should just stop using the Read more »

Pong: Retro video game meets latest browser technology

by andy
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Pong: Retro video game meets latest browser technology

There have been plenty of implementations of Pong over the years, given how long this retro video game has been around and how popular this simple content still is. Playing Flash versions in a browser window is old hat, so how about using the browser windows themselves as the ball and bats? That’s what the developers at stewdio.org have done. Browser Pong has been written to take advantage of the latest HTML 5 specification, which is why it doesn’t work in standards-mashers like Internet Explorer. Graphically advanced it’s not, though if you fancy cheating it’s pretty easy — just expand one of the “bat” browser windows fully vertically. Easy. Browser Read more »

Future of Automated Road Painting Can Be Learned by Kids

by Jayvee Fernandez
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Future of Automated Road Painting Can Be Learned by Kids

Of course, it would decrease the number of jobs available to human beings, but automation is the key to the future! So many questions are left unanswered with what looks like a cross between a one panel escalator and a Mars Rover. The vehicle can easily be operated by a 7 year old and truth be told, it makes such a great learning tool when we first learned how to read street signs. Big buttons which you can kick, neat-o looking robot, paint (wheee!), and the quantifiable education rubrics to build a class ’round it. Children work. They learn. And best of all, it’s not child labor! Designers: Hoyoung Lee, Read more »

Setgo Transport Urban Bag

by Noemi Twigg
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Setgo Transport Urban Bag

Here is a shout out to my Santa Clauses out there – I want a Setgo Transport Urban Bag for Christmas (among other things)! One thing that I noticed about myself is that I always – always – go out with a bag of some sort. I do not know if it’s a girl thing because some of my girliest friends go out without a bag, but I know I cannot go out without one. I have a place to put all my stuff – electronic toys included. That’s why when I saw this urban bag (why it’s called urban, I am not entirely sure), I knew I had to Read more »