Archive for September, 2012

When it comes to Linux distributions, Slackware could well be called the archetype. It’s not just one of the longest-serving releases at nearly 20 years old — it’s designed to be “pure” and cut back on customized apps, many graphical interface assistants and the requirement to download anything during the installation process. Pat Volkerding and team have nonetheless given us a bit of a break with the launch of Slackware 14.0. While many open-source fans will be downloading a copy for the more recent Linux 3.2.29 kernel and other updated packages, ease of use is the guiding principle for the new build: there’s now a graphical NetworkManager interface to manage wired and wireless connections, for a start

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Slackware 14.0 now available, freshens and simplifies a Linux vanguard

You might say Dave Zatz just had a happy accident. While he was hunting for the as yet unofficial Logitech Harmony Touch in Best Buy, he discovered the Slingbox 350 and 500 — two more living room gadgets that have yet to receive an official introduction. The placeshifting hubs both look to be major improvements over the aging Slingbox Pro HD and Solo , making 1080p streaming available as long as the connection is up to snuff. Those who spring for the 500 should also get long overdue support for WiFi without having to use a wireless bridge , although they may miss the Pro HD’s ATSC tuner

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Slingbox 350 and 500 show up unannounced in Best Buy, flaunt 1080p and built-in WiFi

While President Obama has appealed to the technology crowd with appearances on Reddit and Google+ , other members of his administration aren’t quite so technologically inclined — in fact, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has admitted that she doesn’t even use email. Napolitano was recently asked about her security practices during a cybersecurity summit co-hosted by the National Journal , to which she replied, “Don’t laugh, but I just don’t use e-mail at all.” And as the New York Daily News reports , Napolitano’s predecessor Michael Chertoff also stayed away from email, forgoing it during his entire tenure. While it may seem a strange decision for the head of a department whose mission involves, among other things, to… Continue reading…

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US Secretary of Homeland Security says ‘I just don’t use e-mail at all’

Here’s a video of a Mahdi Gilbert card magic show at Magic-Con 2012. Madhi’s a 20 year old magician from Toronto, whose arms and hands are affected by a congenital condition. His sleights and routines are rather novel, adapted for his anatomical quirks, and his mastery is indisputable. PeaceLove, the magician who sent in this

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Sleight of hand, without hands

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On , a column about consumer technology. Apple’s App Store has more smartphone apps than those of its competitors. But the sheer size of the library is not the only source of consternation for Google or Microsoft, which would both readily concede that it’s also important to obtain the kind of key apps, optimized apps and platform-first apps the iPhone enjoys. The iPhone’s commanding marketplace lead is due to several factors. These include the huge number and historical affluence of its users and the ease of its App Store.

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Switched On: iOS 6 gets back from the app

Joshua Glenn says: “Singer-songwriter, music critic and theorist Franklin Bruno has discovered that if you play Terry Riley’s pioneering minimalist song ‘In C’ (1964) at the same time as Marc Cerrone’s influential 1976 disco song ‘Love in C Minor,’ the results are mind-bending!”

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Mind bending music mash up

Simon Cowell and will.i.am are working together on a new reality show to find the next big name in tech, The Sun reports . will.i.am explained the rationale behind the new project, saying “singing and performance create a couple of jobs. But this will create lots. It’s about getting in touch with youth and giving them a platform to express themselves — whether that’s in science or mathematics.” The new project, currently known as X Factor for Tech , will likely be similar to previous iterations of the show in which contestants present their ideas for a panel of judges. Currently there is no information on who will make up the panel of judges or when the show will air, but we’d definitely tune in to see Simon Cowell flash his iconic eye…

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Simon Cowell and will.i.am may team up for tech-focused ‘X Factor’ spinoff

Meat jerky “is like Greek yogurt for men.”

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WSJ trend story of the week: ending "jerky shame" by adding adjectives, increasing price of dried meat products

Welcome to IRL , an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we’re using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Can’t get more random than this, folks: in this week’s edition of IRL, we have Darren recommending a vacuum cleaner, Dan Cooper continuing his search for a backup phone charger and Jon Fingas putting the Galaxy S III to the test against his beloved HTC One X. Continue reading IRL: Dyson DC44, NUU ClickMate PowerPlus and the Galaxy S III Filed under: Misc , Samsung IRL: Dyson DC44, NUU ClickMate PowerPlus and the Galaxy S III originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 15:15:00 EDT.

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IRL: Dyson DC44, NUU ClickMate PowerPlus and the Galaxy S III

[Video Link] by UK-based remixer Moto2h via Flux.

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Gangnam Style as a "literal" music video, remixed without music (video)

Howard Rheingold sez, “I have been interested in mind amplifiers since I wrote my 1968 Reed College thesis on brain biofeedback and the future of consciousness. This short e-book contains all kinds of goodies I’ve always wanted to put in my books — embedded videos, rollover definitions. And I’ve been wanting to connect the dots

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Howard Rheingold’s Mind Amplifier ebook

Artist Leonardo Ulian has created a series of symmetrical mandalas by soldering together colorful computer components. The result is a beautiful collection of organized circuitry, which Ulian says was intended to combine the “spiritual meaning of the Indian Mandalas with something that has been perceived as far from that sphere of influence, technology.” To learn more about Ulian’s work, take a look at Colossal , and to see the rest of the series, check out his full gallery . Continue reading…

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Leonardo Ulian’s mandalas meld spirituality and technology

[Video Link via Sean Bonner] Alexyss K Tylor, Atlanta, GA-based public access cable television host and Vagina Power Coach.

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Dick Will Make You Slap Some Body

[Video Link] From Shironekoshiro.

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Two cats just hanging out in a frying pan (video)

Jody Schoger, writing about a rare instance of a TV show getting the cancer experience right: “Most women diagnosed with breast cancer aren’t feeling sick to begin with.  They walk from the land of the well into the land of the bald, the nauseated, the medical record number, the breastless and the reconstructed. Then they

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Shocking: NBC series "Parenthood" nailed the experience of breast cancer

I was waiting in line in a coffeeshop recently, when I looked over the shoulder of a guy at a nearby table and saw this website: legaltailor.com. The Hong Kong-based company claims their primary clientele are legal professionals, but Judicial cosplayers and barrister fetishists can also plunk down hundreds to thousands of dollars for handmade

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A website for elaborately handmade barrister’s wigs

Last month I asked my friends to write about books they loved (you can read all the essays here). This month, I invited them to write about their favorite graphic novels, and they selected some excellent titles. I hope you enjoy them! (Read all the Great Graphic Novel essays here.) — Mark Promethea, by Alan

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Great Graphic Novels: Promethea, by Alan Moore

Martin “starwarigami” Hunt made this lovely TIE Fighter origami piece for London’s MCM Comic Expo and contributed it to the Boing Boing Flickr Pool, along with several other marvellous creations. The photo notes state: “Folded from a 2 by 1 rectangle cut from a sheet of 150gsm A1 craft paper. For a B.O.S. display at

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Origami TIE Fighter

Warm Moonlight is the second Kindle Single I’ve read by Joseph Wurtenbaugh. I really like his style! Warm Moonlight reveals a former 20′s gun moll turned grandmother, sharing a supernatural story of their family past with her granddaughter. While the story isn’t the most original and you’ve heard it before, Wurtenbaugh does a wonderful job

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eBook Review: Warm Moonlight

Vincent sez, “A hard-working group of film students from Oak Park High in Winnipeg, Manitoba made this intergalactic cinematic mashup, which is an homage not only to Star Wars, but also The Breakfast Club and Rushmore.” Jedi High (Thanks, Vincent!)

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Star Wars meets Rushmore meets Breakfast Club: Jedi High

PSP Comic Store , we hardly knew ye. No really, we hardly knew ye — which is probably why Sony is warning PSP owners that its comic book portal is shutting down after October 30th. Come Hallowe’en, we’ll lose the option to download the necessary app or buy additional titles.

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Sony shuts down PSP Comic Store after October 30th, leaves most of us in the lurch for now

When you run as many services as Google does , every once in a while you’re going to have to do some pruning. Evidently Mountain View’s got the secateurs out, having just announced the next batch of its projects that will be getting axed wound down. For the chop are: AdSense for Feeds, Classic Plus, Spreadsheet Gadgets, Places for Android, and +1 Reports in Webmaster Tools. Other services are being merged into existing properties to prevent overlap, such as Google Storage for Picasa and Drive — which are now consolidated — and Insights for Search is now part of Google Trends. Naturally, the search giant claims this is all about streamlining, and improving other core products

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Google retires more services, consolidates others in continued efficiency bid

If you thought filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy was the final chapter in LightSquared ‘s wireless network saga, you’d be wrong. Hedge-fund manager Philip Falcone is back at the FCC ‘s doorstep with yet another proposal, which he hopes might snatch the maligned network from the jaws of GPS interference-related troubles. Two filings placed with the commission apparently outline plans to use its broadband network in a way that it believes won’t interfere with GPS signals, along with the 5MHz of spectrum that are known not to cause any issues. Along with the proposed changes, LightSquared is reportedly set to ask for more time to have exclusive rights to propose a reorganization plan. If granted, this could finally mean some progress for the beleaguered project, but with investors worried that money being spent on this could be better-placed back in their pockets, Falcone will have everything crossed, while the FCC deliberates the situation

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LightSquared pitches new plans to FCC in attempt to end GPS interference hex

Razer has made a habit of catching us off guard — breaking the mold as an accessory manufacturer by building laptops , prototype game handhelds and controller-toting tablets . Their Blade laptop cut through our expectations as well, featuring a beautiful aluminum shell and one of the thinnest profiles of any gaming rig on the market. It had some serious flaws, though: it was underpowered, had minor build issues and simply fell short in the audio department.

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Razer Blade review (late 2012)

Maingear certainly loves to turn out solidly specificated hardware, and today is no exception. Its latest offering? The Nomad 17. As the name suggests this is a 17-inch notebook for gamers on the go.

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Maingear announces Nomad 17 gaming laptop, comes with custom paint job