Home security and automation are rarely mentioned in the same sentence as the word cheap, but it’s totally possible if you’re willing to do a few things yourself. We checked out a $200 DIY kit called Ninja Blocks , and were able to get a home automation and security system up and running in about 10 minutes. Read more…
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Make Your Own Cheap Home Automation in 10 Minutes with Ninja Blocks
The so-called ” Roominaroom ” project by London-based architects atmos studio won a 2013 UK Wood Award yesterday for its extraordinary level of craftsmanship—from computer-milled, cut, and fitted ornamental oak beams to precision joinery—for a renovated house in the city. Read more…
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Bendy Wooden Room Snaps Together Like Tetris, Takes Over House
Researchers have been using graphene to develop an assortment of technologically advanced things for a while, from camera sensors and contact lenses all the way to frickin’ lasers . That’s why it’s not a surprise to see a group of engineers from Columbia University create the world’s smallest FM transmitter using the atom-thick material. The end product isn’t just for show, either, as it can pump tunes over the airwaves to a regular FM radio — the team even used Gangnam Style to prove that it works. As interesting as the teensy transmitter is, the engineers have no plans to build a radio for ants, and this is merely part of a larger study into nano-electromechanical systems. Now all we need is for someone to make a tiny violin and a pair of tweezers small enough for us to play. Filed under: Alt Comments Via: IEEE Source: Columbia University , Nature
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World’s smallest FM receiver built with graphene, ruined by Psy
In the future we should hope for all of our displays to be OLED; it’s thin, light, deep with color, and energy efficient to boot. It’s also incredibly expensive. That could soon change, though, thanks to a jumped-up inkjet printer. Read more…
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The OLEDs of the Future Could Be Inkjet Printed
cartechboy writes “Last year’s Gallup poll showed that car salespeople are the least trusted professionals in America, ranking even below members of Congress. Enter, Carvana, an online dealership operating in Atlanta, Georgia. They allow customers to shop for cars online, secure loans online, and pay for cars online. Now they have gone one step farther and are claiming to remove the despised car salesperson from test drives and even post-purchase pickup by creating, yes, a giant auto vending machine. The facility, which will open at the end of November, will be a fully digital, 24-7 interactive ‘vehicle-delivery center’ designed to offer customers pick-up options after purchasing a vehicle online. They’ll have floor-to-ceiling windows, custom LED lighting, flat screen TV’s plus interactive keypads that identify customers based on unique buyer credentials. There will be three car pickup bays to allow for simultaneous pickups. One thing they won’t have: car sales people (Note: there will be customer service reps there to answer questions). Carvana plans to expand on the idea, presumably if this Atlanta facility works.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Online Car Retailer Launching Nation’s First Car "Vending Machine"
Off the coast of Japan, an exploding volcano has formed a new island about 650 meters in diameter. You can see it spewing and spouting off black volcanic ash all around as it fills itself out. Pretty cool. Read more…
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Watch a volcano birth an entire new island
The long-rumored Google Play Newsstand for Android has finally launched , and it’s not at all what we were expecting. Early reporting and investigation pinned it as a newspaper section of the Play Store, but it’s much more than that. Google is selling newspapers and magazines under a single banner, and there’s a visual-heavy RSS reader, sort of like Flipboard. This means Newsstand is replacing two of Google’s existing apps: Google Play Magazines and Google Currents. Google is pitching it as “all your subscriptions in one place.” Like most things “Google” these days, calling it an “app” isn’t really the whole story. There’s also a new section of the desktop Play Store, and some magazines and newspapers are even viewable in the browser. RSS is strictly confined to the app, though. Just like the old Play Magazines, paid content is available as a subscription or on a per-issue basis, and 30-day trials are available for some premium content. RSS feeds, magazines, and newspaper can be downloaded for offline reading later, and there’s also a bookmark function. Read 1 remaining paragraphs | Comments
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Google launches Play Newsstand: a hybrid magazine store and RSS reader
Well, maybe this guy wasn’t quite as smart as Heisenberg. AMC A man accused of tricking PC users into thinking they had viruses and then offering to “fix” their perfectly fine computers has agreed to pay back every penny he allegedly received in the scam. Navin Pasari is a defendant in one of six complaints that the Federal Trade Commission filed in September 2012 against people and entities accused of leading Windows tech support scams.”According to the complaint against Pasari and his co-defendants, the defendants placed ads with Google, which appeared when consumers searched for their computer company’s tech support telephone number,” the FTC noted in an announcement today . “After getting consumers on the phone, the defendants’ telemarketers allegedly claimed they were affiliated with legitimate companies, including Dell, Microsoft, McAfee, and Norton, and told consumers they had detected malware that posed an imminent threat to their computers. The scammers then offered to rid the computer of the non-existent malware for fees ranging from $139 to $360.” Pasari did not admit wrongdoing but agreed to a proposed final judgment and order in which he will forfeit $14,369, “which is the amount of money Mr. Pasari received from the other Defendants,” the document states. The money is being held in escrow and will be transferred to the FTC, assuming the order is approved by a US District Court judge. Read 11 remaining paragraphs | Comments
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Alleged Windows support scammer forfeits money earned by “fixing” PCs
Google is not particularly great at keeping secrets. Its Nexus devices always leak and peeks at code are constantly revealing features before they’re announced. So, it’s no surprise that, exactly one month after we reported references to a Google Play Newsstand popping up, Mountain View is taking the wraps off the new content hub. Like its Apple counterpart , it will play home (get it?) to both newspaper and magazine subscriptions, and it’ll even pull in articles from sites and blogs you choose to follow (like this one, we hope). And, even though you’ll be able to have your New York Times subscription delivered through Newsstand, you’re not forced to use it. The stand alone Times app will continue to be available directly from your home screen. Articles viewed through the new Newsstand app will be specifically formatted for your tablet or phone, complete with images, audio or video inline. And they’ll be available offline so you can can catch up on your news, even if you happen to be on one of the few flights left in the US without WiFi. And, if you come across something particularly interesting, but don’t have the time right now for a 4, 000 word expose on how Facebook uses your personal data , you can mark it to read later. The new app will lead to several changes in Google’s ecosystem as it rolls out over the next several days. In the US, Canada, UK and Australia users of the Play Magazines app will be asked to upgrade to Newsstand and the periodicals section of the store will be renamed to match. Where magazines aren’t available, it will be Currents that prompts users to upgrade, as much of its functionality will be folded into the Newsstand app. The dedicated Flipboard competitor will continue to be available, at least for a period of time, but its clear that Google wants everyone to hop on the Newsstand train, which has much deeper hooks into the Play platform. It even borrows a bit of magic from All Access with a home page of recommended articles based on your tastes and what other people are reading. So, even if you don’t follow to The Atlantic , if a particular piece on drone warfare happens to be popular, Google will bring it to your attention. Especially if you have a history of reading articles about technology and warfare. With today’s launch, Google is putting the focus on Android, but iOS users will be able to enjoy the fruits of Mountain View’s labor as well… eventually. A spokesperson told us that Newsstand will be coming to Apple’s mobile OS early next year, primarily as a replacement to Currents. And, while you probably won’t be able to purchase subscriptions directly through the app, you will be able to pick up periodicals through the web storefront and have them delivered to your handset or tablet. If you’re feeling particularly impatient and don’t want to wait for Magazines or Currents to prompt you to update, you can download Newsstand from the Play store today. Filed under: Internet , Software , Mobile , Google Comments Source: Google Play Newsstand
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Google Play Newsstand merges Currents, magazines and newspapers on Android today, iOS in 2014
Winamp , the AOL-owned mp3 player of yore, will close up shop for good on December 20th, which means you have exactly one month from today to use the service — if you’re still using it, that is. In addition to shutting down Winamp.com, AOL and co. will no longer offer downloads of the media player. It’s hardly a surprising announcement, but it’s a slightly glum one considering Winamp’s popularity in the late nineties and early aughts. Go ahead, you have our permission to get nostalgic for a moment or two. Filed under: Internet , Software Comments Via: Ars Technica Source: Winamp.com
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Winamp, the media player of your college years, is shutting down next month