public-access – Page 7 – Tech Today w/ Ken May

Windows 10 upgrade push changes things for IT pros and bootleggers

Microsoft mistakenly pushed Windows 10 upgrades to existing Windows 7/8 users through the Update process earlier this year, but next year it will do it on purpose . That’s just one of several changes coming to the update process, as it targets IT professionals doing mass upgrades, and even people running less-than-legit copies of Windows. The office IT guys out there will appreciate a future update to the Media Creation Tool so it can create a single image capable of upgrading older Windows PCs whether they’re 32-bit, 64-bit, Home or Pro, and even wipe a system to do clean installs. Also coming soon to users in the US (and later in other countries), will be an easy one-click activation process to “get Genuine” via the Windows Store, even with a code purchased elsewhere. Of course, even if you don’t fall into those categories and just want to keep your old version of Windows, you’ll need to be more careful starting in 2016. Source: Blogging Windows

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Windows 10 upgrade push changes things for IT pros and bootleggers

Nanofiber gel and snake venom work together to stop the bleeding

Researchers at Rice University announced a novel use for batroxobin , a hemotoxic component in the venom of two South American pit viper species. They’ve figured out how to leverage it as a potent anticoagulant — when combined with a nanofiber hydrogel called SB50 — that could save countless lives in surgery. Medical science has actually been employing batroxobin as a topical clotting agent and thrombosis treatment since the mid 1930s. But more importantly, it’s been shown to stop the flow of blood even if the patient is on heparin, a powerful anticoagulant administered before some surgeries. Via: Rice University Newsroom Source: Rice University

Short story vending machine promises old-school distractions

In the French city of Grenoble, there are unusual vending machines that don’t dispense soda or snacks — they print out short stories that look like paper receipts instead. These machines were built by a publishing company called Short Édition , which placed eight of them in public locations (such as the city hall and libraries) as part of a pilot project. Each dispenser has 1-minute, 3-minute and 5-minute buttons, so readers can choose how long their stories are, all of which were written by members of the Short Édition community. Company co-founder Christophe Sibieude told Agence-France Presse that his team came up with the idea while in front of a chocolate candy machine: “We said to ourselves that we could do the same thing with good quality popular literature to occupy these little unproductive moments.” Best thing about these story dispensers is that they’re free, giving residents something to do if ever they get tired of poking on their phones or want to read the old school way. Via: PSFK Source: Short Edition , Konbini

How Twitter helped make the ‘Archer’ pinball game a reality

Pinball FX creator Zen Studios released a bundle this week featuring tables from Archer , Family Guy , Bob’s Burgers and American Dad . The pack, called Balls of Glory , is available now across PS3, PS4, Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows 10, Steam, Android and iOS ( whew ). And all of this exists because of a tweet, as Zen Studios VP of Publishing Mel Kirk explains.

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How Twitter helped make the ‘Archer’ pinball game a reality

Facebook expands search to all 2 trillion of its posts

Facebook announced on Thursday that it will expand its search function to include every publically-available post in its archive, not just those of your friends and liked Pages. But this won’t simply be a firehose of information , Facebook will reportedly segregate and stack results depending on the source. The top of the search results will be dominated by trusted sources like professional news outlets (CNN and the like). Below that section will be posts from your friends, presumably providing color commentary and insightful discussion of the headlined news — or, if they’re anything like my friends, it’ll quickly devolve into GIF wars and poop jokes. And at the bottom of the stack will be a Digg-like section of aggregated links related to the search topic. The returned results are reportedly personalized for each user based on 200 search factors. These factors include what subjects and Pages you like as well as your personal information and search history. This change comes in response to criticism of FB’s existing search feature, which has been characterized as an “echo chamber.” By at least exposing users to thoughts and opinions beyond those of their immediate social circle, FB hopes to improve the overall discussion about breaking news. “You don’t just see what your friends and people around you are saying, ” Tom Stocky, VP of Search, told TechCrunch . “You see the stories of people on the ground. It gives us a different level of perspective.” Though, if this new search function is anything like the bedlam of breaking news that is Facebook’s Signal news service, you might want to just stick with Google. [Image Credit: Shutterstock] Via: TechCrunch Source: Facebook

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Facebook expands search to all 2 trillion of its posts

Waze’s maps and traffic app gets a cleaner and smarter design

Waze is one of the most popular maps and traffic apps on iOS and Android. For good reason, too: It’s fast, intuitive and, often times, more accurate than the highly rated Google Maps. Today, Waze’s making its mobile application even better, thanks to an overhaul designed to offer a cleaner, prettier user interface and quicker access to useful actions. With a single tap, you can now send directions, location or estimated time of arrival to your contacts. You can also get traffic-based reminders, making it easier to get to any destination on time — as long as your calendar is synced with Waze. Last but not least, this new version of the app “significantly” reduces battery consumption, according to the company; if true, that’ll definitely be appreciated by users who rely on the app for their daily commutes or casual trips. The 4.0 update is already available for iOS , while Android’s expected to get it ” soon .” [Image credits: AFP/Getty Images] Source: Waze

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Waze’s maps and traffic app gets a cleaner and smarter design

Lenovo’s flagship Yoga 900 laptop is an improvement in every way that matters

The Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro was one of our favorite laptops of 2014, but mostly for impractical reasons: At 2.62 pounds and half an inch thick, it was exceptionally thin and light, even for an ultraportable, but it suffered from relatively short battery life and performance that trailed some rivals. Fortunately, the company just announced a new flagship, the Yoga 900, and it appears to improve on its predecessor in every way that matters. For starters, it movies from one of Intel’s low-powered Core M chips to a sixth-gen Core i5 or i7 CPU. Between that and a new option for 16GB of RAM, the performance here should be faster than it was just a year ago. At the same time, Lenovo didn’t have to compromise much on weight: the Yoga 900 is just heftier, at 2.8 pounds and 14.9mm (0.59 inch) thick.Slideshow-330250 That addresses performance. As for battery life, Lenovo bumped up the battery capacity by about 50 percent, promising between eight and nine hours of runtime. Last year’s model lasted around seven and a half hours in our tests, so if the new model can indeed reach nine, that would be a marked improvement. Lenovo also increased the base storage from 128GB to 256GB, and plans to offer a 512GB on the highest-end configuration. This time, too, the Yoga starts with 8GB of RAM, going up to 16GB on the top-tier model. Additionally, Lenovo made a couple tweaks to the hardware, though this was admittedly one of the Yoga 3 Pro’s strong points in the first place. For one, Lenovo ditched last year’s five-row keyboard for a six-row setup, allowing the user to adjust things like brightness from the top row without holding down the Function key. Also, though the”Watchband” hinge in the back looks the same, Lenovo tightened it so that it feels sturdier when you’re flipping the 3, 200 x 1, 800 screen into different usage modes. Indeed, I noticed in my hands-on that the flex I complained about in my review was gone; no more creaking sound when you rotate the display back into tablet mode.Slideshow-330251 The Yoga 900 starts at $1, 200, and is available today at Best Buy and on Lenovo’s website. Colors include gold, silver and “clementine orange, ” and this time, the watchband hinge around back matches the rest of the chassis. Given that this is the direct replacement to one of our favorite laptops from last year, you can bet we intend to review this as soon as we’re able to get our hands on one. Until then, enjoy the hands-on photos.

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Lenovo’s flagship Yoga 900 laptop is an improvement in every way that matters

Xiaomi brings Segway to the masses with $315 Ninebot mini

We’d be throwing money at our screen right now, if we could. Chinese company Xiaomi has launched a small Segway device, the Ninebot mini , for a mere $315 (£203), on the same day it revealed a $790, 60-inch 4K TV . If you’ll recall, Xiaomi is a major investor in Ninebot, the China-based company that recently purchased Segway . This is the first device the companies have launched since the acquisition, and while the self-balancing scooter looks a bit like the original , it costs less than a twentieth the price. The performance is nothing to sneeze at, though — it can move at up to 16km/h (10 mph), tackle 15 degree hills and run up to 22 km on a single charge. It’s portable at 12.8 kilograms (28 pounds) and “fits easily in the trunk of your car, ” according to Xiaomi. You can also upgrade the firmware and monitor your speed, traffic data and systems via a smartphone. Sure, Xiaomi’s marketing the Ninebot mini as a “cool youth toy, ” according to the rough translation — but it looks like it could get you around nicely, too. You’ll have to put your checkbook away for now, though. The self-balancing device is coming to China on November 3rd, but there’s no word on Xiaomi’s plan for a wider launch. That said, Ninebot has updated its French website with an offer to be “informed of the availability.” That means it’ll likely be sold in Europe, so it may come to the US after all. We’ve reached out to Xiaomi for more information. Via: Engadget Chinese Source: Xiaomi (translated)

Amazon’s grocery service now requires a $299 yearly membership

Amazon warned late last year that it would eventually require a $299 yearly membership just to use its AmazonFresh grocery delivery service. And like or not, the internet giant is making good on its word: shoppers in New York City, Philadelphia and Seattle (and possibly other cities) are finding out that they need that pricey Prime Fresh subscription before they can go food shopping. The outlay gives you free delivery on all orders over $50, on top of the benefits of a regular Amazon Prime membership, but it’s now considerably more expensive if you only occasionally want groceries shipped to your door. So far, tests that would open the door to standard Prime members (who’d always pay delivery fees) haven’t led to anything concrete. The pricing doesn’t stack up well next to rivals like Instacart, which both costs less up front ($99 per year) and waives the delivery fees at a lower threshold ($35). However, it’s doubtful that Amazon will have a change of heart in the near future. The company is one of the old hands in the online grocery delivery business, and it had a long time to do the math — it’s likely convinced that an all-encompassing $299 plan is more sustainable than a groceries-only option. [Image credit: Andrew Hitchcock, Flickr ] Via: GeekWire Source: AmazonFresh

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Amazon’s grocery service now requires a $299 yearly membership

Tennessee’s 10Gbps broadband is $299 a month

Remember back when Chattanooga, Tennessee fought the FCC and Comcast earlier this year over broadband regulations ? Of course you do. Now the city’s back in the news because it’s offering 10Gbps internet service that spreads across some 600 square miles and is accessible by “every” home and business. It’ll cost those 170, 000 homes and businesses, though. According to a release from local utility company EPB, that blazing fast speed will run $299 a month (pretty similar to Comcast ) with gratis installation and without a contract. There’ll apparently be 5Gbps and 10Gbps options for small businesses and 3Gbps, 5Gbps and 10Gbps pro-level packages for enterprise. Those prices will vary, but almost positively won’t be “cheap” for folks like you and me by any stretch of the imagination. [Image credit: Associated Press]

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Tennessee’s 10Gbps broadband is $299 a month