A “smoking gun” found in a 1927 songbook may prove once and for all that the song “Happy Birthday” is out of copyright . Read the rest
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Evidence found that Happy Birthday song older than copyright owner claims
Olivia Coy reports on the stunning downfall of Neopets , a hugely-successful virtual pet community/game/toy line that was monetized so grossly and relentlessly it evaporated in a matter of hours after a site feature failed. Read the rest
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What happened to Neopets?
A screw with a stripped head can be difficult to remove. There are a number of ways to remove screws with stripped heads. Read the rest
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Every tool box needs a pair of screw removal pliers
Vox explains how the stout 1965 typeface became the text of choice for internet silliness: because is was included with Windows, and by the time anyone had a choice, ” the meme font had itself become a meme .”
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Why Impact is the "meme font"
While Netflix has focused on rolling out more original content to more countries over the last couple of years, we haven’t seen as many updates to its software as we used to. Last week the streaming video service said it would start optimizing its mobile apps, but first up is a tweak for the TV apps you probably use more often. Netflix says this is the first major change its TV apps have had since the new look rolled out in late 2013 , and it will start or resume video as soon as you select a title, while keeping the info on the screen (check after the break for a GIF showing how it works). An earnings report earlier this year mentioned bringing video “forward” in the TV experience, and this seems to be a part of that plan, delivering what Netflix says is a more cinematic experience. Cinematic or not, when I’ve fallen asleep mid- OITNB binge, a visual hint would make it easier to remember which episode I was on so this should help. When we spoke to Netflix’s Cliff Edwards in January we heard about plans to put its app on the same footing as cable, and creating a way for viewers to passively slip into watching makes that possible. Once you turn on cable TV the video is usually just there, while with streaming you’ve always had to pick something first — this new feature combined with faster loading apps and video makes your Netflix & chill moment more casual . If you’re using an older TV or device you may not see the feature, but it’s rolling out to “eligible devices” ( Netflix Recommended TVs are a good bet ) globally over the next few days. Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments Source: Netflix Blog
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Netflix’s TV apps get their first major update since 2013
Your cousin’s Facebook friends are probably going nuts over this image that claims to show how the early history of Arabic geometric design informs how we write numerals today. “Each figure contains its own number of corners and angles, ” reads the text. That’s half-true of the drawings in the image. The rest is patently false. Read more…
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No, This Viral Image Does Not Explain the History of Arabic Numerals
While Google has been enjoying consistent financial growth for quite some time, it was dinged the last two quarters for not living up to Wall Street expectations. But in today’s Q2 earnings announcement, the Mountain View firm has made significant strides in rectifying that reputation. It reported a revenue of $17.7 billion this past quarter, which is an 11 percent growth year over year and a 3 percent growth since Q1. This has beat Wall Street estimates handily, causing its stock to climb by 11 percent at closing. What’s contributing to this success? As CFO Ruth Porat puts it, it’s all thanks to mobile, with YouTube playing a star role. Though Google won’t reveal specific numbers, Porat said that “the gap between mobile and desktop continues to narrow” when it comes to the money it makes from advertising. There’s apparently been a particularly strong surge in mobile search , which is a significant contributor to ad revenue. Chief Business Officer Omid Kordestani said on the earnings call that “more searches happen on mobile than computers in 10 countries.” It’s why the company is putting even more resources behind creating a better mobile experience. He says that around 30 percent of mobile searches are location-related — perhaps they want to know what’s around them or where’s the closest gas station. “When people search on mobile, they want immediacy and action, ” he said. It’s not just search either. Google has also invested in other key mobile experiences, especially in a world where people are less likely to head directly to google.com to search. Kordestani states that efforts like Google Photos , Now On Tap and Android Pay all factor in to making Google’s mobile presence more widespread. He also credited deep linking — where users are led to install new apps from links within other apps — for a boost in traffic. Indeed, Porat said that Google Play “continues to grow at an impressive clip” and is the “fastest growing mobile gaming platform.” What’s particularly impressive is that YouTube ad revenue has also blossomed, particularly in mobile. The ” Trueview ” ad format — basically all those pre-roll ads you see before YouTube clips — has really grown of late. Porat said that YouTube has experienced an accelerated 16 percent growth rate and that “mobile watch time has more than doubled.” Cost per clicks have gone down, but that’s alright as those aforementioned Trueview ad hits have increased. A new feature of Trueview that automatically adds product information and pricing in video ads is cited for the growth. Indeed, the number of advertisers running ads on YouTube has gone up by 40 percent and the average spend is up by 60 percent. Kordestani said that the average viewing time on YouTube is also more than 40 minutes and that more 18 to 49 year olds watch YouTube on mobile than any cable network. He said YouTube is great for content creators too, as the number of channels making six figures is up by 50 percent from this time last year. As for Google’s other projects — Nest , Fiber and Google Life Science s — those are now under “tighter governance” and are seen as more longer-term sources for revenue. Which basically means that they’re not quite making money hand over fist from those units just yet, but the potential is there. [Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images] Filed under: Google Comments Source: Google
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Google continues to make money thanks to mobile and YouTube
Intel says it’s next-gen ” Skylake ” will be delayed by six months, marking the second time in a row it hasn’t released a CPU on a two-year “Moore’s Law” cycle. That continues a trend, as last year’s 14-nanometer Broadwell chips were similarly delayed , and even Haswell and Ivy Bridge were behind schedule. Intel said that the setback for the new 10-nanometer chips was caused by the increasing complexity in building transistors that small. Addressing the elephant in the room, CEO Brian Krzanich said that “the last two technology transitions have signaled that our cadence today is closer to 2.5 years than two.” In other words, Moore’s Law needs a reboot. To address the lack of chips in the pipeline, Intel said that it’s going to release new 14-nanometer “Kaby Lake” chips based on the Skylake architecture. Krzanich said that “we expect that this addition to the roadmap will deliver new features and improved performance, and pave the way for a smooth transition to 10-nanometer.” Neverthless, he admitted that Intel is now on a “tick-tock-tick” cycle rather than a “tick-tock” as before. That bodes poorly for an already-struggling PC industry, as consumers will have less reason to get excited about new products. Intel also admitted that PC demand was weaker than expected, and expects it to get worse by year’s end. Nevertheless, it thinks the July 29 launch of Windows 10 will provide a tonic. “A lot of the really good features of Windows 10, things like Windows 10 Hello where you have facial log in, and you don’t have to use all your passwords, the Start screen… the touch usages of gaming, as the new games come to this product — those are going to run with PCs that have the latest features, ” Krzanich said. Despite the gloomy PC talk, Intel still managed to pull in a better-than-expected $13.2 billion for the quarter, thanks to a new focus on data centers, internet-of-things and memory. [Image credit: Getty images] Filed under: Peripherals , Intel Comments Source: Intel
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Intel delays next-gen chips as Moore’s law begins to crack
Facebook is stepping up its commitment to renewable energy today. While announcing a new data center in Fort Worth (above), which happens to be entirely powered by wind energy, the social network also set a new goal of having 50 percent of its data centers relying on renewables by the end of 2018. That follows an earlier self-imposed goal to have 25 percent of its data centers powered by clean energy come the end of this year. Naturally, Facebook plans to have all of its operations powered by renewable energy eventually. It’s also working together with Greenpeace — which took today’s announcement as a chance to shame Amazon for its data center energy usage — to ensure that it’s exploring new energy options properly. Facebook teamed up with Citi Energy, Starwood Energy, and Alterra Power to bring a 17, 000 acre wind farm online for its new Fort Worth data hub, which should deliver around 200 MW of energy to Texas. Facebook plans to get that new data center online by the end of 2016. Filed under: Networking , Internet , Facebook Comments Source: Facebook
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Facebook says renewables will power 50% of its data centers by 2018
Army researchers at the Redstone Arsenal have announced a significant breakthrough in solar energy production. They’ve created a photovoltaic solar panel that is smaller, more robust and less expensive to build and operate than any other panel currently available. Virtually every solar panel currently in existence relies on a pure silicon construction, however the band gap (the wavelength of light that it can actually be absorbed and converted into electricity) of single crystal silicon is exceedingly narrow compared to the full spectrum shining down from the Sun. Not only does this mean that conventional panels are missing out on potential power, the ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths actively damage the panels by causing them to heat, warp and crack. The Army’s panel, on the other hand, sandwiches super thin layers of metals like silver and gold between the semiconductor layers. With these added layers, the panels offer a wider band gap for energy generation and can be tuned to reflect the harmful rays as well. What’s more, the Army’s panels generate the same amount of energy regardless of the angle that sunlight is hitting it. That means they don’t have to be affixed to expensive and motorized Sun-tracking stands. The technology is still in its very early stages, explained Wayne Davenport, Optical Sciences Function Chief of the Weapons Development and Integration Directorate, in a statement. “As with many basic research projects, the near-term benefits are sometimes yet undefined but are clearly worth the investment, ” Davenport continued. “The Army’s research laboratories at AMRDEC continue a legacy of high quality research projects and I expect to see many more of these type projects transition to the Warfighter in the future.” [Image Credit: AFP/Getty Images] Filed under: Science Comments Source: US Army
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Army scientists build smaller, tougher, cheaper solar cells