Tag: world

The first website went public 25 years ago

The internet just marked another major milestone. The first website , Tim Berners-Lee’s description of the World Wide Web project, went public 25 years ago on August 6th, 1991. The launch was unceremonious — Berners-Lee announced the project on a Usenet group, and it wasn’t until after August 23rd that new users visited the site. However, the launch effectively marked the start of the web as a widely available tool. There wasn’t exactly a rush to embrace the technology, mind you. The big leaps toward the mainstream came in 1993, when NCSA released the first widely popular web browser (Mosaic) and CERN helped adoption by making the web’s software both free and open source. Berners-Lee’s original approach to the web treated it more as a platform for academic collaboration than a revolution. Still, there’s no denying that the events of 1991 got the ball rolling on a fundamental shift in communication. Via: Independent Source: Google Groups

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The first website went public 25 years ago

Uber has served 100 million trips in New York City

As Uber strikes million-dollar deals in China , it’s also celebrating a milestone in one of the first places it established itself: New York. The company has announced that it’s now delivered 100 million trips to users in the city, which explains why it’s investing deeply in things like global mapping — to the tune of $500 million . It’s not all happy mergers and expansion: the company is still fighting bans, suspensions and fines across the world; you’re still going to have to hire a normal taxi if you’re planning a trip to Hungary , for example. On June 30, 2012, we reached 1, 000 trips in NYC. Today, we reached 100, 000, 000. Where to next, New York? pic.twitter.com/s2a0ILX4GC — Uber NYC (@Uber_NYC) August 1, 2016 Source: Uber NYC (Twitter)

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Uber has served 100 million trips in New York City

This Threadbare Garment Is Officially the World’s Oldest Dress

It doesn’t look like much, but this tattered piece of clothing found buried in an ancient Egyptian cemetery has been confirmed as the world’s oldest dress as well as the oldest woven garment known to archaeologists. Read more…

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This Threadbare Garment Is Officially the World’s Oldest Dress

Electronic music gets its own televised awards show

Variety is reporting that Fox will broadcast the inaugural Electronic Music Awards on Saturday, April 23rd at 8pm. The network has teamed up with superstar DJ Paul Oakenfold to create the event as a celebration of the genre. It’ll feature red carpet coverage, interviews, the ceremony itself and performances from the world’s biggest artists. Read between the lines and you’ll assume that the move was born out of frustration with the Grammy’s traditional disdain for electronica. As Oakenfold says, he’s “thrilled to be part of an awards show that finally ” (emphasis ours) “recognizes and celebrates… one of the biggest music genres in the world.” You can feel the heat radiating off that burn from a mile away. Stuff that’s been made by a computer has always been treated as a poor cousin of things that are made more “traditionally.” Despite its pervasiveness, CGI gets a bum rap compared to practical effects , and it’s taken years for eSports to receive any degree of recognition from traditional broadcasters . Take a cursory look at the Grammy award categories and you can see where Oakenfold’s annoyance comes from. For instance, R&B and jazz both get five categories a piece, while electronic has to share a table with dance and has just two measly categories. Which seems a little bit unfair, don’t you think? Source: Variety

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Electronic music gets its own televised awards show

20 minute Uber ride cost $1,114.71 on New Year’s Eve

After Matt Lindsay celebrated New Year’s Eve in Southwood Community Centre near Edmonton, he hailed an Uber to take him and his friends home. The driver who picked up Matt warned him that the “surge rate” was 8.9 times the regular fare. Lindsay accepted the surge and took the ride, which lasted 20 minutes. From CBC : Lindsay said he was using his previous trips with Uber as a base understanding of what the trip would cost. “Generally Uber is very affordable. I can get from northside to downtown for under $20.” He has taken a couple of rides at a surge rate of two times the regular amount, which he said tallied $77. “With the amount of people in the vehicle and a similar distance, I figured it would be a similar fare.” Lindsay said people are vulnerable after they’ve been drinking and surge rates can be confusing. Lindsay said Uber had offered to reduce his fare by half. Image: Prathan Chorruangsak / Shutterstock.com

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20 minute Uber ride cost $1,114.71 on New Year’s Eve

Anne Frank’s diary is in the public domain; editors aren’t co-authors

Anne Frank’s father, Otto, edited Frank’s diary before publishing it. He also endowed two foundations — one Swiss, one Dutch — to administer her legacy. (more…)

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Anne Frank’s diary is in the public domain; editors aren’t co-authors

Meet the only micro HD-camera drone in the world that can fly upside down

The Micro Drone 2.0+ is truly in a league of its own, offering a new perspective on aerial photography, and a world of technological capabilities that make flying ridiculously fun. Simply throw it in the air at any angle and its self-correcting algorithm will stabilize for smooth sailing in no time. You’ll stay entertained with flips, rolls, 720p HD videography, and much more. Performs 360-degree flips w/ the pre-programmed algorithm Captures HD video from upside down w/ a flick of a switch Stabilizes to its horizontal flying position w/ self-righting algorithm & sensors Designed to be durable & extremely fun to fly Perfect for flying indoors & outside (doesn’t suffer stability issues in wind) Easily recharges via USB Includes a range up to 400 ft & an 8 minute flight time per charge Get the Extreme Micro Drone 2.0+ for 42% off ($99.99) in the Boing Boing Store today.   

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Meet the only micro HD-camera drone in the world that can fly upside down

Small eel photographed by accident on coral reef is first green fluorescent fish ever recorded

A new study says that this small eel photographed by accident on a Caribbean coral reef is the first green fluorescent fish ever recorded. (more…)

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Small eel photographed by accident on coral reef is first green fluorescent fish ever recorded