Tag Archives: website
Goodbye TV Hello “binge watching”
Remember that thing called the television? Of course you do because you probably still own one … for now. But the newest evolution of show-watching on the Internet and mobile devices is putting the “telly” right up there with CD players on the list of electronics that aren’t quite as necessary anymore.
Video streaming service Netflix announced this week the addition of “post-play” to its iOS apps.
For those not in the know, post-play was made available to users on Netflix.com, PlayStation3 and Xbox in August 2012. At the end of a show, the next episode is on deck, ready to launch without any user interaction.
With movies, users will get a choice of three recommendations, although playback doesn’t start automatically. (Via Mashable)
Tech writers say this newest Netflix mobile addition is perfect for marathon viewing, also known by the less healthy-sounding name “binge watching.”
And it seems to be dropping just in time for the new season of “Arrested Development” which begins May 26 and will only be available on Netflix.
A writer for PolicyMic didn’t care to hold back his excitement, saying the show need only “exist” to do well on this new platform. He adds in the show’s history, there have been “zero unfunny episodes and counting.”
Besides commenting that “Arrested Development” was made for binge watching, a Time writer says the new Netflix-only offering “could be instrumental in popularizing a new way to watch and make TV–outside the TV-network system, without commercials or even weekly schedules. Netflix gave Arrested Development new life … and Arrested Development may be instrumental in helping Netflix (along with Amazon, Hulu, et al.) create a new TV business.”
Also in this week’s news of TV that’s not on TV, the Google-owned video website YouTube announced a pilot program for a group of partners to offer paid content via YouTube channel subscriptions, starting at $0.99 per month.
This includes small start-up channels, like Jim Henson Family TV, UFC Select and PGA Digital Golf Academy.
However, a writer for Forbes points out one thing is missing from YouTube’s list: major media companies. He writes a total defection away from TV sets is still a ways away, adding for Google to be really successful, it “has to prove subscriptions work for viewers,” then “create its own bundles to attract broader audiences and at the same time amass audience segments advertisers will want to reach.”
The Netflix-only season of “Arrested Development” is expected to be a hit, considering Netflix’s original series “House of Cards,” which proved to be a huge success for the company. Netflix plans to keep making original series; as do its competitors, Hulu and Amazon Prime.
80K Apply for Mars
A Dutch-based nonprofit’s giving anyone a chance, but here’s the catch: it involves a one-way trip to Mars.
The NGO, Mars One, intends to send four people to Mars to establish a human colony, and it’s taking applications.
“The search for life on Mars begins on Earth.”
Apparently, they’re some of the most sought after jobs in the world. TIME reports in the past two weeks“over 78,000 people have applied to become one of Mars’ first immigrants.”
Netherlands-based Mars One says video applications have come from more than 120 countries, with 17,000 Americans applying.
The Guardian reports Mars One isn’t looking for people with specific skills in science but “stresses the need for a “Can Do!” attitude…sense of humour and requires the submission of an application fee that can be as much as $75.”
The nonprofit expects the four settlers will land on Mars in 2023 and the set up and transport will cost about $6 billion.
Space.com explains the organization’s Big Brother-esque plan “to pay most of the bills by staging a global reality-TV event, with cameras documenting all phases of the mission from astronaut selection to the colonists’ first years on the Red Planet.”
Mars One will close the application process August 31st and expects more than 500,000 potential Mars-settlers to apply by then.
Interested in being the next reality TV star? A Dutch-based nonprofit’s giving anyone a chance, but here’s the catch: it involves a one-way trip to Mars.
The NGO, Mars One, intends to send four people to Mars to establish a human colony, and it’s taking applications.
“The search for life on Mars begins on Earth.”
Apparently, they’re some of the most sought after jobs in the world. TIME reports in the past two weeks“over 78,000 people have applied to become one of Mars’ first immigrants.”
Netherlands-based Mars One says video applications have come from more than 120 countries, with 17,000 Americans applying.
The Guardian reports Mars One isn’t looking for people with specific skills in science but “stresses the need for a “Can Do!” attitude…sense of humour and requires the submission of an application fee that can be as much as $75.”
The nonprofit expects the four settlers will land on Mars in 2023 and the set up and transport will cost about $6 billion.
Space.com explains the organization’s Big Brother-esque plan “to pay most of the bills by staging a global reality-TV event, with cameras documenting all phases of the mission from astronaut selection to the colonists’ first years on the Red Planet.”
Mars One will close the application process August 31st and expects more than 500,000 potential Mars-settlers to apply by then.
A Mars one-way ticket
Step right up and prove why you should get a one-way ticket to Mars! Well, perhaps you might want to know a more about the venture first before considering.
A Dutch company called Mars One began looking Monday for volunteer astronauts to fly to Mars. Departure for the Red Planet is scheduled for 2022, landing seven months later in 2023.
The space travelers will return … never. They will finish out their lives on Mars, representatives from the nonprofit said.
“It’s likely that there will be a crematorium,” said CEO Bas Lansdorp. “It’s up to the people on Mars to decide what to do with their dead.”
Still, the company said it has received more than 10,000 e-mails from interested would-be space farers.
The one-way ticket makes the mission possible because it greatly reduces costs, and the technology for a return flight doesn’t exist, according to Mars One’s website. At a news conference, Lansdorp maintained that “no new inventions are needed to land humans on Mars.”
The biggest obstacles, he said, are financial. The company has revealed some of its sponsors and hopes to gain more via media coverage. It’s not clear whether enough money will be collected in time.
There are also practical issues: Can the kinks in having a sustainable system for people to survive in such a harsh environment be worked out by 2023?
“Questions of reliability and robustness have to be answered before we leave Earth,” said Grant Anderson of Paragon Space Development Corporation, which builds life-support systems and is joining the Mars One effort.
First Ever WWW rebooted!
Have you ever thought about where we would be without the World Wide Web? It’s hard, isn’t it? Well its creators are celebrating the web’s 20 year anniversary by re-launching the first website ever created.
This not-so-glamorous-looking site is for the European Organization for Nuclear Research. It was created by CERN. It also operates the world’s largest particle physics lab. The site was meant to teach people about the World Wide Web project back in 1992.
The web actually dates back to 1989 thanks to CERN physicist Tim Berners-Lee. He created it to provide a networked system that “allowed CERN physicists to read and publish documents, and to create links between and within them.” (Via PC Mag)
But that initial vision has clearly changed to what we now think of as the Internet. In 1993, CERN made the World Wide Web technology available to the public for free. (Via BBC)
Yes, the Internet was free for some time after its birth. One of the collaborators on the project says making the technology free to the rest of the world wasn’t exactly a no-brainer.
“What we had was not a patentable, slick ‘App’, … The arguments were complex, the models untried, and it was not clear what would happen to [the World Wide Web] in either case.” (Via CERN)
That phrase “not patentable” also may be a thing of the past, as restrictions around digital rights management (or limits on what people can do with content like music or movies) continue to rise.
But while the web may not be the free knowledge collection Berners-Lee had hoped for, a writer for CNET explains some of CERN’s initial vision is still showing up on today’s web.
“The barriers for building Web sites and services are generally very low. That’s what’s made it possible for countless businesses to set up shop on the Internet, building a remarkably connected, global network of information.”
“A remarkably connected, global network of information” sounds an awful lot like Berners-Lee’s initial vision of CERN physicists having access to each others’ work. That being said, his vision formed long before anyone even thought of things like the Harlem Shake, or those cat videos.
The Giant Spider Robot
Meet the British design team that built a gigantic walking robot with six legs that goes by the name Mantis.
It functions with a 2.2-liter turbo engine, weighs more than 4,000 pounds, measures more than 9 feet high and has a 16-foot diameter when on a standpoint. Mantis can be controlled onboard or via Wi-Fi. (Via Youtube / Winchymatt)
According to the team at Mantisrobot.com, the “walking machine started as an idea back in 2007, we secured private funding in 2009 to start the project and after three years of design, build and testing the robot made a first successful test drive in the summer of 2012.”
It took no less than four years of intensive research for the creators, Micromagic Systems, to build what it called the “biggest, all-terrain operational hexapod robot in the world.” The BBC reports the initial project was meant to last only 12 months.
This invention was the idea of Matt Denton, chief designer and founder of Micromagic Systems, which called Mantis a “very expensive toy.” The cost is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. In terms of inspiration, Denton told CNN:
“My fascination with walking machines started at a young age watching sci-fi films … Seeing the imposing images of an AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport) walking across a snowscape really got me fascinated with the concept of using legged locomotion on vehicles.”
This isn’t the first spider robot to be built by the company, but Matt Denton said it is the biggest. Previous machines have appeared in movies and series such as “Harry Potter.”
The machine isn’t perfect just yet. In an interview with Discovery Channel, Denton explained the robot’s biggest challenge was not being able to see. It only knows it has hit an object after actually hitting it. (ViaYoutube / Winchymatt)
The robot’s website writes Mantis is now available for private hire, custom commissions, events and sponsorship.
Millions Generated for Boston Victims
Donations are pouring into the Boston area as victims deal with mounting medical debt. The Internet has been a useful tool in raising money for those affected.
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino created “The One Fund” on the day of the attack and raised more than $7 million in the first 24 hours. (Via CBC)
Elected officials are not the only ones in the fundraising effort, though. GoFundMe is a popular fundraising site which has also helped a number of victims pay their high medical bills.
A mother and daughter named Celeste and Sydney have received an outpouring of donations. That fundraiser has garnered nearly $500,000, including $25,000 from late night talk show host Chelsea Handler.
GoFundMe also helped out one victim who lost both of his legs in the blast. Jeff Bauman gained notoriety when graphic images showing his injuries surfaced. More than $300,000 has been raised. As a result of the constant flow of donations, the donation goal has been raised to $1 million. (Via New York Daily News)
And the man who had his boat destroyed when police captured a suspect has been getting donations as well.
According to ABC, David Henneberry’s boat is now full of bullet holes and is expected to be used as evidence in the case for quite some time. Donations for him to get a new boat have ranged from $25 from an Orlando woman to $1,000 from a personal injury attorney.
But with money at stake, law enforcement officials are warning against scammers trying to take advantage of well-wishers.
KTTS reports police are telling people to, “be careful of online donation sites or charities that have similar names to legitimate ones.”
The Omaha World-Herald notes one of the best ways to steer clear of scams is to not donate to a charity on an unfamiliar website.
Madeleine’s Mother forgives Abductor
Kate McCann has revealed she “could probably forgive Madeline’s abductor” as her missing daughter’s 10th birthday approaches.
The practicing Catholic spoke of the cycles of grief, hope and mercy she has endured in the six years since Madeleine was snatched.
Speaking to the Telegraph, the 45-year-old said: “I think I could probably forgive Madeleine’s abductor whatever the circumstances… I can’t change anything and I don’t want to be eaten up by hatred and bitterness.”
Madeleine was nearly four when she vanished from a holiday resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal, as her parents dined with friends nearby.
Kate, who is also mother to eight-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, admits she and husband Gerry continue to struggle daily with their loss.
She said: “Living in limbo with this void and uncertainty is truly dreadful It’s hard to rest, to find peace. It’s unsettling and uncomfortable all the time. Even on a ‘good’ day, that feeling is lurking.”
Despite the limbo of not knowing what has happened to their daughter, whose 10th birthday is on May 12, the McCanns are adamant she may still be found.
On their website Find Madeleine, they write: “There is absolute nothing to suggest that Madeleine has been harmed. Madeleine is still missing and someone needs to be looking for her.“
“She is very young and vulnerable and needs our help. We love her dearly and miss her beyond words.”
There have been numerous reported sightings of Madeleine throughout the years, but none have produced any firm leads.
Kate, who is running Sunday’s London Marathon to raise funds for the charity Missing People, adds: “There are moments when you despair, but they are infrequent now. As someone said: It’s not that your burden gets any lighter. It’s just that your legs get stronger. That really sums it up.”
Hunting
Recently I have come across a few friends who have joined dating websites (this is new news in my circle). Many of my friends, especially those I met at uni have spent the majority of their adult lives searching for that dream job. Don’t worry this is going somewhere, trust me!
So you’re on a dating website, fingers crossed your ‘love story’ begins here. You upload your picture; scroll through Facebook to try and find one where you don’t look trollied and you actually look half decent (whilst doing this you find dreadful pictures your cousin has uploaded behind your back…you will deal with her later!). Right, you have a picture, now for the profile; name (selective in certain spellings; any Greeks out there will know that spelling Magdalena Constantinides is mind boggling to non Greeks, therefore it transfers on the page to Mags Stan), age (maybe knock a few numbers off?!), area of residence (be as vague as you can) and you create a username; your stuck between Sweetgirl88 and Iheartdiamonds11, you go with sweetgirl88 (don’t really wanna look like a gold digger). And finally you are asked what you’re looking for; sex and age range. You click on ‘not fussy’ (can’t be in 2011) and settle for 22-35 (big enough to find someone right?). Profile created.
Job hunting. You Google the career path you’d like to follow, starting with Journalist, moving on to Writer, and settling on Receptionist (all of the others you looked at are way out of your league, even with that 2:1). You find something half decent and spend hours fine tuning a cover letter (you want to demonstrate your writing skills after all) and open the CV you have created most fitting for this position. After submitting your application, the website asks you ‘Would you like to store your CV?’ You click yes and once again you are instructed to create a profile. See where I’m going here? No picture needed, however it does ask for your area of residence and what you’re looking for. Salary: you select the figure you dream of earning but suddenly come straight back to reality and remind yourself that Simon Cowell didn’t reach that amount of money till his 40’s. So you compromise and go for something a bit more realistic, done. Profile created.
It dawned on me that selling yourself is something we do on a daily basis, whether it is for a job or for a date. Is searching for the perfect man (sorry to bring him up again) just like searching for your dream job? The start up is the same. The outcome is the same feeling; pride, happiness and success…until you get 6 months in and you start spitting in your bosses tea and screaming at him because he left the toilet seat up for the fourth time that day!
It goes without saying, these things may start the same, they will run their course, sometimes it won’t be easy and sometimes you’ll be so grateful you have them, but everything happens for a reason, so roll with it!
Till next time…x
Russians are buying and then re-selling the iPad 2 for a huge profit
The iPad 2 is in high demand. So high, in fact, one college student sold her spot in line to nab the new gadget for nearly a grand.
STUDENT: “The first hour that I was here, I had one offer of $600.”
REPORTER: “Oh my God…and so how much did you end up selling it for?”
STUDENT: “$900.” (Video Source: After Dawn)
…but there’s a new conspiracy afoot as to why the iPad 2 is selling out so quickly…and it’s a lighter shade of the black market.
“The idea is that the person who put up the money to buy the iPad2 was preparing to resell it elsewhere, usually outside the borders of the U.S., at an inflated price. Welcome to the world of the gray market.” (Image Source: News Quest Online)
One blogger points a finger at a more specific group: Russians. After listing a spare iPad 2 on Craigslist, a Russian man tried to buy it. Chip Chick tells his story.
“…he says he started waiting in line for the iPad 2…He also said that afterward he waited in line to buy a second round. He then came back a third time with a disguise on…and purchased a third round, and paid a guy in front of him in line $200 to get him another.”
Some bloggers blame Apple CEO Steve Jobs for the burst in others’ overseas profits–since he made up the two-per-household limit for the new tablet. (Video Source: Apple)
Website 9to5 Mac is one site blaming Apple– and reports online megasites like eBay are also seeing high price sales of the iPad 2.
“For those in the US and abroad, the biggest gray market is eBay where iPad 2s are going as high as $4000. There seems to be something wrong with Apple’s distribution strategy, though it doesn’t immediately seem like anything can be done.”
While most media reports indicate the iPad 2 is sold out, ZDnet still encourages those tech-obsessed to scour local stores because hey, it’s cheaper than the alternative.
What is FlickHoldr?
With this little app, you can get images from flickr based on the tags you choose. It’s generally pretty accurate, so you should get images closely related to the subject matter of the website you’re building.
The photos are pulled from flickr using its search api, searching only creative commons material, and watermarking them with the name of the author, to be in accordance with the creative commons licences, which all require attribution
New Website is ‘TiVO for Radio’
Think TiVO, but for the radio. That’s DAR.fm – or Digital Audio Recorder.
The website allows you to record your favorite radio shows and store them online. Users can search through the schedules of more than 600 stations around the U.S. and record for up to 4 hours at a time.
Michael Robertson started this project as a way to save radio – to make it more convenient and interactive. DAR.fm is set up to stream through several different platforms: online, on smart phones and through Internet radios.
But when compared to other online music sites like Pandora and Rhapsody, a blogger at CNET says DAR.fm doesn’t stack up.
“Oh, and did I mention that since it picks up audio from radio stations, its audio quality is noticeably lower than other services?”
Robertson is notorious for upsetting the music industry. He’s been sued twice for breaking copyright laws- once by Universal Music- and now by EMI Music. According to Business Insider, DAR.fm might just put music executives over the edge.
“Michael Robertson has been throwing bombs at the music industry in the name of users for almost a decade…He swore he’d never do another digital music service after his last experience, but apparently he just can’t stay away.”
Geek.com wonders why no one has thought of this before, but offers a guess.
“…I’m sure a lot of people are worried about getting sued for doing this … I’m sure DAR.fm is a calculated risk, and one that is bound to be popular with users if it achieves what it sets out to do.”
Robertson is confident that DAR.fm is legal, citing the Cartoon Network v. Cablevision case as precedent. The judge ruled that if the user was hitting the record button, Cablevision could not be held responsible for making copies without permission.
So what do you think – is DAR.fm a great new way to listen to the radio? Or should Robertson get his lawyers ready?
