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Posts Tagged ‘News’

Weird Science’s pessimistic dogs won’t play fetch

24 Oct

Your dog isn't misbehaving, it's just a pessimist: We make jokes about other people's separation anxiety, but people are hardly the only who experience it—our pets often do as well. Some dogs and cats (and possibly other species) will often respond to an owner's absence with various misbehaviors, from treating a bed as a litterbox to chewing up the furniture. Why do only some pets respond this way to their owner's absence? Because the ones that do are inherently pessimistic. Stick them in a situation where they had to run to a bowl that may or may not contain food, and the ones that showed separation anxiety tended to run to the bowl more slowly, as if they expected to be disappointed by its contents.

Senility strikes the bees (no word on the birds yet): No, it's not the cause of colony collapse, but the memory deficits that we humans develop with aging are apparently widespread in the animal kingdom. Bees that were given a chance to adjust to a change in hive location did worse if they were older. The problem isn't that they consistently fail to form new memories; instead, memory performance gets more variable, and the bees can't seem to get rid of memories of their old hive location.

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Which of these is not a web browser?

22 Oct

kaun-banega-crorepati

Most readers landing upon this page wouldn’t require a seconds hesitation in answering the question posed above.

But for a contestant on India’s version of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’ it required an entire audience vote to pick an answer.

The contestant above isn’t alone in not being clued up on the divide between ‘the web’ and the tools one uses to access the web. Google’s infamous vox-pop on the streets of New York also proved this with less than 8% of  people quizzed able to answer the question of ‘What is a browser?’.

But does it matter?

As an advocate for Ubuntu I’m acutely aware of how easy bamboozling casual users is when rolling off terms like ‘web browser’, ‘CPU’, ‘RAM’, ’64 bit’, ‘graphics chip’, ‘taskbar’, etc. It’s all a densely packed jargon-jungle for which they have no inclination to explore.

But dig a little deeper and people are actually a lot smarter than given credit for. Had those people in New York been given a laptop and asked to log in to Facebook the majority would’ve managed it fine.

Whether accustomed to the ‘little blue E’, ‘the orange ball’, ‘the big red O’ or the ‘rainbow wheel’ people know how to get online and it’s this ‘doing’ part that matters most.

 
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Guy Asks Obama: “Mr. President, Sign My iPad”

22 Oct

Guy Asks Obama: “Mr. President, Sign My iPad”

The above photo is probably one of the coolest things you’ll see all day. Not only does the guy wearing the Obama shirt look incredibly calm about meeting the President, but he’s also offering President Obama his iPad to sign. And, no – not with a permanent marker; with President Obama’s finger, using Adobe’s Ideas application. How cool is that?

Sylvester Cann IV, the iPad-toting gentleman, told TechCrunch:

At a rally in Seattle, WA at the University of Washington, the President used the touchscreen on my iPad to give me his autograph. Secret service was leery about the idea, but they warmed up to the idea and the President thought it was cool.

He looked slightly surprised, but proceeded to use his finger to scribble on the iPad using the Adobe Ideas app.

I have a video of the event as well. This HAS to be the first time an iPad has received a Presidential autograph.

We’ve embedded Sylvester’s video below, along with an iPad screenshot showing President Obama’s signature. In addition to this, you can also check out Sylvester’s mini-site which pays homage to the event, titled: “I figured, ‘Why not ask?’” All that’s left to say is: well done, Sylvester!

obama Guy Asks Obama: Mr. President, Sign My iPad




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    Thief Steals Laptop, Returns Data on USB Stick

    18 Oct

    A university professor in Sweden has "hope for humanity" after the thief who stole his laptop backed up all his data and mailed it to him on a USB stick.

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    Create Automated Website Tests with Ease

    12 Oct


    This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

    Name: Fake

    Quick Pitch: Fake is a new browser for Mac OS X that makes web automation and testing simple.

    Genius Idea: Inspired by Apple’s Automator, Fake is a tool that lets web designers and developers create graphical workflows that can be run again and again, without human interaction. These workflows can be saved, shared and edited at ease.

    Fake is the creation of Todd Ditchendorf’s Celestial Teapot Software. Ditchendorf is the guy responsible for Fluid, one of our favorite single-site browsers.

    Whereas Fluid is a great tool that can appeal to a wide array of users, Fake’s target audience consists of developers, web designers or people that have to perform the same automated tasks repeatedly. That is to say, if you aren’t doing a lot of website testing, unit tests or debugging, Fake might not be for you.

    However, if you are a web designer or developer, Fake is just awesome. I’ve been using this app for the last month or so and I have to say, the ability to create workflows to perform rudimentary tasks like capturing a screenshot or filling out a form or clicking on a link is just really remarkable.

    A common workflow I utilize is taking screenshots. Oftentimes when I’m writing a post, I’ll need a screenshot from lots of different sources. Rather than taking each screenshot individually, I can just enter in each URL into Fake and have it repeat the “capture screenshot” action for each site. That way, while I’m writing in the background, my screenshots are being captured and saved to a folder of my choice.

    For testing purposes especially, the fact that Fake has assertions, assertion failure handlers and error handlers makes it really powerful. It’s often hard to get a real sense of how a site or web app is going to perform under certain conditions. User testing is great, but it can be expensive and time consuming, especially if you need to test various alternating aspects of a site.

    The great thing about saving workflows is that you can modify or rerun the workflow against other content. So for people doing A/B testing, you can set up the same set of “fake” interactions for each version and compare results.

    Fake is $29.95, but you can download a free trial to see how you like the app. The trial doesn’t let you save workflows and limits you to eight actions at a time, but it’s a great way to determine whether you need this kind of app.

    Check out this video to see Fake in action:

    Designers and developers — what types of tools do you use for unit or automated testing? Let us know.

    Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark

    BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.

    Reviews: fluid

    More About: automator, fake, fluid, mac apps, single-site browser, software, unit testing

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    Google Just Lost a Potential Ally in its Legal Tussle with Oracle

    12 Oct


    The battle between Oracle and Google over Android’s use of Java just got a lot more interesting. That’s because IBM has announced that it will be collaborating with Oracle to work on the OpenJDK project.

    This means that IBM will no longer be part of the Apache Software Foundation’s Project Harmony, the project that provides Android with the components it needs to run Java code. With IBM leaving the project, Harmony is basically dead in the water.

    Although Android wasn’t mentioned in the announcement, this is all interrelated to the Oracle lawsuit. Google responded to the lawsuit last week, claiming that Oracle, which got Java out of its purchase of Sun Microsystems, was acting in bad faith.

    For the non-Java savvy out there, here’s an abbreviated rundown of how and why all of this stuff matters:

    Apache Harmony is an open source implementation of Java. The goal in creating the project was to unite all of the various free software Java implementations together under one banner.

    The project had a lot of early support, the only problem was that Sun (and then Oracle) never offered the project with a Technology Compatibility Kit (TCK). The TCK is needed to prove that Harmony is compatible with the Java specification and can be seen as a certified Java independent version of Java. When Sun first open sourced aspects of Java in 2007, it said it would provide the Apache Foundation with the necessary TCK for certification.

    Sun never made good on those assurances and when Oracle took over Sun, the new company wasn’t interested in sharing the TCKs, instead wanting to focus all of its efforts on the officially sanctioned open source Java implementation, OpenJDK.

    IBM’s Bob Sutor discussed the decision on his blog, writing:

    “We think this is the pragmatic choice. It became clear to us that first Sun and then Oracle were never planning to make the important test and certification tests for Java, the Java SE TCK, available to Apache. We disagreed with this choice, but it was not ours to make. So rather than continue to drive Harmony as an unofficial and uncertified Java effort, we decided to shift direction and put our efforts into OpenJDK. Our involvement will not be casual as we plan to hold leadership positions and, with the other members of the community, fully expect to have a strong say in how the project is managed and in which technical direction it goes.”

    This is a big blow to the Harmony project and by extension, to the libraries and classes that Android implements from Harmony in Android. Without big backing like IBM behind the project, it’s not likely to survive.

    For now, the Harmony implementation of Java is fine. The problem will be when future versions of Java are released and Harmony can’t keep up in terms of features.

    In Java, staying compatible is key. Interestingly, InfoWorld notes that Google has more developers working on OpenJDK than Oracle. So why choose Harmony for Android?

    We think it’s because Google wanted to do an end-run around Sun’s licensing requirements. In essence, getting to take advantage of Java SE on mobile devices (something that Sun explicitly forbade without a license), but not having to pay for it.

    Long before Sun’s sale to Oracle, others pointed out the potential licensing and IP quagmire that Google was entering with Android. The reality was, Sun didn’t have the power, the funds or the industry clout to really do anything about it.

    Oracle does. In fact, Oracle’s clout and power is underscored by IBM’s decision to join up. IBM may be making its decisions for pragmatic reasons, but in the decision shows that IBM is not willing to side with Google in this elongated fight.

    At this point, Google’s only real recourse is to sensibly settle and pay Oracle, or countersue and drag the fight out even longer. By fighting back, Google risks alienating its Java-base of developers.

    While we question how important having a strong base of Java developers really is to Android’s success in the long term, it doesn’t mean it’s worth risking the future developments of the platform on a legal gamble.

    Oracle is out for blood and IBM just provided the syringe.

    Reviews: Android, Google

    More About: android, apache foundation, Google, harmony, IBM, java, lawsuits, legal, oracle

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    Internet Advertising Hits New Revenue Record

    12 Oct


    Online advertising is thriving in the U.S., according to figures released in the latest IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report.

    Businesses and individuals spent approximately $12.1 billion on online advertising in the first six months of 2010, up 11.3% from the from the first half of 2009 and 13.9% from the second quarter of 2009. In fact, this was both the highest first-half and second-quarter revenue ever recorded.

    Search advertising continued to monopolize the greater share of online ad dollars, having attracted more than $5.7 billion in spending between January and June this year — a year-over-year increase of 11.6%. Display advertising, which includes banner ads, digital video, rich media and sponsorships, garnered more than $4.4 billion in the first half of 2010, a 16% increase over the same period in 2009.

    Digital video recorded the greatest growth of all. More was spent in video advertising from January to June than in any other half-year period before, an increase of 31% from the first half of 2009.

    IAB’s SVP of Industry Services Sherill Mane cited growing online advertising budgets among consumer packaged goods and pharmaceutical companies for the growth.

    “While the recession clearly affected short term growth in 2009, with double digit growth in both search and display during the first six month of 2010, the long term prospects continue to be strong,” added David Silverman, PwC Assurance partner.

    Image courtesy of iStockphoto, tforgo

    Reviews: iStockphoto

    More About: advertising, MARKETING, online advertising

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    Graffiti Artist Banksy Directs Opening Sequence of “The Simpsons” [VIDEO]

    11 Oct

    Update (4:32 p.m. ET): The Banksy intro has been pulled from YouTube. We have replaced it with a clip from Hulu, which is viewable to U.S. users only.

    British graffiti artist and political activist Banksy was invited to direct the opening sequence of the latest episode of The Simpsons. The result is one of the funniest — but at the same time the most depressing — intros to the popular cartoon series we’ve seen.

    We won’t reveal what happens in the intro, which is spreading like wildfire across the web; you can see it for yourself in the video embedded below. Know this, though: All those Bart Simpson dolls you see at every corner, well, they’re made of broken hearts and shattered dreams.

    More About: Banksy, Bart Simpson, the simpsons

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    Top 5 Web Font Design Trends to Follow

    21 Sep
    This series is brought to you by the Intel AppUpâ„  Developer Program, which provides developers with everything they need to create and then sell their applications to millions of Intel Atomâ„¢ processor-based devices. Learn more here.


    The world of web fonts and web typography is exploding. After years of struggle, we’re finally at a point where using real fonts on the web is a viable option.

    For web designers, this is huge news because it means a greater degree of control over how content is displayed. For end users, it means a richer web experience.

    Thanks to web services like Typekit, Fonts.com Web Fonts, Webtype and others, the opportunities to integrate real fonts on the web is getting better all the time.

    Let’s look at five of the biggest trends taking place with web font and web typography design.

    1. WOFF as a Standard

    The Web Open Font Format, or WOFF, is edging ever closer to becoming the de facto standardized format for using fonts on the web.

    Backed by Mozilla, Opera and Microsoft, WOFF allows TrueType, OpenType or Open Font Format fonts to be embedded into web pages.

    Right now, WOFF support is built into Firefox 3.6 and above, Google Chrome version 5 and above, Internet Explorer 9, and will be supported in upcoming versions of Safari.

    Jason Santa Maria and his Friends of Mighty built Lost World’s Fairs as a way to showcase IE 9 and its support of WOFF. This fantastic piece of typographic web art really shows just how great type can be made to look on the web.

    2. Big Foundries Jump on Board

    When Adobe announced that they were partnering with Typekit back in August, it was a big move. Historically, the biggest font foundries have led the resistance against getting fonts on the web.

    Adobe’s decision was followed recently by the new company, Webtype, a partnership of Ascender, Roger Black and Font Bureau. Similar to Typekit, Webtype offers a way for designers or end users to get high quality fonts for use in their own designs.

    Last week, Monotype Imaging formally launched Fonts.com Web Fonts and brought many of the most famous Monotype, Linotype and ITC font families to the web.

    At this stage, nearly every major foundry is either offering fonts with web usage licenses or is considering making their fonts usable on the web. Eighteen months ago, that wouldn’t have been a reality. Today it is.

    3. Better Letter Control with Lettering.js

    When creating the Lost World’s Fairs project, Friends of Mighty realized they would need to have a way to better control individual letters and words to offer proper spacing and better kerning.

    Thus, Lettering.js was born. Lettering.js is a JavaScript plugin that allows developers and designers to better control individual letters without having tons of messy markup.

    As Dan Rubin recently remarked on Twitter, Lettering.js may just end up having a bigger impact on typography on the web than anyone is expecting.

    4. Mobile Support

    Fonts.com Web Fonts service and Typekit both offer support for multiple mobile browsers. This continues to increase as more and more mobile browser makers support various aspects of @font-face and draft specifications like WOFF.

    It’s not just enough for fonts to look good on the desktop, as more and more web usage shifts to the smartphone, having readable, legible and properly spaced typography on mobile devices will be a bigger and bigger area of interest.

    Already companies like Monotype and Typekit are working to make sure that fonts look their best on a number of different screen types and sizes.

    5. Font Support in Web Apps

    One of the most interesting recent advancements in the web font world has been the ability to choose web fonts when customizing an aspect of a web app. Thanks to Typekit and Google’s Web Font Directory, it’s easy for developers to build these tools into their product.

    Already many Tumblr themes are coming with Typekit support and new web services like About.me give users the option to customize their typefaces for various aspects of their profile.

    This is a great use of typography on the web because it gives end-users direct interaction with fonts and lets them see directly how different fonts look together and at different sizes.

    Web typography is on a tear and we’re at the beginning of a new era of a more beautiful, more legible and more customizable web.

    Series supported by Intel AppUpâ„  Developer Program

    This series is brought to you by the Intel AppUpâ„  Developer Program, which provides developers with everything they need to create and then sell their applications to millions of Intel Atomâ„¢ processor-based devices. Learn more here.

    More Dev & Design Resources from Mashable:

    - HOW TO: Be a Hybrid Designer/Developer
    - 6 New Mac Apps for Designers and Developers
    - Flash vs. HTML5: Adobe Weighs In
    - 10 Free Web UI Kits and Resources for Designers
    - Top 10 Accessories for Typography Nuts [PICS]

    Image courtesy of playgrounder.com

    Reviews: Firefox, Google, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Tumblr, Twitter

    More About: fonts, fonts on the web, monotype, typekit, typography, Web Design Trends Series, web fonts, webtype

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