Monday: April 12, 2010
Palm would just like everyone to know that they would like someone to purchase them.So now the big question is just who will purchase Palm and for how much. According to the source article HTC, Lenovo ,and RIM have all expressed some kind of interest in being a potential future owner of the currently troubled handset maker.
Monday: January 7, 2013
Disney unveils next generation guest experience in the form of digital wristbands.The new wristbands will work in tandem with a new Disney app that you can use on your smartphone. The wristband (officially called MagicBand) can be used as your rooom key, theme park ticket, photopass, payment information and even access to FastPass for quicker access to rides and attractions. So long Key to the World cards!
New Lego Mindstorm sets come with iOS and Android support right out of the box.Its updated Mindstorms EV3 runs on new Linux firmware that's ready for Android and iOS control out of the box, creates an overall more hackable platform and allows further programming on the core Intelligent Brick itself; accordingly, there's an SD card slot for local storage. A built-in infrared sensor expands the possibilities for a more autonomous design, as well -- Lego suggests that EV3 constructs can follow other moving gadgets, or even their creators, around the room.
Apple would like you to know that they've had over 40 billion downloads from their app store.That's a lot of downloads. Apparently half of that number was just in 2012 alone.
Thursday: January 3, 2013
Have a peek at some concept art for Pixar's 2013-2014 movies and beyond.In 2014 it's their if-dinosaurs-didn't-go-extinct movie titled The Good Dinosaur, directed by Bob Peterson, with a tease we've seen before. In 2015 it's Pete Docter's 'Movie That Takes You Inside the Mind', now titled The Inside Out; and in 2016 they've also got Lee Unkrich's movie about Día de los Muertos, which we really don't know much about at all. Notably missing is Andrew Stanton's sequel Finding Nemo 2.
Wednesday: January 2, 2013
Avis acquires Zipcar for a mere $500 million.Avis says it expects to generate $50 to $70 million in ‘annual synergies’ as a result of the deal. FYI: The company booked $7.3 billion in revenue for the full year 2012, and employs roughly 29,000 employees today. The transaction is expected to close in the spring of 2013.
Wednesday: December 19, 2012
Barack Obama is TIME's 2012 Person of the Year.Since the moment Obama arrived on the national scene in 2004, the very idea of leadership has been under assault. Many of the old institutions that once anchored the American Dream have been bled of public confidence. Banks, Big Business, the news media and Congress all polled at or near record lows during his first term. Obama himself was the target of uncommon vitriol, but he has somehow managed to keep the public’s faith.
Tuesday: December 18, 2012
TIME pulls the curtain back on short list for 2012 Person of the Year.All eight candidates appeared on TIME’s online reader poll, but none took first place. TIME’s online voters have already revealed their choice for this year’s top newsmaker: Kim Jong Un. More than 5.6 million people voted for the supreme leader of North Korea, although his results and those of other high scorers got a boost from members of Internet forums like 4Chan.
Why Google's GMail outage may be a sign of things to come.The answer is that most of the coders behind today’s popular websites and services are deploying their code when it’s ready—not at some pre-determined point when downtime may not be noticed. It’s called continuous code deployment, or some variation on that theme, and everyone from Facebook and Netflix to smaller services do it. While it may occasionally cause a few blips, those blips should be shorter and less catastrophic.
Friday: December 14, 2012
University of Chicago receives mystery package addressed to one Henry (Indiana) Jones Jr.An interesting read if only for the care and detail that went into the package itself. The package was received by the admissions department and reportedly almost thrown out until a student worker made the discovery. Could this be some new viral marketing in the making or a student with a really unique application package? Who knows - but either way, this is pretty neat.
Thursday: December 13, 2012
Phish announces four-night webcast for 2012-2013 New Years run.Phish has done this webcast for two years in a row and both years I've purchased all four webcasts and enjoyed them immensely. I suspect this year that the tradition of this purchase won't be changing. The quality of the webcast is superb (glorious HD) and features a 10 camera system with the sound piped in right from the soundboard at amazing clarity. So that being said, if you need to reach me around New Years I will officially be on what is known affectionately to Phish fans as 'couch tour'.