This movie looks incredibly cool… I know the story because I read the synopsis but just going by the visuals alone I want to see this movie. I mean c’mon — a sci-fi samurai movie with visuals like this?!
http://www.vimeo.com/5957763
Barnes & Noble has come out with their own eBook reader to compete against the Kindle and it was officially announced today. It is called Nook.
Here are the main features the Nook has over the Kindle.
The e-Ink displays are almost identical so the readability will be the same but this is true of almost all eReaders that use e-Ink technology so the difference in devices really does come down to features.
The Nook also has AT&T 3G built in just like the Kindle has the Sprint 3G so depending on your area, one wireless service may be a better option than another.
The only real winner here for the Kindle is the battery life (14 days vs 10 days) and the backing of Amazon… but the book prices are about the same and currently Barnes & Noble is boasting an opening digital library larger than Amazon’s so it will be interesting to see how that aspect shapes up.
The price is $259 and will be available in November. Barnes & Noble stores will be putting up displays in the next couple days so you can check out the device yourself and pre-order one if you like. That is also an advantage for the Nook – the ability to check it out before you buy it.
This device looks very cool and has many of the features that some Kindle owners have complained about lacking (which would be why they are on this device). It has good bookstore backing and already has accessories. I see no reason this device couldn’t outshine or at the very least provide excellent competition for the Kindle – and in technology, competition is a good thing for customers.
Every once in awhile people ask me how I find fun videos or pictures or already saw popular email chain jokes. It’s really quite simple. I use Google Reader and site RSS feeds to keep track of multiple sites easily and many of those sites have that “fun” kind of content.
For help using RSS and Google reader check out the following videos from Common Craft.
RSS in Plain English:
Google Reader in Plain English:
You can use other RSS readers, there are plenty around, but Google Reader is one I highly recommend.
Now that you have an idea how to use RSS, you need some of those fun RSS feeds. Well, once you have your Google Reader account setup just add these RSS feeds:
CelebLOL: http://feeds.roflrazzi.com/ROFLrazzi
DVICE: http://dvice.com/rss.xml
FAIL Blog: http://failblog.wordpress.com/feed/
Geekology: http://www.geekologie.com/index.xml
Insomnic Dreams: http://www.insomnicdreams.com/feed/ (of course)
Lamebook: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Lamebook
Not Always Right: http://notalwaysright.com/feed
Penny Arcade: http://www.penny-arcade.com/rss.xml
That Will Buff Out: http://thatwillbuffout.com/feed/
There I Fixed It: http://thereifixedit.com/feed/
XKCD: http://xkcd.com/atom.xml
That should cover you for quite some time as far as fun feeds go. There are lots more out there so just look around for that RSS icon and subscribe to a few… it’s fun.
Microsoft has just released their own antivirus and malware software called Security Essentials. It provides free anti-virus and spyware protection and cleaning for Windows XP/Vista/7 computers. This software supercedes the previous Windows Defender software that was Microsoft’s previous anti-malware application – but it didn’t have virus protection.
I’ve been a big proponent of using free antivirus solutions (such as AVG and AntiVir) and Microsoft’s entry does seem like a very good option. It ties in well with the OS and first reports show it is just as effective as any other scanner out there.
For a detailed rundown on Microsoft Security Essentials, check out the Ars Technica review.
Be aware that anti-virus scanners don’t play well together so you’ll want to disable or remove any other anti-virus programs before installing Microsoft Security Essentials.
It is well known that science in movies is often not quite right. Unfortunately, there are many instances where the pervasive nature of bad science in multimedia can lead to misconceptions. Really, really bad misconceptions that leak into school and general “of course it’s true” statements.
To combat this glut of bad science that ends up sticking in the social thoughtstream is Phil Plait, creator of the Bad Astronomy blog. He spent years working at NASA and eventually found that he was tired of running across bad science and wanted to do something about it. He started by blogging and eventually he became a lecturer and author.
Here’s one of his favorite “bad science” situations – the standing an egg on end only on the equinox. Many classrooms and news agencies on the spring equinox will perform this “science” experiment where they stand an egg on its end and by doing this prove that this can only be done on the spring equinox. Phil Plait explains exactly why this actually isn’t true using science facts but the resounding proof that this isn’t true is that you can stand an egg on end on ANY day of the year! I was a believer of the spring equinox egg trick myself and so after seeing that I was very wrong about this bit of “science” decided I needed to read his book Bad Astronomy.
Bad Astronomy (the book and his blog) is full of useful information about everyday, general science knowledge that many of us just didn’t know was incorrect. Phil does an excellent job presenting the misconception and then explaining how it is wrong – but he does it in a way the doesn’t make you feel stupid for having believed the bad science in the first place. I highly recommend picking up his book and checking out his blog to see what other little bad science gems are floating in our brains.
Here is Half-Life 2 in Pew Pew Pew mode for all its oddity:
If you’d like to add this sound pack to your Half-Life 2 playing just get it as his download site.
Enjoy!
PS – Pew Pew Pew
There’s a test called the marshmallow test that shows how children react to a deferred gratification situation. It’s an old test but it is really funny to watch children go through the motions when they are provided with the test. There are lots of details about the childrens’ reactions but in general it’s a really fun video to watch.
http://www.vimeo.com/5239013My brother loves playing his ukulele, and luckily he’s pretty good; but he has nothing on U900 – a ukulele duo from Japan. Just take a look at their recent video animations of a couple of The Venture’s songs:
Diamond Head:
Walk Don’t Run:
Thanks Scott for introducing me to them.
September 26th through October 3rd is Banned Books Week and is dedicated to bringing awareness of ongoing censorship and promote freedom of speech.
Head over to BannedBooksWeek.org to get more information about how prevalent book banning and censorship really is and how you can help prevent it.
You will also find many events scheduled at your local library and book sellers if you would like to participate in your local community.
Here, for your perusal, is the list of 10 most challenged books:
