2012

Careful! That Mannequin Is Watching, Waiting, and Profiling

Admit it. You think department store mannequins are creepy. They stare ahead with their cold dead eyes, looking perfect and unnatural. No one in real life poses like that, and their dimensions often make Barbie look realistic. At least they aren’t REALLY watching you…right? Sadly, Businessweek has popped that bubble of hope: The EyeSee looks ordinary enough on the outside, with its slender polystyrene frame, blank face, and improbable poses. But inside, it’s no dummy. A camera in one eye feeds data into demographic-profiling software to determine the age, gender, and race of passersby. The year-old device is designed for…

Game Diary, Reviews

Hitman Absolution Video Game Review on PlayStation 3

The Hitman action-assassin game series continues with this extended experience featuring elements of a successful hired assassin – stealth, strategy, and anonymity, so players need patience, practice, and considerable improvisation abilities. The Hype Contracts Mode-Create your own custom hits by choosing the level, targets, weapons and the rules of assassination in an innovative new online mode where created contracts can be shared and the money that you earn will unlock weapons, upgrades and disguises Freedom of Choice – Stalk from the shadows or rush in guns blazing thanks to fully-evolved game mechanics and a sophisticated AI-System that responds realistically to…

Game Diary, Reviews

SiNG Party Video Game Review on Nintendo Wii U

SiNG Party is a unique music performance game available exclusively on the Wii U with downloadable content and Miiverse features. This party game contains a well-varied song base (50 total) that keeps this music party rocking with elements of dance, duets, and karaoke. The colorful, clear-cut presentation and interface that works with a wide range of USB microphones though the game comes available with one if needed. The Hype Get the party started with SiNG Party, a new, interactive musical performance game that will get you and your guests singing and dancing well into the night. With dozens of popular…

Gear Bits

Quick Impressions of the Surface Tablet

I am going to state right up front that my time with the Surface tablet was very limited. I was at my local mall and saw a Microsoft store, so I swung by to see the demo model. However, I didn’t intend to put it through its paces, nor did I have the time or opportunity in a crowded mall on a Saturday afternoon. But this did give me one unique opportunity; I treated the Surface not like a tech blogger would, but like a regular consumer who knew nothing about it and spontaneously decided to check it out. My…

Gear Bits

IBM’s Watson Is Tech You Should Know About

If you’ve ever worried about having your job replaced by a machine, I’ve got some distressing news for you. IBM, a US tech and consulting firm, has produced a powerful artificial intelligence system as their latest creation. Known for their innovations in the world of technology, IBM has already invented a slew of modern conveniences, including the ATM, hard disk drive, and Universal Product Code (UPC). Their most recent development, an AI supercomputer nicknamed Watson, is capable of replicating a high-functioning human’s ability to understand data and provide answers to questions. The machine is allegedly able to access 90 servers…

Editorials

Apple’s Move to Make Macs in the US is Just Good Business Sense

This week the media has lit up over the announcement that Apple is already producing some Macs in the US, and that starting in 2013 Apple is investing $100 million in efforts that will bring entire product lines back from their current Chinese manufacturing sites. There are plenty of articles about this, some going so far as to proclaim that it is time for American workers to rejoice. But an article at the Atlantic looked at something similar happening at General Electric and came to different conclusions. The article at Salon.com (thanks Doug!) takes the Atlantic article context and applied…

News

A Dodo Mini for the iPad Mini

I’ve been debating whether to get an iPad Mini. So far, I’ve been able to hold off on what is likely inevitable. All of the new iPad Mini accessories are not helping, however. Take, for example, Exhibits A and B, DODOcases bookbound cases and Durables Sleeve for the iPad Mini. We’ve reviewed DODOcase products before and liked them. I’ve always thought that their designs looked rather interesting and these are no exception. The bookbound cases come in a variety of colors and styles, so you can select something that best fits your tastes. They look like hardbound books, with…

Gear Bits, News

Cool British Video Reminds Us of the Difference Between ‘Climate’ and ‘Weather’

“Another 10 feet of snow fell on Buffalo last night … derp … so much for Global Warming” – it is something most of us hear in one form or another on an annual basis, and makes us choose between (a) shaking our head and walking away, (b) hitting the person upside the head with a crowbar or (c) trying to explain the difference between ‘weather’ and ‘climate’. Fortunately we now have a fun video from The Armstrong & Miller Show out of the UK that reminds us of the difference … and the penalty for failing to heed that…

Reviews, Travel

Lensbaby Spark Lets You Take Fun Pics on the Go

Want to use you camera to take fun pictures on the go? The Lensbaby Spark may be just what you need. The Lensbaby Spark is one of the more unusual camera accessories I have used since I began covering camera accessories. The lens runs $80 and is available for both Canon and Nikon mounts. For your $80, you get a “selective-focus” “tilt-shift” lens that shoots at f/5.6 with a fixed focal length of 50mm. If you are not quite sure what that means, you are not alone. And while, in most cases, I might take the attitude of “if you…

News

Augmented Reality is Tech You Should Know About

Anyone who refers to Augmented Reality as a ‘new’ technology hasn’t done their research. The past twenty years have been littered with entertainment gimmicks that loosely use the technology. That being said, modern innovations are providing the framework with which to more fully integrate this type of tech into our daily lives. While creations bordering on the concepts of augmented reality have been around since the sixties, it wasn’t until 1990 that a Boeing researcher coined the term as we understand it today. For those in the dark, augmented reality refers to a blurring of the lines between what’s real…

Gear Bits

Google’s Project Glass is Tech You Should Know About

What does ‘Augmented Reality‘ mean to you? It’s been a huge buzzword in certain tech circles this year, but what’s the big deal? If you’re like me, the negative associations are endless. You remember laser tag. You remember watching those awful 3D films with the red/blue lenses when you were little. Maybe you even remember Nintendo’s Virtual Boy console from back in the day. In any case, you’d be hard pressed to find an example of augmented reality that wasn’t a gimmick. Which leads us to Google’s latest project, the incredible Google Glass. Project Glass is one of the company’s…

eBooks

Barnes and Noble Finally Steps Up!

Looks like Barnes and Noble finally got the kinks worked out of their eReader/Fictionwise transition! A few days ago I saw reports that the transfer links were finally working properly, and sure enough, clicking through promised me a forthcoming email with more details. This time, the message didn’t come with a side of time travel, so I figured it had to be fairly accurate. Finally, yesterday, I received an email with the promised code, and, miracle of miracles, my eReader account transferred! Here’s what the email said: Dear Fictionwise/eReader Customer, Welcome to Barnes & Noble and NOOK®! You are ready…

News

Element Releases the Atom Case for Samsung Galaxy S3

The Samsung Galaxy S III is a slick and sturdy phone, but no phone is indestructible – therefore we need cases. Element Case is known best as an iPhone case company, but as that market continues to get flooded with cheap imitators they have branched out and are now making a case for the Samsung Galaxy S III called the Atom. Here are some details: While we’ve always been thought of as the iPhone case company, we’re widening our horizons with this, our first offering for the Samsung Galaxy S3 smart phone. The all new Atom follows in the footsteps…

Vehicles & Gear

Grinding Gears Garage welcomes 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Turbo

This past summer I reviewed the new Chevrolet Malibu Eco with the e-Assist start/stop technology. While I liked what the automaker did with the new Malibu overall I was not impressed with my experience with that powertrain. Fast forward to the release of the new Turbo model Malibu and all that changes. I love this new turbocharged direct-injected Ecotec 2.0-liter four-cylinder powerplant and all of its enjoyable 259 horsepower and 260 lb. ft. of torque. That’s quite a punch for a four in a midsize sedan and the new Malibu feels like it is at the top end of the…

Reviews, Travel

Lifeproof is Your iOS Device’s Best Travel Companion

While Elana, Judie, Kevin and I have been down here in Aruba this week both my iPhone 5 and my 4th generation iPod touch have been well-protected in Lifeproof cases. The cases do a great job of protecting your device from bumps, bruises and… water. And while I didn’t want to dump my iPhone 5 in the Caribbean, I did take my touch with me when we went snorkeling. Not only did it work well, but it worked well enough that I am completely and totally impressed and, next time, I WILL trust my iPhone to the Lifeproof case. From…

News

Does The Shutdown of “The Daily” Mean Anything For Digital Magazines?

New broke this week that “The Daily”, Rupert Murdoch’s iPad-only newspaper, was being shut down. The four people who read it were probably heartbroken. Sarcasm aside, the real question is whether the death of The Daily is indicative of a larger issue. Businessweek brought this question up, pointing out that Newsweek plans to go all-digital in the shadow of a nasty fall from grace for the competition. At the same time, as Slate points out, an iPad-only newspaper was naturally limited, which probably also hurt The Daily’s chances of survival. Still, The Daily died due to a myriad of reasons,…

Game Diary, News

Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition Arrives on iPad!

For the past week or so I have been working my way through the PC version of Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition from Overhaul Games. And it is the same as the absolute classic I played in 1998 – but better. So I was thrilled this morning to see that the iPad version was released! It had been delayed due to a bug discovered just before App Store submission, saying “iOS build had a game-stopper bug. With current estimate for app store approval, that puts us into next week. We’re doing all we can.” Next week arrived – and now the…

Game Diary, Music Diary, News

Video Game Soundtrack Nominated for Grammy Award

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. That’s the nomination that was just received by Austin Wintory, the composer for Thatgamecompany’s excellent PS3 game Journey. Let me be clear, this is history being made, as this represents the first time that a video game soundtrack has been nominated for the prestigious Grammy Award. While the aforementioned category is usually reserved for film scores, it appears that interactive media is also eligible, and that this could become a landmark year for the industry. This revelatory announcement comes in the wake of MoMA’s recent video game acquisition. Despite the ongoing argument over the validity…

Music Diary, News

New T-RackS Custom Shop Available from IK Multimedia

IK Multimedia’s T-Rack software allows you to build custom effects processors as plug-ins to soup up your sound. Now they have come out with the latest version called T-RackS® Custom Shop version 4.0 – and it has a load of new features including five new analog-modeled and digital processors, the Custom Shop, and more. The Custom Shop is IK’s online gear shop, which allows users to purchase gear models from within the T-RackS software itself. Here are some more details: 5 New T-RackS Processors, CSR integration, Improved Sound The new T-RackS CS includes five brand-new processing modules. Four belong to…

Health and Fitness, News

That ‘Warm Feeling’ of Nostalgia Might Just Be Real

Have you ever had a pleasant sentimental thought and felt ‘all warm inside’? Turns out that feeling might be an actual physiological response, at least according to some research cited over at the Greatist. Here are the basics: Researchers conducted five separate studies to see if there was a connection between nostalgia — a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past — and physical warmth. •In the first study participants kept a journal for 30 days. Results showed they recorded more nostalgic thoughts on colder days. •In the next, volunteers were placed in either a cold, comfortable, or hot…

News, Reviews

Mophie Juice Pack for Samsung Galaxy SIII Hands-On Review

If there is one constant in life, it is that portable electronics don’t ever have enough battery life. With each new product we get new features that beg for more power, so regardless of what the manufacturers do to extend battery life … our usage always seems to keep up! Enter Mophie, a company that has had great success making iPhone battery cases for several years. Now they are branching out with their first non-iPhone case, for the hot-selling Samsung Galaxy SIII. Mophie sent me one to check out – let’s take a look! The Hype: Get the most out…

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