Dan Jones

The FCC proceeds to remind ISPs that this money should not be used for booze, gifts for co-workers, entertainment, political donations or cafeteria art work. Amusingly, the FCC includes a few examples of ISPs that have decided to use the USF as their own personal little slush fund. One ISP, by the name of Sandwich Isles Communications, collected $242,489,940 from the USF over a decade, purportedly to provide telecom service to just 3,659 rural customers. Instead, company owner Albert Hee used taxpayer money for everything from massages to trips to Disney World:

For example, the companies apparently paid $96,000 so that Hee could receive two-hour massages twice a week; $119,909 for personal expenses, including family trips to Disney World, Tahiti, France, and Switzerland and a four-day family vacation at the Mauna Lani resort; $736,900 for college tuition and housing expenses for Hee’s three children; $1,300,000 for a home in Santa Clara, California for his children’s use as college housing; and $1,676,685 in wages and fringe benefits for his wife and three children.

If you thought drawing in 3D was cool, what would you think about being able to draw in any color in the world around you just by pointing your pen at it? Scribble is a pen (or a stylus) that can scan and replicate any real-life color you see. From the precise purple of the orchid to the exact orange of the Doritos you're to committing to eternal life on paper, Scribble combines sophisticated color sensors and processors with technologically advanced ink to capture, mix, and reproduce any hue it touches.

I know what you're thinking: But. But. How do it do that?

1. Scribble's built-in RGB Color Sensor records colors like a point-and-shoot camera. Direct it towards any surface and press the pen's button.
2. Color data is recorded and, per your instructions, either mixed from its smart micro pump and interior ink barrels for immediate use, or saved to memory and synced with mobile devices for later application.
3. That's about it. If you're ready to draw so is Scribble. The pen has 3 different tip sizes for strokes ranging from "neat" to "bold".

Scribble Pen ink is lightfast and water-resistant so it won't fade with time, sun, or rain. Ink cartridges are, of course, refillable. The pen itself is a micro-USB rechargeable device whose lithium-ion battery provides around 7 hours of continued use per charge. All scanned color data is transferrable via Bluetooth to iPhone and Android devices.

If you're using the Scribble Stylus, you'll have a pair of capacitive rubber tips to choose from. Scribble says both provide precise, lag-free drawing or writing in either soft, broad strokes or hard, fine ones. When Scribbling electronically, the stylus can pair with apps such as Photoshop and CorelDRAW, as well as write, draw, sketch, paint, and share on iPads and iPad Pros. Scribble software is also open for developer tinkering.

At printing, Scribble Pens and Styluses were available for pre-order, with an unannounced 2016 ship date. Early subscribers will receive discounted purchase rates.

Triby might look like a cutesy boombox for the kids, but hang with it for a minute because the speaker promises to be so much more than that. Physically, Triby is a 6" x 6" square, and just 1.2" deep with a magnetic backing for sticking it to the fridge. Because this speaker and its music-convo-Post-It-note powers were made for the kitchen, to equip the hub of your home with 3 main smart tech capabilities:

1. Music. Triby is a wireless music system that can stream tunes over Wi-Fi through Internet radio stations and Spotify Connect, as well as pump your own jams with Bluetooth connectivity.
2. Verbal Communication. Fitted with in Vivo Acoustic technology, Triby supports hands-free mobile calls in the kitchen, which can be particularly handy when your own hands are submerged in dishwater or covered in meat goo. The speakerphone has 4 digital microphones for HD voice capture and transmission with no background noise. Triby can "hear" you from up to 15' away. The speaker also supports free Internet calls between it and anyone with the Triby app, regardless of whether or not they have a smartphone.
3. Written Communication. Forget to leave the kids their to-do list before you left this morning? Want to tell your girlfriend she's the hottest and most awesome girlfriend ever, and would be even better if she made you spaghetti bolognese for dinner? Triby's always-on display and app also enable you to send thoughtful, reminder, and please-make-me-food text messages right to the fridge. And if words aren't your thing, why not send a little doodle of a heart or, like, your favorite body part. A yellow flag pops out of the side of the Triby speaker when new messages arrive.

Triby is a micro-USB rechargeable speaker whose battery life should be good for about a month of standby use per charge. Its companion app for talking, texting, and drawing is currently compatible only with iOS8 and up. Triby and Amazon have also joined forces to link Triby to the Alexa Fund voice services, currently used on Amazon's Echo.

13 DAYS TO SUPPORT THE KICKSTARTER! 

Game invitations might be a nuisance for recipients who aren’t interested in playing, but games are often designed to reward senders. In the case of “Candy Crush Saga,” for example, the more requests people send to others on Facebook to play the game, the more “lives” they gain in return.

Such features are outdated, Mr. Zuckerberg acknowledged, but updating or doing away with them wasn’t high on the company’s to-do list — until now. He said Facebook had other priorities, but that since it’s now clear this is a top concern for users, the company is going to prioritize the matter.

Finally!

Scientists have discovered a powerful new strain of fact-resistant humans who are threatening the ability of Earth to sustain life, a sobering new study reports.

The research, conducted by the University of Minnesota, identifies a virulent strain of humans who are virtually immune to any form of verifiable knowledge, leaving scientists at a loss as to how to combat them.

In case you were wondering, this is one of those “intensive porpoises” you hear people talking about. http://ift.tt/1kkt9nI

tastefullyoffensive:

(photo by kelswii)

tastefullyoffensive:

(photo via sathyiaold)

Remember hearing the story about, you know, he’s saving money, he’s living in a car, he’s trying to get his family down.

They were living in a hotel and he said all of his money was going to that at this time.

Giving him three tickets, it wasn’t going to do any good. Those kids were still going to have to be driven somewhere, somehow with no car seats.

We just kind of stepped off to the side and said we need to kind of do the right thing and get these people some car seats.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Freak Night, kids! Or, if bone-chilling masks and gory body parts aren't your thing, Happy Tame & Friendly Halloween! Do you know that yesterday someone who owns a child told me his kid's school allows Halloween parties and costumes, but only if the latter are "helping" costumes. Like, costumes representing people who help others. So Tony Jr. can go as a doctor or a policeman or a firefighter, but not a witch, a ghost, or a zombie. I wonder where politicians falls on that school district's spectrum. Another dude told me his kid is allowed to wear "non-helping" costumes...as long as they don't come with a mask. No. Masks. They're too concealing. Too scary. Holy crap, are you kidding me? I'm pretty sure when I was in the 4th grade I showed up to school wrapped head-to-toe in bloody gauze and wearing a Kirk Cameron mask. For the ladies.

Anyway, bridging the gap between the good ol' days and the hyper-paranoid-and-PC present is this motherf**king rad DIY playable Tetris pumpkin, called Pumpktris. Though uploaded to the Instructables website a few years ago now, I think this magnificent, live-action creation wholly withstands the test of time. Both in the awesome and in the acceptable-at-your-kid's-school sense.

Ironically, the simplest thing about making a Pumpktris is carving it: get your pumpkin; scrape it out; and carve out many squares in a row. Then...get 128 5mm amber LEDs, an Arduino microcontroller, 11' of 1/16" heat shrink tubing, an arcade joystick with a removable handle, and a handful of other general construction items. And get ready to build some matrices, solder a bunch of wires, and fairy godmother a pumpkin stem into a sweet Tetris game controller. If you can get through all that like original Pumpktris creator HaHaBird did, you'll have a fully functional (pumptional?) 8 x 16 Tetris game to call your Halloween jack-o-lantern.

Muchas danke to Manny for the Dude Product Tip.

assassinationtipsforladies:

sweetoothgirl:

PEANUT BUTTER NUTELLA HOT CHOCOLATE

FUCK ME UP

Wise http://ift.tt/1P0VBs5

Google has a new app, and this one’s designed to help you hang out with your friends. Just in case you aren’t actually communicating with them.

The app is called “Who’s Down,” and, as it is appropriately titled, it will let you know when your friends are willing to hang out. The app, like so many of Google’s past endeavors, is invite-only right now, but you can download and install it if you really want to. It’s free.

As far as functionality goes, the app is simple enough: Toggle a switch and tell your friends that you’re able to hang out. The timer will last for three hours, and then after you do that you’ll be able to select from a series of options that show what you’re interested in doing. There will be a list that will show which of your friends are also down to hang out.

What do you think of Google’s newest app?

Happy Halloween, and get a dictionary.

batsvsupes:

trick or treat or justice

You probably won't be so bummed to hear that this life-size remote control R2-D2 refrigerator is available only in Japan once you hear that Lucasfilm's Far East minions are charging over $8,000 for it. Oh, and the fridge's interior holds no more than a 6-pack of sodie. Artoo as cold chamber might be a sweet droid to look at, but he's probably not the droid you're looking for. Still, here are his vitals:

• Creator Otakumode has designed the R2 fridge to be a precise 1:1 replica of the film version. He is made of ABS plastic, stainless steel and die-cast zinc. Measurements are 37.4" tall x 25.6" wide x 24.4" deep
• The R2-D2 refrigerator moves, makes sounds, and lights up just like his counterpart, all controllable with an included remote. He is able to travel forward, backward, left, and right.
• He has also been fitted with a 720p HD projector and Miracast for Android.
• A front panel in his body opens to reveal a 6L refrigerator chamber, large enough to hold 6 x 350mL cans.
• He is good for about 2 hours of active droiding per charge.

Muchas danke to Jeremy for the Dude Product Tip and Gizmodo.

Happy Halloween from Texts From Superheroes!

theverynearfuture:

A Trick for Treats

Truth http://ift.tt/1PTWkv3

The Nexus 6P is not an easy phone to repair, according to iFixit. The site gave the device a score of 2 out of 10 for repairability after tearing it apart and seeing what’s inside. Hint: it’s a lot of glue.

To remove the screws holding the metal body together you have to remove pieces that are glued on, including the camera lens cover. The display is also held on by glue and is extremely hard to replace. Apparently replacing it without shattering it is a difficult task, and that’s the most common repair.

While it’s a shame that repairing this device is so difficult, most people don’t opt to repair their devices anyway. Make sure you get the Nexus Protect plan and keep your phone safe!

Presumably it is only app developers that would potentially find these deals spooky, but Amazon is at it again with one of their big roundup of paid apps going for the low, low price of free until 11:59 pm PDT on October 31st.

No doubt many of you have perused these offers before, and as always, there are a number of repeat visitors to the list. If you haven’t already downloaded them, that won’t matter to you, and there are always a few new gems making an appearance.

This time around there are a few timely titles like Lego Star Wars Microfighters, Halloweenistry, The Little Witch at School, Time Mysteries 2: The Ancient Spectres and Time Mysteries 3: The Final Enigma.

Beyond these titles it is a mix of apps and games that are pretty well reviewed, so take a look through and see if anything piques your interest since the price is right. Direct links are below if you’ve been waiting for something specific to go on sale, otherwise check out the full sale page.

Games

• Toca Pet Doctor
• Sticks
• Doodle Devil
• Doodle God
• Doodle Kingdom
• Doodle Tanks HD
• Battlepillars
• Bloons TD 5
• Draw a Stickman: EPIC
• Airport Mania: First Flight HD
• Airport Mania 2: Wild Trips HD
• factory balls
• Cubistry
• Pumped BMX 2
• Bridge Constructor
• sugar, sugar
• Pipe Puzzle – Premium
• Scribblenauts Remix
• Roseistry
• HUEBRIX
• Continuity 2
• Ichi
• Rotate It!

Apps

• Gamebooks: Read and Learn English
• Splashtop Remote Desktop
• Runtastic Pro GPS Running, Walking & Fitness Tracker
• AVG AntiVirus Pro Android Security
• Photo Lab PRO

If you spot any personal favorites in there or download something new that you think is awesome, let us know in comments.

haha great costume (where are you dad)

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Mobile is the future, and Google has pursued both Android and Chrome OS as mobile platforms for a while now. Chromebooks still haven’t been doing well, accounting for 3% of all PCs purchased, but Android has been excelling. The strategy of using a platform for apps seems to be working a lot better than bringing apps to the web.

Google might be giving up on Chrome as a platform soon, as the company is planning to fold Chrome OS into Android. Lately Google has been bringing Android apps to Chrome OS, and it has even released a Pixel product running Android instead of Chrome OS. The company may be giving up on the platform, to a degree.

Google has been working on a new version of Android that is basically a combination of Android and Chrome OS to run on PCs for the last two years. It will be shown off next year, but won’t be ready until 2017.

While this is a controversial decision, I think it’s for the best. Real apps have shown their superiority to web apps outside of compatibility, and Android is just a more powerful platform for anything more than web browsing. What do you think of this decision? Will it help Google and Android, or is Chrome OS being wrongfully killed off? Let us know in the comments!

gifsboom:

Video: Baby Elephant Insists on Cuddling with Girl

fuckyeah-nerdery:

milesjai:

mamita1994:

Is this Louie CK

who is she

Her name’s down in the right hand corner.

These jokes are just savage.