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10 Oct 13:25

Morning Roundup: Lamp Smash!

by Stubby the Rocket

Hulk vs Lamp

We often look around our lives and think, “Why couldn’t we live in the Marvel Universe, where morally-complex heroes battle colorful villains, or the DC Universe, where—where—well, where there’s Batman?” In all of our musings, however, one thing never occurred to us: lamps are the superheroes of the furniture world. Luckily for all of us, the folks at Elite Fixtures looked at track lighting, and saw potential. You can see their whole line-up of superlamps here

Morning Roundup has some Halloween treats, thoughts on steampunk, and even more star stuff!  

[Plus Thomas Pynchon and GTA V, together at... why?]

Read the full article

10 Oct 12:33

Sharp 32-inch 4K touch display will be OS X compatible

by Jason Inofuentes
Sharp

If you have been itching for a 4K Thunderbolt Display from Apple, you may be waiting a little while longer. Sharp is prepared to scratch that itch, though, and intends to add full pen and touch compatibility with OS X later this year. The announcement comes from Mac Otakara (Japanese link) and comes after July's announcement of the PN-K322B 32-inch professional display.

Sharp's IGZO display technology drives these high resolutions without sacrificing power efficiency, and the company just announced a 15.6-inch model. The road to ultra high-definition (UHD) displays on every desk is a long one, though; this beauty is expected to cost upwards of $5,000 when it hits stateside. By then, visual professionals should expect to be able to whip their stylus across an array of 8 million pixels.

There's more display news from Sharp, too. At CEATEC Japan 2013 today, Sharp was the recipient of an award for its MEMS-IGZO exhibition that showcased a combination color e-paper MEMS and IGZO LCD display. The prototype display features always-on capability, similar to E Ink, and the color richness and pixel density that IGZO can bring while sipping less power than current technology. It will still be a while before we see the combo displays in handsets and tablets, but they may be worth the wait.

Read on Ars Technica | Comments


    






10 Oct 12:27

Great Galloping Robots: Muybridge’s Horse vs. Boston Dynamics’ WildCat

by Sean Michael Ragan
wildcat_04_solo_animation_rI'm pretty sure whoever edited this recent video from Boston Dynamics showing their Wildcat robot prototype galloping across a parking lot had Muybridge's work of 120-odd years ago in mind, especially during the slow-motion sequence starting around 1:04. When I saw the video this morning I was struck by the parallels and decided to animate them side-by-side.

Read more on MAKE

08 Oct 11:31

Disney Research brings sense of 3D touch to mobile screens

by Signe Brewster
Edu

Nem imaginava que a Disney tava nessas.

Online shopping is more convenient than going to the mall, but you can’t gauge how things feel before you buy them. A new paper out of Disney Research shows how friction can create an artificial sense of texture, leading a user to feel like they are actually touching an object they see on the screen.

When your finger slides over a bump on an object, its skin stretches due to the friction. The researchers developed an algorithm that allowed them to generate levels of friction that closely matched the friction a finger would feel if it was touching the object on screen in real life.

Disney Research 3D touch

“Our brain perceives the 3D bump on a surface mostly from information that it receives via skin stretching,” said Interaction Group director Ivan Poupyrev in a release. “Therefore, if we can artificially stretch skin on a finger as it slides on the touch screen, the brain will be fooled into thinking an actual physical bump is on a touch screen even though the touch surface is completely smooth.”

The amount of friction changes continuously as a finger slides over the screen, creating a continuous sense of touch. Again, Poupyrev:

“Touch interaction has become the standard for smartphones, tablets and even desktop computers, so designing algorithms that can convert the visual content into believable tactile sensations has immense potential for enriching the user experience. We believe our algorithm will make it possible to render rich tactile information over visual content and that this will lead to new applications for tactile displays.”


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07 Oct 19:47

Brazil slams Canada over new metadata spying allegations

by Cyrus Farivar
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (left) met with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in 2011.

The Canadian government is refusing to comment on new allegations that its spy agency has been conducting economic surveillance on a Brazilian government ministry.

"[We do not] comment on foreign intelligence gathering activities,” said Lauri Sullivan, a spokesperson for the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC, the equivalent of the National Security Agency in the United States) when speaking with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). “Under the law, this organization cannot target Canadians.”

On Sunday, Brazilian television network TV Globo reported that the CSEC spied on e-mail and phone metadata collected from traffic to and from the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy. The network relied on documents shared by Glenn Greenwald, who received them as part of the massive trove of files leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Read 9 remaining paragraphs | Comments


    






07 Oct 19:17

Como seria Breaking Bad, se fosse na cidade de Gotham?

by Gustavo Lemes
Edu

Nego pira


Heisenberg teria problemas diferentes...

07 Oct 17:06

National Weather Service hides furlough message in forecast

by Lauren Davis

National Weather Service hides furlough message in forecast

Thousands of employees of the National Weather Service are currently working through the US government shutdown, but don't know when they're getting paid. And someone from the Anchorage office has expressed their displeasure in a secret message hidden in the forecast discussion.

Read more...


    






07 Oct 17:05

13 Places on Earth People Believed Were Entrances to Hell

by Lauren Davis
Edu

Corinthians Itaquera.

13 Places on Earth People Believed Were Entrances to Hell

While in some belief systems, the afterlife can only be accessed by spiritual means, in others, the underworld could be accessed directly from the Earth. Here are 13 real spots that people have thought (and in a few cases, still do) lead straight to the lands of the dead.

Read more...


    






07 Oct 17:01

Quentin Tarantino Really Liked The Lone Ranger

by Amanda Dobbins
Edu

Da última vez ele tinha gostado daquele filme recente dos Três Mosqueteiros.


As he is wont to do, Quentin Tarantino made an alphabetical list of his favorite movies of 2013 (so far, anyway). Critical favorites like Before Midnight, Blue Jasmine, Frances Ha, and Gravity all made the cut, but because Tarantino is Tarantino, there are a few unexpected (or troll-y?) movies on ... More »
    






07 Oct 16:59

The Hobbit's Beorn is revealed in all his muttonchopped glory

by Rob Bricken
Edu

Sério?

The Hobbit's Beorn is revealed in all his muttonchopped glory

We had a small, blurry pic of The Hobbit's shapechanger Beorn from the back, but now we have a large blurry pic of Beorn from the front, and he looks like... huh. Looks like actor Mikael Persbrandt got his sideburns on.

Read more...


    






07 Oct 16:54

Os primeiros dispositivos Android com leitor de impressão digital devem chegar nos próximos 6 meses. É isso que afirmou Michael Barrett, presidente do grupo de empresas  FIDO Alliance, para o jornal USA Today, nesta semana. Segundo ele, o objetivo da aliança é padronizar o a...

Edu

Tenho usado um disposito android com leitor de impressão digital a quase dois anos...

Os primeiros dispositivos Android com leitor de impressão digital devem chegar nos próximos 6 meses. É isso que afirmou Michael Barrett, presidente do grupo de empresas  FIDO Alliance, para o jornal USA Today, nesta semana. Segundo ele, o objetivo da aliança é padronizar o a...
07 Oct 16:38

NSA targets Tor: leaks show how US weakens the privacy tools it pays to build

by Jeff John Roberts
Edu

Incrível os slides.

A top secret slide show by the National Security Agency shows how the US government has been trying to compromise the Tor network, a tool that allows people to communicate anonymously on the internet.

The slide show, published by the Guardian is the latest in a series of leaks from ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The Tor technology it describes was, ironically, largely paid for by the US government as a way to provide a private communication system for the military and for dissidents to escape surveillance.

Tor itself stands for The Onion Router. It relies on a system of encryption and bouncing messages around different servers in order to ensure Tor users’ communications are invisible and untraceable.

According to the slides, the NSA has been trying to lure Tor traffic to specific servers that it controls, and to get into users’ computers directly so as to compromise their web browser. It includes photos like this: (

Tor screenshot

Reports about the slide show suggest that the Tor network itself is not compromised, and is still effective as a secret communications system. But the NSA’s efforts to burrow into it have caused outrage in some quarters, and raised questions about America’s strategic goals.

Well-known security expert Bruce Scheier argued in the Guardian that the US is working at cross purposes by constructing secure communications tools while simultaneously undermining them. He pointed out that a backdoor put in place by a government would inevitably get discovered by others – including by criminals who will use it to attack others on the internet. While a secure network will make it harder to track terrorists, Scheier said all of us would ultimately be better off if we had a private way to communicate.

My colleague David Meyer has raised a similar point over revelations that the NSA had a program to subvert and undermine common encryption protocols. Doing so, he pointed out, undermines America’s integrity in the world or encryption and security, and will likely cost the country friends and customers.


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07 Oct 16:26

LG Is Now Mass-Producing Flexible 6-inch OLED Screens, Presumably For Upcoming Smartphones

by Jeremiah Rice
Edu

Nice.

lgd logoIf you've always wanted a phone with a big, curved screen, LG wants to grant your wish. To that end the company is now mass-producing flexible OLED screen panels, presumably for an upcoming device or class of devices. The screen itself (not the phone or tablet that it's going into) will be 6 inches diagonally, .44mm thin, and just 7.2 grams.

image199

LG didn't include a photo with their PR, so here's the same Samsung demo that's been floating around for years.

Done With This Post? You Might Also Like These:

LG Is Now Mass-Producing Flexible 6-inch OLED Screens, Presumably For Upcoming Smartphones was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

    


07 Oct 16:25

Lavabit vs. the FBI: the fight for the soul of American software

by Russell Brandom
Edu

Tem uma história que dizem que o cara foi obrigado a fornecer as chaves SSL dele e ele mandou todas; impressas em 40 páginas com caracteres aleatórios em fonte tamanho 4.

Ladar Levison is having a rough summer. It’s a little less than two months since the Lavabit founder was forced to shutter his secure email service amid legal complications. While the tech press has been piecing through the details, Levison has been slugging it out in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, trying to defend the principles of cryptography in a federal courthouse. When I met him, he was in the midst of a press tour through New York, raising funds for his legal defense. So far, he’s raised about $80,000 of the $96,000 he estimates he’ll need for the trial. It’s a sign of how popular he’s become in recent months, and how much help he thinks he’ll need to get through the rest of the year.

Continue reading…

07 Oct 16:22

A garagem cognitiva do pai de Steve Jobs I

by Geraldo Seabra

Com Luciene Santos.

A história da Apple começa a se desenhar em 1955 quando o casal Jobs adota um garoto que mais tarde se tornaria um dos maiores visionários do setor da informática. A nova família se muda para a casa número 2066 da Rua Crist Drive, em Mountain View ao sul de Palo Alto, Califórnia (EUA). Em seu novo lar, as primeiras lições de design de Steven Paul Jobs foram aprendidas durante as horas em que passava na garagem de seu pai adotivo. No filme inspirado na sua biografia, o então garoto Jobs mergulha naquela atmosfera tecnológica de Palo Alto, no início dos anos 1960.

casa_jobs

Aos poucos, Jobs aprofunda-se no campo da eletrônica, cujas habilidades também foram descobertas durante o tempo que passava na garagem do pai. Foi nesse pequeno espaço lúdico que Jobs cresceu. Um ambiente cognitivo favorável para que pudesse desenvolver toda a sua capacidade criativa da forma mais plena possível. O tempo provou isso! Durante o ensino médio, Jobs muda de local e passa a frequentar a garagem do engenheiro Larry Lang, que o introduz no Clube do Explorador da Hewlett-Packard.

Semanalmente, Jobs se reunia com um grupo de estudantes no refeitório da empresa. Em pouco tempo, Jobs seria contratado. Os conhecimentos em eletrônica logo o levariam para o universo dos jogos. Em 1974 é contratado pela Atari e, dois anos depois, ajudaria a criar a Apple Computer INC, empresa que lhe permitiria ampliar a sua capacidade criativa e se tornar o homem que revolucionaria nada menos que seis indústrias:

  1. Computadores pessoais
  2. Filmes de animação
  3. Música
  4. Telefones
  5. Tablets
  6. Publicação digital

A disciplina das dietas

Não seria necessário ler a biografia de Steven Jobs para saber que é preciso haver um ambiente cognitivo básico para que o ser humano possa desenvolver todas as suas habilidades e competências ao logo de sua vida útil. Não foi ao acaso que Jobs se tornou co-fundador da Apple. Grande parte de seu sucesso advém da disciplina das dietas a partir de um ambiente cognitivo favorável – a garagem de seu pai adotivo.

Para se atingir à plenitude cognitiva, cada um de nós precisa construir uma estrutura física e emocional, a partir de um ambiente familiar saudável. Em um mundo cada vez mais competitivo, habilidades e competências caminham juntas e são avaliadas a partir de infinidades de variáveis que compõem o nosso mundo cada vez mais interconectado. Mas que critérios devemos nos cercar para separar o joio do trigo? Essencialmente, os nossos atributos físicos e emocionais são adornados por oito dietas básicas:

  1. Alimentar
  2. Corporal
  3. Emocional
  4. Recreativa
  5. Cognitiva
  6. Midiática
  7. Informacional
  8. Gamificada

Dietas para o corpo e a alma

Da lista acima, as quatro primeiras dietas (alimentar, corporal, emocional e recreativa) devem ser aplicadas de forma concomitante, especialmente até os 15 anos de idade, quando as principais estradas cognitivas foram traçadas, dentro do cérebro, pelo nosso processo educacional (familiar, social e escolar). Não é preciso nem falar da importância das dietas alimentar e corporal para uma vida saudável.

Seguir uma rígida dieta de educação física e nutricional é combustível necessário para gerar a energia suficiente, que dará suporte físico e mental às duras jornadas que enfrentamos. E dentro do universo das dietas físicas englobam-se ainda as dietas emocional e recreativa. Aquelas que nos permitem manter o equilíbrio entre corpo, mente e ambiente. Por isso, essas duas dietas são indissociáveis. Precisam caminhar juntas para o nosso bem-estar.

Dando respostas às crises

Quando propomos uma dieta emocional, estamos nos referindo a tudo aquilo que pode contribuir para otimizar o nosso desenvolvimento psiquico-emocional, principalmente para saber dar respostas rápidas e positivas em momentos de crises emocionais e existenciais. Nesse sentido é importante a perfeita harmonia entre as dietas emocional e recreativa, sem as quais é impossível qualquer busca de solução compensatória.

São atitudes triviais cotidianas, mas que surtem um efeito emocional incomensurável ao logo do tempo, como um singelo passeio com os filhos no parque. Aliás, pesquisadores da Universidade de Illinois (EUA) afirmam que uma simples caminhada de 20 minutos num lugar verde e tranquilo ajuda a elevar a concentração de crianças com transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade (TDAH). O estudo foi publicado no Journal of Attention Disorders.

Como esperado, o passeio no parque foi o mais eficaz que caminhar em uma área residencial (um pouco menos verde), ou uma zona comercial (cinza e barulhenta). Na dieta recreativa, vale ainda ir ao cinema com a mulher no meio da semana, reunir a família para jantar sem data especial, jogar videogame com o filho… São atitudes simples que adornam a estrutura emocional de uma família saudável, pois a rotina é a praga silenciosa que mata qualquer um lentamente.

O lugar da felicidade

Afinal, como afirmam alguns pesquisadores, tristeza e felicidade são sentimentos transitórios. Nem sempre temos o controle sobre eles, mas ações individuais podem controlar a intensidade de cada um. “A felicidade é a vitória do equilíbrio entre as nossas necessidades materiais e espirituais. É a busca de um estado”, explica Ruy Marra, autor do livro “Decolando para a felicidade”.

Segundo o livro The Myths of Happiness  (Os Mitos da Felicidade), da professora de Psicologia da Universidade da Califórnia, Sonja Lyubomirsky, um dos enganos mais comuns sobre o tema é vincular a felicidade à chegada de algum evento, como viagem, filhos, um novo emprego. Não é saudável buscar a satisfação pessoal a longo prazo, na dependência de um fator externo. O nosso bem-estar advém do fato de adotarmos diariamente uma dieta emocional/recreativa balanceada.

Mudanças nas relações humanas

Quando nos referimos à esfera emocional, estamos falando de viver uma espiritualidade saudável, reciprocidade nas relações afetivas e, sobretudo, estamos falando de amor, parafraseando o cantor e compositor Leoni. Não podemos mais pensar o amor apenas a partir da perspectiva do sexo, embora a publicidade insista em vender qualquer coisa baseada em nossos instintos mais baixos.

Como afirma o psiquiatra Flávio Gikovate, as relações afetivas no futuro serão mais pautadas pela afinidade. “Tem aumentado o número de pessoas que buscam parceiros e afins, com os quais se estabelece uma relação de companheirismo, lealdade e confiança recíproca”. Relações desse tipo são estáveis, duradouras e correspondem ao que Gikovate chama de mais amor.

É o único tipo de relacionamento capaz de sobreviver a um mundo em que cada vez é mais interessante ficar sozinho. Um relacionamento em que a individualidade de cada um é respeitada. Colocado desta forma seria puro descompasso cultural questionar a relação entre duas pessoas do mesmo sexo? Na perspectiva tratava por Gikovate, o amor não será mais pautado pelo sexo, mas, sim, pelas afinidades.

Fator emocional de um país

O fator emocional é tão sério que afeta até a identidade de um país inteiro. “A Itália foi o último país a iniciar o processo de recuperação econômica entre todos que integram a União Europeia (UE).” A afirmação é do gerente geral do Banco da Itália, Salvatore Rossi. Segundo ele, “os danos da crise estiveram conosco mais do que em outros países, mesmo que para estes essa recuperação fosse mais difícil.” Podemos citar exemplos, como Grécia e Malta, que praticamente foram à bancarrota.

Então, o que explica a atual situação da Itália? Além do fator ‘burocracia’ e valor das taxas de investimento maior que as praticadas pelos demais países da UE, a questão emocional emerge como uma postura cultural que decorre de um país historicamente fragmentado por diversos fatores sociopolíticos. Mas dois deles ainda pesam no imaginário emocional dos italianos: a derrota nas duas grandes guerras e a recente integração da Itália.

São apenas 150 que separam o país dividido de uma nação que ainda busca a sua identidade nacional. Mas as diferenças regionais ainda são gritantes a ponto de gerar um isolamento cultural do país. As rivalidades culturais entre Sul e Norte são bastante visíveis no cotidiano dos italianos. Nos filmes, essas diferenças são motivo de sátira, mas no cotidiano geram uma espécie de paralisia social que alimenta a gestão da inércia.

Emocional pós-ditadura

Essa questão emocional afeta também os brasileiros. Os resquícios socioculturais de 20 anos de ditadura militar (1964-1985) ainda deixam o povo muito anestesiado. Até hoje, muitas relações familiares são pautadas por códigos culturais de repressão. Como criar talentos em garagens repressivas? O mesmo modelo ainda é reproduzido nas escolas, ambiente cognitivo que não coaduna com uma cultura repressiva. Em julho passado, o brasileiro ousou e decidiu tomar às ruas em defesa de seus direitos violados.

Assim como fez no passado recente no movimento pelas ‘Diretas já’. No auge dos protestos, a presidente Dilma perdeu apoio popular e caiu 24% em pesquisa de avaliação de governo. Mas dois meses depois, Dilma se recupera e passa a ostentar 38% nas pesquisas de intenção de voto, condição que praticamente lhe garante a reeleição. O que acontece com o emocional do povo brasileiro? Em que os uruguaios podem se orgulhar? Talvez, a resposta esteja dentro da garagem cognitiva do pai de Steven Jobs…

Infográfico: a despedida de um gênio

infografico_jobs

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06 Oct 15:17

Kira Resari era estudante de design numa faculdade de Munique quando um de seus professores propôs que qualquer tema podia resultar num game – até uma história triste como a de Anne Frank. Tomando a proposta como desafio pessoal, o alemão se propôs a fazer tal jogo....

Kira Resari era estudante de design numa faculdade de Munique quando um de seus professores propôs que qualquer tema podia resultar num game – até uma história triste como a de Anne Frank. Tomando a proposta como desafio pessoal, o alemão se propôs a fazer tal jogo....
06 Oct 13:19

Attacking Tor: how the NSA targets users' online anonymity (The Guardian)

by n8willis
Edu

Pelo que entendi o que andam fazendo é infectar o bundle do TOR com um malware para windows. Quando tinha lido, disseram que com isso estavam identificando os usuários. Imagino que agora estejam usando isso para afetar a escolha dos routers. De qualquer forma, até onde eu li isso só estaria afetando windows.

Writing at The Guardian, Bruce Schneier explains in his latest Edward Snowden–related piece that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had tried unsuccessfully to mount an attack against the Tor network, in hopes of bypassing the service's anonymity protections. Nevertheless, the NSA is still able to identify Tor traffic and track individual Tor users (despite not knowing their identities), which can lead to further surveillance. "After identifying an individual Tor user on the internet, the NSA uses its network of secret internet servers to redirect those users to another set of secret internet servers, with the codename FoxAcid, to infect the user's computer. FoxAcid is an NSA system designed to act as a matchmaker between potential targets and attacks developed by the NSA, giving the agency opportunity to launch prepared attacks against their systems." By targeting a Tor user, the agency could then leverage attacks like browser exploits to get into the user's system; nevertheless, so far the design of Tor itself seems to be functioning as planned.

04 Oct 18:03

TV: Great Job, Internet!: Read This: Breaking Bad helped Damon Lindelof let go of people who hated the Lost finale

by Sean O'Neal
Edu

Meu. O cara vive em um mundo de fantasia onde as pessoas que detestaram as últimas temporadas de Lost é uma minoria.

Not long after J.J. Abrams paid penance for his abuse of lens flare, Damon Lindelof has written an essay in which he attempts to end, once and for all, any further argument over the Lost finale—a confession suggesting that the co-creators of Lost are rapidly trying to unburden themselves in order to ascend. You know, like in the finale of that TV show Lindelof keeps catching shit about.

Lindelof was reminded anew of how people didn’t like the Lost finale—and how they like to remind Lindelof of that—when Sunday’s Breaking Bad prompted a fresh Twitter hell of people taking shots at him, because that’s what Twitter is for: the spontaneous discussion of shared cultural experiences, and the immediate ranking of them as better or worse than other cultural experiences. Then you find the person who created that loser art so you can tell ...

Read more
    






04 Oct 17:58

Theories on What Bill Murray Whispered at the End of Lost in Translation

by Jesse David Fox
Edu

Enfim.


Lost in Translation was released ten years ago today, so it also marks ten years of people asking each other, "What do you think Bill Murray whispered to Scarlett Johansson at the end of Lost in Translation?" It remains one of the biggest mysteries in recent film history, its secrecy ... More »
    






04 Oct 17:31

Google buys Flutter to beef up its gesture recognition skills

by Janko Roettgers
Edu

E como vão transformar isso em dinheiro?

Google has bought San Francisco-based gesture recognition startup Flutter in an apparent attempt to get better at gesture recognition. The acquisition, which was first reported by The Next Web, was confirmed on Flutter’s home page Wednesday afternoon with a post that read in part:

“Today, we are thrilled to announce that we will be continuing our research at Google. We share Google’s passion for 10x thinking, and we’re excited to add their rocket fuel to our journey.”

Google also confirmed the acquisition, with a spokesperson sending us the following statement:

“We’re really impressed by the Flutter team’s ability to design new technology based on cutting-edge research. We look forward to supporting and collaborating on their research efforts at Google.”

There’s no word yet on financial details of the acquisition, but we’ve heard that Flutter’s entire team of six employees, which includes four PhD’s with some impressive image and gesture recognition skills, will join Google in Mountain View. For some of them, this is a bit of a homecoming: Flutter co-founders Mehul Nariyawala and Navneet Dalal both worked at Google after the company acquired their previous startup Like.com in 2010.

Flutter is best known for an app that allowed users to control media playback with simple gestures captured by their computer’s webcam, but the company had a lot more ambitious goals, and some interesting take on the state of gesture recognition. A year ago, I wrote this about Flutter:

“Gestures are just a first step. The duo showed me a few first technical demos of Flutter running on the iPhone, only to bring up an important point: Raising your hand in front of your computer is not a big deal. But gestures on the phone, while you’re in the subway? Pretty silly, and also hard to read for the phone, since your hand is likely far too close to the camera. “In mobile, facial expressions are more accurate,” explained Dalal.

The bigger vision is to give machines eyes, and make them aware of their users, he added. Why wouldn’t a computer automatically lock its screen once you move away from your desk, he asked? And why shouldn’t your phone recognize whether you’re smiling or having a bad day?”

For more on Flutter, check out my entire story: How Flutter wants to become the eye of the machine

And here’s a demo video of Flutter:


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04 Oct 16:53

The world's fastest running robot is off the leash

by Aaron Souppouris
Edu

O futuro vai ser incrível.

A relative of Boston Dynamics' Cheetah robot, which last year managed to outpace the world's fastest man Usain Bolt on a treadmill, is now able to run outdoors untethered. Named the WildCat, the outdoor runner is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and is being developed for military use. With a large (and loud) motor attached, WildCat isn't as fast as its 28mph-plus cousin — it's currently limited to around 16mph on flat terrain. Despite being announced last year, this is the first public demonstration of WildCat, and Boston Dynamics hasn't detailed its plans to further develop the quadruped.

Continue reading…

04 Oct 16:33

The Incredibly Stupid Mistake That Brought Down An Online Drug-Dealing Empire

Edu

Excelente. Eu não imaginaria que que estariam fazendo buscas pelo código da página em outros sites.

Even the finest programmers could use a little help from their friends on Stack Overflow now and then. The site, which invites users to ask and answer one another’s questions about specific coding problems, has become a global hub for software engineers, catering to pros and amateurs alike. Silk Road mastermind “Dread Pirate Roberts,” it seems, was no exception.
03 Oct 19:25

'Breaking Bad' spinoff 'Better Call Saul' is likely to be more dark than funny

by Greg Sandoval
Edu

Essa é (talvez) uma boa notícia.

Expect plenty of laughs from Better Call Saul, the planned spinoff from the wildly popular AMC show Breaking Bad. But Bob Odenkirk, the actor who played Saul Goodman, a witty lawyer with highly flexible morals, suggested that his new show's comedy will be black.

"Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad's creator) and the writers will make the ultimate decision," Odenkirk said in a recent interview with Salon.com. "But Vince has told me, the last time he talked to me, he said that it will be slightly more dark than it is funny. That’s an interesting balance to strike."

Continue reading…

02 Oct 17:11

Hear Benedict Cumberbatch's Dragon Voice in the New Hobbit Trailer

by Meredith Woerner
Edu

Não lembro de todo esse pathos da época que li o livro.

We've seen Smaug's scaly grin, now hear the voice Benedict Cumberbatch crafted for Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in this brand new trailer, plus a whole lot of new footage.

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02 Oct 16:39

The true story of Sir Jeffery Hudson, the real-life Tyrion Lannister

by George Dvorsky
Edu

Bad ass

The true story of Sir Jeffery Hudson, the real-life Tyrion Lannister

Born in 1619 to a prominent butcher, Sir Jeffery Hudson became a valued member of Charles I's court in England — this despite being a dwarf who measured under three feet tall. And remarkably, his life contained some indisputable Game of Thrones-like action and intrigue.

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02 Oct 16:29

Can We Make Walter White Our Last Antihero, Please?

by Margaret Lyons
Edu

Duvido muito.


At some point during the Breaking Bad finale, my feelings shifted from tense anticipation to increasingly calm relief. It wasn't that the action of the episode had abated — everyone's heart races when they hear a machine gun, no? — but I started to realize, as the Walter White saga ... More »
    






02 Oct 16:26

‘The Simpsons’ Will Kill a Famous Character This Season

by Germain Lussier
Edu

Aff... Cadê a relevância.

The Simpsons Breaking Bad couch gag

Though The Simpsons continues to cement its place in TV history, it’s not really a show people talk about anymore. Sure, a steady stream of guest stars, both on-screen and behind the scenes, keeps the show in the press, and devoted fans still tune in. But the buzz of the ’90s, from story lines like “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” and through-the-roof ratings, is long gone.

Back in 2000 the show earned a blip of new attention for killing a series regular, Maude Flanders. Now, for the show’s record-setting 25th season, another Simpsons character will bite the dust. This one could be even more prominent.

Executive producer Al Jean revealed a major character would die in a new interview:

I’ll give you a clue that the actor playing the character won an Emmy for playing that character, but I won’t say who it is.

That does narrow it down a bit from the hundreds of Simpsons characters who’ve appeared on the show. Then again, seemingly every single voice actor who works on the show has won an Emmy. Of the character’s they’ve actually won for, here’s a list. According to Jean’s quote, one of these people will die this season:

Bart, Homer, Marge, Lisa, Ms. Krabappel, Apu, Sideshow Bob, Moe, Grandpa, Barney, Krusty, Carl, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Duffman

Who do you think it could be out of that list? My money is on Grandpa, Carl or Sideshow Bob.

Also, total side note, if you’re a Simpsons fan and don’t play Tapped Out, I urge you to do so. I recently got hooked on the mobile game and it’s fantastic. I love it. Hopefully, characters won’t die there.

02 Oct 15:18

Abandoned house given a facade-melting facelift

by Rich McCormick
Edu

Los Polos Hermanos

From the Knees of my Nose to the Belly of my Toes is an art installation created by Alex Chinneck. The pristine brickwork on the front of this three-storey house sloughs away, revealing a dirty, destroyed home within.

The installation was created in the British seaside town of Margate, around the shell of an abandoned property. For £100,000GBP ($162,208), Chinneck had a team remove the house's original white front, and replace it with slowly slumping brickwork constructed using prefabricated panels. The building's interior remains untouched, and just visible on the top floor.

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01 Oct 11:52

Play Breaking Bad Video Game Online!

by Bad Bot

Ever wanted to play a Breaking Bad video game? We’re still in the process of picking our jaws up off the floor after last night’s unbelievable finale. The tension was unbearable, and the payoff was incredible. Years from now we’ll look back at Breaking Bad as a show that defined our generation. A true masterwork.

Just like when The Wire finished, everything is going to be a bit underwhelming for the next few years until the next era-defining programme pops up. It’ll be a while before the Breaking Bad spinoff show ‘Better Call Saul’ hits our screens and even then – the odds of prequels bettering the original are unlikely if history has taught us anything.

Until then we can relive the greatness that was Walter and Jesse with this new Breaking Bad video game. Courtesy of RoundGames, you can jump in straightaway and start playing online in the app below. Not only is the game free but it has a great retro feel of the classic side-scrollers of the early 90s but of the ‘Klik’ community games of the early 2000s (for fans of free online games such as Gunner, Eternal Daughter and Armed and Dangerous).

Be sure to check out Roundgames website too – they’ve got tonnes of great games to keep you occupied on your lunch break/when you’re supposed to be working.

29 Sep 14:11

Pentagon invests $10M to make this scary robot silent and bulletproof

by George Dvorsky

Pentagon invests $10M to make this scary robot silent and bulletproof

Boston Dynamics has just received a serious injection of cash to upgrade its Legged Squad Support System (LS3) pack mule. The challenge now is to make it quieter and resistant to small arms fire. Yeah, about that...

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