NASA is offering code from more than 1,000 programs for public use
Everyone has probably day-dreamed of launching a space-ship from their backyard at some point. Well, now that NASA plans to release over a thousand of its software systems into the public domain, your idle musings could become a reality. On April 10th, the outfit is dropping a ton of free code for things like life support systems, aeronautics and, as Wired reports, even cryogenics, online for your perusal. This is an extension of what it’s been doing with its technology transfer program for the last 50 years, and like Data.gov and DARPA’s Open Catalog before it, the result of President Obama’s push to open government data to the public and digitize it for easy access.
The source code will be spread across SourceForge, GitHub and NASA’s website for now, but by next year it should be consolidated in one easy-access database. What’s more, NASA said that post release it’ll keep adding new code to the database. Now is the time to vote for a favorite space suit if you already haven’t — you just might need one after all.
[Image credit: Kenneth Lu/Flickr]
Via: Wired
Source: NASA
The Micro is a $200 3D printer that can make a teacup in an hour
There are more than a couple of reasons why 3D printing hasn’t truly hit critical mass, and the team at M3D thinks it’s sidestepped them with The Micro, its $200 – $300 3D printer. The Micro is hitting Kickstarter today with the sole intention of becoming the first consumer 3D printer that’s at once accessible, affordable and easy on the eyes.
“The dream here is definitely that you take something and install it as fast as the fastest plug-and-play device that you’ve ever seen and you’re focused on the end result,” Michael Armani, M3D’s CEO tells us. “You take the design, put it in the printer, it prints as quickly as possible. The focus here isn’t on the 3D printing process … [it’s] on ‘yeah, I want to make a mold for chocolates.’ It went to the fun part so you can enjoy it as much as possible.”
For example, we asked how long it would take from initial unboxing to having a spot of tea from the cup in the project’s pitch video. The only reasons there’ll be more than an hour between you and that first cup of Earl Grey are your teakettle and steeping preferences.
But even then, ease-of-use doesn’t particularly matter if one of 3D printing’s biggest barriers to entry doesn’t change: price. Should you miss out on The Micro’s limited early-bird $200 backing tier, getting a fully-assembled unit in your home will still only run $300.
“When we looked at 3D printers, we saw that the field was becoming hyped and that everyone was super curious about it,” Armani says. “They can’t go to Brookstone and try something that’s in the price range of a present or a college gift, or something to try out and risk a little money on – they’re all $2,000 or more.“
The Micro doesn’t come off like an Erector set project, it looks like a gadget.
To keep costs down, Armani and his team reduced The Micro’s volume. He said that during manufacturing it’s important to remember that product-size scales to the third power. If the device is made half the size in one dimension, it’s actually being reduced by a factor of eight in terms of weight, material cost and shipping. “That’s one way that we can pass savings on to the end-user.”
M3D also has an eye toward bringing net cost down by decreasing how much power a Micro needs to run. Armani says that it operates at “an order of magnitude” more efficiently than any other 3D printer does, and, to achieve that, all the team had to do was increase the efficiency of the different components.
“When you reduce the power consumption, the price of everything drops,” he says. “It’s like a cascade reaction: now you need a smaller power supply and smaller wires. Now you don’t have to spend so much on protection circuitry.”
The Micro itself is, well, cute. It looks soft, finished and, perhaps most importantly, unobtrusive; it isn’t a stretch to say that some of its color schemes make the printer resemble the Weighted Companion Cube from Portal. The Micro doesn’t come off like an Erector set project, it looks like a gadget. That was no accident.
“Mike fought really hard for that,” president and co-founder David Jones says. “If it were up to me, it would’ve been ugly, but it would’ve worked really well.” Armani is quick to offer a counter-point. “If it were up to me, it would’ve looked amazing but it wouldn’t have worked as well.”
What struck us most during our conversation with Micro’s team was how passionate and committed it is to delivering a hassle-free experience to the consumer from start to finish. If the staggering successes of its lower-priced (but more complicated and less functional) competition are any indication, M3D could have a massive hit on its hands.
“We hope to hold the position as the premiere consumer 3D printer that’s accessible, easy to use and that you can set on your desk,” Armani says. “When you combine all of that into one user experience, it’ll hold a pretty key place in the market space.”
Filed under: Household
Source: Kickstarter
Microsoft announces Skype TX with studio-grade audio and video for broadcasters
Today, Microsoft’s unveiling Skype TX, a new version of its VoIP service geared toward broadcasters. The service uses technology developed by Cat and Mouse — a recent MSFT acquisition — to offer the higher-quality audio and video output that media professionals require. (It also supports the broadcast-standard HD-SDI interface.) Skype TX can handle multiple calls at once through a single interface, and it will eliminate distractions such as call notifications and ads. Considering how often radio stations both big and small rely on Skype to beam in guests, TX definitely has a target audience. Microsoft hasn’t addressed pricing or release timing, but we’ll likely be getting a look at the product in action here at NAB.
Filed under: Networking, Microsoft
Introducing the Engadget UK Edition
When Engadget launched ten years ago, few predicted how popular it would become. Even fewer (basically, nobody) guessed it’d have an impact three thousand miles away across the Atlantic. Nevertheless, here we are. Despite a thick American accent, we’ve grown into one of the biggest sources of technology news for British readers. We’re proud of that, but we think it’s high time we offered something better, so today we’re launching something new: the Engadget UK Edition. It won’t look hugely different to the Engadget you already know, and it’ll contain many of the same US-originated articles, simply because the big stories tend to be international. But Engadget UK will be tailored with more news, reviews and recommendations that are relevant over here, and less content that isn’t. We hope you’ll like it, but first things first — we’d better show you how to select which edition you prefer.
- If you’re inside the UK, then you should be directed to the UK edition automatically. If you want to opt out and return to the US edition, then simply use the “Edition” pull-down you can see in the top-right corner of this page — it’ll save your preference as a cookie for the next time you visit.
- If you’re outside the UK but you’d rather have the UK edition, then simply bookmark this link instead of the regular Engadget URL.
That’s all there is to it! Rest assured, whichever edition you pick, you’ll be getting the same Engadget experience with the same promise of total editorial independence. And if you ever take issue with something we write, or if you have any questions, then we won’t be far away. Most of our UK-focused stories will flow from the fingers of Matt Brian (@m4tt) and Jamie Rigg (@jmerigg), and you can say hello to them right now, if you haven’t already, via the comments section below. Oh, and be sure to follow our brand new UK Twitter feed: @EngadgetUK. Hooray! Now, let’s get back to work…
Our hearts, our minds, our doors are always open for that
The most effective poems for funerals specific feelings in regards to the loss of a liked one. There is an array of feelings during the grieving and mourning period. There are emotions of loss, unhappiness, grief, guilt, and abandonment. Usually in bereavement, these emotions might be felt simultaneously.
Poems are a preferred method to specific profound feelings in the human soul. Many individuals relate to its rigorously chosen phrases that may present their feelings with higher expression.
It’s possible you’ll wish to select poems that comprise themes of loss of life, hope, and encouragement inside its verses. Mourners will be able to relate to most of the words but on the same time they are going to be looking for comfort. There are numerous dying themed poems obtainable from the public area and are searchable on the web.
These poems are best to use as a result of the public area allows you to be able to use them freely without permission. Bible verses are additionally a very good resource for a few of the greatest poems for funerals. A well-liked verse is Psalm 23 which is read in many memorial and funeral services.
Psalm 23 is used most steadily at funerals because of the encouraging message it offers to the surviving household and friends. It’s a psalm that reveals the one who lived their life in religion is now in the home of the Lord forever. This brings consolation to mourners as a result of they’ve a glimpse of the happiness and peace their liked one is currently experiencing.
The most used poem for a funeral is “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep” by Mary Frye. Listening to words expressed via a poem may also begin the therapeutic process. During a time of loss we are sometimes confused, poetry may help floor our most inner feelings of grief and sadness.
You might also wish to take into account choosing a poem that hints on the character of the deceased. Moreover, there are themes in remembering the dearly departed and not to be sad they are no longer on the earth. You need to use the poem(s) you’ve got selected and incorporate it into the funeral program or have a pal or member of the family read it in the course of the service.
Prefer Maximum Uptime From Hosting For Minecraft Server
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Prefer highly efficient Minecraft Server hosting for precise needs you got based upon which your latest priorities are represented in an ultimate fashion. Plenty options are provided to you in organizing your actual gaming standards with the inclusion of optimum features accordingly. Standard gaming involving more than two players could be enjoyed without compromising anywhere with your actual standards. Concentrating upon advanced playing options with respect to the latest preferences of gamers is something what you must consider in an eventual fashion. Regular updates included online whenever available for your specific necessities is what you need to focus upon in an exclusive manner due to which the positive results are obtained eventually.
Protecting Your Online Data
About Online Backup
It an embarrassing and frustrating experience when you lose your online data. Recovering this kind of information is a challenging process. Having online backups ensures that you are secured in terms of protection of your information.
However, having said that, not many people take this seriously. Most of us are found unaware of this kind of risk. This can better be explained by many people who have experience this kin d of blow. It first costs you a lot and in many cases you cannot even recover your data. In this respect, one can access many online backup guides that provides helpful information that one can use and be prepared from any disaster. Many may argue that it is very hard for one to lose an online data. This makes them not concerned of about the repercussion of the same.
Possibilities of losing your online data
The possibility of losing your online data can because of different issues. Some of these include;
Failure of hard drive: The current hard drives that are used are wonderful but at the same time one cannot be guaranteed 100% safety that you can’t lose his data. Most manufactures will give you up to three years, of which you can use your hard drive comfortably. It is not even once that you may have heard of hard drives failure of your friend’s computer. These cases are also experienced by the manufactures themselves. Unlike many manufacturer’s reports, the average lifetime of many, hard drives, according to a study shows that it can go up to 2.1 years. At the same time, the rate of failure is about 0.9%. This means there is a probability that your hard drive can fail at any time.
Stealing: This is something which many might be skeptical about. Theft can take place at any time. It’s obvious that there are many reported cases of people losing their online data after their devices are stolen. It even becomes worse if the person will later access your personal data especially if there were no any security settings such as password.
The hand of hackers: Advancement in technology has brought on board a lot of creativity which has seen hackers increase tremendously. In whatever reason, a hacker may do all what he can to access your data or destroy it. This has also seen many leakages of confidential information reported around the globe. If this can happen at the highest levels, with highly secured systems in place, then you can’t be an exceptional.
Computer virus: This is something which is common in case you have a computer there. These are computer software developed to harm your computer including your data. It is one of the easiest ways of losing your data nowadays. Thus, one is forced to protect your computer trough buying of antivirus. However at the same time these antiviruses may fail to work for you depending on what kind of software you bought. To avoid this therefore it is prudent to frequently reviewing online backup guide. This helps you protect your online data.
HTC breaks sales losing streak, believes the new One will help it turn a profit
You don’t need to be a financial genius to know that 28 straight months of declining sales is not a good thing. HTC finally broke that streak this quarter, but that’s the only silver lining in an otherwise dismal earnings report. While March 2014 sales were up 2.2 percent over last year, revenue for the quarter was only NT$33 billion (about $1 billion US), lower than the company’s own (gloomy) forecast. That resulted in a net operating loss that was also worse than expected. On the plus side, HTC has projected a profit for next quarter, the first that will reflect its widely lauded HTC One (M8) handset. Unfortunately, overall sales are still expected to be much lower than last year, and a shadow of the glory days of yore.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC
Source: HTC
Broadcast your point of view with Livestream’s new Google Glass app
NAB 2014 wouldn’t be the same without Livestream, one of the internet’s most popular broadcasting services, introducing new hardware or software. As such, Livestream has just announced another way for users to share video on its site: an application for Google Glass. Obviously, Livestream isn’t the first to bring this feature to the wearable set, since you can already use the search giant’s own Hangouts app to broadcast what you’re seeing.
Starting an event is as easy as pie: the “Livestream” voice command launches the app and one simple tap on the side of your Glass headset gets you live in no time (roughly five seconds or so, in our experience). As it stands, the only way to pair an account is by having Glass scan a QR code, which can be found within the event pages on Livestream’s website; soon you’ll be able to do this straight from the streaming platform’s iOS and Android apps. Livestream Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Phil Worthington, told us that it’s all about integrating the Glass app with the rest of the company’s ecosystem, like its Broadcaster and all-in-one Studio video switchers. “Our mission is to democratize live video broadcasting, so this is the best step in our revolution. We want to be on every device possible,” Worthington stated.
(Psst… Livestream video demo taken with Google Glass. How meta.)
Filed under: Misc, Wearables, Internet, Google
Source: Livestream
Qualcomm’s 2015 chips may make you regret getting a new phone this year
Thanks to Moore’s Law, anybody can predict that even the most powerful smartphones and tablets coming out right now (the HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5, for instance) will be made obsolete by whatever flagships get announced in 2015. These predictions fortunately don’t have to be based off of speculation anymore, since Qualcomm just revealed the Snapdragon 810 and 808, a pair of 64-bit high-performance chipsets slated to show up in flagship Android devices early next year.
Both new Snapdragons come with 64-bit support, but they won’t be the first Qualcomm chipsets to have it: the Snapdragon 610 and 615, announced at Mobile World Congress in February, will hit the market just in time for the 2014 holiday season. The difference, however, is in the rest of the package; the 810 and 808 will come packed with plenty of other powerful goods.
Qualcomm claims that both 20nm chips will be smaller, lighter and more power efficient. The octa-core 810 is the more appealing of the pair. It’ll sport four Cortex-A57 cores for power-intensive tasks and four lower-power Cortex-A53 cores for those times you don’t need the extra oomph. Additionally, it will come with support for 4K displays, LPDDR4 RAM (which is faster and more efficient than LPDDR3), voice activation and dual Image Signal Processors for better imaging. The included Adreno 430 GPU is supposed to be 30 percent faster than the 420, which isn’t even out in today’s flagships yet (we’re expecting it in the Snapdragon 805, which will debut later this year). It will also support Cat 6 LTE-Advanced (the modem is integrated directly into the chip this time) and 2-stream multi-user MIMO; this basically means that your WiFi connection will be significantly faster and more efficient than what you’ve got on your phone or tablet right now. If Qualcomm can deliver exactly what it’s promising here, next year’s high-end devices will be incredibly impressive.
The 808 shouldn’t be ignored either, and not just because it bears the same name as a famous drum machine. This chipset will come with six cores (two A57 and four A53), 2K display support, LPDDR3 RAM and an Adreno 418 GPU, which claims to be 20 percent faster than the Adreno 330 (which can be found in today’s flagships). We’re not entirely sure how this chip will be positioned when compared to the 810 and 610/615, but naturally we’re expecting it to be somewhere in between.
Interestingly, Qualcomm’s sharing the roadmap to its premium Snapdragon chipset lineup much earlier than it usually does; the 810 and 808 won’t be available on devices until the first half of 2015. This is largely due to competitive pressure: MediaTek, Intel and NVIDIA are going big by pushing out chips with 64-bit support and, in some cases, eight cores. Given how fast the industry is iterating, it’s not hard to see that Qualcomm — which currently dominates much of the mobile chipset market — doesn’t want to lose momentum or popularity.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Wireless, Mobile
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