Disney has created an algorithm that can turn almost anything into a spinning top
The spinning top is one of the oldest and seemingly simplest toys devised in human history, but that doesn’t mean we can’t improve it. Disney Research has come up with a new algorithm that allows it to design a stable spinning toy out of almost any shape. Researchers found that shapes that fail to maintain a balanced spin as a solid object could be analyzed before construction to optimize its center of mass for rotational stability — that is to say, the algorithm tweaked 3D meshes to create hollow, interior spaces that keep it balanced. Using this method, the team was able to 3D print tops in the shapes of teapots, asymmetrical ellipsoids and breakdancing armadillo without fear of them toppling over.
While the idea of novelty spinning tops is fun on its own, the research may be used for more practical applications. Researchers found that the algorithm could also be used to create well balanced static objects with lower centers of gravity than solid counterparts. In the future, the technology could be used to design more stable mechanical structures, robots or animatronics. And if it doesn’t? Well, at least Disneyland will have better spinning souvenirs.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Disney Research (PDF), Disney Research
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FCC Chairman brushes off Verizon’s excuse for throttling unlimited LTE plans
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler isn’t happy with Verizon’s reply to his strongly worded letter, which chastises the company for its plans throttle some unlimited LTE subscribers. See, Big Red defended the move and reasoned that the other major carriers (AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile) do it too, and it’s a widely accepted practice to maintain a network’s quality. “‘All the kids do it’ is something that never worked with me when I was growing up,” Wheeler said, adding that the excuse didn’t even work for his kids. The chairman also revealed that he sent similar letters to the other carriers after the sending the first to Verizon, asking them to explain themselves for adopting the practice. To be clear, Big Red’s throttling plans will likely affect just a handful of subscribers (only the top 5 percent users of the carrier’s obsolete unlimited LTE data plan). Wheeler, however, is concerned that Verizon’s “choosing between different subscribers based on [their] economic relationship with [the company].” The carriers haven’t issued their own statements yet, but they’ll clearly need a better reason to convince Wheeler that they absolutely need to throttle subscribers’ speeds.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Verizon
Source: Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters
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Amazon and Disney are fighting, so you can’t pre-order ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ on Blu-ray
Neither side has confirmed it, but it looks like Amazon’s latest pricing battle (after Warner Bros. and its ongoing battle with book publisher Hachette) is with Disney. That’s why you can’t pre-order a copy of Guardians of the Galaxy on DVD or Blu-ray from Amazon right now, even though you can at other retailers like Best Buy. Home Media Magazine points out that the same goes for other upcoming Disney releases like Maleficent, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Muppets Most Wanted. In some cases, like GotG, you can sign up for a notification for when they’re available, others are just missing from the virtual shelf entirely, but what Amazon will offer is a pre-order for the digital copy on its Instant Video service. Amazon and Warner squabbled for a few weeks before a truce ironed things out, hopefully they can resolve things with Disney in time to cook up a boxed set bonus for the baby version of a certain Guardians character we absolutely must have (and aren’t willing to pay $360 for).
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Amazon
Source: Home Media Magazine, Amazon
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Pear alerts you that you’re about to leave your phone behind [‘Watch’ This App]
Today’s highlighted app isn’t extraordinarily rich in features or revolutionary, but it can be quite handy to have around. Called Pear it notifies the wearer that he or she is about to leave their beloved smartphone behind. You know the scenario where you get up from dinner and head home only to remember you left…… Read more »
The post Pear alerts you that you’re about to leave your phone behind ['Watch' This App] appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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Moto X+1 may see a release on September 25th with Verizon
While we got a pretty good look at what processor Motorola‘s next flagship, the Moto X+1, might be running earlier today, we’ve had a second tidbit of news that might a few pulses racing. According to Droid-life’s sources, the Moto X+1 is going to see a release with Verizon on September 25th. This comes after Motorola confirmed earlier this year that it would be bringing out a new Moto X device alongside a smartwatch (the Moto 360, of course) this summer, which is just about right, if a little bit late.
There aren’t any further details about what carriers will be getting the Moto X+1 besides Verizon, but you can bet there will be exclusivity deals to be revealed much like the Moto X’s release. The Moto X+1 is expected to have a 5-plus-inch display and carry the zippy Snapdragon 801 processor. With Motorola’s reputation of keeping up to date with software updates, the Moto X+1 will also likely ship with Android 4.4.4, with an update to Android L in the not too distant future.
What do you think about the Moto X+1 becoming available on September 25th? Is this a phone you’ve been waiting for? Let us know your opinion.
Source: Droid-life
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A woman’s touch: Females spend more money, time and are more loyal to mobile games than Males
We generally don’t think about the gender divide when it comes to mobile gaming; sure there are games targeted at females and quite a few targeted at males, but you wouldn’t think there is a huge difference in behaviours between the beings from Mars and Venus. However, according to a study by Flurry, there is, and it’s women that tend to spend more time and money on mobile games than men.
Flurry based its study on ‘successful’ games on 1.1 million devices and found that women make 31% more in-app purchases than men do, and also spend 35% more time in game than their male counterparts. The study also revealed that women tend to be more loyal to games (or at least, give it more of a chance), registering a 42% higher average than men in retaining games for 7 days. This is apparently true all over the world with no significant differences between females and males even when Flurry just looked at U.S. data.
Flurry went on to study exactly which games were influencing these figures as it would be easy to use Kim Kardashian’s stand-out game as a scapegoat. As the above graph shows, many of the categories are actually dominated by women – as evidenced by the pink – whereas men predictably tend to dominate the more violent, ‘masculine’ genres like sports and tower defense. While this shouldn’t be taken completely on Flurry’s word – they only used data from games on the Flurry Network – it’s still very interesting insight into the mobile gaming industry from a gender-specific perspective.
What do you think about Flurry’s findings about the fact females spend more money, time and are more loyal to mobile games then males? Let us know your thoughts.
Source: Flurry via Gameindustry
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Japan’s developing an eco-friendly patrol submarine
These days, data centers, portable USB battery chargers and all sorts of transportation are going green thanks to fuel cell technology. Now you can add submersibles to that list: Japan is developing a 33-foot-long submarine that runs off emissions-free energy. Japanese Defense Ministry officials told AFP that the finalized tech is about five years out, but they estimate the $25 million unmanned sub (or UUV) will be capable of cruising deep waters for an entire month on a single charge. Sure, 30 days seems pale in comparison to the 50-year core life of the nuclear-powered USS Nautilus, but electro-chemical energy is far cleaner, and can be much cheaper in the long run. This driverless U-boat also won’t have any artillery on board. According to a ministry official, “The UUV is purely for patrolling — it’s not a military weapon,” so there’s no need to worry about underwater combat drones — at least, for now.
Filed under: Transportation
Via: Channel NewsAsia
Source: AFP
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Judge rejects Silicon Valley anti-poaching settlement on suspicions of conspiracy
Remember the class-action lawsuit that Adobe, Apple and Google faced over no-hiring deals? Well, it turns out that the $324.5 million settlement the trio reached isn’t going to be honored by the judge. As The New York Times reports, judge Lucy H. Koh has rejected the low-ball figure because, among other reasons, it reeks of an “overarching conspiracy.” Koh notes that there’s ample evidence to support this and that late Apple CEO Steve Jobs may even have been the prime suspect in said conspiracy. According to the San Jose Mercury News, Koh says affected employees would receive a proportionally lesser amount than those who were involved with last year’s $20 million case against Lucasfilm, Intuit and Pixar. After the lawyers take their as-much-as $81 million cut, the left-over tally would apparently only leave a couple of thousand dollars per plaintiff according to NYT. Unless the Silicon Valley companies involved can come up with an amount that seems more reasonable to the judge (the initial employee-proposed amount was $3 billion), the trial will move forward come this September 10th.
Filed under: Internet, Apple, Google
Source: New York Times, San Jose Mercury News
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Apple to Introduce iWatch in September Suggests Apple Journalist John Gruber
Apple may be planning to introduce its iWatch in September, according to a comment from prominent Apple journalist John Gruber. In a post highlighting the charging functionality of the Moto 360, Gruber suggests Apple will be announcing its “wrist wearable thing next month.”
It looks like Motorola’s designers tried to draw as much attention as they could to the 360′s stupid flat-tire display shape.
The only way this could get funnier would be if it doesn’t even ship until after Apple announces their wrist wearable thing next month.
Gruber did not go on to refute his claim, and with his history of inside knowledge and sources within Apple, his comments suggest he believes the iWatch will debut in September. A September introduction would likely take place at Apple’s scheduled iPhone 6 event, set to be held on September 9.
Motorola’s Moto 360 smart watch
Gruber’s September claim directly contradicts previous rumors from Re/code, a site that has a track record of accurate event date predictions. In June, Re/code‘s John Paczkowski reported that Apple was tentatively planning to reveal the iWatch at an event in October.
Few concrete details are known about Apple’s iWatch and as the device is not expected to enter production until the fall, no part leaks have surfaced. If Apple does introduce the iWatch in September, it is likely the device will not ship until late 2014 or in early 2015. Historically, Apple has revealed some product in new categories ahead of their ship date.
Apple previewed the new Mac Pro in June, for example, before beginning sales on the desktop computer in December. Steve Jobs also unveiled the original iPhone six months before launch, with the iPad shown at an Apple event more than two months ahead of its sale date.
Rumors have suggested the iWatch will contain a multitude of health and fitness sensors, measuring metrics like calorie consumption, sleep activity, blood oxygen levels, and more. It’s said to integrate deeply with iOS 8′s Health app and it may come in multiple sizes and multiple price points.
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Google Play Summer Sale happening now with apps discounted up to 85%
If you’re in a place where it is currently Summer (which I am definitely not as I write this to you with frozen fingers), you will be glad to know that there is a Google Play Summer Sale currently happening on the Google Play Store. With almost 50 apps and games discounted by up to 85%, you’re bound to find a good deal or two to keep you busy for the rest of Summer.
You’ll be able to pick up things like The Sims 3 for $1.99 (down from $6.99), Final Fantasy IV for $7.99 (down from $15.99), Gangstar Vegas for $0.50 (down from $0.99) or Soundhound Pro for $2.99 (down from $5.99). There are also quite a few apps on the list that are free (that are normally free) with discounts to the in-app purchases. They aren’t the best deals we’ve ever seen, but if you’re hoping to occupy yourself in the sweltering heat, you’ll probably find something good; if you spot something else that catches your eye, be sure to let us know in the comments below.
Source: Google Play via TalkAndroid
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AIVAnet 