Thom Yorke’s BitTorrent experiment had over a million downloads in six days
So, how did Thom Yorke’s latest music-distribution venture go? Pretty well, it seems. The Radiohead-frontman’s second solo album, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes, achieved over a million downloads in six days via BitTorrent Bundle, according to the peer-to-peer network’s blog. Exactly how the numbers break down is a bit nebulous, though. BitTorrent says that those million downloads also include the freebie single and video as well as the $6 album, noting to Consequence of Sound that precise sales numbers were being withheld at Yorke’s request. Still, it’s a little exciting to see that Bundles could be a viable way for musicians to earn a living — especially when streaming services are well-known for less-than-favorable pay-outs and business practices. Let’s just hope this success isn’t limited to acts with Yorke’s inherent star-power. After all, even Trent Reznor went back to a traditional record label after toying with total independence.
[Image credit: Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP]
Filed under: Internet
Source: BiTorrent Blog
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Scientists look to take the pooping out of civet coffee
At first glance, coffee that’s result of animal’s bowel movements sounds pretty gross. But for anyone who’s actually tasted brew from those poop beans (or a beer that features them), the process takes a backseat to the taste. And it makes for one of the most expensive cups of joe in the world. Well, a pair of scientists are skipping the civet’s digestive tract when it comes to the flavors of the Indonesian Kopi Luwak coffee, opting for a fermentation process to achieve similar results. A company called Afineur has developed a two-day process that’s “inspired by” the civets’ work rather than recreating it exactly. It does, however, reduce the bitterness of the coffee and modify aroma just like the small animals do. Fermentation also adds another variable that can be tweaked to fine-tune flavor profiles — on top of bean selection and roasting techniques. When Afineur’s coffee goes one sale later this year, the price per pound should be between $50 and $100 — cheaper than the several hundred dollar figure that civet-digested beans demand. Of course, you’ll still need to decide on a brewing method once you’re able to snag a bag.
[Photo credit: SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Science
Source: Wired
.CPlase_panel display:none;
North Dakota cops use a drone to nab three suspects in a cornfield
Both the Argentine and the UK police have nabbed bad guys with the help of drones in the past, but what about American cops? Well, the police department in Grand Forks, North Dakota, for one, is putting its drone to good use — just recently, the city’s cops have caught four underage men who’ve been pulled over for drunk driving using a quadcopter called Qube. The teenagers reportedly ran into a cornfield after being pulled over, but instead of giving chase, the cops flew their trusty Qube to find them amidst rows upon rows of corn.
It took about three minutes to find the first Houdini-wannabe and 25 minutes to find the second one, even if all this went down in the middle of the night — the two others were caught later on. Grand Forks’ police department was apparently the first to secure the FAA’s approval to fly drones at night, so the drone-chase was completely legal.
Still, a lot of people fear that the law enforcement, the government and just creepers in general, can use drones to spy on everyone. So Alan Frazier, the Deputy Sheriff in charge of Grand Forks’ UAV unit, clarified to Vice that they use their drones “for events that are already occurring,” like finding felony suspects, and that there are no plans to use them for covert operations. When asked whether he thinks cops should have a warrant before they can unleash drones on suspects, though, Frazier says “absolutely not” unless the suspect has a “reasonable expectation of privacy.” (Presumably, that means they can’t fly drones to spy on suspects in their own homes without a warrant.)
Qube, by the way, is a small quadcopter developed by AeroVironment that’s being used by several police departments across the US. The company makes many other drones, as well, including the Puma (the first UAV to get the FAA’s approval to fly commercially) and a robotic hummingbird, which it developed for DARPA.
Filed under: Robots
Via: Motherboard
Source: Valley News Live
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Tesla’s upcoming ‘D’ looks like a souped-up Model S sedan
Elon Musk left a lot of people wondering what, exactly, Tesla’s upcoming “D” will be. Is it a brand new car? A self-driving vehicle? As it turns out, it may be something much more familiar-looking. Tesla Motors Club forum member Adelman has posted a photo of what looks like an unannounced Model S P85D — that is, another high-end variant of Tesla’s current luxury EV. It’s not clear just what that suffix would mean, although most of the speculation points to an all-wheel drive, dual-motor upgrade borrowed from the soon-to-arrive Model X SUV. That could make the Model S quicker (or at least, better-suited to tough road conditions) than the already speedy P85 trim level you see on the road today. Whatever’s under the hood, you’ll likely know the full story in about a week.
Filed under: Transportation
Via: Jalopnik
Source: Tesla Motors Club
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Now you can test drive a Lexus RC F with the Oculus Rift
Wondering what it’s like to get behind the wheel of Lexus’ high-performance 2015 RC F sports coupé? Now you can find out — well, sort of. The company has built a virtual reality RC F using the car’s actual steering column, foot pedals and an Oculus Rift DK2 headset. It calls the setup the Lexus RC F Rift, naturally, and it’ll be at select auto shows across the nation for the next several months. The player can race the car around a virtual track, but it’s not clear if the VR test drive is an accurate representation of how the real vehicle handles. At the very least, it’s a novel way to get a feel for the car’s interior, and a good look at how companies outside of the gaming industry may use virtual reality technology in the future.
Filed under: Gaming, Transportation
Source: Lexus (YouTube)
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Bring out your inner spy with the Stealth360 watch face
When designing a watch face for a smartwatch, designers need to strike a delicate balance. On one hand you can make the watch face too simple. This ends up making your fancy, new smartwatch look cheap and boring. Worst of all, designs that are too simple don’t take advantage of your smartwatches capabilities. On the… Read more »
The post Bring out your inner spy with the Stealth360 watch face appeared first on SmarterWatching.
Deals, Discounts, Freebies, and More! Click here to save today!
Read the rest at SmarterWatching.com!
The post Bring out your inner spy with the Stealth360 watch face appeared first on AndroidGuys.
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Nokia Here Auto displays trip info in more places
Nokia first trotted out its Here Auto connected car platform just over a year ago, and at this week’s Paris Motor Show, the company is showing off the latest developments. In order to properly equip the rise in heads-up display tech, Here Auto now shows its info in more places around on the dash. In addition to the main display between the driver and passenger, navigation details and more can be beamed to a HUD or under the steering wheel. The central cluster’s route data is “context aware,” so when you’re low on fuel, it’ll show gas stations along the way. During the drive, passengers can employ smartphone and tablet apps to examine the trip and make the most of stops. If a nearby national park is selected, the driver can okay (or reject) the detour and directions get automatically updated. And with a new SDK, auto makers can customize Nokia’s system as needed, adding in of CarPlay, Google Auto and more.
Filed under: Transportation, Nokia
Source: Nokia Here
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Roku tries out screen mirroring from phones and PCs
Roku has unveiled its latest shot in the increasingly-crowded set-top box wars: screen mirroring. Even Microsoft and Firefox OS are lining up to challenge Google’s Chromecast and Apple’s AirPlay, so Roku had to compete somehow. Launching in beta, Roku’s version of the tech works from (some) Android, Windows Phone and Windows 8.1 devices, and broadcasts to Roku 3 or the Roku Streaming Stick. There’s no mention of the word ‘Miracast‘ but that appears to be the tech in use. If your Roku has the latest update (rolling out over the next few weeks) it should show up as an option to pair, and have a connection good enough to display presentations, emails or even video.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile
Source: Roku Blog
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Chromecast category in the Play Store switched to Google Cast
Changes to branding with various software items isn’t anything new. Remember when Google swapped out Play Magazines for Play Newsstand? Google has gone and made another little change today in the category section of the Play Store. They have quietly renamed the Chromecast category to Google Cast.
You will still find all the same apps that you did before, so it isn’t anything new or different. The name change is likely due to the upcoming release of Android TV that we saw back at Google I/O. We know that Android TV boxes and TVs will have the same capabilities as the Chromecast but offer a heck of a lot more. We know this because Google offered up Android TV dev kits and released the Google Cast Reciever app that can be installed to cast too. Phandroid points out that the actual protocol for forwarding the content to your TV is already called Google Cast. Makes sense to brand the service the same. I suspect app developers will soon be re-tagging their apps as “Google Cast Ready” or Google Cast Compatible” in due time.
Source: Phandroid
//<![CDATA[
ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random()*1E16);
document.write('‘);
//]]>
The post Chromecast category in the Play Store switched to Google Cast appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
.CPlase_panel display:none;
What is going on? Yet another render of the Oppo N3 shows completely different swivel camera
Seriously, what is going on? After Oppo teased the announcement of its new device, the Oppo N3, multiple renders of the device have been released into the wild, but the most interesting thing is that none of these renders appear to agree with each other. The above render is just the latest in a string of renders, and is quite possibly the least viable, if not the most intriguing. The render appears to show a camera housed in the side of the device, which would pop out and swivel when required. This is in stark contrast to the other renders which feature a tube-like, swivel:
And a more conventional looking swivel like its predecessor, the Oppo N1:
Truthfully, we’re probably not going to know which one is correct, if indeed any of them are, until Oppo holds its official even in Singapore sometime this month. Really, the only confirmed information we have about the device is that it is going to be made of lithium aluminium, or perhaps better described as ‘aerospace grade metal’. Rumours have said that there will be two variants of the Oppo N3, one with this high-tech material and the other of standard construction. We can’t wait to see what the actual device looks like.
What do you think the Oppo N3 actually looks like? Any of these, or something completely different? Let us know your opinion.
Source: ITHome via Phone Arena
//<![CDATA[
ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random()*1E16);
document.write('‘);
//]]>
The post What is going on? Yet another render of the Oppo N3 shows completely different swivel camera appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
.CPlase_panel display:none;
AIVAnet 