If records were tortillas, they’d sound like this
Time to ditch your vinyl (again), there’s a new format in town: tortillas. Intrepid Redditor “UpgradeTech” saw this video, and was bored/inspired/curious enough to see if you really could turn the Mexican food vessel into a record. It turns out, you can. All you need are some uncooked flour tortillas (corn or cooked are too lumpy), and a laser cutter. Well, there’s a bit more to it than that (converting audio to vectors, that kinda thing), but tortilla turntablists are, we’re sure, willing to go the extra mile to get their classics down on the flatbread format (.tort?).
Itching to commit your own library to the doughy discs? Know that you’ve got about 30-seconds per “disc, ” but if that doesn’t put you off, there’s a full Instructables guide here. Like regular ole’ records, sound quality is better when tracks are configured to play at 78 rpm, which UpgradeTech kindly explains in the tutorial, and demonstrates in a series of comparison videos (including one below). The all important question, after how does it sound,is, how do they taste? Apparently “rather burnt” — on account of that laser. Apparently MP3 tacos get you a longer play time, but a tortilla just sounds, “warmer.”
Via: Mashable
Source: Reddit
Watch how a CGI-heavy ‘Game of Thrones’ zombie battle was made
(Warning: spoilers ahead.) The spectacular Game of Thrones ‘Hardhome’ battle scene with white walkers, zombie-like wights and wildings is pretty VFX-heavy, judging by a new video from effects house El Ranchito. Highlights include Jon Snow slashing a walker into shards of crystal, battle scenes with the giant Wun Wun, and wights — so many hordes of wights. Despite having TV’s highest budget, the show doesn’t rely overly on digital effects, using them sparingly on gore and dragons, we imagine. However, Snow actor Kit Harrington said that the ‘Hardhome’ battle “is so CGI-heavy it’s unlike anything I’ve ever done on Thrones.”
He added that it was also the most grueling GoT scene ever, taking nearly a month to shoot. For his own fight scenes, he needed to “first go against a man in a (greenscreen) suit, the second with a man (in zombie makeup) and the third time I would just fight alone.” The scene had the biggest budget of any GoT scene, and required about 400 extras and 50 stuntmen. Check the video (below) to see how the VFX artists transformed dull greenscreen shots into a glorious battle in some seriously crappy-looking weather.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/132571771?color=990000&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Dear Veronica: File Formats and Follow-Up Freak Outs!
Last week, I asked for photos of your busted up (but still functional) phones, and you delivered! I noticed a trend of there being way more iPhones compared to Android devices that were sent in, so I’m trying to figure out: do you viewers just have more iPhones, or do Android users just chuck theirs when they get a chip because they’re less expensive? Anyway.
We also talk about the best file formats for your mixed-OS household, and I go on a bit of a rant about follow-up emails. Enjoy, and keep sending those questions to veronica@engadget.com, or using the hashtag #DearVeronica! See you next week!
Filed under: Cellphones
Trading stopped on New York Stock Exchange due to ‘technical issue’
It has been quite a day for tech problems. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange was halted due to a “technical issue” at around 11:30 AM ET this morning. On its status page, the NYSE posted that all trading had been suspended and any open orders would be cancelled — with a more detailed explanation to follow. A NYSE spokesperson told Forbes that the stoppage came after the exchange “experienced a technical issue” that it’s “working to resolve as quickly as possible.” An hour before trading stopped, the NYSE reported a problem had been fixed concerning order acknowledgements and connectivity issues. NYSE Arca and NYSE Amex/Arca Options appear to be untouched by the larger issue as they are continuing to operate normally.
What’s more, officials told NBC that United’s computer problems and this incident are unrelated and neither appears to be part of a cyber attack. The exchange confirmed the lack of ties to cyber crime on Twitter, stating that the issue was internal, rather than the result of a breach. It added that while trading had been suspended, NYSE-listed securities could still be traded at other places — like Nasdaq.
(1 of 3) The issue we are experiencing is an internal technical issue and is not the result of a cyber breach.
– NYSE (@NYSE) July 8, 2015
(2 of 3) We chose to suspend trading on NYSE to avoid problems arising from our technical issue.
– NYSE (@NYSE) July 8, 2015
(3 of 3) NYSE-listed securities continue to trade unaffected on other market centers.
– NYSE (@NYSE) July 8, 2015
Filed under: Misc
Uber wants to suggest pickup points to speed up your trip
If you use Uber, you know that there’s a delicate art to choosing pickup points: drop the pin in the wrong spot and your driver could spend ages trying to reach you. You’re about to get some useful pointers, though. TechCrunch has learned that the ridesharing company is testing “suggested pickup points” that should start your trip faster and save some frustration. The experiment doesn’t account for your destination, but it does avoid common pitfalls — it’ll ask you to go to a corner if you can’t get a ride in the middle of the block, or suggest you wait at a main road instead of a side street. There’s no word on whether or not you’ll see this feature on a regular basis, but it’s big enough that it may be more a question of “when” than “if.”
Filed under: Transportation, Internet
Source: TechCrunch
Try to avoid frustration with Game of Balance – Game Review
Game of Balance Overview
Game of Balance is a game developed by a relative newcomer to the app development scene, HI365Studios. The object of the game is to keep a ball balanced on a pedestal. The challenge comes when the pedestal begins to move and change direction. Their Google Play description says:
Try not to fall off the edge, and stay on the ground as long as you can!
Just tap anywhere on the screen to change the direction of the ball,
but be very careful, the ball also needs time to stop!
How long can you hold on?
Can you become a master of balance?
Game of Balance Setup
The setup is pretty simple.
- Download and install the game from Google Play
- Login to Google’s Play Games service
Technically, you don’t have to login to the Play Games service to play the game. However, if you don’t, the leader boards and achievements will be unavailable to you.
Game of Balance Gameplay
The gameplay is dead simple. Every time you tap the screen, the ball will change direction, all while zen music plays in the background. The more you allow it to travel in the same direction, the faster the ball travels and, of course, the harder it is to keep the ball balanced on the pedestal. After the first few seconds or so of gameplay, the pedestal that the ball is balancing on begins to move. It’s still relatively easy to play. A few more seconds and the pedestal begins to change shape. The game is still relatively… wait, it fell off. Oh well, this is my first time playing, so the next time should be easier. 1,2,3,4,5,6 awe shoot. I fell off again. And so it goes every time I play.
If you’re having some flashbacks to Flappy Birds, well you wouldn’t be alone. This game is designed to be frustrating. You’ll fall off quickly in the beginning and the only way to improve is to play it even more. Even then, you’ll still fall off quickly. Especially when you try to show your friend how good you are at balancing the ball. And, of course, your friend turns out to be a balancing prodigy and beats your high score his first time. This is all hypothetical of course.
Target Audience
If you liked playing Flappy Birds, you will most likely enjoy this game. If not, then you might want to at least give it a shot because the game mechanics are different and the zen music playing in the background does take the edge off, just a little.
What we liked
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Summary
Game of Balance was designed to be frustrating. If you don’t think that you would enjoy this type of game, then don’t download it. If you do, then click on the link below, install the app, and be sure to come back and tell us what you think.
The post Try to avoid frustration with Game of Balance – Game Review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
SunLabz Rechargeable AA Battery Bundle
If you’re tired of burning through packs upon packs of batteries just to end up tossing them out into the garbage, it’s time for a better solution. Just think about all of the batteries you’ve discarded, eating away at our environment and multiply that by the billions of people on the planet. See the problem? There’s a simple solution. You could save money and reduce your footprint by switching to rechargeable batteries.
This SunLabz Rechargeable AA Battery Bundle comes with an 8-pack of rechargeable batteries and a 4-slot smart charger. These aren’t just cheap gimmick batteries, either. We’re talking high performance hardware that are able to recharged over a thousand times. This combo pack would normally run you $50 but AndroidGuys readers can save their wallet and the environment, today, for just $29.99.
See more at deals.androidguys.com
The post SunLabz Rechargeable AA Battery Bundle appeared first on AndroidGuys.
ROK Mobile expands LTE coverage, retail presence
ROK Mobile, the mobile virtual network operator that piggybacks off of T-Mobile and Sprint, is about to get even bigger. Today sees the carrier announcing it has added “the nation’s largest and most dependable” 4G LTE service provider to is back end. This could only mean AT&T or Verizon but it’s hard to say for certain.
Additionally, ROK Mobile is announcing an “ambitious” retail expansion across the United States. The overall presence will increase over the next six months and hit some 10,000 locations by the end of the year.
ROK Mobile is a service provider that pairs unlimited calls and messaging, high speed data, and streaming access to more than 20 million songs as well. The $50 plan gives users 5GB of data to use each month.
Press Release
ROK MOBILE FUELS AGRESSIVE BUSINESS GROWTH IN 2015
Blockbuster Addition of Top Wireless Carrier and Launch of Retail Rollout Signal Next Stage of ROK Mobile’s Evolution
LOS ANGELES, CA(July 8, 2015) – Providing a service like no other and diving deep into underserved customers’ needs, ROK Mobile (www.rokmobile.com) continues to break new ground with explosive business growth in 2015.
ROK Mobile has added the nation’s largest and most dependable 4G LTE network to its roster, expanding its coverage reach even further. With this addition, customers can now take advantage of this expanded coverage reach across the United States for ROK Mobile’s $49.99 per month plan, which includes unlimited talk, text, data and access to its streaming music service of over 20 million tracks.
Additionally, ROK Mobile will launch an ambitious rollout to expand its retail availability across the U.S. Starting early July 2015, ROK Mobile will be made available at independently owned and operated mobile phone stores nationwide, with a full rollout to 10,000 retail locations in the U.S. by the end of 2015.
Since launching in 2014, ROK Mobile has worked tirelessly to increase accessibility for its customers and has now done so through the expansion of its wireless carriers and the rollout of its retail availability, which provides access to underserved communities like those without credit cards. According to data released by the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) in October 2014, roughly 68 million adults in the U.S. are disconnected from the financial system in some way; currently 17 million are unbanked and another 51 million are underbanked, meaning they have bank accounts but rely on alternative financial provides (i.e. check cashiers) to meet some of their banking needs1.
With ROK Mobile’s expanded retail availability and capacity, unbanked and underbanked consumers can sign up for its mobile and streaming music services without the use of credit cards. ROK’s competitors in the streaming music industry, like Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal, all require credit cards for customers to subscribe to its premium streaming services. This is not the case with ROK Mobile as the company believes that everyone should have access to streaming music. As ROK Mobile’s unlimited streaming music is bundled free with its all-inclusive plan, anyone can access ROK Music’s library of over 20 million tracks, whether they are cash or credit card customers.
“We want everyone to have access to ROK Mobile and ROK Music, and now they can,” said Jonathan Kendrick, Chairman and Founder, ROK Mobile. “We want to grow our customer base and give them premium mobile and streaming music services. Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal constructs barriers to access their premium services and ROK is all about breaking those walls down to really give consumers what they want and truly deserve.”
The post ROK Mobile expands LTE coverage, retail presence appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Sony may launch the Xperia Z4v on Thursday, August 13
A leaked advertisement appeared online earlier today to impart that Sony may launch the Verizon-branded variant of its flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z4, in the United States on Thursday, August 13.
The Xperia Z4v’s design is identical to the original handset, but does differ with regards to some specifications. It now has a Snapdragon 810 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage on board, which can be expanded via a microSD card.
All other internals are set to remain the same, meaning that the device will continue to sport a 20.7-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 5.1-megapixel front-facing camera, a 3,000mAh battery and IP68 dust and waterproofing.
Unfortunately, we have no information on pricing or availability just yet, but it shouldn’t be too much longer before more details are disclosed — so be sure to check back.
Source: XperiaBlog
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Sony launches Live Screen Streaming app for Xperia smartphones and tablets
Sony has just launched a brand new application called “Live Screen Streaming”on the Play Store, that’s exclusively available to all Xperia smartphone and tablet owners. The app does exactly what it says on the tin; it allows users to stream their screen in real-time.
Live Screen Streaming is predominantly aimed at the mobile gaming market and enables its users to broadcast their gaming sessions directly to YouTube or Twitch. Users also have the ability to save any gameplay footage to their device for uploading at a future date.
Check it out in the screenshots below:
If this sounds like an app you’d like to get your hands on and you own an Xperia smartphone or tablet, simply hit the Play Store link below to start downloading it. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code to instantly initiate the installation process.
Come comment on this article: Sony launches Live Screen Streaming app for Xperia smartphones and tablets
AIVAnet 