NYC plans to offer all public school students computer science classes
NYC Mayor Mayor Bill de Blasio wants all public schools in the city to offer computer science classes within the next ten years, according to The New York Times. Some of the best public institutions in the city already offer them, but the government wants to prepare more students for the ever-increasing number of tech jobs in NYC. The city’s Office of Strategic Partnerships director Gabrielle Fialkoff said they also need to “address equity and diversity within the sector.” Just like the rest of the country, most students who opt for computer courses are male and either Asian or white. The government’s likely hoping to get more kids interested in tech and, hence, plant the seeds of a more diverse sector, by starting them early.
It won’t be a walk in the park for NYC’s authorities, though: not all teachers are trained to teach computer science classes, and it’s not like graduates of computer courses flock to schools to become teachers. The city expects to spend around $81 within ten years, part of which will be used to train 5,000 teachers, to make the plan a reality.
[Image credit: Shutterstock]
Source:
The New York Times
Tags: computerscience, education, newyork, nyc
Costco Offering $50 to $100 Mail-In Rebates on iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
Costco has launched a promotion allowing its U.S. Costco card members to receive $100 or $50 mail-in rebates when they pre-order an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus. The mail-in rebate amount is different for each carrier.
T-Mobile customers get a $100 mail-in rebate when they pre-order any iPhone 6s or 6s Plus in any color and / or storage option. Verizon and Sprint customers, however, only receive a $50 mail-in rebate on either a 16 GB gold iPhone 6s Plus, a 16 GB Space Gray iPhone 6s or a 64 GB Space Gray iPhone 6s. AT&T customers, unfortunately, are not eligible for any mail-in rebates.
While it’s not rare for iPhones to get mail-in rebate forms or discounts, it is rare for a promotional price to be offered on an iPhone during its pre-order period. Costco card members must pre-order their iPhone 6s or 6s Plus online between September 12 and September 24 to be eligible for the mail-in rebate.
Tim Cook Talks iPhone 6s, Social Responsibility, and More on ‘The Late Show’
Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared on the “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” tonight, with the interview covering a number of topics including the iPhone 6s, the possibility of an Apple Car, and Cook’s and Apple’s efforts in social responsibility.
During the portion of his monologue highlighting the show’s guests, Colbert poked fun at Apple with a couple of jokes, initially announcing Cook as “Cello Apple Time Cook” thanks to autocorrect and joking that the interview would be great but that Cook would release a cooler updated version of it in three months.
The interview kicked off with Colbert showing off a rose gold iPhone 6s before proceeding to ask Cook about the device, leading with making sure the charger hasn’t changed. Colbert and Cook the discussed and showed off 3D Touch and Live Photos, with Colbert quipping regarding 3D Touch “If I hang up on someone hard enough, will it actually hit them on the other side?”
Addressing comments from Uber CEO Kalanick during an interview on The Late Show last week about Apple working on a car, Cook as usual brushed off the question by noting Apple investigates a lot of things.
One of the key topics of the interview was Cook’s emphasis on charity and responsibility to future generations, with Cook noting “We want to leave the world better than we found it” and pointing toward his own decision to come out as gay last year as an example of a sacrifice made to help others. Cook cited Martin Luther King, Jr.’s quote of “What are you doing for others?” as his daily inspiration.
That sense of social responsibility extends to Apple’s business, Colbert noted, with Cook highlighting Apple’s code of conduct for suppliers and efforts in human rights and the environment, noting “We want to leave the world better than we found it.”
Colbert wrapped up the segment by asking Siri what he should ask Cook, with Siri responding “Do me a favor. Ask him when I’m going to get a raise.”
Google releases new Android Marshmallow sample apps: Direct Share, MidiSynth and MidiScope
Developers and hard core Android fans are likely keeping up with the Marshmallow sample apps Google has been releasing to the public. These applications are not really meant for consumers, as they do nothing but show how certain new features operate. They are really just dummy applications and mainly serve as a good way for app makers to understand how to improve their applications and support new elements.
Today the Android Developers Blog has posted an update about a trio of new sample apps the Search Giant has released. These include Android Direct Share, Android MidiSynth and Android MidiScope. What are these all about? Let’s find out!
Android Direct Share
Android’s sharing intents are great for sending any type of content to other apps, but sending this information to specific users may be a bit more challenging. Direct Share is a new feature which allows users to share things to more specific targets. Google showcases this by including specific contacts within other apps to the sharing intent.
By the way, this is simply a fake messaging app that serves as a vessel for this new capability. Nothing more. You do need to jump through a few hoops to check this new feature out, as well.
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To enable Direct Share, apps need to implement a Service extending ChooserTargetService. Override the method onGetChooserTargets() and return a list of Direct Share options.
In your AndroidManifest.xml, add a meta-data tag in your Activity that receives the Intent. Specify android:name as android.service.chooser.chooser_target_service, and point the android:value to the Service.
Android MidiSynth
Android 6.0 is getting more MIDI-friendly. This specific sample demonstrates how to use the MIDI API to receive and play MIDI messages from connected keyboards. It can enumerate available devices, notify you wen MIDI devices are plugged in/out and demonstrate how MIDI messages are received/processed.
Android MidiScope
On the other hand, the MidiScope shows how the MIDI API received and processes signals coming from attached devices. It does not play them, but it will display these input instances in a log.
You can’t fly drones near the Pope during his US visit
Thinking of using a camera drone to get some above-the-crowd footage of Pope Francis during his trip to the US near the end of September? The Federal Aviation Administration would really, really prefer that you didn’t. It’s instituting drone flying bans in key parts of New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC (where there are already strict limitations) throughout the Papal visit. Give in to temptation and you’re breaking the law, even if you had no intentions of getting near the religious leader.
It’s not hard to see why the FAA would clamp down. Its drone restrictions are tough even in normal circumstances — you can imagine how it feels about swarms of drones jockeying for good views of the Pope, let alone genuine threats. And whether you like it or not, these kinds of large, one-off bans are likely to become more frequent as drones grow in popularity.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia]
Filed under:
Robots
Source:
FAA
Tags: drone, faa, newyork, newyorkcity, philadelphia, pope, popefrancis, regulation, robot, safety, security, washington
The first 8K TV will go on sale soon for over $130,000
Sharp has demonstrated Super Hi-Vision 8K displays before (as seen above during CES 2015), but today in Japan it announced an 85-inch version is going on sale October 30th. Dubbed the LV-85001, it’s a monitor (it has a tuner so you could call it a TV, but that can’t actually receive 8K video) for professional use only, mostly since there aren’t really any broadcasts or content to watch in 8K. Coming in at 16 times the resolution of 1080p screens, the 7,680 x 4,320 pixel LCD panel uses Sharp’s IGZO technology. To actually watch any 8K video, you’ll need to plug into all four of its HDMI inputs at once just to have enough bandwidth. If you’re interested (and why wouldn’t you be, even though there’s almost nothing to watch), just contact Sharp’s business-to-business sales unit, and bring along a check for 16,000,000 yen, or about $133,034 US.
Of course, it’s not actually time to throw your 4K (or if you’re really old-school, 1080p) HDTV aside. Ultra HD Blu-ray movies in 4K are still just around the corner, and actually delivering 8K video is still a few years away. Testing out broadcasts is one thing professionals can actually do with this new display, and Japan’s NHK has been working on the technology for years. Public tests could start as early as next year, and the first broadcasts are scheduled for 2018. It will probably be 2020, at least, before 8K is any kind of realistic option, so don’t worry about future proofing just yet.
Source:
Sharp
Tags: 85-inch, 8K, breaking news, hdpostcross, IGZO, LCD, LV-85001, Sharp, SHV, SuperHi-vision
India is getting Google Play gift cards, available in store and at Snapdeal
People of India, rejoice, Google Play gift cards are here! Google has announced that Google Play gift cards will be joining prepaid vouchers at select stores across India. Some of the stores are: Spice Hotspot, Vijay Sales, and Planet Mobile.
The gift cards are available in ₹750, ₹1000, and ₹1500, and can also be purchased at Snapdeal.com if local retailers are not near you. Just like everywhere else in the world, the cards can be used on apps and digital content. Google is also celebrating the India release with discounts on store content.
Source: Google
Come comment on this article: India is getting Google Play gift cards, available in store and at Snapdeal
Puzzle game Shades for iOS is now here on Android
Previously for iOS only, puzzle game Shades is here for Android. It’s iOS version was selected by Apple as “App Of The Week” for iPhone and iPad, as well as featured by Apple’s “Best New Games” list.
Similar to Tetris, Shades is a very simple puzzle game that is easy to play, but quite challenging. All you have to do is move the falling blocks into the best position to clear rows. Two blocks of the same color will combine into a larger block of a darker color. Once an entire row of blocks are the same shade, the row is cleared. Just be careful not to let your stack of blocks hit the top or you lose.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Puzzle game Shades for iOS is now here on Android
Twitter and Square partner together to allow donations to political campaigns
Twitter and Square are partnering together to allow people to donate to political campaigns. It is very easy to donate too. The candidates first have to set up a Square Cash account, once it’s verified they can share the unique link or $Cashtag.
The new special tags or unique URL’s will have a built in donate button. Once you click it, enter your donation amount, add your credit or debit card info, and your donation will be made. After the donation is made, you can then share the $Cashtag with your followers if you would like.
Source: Twitter
Come comment on this article: Twitter and Square partner together to allow donations to political campaigns
Verizon can’t activate your Moto X Pure Edition just yet
We hope you didn’t rush to snag a Moto X Pure Edition for use on Verizon’s network — you’ll be disappointed for the next few days. Early adopters speaking on Reddit and PrepaidPhoneNews say that Big Red is turning down subscribers trying to activate Motorola’s giant device. The carrier just can’t find the IMEI (the hardware identifier) needed to make things work, according to these reports. It’s an odd problem, and a frustrating one when Verizon promised just last week that it would activate the Pure Edition. What gives? Thankfully, we’ve found out that this is only temporary.
A spokesperson tells us that this extra-large Moto X is “certified and supported” on its network, but that there’s an “activation issue” preventing full support. The provider hopes to get everything resolved by September 18th — somewhat reassuring if you just dropped $399-plus on a smartphone. Still, it’s notable that this isn’t an issue on GSM-based carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile, where switching to an unlocked phone involves little more than popping your SIM card into the new hardware. As much as Verizon might be doing to improve its bring-your-own-phone policies, it still has a lot of work left to do.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Verizon, Lenovo
Source:
PrepaidPhoneNews, Reddit
Tags: android, carrier, lenovo, mobilepostcross, motorola, motoxpureedition, motoxstyle, smartphone, verizon, wireless
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