5 Android apps and games you shouldn’t miss this week! – Apps Weekly
Paralign
[Price: Free]
This week’s Android Apps Weekly show is brought to you by Paralign. Paralign is a social media style application that keeps things really simple. You can post various things, assign them a mood, and then send them into the ether for others to read. Others will, in turn, send stuff out that you read. You can show interest or even message back if you want to make a new friend.
The app has a simple and colorful design that is both easy to use and pleasing to look at. It’s a great way to get some stuff off your mind or just write down whatever comes to you. The app will also try to pair what you say and your mood with similar thoughts and moods if the app can find some. For now, it’s a completely free download with no in-app purchases. Check it out and show your support for the Android Apps Weekly show!
Get it now on Google Play!
Welcome back to Android Apps Weekly! Let’s take a look at the biggest headlines from the last week:
- Facebook Messenger is primed to get a huge Material Design update in the near future. However, that’s not all its getting. Testers of the app are reporting that Facebook is also working on multi-account support as well as SMS and MMS integration, which is kind of funny considering Hangouts abandoned that feature just a few weeks ago.
- Twitter is now trying out a new Facebook-style algorithm that will try to show you relevant tweets instead of a chronological order. So far, the reaction has been polarizing because some people love it and others hate it. However, if you end up with it, you can disable it in the settings menu so at least it can be turned off.
- Telltale Games announced this week that they’re going to be releasing a new episodic adventure based around Michonne’s character in The Walking Dead. If it’s anything like their prior games based around the series, then this one is going to be awesome. The release date is February 25th.
- ASICS, the well-known sportswear company has announced that they’re going to buy Runkeeper. This followers in the footsteps of other sportswear companies such as UnderArmor acquiring Endomondo and ADIDAS buying Runtastic. We don’t know how much they paid for it or what’s going to happen to the app, yet.
- It was rumored this week that Opera, makers of the famous browser, could be bought by Chinese investors for $1.2 billion. This comes on the heels of another announcement about an exclusive premium apps club where subscription members can download all the apps they want for a price. The service is kind of awesome and we’ll let you know more when we find out.
For even more Android apps and games news, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter! There we have well over two dozen stories that we didn’t get to here. If you’d like, you can sign up for the Android Apps Weekly Newsletter using the form below and we’ll send it directly to you every Sunday!
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GTA Liberty City Stories
[Price: $3.99 (for now)]
GTA Liberty City Stories is the latest Grand Theft Auto game to hit the Play Store and this one is the first one designed specifically for mobile. It plays more or less like your usual GTA title except this one has shorter, more streamlined missions along with improved mobile controls from prior games in the series to create a better mobile experience. It’s suffering from some release day issues but those will be fixed eventually. It’s $3.99 which is 40% off.
Get it now on Google Play!
Chromer
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Chromer is a fun little application that lets you use Chrome Custom Tabs on applications even if the developer doesn’t support it. It’s not necessarily a new application but it received a huge update this last week that added webheads, which opens links in bubbles similar to Flynx and Link Bubble. The new feature works really well and seems to blend in well with the existing functionality. The app is free to download and it’s worth a shot if you’re looking for another bubble web browser.
Get it now on Google Play!
Alto’s Adventure
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Alto’s Adventure is a new 2D infinite runner with a simple premise. You are to ski down a mountainside, collect llamas and coins, and perform awesome tricks. Of course, there are also obstacles to avoid. It’s a simple game and most of your controls involve either tapping or tapping and holding to get desired results. It looks good and it plays well which makes it worth checking out. It’s free with in-app purchases, just like most infinite runners.
Get it now on Google Play!
MyShake
[Price: Free]
MyShake is a fun little application developed at the University of Berkeley and it was built to detect earthquakes. It’s true that normal people will get next to no usage from an app like this, but if you live in an area prone to earthquakes, it could be a good idea to have something like this around. It measures shakes, includes safety tips for surviving an earthquake, and keeps a log to see how many there have been. It’s entirely free and it’s really cool that Android has an app like this now.
Get it now on Google Play!
Final Fantasy IX
[Price: $16.99]
Square Enix continues their torrid pace of re-releasing classic Final Fantasy games with the release of Final Fantasy IX. This game takes you on the journey of Zidane and Garnet as they stop the evil queen who is doing all kinds of terrible things. It features a 30+ hour experience with a long story, plenty of side quests, and some of the most lovable characters from the Final Fantasy franchise. It has some release day issues, but otherwise it seems to work well. It has a steep price tag at $16.99 but at least there are no in-app purchases.
Get it now on Google Play!
Related best app lists:
If we missed any big Android apps and games news, tell us about it in the comments! To see our complete list of best app lists, click here.
Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 review
When you are on a budget, one of the biggest questions you must answer is which features you are willing to compromise on. Whether it’s a lower resolution display, less RAM, less capable cameras, poor build quality, or perhaps an underpowered processor, these are all things you must consider. There’s a host of budget smartphones to choose from, and most tend to compromise at least one area. Here in the United Kingdom, the Moto G (2015) is often viewed as the go-to device for people with limited budgets, but perhaps there’s an alternative, the Smart Ultra 6 that is available from Vodafone UK for just £115.
Design
The Smart Ultra 6 has a unibody design. But, before you get your hopes up with thoughts of the HTC One M9 and its beautiful aesthetics, without being too blunt about it, the Smart Ultra 6 is fairly bland. While many unibody designs will strive for a smooth, sleek appearance without a noticeable seam along the length of the device, the Smart Ultra 6 has gone the other way.
For some reason, the designers went out of their way to put a fake seam on the Smart Ultra 6 that makes it appear as if its has a removable rear panel, except it doesn’t. It isn’t the worst thing you’ve ever seen on a smartphone, it’s just a little odd. On to the dimensions, and the Smart Ultra 6 is 154 x 77 x 8.35mm and weighs 159 grams. For a 5.5-inch handset, it’s quite pocketable, being a couple of millimeters narrower than my Samsung Galaxy Note 4. The bezels aren’t the thinnest you’ve every seen, but then again, they aren’t the biggest either with the handset having a screen-to-body ratio of 70.3%.
The silver volume and power buttons are both on the right-hand-side of the display. The power button is in the middle of the phone, which is far too low for my personal liking but that’s just my preference. The buttons themselves are responsive, easy to find, and reward each press with a satisfying clicking sound. Navigation achieved by way of the on-screen buttons, and there’s a neat blue LED light for notifications that also serves as the Home button.
There’s a speaker on the rear of the handset, along with the Vodafone logo. Up top is the 3.5mm audio socket, with a microSD card slot on the left-hand side of the phone. On the right-hand-side is the SIM slot, just above the volume buttons. As you might expect, the micro-USB port is present on the bottom end of the handset.
When I say the Smart Ultra 6 is bland and inoffensive, don’t get me wrong. The build quality is good, the handset doesn’t creak or bend, and the glass feels sturdy enough. The Smart ultra 6 isn’t a terrible looking handset either, unlike some budget devices that are around. But it is bland, albeit inoffensive. The grey metallic plastic is not unpleasant to hold, the material isn’t terribly slippy in the hand, and it serves its purpose. Thankfully, a case can definitely smarten it up and add some bling if needed. If grey isn’t your thing, the Smart Ultra 6 is also available in silver.
Hardware
The Smart Ultra 6 features a 5.5-inch Full HD (1920×1080) IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor, Adreno 405, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 13MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera, a 3000mAh battery, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, and Bluetooth 4.0.
Bands:
4G LTE (3, 7, 20)
HSDPA
GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900)
Performance
The Smart Ultra 6 is nippy. The Snapdragon 615 is a mid-range processor with 8 Cortex A53 cores providing enough grunt to play the high-end games such as Asphalt 8 with acceptable frame rates. While the Smart Ultra 6 isn’t going to set new benchmark records, it will do the job, without noticeable strain. The rear of the handset doesn’t become overly hot, but it does get warm after playing Asphalt 8 for around 30mins. Although the Snapdragon 615 does its job well, it is possible to make it stutter now and again. For reference, the Smart Ultra 6 scores 2359 on Geekbench 3, and 31192 on Antutu.
Where some affordable handsets fall down when it comes to the display, here the Smart Ultra 6 carries on going. It’s 5.5-inch Full HD LCD display, with In-Plane-Switching (IPS) technology allows for impressive viewing angles and vibrant colours. I think it’s safe to say that you won’t find a better display on a similarly priced handset. Possibly the only letdown with the display is the lack of an automatic brightness option.
The speaker on the rear of the handset offers a rather middling performance. Its single driver sounds a little thin and isn’t anything to write home about, but, it is acceptable and delivers its top volume without distorting. Call quality is also at a good level, with callers able to hear you talk clearly. You won’t be scratching your ears off, but you also won’t want to be using the Smart Ultra as a portable speaker for any length of time.
While the handset is naturally locked to the Vodafone network, it is possible to unlock the Smart Ultra 6 with a minimum of fuss thanks to the unlock codes found on Ebay, which only around £4.
Battery
On to the battery and here the 3000mAh battery really helps the Smart Ultra 6 stand out. Despite having to provide the juice for a large 5.5-inch Full HD display, the battery manages to hold out for around 2 days with light usage. For normal usage, most users should manage to get through the day without having to charge. I found that by 9 PM, I had around 15% left, after the usual notifications, calls and texts, social media, checking accounts and emails, 20-30 mins gaming, and around 20 minutes of YouTube. As with pretty everything else about the Smart Ultra 6, it’s a good result. Not fantastic, not terrible, but firmly in the middle. On average I managed around 4 and a half hours of screen-on time.
Software
Quite often we see these overbearing custom UI’s on Android handsets, whether they are cheap or expensive. Thankfully, Vodafone has refrained from putting its stamp on proceedings, leaving an almost stock Android 5.1.1 Lollipop experience. On that topic, there’s no word as yet when, or if, an update to Marshmallow is forthcoming.
While there are a few pre-installed apps present, that would appear to be the extent of Vodafone’s meddling. Even the wallpapers are stock Android, which is no bad thing. One feature that is missing, however, in common with stock Android, is the ability to see the battery percentage in the status bar. One way to get around it is by installing an app such as Circle Battery Widget from the Play Store.
Let’s get to the pre-installed apps. While the apps themselves are no blight on the handset, Vodafone has somehow decided that these apps are to be front and centre when opening the app drawer. There are seven apps pre-installed, and luckily you can uninstall 5 of them while the other two can be disabled. Other than possibly the Smart Tips and Smart Flow apps, you’ll probably find the pre-installed apps to be fairly pointless.
Pre-installed apps:
- Updates: Lets you install more Vodafone applications
- Direct Access: Links directly to Vodafone’s accessory store
- Message: Vodafone’s free messaging app.
- Discover: Helps you discover other Vodafone services
- My Web: A shortcut to a Vodafone web page
- Smart Flow: A wallpaper app that cycles through images. When it works it’s ok
- Smart Tips: Helpful hints on how to use the Smart Ultra 6, and its features
Camera
It would seem that almost all the mid-range budget phones are using a 13MP sensor for the rear camera, and here the Smart Ultra 6 is no different. Features such as HDR, Panorama, Smile Detection, Multi-Exposure as well as the option to add a filter to your masterpiece are present. You can choose between three modes: Manual, Automatic or Mode which gives you access to the features previously mentioned.
As to the quality of the images, that can be a bit of a mixed bag, but for the most part, the sensor copes adequately when taking pictures in good lighting. In low-light conditions, however, the sensor does struggle to give sharp, detailed results, and can look a little washed out. For a £125, the camera is more than acceptable, so long as you are okay with chucking out the odd photo here and there. You can check out the sample shots I took with the Smart Ultra 6 below.
Closing
Vodafone partnered up with ZTE to develop the Smart Ultra 6, and the result is a handset boasting an impressive array of components for a very affordable price. Yes, the design is somewhat uninspired and nondescript, but it isn’t terribly offensive, and you can always put a case on it to add a bit of excitement. No, the camera is not going to compete with the Galaxy Note 5, and yes, the Snapdragon 615 can stutter at times when you are racing through the apps. But for a handset with a Full HD display, a beefy battery, and competent cameras that usually costs just £115, it’s downright appealing.
I would say that the Smart Ultra 6 is the definitive budget smartphone in the UK at the moment. If you are on a tight budget, this is the mobile phone you should be looking at. For £115, you just can’t go wrong.
[Vodafone]
Come comment on this article: Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 review
Inhabitat’s Week in Green: Tesla’s most affordable EV, and more!
Tesla just announced plans to launch its most affordable electric car next month. The Model 3 is expected to cost $35,000 and is set to debut on March 31st — but it already has competition. Chevrolet showcased the Bolt EV at the start of the year, and Volkswagen confirmed that it’s working on the world’s first mass-market electric car. Meanwhile, Google is developing electric cars that drive themselves, and soon they’ll be able to charge wirelessly. In aviation news, Easyjet announced plans to trial the first hybrid hydrogen plane, and Elon Musk is considering building a vertical take-off and landing electric jet.
Solar-powered homes are nothing new, but what about homes that run on hydrogen fuel? A new community in Thailand is powered by a hydrogen system that allows it operate 100 percent off-grid, rain or shine. You don’t have to rough it to live off the grid, Jeff Hobbs built a tiny sun-powered home that’s completely self-sufficient and packed with luxurious features. And for those who really want to escape civilization, the Bolt is a lightning-proof tent that will keep you safe in a storm.
This week astronomers made one of the most important discoveries of the decade. While listening to the sound of two black holes colliding, the LIGO observatory detected gravitational waves, confirming Einstein’s last unproven theory. In other science and tech news, MIT is close to cracking the genetic code that could eradicate mosquitos spreading the Zika virus. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley developed a clever app that uses your smartphone to help predict earthquakes. And an inventor developed a prosthetic arm that kids can customize with LEGO pieces.
Spotify will make a playlist out of your Valentine’s love note
Back in the day, people had to painstakingly make carefully curated mixtapes for the apple of their eyes. Then we all moved on to making playlists. Now, Spotify is making it even easier for bashful, lovestruck folks to send V-day messages to their crushes. See, all you’ve got to do is visit the Love Notes portal, choose a color scheme from cool (blues) to hot (reds) and pick three music genres. When you type in a message, the website automatically makes a playlist using songs that begin with the letters you use.
In the sample below, for instance, typing in “I love you” gave us I Don’t Have The Heart by James Ingram, Lay You Down by Usher, Off the Wall by Michael Jackson, and so on and so forth. You can sign the note or leave it anonymous and copy a link to share privately or post on your social media accounts. It makes for a cute enough gesture for a love interest or an SO, though you can pair it with something else like Skype’s Valentine’s video cards if you want to put more effort into your gift.
Source: Spotify
Kanye West’s new album is streaming exclusively on Tidal
Music icon (and owner of perhaps the weirdest account on Twitter) Kanye West has finally delivered his highly-anticipated new album, The Life of Pablo. West has been teasing the album on Twitter for weeks now, changing the title and adding tracks at will. But now the full album (18 tracks, with four of those considered “bonus tracks, if you’re keeping count) is streaming exclusively on Tidal for the next week. If you don’t want to sign up for Tidal, you can also purchase a digital version for the eye-raising price of $20.
It’s undoubtably the biggest exclusive for the service thus far, though it’s not entirely surprising given that he was one of the service’s biggest supporters when it relaunched last year under Jay-Z’s stewardship. Tidal’s exclusivity period is planned to last for a week, both in terms of streaming and outright purchasing — we imagine most major streaming services will get the album this Friday, and you should be able to buy it from iTunes or Amazon then as well for a more reasonable price.
It looks as though that “tweak the album until the last minute” strategy cause The Life of Pablo to be a little later than anticipated — West said the album would arrive on February 11th. It technically did, in the form of a huge listening part at Madison Square Garden, but the album wasn’t available to the masses on Friday as expected.
But following yesterday’s performance on Saturday Night Live, West was finally ready to take the wraps off his creation — now we can stop paying attention to his ludicrous tweets and start debating over whether the album was worth the wait. Not to mention which of its many album titles was the best (I was partial to Waves, myself). We’ll also have to see how much interest this drives in Tidal’s service. Its last big exclusive, Rihanna’s new album, briefly put the Tidal iOS app near the top of the free download charts.
Source: Tidal
New Samsung Galaxy S7 leaks show a collection of colors
The weeks leading up to the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have been met with an outright torrent of leaks. With the devices set to be unveiled on February 21st, it’s safe to assume that the waves will only rise higher, and indeed today’s tide has brought with it some sizable surf. The latest – a plentiful pair of pictures no less – offers onlookers a good idea of the variety of color options that will the two devices will initially be sold in.
See also: Samsung Galaxy S7 rumor roundup: release date, price, specs, features
First, the Galaxy S7 as Tweeted by Evan Blass (@evleaks):
Eye candy, pt. 2. pic.twitter.com/UM6rWM6oTj
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 14, 2016
And here is the image enlarged:
Two take away points here:
- There are only two color options shown. Assuming this is correct, it would indicate that Samsung will, initially at least, only release the Galaxy S7 in Black and Gold variants. This could very well be a result of the fact that the Galaxy S6 Edge proved more popular than the standard model, something that may be expected to hold true this year as well for customers facing a choice between the it and the Edge option.
- The back of the device (more visible with the Gold variant) is clearly curved along the edges, similar to what was achieved with the Galaxy Note 5, and has been hinted and suggested based on numerous leaks in recent weeks.
It is worth pointing out, in a puzzling manner, why these leaks continue to show the “bent” Home button, at least with respect to the Black model.
And now, the Galaxy S7 Edge:
Eye candy. pic.twitter.com/sIJXMx9o8G
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 13, 2016
And the enlarged image:
And the obligatory talking points:
- The Galaxy S7 Edge does indeed look to be significantly taller than the S7, as leaks have indicated. The S7 Edge is expected to have a 5.5-inch QHD sAMOLED display whereas the standard S7 is expected to offer a smaller, 5.1-inch panel.
- In addition to Black and Gold, there is a Silver (Platinum) model also shown.
- The back side appears to be curved, just as with the S7 and the Note 5.
Also worth pointing out is the (again) strange Home button variations. In both the Silver and Gold pictures, the button is large and slightly misshapen, though it could also be the lighting. With the Black model however, it is symmetrical though somewhat smaller.
A consideration of color(s)
Sadly neither the “blue” black or green color variants of the S6 Edge look likely to return for the S7 Edge.
Assuming these colors are the only options when the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are released, it will at the very least spark the question why no White variant is being produced. For that matter, there is no Rose Gold variant either, a color that many have assumed Samsung will embrace following Apple’s usage with last year’s iPhone 6s. The pink shade was even seen on the recently released Galaxy A (2016) series, and indeed the Galaxy Note 5 was also given a glossing of it as well.
It is plausible that internal sales data from Samsung revealed the White option was simply not a big seller, nor was either the Blue Topaz (S6) or Green Emerald (S6 Edge) variants. Also working in tangent was presumably some disappointment among consumers that last year’s so-called “black” model was more dark blue, and hence the production of a deep black run this year.
With respect to the S7 in particular, given the smaller size and apparently more limited color pallets to choose from, it would be interesting to see how carriers, retailers, and other merchants will go about selling the device. If the S7 Edge is expected to move in much greater quantities, it’s conceivable that some outlets might under-stock the standard S7 or not carry it at all.
At the very least, consumers will be either very happy or else quite miffed to find these limited color options come March when the devices are rumored to be hitting stores.
Speaking of size
One other topic worth mentioning is the wealth of evidence that is all but confirming the Galaxy S7 Edge will be a larger product than its smaller sibling. How well this will play out remains to be seen. The Galaxy S6 Edge outsold the S6 perhaps because many customers saw it as the “cooler” of two almost identical products. But if the S7 Edge is indeed bigger, then it’s a totally different product, and therefore more akin to last summer’s Galaxy S6 Edge+, a device that will be just over 6 months old by the time these new options are to hit stores.
If customers overwhelmingly wanted a larger S6 Edge but “settled” for the smaller size last April, then it would follow that the S7 Edge should do well. On the other hand, depending on what kind of trends and purchasing habits are prevalent this year, by not offering a “standard size” Galaxy S7 Edge, Samsung could actually be hurting the sales.
On a final note, the very idea of the S6 Edge+ comes into play as well: after the new models are announced, it would not be unreasonable to think the S6 Edge+ may see a price break, either from Samsung itself or else from retail partners and carriers eager to sell through their inventory. Unless the S7 Edge has some clearly distinctive and delineative differences, there is a legitimate cause for concern that customers may simply chose the cheaper, slightly older (and slightly larger) S6 Edge+ instead of the brand new and expensive, S7 Edge.
Wrap Up
Today’s leaks, while legitimate looking to say the least, are still not officially confirmed images by Samsung. To this end, readers are encouraged – as always – to take everything with a grain of salt until the Unpacked unveiling event takes place on February 21st.
With that said, the next week is likely to be filled with even more leaks of this promising pair of products. It remains to be seen if there will be a full-on look at the new TouchWiz build Samsung will inevitably be including with the S7 and S7 Edge. Stay tuned to Android Authority for all the latest news on the newest Galaxy smartphones, as well as all the latest news from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain!
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Oculus wants to help VR avatars look normal when they talk
Remember all those Hong Kong kung-fu movies with really poor dubbing so the actors’ mouths would keep flapping after the words had stopped? That was charming. What’s less charming is the possibility of stone-faced avatars poorly mouthing dialogue, detracting ever so slightly from the immersive power of virtual reality worlds. That’s why we’re all slightly excited that Oculus released (and quietly yanked) a beta Unity plugin called OVRLipSync.
The plugin lets developers sync an avatar’s mouth movements to either existing audio or input from a microphone without too much hassle. Even though Oculus seems to have killed the OVRLipSync page pretty quickly, a couple quick devs accessed the tool and showed off what it was capable of (see below). Granted, the results aren’t wholly life-like, but it’s not a bad showing for beta software. More importantly, we’re left wondering how many new VR titles will up taking advantage of this thing. Our guess? Lots. Its potential importance stretches beyond just making NPCs look more natural, too. Oculus is working on shared VR experiences with Oculus Social, so maybe we’ll get those ornate virtual chatrooms with fully animated avatars that were promised in cyberpunk novels after all.
Via: VRFocus
Source: Oculus Developers
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 International Giveaway!
Welcome to the Sunday Giveaway, the place where we giveaway a new Android phone or tablet each and every Sunday!
A big congratulations to last week’s winners of the Nexus 6P Giveaway: Luke B. (St. Louis, USA). Enjoy your new Nexus 6P Luke!
This week we are giving away (1) Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone.
More Note 5 content:
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Galaxy Note 5 International Giveaway!
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Terms & Conditions
- The giveaway is an international giveaway (Except when we can not ship to your Country.)
- If we can not ship to your country, you will be compensated with an online gift card of equal MSRP value to the prize.
- We are not responsible for lost shipments.
- You must be age of majority in your Country of residence.
- We are not responsible for any duties or import fees that you may incur.
- Only 1 entry per person, do not enter multiple email addresses. We will verify all winners and if we detect multiple email addresses by the same person you will not be eligible to win.
- We reserve all rights to make any changes to this giveaway.
- This giveaway is operated by AndroidAuthority.
- The prize will ship when it is available to purchase.
The FBI teaches teens about extremism with a game that defies logic
The FBI recently fired up a new site urging teens and other young internet people not to “be a puppet,” which in this extremely specific case requires recognizing and understanding violent extremism. Fine! Great! As incidents of extremism continue to tear lives apart lives the world over, young people deserve to understand the mindset that leads some to make tragic decisions. Then the FBI tried to make a Flash game starring a goat avoiding blocks and all logic just flew out the window.
See, the entire point of the game — “Slippery Slope” — is to learn about the justifications and mechanisms that can lead an otherwise normal person to extremism. You accomplish this by using your computer’s arrow keys to maneuver a pixellated goat through a faux-8-bit world, avoiding blocks (mountains? hills? buildings? ideas?) and dying constantly along the way. Constantly. Go ahead, try it.
The big problem — besides the fact that none of this makes a lick of sense — is that anything more than a peck on the arrow key will send the our goat friend careening to its death. Every time you die, you’re treated to example of extremist “distorted logic” like “the enemy is responsible for this injustice” or “our violent actions will result in a better future”. When you lose all six lives, and you will, you’ll get the full list of examples just so people who don’t like playing bad games will still learn something.
If we were generous, we could argue that whole bizarre thing is a metaphor for how would-be extremists eventually fall into a mindset that is as externally batshit to us as this game is. And that the inability to steer the goat represents the wild momentum that can propel a person deeper into a coercive group’s poisonous logic. What probably happened, though, is that one guy in a suit told a few guys who weren’t in suits that games are hip and they should make one. The end result is either subtly brilliant or a game design nightmare — maybe the FBI should try the straightforward approach next time.
Via: The Verge
Source: FBI.gov
MyShake app – helping seismologists keep track of earthquakes
MyShake app may not bring all the boys to the yard, but it may save your life one day. Or at least it may serve as a great way to track and alert people when a significant earthquake hits your area.
The application was developed by a group of scientists from UC Berkeley, and it is meant to help seismologists do their job. But the idea is a bit different, as this project aims to take advantage of the fact that we all carry smartphones. Yes… it is crowdsourced. Seismometer sensors are not cheap, so getting a little help from app users will go a long way.
But how can a smartphone even detect an earthquake? Well, these gadgets do have gyroscopes, which can recognize movement. But it does seem a little useless for this case, because we are always moving around – so in a chart it may look like there is seismic activity all day.
One phone alone can do nothing, but the idea is to get plenty of users on board, then data can start making sense. If, say, 100 people around a specific vicinity register very similar activity at the same time, then we can deduce it is not them moving, but everything around them. It seems the set limit is 60%; if more than that amount of users show seismic activity, an alert will go off. Apparently phones can effectively record earthquakes of magnitude 5 or greater, which are really the ones that matter.
The project is still taking off, so we don’t know how far it can go. It sure seems like something some regions should advertise more. Off the top of my head, I can think of areas like California or Japan. At some point they could even use it as a system that works along with other seismometers.
Want to help out? Go ahead and download the app. Who is signing up?
AIVAnet 