Thursday, May 31, 2007
Here's a cool concept: Spray your face with a product that will render you invisible to cameras. Impossible! Well it's still a concept, but Blur anti-photography spray may make some paparazzi sweat. The idea is that the spray would contain nanoparticles with uber-reflective properties. This high reflection would throw off the photo sensors and just white out your face. Apparently HP has something similar in mind too - an electronic badge that jams digital cameras. An infrared signal would jam any nearby digital camera - making the camera blur beyond recognition the faces of those wearing the badge. Interesting stuff, wouldn't you say?
Blur
HP Badge Article.
Labels: photography, technology
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Microsoft has been creating several amazing products recently. Earlier this year I blogged about Photosynth. Today everyone is talking about surface computing. What was a top secret project - Microsoft has now unveiled as a new Surface computer. A coffee table type computer that interacts with objects and human touch. The table is basically a PC encased in a spiffy black table base with a delicious 30 inch touchscreen under an acrylic top. 5 cameras under the screen sense and identify objects. Wireless networking allows the computer to sense what object has been placed on the screen, and will automatically connect to it if able. A multi finger, multi user interface allows you to organize your photos and move them around as if they were real printed photos. No mouse, no keyboard, all touch - and with both hands if you want. Imagine placing a digital camera and a cell phone on the screen, and then all of the sudden see the pics spill out of the camera all over the screen, and sliding some of those images under the phone to transfer them.
Microsoft will initially target stores, hotels and casinos with the new technology. Surface computers will be available in some Las Vegas casinos, Starwood hotels and T-Mobile stores by the end of the year.
You would think something this awesome would be priced way too high for most of us to touch, but Microsoft is saying $5,000 to $10,000. Prices are expected to drop within 3-5 to make them much more affordable for the rest of us consumers.
Microsoft is working on a limited number of programs to ship with Surface, including one for sharing digital photographs - which couldn't possibly get old.
Thank you Microsoft!
See this demo!
Read more -
Labels: Computers, Gadgets, Microsoft, technology
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The sales and marketing scene only get more competitive as time goes on. Businesses must try harder and harder to compete with each other. Any sales team can only do so much these days, so they need all the help they can get. Many businesses have turned to automated systems and web based collaboration to make their efforts more efficient. You might know the lingo; CRM.
AIMpromote lead management software is just that - a web based tool to manage all aspects of your marketing and sales team. Observe the status and progress of your sales teams. Keep track of leads, automate email messages, automate tasks and much more. If you're like me and need a little extra help keeping organized than you will totally understand why AIMPromote is a necessity in the business world.
Seriously, when you are just starting out or when you are looking to get a new product or gadget out to the public you have to think of any possible avenue to enhance what your brains have already invented. And let's face it, just because you've got the brains to invent or build...doesn't mean you know strategy for marketing your product. So do yourself a favor, check out the CRM AIMPromote.
"The unique combination of having the most functionality, and the lowest total cost of ownership, AIMpromote is the most cost effective solution for improving close rates and marketing efficiency."
Disclosure:
This post has been sponsored by AIMPromote.
AIMpromote lead management software is just that - a web based tool to manage all aspects of your marketing and sales team. Observe the status and progress of your sales teams. Keep track of leads, automate email messages, automate tasks and much more. If you're like me and need a little extra help keeping organized than you will totally understand why AIMPromote is a necessity in the business world.
Seriously, when you are just starting out or when you are looking to get a new product or gadget out to the public you have to think of any possible avenue to enhance what your brains have already invented. And let's face it, just because you've got the brains to invent or build...doesn't mean you know strategy for marketing your product. So do yourself a favor, check out the CRM AIMPromote.
"The unique combination of having the most functionality, and the lowest total cost of ownership, AIMpromote is the most cost effective solution for improving close rates and marketing efficiency."
Disclosure:
This post has been sponsored by AIMPromote.
Labels: entrepreneurism, marketing
I'm one of those people who can't afford to be cell phone crazy. I always buy the ones that end up being free after mail-in rebates. When it comes times to get another phone I always look through the list and find the cheapest. But if I could choose without worrying about the money that would be a whole different story. Because I am a geeky girl, a nerd. Yes, I am tech savvy and I love reading about all the fun new gadgets.
Wirefly.com has a list of the top 10 cell phones from the spring of 2007. It turns out that the top three models which include: The Motorola RAZR, the BlackBerry Pearl and the LG Chocolate, happen to be phones you can buy in bright, vibrant colors. I totally get this, I love bold colors. My favorite color is blue, basic blue. When I was a kid, my favorite color was orange and it wasn't long ago that I painted my bedroom "sparkler" yellow.
My favorite phone made the list, if I had extra money to spend I would be purchasing a blue crystal LG Chocolate. That doesn't seem to be "the" popular color, but reds and pinks are just not for me. If they didn't have blue, I'd have to go Mint Green. I think that is the color my son would pick as well.
So I have to say I totally agree with the scoop on color trends that Wirefly wrote about. Especially when you consider the demographic most phones are reaching; young people who want to make a name for themselves. Wirefly called it...and the trend is BOLD!
Which one do you like?
Digg this story!
Disclosure:
This is a sponsored post.
Wirefly.com has a list of the top 10 cell phones from the spring of 2007. It turns out that the top three models which include: The Motorola RAZR, the BlackBerry Pearl and the LG Chocolate, happen to be phones you can buy in bright, vibrant colors. I totally get this, I love bold colors. My favorite color is blue, basic blue. When I was a kid, my favorite color was orange and it wasn't long ago that I painted my bedroom "sparkler" yellow.
My favorite phone made the list, if I had extra money to spend I would be purchasing a blue crystal LG Chocolate. That doesn't seem to be "the" popular color, but reds and pinks are just not for me. If they didn't have blue, I'd have to go Mint Green. I think that is the color my son would pick as well.
So I have to say I totally agree with the scoop on color trends that Wirefly wrote about. Especially when you consider the demographic most phones are reaching; young people who want to make a name for themselves. Wirefly called it...and the trend is BOLD!
Which one do you like?
Digg this story!
Disclosure:
This is a sponsored post.
Labels: cell phone
Friday, May 25, 2007
Everyday 150,000 hours are spent by people solving those jumpled text puzzles to register at websites or place orders online. This made Luis von Ahn say "hmm". Luis is an assitant professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon. His idea to better use those 150,000 hours? Help digitize books, of course! Rather than figuring out which letters and numbers you are supposed to type, researchers have developed a way for people to type snippets of books. This will still confirm that we aren't robots, and also speed up the process of getting searchable texts online.
Usually books are scanned, using Optical character recognition to digitize the texts. But von Ahn said OCR doesn't always work on text that is older, faded or distorted. In those cases, often the only way to digitize the works is to manually type them into a computer.
So, the Ineternet Archive (which scans 12 thousand books every month) would send Luis hundreds of thousands of scans that the computer doesn't recognize. Those files are placed onto von Ahn's server and split up into single words that can be used as CAPTCHAs at sites all over the Internet.
Pretty cool right?
Read Story.
Related Links:
http://www.recaptcha.net
http://www.gutenberg.org
Labels: books, internet, technology
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Free automated backups without any catch! You don't always have the time or resources to be backing up your precious pictures, music, or documents. It's easy to take for granted the stability of todays hardware, but your hard drive or Windows install may go bad at the most inconvenient time.
IDrive-E is one of the most user-intuitive backup applications and all you have to do is to download and install it on your computer and simply start using it to schedule files and folders to secure your backups. IDrive-E makes backing up your data simple by setting and forgetting. The program is similar to the native Microsoft Windows explorer which makes it easy to select files and folders for remote backup and restore related activities.
And here comes my true nerd talk...
Enhanced security with 128-bit SSL encryption on transfers, 256-bit AES encryption on storage with a user defined key, so your data is secure from those snooping about. 2 Gigabytes of storage is what you get with the free version. That's quite generous for free data storage. $4.95 a month gets you unlimited storage space. Sounds good to me!
Online Backup
*Disclosure*
Thank you to IDrive-E for sponsoring this post!
Labels: hardware, technology
Come June, Apple will no longer be making 17" Screen iMacs. The only iMacs that will be manufactured from that point on will be 20" and 24" screens.This is what we hear from Think Secret:
"Eliminating the low-end iMac will also improve logistics for Apple, which will need to track and stock considerably fewer parts. For similar reasons, Apple is also expected to make the long-anticipated switch from its 23-inch Cinema Display HD to a 24-inch model featuring the same panel as the iMac."Interesting, so as screens continue to grow in high demands perhaps the prices will come down, too. And I'll be able to buy a 22" screen without burning a ginormous hole in my little pocket.
Labels: technology
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Amazon has become a one stop shop for many online consumers over the years. The site was especially popular with my friends for CD purchases. Seeing has how digital music sales are climbing, Amazon has announced today that it too will go with that flow. Later this year Amazon plans on opening a digital music store - with a DRM free library consisting millions of songs from over 12,000 labels.
Amazon has not said how much they will charge for songs or the terms on which it would offer music — per song, per album, by subscription or some combination of those plans. It also did not specify a date for the launch of the store.
Article.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Somebody stop me. Lol.
Who in the world developed this thing!?
A nasal aspirator for your wee tot.
The Nosefrida...it's not a joke, I swear, it's very real.
And oh so disgusting! Eck!
What if you suck too much, what if the snot is looser than you expect? ECK! God forbid your child is curious and decides to handle all the snot sucking himself. Can you imagine? Stick it up his nose, puts the other end in his mouth. Oh Lord!
No, no, this is even better. Imagine your child wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. You run to their room, think they are having a nightmare and they look at you..."Mommy, my nose is so stuffy, I need you to suck the snot out of it!" Oh yeah sure honey just flare your nostril a little bit wider for Mommy so she can get a good position.
Hahahahahaha! Oh stop! It hurts! Hahahahaha!
Labels: Gadgets
Lol. Sometimes I find the craziest things when I'm perusing the net during lunch breaks. Maybe because I'm generally an odd bird anyway, so stumbling into odd news or gadgets isn't that difficult.But this little gadget could save you from having to find your missing socks!
Sock Pro.
You heard me right.
Sock.
Pro.
It's a professional something or other...and it is sock related. **I just can't get over this, it's too funny**
Their website even comes with step-by-step directions on how to correctly use the Sock Pro. **Trying not to laugh too loud**
STEP 1
Click on image for larger view.
Place a dirty pair of socks through the SOCKpro and toss them into the laundry.
STEP 2
Socks and SOCKpro are laundered with your wash loads as usual.
STEP 3
Socks, with SOCKpro, go back in the drawer;
CLEAN, DRY and STILL TOGETHER.
**still snickering**
Labels: Gadgets
This isn't so much geeky as it is just plain clever.
Since I attended two BBQ's this weekend for Mother's Day, grilling and all that smoky goodness has been pleasantly on my mind. I love the smell of something cooking on a grill.
Anywho, here is a grill for someone who doesn't have any space; apartment dwellers won't have to miss out anymore!
You can either get a portable, briefcase grill. Or you can buy Bruce. Yep, Bruce is a grill made especially for a balcony, it looks kind of like those flower pot things you hook to a window sill.
Don't worry about any melting plastic dripping onto the people in the balcony below you...actually, I'm not sure if you would have to worry about that or not. I would assume it has all been tested. But ya just never know.
Since I attended two BBQ's this weekend for Mother's Day, grilling and all that smoky goodness has been pleasantly on my mind. I love the smell of something cooking on a grill.
Anywho, here is a grill for someone who doesn't have any space; apartment dwellers won't have to miss out anymore!
You can either get a portable, briefcase grill. Or you can buy Bruce. Yep, Bruce is a grill made especially for a balcony, it looks kind of like those flower pot things you hook to a window sill.
Don't worry about any melting plastic dripping onto the people in the balcony below you...actually, I'm not sure if you would have to worry about that or not. I would assume it has all been tested. But ya just never know.Labels: Gadgets
Friday, May 11, 2007
Ipods are hip and cool, and now you can rest assured that Jesus is hip and cool. You can now use an iPod as an excuse to wear a cross *high five*, or learn to pray. "iRosary uses the advantages of the iPod to make the rosary more attractive and flexible for younger believers." Because the rosasy and prayer aren't cool unless you have a chic faith in the iPod. Image is everything. Hmm.Labels: iPod
Monday, May 7, 2007
Again. I'm speechless. I just, I don't know what to say about this.A hyrbid eating utensil? Are you kidding me?
I mean, you would get so messy eating with this thing. You'd be spinning it around and splattering people. Not to mention how to you cut through a piece of steak (not that I eat steak) without being able to hold it down with your fork and cut with your knife? Hmm?
I know I can't be the only person who cuts that way.
I will admit it looks kind of cool. Very ninja like. Hehe.
Labels: funny, Gadgets, kitchen
Friday, May 4, 2007
I could say "oh no they didn't!", or I could say "it was only a matter of time." I love how the iPod dock trend just doesn't seem to be slowing down. I'm telling you they will make an iPod dock for everything. Sometimes it makes sense, other times not so much. If you have a baby grand piano in your house, I would hope that 1) you can play it, or 2) you have it as a classy accessory to the room - but not 3) to attach an iPod to it. I'm not exactly a fan of installnig a music box into a piano..but this is worse - the iQ. The piano plays itself to the melody of what's on the iPod. A classy addition indeed.
See More.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Researches at IBM have found a way to make microchips 35% faster or consume 15% less power - and not by using conventional methods. Their inspiration: seashells, snowflakes, and enamel on teeth. What did they do? They're using a compound that "self-assembles" in a similar way to a seashell or snowflake. This new process allows the wiring on a chip to be insulated with vacuum. This is a big deal for manufacturing chips. Conventional methods are limiting how far we can push the boundaries of speed and heat. And if you are wondering what this image is - it's a cross section of a chip showing the tiny holes.
Read More.
Labels: Computers, IBM, technology
This is just so fabulously cool that I had to write about it immediately.Right now it is overpriced, but I wonder if the Sakku will get some cheaper competition from other companies now that more than half the population consists of "gadget carriers."
While I consider myself extremely nerdy, I have to admit the only gadget I carry around faithfully is my cell phone. Though sometimes I wish I had an iPod or some other palm pilot type thing, I haven't yet found it to be necessary.
Though now that I see the Sakku, maybe I need some gadgets to go with my bag?
Haha, now I see how some women can buy a lot of shoes and find themselves needing new outifts.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Because we all love ninjas so much - may I introduce to you the official ninja wall clock. Why have a ninja show you the time? Because ninjas invented time - they are time, and it's only $20. There it is plain and simple.Product page.
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