October 31, 2014
Drone footage of an airport

Drone footage of an aiport shows what you can do it you’re allowed to fly a camera drone at an airport. You can’t in the US and (I assume) Canada, but in Mexico, where this was taken, the filmmaker worked with the airport and tower to make sure everything was safe, and produced a very cool video.

Posted by Arcterex at 02:27 PM
Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2014

A great time lapse film of the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2014. If there’s something that always works well in time lapse, it’s hot air balloons…

Posted by Arcterex at 11:27 AM
October 29, 2014
AT&T, Verizon Using 'Perma-Cookies' to Track Customer Web Activity

AT&T, Verizon Using ‘Perma-Cookies’ to Track Customer Web Activity:

According to Forbes, AT&T is testing a similar code insertion program that will allow websites to track AT&T customers. Like Verizon, AT&T has plans to make the tracking codes temporary as a “privacy-protective measure,” but according to one of the researchers that discovered the tracking, Kenneth White, the codes that AT&T is sending to some customers are persistent.

Marco also has some succinct commentary on this too.

Seriously, this is a horrible breach of trust, and because of the monopoly (well, lack of choice, definitely not a monopoly, that’d be illegal…) many customers have no choice but to deal with this.

Posted by Arcterex at 12:33 PM
October 28, 2014
How To Smuggle Secrets Online

A fascinating article on how Edward Snowden Taught Me To Smuggle Secrets Past Incredible Danger:

On May 13, after creating a customized version of Tails for Greenwald, I hopped on my bike and pedaled to the FedEx office on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, where I slipped the Tails thumb drive into a shipping package, filled out a customs form that asked about the contents (“Flash Drive Gift,” I wrote), and sent it to Greenwald in Brazil. He received the package two weeks later, it having been delayed in transit, for what I believed to be bureaucratic rather than nefarious reasons, and the blue thumb drive actually made a cameo appearance in “Citizenfour.” For a technologist, this was a dream come true.

Posted by Arcterex at 05:09 PM
10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman

Anyone who thinks that 10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman is easy and fun should watch this. I had no idea (as a white, middle class male) that things were like this. We suck.

Posted by Arcterex at 04:41 PM
October 24, 2014
A Tale of Momentum & Inertia

JWZ found an absolutely delightful little video: A Tale of Momentum & Inertia.

Posted by Arcterex at 11:09 AM
"Shia LaBeouf" Live

If someone had told me that ballet was like “Shia LaBeouf” Live I’d have become a fan much earlier.

Posted by Arcterex at 09:53 AM
October 23, 2014
Florida governor Rick Scott throws hissy fit at gubernatorial debate over an electric fan

Dear America. Stuff like this is why the rest of the world mocks your political system (or at least politicians…. or at least Florida):

Posted by Arcterex at 05:33 PM
Ubuntu 14.10 Released

Welcome to the world Utopic Unicorn! You can read about Desktop features, download the official flavors or just read the full Release Notes.

Congrats to the Ubuntu team!

Posted by Arcterex at 11:38 AM
Terrorists don't have a chance in Canada

Great article: Terrorists don’t have a chance in this country in regards to the Canadian response to the shooting and potential terror attack in Canada’s capital yesterday.

I saw the media report the story with care and restraint. No premature conclusions. No scare talk. The CBC reporters never turned a hair. The unflappable Peter Mansbridge is still the best quarterback in the business. The Globe’s astonishing Josh Wingrove had the fortitude to film the bullets spraying and duck for cover. His electrifying video was shown around the world.

Well worth the read, especially if you’ve seen any of the comparisons between reporting between the US and Canada (though we’re not completely blameless here either.

Posted by Arcterex at 11:22 AM
October 22, 2014
Dr. Oz' 'Magic Weight-Loss Cure' Was Bogus Researchers Reveal

Dr. Oz’ ‘Magic Weight-Loss Cure’: Diet Pill Study Was Bogus Researchers Reveal

If you were thinking of trying Dr. Oz’s “magic weight-loss cure” of green coffee bean extract, don’t waste your money. The researchers responsible for the only scientific study backing up the television doctor’s claim released a statement today saying the study was bogus.

Does this shock anyone? Seriously? Anytime you hear ‘weight loss pill’ you can mentally replace that with ‘bogus BS waste of money’ and I can guarantee you that 100% of the time you’ll be correct.

Posted by Arcterex at 03:41 PM
October 21, 2014
B.C. Grizzly Bear Chews up GoPro Camrea

This video shows B.C. grizzly chewing on GoPro camera. Takes a bit, but if you’re watching on a bit monitor and suddenly you have a bear mouth coming towards you…. yowza.

Posted by Arcterex at 12:25 PM
October 15, 2014
GamerGate terrorists threaten mass school shooting in Utah

GamerGate terrorists threaten mass school shooting in Utah

Gaming critic Anita Sarkeesian was scheduled to hold a talk at Utah State University. However, GamerGate terrorists threatened to enact “the largest school shooting in American history” if the talk were to take place. The contents of the terrorist threat are horrific, and fit the general tone of GamerGate terrorism; threats of rape, murder, mutilation, the usual stuff, but now also with mass murder, automatic rifles, and pipe bombs.

Seriously, what the fuck is going on?

Posted by Arcterex at 02:53 PM
Google announces Android 5.0 Lollipop

Google announces Android 5.0 Lollipop. It’ll debut on the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9.

In addition to a visual overhaul, Lollipop brings over 5,000 new APIs for developers to tap into and lets multiple different Android devices with various form factors work better together. Google says that things such as songs, photos, apps, and recent searches can be seamlessly synced across various Android devices. Lollipop also includes new notification controls to limit alerts during meetings and other times, a new battery saver mode that can eke out 90 more minutes of life between charges, multiple user accounts, guest user modes, and new ways to secure your device via trusted Bluetooth connections. Many of these features have been implemented by various Android device makers on their own smartphones and tablets for some time, but Google is now making sure they are part of the core Android experience.

I’m pretty interested in seeing Android 5. It looks very iOS 7-y with the “material” design, and the look is really damn sexy, I’d love to get my hands on it (of course, I don’t think any of the Android phones in the office will get it anytime soon).

Posted by Arcterex at 09:41 AM
October 14, 2014
Aerial Video of a San Francisco Morning

This is a stunning video of a San Francisco Morning. Definitely watch in HD and full screen.

Posted by Arcterex at 04:55 PM
Ana Yang gazillion bubble show

Ana Yang gazillion bubble show

“A bubble show?” you ask? How the heck can that be interesting or exciting? I thought the same thing until I’d watched about 10 seconds of this. Amazing stuff.

Posted by Arcterex at 12:21 PM
The Tesla D

A great look at the Tesla D over on the verge. Not only detailing the amazing performance, but also the (basically) driverless driving.

Eventually Tesla is hoping to tune its autopilot system into something that will let people just kick back and be a passenger in their own car. But if the trip through the neon tunnel of terror is any indication, it’s more fun to gun it.

Watching the video midway through the article is definitely recommended.

Posted by Arcterex at 09:57 AM
October 08, 2014
Apple event set for Oct. 16

Apple event set for Oct. 16. Yup, looks like we’ll be getting some new stuff.

Posted by Arcterex at 09:30 AM
October 07, 2014
Elton John Creates Song Using "Lyrics" On Oven Instruction

Elton John Creates Song Using “Lyrics” On Oven Instruction:

This is how you recognize a master, just in case you were wondering.

Posted by Arcterex at 02:21 PM
October 06, 2014
Android Watch Running Windows 95

Least useful hack ever puts Windows 95 on your smartwatch.

I’ll just let that sink in.

Posted by Arcterex at 02:50 PM
October 03, 2014
An in-depth look at Apple Pay

Great look at Apple Pay and what’s behind the secure payment system. Pretty in depth look with a lot of great info here.

With Apple Pay, no credit card data — even in encrypted form — is ever stored on the iPhone or on Apple’s servers. Similarly, no credit card data is ever transmitted to or stored on a merchant’s servers.

When a user first signs up for Apple Pay, either via an existing iTunes credit card or by loading a new one onto the iPhone, the card information is immediately encrypted and securely sent to the appropriate credit card network. Upon determining that the credit card account is valid, a token is sent back down to the device whereupon it’s safely stored within the iPhone’s Secure Element.

Posted by Arcterex at 12:58 PM
October 02, 2014
Evernote Announces Big Changes Coming

At the 2014 Evernote Conference, two big changes were announced:

Context:

In Evernote, every phrase informs our algorithms about what other content might help you further your project. We call this Context. It’s an extremely powerful new Premium feature coming soon to Evernote.

Work Chat:

Work Chat lets you discuss your work with the individuals that will help you get it done, right in Evernote. Share notes and notebooks, exchange ideas, and get feedback from colleagues in an instant. You can share and collaborate with as many, or as few, people as you like. The notes and notebooks that you reference will show up in the chats so that they’re easy to open and find.

Both these features are “coming soon”, but if you go to the Evernote Web site, you can opt into the much improved beta version of the web client.

Posted by Arcterex at 04:08 PM
Camera51 App Automatically Helps You Compose Better Photos with Your Smartphone

Camera51 App Automatically Helps You Compose Better Photos with Your Smartphone

And that’s it, super simple. By applying things like the rule of thirds and the golden triangle to your images, it hopes to take standard smartphone shots to new compositional heights… automatically.

Looks interesting. Not sure I like the ‘pass on years of experience automatically’, but it’s definitely a cool idea.

Posted by Arcterex at 12:46 PM
Inside Out US Teaser Trailer - YouTube

The teaser trailer for Pixar’s new movie, Inside Out is out!

So, what do you think?

Posted by Arcterex at 11:56 AM
Get Apple's CarPlay On Your Pioneer Car Stereo

Good news: You don’t need a new car for Apple’s CarPlay. Bad news: it’ll cost you between $700 and $1400.

But it’s still better than the cost of a brand new car :)

Posted by Arcterex at 11:19 AM
October 01, 2014
Borderlands 2 Now Available On Linux

Borderlands 2 Now Available On Linux - Yay!

Borderlands 2, the popular action RPG video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games, is now available on Linux / Steam OS.

Posted by Arcterex at 03:00 PM
The joy of Apple-slamming

A great piece on The joy of Apple-slamming and why people seem to jump over themselves to point out any minor issue in the Apple ecosphere, which would be completely ignored if it were any other company.

Obviously, there are a large number of people who jump at any chance to “show Apple for what it really is.” In addition, there are a lot of people who just like to see the big guy get his nose bloodied.

Posted by Arcterex at 01:20 PM
New Iron Man 4 Short

New Iron Man 4 quotes plus a short.

Posted by Arcterex at 11:51 AM