Google TV Beta Tester's Leaked Video

Check it out, here's a quick peek at Google TV running on a  Logitech Revue. I like the idea that it is controllable with the Harmony remote or the Harmony Android app! 



Credit: Gizmodo

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My Name Is Earl... and I'm A Big Blow Hard!

We are in the middle of a visit from Hurricane Earl. Still a Hurricane (Level 1) as it passes through Nova Scotia but is expected to be Post Tropical when the eye of the storm passes over us on Prince Edward Island. Woke to no power this morning and that was before the winds even picked up, apparently Maritime Electric had equipment failure at our local substation and power is back for now. While we've endured such weather in the past, this is the first time in recent memory that it's come during the day, and so we can view the storm in all it's glory. I'll try to get some photo's / video if I can but our subdivision doesn't have a lot of mature trees, which is both a blessing and a curse. I'm not sure that any images I will be able to capture will be that impressive but then again, it's not likely that a tree will land on my house. I have to admit, I am fond of a good storm and have been ever since I was young, mother nature has always fascinated me. I hope the damage is minimal and that everyone stays safe, but I do enjoy being in the middle of the action. :)

NASA iPad App = Geek Eye Candy

It's no secret, I'm a huge fan of NASA and all of the technology they develop and use. When I heard that NASA had developed a free HD app I quickly fired up the iPad and made my way to the app store to download NASA App HD a fist full of interactive hi-definition goodness. Next to Flipboard this might be my new favorite app. I love the shots of and from space, and who isn't impressed by big toys these folks get to play with? Pictures from todays full-scale test firing of the DM-2, the largest and most powerful solid rocket motor designed for flight, are awesome. Incredible photos of hurricane action down here on earth from the ISS crew and tons of info about many NASA projects past and president. Very pretty!

Priority Inbox, Gmail - Now With Even More Awesomeness

I have virtually replaced all of my other email clients and accounts with Gmail, the transition has been gradual and was spurred largely by my acquisition of an Android phone over a year ago. Until that time my Gmail account was definitely used but not nearly to the extent that it has been since. Now Google has unveiled another reason to love Gmail with the release of Priority Inbox. Gmail was already good at sniffing out spam but with priority inbox Gmail learns, over time, what is important to you by analyzing which mail you open and beyond that what you reply to. It's more than just starring an email, it... well... prioritizes your mail to make it easy to find the really important stuff. If I haven't sold you then you must check out the dance of joy that this happy fella does!

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Source: The Official Google Blog

Facebook Places - Good For Location Based Services?

A recent report from Forrester Research suggests that only 4 percent of Americans have tried location-based services, and that 1 percent use them weekly. The numbers also indicate that users of the service generally live in urban areas and are very tech savvy. “Ever since mobile phones and location technology got started, there have been conversations about the potential for doing something really incredible with this for marketers,” said Melissa Parrish, an interactive marketing analyst at Forrester. “But clearly the question is whether it has reached the mainstream, and it looks like the answer is no.” I think that I would also add, a big... not yet!

“Clearly location is not yet mainstream — it’s still a younger-demographic phenomenon — but if anyone can change it, Facebook will,” said Sam Altman, chief executive of Loopt. I'm inclined to agree with Mr. Altman. Consider how many many of your elder family members and friends who might have ever tried video games, now think of how many Facebook messages you receive regarding Farmville, Mafia Wars, and the like... who are the people associated with these requests? If your Facebook timeline looks like mine, it's the older less than technical folk. Additionally, while this is a very small sampling, my 16 year old asked me about foursquare recently. He, as you can imagine is truly tuned into technology and while he and his friends have largely shunned Twitter, foursquare has caught there attention and they are after all the Facebook generation.

In my mind it is business, large and small, that have to take the lead and make location based services more than a game that is played between tech savvy friends, and they will, over time. I can't imagine that phone manufacturers will start abandoning location, nor do I imagine that location based services will give up and go away. It's but a matter of time before we see the real value that location holds and when we do, look out.   

Source: nytimes.com

Google Takes On Skype

The Official Google Blog has announced a new service within gmail that will allow you to make free gmail to telephone calls to Canadian and US numbers and low rate calls to other nations. The service is said to be offered only to gmail users in the US, but the CBC reported yesterday that if you are a Canadian with a gmail account and have your language setting tweaked to English (US) then the service will also be available to you. The roll out is happening over the next few days, so don't panic if you don't see the option just yet. You will need to install the video and voice chat add-on to enable the functionality but it's a quick and painless install. According to the blog post the service will remain free at least for the remainder of the year, similar to Skype's roll-out of Skype Out a few years back. I don't make a lot of phone calls, but I'm bound to be making Google my choice of carrier at least until 2011.

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A Trip Down Memory Lane - Tron Style

At the risk of dating myself I remember fondly the 80's and a big part of those memories is time spent in arcades and movie theatres.  When the two joined forces in a movie with "stunning" graphics it was a match made in geek heaven. 

During a couple of recent trips to the movies I've been sent back down memory lane, salivating a little,over the upcoming release (12.17.2010) of Tron Legacy in 3D. My recent thoughts where of my boys who have not (yet) had the pleasure of seeing the original movie, and yes I know it was not an Academy Award winning flic by any stretch of the imagination but in the world in which I lived in 1982 this was a pretty big deal. In order to do a little comparison I entered a few queries into YouTube and for your viewing pleasure, here is the original Tron movie trailer circa 1982 and one of the trailers for the upcoming, updated, 3D sequel...

I'm glad that they've waited nearly 30 years to make this film!

Update: I'm a little disappointed by one small detail. Watch the original trailer and pause it at the 1:56 mark, then watch the new one and stop it at 1:13 mark. :(

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Robots Are Our Friends

I stuck my iRobot I <3 Robots magnet up in my workstation today and my coworker, Dustin, sent me the following:

Thanks Dustin, I think I like robots even more now :)

I believe credit goes to http://www.albinoblacksheep.com

New Halo Leaked, Kinda...

One of the most anticipated game titles of the pre-Christmas season is Microsoft's Halo: Reach. In an attempt to get the title to game reviewers the company had experimented with different methods of distribution including putting the title on XBox live for select download. The move however seems to have backfired as GameTuts, a site dedicated to modifying and cracking game consoles claims to have obtained and cracked the code. "Me and my team finally did it; we got Halo: Reach! This is not released for public, and we are not really planning on releasing either," Unfortunately for Microsoft the title has begun showing up on torrent sites, however it will only run on modified (moded) consoles and the owners of such devices are not the type to purchase titles in any case.

Read more: CBC


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Wikileaks founder Julian Assange Deflects Accusations For Now

The founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has been cleared for now of allegations of rape but may still face charges of molestation though the Chief Prosecutor has not had time to investigate that claim yet. In a brief statement Eva Finne said: "I don't think there is reason to suspect that he has committed rape."

Last month Wikileaks published about 77,000 secret US military documents on the war in Afghanistan and US officials demanded the return of the materials. "If doing the right thing is not good enough for them, then we will figure out what other alternatives we have to compel them to do the right thing," department spokesman Geoff Morrell said at the time. hmmm?

According to the BBC "In a series of other messages posted on the Wikileaks Twitter feed, the whistle-blowing website said: "No-one here has been contacted by Swedish police", and that it had been warned to expect "dirty tricks"."

Perhaps I've been listening to too many conspiracy theorists but something doesn't feel right here.

See: BBC and this previous post citing CNN.

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