Day: March 8, 2013

Military Tech

Test Pilots: Stealth Jet’s Blind Spot Will Get It ‘Gunned Every Time’

By admin | by admin

As reported on Wired. BY DAVID AXE The F-35′s rearward visibility is limited. Photo: Lockheed Martin   The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the military’s expensive main warplane of the future, has a huge blind spot directly behind it. Pilots say that could get them shot down in close-quarters combat, where the flier with the better visibility has the killing advantage. “Aft visibility could turn out to be a significant problem for all F-35 pilots in the future,”…

Continue reading

Art Entertainment Science

Pixar’s Senior Scientist explains how math makes the movies and games we love

By admin | by admin

As reported on The Verge. By Tim Carmody Applied research by Tony DeRose and his colleagues takes animators from simple polygons to the limits of geometric storytelling Tony DeRose wanders between rows at New York’s Museum of Mathematics. In a brightly-colored button-up T-shirt that may be Pixar standard issue, he doesn’t look like the stereotype of a scientist. He greets throngs of squirrely, nerdy children and their handlers — parents and grandparents, math and science teachers…

Continue reading

Microsoft

Microsoft says Surface is the Apple competitor its partners failed to build

By admin | by admin

As reported on The Verge. By Tom Warren Surface, Microsoft’s hyped entry into the hardware market, left many puzzled. Is it Microsoft “priming the pump” as CEO Steve Ballmer originally claimed, or a moreserious strategy of investment in hardware and devices? Speaking at Microsoft’s TechForum event this week, Steve Ballmer’s senior advisor, Craig Mundie, detailed the history of Redmond’s philosophy toward Windows OEMs and how Surface came to be. “I think one of the things evolved over a long…

Continue reading

Application Legal

The Snapchat Lawsuit, Or How To Lose Your Best Friend Over $70 Million

By admin | by admin

As reported on TechCrunch. by BILLY GALLAGHER “This is a case of partners betraying a fellow partner.” One week ago, Reggie Brown filed a lawsuitalleging that he is a co-founder of Snapchat, a red-hot impermanent photo messaging app, and is entitled to an original one-third ownership stake along with co-founders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy. What’s at stake? Snapchat won “Fastest Rising Startup” at the 2012 Crunchies and recentlyraised $13 million at a $70 million valuation. Brown and Spiegel lived on…

Continue reading

Application Business

Pandora’s Long-Time CEO Joe Kennedy Abruptly Steps Down, Just As It Starts Making Money On Mobile

By admin | by admin

A reported on TechCrunch. by RIP EMPSON Hot on the heels of a relatively strong quarter for the streaming music service, Pandora has announced that its long-time CEO and President, Joe Kennedy, will be stepping down. In a statement this afternoon, Pandora said that he will “continue in his current role until his successor is named.” Kennedy, who has been at the helm of the streaming music service since July 2004 and helped take the company public,…

Continue reading

Entertainment

Redesigned YouTube channels exit limited beta, now up for grabs

By admin | by admin

As reported on Engadget. By Alexis Santos YouTube has had a revamped look for channels in limited beta testing since early February, but it’s now ready to spread the new-layout love to interested folks. Dubbed “One Channel,” the design refresh places an emphasis on making a user’s page look slick across different screen sizes and devices, adapting its style for the occasion — yes, even on TVs. Along with a look that provides more visual breathing room,…

Continue reading

Entertainment Tech

Movie studios sign on for satellite-based digital delivery to theaters HD

By admin | by admin

As reported on Engadget. By Richard Lawler We doubt we’ll see any reduction in ticket prices, but the process of bringing new movies to theaters could get easier very soon as five major studios have signed on with the Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition (DCDC) to use its satellite distribution network. Lionsgate, Universal, Disney, Warner and Paramount are all on board with the scheme, which says it will provide participants access to “a host of delivery options”…

Continue reading

Google Tech

Google Glass learns how your friends dress, picks ’em out in a crowd Mobile

By admin | by admin

As reported on Engadget. By Daniel Cooper Facial recognition? Pah. Dahling, the only way to find someone in a crowd is to pick out what they’re wearing. InSight is an app being developed for Google Glass by Duke University that helps you identify your chums, even when they’ve got their back to you, by channeling its inner Joan Rivers. All your pals have to do is submit some self-portraits to the app, which then creates a spatiogram — identifying…

Continue reading