Culture Google

Remains of the Day: Gmail’s New Compose Window Comes to Everyone

As reported on LifeHacker. by Joshua Rivera Gmail makes its new compose feature standard, Amazon acquires Goodreads, Google starts testing its same day delivery service, and Facebook Messenger gets free calling in the UK. Gmail’s New Compose Now Default Gmail’s new compose window, which allows you to write new emails in an overlaid chat-like window, is now the default setting for all users. The old Compose window is still accessible, but only as a temporary setting. [Gmail] Exciting News…

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Business Culture

The Psychology Behind How Clothing Influences How People See You At Work

As reported on LifeHacker. by Thorin Klosowski How you dress has a big impact on how people view you, and how you view yourself. According to 99U, it’s not about dressing one specific way though, it’s about considering your audience and using that to your advantage. We know about some of the science behind how your clothing choices affect how people view you, and that extends to the office dynamics as well. For example, if you want…

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Business Legal

Judge Says Mathematical Algorithms Can’t Be Patented, Dismisses Uniloc Claim Against Rackspace

As reported on TechCrunch. by ALEX WILLIAMS A federal judge has thrown out a patent claim againstRackspace, ruling that mathematical algorithms can’t be patented. The ruling in the Eastern Disrict stemmed from a 2012 complaint filed by Uniloc USA asserting that processing of floating point numbers by the Linux operating system was a patent violation. Chief Judge Leonard Davis based the ruling on U.S. Supreme Court case law that prohibits the patenting of mathematical algorithms. According to Rackspace, this is…

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Apple Hardware Dev

Apple Patents iPhone With Wraparound Display, Including Designs That Plug Together Voltron-Style

As reported on TechCrunch. by DARRELL ETHERINGTON Apple has a new patent filing just published by the USPTO today, first spotted by AppleInsider, which details a wraparound-style AMOLED display that could make it possible to create an iPhone that’s almost entirely screen, with touch gestures and virtual buttons replacing physical ones completely. The patent describes designs that could have a seamless, continuous surface resembling the fourth generation iPod nano, as well as other shapes closer to the current iPhone,…

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Military

US Navy to fund development of vehicle-mounted, drone-shooting lasers

As reported on Engadget. By Alexis Santos Lasers, particularly those that set boats ablaze and incinerate incoming missiles, have long been on the Navy’s mind. Today, the Office of Naval Research revealed its latest energy weapon craving: vehicle-mounted lasers that shoot down drones. Dubbed Ground-Based Air Defense Directed Energy On-The-Move, the project is offering private outfits up to $400,000 each to develop such a system that blasts at full power for 120 seconds and juices back up to 80 percent after…

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Engineering Entertainment

Guitar maker Gibson buys majority stake in TEAC, develops taste for electronica HD

As reported on Engadget. By Sharif Sakr That gruff American rocker, Gibson Guitar Corp., has gotten tired of its old life. Instead of just suing copycats and putting out the occasional robot axe, it’s now looking to diversify, having spent $52 million on a 54 percent stake in Japanese firmTEAC. The last we heard from TEAC, it was making things like headphones andretro-styled radios, which maybe gives us a hint as to where this new partnership is headed. After all, it’s not like…

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Microsoft Tablet

Microsoft allows Windows 8 to run on smaller displays: is a reader-sized Surface on its way?

As reported on Engadget. By Sharif Sakr Until now, Windows 8’s official hardware requirements have been understandably ruthless: devices with anything less than 1,366 x 768 pixels need not apply. That policy was changed in a recent newsletter, however, to permit the creation of Windows 8 devices with a resolution of 1,024 x 768 — likely representing a very different size and shape. Microsoft says the policy switch isn’t meant to “encourage partners to regularly use…

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