OLED Display Blocks pack six 128 x 128 panels, we go hands-on at MIT (video)

How do you develop an OLED display that gives a 360-degree perspective? Toss six 1.25-inch panels into a plastic cube, then turn it as you see fit. That's an overly simplistic explanation for the six-sided display on hand at the MIT Media Lab today, which is quite limited in its current form, but could eventually serve an enormous variety of applications. Fluid Interfaces Group Research Assistant Pol Pla i Conesa presented several such scenarios for his Display Blocks, which consist of 128 x 128-pixel OLED panels. Take, for example, the 2004 film Crash, which tells interweaving stories that could be presented simultaneously with such a display -- simply rotate the cube until you land on a narrative you'd like to follow, and the soundtrack will adjust to match. It could also go a long way when it comes to visualizing data, especially when in groups -- instead of virtually constructing profiles of individuals who applied for a slot at MIT, for example, or segments of a business that need to be organized based on different parameters, you could have each assigned to a cube, which can be tossed into an accepted or rejected pile, and repositioned as necessary.

Imagine having a group of display cubes when it comes time to plan the seating chart for a reception -- each cube could represent one individual, with a color-coded background and a name or photo up top, with different descriptive elements on each side. The same could apply to products at monstrous companies like Samsung or Sony, where executives need to make planning decisions based on product performance, and could benefit greatly from having all of the necessary information for a single gadget listed around each cube. On a larger scale, the cubes could be used to replace walls and floors in a building -- want to change the color of your wallpaper? Just push a new image to the display, and dedicate a portion of the wall for watching television, or displaying artwork. You could accomplish this with networked single-sided panels as well, but that wouldn't be nearly as much fun. The Media Lab had a working prototype on display today, which demonstrated the size and basic functionality, but didn't have an adjustable picture. Still, it's easy to imagine the potential of such a device, if, of course, it ever becomes a reality. As always, you'll find our hands-on demo just past the break.

Gallery: MIT Media Lab: OLED Display Blocks hands-on

Continue reading OLED Display Blocks pack six 128 x 128 panels, we go hands-on at MIT (video)

OLED Display Blocks pack six 128 x 128 panels, we go hands-on at MIT (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile Nations 15: BlackBerry 10, HTC One, Lumia 900, new iPad

Kevin, Phil, Derek, Simon, Jay, and Rene talk BlackBerry 10, HTC One, Nokia Lumia 900, the new iPad, something something webOS, and Google Drive. This is Mobile Nations!

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EyeRing finger-mounted connected cam captures signs and dollar bills, identifies them with OCR (hands-on)

Ready to swap that diamond for a finger-mounted camera with a built-in trigger and Bluetooth connectivity? If it could help identify otherwise indistinguishable objects, you might just consider it. The MIT Media Lab's EyeRing project was designed with an assistive focus in mind, helping visually disabled persons read signs or identify currency, for example, while also serving to assist children during the tedious process of learning to read. Instead of hunting for a grownup to translate text into speech, a young student could direct EyeRing at words on a page, hit the shutter release, and receive a verbal response from a Bluetooth-connected device, such as a smartphone or tablet. EyeRing could be useful for other individuals as well, serving as an ever-ready imaging device that enables you to capture pictures or documents with ease, transmitting them automatically to a smartphone, then on to a media sharing site or a server.

We peeked at EyeRing during our visit to the MIT Media Lab this week, and while the device is buggy at best in its current state, we can definitely see how it could fit into the lives of people unable to read posted signs, text on a page or the monetary value of a currency note. We had an opportunity to see several iterations of the device, which has come quite a long way in recent months, as you'll notice in the gallery below. The demo, which like many at the Lab includes a Samsung Epic 4G, transmits images from the ring to the smartphone, where text is highlighted and read aloud using a custom app. Snapping the text "ring," it took a dozen or so attempts before the rig correctly read the word aloud, but considering that we've seen much more accurate OCR implementations, it's reasonable to expect a more advanced version of the software to make its way out once the hardware is a bit more polished -- at this stage, EyeRing is more about the device itself, which had some issues of its own maintaining a link to the phone. You can get a feel for how the whole package works in the video after the break, which required quite a few takes before we were able to capture an accurate reading.

Gallery: MIT Media Lab: EyeRing

Continue reading EyeRing finger-mounted connected cam captures signs and dollar bills, identifies them with OCR (hands-on)

EyeRing finger-mounted connected cam captures signs and dollar bills, identifies them with OCR (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIM Adventures teaches you keyboard shortcuts, :%s/n00b/pro/gc in no time

If you've ever had the pleasure of using VIM, the popular Linux (and other platforms) text editor, you'll know that dark magic lies within its keyboard shortcuts. However, with so many to learn, where do you start? Well, some fine fellows thought the answer to that question was a neat little fantasy adventure game. VIM adventures coaxes you through the learning process via ingenious little tasks that teach you the shortcuts along the way, all washed down with a healthy glug of gaming nostalgia. Before long you'll have the keys to the castle and, of course, unabated word processing prowess. Tap j to hit the source link and get started.

VIM Adventures teaches you keyboard shortcuts, :%s/n00b/pro/gc in no time originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SpaceX redefines 'fashionably late' as Dragon trip to the ISS is delayed again

Just a week after NASA signed off on its launch, SpaceX has had to postpone the flight of the Dragon. It's yet another delay to NASA's efforts to supply the International Space Station using private spacecraft and reduce the US's dependence on Soyuz rockets. Taking to Twitter, founder Elon Musk said that the company needed to do more testing on the docking code for the capsule, while spokesperson Kirstin Brost Grantham told Space.com that the company needed more time to test and review the hardware. Pending NASA's approval, it'll begin its journey heavenward on the head of a Falcon 9 between May 3rd and May 7th. Given that the original mission was scheduled for November last year, they'll probably need to check the use-by dates on those space rations.

SpaceX redefines 'fashionably late' as Dragon trip to the ISS is delayed again originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Practical Science Project? (Powerlineblog)

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Facebook Ends the Careers of an Entire Generation of Future Politicians [Video]

If you think recent elections are getting too personal, just wait until 2040 when today's Facebooking frat brothers and sorority sisters start running for office. Forget economic issues, we want the candidate to explain this naked picture involving a horse and a handle of vodka. More »

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Facts To Be Learned About Women's Golf Clubs ...

Golf used to be considered the "gentlemen's game", but today just as many women grace the greens. In many golf clubs, they have as many women or more women members. There are women-only tournaments and mixed contests. The popularity of the sport transcends gender, and women flock to the course, every bit as thirsty for pars and birdies as the men are.

As more women began to take up the sport of golf, manufacturers realized that there was an increasing demand for specialized equipment. When they settle for using men's equipment, then women golfers know that it's not possible for them to reach their full potential. But now of course, there is a huge selection of footwear, apparel, accessories, and women's golf clubs on the market today.

Besides being set at the proper lengths to match all body types, personal tastes, and skill levels, women's golf clubs are also lightweight and easy to control.

For example, many women's woods come with variable length lines, allowing all women to accurately shoot, no matter how much strength was placed into the hit. Some woods will also display the ideal height of the user. A woman's wood is assumed to be suitable for women between 5'5" and 5'9" if it doesn't show its ideal requirements.

It's crucial to have a selection of flexible woods because even on the fairway, many women would prefer to use woods more often than irons. Bigger hitting areas or "sweet spots" are offered by woods compared to irons. When fairway woods are designed, it was in such a way that the bottoms glide over the surface of the ground without fiction. Further, the length of these woods is usually greater than the length of comparable irons. This would mean that a 4-wood is longer compared to a 6-iron. Women often find that woods are easier to shoot with because of these reasons and are more likely to launch the ball and get better distance than irons do.

Also available for the short game are specialized clubs. Besides feeling light, these golf clubs should also just feel right when you swing and should be short enough to allow you to get right under the ball. It can be handy to have an 8- and 9-iron or pitching wedge when a short approach would require precision rather than distance. Once the ball is on the green, you can then pull out the putter. For those women who are under 5'5", a putter that's less than 33" in length is what they should choose. Taller women should try different lengths until finding just the right putter.

Women who love golf should not settle for men's clubs just to compromise their comfort or performance. Specialized women's golf clubs can make all the difference, and turn a good game into a great one.

Discover how you can make a great return on your investment providing staging training . Whatever your goals, you'll find these home stagers information to be everything you'd hope they would be and more.

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Fifth Avenue Frogger brings everyone's favorite roadkill to New York City (video)

For all their charm, the arcade games of the 80s didn't really offer much in the way of gritty realism -- not like today's titles, certainly. Tyler DeAngelo's new take on video game hall-of-famer Frogger certainly goes a ways toward lending the gaming classic some grit. DeAngelo installed a webcam trained on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, using code to translate that footage into data that allows players to experience a real-time, real world traffic flow in a modded version of a Frogger machine. The creator has been known to drag the machine onto the famed New York street, generator in tow, letting people experience the game it was meant to be played: on a sidewalk in plain view of traffic. Check out a video of the game after the break, including a desperate plea from a talking frog who really wants a trip to the Smithsonian.

Continue reading Fifth Avenue Frogger brings everyone's favorite roadkill to New York City (video)

Fifth Avenue Frogger brings everyone's favorite roadkill to New York City (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Living Well with Prediabetes ? Health and Fitness 101

Prediabetes is when a person?s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to qualify for a diagnosis of type II diabetes.? Individuals with prediabetes are more likely to develop type II diabetes and may have some associated problems already.

Fortunately, prediabetes does not have to turn into type II diabetes.? The disease can be reversed at this stage by lowering body weight and adopting an active lifestyle.? The American Diabetes Association recommends losing 7% of your body weight and engaging in moderate exercise for 30 minutes, five days week to reduce the risk for developing type II diabetes by 58%.

Prediabetes also increases the possibility for developing heart disease and stroke, so risk factors (such as tobacco use, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol) for these conditions should also be controlled.

The?Diabetes Care and Prevention Program will be presenting a 16-week course at the Peak Health and Wellness Center on this topic. See the details listed here.

Living Well with Prediabetes

Course: 16-Week Diabetes Prevention Course

Starts: ?April 25th

Times: ?Wednesdays: 5:30-6:30 PM (in the cycling studio)

Location: ?Peak Health and Wellness Center,?5000 Blue Mountain Road,?Missoula, MT, ?59804

Cost: ?$100 with $50 refundable at completion of the course

Registration: You must pre-register by contacting the?Diabetes Care and Prevention Program at 406-329-5781.

Open to anyone at risk for diabetes, including anyone who overweight (BMI 25 or greater) AND has been diagnosed with one of the following:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• High triglycerides
• A history of gestational diabetes, or has given birth to a baby over 9 pounds
• Prediabetes

Please note that space is limited. And remember, you must call early to preregister.

Don?t miss out on this opportunity to change your life!

?

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Khan Academy Partners Up With 23andMe To Make Learning About Genetics Fun

It's 4/20, and you know exactly what that means: It's National DNA Day! (What, were you expecting something else?) Yep -- this is the official day to commemorate the 1953 publishing of the first scientific paper on the double-helix structure of DNA, which was famously co-authored by James Watson and Francis Crick (with the sometimes overlooked contributions of others.) Anyway, to celebrate, educational non-profit powerhouse Khan Academy has announced a partnership with personal genetics testing company 23andMe to "promote the importance of genetics education." Specifically, this means that Khan Academy's website now has educational videos produced by 23AndMe on topics such as Genetics 101.

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