This video is of a graphite disc floating over a magnetic field, which is then being spun by nothing but laser light. Temperature changes where the laser hits the graphite surface, cause changes in the magnetic field allowing it to spin. This is a pretty cool discovery considering it could lead to new technologies like a solar powered turbine. [Mashable]
Mobile Gaming Has Come Along Way but the TV is Getting Lonely
Gaming on mobile has never been better and it has inspired many small time developers around the world. The mobile app market is unique in that it’s probably one of the easiest ways to get your game in front of millions of users. iOS and Android are exploding with millions of apps and many of them were created by the average joe without any major support from a large corporation. With the rise is mobile gaming popularity, thanks in part to better mobile performance, many of us desire a bit more from our favorite mobile games.
Can we do any better? Well, it turns out that we can. Let’s bring this uber, developer friendly environment to the big screen. That’s exactly what Julie Uhrman was thinking when she started OUYA, a company that’s creating a console that’s mission is to “open up the last closed gaming platform- the TV”. OUYA got major support through Kickstarter and became one of the most successful Kickstarter projects to date.
This console brings the Android OS to the television and it will open the doors for developers to begin creating content for the big screen on an open platform. It’s very affordable at just $99 and all of the games will be free-to-try. OUYA is compact and elegant, it also comes with a nice looking controller. Another cool feature of the OUYA console is that it can be easily hacked, in fact it’s encouraged. Not a hardware guy ? Maybe you’re looking to develop? You can start now, the OUYA software development kit is already available for download.
Specifications:
- Tegra3 quad-core processor
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB of internal flash storage
- HDMI connection to the TV, with support for up to 1080p HD
- WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
- Bluetooth LE 4.0
- USB 2.0 (one)
- Wireless controller with standard controls (two analog sticks, d-pad, eight action buttons, a system button), a touchpad
- Android Jelly Bean
- Ethernet
Cycloramic Brings a Unique “Twist” to the iPhone
Cycloramic is a cool little app that records video while it actually rotates your iPhone by using vibration. Seems like it could be pretty useful, but it would make me a little nervous to use this app in certain locations where the phone could become damaged. Another issue I have with this app is that it doesn’t take panoramic photos, which would be a nice addition. Overall, I like the idea, it’s a pretty clever little trick and it’s sure to get you some attention at a party, but I just wonder how useful it actually is.
Featured App: Berzerk Ball 2
Warning, this is a highly addictive game that will make you keep playing until you can score as many points as possible. The GEEK is back in Berzerk Ball 2 and it has never been more fun to smash something over and over again while racking up points and experience.
This game is pretty straightforward, go as far as you possibly can by beating the internet Geek over and over. You can customize your Geek then customize your character to beat him with. Along the way you will gain points and experience that you can then use to increase the power of your weapons and learn new moves. As you continue you level up you will also become much stronger allowing you to blast the Geek even farther.
Berzerk Ball 2 is really well made and offers a ton of reasons to keep playing, including unlocking new attacks and forging items to make better weapons. The artwork is fantastic, the music is epic and you will likely find yourself playing a lot longer than you thought you would. Once I began to play, I seriously spent about an hour playing and trying to level up my other characters The game just gets more and more interesting as you continue to play.
The best part about this game is you don’t have to play it alone. You can invite your Facebook friends to join you on your quest to blast the Geek all the way into oblivion!
You can play the game directly in your web browser by visiting BubbleBox or by downloading it for a Free for a limited time from the App Store and Google Play.
Thanks to Mooky for reminding me that this games exists !
Windows 8 Feels Like a Dud
I have been tinkering around with Windows 8 since the developer preview and I was pretty excited initially about it’s release, but now that it’s finally here, I am feeling like something is majorly wrong with this version of Windows.
One only needs to spend 60 seconds with Windows 8 to realize that it’s not Microsoft’s best work. I have been working with people just about everyday trying to help them easily transition to the new operating system and it’s proven to be quite a challenge. You know something is wrong with your shiny new OS when PC hardware manufacturers, like Gateway, need to place an icon somewhere on the screen to help you shut down your computer. In case you missed it, we have put together a brief how-to that shows you how to make such an icon for yourself.
Windows 8 dosen’t fully commit to one user-interface and that alone will drive you crazy. You will find yourself wanting to exist in one space or the other but ultimately you will need to switch between both. This issue leaves Windows 8 feeling disconnected from itself and it’s just downright frustrating. There a many aspects of the new tile UI that I enjoy but it’s just not built to be productive. Many of the applications that I use day-to-day require me to move to the legacy desktop and therefore I spend almost all of my time there.
There are hidden menus in each corner and once they are open, they frequently disappear unexpectedly. When the menus do stay open, I have trouble fumbling through a poorly designed search system to find files or applications that I need. Changing settings or just trying to obtain Windows updates through the new tile based UI is buggy and most of the time I end up, once again, heading back to the legacy desktop.
Your design should be intuitive and new users should feel welcome when they first see Windows 8. Even though you shouldn’t have too, there is almost no attempt to guide the user in the right direction besides a small animation toward the end of the Windows 8 installation that explains how to bring up the hidden menus that are at the edge of the screen.
Even app developers don’t seem confident in the new OS. The lack of a solid app base is killing Windows 8 more than anything, we need a reason to enjoy our new tile system with full screen applications. Many major software companies have avoided making Windows 8 apps that work with the new tile UI, and those who have adapted have buggy applications that don’t feel like their worth the hard drive space.
I believe Windows 8 is the worst release of Microsoft’s OS software to-date. I would consider myself to be advanced user with knowledge of many different operating systems and yet I find it difficult to perform routine tasks. This one screams out “I’m a DUD!”. What’s worse is that I am starting to feel like the guinea pig here and I am just waiting for Microsoft to ask me to shell out more money for a rushed copy of Windows 9 due to the failure of Windows 8’s poor design.
Honestly, Windows 8 is a mess and we can only hope that Microsoft will do the right thing and fix many of the issues that plague the new OS today, with the release of a service pack in the near future. I am trying to remain optimistic about Microsoft’s ability to create a next-gen OS that’s sleek, functional, easy-to-use, and that works seamlessly across all of my devices, but I’m loosing faith.