"But as the amount of content -- and specifically video content -- has continued to grow online, so has the desire among consumers to get it where they want it, and when they want it," concludes TechCrunch. "And just as torrent sites arose out of a time when getting content elsewhere simply wasn't there, so has the market for VPNs and what they are getting used for, too."
See the full story here: http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/31/is-the-nbcfail-on-olympics-coverage-giving-rise-to-vpn-pirates/
The problem Hiptype is setting out to solve is this: How can publishers and authors delve deep into the DNA of a successful book? Why are books such as Fifty Shades of Grey so popular, and what subtle constructions of said books reallyappeal to readers?
What we’re talking about here is a marketing analytics platform to help publishers, authors and others with a vested interest in the eBook realm, understand who their readers are and how they engage with their books.
Read the full story here: http://thenextweb.com/media/2012/07/31/data-driven-publishing-how-hiptype-hopes-to-be-the-google-analytics-for-ebooks/
[Philip Leyveld comment: this underutilizes the technology, but it is a start.]
A layer of nanomaterial that gives a liquid-crystal display the rich range of colors usually possible only with more expensive technologies will be commercialized later this year by the materials giant 3M and Nanosys, a private company in Palo Alto, California. Nanosys representatives say they are in talks with major display manufacturers to adopt the quantum-dot films, and that they will be in a 15.6-inch notebook computer available next year.
Read the full story here: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/428643/quantum-dots-give-notebooks-a-new-glow/?nlid=nldly&nld=2012-07-31
The growing list of 3D cities ranges from coast (Boston, Charlotte, Tampa) to coast (Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco), as well as across the pond in Rome. Google plans to continue building 3D imagery in hopes of covering metropolitan areas with a combined population of at least 300 million people by the end of the year.
Read the full story here: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407747,00.asp
HiWave has announced an audio playback transducer for the frame of glasses and goggles, that creates sound via the air and through contact with the head.
Called Farina, applications are expected in sports, augmented reality, 3D gaming and 3D home cinema.
"When mounted onto the frames of spectacles, such as those used for 3D gaming, the Farina transducer stimulates the outer ear, or pinna, with a broadband audio signal, turning the spectacles into headsets," said the Cambridge-based firm. "The user then hears via a fusion of airborne sound and soft tissue conduction into the inner ear."
Read the full story here: http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/26/07/2012/54216/sound-glasses-use-novel-transmission-into-the-ear.htm
Students from MIT's Little Devices lab have managed to package a 3D printer, a CNC milling machine, a vinyl cutter, and a programmable drawing tool inside a standard aluminum attaché case, creating a portable factory for rapid prototyping.
Read more and watch a video here: http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/26/3188103/popfab-3d-printing-cnc-milling-briefcase-mit
It's not much to look at, but it is possibly the first 3D printed boat, helmed by Matt Rogge of the University of Washington' Washington Open Object Fabricators club. It's interesting for a number of reasons; 1) it actually floatsand came in second in a race;
2) It's made from recycled milk bottles. Faculty advisor Mark Ganter notes that this isn't easy.
Read the full story here: http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/university-washington-students-built-3d-printed-boat-place-second-race.html
The patent covers pressure-sensative input (press hard to make a line wider), multitouch input, and haptic feedback.
Read all about it here: http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2012/07/apples-wild-new-patent-covers-tv-advanced-5d-technology.html
In addition to the previously announced apps and partnerships with such companies as Facebook, Twitter, Adobe and YouTube that will provide coverage and social media tools for the delivery of a record 3,500-plus hours of content on digital platforms, NBC Olympics also announced that it would be working with Google+, Shazam, Instagram, Tumblr and GetGlue.
Read the full story here: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/487664-NBC_Lays_Out_Final_Digital_Plans_for_Olympics.php?rssid=20065
The ominous-sounding ‘Physical Face Cloning’ patent application (US 2012/0185218) seeks to improve upon the decades-old theme park experience by using some complicated algorithms to produce the most life-like audio animatronic figures to date.
Taking the guess work out of the process, the new system could simply use motion capture technology to record the human subject’s face making various expressions and, via some very non-simple mathematical formulas, generate the perfect layer of silicone rubber skin (or whichever material is desired) of varying thickness, along with directions for attaching said skin to the skeleton, so that when the skin is stretched and manipulated on the figure to form the desired expressions, it provides the most realistic visuals possible.
UPDATE #1: 7/25/12 – Disney Research will discuss the new technology at SIGGRAPH 2012 on August 9.
Read the full story here: http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney-patent-disney-clone-human-faces-realistic-audio-animatronics-21560/