For those who feel that the Federal Trade Commission’s “Do Not Track” legislation doesn’t go far enough, there’s reason to be cheerful: US House Representative Cliff Stearns (R-Fl) wants to resurrect his 2005 Consumer Privacy Protection Act to ensure that internet users would be able to see what information has already been collected …
Apps & Web
Joint Venture 201: The Venture Bros. from the Very Beginning
Here at Techland, only one television program manages to tie into so many of our geeky obsessions all at once. Superheroes, mythical creatures, action figures and barely believeable sci-fi all flop onto each other on the glorious cavalcade that is The Venture Bros. Cartoon Network’s just started airing the series from the start and …
AnyClip Licenses Universal Movies, Makes Them Smaller and Searchable
Wanting to find that exact clip from Jaws for your Facebook page? What about that perfect moment from Mamma Mia? Well, they’ll both soon be not only available, but increasingly easy to find; Universal has become the first major movie studio to license parts of its library to AnyClip, a company that specializes in digitalizing films and …
Google’s Android Navigation App Routes You Around Traffic Jams
Google says, “You’ve got better things to do than wait in traffic.” It’s a bold assumption clearly indicating that Google’s never met babies, the unemployed or retirees, but the company’s heart is in the right place.
The beta version of the free Google Maps Navigation app for Android phones now features automatic rerouting based on …
Conan Brings Angry Birds to Life (at IKEA’s Expense)
After his Tonight Show firing, Twitter takeover and whole “Team Coco” experience, you might think that there’d be nothing more Conan O’Brien could do to win the internet over. But then you’d see this.
Yes, it’s Conan and Andy Richter playing a real life version of Angry Birds with some IKEA furniture. There’s an explanation for why …
Big Thinkers: TED2011 Videos Worth Watching
The TED2011 (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference wrapped up late last week, with presentations from big thinkers propelling TED’s “Ideas Worth Spreading” mantra. A list of all of the talks can be found on the TED Blog, and be sure to check out some of the related videos right here.
Top Five Monday Tech Deals
It’s Monday! Time for some handpicked gadget deals. We’re going from 10 deals down to five in the interest of honing in on the true bargains.
Silo 42-inch 1080p LCD HDTV: $400 at Woot.com (today only)
Silo? Never heard of it. But a 42-inch TV for $400 is a 42-inch TV for $400, and you can’t argue with a 42-inch TV for $400.
The TV
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Four Seasons in One Minute: Instant Virtual 3D Trees from Video
Scientists have created a way to generate realistic 3D computer models of trees, using a short video clip of a real tree as source material.
The technique represents a huge leap forward for people who need to create natural-looking 3D environments, such as animators, videogame designers, and architects.
Until now, if you wanted a …
Loving and Hating Twitter’s New Quick Bar
Judging by the number of tweets with the hashtag #dickbar, Twitter annoyed a large number of users with last week’s iPhone app update that added a non-removable Quick Bar showing trending topics to the top of the screen.
The row has rumbled on over the weekend, with Twitter CEO Dick Costolo – after whom the bar was nicknamed by pundit …
Don Bluth is Back: The Dragon’s Lair Animator Does Tapper
“We didn’t know anything about videogames–that’s God’s honest truth.” That’s veteran animation director Don Bluth describing his gaming expertise before his studio created the animation for the 1983 arcade game Dragon’s Lair and its 1984 follow-up, Space Ace.
For a guy who says he was oblivious to the world of gaming, Bluth has had a …
The Iditarod Gets Some Nifty Gadgets
The Iditarod contenders might still follow the original 1,150 mile trail that was run a century ago, but it’s going to be a completely updated race this March 5. Now, most teams are bringing high-tech outdoors equipment including custom-made sleds with adjustable runners for different types of weather conditions and GPS devices to track …
Fastcustomer App Ensures You No Longer Have to Be On Hold
Being on hold can test your patience – not to mention cause you physical pain from cradling the phone between your shoulder and ear. Instead of having to listen to how important your call is to the company, try out Fastcustomer’s new app.
Fastcustomer will have that customer service representative call you, because you wait for no …