Ben Watson

Find: phone tech is NASA tech - cheap Android-based satellites with Nexus hardware later this year

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 20:12:07 -0400

NASA set to launch cheap Android-based satellites with Nexus hardware later this year

Faced with a shrinking budget, NASA will in many ways need to reinvent itself if the agency hopes to continue leading the charge in space exploration. There’s perhaps no better example of that “do more with less” mantra than the PhoneSat project, the goal of which is to build the lowest-cost and easiest to assemble satellites ever placed into orbit. To create such a thing, engineers have turned to off-the-shelf consumer gadgets for parts, harnessing the internals of Google’s Nexus hardware as the brains of the operation.

Find: Valve will make hardware - maybe this will be the disruption the pc market needs

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 19:31:29 -0400

Valve says it’s jumping into the computer hardware business

In a job listing for the “industrial designer” position on Valve’s website, the company has finally made its hardware ambitions explicit: Valve says “we’re frustrated by the lack of innovation of in the computer hardware space, so we’re jumping in.” The job listing says that “even in basic input, the keyboard and mouse, haven’t really changed much in any meaningful way over the years,” but stops short of naming alternative hardware. For months, evidence suggesting Valve’s entrance to the hardware market has piled up: there’s the rumored “Steam Box” platform, murmurs of a wearable computing project, and job listings for engineers.

“There’s a real void in the marketplace.”

Valve hasn’t confirmed any specific plans for devices yet, but the…

Press: Summer mobile course project RGreenway nears final release

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 20:21:58 -0400

Our summer mobiles course citycamp project has taken on a life of its own! Great work everyone!

New mobile app will showcase Raleigh greenways

Initially available for iPhones, the app will offer basic functions such as maps and access points, along with more advanced features that allow users to report maintenance issues.

Find: US falling further behind - Ireland calls for minimum Internet speeds of 30Mbps

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 21:37:57 -0400

Ireland calls for minimum Internet speeds of 30Mbps

With the exception of Google Fiber, the United States isn’t exactly breaking records when it comes to high-speed Internet policy. The National Broadband Plan, which was released two years ago, says that there should be a minimum level of service of at least 4Mbps for all Americans. Since then, not much has happened.

But across the pond in Ireland, Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte, has recently decided that that’s not nearly enough.

On Thursday, he outlined a new broadband plan for Ireland that puts the United States to shame. He says that half the population, largely in the urban and suburban cores, should have speeds of 70Mbps to 100Mbps, with service of at least 40Mbps to the next 20 percent of the country. Finally, he writes, there should be a “minimum of 30Mbps for every remaining home and business in the country—no matter how rural or remote.”

Event: TechRevolution Seminar focuses on local startup opportunities - 9/25/12

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 13:38:08 -0400

Billy regularly visits our courses.

————— Forwarded message —————
From: Billy Houghteling <billy_houghteling@ncsu.edu>
Date: Wed, Aug 29, 2012 at 3:20 PM
Subject: TechRevolution Seminar: September 25, 2012

The Springboard Initiative and the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) are excited to present our next innovation outreach event. I hope you will have time to join us on September 25th for our TechRevolution seminar. Our seminar topic will be “Funding Environment for University Startups ” and will feature Mr. Robert J. Creeden, Executive Director of the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network.

For additional information and to register, please visit:

http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e6b6t9w416f02b11&llr=crh9l7dab

Best regards,

Billy

Find: Quad-HD TV hits shelves

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 08:56:14 -0400

New dvd standard can’t be far behind. Still too big though.

Ultra-HD TV sets to hit shelves just in time for Christmas

By December, U.S. stores will sell a TV set with four times the resolution of today’s best HDTVs, Sony says. The set will measure 84 inches on the diagonal, making the screen area four times as large as the common 42-inch set.

Find: Twitter revs up mTurk with Clockwork Raven

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:36:14 -0400

Looks handy!

Crowdsourced data analysis with Clockwork Raven

Today, we’re excited to open source Clockwork Raven, a web application that allows users to easily submit data to Mechanical Turk for manual review and then analyze that data. Clockwork Raven steps in to do what algorithms cannot: it sends your data analysis tasks to real people and gets fast, cheap and accurate results. We use Clockwork Raven to gather tens of thousands of judgments from Mechanical Turk users every week.

Motivation

We’re huge fans of human evaluation at Twitter and how it can aid data analysis. In the past, we’ve used systems like Mechanical Turk and CrowdFlower, as well as an internal system where we train dedicated reviewers and have them come in to our offices. However, as we scale up our usage of human evaluation, we needed a better system. This is why we built Clockwork Raven and designed it with several important goals in mind:

Features

In Clockwork Raven, you create an evaluation by submitting a table of data (CSV or JSON). Each row of this table corresponds to a task that a human will complete. We build a template for the tasks in the Template Builder, then submit them to Mechanical Turk and Clockwork Raven tracks how many responses we’ve gotten. Once all the tasks are complete, we can import the results into Clockwork Raven where they’re presented in a configurable bar chart and can be exported to a number of data formats.

Here’s the features we’ve built into Clockwork Raven to address the goals above:

Clockwork Raven has a simple drag-and-drop builder not unlike the form builder in Google Docs. We can create headers and text sections, add multiple-choice and free-response questions, and insert data from a column in the uploaded data.

Researchers achieve 'highest possible' 100,000dpi color laser printing

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 01:42:52 -0400

Photon scale imagery.

Researchers achieve ‘highest possible’ 100,000dpi color laser printing

Researchers in Singapore have achieved what they claim is the “highest possible resolution” for color laser printing. The team demonstrated the technique by printing the common Lena test image at just 50 by 50 micrometers and around 100,000dpi — any smaller and the light would bounce off each pixel and diffract, resulting in a blurry picture. The pixels are actually constructed from tiny pillars topped with gold and silver nanodisks, but an effect called plasmon resonance means it’s possible to define the color of reflected light by varying the dots’ diameters and the spaces between them.

We’ve seen (and questioned the utility of) screens with Retina display-beating resolution, and color print technology has long been able to go beyond…

Spotted: Diffusion curve textures for resolution independent texture mapping

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:47:45 -0400

Diffusion curve textures for resolution independent texture mapping

Xin Sun, Guofu Xie, Yue Dong, Stephen Lin, Weiwei Xu, Wencheng Wang, Xin Tong, Baining Guo

We introduce a vector representation called diffusion curve textures for mapping diffusion curve images (DCI) onto arbitrary surfaces. In contrast to the original implicit representation of DCIs [Orzan et al. 2008], where determining a single texture value requires iterative computation of the entire DCI via the Poisson equation, diffusion curve textures provide an explicit representation from which the texture value at any point can be solved directly, while preserving the compactness and resolution independence of diffusion curves. This is achieved through a formulation of the DCI diffusion process in terms of Green’s functions. This formulation furthermore allows the texture value of any rectangular region (e.g.

What took so long? Cappuccino finally foams up to siggraph - Animating bubble interactions in a liquid foam

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:44:32 -0400

Animating bubble interactions in a liquid foam

Oleksiy Busaryev, Tamal K. Dey, Huamin Wang, Zhong Ren

Bubbles and foams are important features of liquid surface phenomena, but they are difficult to animate due to their thin films and complex interactions in the real world. In particular, small bubbles (having diameter <1cm) in a dense foam are highly affected by surface tension, so their shapes are much less deformable compared with larger bubbles. Under this small bubble assumption, we propose a more accurate and efficient particle-based algorithm to simulate bubble dynamics and interactions. The key component of this algorithm is an approximation of foam geometry, by treating bubble particles as the sites of a weighted Voronoi diagram. The connectivity information provided by the Voronoi diagram allows us to accurately model various interaction effects among bubbles.

Spotted: Large scale study of human sketch drawing and understanding

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:37:20 -0400

How do humans sketch objects?

Mathias Eitz, James Hays, Marc Alexa

Humans have used sketching to depict our visual world since prehistoric times. Even today, sketching is possibly the only rendering technique readily available to all humans. This paper is the first large scale exploration of human sketches. We analyze the distribution of non-expert sketches of everyday objects such as ‘teapot’ or ‘car’. We ask humans to sketch objects of a given category and gather 20,000 unique sketches evenly distributed over 250 object categories. With this dataset we perform a perceptual study and find that humans can correctly identify the object category of a sketch 73% of the time. We compare human performance against computational recognition methods.

Find: Errol Morris on which fonts we trust more

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 16:12:00 -0400

At least one report says some fonts are more trusted than others.

—-

Errol Morris on why some fonts are more trustworthy than others

Last month, filmmaker and writer Errol Morris (known for documentaries Standard Operating Procedure and The Fog of War) quoted a brief paragraph and asked New York Times readers if they agreed with its premise: that “we are living in an era of unprecedented safety.” Though the question ostensibly measured whether the reader was an optimist or pessimist, Morris was actually testing something different: are people more likely to trust text when it’s written in certain fonts?

Now, Morris has published his results, along with an interesting essay on writing and font styles and analysis from psychology professor David Dunning at Cornell University. It turns out that people who saw the statement in “starchy” and formal font Baskerville were…

Job: App Design and Creation Intern

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:48:58 -0400

An internship opportunity with SmartOnline, a local mobile tools company.

————— Forwarded message —————
From: Bob Dieterle <bob.dieterle@smartonline.com>
Date: Fri, Aug 10, 2012 at 11:52 AM
Subject: FW: App Design and Creation Intern
Cc: Robert Hancock <robert.hancock@smartonline.com>

Hi Ben,

I hope your summer is going well. I am looking for great creative graphics design interns that want to learn our platform and build apps for our clients using the platform. Please see the description below. I was hoping that you can post this within your classes and/or other ways to promote this. They will be working under my experts in this field and I think will learn a lot as each client app would be different and challenging.

Thanks,

Bob Dieterle

Sr Vice President and General Manager

4505 Emperor Boulevard, Suite 320, Durham, NC 27703

T (919) 237 4182 M (919) 667-7747 F (919) 765 5020

From: Robert Hancock [mailto:robert.hancock@smartonline.com]
Sent: Friday, August 10, 2012 11:49 AM
To: Bob Dieterle
Subject: App Design and Creation Intern

Bob,

Smart Online is currently looking for interns interested in the mobile application development space. The plans for these internships will be to train interns on app development utilizing the Smart On Mobile application development platform. This platform can enable creative and graphics professionals to build and deliver mobile apps without any knowledge of code. The internship will concentrate around understanding the needs of customers and prospects and utilizing the platform to take their ideas, and ours, and create apps and sample apps. Graphics abilities would be a great benefit but not necessary. The intern will learn best practices in mobile application development, understanding the market needs and requirements of organizations and enterprises and their mobile strategy, and the ideation and creative process around mobile application creation and delivery.

Robert Hancock

Vice President - Sales and Marketing

4505 Emperor Boulevard, Suite 320
Durham, NC 27703

T 919.237.4225 F 919.765.5020 C 919.602.3025

www.smartonline.com

For packing, I buy a remainder roll from the local newspaper....

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 12:07:14 -0400

For packing, I buy a remainder roll from the local newspaper. Ink smudges my hands. A wave of nostalgia hits. (Taken with Instagram)

Spotted: the UX of mobile augmented reality -- it can be good

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 21:24:02 -0400

Narratives of satisfying and unsatisfying experiences of current mobile augmented reality applications

Thomas Olsson, Markus Salo

Over the last few years, mobile applications demonstrating Augmented Reality (AR) - such as Layar, Junaio and Google Goggles - have been introduced to consumers. We conducted an online survey to explore the user experience (UX) of early stage mobile AR applications available in the market in spring 2011, covering both location-based AR browsers and image recognition AR applications for object-based interaction. We identify various types of experiences such applications have evoked by qualitatively analyzing 84 users’ narratives of their most satisfying and unsatisfying experiences. The results highlight, for example, experiences of awareness of surroundings, empowerment, positive surprise, amazement and fascination from the novelty value, as well as some examples of immersion and social connectivity.

Spotted: Web use on smartphones -- users revisit sites only 25% of the time

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 21:18:25 -0400

Characterizing web use on smartphones

Chad Tossell, Philip Kortum, Ahmad Rahmati, Clayton Shepard, Lin Zhong

The current paper establishes empirical patterns associated with mobile internet use on smartphones and explores user differences in these behaviors. We apply a naturalistic and longitudinal logs-based approach to collect real usage data from 24 iPhone users in the wild. These data are used to describe smartphone usage and analyze revisitation patterns of web browsers, native applications, and physical locations where phones are used. Among our findings are that web page revisitation through browsers occurred very infrequently (approximately 25% of URLs are revisited by each user), bookmarks were used sparingly, physical traversing patterns mirrored virtual (internet) traversing patterns and users systematically differed in their web use.

Spotted: WalkType -- using the accelerometer and machine learning to help mobile users type while walking

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 21:13:10 -0400

WalkType: using accelerometer data to accomodate situational impairments in mobile touch screen text entry

Mayank Goel, Leah Findlater, Jacob Wobbrock

The lack of tactile feedback on touch screens makes typing difficult, a challenge exacerbated when situational impairments like walking vibration and divided attention arise in mobile settings. We introduce WalkType, an adaptive text entry system that leverages the mobile device’s built-in tri-axis accelerometer to compensate for extraneous movement while walking. WalkType’s classification model uses the displacement and acceleration of the device, and inference about the user’s footsteps. Additionally, WalkType models finger-touch location and finger distance traveled on the screen, features that increase overall accuracy regardless of movement. The final model was built on typing data collected from 16 participants.

Find: Amazon launches rental service for paper textbooks

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 21:49:44 -0400

Amazon launches rental service for paper textbooks

Juggernaut Amazon is striking another blow at the traditional textbook industry by offering semester-long rentals of physical books. The listings for a number of textbooks now include a “rent” option that’s usually around $50 for a title that sells for $170. According to Amazon’s FAQ, the books are rented out by the semester (counted as 130 days), with one 15-day extension allowed. Textbooks are shipped at standard prices, and the cost of returning them is paid by Amazon. Depending on their luck, renters might receive a book that’s new or one that’s gently used.

Ebay’s Half.com and other sites rent textbooks at roughly similar prices, but Amazon’s ubiquity means it’s likely to make the practice more mainstream. While Amazon also offers a…

Coffee and visualization. And film! Three loves of mine.

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 21:18:15 -0400

They have a kickstarter page….

Vittles Film + Counter Culture Coffee = Cafe Sense

I’m glad I ran into the guys of Vittles Film at the Indy Weekly Awards outing this weekend. It was gorgeous weather and lots of people jammed into the American Tobacco Historic District with vendors set up showing off their flair. As I was walking around congratulating the recent winners I stopped at a tent because I noticed a small postcard with a coffee tasting wheel advertising a documentary called “Cafe Sense”. I had heard about this documentary through Counter Culture Coffee but had yet to watch it. First, its a great documentary and you should check it out below or at their website here http://www.vittles.us/. Second, support what they are doing. Their craft is excellent and their story telling is superb. Hats off Vittles crew, I hope we meet again very soon!

Raleigh 5th for eco-friendly services -- and 1st for getting on lists

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 20:56:57 -0400

Raleigh needs to stop getting on lists, and start getting on with it.

This one actually makes a little sense though.

Raleigh ranks 5th in nation for eco-friendly services

A survey of the greenest U.S. cities shows that Raleigh is among the tops in the nation in offering eco-friendly services.

Raleigh ranked fifth on on the survey, which ranked cities on per capita availability of eco-friendly services as well as the premium charged by some green businesses.

The survey was performed by Thumbtack, a website geared to helping find local services.

Some of the services evaluated in the survey include solar panel installation, bicycle repair chemical-free house cleaning, organic catering, electronics recycling, chemical-free pest control, chemical-free carpet cleaning, sustainable interior design, green architects and home energy audits.

The top ten cities are:

1. San Francisco
2. Oakland
3. San Jose
4. Las Vegas
R. Raleigh
6. Columbus, Ohio
7. Seattle and Kansas City Mo.
8. Denver
9. San Diego

Charlotte did not secure a ranking, but did place third in availability of bike repair.