Monthly Archives: January 2010

Holy Crap, Final Fantasy Is Coming to iPhone [IPhone Apps]

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There's been some great classic gaming on the iPhone already—Monkey Island comes to mind—but now the platform is getting a huge injection of gaming cred with Final Fantasy 1 and 2. Try to control your squealing.

We don't know the big details of the release, namely date and price, but it has been officially confirmed by Square Enix on their Twitter and Facebook. The iPhone just got a whole lot more respectable on the gaming front. [RedmondPie via Kotaku]


Fuel Tank Test Rig

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Can anybody help me out in defining the input cycles or the way to prepare the drive files for a Fuel tank test rig? what all parameters are supposed to be provided (time series/frequency) to the component test engineer.

Maude Island: Alaska

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maude-island-alaska-1There is nothing better than when a beautiful turn key island comes on the market. One of my current favorites is Maude island. Situated in Sitka Alaska  the island offers incredible ocean and moutnain views. The beautiful island home is the ideal retreat for friends and family. Enjoy the fantastic views from the large decks or swap fish tales around the rock fireplace. This exclusive island home sits on nearly an acre of land and has plenty of room for expansion. Enjoy boating, fishing, and kayaking and launch from your own private dock!

For more information on this island visit Private Islands Online.

Amazon Opens Kindle Up for Development: App Store Ahoy [Kindle]

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Amazon just announced that the Kindle will have its own app store, with partners ranging from publishers like Zagat to, believe it or not, game makers like EA. E-ink gaming? What?

Says Amazon's vice president for Kindle:

We knew from the earliest days of the Kindle that invention was not all going to take place within the walls of Amazon. We wanted to open this up to a wide range of creative people, from developers to publishers to authors, to build whatever they like.

In that spirit, they've opened up development to selected partners (not everyone, yet—a wider release will come later this month) to create apps for the Kindle platform. There'll be three kinds of apps: Free, one-time payment, and monthly payment. Interestingly, because the Kindle is sold without a monthly fee for the wireless connection, these developers will have to pay 15 cents per megabyte for content delivery. They'll keep 70% of the revenue after those expenses are recouped by Amazon—more info on that stuff here.

There are also some basic limits on both bandwidth and app size. Free apps must be smaller than 1MB and use less than 100KB of data per user per month. One-time purchase apps and monthly apps both have the same data usage limit as free apps, but have a size limit of 100MB (although any app larger than 10MB can't be downloaded wirelessly—gotta do it via USB).

Amazon expects to start adding apps "sometime later this year," which is a nice vague thing to say in January. They'll also retain control over the types of apps added, restricting offensive apps, VoIP apps, viruses, that kind of thing. Now: What kind of things are we likely to see in a Kindle app store?

The Kindle is extremely limited by its hardware, most importantly its e-ink screen. The kind of glacial refreshes that are acceptable while reading a book make it totally useless for pretty much any game. The only ones that can deal with the limited screen are essentially pen-and-paper games, like Sudoku, word games (crossword puzzles, Scrabble) and, um, hangman. Scrabble is a fair bet to make an early appearance, since it's owned by EA, one of the two partners specifically named in the NYTimes announcement.

Other apps mentioned include searchable travel books, like a Zagat app that could find, say, local restaurants with specific criteria. But apps like that are really better suited for smartphones, which is an argument you could make about the entire idea of a Kindle app store. We'll have to wait until the plan actually launches before we see if it was a good decision—and who knows, by then the Apple Tablet will probably have revolutionized the publishing industry, solved the economic recession and rescued the world's kittens from the world's trees. [Amazon and NYTimes 1 and 2]

Amazon Announces Kindle Development Kit—Software Developers Can Now Build Active Content for Kindle
Travel books that suggest activities based on real-time weather and current events, cookbooks that recommend menus based on size of party and allergies, and word games and puzzles—just some of the possibilities with the new Kindle Development Kit

SEATTLE, Jan 21, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — (NASDAQ: AMZN)—For the past two years, Amazon has welcomed authors and publishers to directly upload and sell content in the Kindle Store through the self-service Kindle publishing platform. Today, Amazon announced that it is inviting software developers to build and upload active content that will be available in the Kindle Store later this year. The new Kindle Development Kit gives developers access to programming interfaces, tools and documentation to build active content for Kindle—the #1 bestselling, most wished for, and most gifted product across all categories on Amazon. Developers can learn more about the Kindle Development Kit today at http://www.amazon.com/kdk/ and sign up to be notified when the limited beta starts next month.

"We've heard from lots of developers over the past two years who are excited to build on top of Kindle," said Ian Freed, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. "The Kindle Development Kit opens many possibilities—we look forward to being surprised by what developers invent."

The Kindle Development Kit enables developers to build active content that leverages Kindle's unique combination of seamless and invisible 3G wireless delivery over Amazon Whispernet, high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper, and long battery life of seven days with wireless activated. For example, Handmark is building an active Zagat guide featuring their trusted ratings, reviews and more for restaurants in cities around the world, and Sonic Boom is building word games and puzzles.

"As the leading worldwide publisher of mobile games, EA Mobile has had the privilege of collaborating with many dynamic and innovative companies in bringing exciting gaming experiences to new platforms," says Adam Sussman, Vice President of Worldwide Publishing, EA Mobile. "Working with Amazon, we look forward to bringing some of the world's most popular and fun games to Kindle and their users."

Starting next month, participants in the limited beta will be able to download the Kindle Development Kit, access developer support, test content on Kindle, and submit finished content. Those wait-listed will be invited to participate as space becomes available. The Kindle Development Kit includes sample code, documentation, and the Kindle Simulator, which helps developers build and test their content by simulating the 6-inch Kindle and 9.7-inch Kindle DX on Mac, PC, and Linux desktops.


iPhone Apps Save Man Trapped in Haiti [IPhone]

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An American filmmaker trapped in the Haitian earthquake used his iPhone in some pretty ingenious ways to survive until he could be rescued 65 hours later. It's like a digital multitool!

Dan Woolley was caught under a pile of rubble when the earthquake hit, injuring both his leg and his head. A first-aid app instructed him on the best way to create a tourniquet for his leg and a bandage for his head, and even warned him against falling asleep after head trauma—so he set his iPhone's alarm clock to go off every 20 minutes as a precaution.

Evidently the strategies worked, because he survived long enough to be rescued 65 hours later and reunited with his family. I can't figure out exactly which app he used, which is mildly inconvenient since now I'll have to download every first-aid app I can find. [MSNBC via Wired]


Calibration of a speed meter 4-20mA

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Dear Friends;

For an analogue I/Os, I always worked with 0-10V which is very easy to understand for me, but now I have been working with a speed meter which spec are 4-20mA = 20-120M/Min. I could not understand that how we can calculate its range as with upper limits 120/20 = 6M/min over1mA but

Funeral Webcasting: Horrifying, or Totally Horrifying? [BadIdeas]

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There goes that last frontier of decency. Or did it? I could almost buy into this being at worst an unfortunate necessity, when friends and loved ones are ill or abroad. That is, until I watched the official sales pitch.

That's right, you can use the funeral webcast as a way to actively exclude those you don't like from the ceremony! You can also set a password, which is great for keeping out funereal voyeurs (if those exist?), but also, you know, that cousin with the lazy eye that owes everybody money. It also suggests that you watch the funeral from the library, which is just come on already. If you're trying to sell me on live funeral webcasting, Chris Hill, at least do it with a little dignity and tact. [Funeral Resources via Consumerist]


Warming Climate Out of Balance

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The 2000s were the warmest decade on record.

The 2000-2009 decade was the warmest on record, easily surpassing the previous hottest decade — the 1990s — researchers said Tuesday in a report providing fresh evidence that the planet may be warming at a potentially disastrous rate.

In 2009, global surface temperatures were 1.01 degree above average, which tied the year for the fifth warmest year on record, the National Climatic Data Center said.  And that helped push the 2000-2009 decade to 0.96 degree above normal, which the agency said “shattered” the 1990s record value of 0.65 degree above normal.

The warmest year on record was 2005 at 1.11 degrees above normal.

The findings follow years of gradually rising global temperatures which atmospheric scientists attribute to the warming effect of gases released into the air by human activities, including burning fossil fuels.

Balance is incredibly important for earth’s ecosystems because they have been found to be extremely sensitive to even the slightest changes.  This super-sensitivity causes both expected and unexpected reactions.  Climate scientist James Hansen has been saying this for years: Our weather is out of balance, the warming climate is out of balance, and life on earth is getting out of balance as a result.

Everyone should be concerned about this from an environmental standpoint; and anyone who cares about the economy and jobs should be very concerned about climate change.  Sudden climate disasters that get the public’s attention, which may occur either before or after tipping points are reached,  could have a devastating effect on world economies.  The situation may require sudden changes in energy sources, which we are not ready for at this point.  Our economy is based in large part on our energy sources, especially fossil fuels.   Ultimately, climate change will affect every aspect of our economy, from consumerism to energy to the insurance industry (especially the insurance industry).

Recently,  businesses and government have noticed that climate change is going to be bad for the economy and bad for business and bad for our national security — and the national security of every country on earth, for that matter.   It’s notable that even major financial publications are worried about climate change.   Business and government know climate change is going to drastically change the world. Why don’t our media and politicians know this and act upon it?  The article below is from a major financial publication, the Financial Times:

World Weather Shifts off Balance

Trains, planes and cars halted by snow and ice. Gas and electricity supplies rationed. Sensitive crops ruined. Boats frozen into waterways. . . .

For weeks, images of the coldest weather for decades have filled the media across Europe, Asia and North America.

But there is an alternative weather story. In much of the Canadian Arctic – and across north Africa and the Middle East – temperatures have been 10°C above the midwinter average. The southern hemisphere is experiencing some extreme [...]

iPhone Survives Eight-Foot Drop During Weird Stunt [Image Cache]

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Meet David Fermin, a pro MMA fighter who apparently forgets that he has an iPhone in his pocket when he swings from pipes, eight feet off the ground. Yeah, his iPhone takes a fall. No, there's no gadget gore.

Whether this clip is staged or not, I just plain want to know why David didn't choose something safer-looking than those pipes for his exercises. They look ready to join the iPhone and its case in clattering to the ground.


Scott Brown, the small government candidate wins; but don’t thank the Libertarian Party

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by Dan Sherrier

Massachusetts’s famous Senate race is over, and as you’ve probably heard by now, Republican Scott Brown defeated Democrat Martha Coakley – not by a landslide, but by a comfortable margin of 53-46.

If you’re an advocate of smaller government and reducing the federal debt, Brown was the clear choice–even just on the health care issue alone. And that’s a rather enormous issue.

Joe Kennedy: No hope

Nevertheless, the Libertarian Party (LP) was willing to risk spoiling the election in Coakley’s favor. The party applauded its senatorial candidate, Joe Kennedy (no relation to the late Ted Kennedy), for refusing to drop out of the race.

In a press release, Wes Benedict, executive director of the LP, stated: “In fact, no one is ’stealing’ anything. The votes belong to the voters, not the candidates. If voters choose Kennedy over Brown, it’s probably because they understand that Brown is a typical big-government Republican. If voters choose Kennedy over Coakley, it’s probably because they understand that Coakley is a typical big-government Democrat.”

If the Republicans are the "Big Government Party," than the Dems are the "Gigantic Government Party"

Brown might meet the LP’s definition of “big government.” But compare him to Coakley – or compare the average federal Republican to the average federal Democrat – and see that you can’t apply the exact same “big-government” label to both. If Brown is “big,” then Coakley is gigantic.

It’s possible that some Massachusetts voters might have switched from Coakley to Kennedy. But it’s unlikely for most. Government spending is an issue that concerns many American minds. The Tea Party folks are evidence of that, and they’re not everyone who cares about the situation. (I have never participated in any Tea Party, and I’m concerned about government spending. I suspect many more fall into this category.)

On this issue, and the issues that stem from it, the Libertarians and Republicans vie for the same constituency. Both parties are opposed to the Democrats’ plans for America. They don’t agree on everything, but both would like to reduce the size of government and thwart current Democratic proposals, such as the healthcare legislation, cap-and-trade, and any more massive spending bills that might arise.

Yes, the Republicans spent too much money when they were in the power. They messed up. Those who participated deserve a good scolding.

But they’ve been behaving themselves better over the past year, beginning with their near-unanimous opposition to the $787 billion stimulus bill. There’s a reason the Democrats try to smear them as “The Party of No” (as if saying “yes” to any legislation that passes through Congress is automatically a good thing).

Just because the Republicans screwed up in the past doesn’t mean they definitely will in the future. After all, many of the big-spending offenders were voted out, hence the current Democratic majorities. And we can find better Republicans to replace the incumbent Democrats. Brown is just one example of new Republican blood at the federal level.

Libertarians need to hook up with Republicans

Here’s my suggestion to the LP: Join forces with the Republican Party, at least temporarily.

Focus on the common ground. Put isolationism and drug-legalization on the back-burner for now. When the Democratic Party is sufficiently neutered, then you can break away and present your alternative to the Republican Party.

Libertarians, your official motto is “Smaller government. Lower taxes. More freedom.” What short-term compromises are you willing to make to achieve that? And aren’t the current Republicans working to bring us in that general direction, or at least to slow down the growth the Democrats want to enact?

Republicans are far from perfect, but they’re many times better than the Democrats

Peter Schiff has it right. He’s very libertarian-minded, but he’s running for Senator from Connecticut as a Republican. Look at the issues he outlines on his web site. He focuses on the common-ground topics. Schiff could actually win in 2010 and produce accomplishments that would make both libertarians and conservatives happy.

At different times over the past year or so, I’ve referred to myself as both conservative and libertarian while maintaining a distance from both the Republicans and Libertarians. Between these two parties, I qualify as a moderate. I can find items to disagree with on both party platforms, but I can at least understand from where both sides are coming.

The national Democratic Party’s plans, however, strike me as a blueprint for power-hungry politicians. Let’s scare them about global warming. Then let’s scare them about health care coverage. And let’s make sure they believe that only the government can heal a sick economy. Then we can enact more regulations and further justify our existence!

I’d much prefer to see Republicans vs. Libertarians as the two major parties rather than Republicans vs. Democrats. In order for that to happen, the Republicans and Libertarians first need to work together to thwart the Democrats, which will take time and hard work.

Or, the Libertarian Party can stand on the sidelines with its 1 percent of the vote and continue to shout, “Well at least I took my stand! I tried! ‘A’ for effort!”

Editor's Note - Dan Sherrier is a regular contributor to the North Star National which covers politics and opinion from all angles. Special thanks to Editor Dan Calabrese.

SlideScreen Android App Replaces Homescreen With Beautiful Information [Android Apps]

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Android's stock homescreen is fine; usable, not thrilling. SlideScreen, a homescreen replacement, is a wild departure that totally changes how you use your phone. It's a mix between Zune, MotoBlur and HTC's Sense. And I just made it my default.

Instead of the standard grid of icons and widgets we've seen in handhelds since Palm OS, SlideScreen integrates information from various sources—Google Reader, Twitter, email, text messages, calendar appointments, and stocks—right onto the homescreen. It's sort of like Blur, the social-networking-focused Motorola skin seen on the Cliq, taken to an extreme. Each of these information sources is given a color-coded section and shows new information as it comes in.

In the middle of that is the app's namesake, a slider (itself displaying date, time, weather, battery, and signal strength) that can be moved up and down to reveal and highlight each of the other sections in full. Tapping the menu button takes you to a traditional list of apps, with space for eight favorites at the top. It's pretty confusing to explain, but it's really easy to use. Check out this video for a nice walkthrough.

I love how the app frees you from the standard homescreen. No longer does your home button lead you to a portal for opening other apps; SlideScreen gives you access to the information within the apps that you want. Tapping on any individual update, like a tweet or an email, takes you into the corresponding app (in this case, it might be Twidroid and Gmail), but you can just look at the homescreen and get the gist of what's happening in your phone.

It's also incredibly fast—even on my Droid, which is a pretty swift little bugger, the stock app launcher and notification shade both have a tendency to stutter, but SlideScreen is perfectly smooth. That's not to say that it's perfect, however.

SlideScreen is not very customizable—I'd love to be able to move or add some sections (right now, you can only remove them). I want to add Facebook/AIM/Gtalk, or put my email in the top position instead of phone calls, but no such luck. Also, it doesn't work with Google Apps (only normal Gmail accounts work), so my Gizmodo email account doesn't show up on the homescreen—a serious problem. Luckily the SlideScreen team says they're working hard on releasing a fix for that issue. The built-in Twitter reader is very barebones, and displays only an excerpt on the homescreen (an excerpt of a tweet? Is 140 characters really too long?). But it's got a ton of potential, and it's interesting to look at, which stock Android is not, particularly.

SlideScreen isn't just one of the most polished Android apps I've ever seen, it's also in itself an argument for how great Android can be. Not everyone will like it, but it's pretty amazing to have the option to totally transform one of the most basic parts of your phone. Not in a million years will you see SlideScreen in the iPhone App Store. I just hope Larva Labs, the makers of the app, keeps developing so it can achieve its potential. It's available now in the Market as either a free version (with an ad) or a $7 pro version. [SlideScreen, video from MobileCrunch—Thanks Justin Dove!]