Lifestyle posts

Technology has been accused of ruining many things in the world and in society, but there are times when it helps to preserve the natural elements around us by replacing things that once hurt the environment with more eco-friendly solutions. Such is the case with paper – more specifically, the ability to keep a few (million) more trees sprouting up and keeping oxygen levels at a sustainable level. E-receipts, paperless storage, and other forms of technology that have reduced the need for paper are poised to start making a difference. There are trade-offs of course; every device that replaces…

Few devices have come along that have truly made me say, “Wow”. Perhaps the last one was the first iPhone. Even the iPad did little to earn my excitement. Those who read this may wonder how much Amazon is paying me. There are times when brand-advocacy comes truly from the heart and this is one of those times. The Kindle Fire by Amazon is the best technology purchase I’ve made in a while, so good that I just ordered one for every member of my family. Here’s why: The right size One of the reasons that I went with the iPad 2 instead of some of the Android devices that piqued my interest had nothing to do with being…

Laugh synth for iOS has just been released, compatible with both iPhone and iPad. Laugh Synth makes it possible create laughing sounds with a simple touch of the screen to control different characteristics of the laugh. Users can even sample their own sounds to create custom laughs. This is as easy as recording any sound you want (laugh, scream, burp, meow, whatever) and trimming to only use the portion of the waveform you want. Touch the screen to control the pitch and the level of effects present in the sound. Add reverb or other effects to further enhance the laugh. Have a look at the app by watching…

The only thing certain about the future of daily deals is that the industry’s future is uncertain. It’s not a play on words or a failed attempt at sounding clever. If you ask 10 people where daily deals will be a year from now, you’ll probably get 10 completely different responses. The truth is, nobody knows for sure. We know that Wall Street isn’t treating Groupon well right now. We know that LivingSocial is looking as strong today as Groupon did a year ago after announcing a national deal with McDonald’s. We know that fortunes in the daily deals industry can turn on a dime. We also know that users are…

In Mark Zuckerberg’s response to the FTC, we learned that Facebook is being forced to be more transparent, more privacy-oriented, and to get permission across the board for any changes they make both by users, the FTC, and anyone else who cares. This is a real blow, not because it hampers their ability to make money with the site but because it will force them to make some adjustments to the phone they’re developing. The folks at Geek Culture “discovered” what the real plans were before. How they will change with the FTC agreement is anyone’s guess, but one thing is sure – they’ll need to make changes…

In less than a month, Groupon’s highly-lauded stocks have plummeted from their IPO sale price of $28 closing today at $15.24, down 46% since their November 4th initial public offering. That’s the good news. The bad news is that recovery, if any, will be short-lived. We anticipated bad times, declaring that Groupon was not IPO-ready, but it appears that things are worse than we thought. Since going public, Groupon has done very little to enhance or promote their product the way that a newly-public company normally would. Their “big launch” this month of an “exciting new feature” is, for the most…

Two trends in American culture contradict each other. On one hand, technological and scientific fields are struggling to find qualified people to fill jobs. On the other hand, the education system are not focusing on producing more STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) enriched students. Nearly 3/4ths of students talented in math and science decide to pursue STEM degrees in college. Can bringing these two trends more in line with one another fix many of the growing problems in America? To answer that question, it’s important to have a more clear understanding of what STEM really is….

When I heard that Google had put out their first Google+ television commercial, I was both impressed and a little excited. “Finally,” I thought, “they’re going to make a push to bring Google+ into mainstream consciousness.” I watched the commercial and immediately facepalmed. Despite clear indications from users and bloggers that Google+ Circles is a nice feature but not the thing that would separate it from Facebook, Google continues to highlight it as something special. “Sharing but like real life.” That’s the message. It’s very Applesque in styling and concept. It’s even delivered in…

The biotechnology industry has been booming for decades in the United States, Europe, and Japan, but recent advancements in both science and economic situations have the industry hitting a tipping point around the world. Australia, China, and South Korea have made tremendous strides in this competitive and highly-lucrative industry as the races to create the next batch of wonder drugs and miracle treatments hits a feverish pace. This graphic by AssayDepot follows the money trail around the world, highlighting the newest batch of labs that are popping up across the globe. Click to enlarge….

After last week’s high-energy American Censorship Day flew through with amazing responses from websites everywhere, much of the buzz has faded in the last few days. That simply cannot happen. SOPA, the bill that would grant power to the US government to censor websites, punish users, and have unprecedented control over the internet in general, is up for a vote next month. Despite all of the feverish activity, now is not the time to slow down. This is a sprint – the vote is next month – and the money (via campaign contributions) behind those supporting the bill is growing. Congress must be contacted….