One Thing I Wouldn't Do for a Palm Pre

The much hyped Palm Pre is just days away from release and things are getting downright weird. Check out the picture of this nut who got a huge Palm Pre tattoo on his arm in order to win a free device.

PreCentral.net is running the campaign.

Personally, I'm going to wait until the next version of the Pre to get my tattoo.

Is True Global Democracy the Next Great Political Movement?

A near-universal disillusionment with traditional forms of government is driving new expressions of democracy around the world, underscored by a growing awareness of global issues and Internet-based connectivity. Paul Hawken of Orion magazine describes how many of the networking trends evident over the last decade are coalescing to create new ways for socially- and politically-minded groups to organize and make a difference:

This is the first time in history that a large social movement is not bound together by an 'ism.' What binds it together is ideas, not ideologies. This unnamed movement's big contribution is the absence of one big idea; in its stead it offers thousands of practical and useful ideas. In place of isms are processes, concerns, and compassion. The movement demonstrates a pliable, resonant, and generous side of humanity...

The promise of this unnamed movement is to offer solutions to what appear to be insoluble dilemmas: poverty, global climate change, terrorism, ecological degradation, polarization of income, loss of culture. It is not burdened with a syndrome of trying to save the world; it is trying to remake the world.

Source: AlterNet

Nokia Lumia 710 Vs HTC Radar

Los nuevos Nokia Lumia 710 y HTC Radar son dos de los nuevos equipos que acaban de presentarse en el mercado corriendo con Windows Phone 7, ambos son "básicos" para las prestaciones con las que cuentan, y es interesante poder hacer una comparación entre ellos para que cada quien decida cuál de los dos le parece más adecuado para sus necesidades.

Podemos comenzar hablando de las características más destacadas de cada uno de los equipos, antes de verlos en acción juntos.

Comenzando con el Nokia Lumia 710:

Redes: WCDMA 900/1900/2100, GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
Datos: HSDPA cat 10: 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA cat 6: 5.76 Mbps
Pantalla: 3.7" WVGA (800×480) TFT capacitive touch ClearBlack
Sistema operativo: Windows Phone 7.5 – Mango
Memoria: 512MB RAM, 8GB storage
Cámara: 5Mpix auto-focus, LED flash, Video capturing MPEG-4 720p @ 30 fps
Tamaño/Pesp: 119mm x 62.4mm x 12.5mm (LxWxT) / 81.1cc / 125.5g
Conectividad: WLAN 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, A-GPS, micro-USB connector and charging, 3.5mm AHJ connector
Procesador: 1.4 Ghz Single Core MSM8255 (WCDMA)
Audio: MP3 player, Audio jack: 3.5mm, Supported codecs incl.: mp3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, wma
Batería: 1300 mAh

Y por el otro el HTC Radar:

GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz y 3G HSPA on the 900/2100MHz
Pantalla SLCD de 3.8″ (480 x 800 píxeles), Gorilla Glass
Memoria de 8GB
RAM 512MB
Procesador Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 1GHz
Cámara frontal es VGA para videollamadas
Cámara principal de 5 MP (2560х1920
Grabación en HD a 720p (1280 x 720 píxeles)
Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango)
120.5mm x 61.5mm x 10.9mm

Ahora sí les dejo el video para que comparen y vean por ustedes mismos:

Flick Fishing First to a Million Paid Downloads

Congrats to iPhone game developer Freeverse, who announced today that over the weekend they sold the millionth copy of their Flick Fishing game, making Flick Fishing the first paid application to reach the one million download milestone.

Flick Fishing allows iPhone and iPod touch users to take a virtual fishing trip with the flick of a wrist.  The game uses the iPhone's accelerometer to recreate a casting motion, then a combination of bait choice and fishing skill helps players land the big fish.

The iPhone OS 3.0 update issued last week for Flick Fishing allows peer-to-peer networking for players to compare their catches while competing in a blackjack style fishing contest. In addition, in-app purchases of a new fishing location and new fish have been made by nearly 10 percent of users since the OS 3.0 update was issued.
 
'We couldn't be happier that so many people decided to put on their virtual fishing cap and give Flick Fishing a try,' said Ian Lynch Smith, president and co-founder of Freeverse. 'We're very proud that over one million players have discovered that Flick Fishing is a great way to enjoy summer fun on your iPhone without the pesky flies and mosquitoes.'

The game can be purchased from iTunes for $.99 by clicking here.

MIT Demonstrates 'Wireless Electricity'

The ability to direct and transmit electrical power through the air, without wires, took a further step from the theoretical to the practical in June when a group of MIT researchers demonstrated their 'WiTricity' concept.

The technology works by transmitting electricity as a magnetic field oscillating at a specific frequency. Through 'magnetically coupled resonance,' the 'receiver' can capture the electricity, making for an efficient and safe method of over-the-air transfer.

Wireless transmission of electricity has been understood in theory since the work of Nikolai Tesla in the 19th Century. Safe, efficient and cost-effective wireless electricity could hold countless beenfits, from eliminating the need to install costly copper wiring to lowered reliance on batteries for small devices. However, despite the success of WiTricity, the technology has a long way to go before it is deployed commercially... not to mention the need to better understand side effects such as interference and possible effects on health and the environment.

Source: Self Service World

Outsourced Journalism

Add writing and reporting to the list of jobs that are now being outsourced. Although native foreign correspondents have been around for decades, news sources such as one in Pasadena, California, have begun outsourcing its local news coverage to reporters in India:

James Macpherson, editor and publisher of the Pasadena Now website, hired two reporters last weekend to cover the Pasadena City Council. One lives in Mumbai and will be paid $12,000 a year. The other will work in Bangalore for $7,200. The council broadcasts its meetings on the Web. From nearly 9,000 miles away, the outsourced journalists plan to watch, then write their stories while their boss sleeps — India is 12.5 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time.

"A lot of the routine stuff we do can be done by really talented people in another time zone at much lower wages," said Macpherson, 51, who used to run a clothing
business with manufacturing help from Vietnam and India.

Although this might be an isolated case, it could catch on if publishers perceive a real cost savings. Or not, if they sense a loss of a connection to the communities they are covering.

Source: unmediated