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6 Crazy Tech Predictions for 2012

Dean Kosage — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 02:39:08 +0000

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We live in a world of absolutes: Here’s what happened. Even when we look to the future, our predictions are couched in the world’s sometimes difficult realities. See if you can guess which prediction I’m talking about. ~ Dean Kosage

It can, to be honest, take all the fun out of guess work. So, once a year I allow myself to go beyond the likely, beyond the possible and deep into the world of the implausible. What follows are my most ridiculous and unlikely predictions. Most are just nuts, but one is, to be honest, all too scarily possible.

1. Facebook Buys Digg

Facebook’s 2012 will look a lot like its 2011: More growth, more change. Still, it hasn’t quite broken through on the content curation and voting side of things. With all the frictionless sharing people will be doing, they may no longer think about accumulating “likes.”

Digg started using Facebook’s OpenGraph in 2011, which makes it easy to share what you’re reading on Digg to Facebook. As I see it, this is simply the first step on the road to a much deeper relationship. When Facebook buys Digg next year, users will get the ability to “Digg” not only profile pages, but people. That’s right, you could really “Digg” someone on Facebook. It’s so 1976, but also so cool.

I foresee another side to the Facebook universe where people, places and things are Dugg on a more generalized basis, but those Diggs bubble up to individual profile pages and appear alongside Likes, Readings, Watching, etc. There is an 85% chance that all of Digg’s existing audience will walk away from the service if this acquisition happens, but I’m not sure most of them will stay with the content curation destination anyway.

2. Scientists and Hollywood Develop New Way to End Movies

3D has pretty much flopped, and it’s getting tougher and tougher to get movie-goers into theaters. Scientists will partner with Hollywood studios to unveil a new technology known as “Fresh Ends.” Using CGI, Hollywood script writers, voice and context recognition and logic algorithms, Fresh Ends technology will generate new endings for some of the world’s most popular films. These slightly rewritten movies will be re-released to theaters — just like the 3D rereleases — and are expected to add 15- to 20% additional box office returns to each film. For now, Fresh Ends only works with movies shot digitally.

3. SOPA Becomes the Law of the land

Myopic congressman and a distracted president take the Stop Online Privacy Act and pass it into law. Designed, at least according to the bill, “To promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of U.S. property, and for other purposes,” SOPA has an almost unprecedented chilling effect on the web. Thousands of U.S. sites shut down, other larger ones continue, but are now full of boring pap that could never be misconstrued as content piracy.

Content creators of all stripes are so unsure of what will be labeled piracy they struggle to create anything. By the end of 2012, however, an underground Internet (The UnderWebs) arises. It’s full of unfettered communication and content, and slowly but surely, millions of web surfers around the world begin using it instead of the government-policed Internet — a platform that dies a sad, quiet death in 2018.

4. Apple Intros a 5-inch Tablet Phone Hybrid

Sorry, no iPhone 5 or iPad 3. Unable to decide whether it should deliver a 7-inch iPad 3 or a 4.5-inch iPhone 5,Apple comes down squarely in the middle with a giant handheld that, naturally, makes calls and is almost large enough to be a usable tablet. The hidden bonus? It’s also a fully functional HDTV. Apple, however, will remain mum for most of the year on whether or not it plans on actually delivering a larger Apple iTV.

5. Google+ Takes Center Stage

Virtually unchanged for more than a decade, Google’s search page undergoes a subtle, yet important transformation. The search giant places a “+” sign right next to the “Google” Logo. But the change is more than logo-deep. If you hit your own “+” sign on your keyboard before typing in your search query, all results will feature Google+ search results on top. If you hit “+” twice, your search query can be used to launch a new Google+ post. You’ll still have to select which circles you want to share your search query with. Rumors will swirl throughout 2012 that Google wants to rename the entire company “Google+.”

6. Honda Releases Asimo to Consumers

Japanese auto manufacturer Honda shocks the world by unveiling a fully operational, $1,999 Honda Asimo Home Helper Robot. Like the Asimo we’ve seen in product demonstrations and on YouTube, “Home Asimo” can walk, run, jump, make coffee and sandwiches and, as we soon learn, clean toilets. Honda sells a stunning half million units before August, 2012. The most startling news, though, comes when one Home Honda robot in Dearborn, Michigan turns on its family’s computer and signs itself up for Twitter and Facebook. By December, more than 300,000 of the robots have been destroyed or returned.

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Toyota Fun Vii: Car of the Future

Dean Kosage — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:26:23 +0000

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Is this a car? Is it a smartphone? Is it a gaming machine? Yes to all three. The Toyota Fun Vii is a spectacular design concept unveiled at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show this week. ~ Dean Kosage

The 13-foot-long three-seater’s interior and exterior are blank slates for whatever visuals you would like to wirelessly paint onto them in real time. And if you get too confused, there’s a holographic “navigation concierge” lady with a cute little hat to accompany you, guiding you around the vehicle’s futuristic features. She also helps you find your way from one place to another, which is probably effortless considering that the vehicle is networked with all the other cars on the road and drives itself.

Check out this astonishing video, and then wonder along with us how long we’ll have to wait until we can sit in a car that drives itself, instantly converts into a video game, and acts like a super-smartphone on wheels. Come on Toyota, put some wings on it and we’ll finally have that long-anticipated flying car.

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Twilight Fans,The Target of Malicious Hackers

Dean Kosage — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:09:15 +0000

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As the next movie in the Twilight Saga film series nears its premiere, malicious hackers are taking advantage of Twilight fans by poisoning links in Twilight-related searches with malware, Norton’s experts warn. ~ Dean Kosage

Some of the search terms that will return results infected with malware are “Nude pictures of Taylor Lautner,” “Robert and Kristin kissing” and “Twilight true love.”

Clicking on some of the links resulting from these searches might get your PC, tablet or smartphone infected with viruses or keyloggers, so be extra careful when searching for Twilight-related material.

Twilight Saga fans are a common target for malicious hackers. In April 2011, we saw a Twilight game scam spread virally on Facebook, and similar scams have accompanied every movie in the series.

The next movie in the series, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part 1) should hit cinemas on Nov.18.Norton‘s experts expect to see even more Twilight-related malware, scams and spam as the excitement around the movie grows.

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“11/11/11 Moments Across the World”

Dean Kosage — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:19:17 +0000

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Volunteer videographers around the world are shooting footage Friday for the second “One Day On Earth” documentary, which aims to capture the world in moving pictures. The filming was intentionally chosen for 11/11/11 because it’s such a memorable date, much like last year’s date 10/10/10. ~ Dean Kosage

One Day On Earth is an entirely crowdsourced project. Anyone, anywhere in the world can join. Its website, at the center of the operation, has many social layers — members can share updates and photos, blog and connect with others. The project functions in a close partnership with Vimeo.

One Day On Earth partner organization, the UN Development Programme, has deployed cameras for filming with its teams in more than 120 countries, in locations including Mogadishu, Jerusalem, Colombia and Liberia. Boaz Paldi, head of UNDP’s video unit, revealed they’ve thus far captured footage of Haitian President Michel Martelly clearing rubble in an IDP camp in Port au Prince and a women’s empowerment project in Herat, Afghanistan. Paldi shared this, filming on the ground in Afghanistan:

“Had a great day in the field, filming a women empowerment story. As we hit the road from Herat to Adreskan district in Western Afghanistan, we felt a tad deflated upon receiving a DSS call to be extra careful since “there is information of a credible threat of suicide bombing in Herat”. Once at the field location, we were quickly able to put it all behind as we witnessed and captured on camera an amazing ‘ordinary’ woman accomplishing a lot in a diehard male bastion.”

A worldwide premiere of the 2010 documentary will take place in late February 2012 in partnership with UNDP. If you were going to capture one thing happening on earth 11/11/11 to include in the documentary, what would it be?

The “One Day on Earth” Trailer

One Day on Earth – Participate Today! from One Day On Earth on Vimeo.

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Katango is now on Google+

Dean Kosage — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:48:36 +0000

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Google has acquired Katango, a startup that has developed advance people-sorting algorithms, in order to improve the quality of Google+ Circles. It’s a perfect time to join and make Circles smarter for millions of people.” ~ Dean Kosage

“Katango was founded a little over a year ago to develop social algorithms that improve people’s online social interaction,” the company said in an announcement. “We’re excited to join the Google+ team and carry on fulfilling that mission. Google+ is seeing tremendous momentum.

Katango, previously known as CafeBots, was the first company funded by the Kleiner Perkins sFund. Earlier this year, the company launched an iPhone app to make it easier to message groups of people across Facebook, email and SMS.

The company’s strength is in its algorithms for social organization. Katango uses social cues to group a user’s friends and colleagues. Its technology is significantly more advanced than the code behind Facebook’s Smart Lists.

Google could well use that technology to improve its social network. Circles, the Google+ feature that lets users share content with different groups such as friends, family or colleagues, is central to Google+’s design. But sorting friends into circles is a tedious affair. Katango should make that process far less painful.

“We were impressed by the Katango team’s innovative approach to making your social circles smarter, and we think they’ll be a great addition to the Google+ team,”.

We have a few screenshots of what Katango was working on before the acquisition. Check them out and let us know what you think of Google’s newest purchase in the comments.

Check them out and let us know what you think of Google’s newest purchase:

Inbox

Groups

Message Group

Compose Message

Private Message to Group

Apple: Siri Is Only available to iPhone 4s

Dean Kosage — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:43:30 +0000

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Apple’s voice assistant Siri will remain exclusive to the iPhone 4S, Apple has confirmed. ~ Dean kosage

In an answer to an inquiry from developer Michael Steeber, asking about a possible special Siri-enabled iOS build for iPod touch and iPhone 4 owners, Apple responded with a resounding “no.”

“Siri only works on iPhone 4S and we currently have no plans to support older devices,” Apple said.

Siri is one of the most recognizable features of the iPhone 4S, and although it could work on the iPhone 4, Apple probably wants to give iPhone 4S buyers a little extra something for their money.

Of course, Apple can change its mind in the future, but for now it seems that only iPhone 4S owners will enjoy the benefits of chatting with their phone.

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ASIMO Robot Gets Smarter

Dean Kosage — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:07:38 +0000

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Honda has upgraded its bipedal ASIMO robot with several advancements, including improved AI and a bigger degree of autonomous behavior, the company announced. ~ Dean Kosage

The new ASIMO features strengthened legs, an expanded range of leg movement and stability control technology that allows it to walk, run, run backward and generally be much more agile than before.

It now has a multi-fingered hand with a tactile and force (we wouldn’t want it to apply too much force on its human overlords) sensor, which makes it capable of performing delicate tasks, such as pouring coffee into a mug.

Perhaps even more importantly, Honda’s little droid has been upgraded in the AI department as well, enabling it to (autonomously) respond to movement and surrounding situations. It can recognize a face or a voice — even when multiple people are speaking simultaneously — and react to the intention of the other party. It can also predict the direction a person will walk within a few seconds, and take an alternate path to avoid collision.

As one example of ASIMO’s possible usefulness in real world situations, Honda mentions the recent disaster in the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. “Not only is it possible to get inside the nuclear plant, but our robot could also get into other sites where humans don’t have access to,” said Honda’s CEO Takanobu Ito at ASIMO’s presentation.

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Will ‘Anonymous’ Target Facebook on Nov. 5?

Dean Kosage — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:15:57 +0000

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Anonymous, a group of hacker activists, have made a mysterious career out of big game hunting. The group, or hackers purporting to be part of Anonymous, have previously attacked targets such as Bank of America, Sony and even government sites. Now, the group may be targeting Facebook on Nov. 5 ~ Dean Kosage

The bad news is Anonymous is probably good enough to take down the social network, if only for a brief while, if they felt like it. The good news — for Facebook fans — is that the group frequently uses threats and warnings as a way to get people thinking about their targets without actually diving in. Facebook is now a target for abusing user privacy.

There was a mild buzz around the Internet about Nov. 5 as a potential Facebook attack date. Nov. 5 corresponds to Guy Fawkes Day, a UK holiday celebrating the failed plot by a crew of conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, to blow up British Parliament in 1605 and kill King James I. The holiday is supposed to celebrate the saving of the King’s life, but in recent years, it seems the revelry now favors Guy Fawkes and the idea of speaking truth (or gunpowder) to power. Fawkes was later popularized in the graphic novel-turned-movie V for Vendetta, which introduced a highly stylized Fawkes mask worn by rebels and revelers.

Anonymous seems to have dropped the Facebook attack, nicknamed “OP_FB.” There is little recent action on their Twitter account and there have been no new or significant statements specifically targeting Facebook. Instead, Anonymous is turning its attention to more public-friendly targets such as disrupting child pornography sites and threatening to attack the Zeta Mexican drug cartel (Anonymous has since backed down from the latter).

As of Nov. 3, PiratePad.net — a kind of Anonymous open forum — included a post saying:

Ideas for OP_FB:
Post ideas here guise. We are more powerful than DDoS attacks, and facebook isn’t going to keel over from something so small. We have more power than this and we should utilize it.

However, this seems more like brainstorming than a concerted attack. Even if Anonymous doesn’t decide to attack the world’s most popular social network, the threat itself certainly makes you think about just how much information Facebook owns and what its doing with our personal privacy.

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8 Horror Films You Can Watch For Free Online This Halloween

Dean Kosage — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 22:05:00 +0000

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One of the best things about Halloween is that it’s a perfect opportunity to grab some friends and settle in for a good old fashioned scare in front of the TV, or increasingly, the computer monitor.

Although we still think the cineplex is the best way to get your big-league scare-on, the Internet is a full-on treasure-trove of excellent scary content. While it’s true you can buy and download movies online, more and more often, streaming services are offering ways for film fans to tune in to great content for free.Some of these services might only work in the US but if you know of any great content accessible to international fans, please let us know in the comments (legal content, only, please!).

Here are eight of our favorite horror movies to watch for free online this Halloween. ~ Dean Kosage

1. Dawn of the Dead (2004 version)

Although most horror remakes pale in comparison to the original, Zack Snyder’s remake of the George Romero classic actually works pretty well. The film offers good scares and great effects and while it doesn’t totally capture Romero’s awesomeness (and, really, what would?), it’s a very solid horror flick.

You can watch “Dawn of the Dead” on Hulu and check out the trailer below:

2. Night of the Living Dead

George Romero’s groundbreaking 1968 black and white horror film, “Night of the Living Dead” revolutionized the horror industry and started the whole wave of splatter films that would come to define horror in the 1970s. It’s a classic that still holds up today (even if we are now accustomed to bigger scares) and features Romero’s trademark humor and wit.

The film is in the public domain, thanks to the original distributor’s failure to include copyright marks on the film prints. As such, you can download and watch the film for free at the Internet Archive.

Check out the trailer:

3. The Blob

If you like campy, gory, B-movie horror, you need to check out Chuck Russell’s 1988 remake of “The Blob.” With a tagline like “Terror Has No Shape” you know you are in for some good, cheesy, horror fun.

You can watch the film for free at Crackle.com and check out the trailer here:

4. Ghostbusters

OK, so “Ghostbusters” really isn’t what you would call a horror film, but it has ghosts and ooze and Bill Murray. Plus, they always played the theme song during the Halloween Parade at my elementary school. While it may not technically be horror, it is a Halloween tradition.

You can watch the hit movie online at Crackle.com and check out the trailer here:

5. The House on Haunted Hill

B-movie horror legend Vincent Price stars in the 1959 classic, “The House on Haunted Hill.” It’s about an eccentric millionaire who invites five people to his haunted house party. If they can stay the night, they get $10,000.00. Of course, as the night progresses, people get trapped and die. Pure B-movie gold.

You can watch the film on YouTube and check out the trailer here:

6. The Last Man on Earth

Another Vincent Price film, “The Last Man on Earth” is about a man who is the sole survivor of a deadly plague. However, he’s not as alone as he thinks — at night the bodies of the dead rise up, thirsty for his blood! The film was remade as “The Omega Man” starring Charlton Heston, but the original Vincent Price version is better.

It’s also in the public domain, so you can download it for free at Archive.org and watch the trailer here:

7. Nosferatu

Before Coppola’s “Dracula” adaptation — heck, before any adaptation — was the 1922 silent film “Nosferatu.” It’s a cinematic classic and still very eerie, despite being such an early film. It’s a must-watch for any fan of horror, or film in general.

You can watch it for free at Archive.org and see the trailer here:

8. Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Alfred Hitchcock is the quintessential master of suspense and his films like “Psycho” and “The Birds” continue to offer scares and thrills today. However, because he is so renown, most of his content is only available for purchase. However, you can still watch installments of his excellent TV show “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” on Hulu.

Check out this preview here:

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Halloween Google Doodle Time-Lapse Video!

Dean Kosage — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:56:16 +0000

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You know there’s something significant going on when Google creates one of its whimsical “doodles” and Halloween is no exception. Watch what happens. Very cool. Happy Halloween! ~ Dean Kosage

In case you can’t see it where you are, this year (in some countries), there’s a time-lapse video showing some of the most gigantic pumpkins in the world, going through a metamorphosis from blobs of orange to art as night falls.

Here’s how the Googlers describe the making of this kooky video on the Official Google Blog:

To celebrate Halloween this year, the doodle team wanted to capture that fascinating transformation that takes place when carving a pumpkin. Instead of picking up a few pumpkins from the grocery store, however, we decided to work on six giant pumpkins, specially delivered from nearby Half Moon Bay (some weighing well over 1,000 pounds). What you see is a timelapse video of the approximately eight hours we spent carving in the middle of our Mountain View, Calif. campus.

Watch the video of this Google’s “making of” video of this year’s doodle:

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