Open Source Increasingly Replaced By Open APIs

Open Source Increasingly Replaced By Open APIs:

SharkLaser writes "Open APIs might be the way to get rich in 2012. At the same time, it can also be what ultimately hinders open source development. A wide range of companies, including Google, Facebook, Amazon and Twitter, are building open APIs for other developers to use and build upon. Open APIs can be used by companies to grow their user base and introduce new, interesting features on top of their platform. Independent developers can utilize established services and their users to grow their own business. A perfect example of open APIs is Facebook Apps, which lets individuals and companies develop applications and games on top of the Facebook platform. Developers gain access to Facebook's established user base and Facebook gains new features and fun stuff to do on their site. Instead of open sourcing their platforms, companies like Google and Facebook are providing Open APIs and data access to outside developers. The actual source code for the services sits safely inside the company's network and never needs to be disclosed to outside parties, thus hindering open source development."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Burgers: Jalapeno-Blue Cheese Burgers

Burgers: Jalapeno-Blue Cheese Burgers:

4.41 / 5 Stars | 106 Reviews

by MRSTEWART

"Blue cheese, jalapeno and Swiss cheese round out these huge grilled burgers. These delicious burgers will make you think twice about eating chicken!"

View Complete Recipe Details and Reviews

Cat scores 128 on Fruit Ninja for iPad

Cat scores 128 on Fruit Ninja for iPad: Cats are known for their love of playing with balls of string, but this technologically-minded feline shunned traditional toys for an Apple iPad, amassing a handsome score of 128 on popular fruit-swiping game Ninja Fruit.

The Plug Hub Manages Your Mess of Surge Protector Cables [Video]

The Plug Hub Manages Your Mess of Surge Protector Cables [Video]:

We've talked about a lot of cordless workspace solutions here at Lifehacker, but if all you need is a bit of organization around your surge protector, the Plug Hub lets you shorten and organize your cables for clean, easy access. More »

Ebert: film industry is losing money because they charge too much and deliver too little

Ebert: film industry is losing money because they charge too much and deliver too little:

Roger Ebert poo-poos the idea that piracy is at the root of dropping film revenues and ascribes the phenomenon instead to crappy movies and crappy theaters that charge too much.

2. Ticket prices are too high. People have always made that complaint, but historically the movies have been cheap compared to concerts, major league sports and restaurants. Not so much any longer. No matter what your opinion is about 3D, the charm of paying a hefty surcharge has worn off for the hypothetical family of four.

3. The theater experience. Moviegoers above 30 are weary of noisy fanboys and girls. The annoyance of talkers has been joined by the plague of cell-phone users, whose bright screens are a distraction. Worse, some texting addicts get mad when told they can't use their cell phones. A theater is reportedly opening which will allow and even bless cell phone usage, although that may be an apocryphal story.

4. Refreshment prices. It's an open secret that the actual cost of soft drinks and popcorn is very low. To justify their inflated prices, theaters serve portions that are grotesquely oversized, and no longer offer what used to be a "small popcorn." Today's bucket of popcorn would feed a thoroughbred.

I'll tell you why movie revenue is dropping...

ESPN's bowl coverage swaps out the telestrator for augmented reality GameView

ESPN's bowl coverage swaps out the telestrator for augmented reality GameView:

We dug into ESPN's use of the Xbox 360 and EA Sports games to power its Virtual Playbook segments last year, but in preparation for this round of BCS bowl games it's upgraded the system with a bit of augmented reality. The new GameView system uses a tabletop 70-inch touchscreen LCD, a copy of NCAA Football '12 and four dedicated workstations to blend everything together and create a simulation for viewers to see the analysts move virtual players around the field. It should at least be more interesting than CNN's previous election coverage implementation, although we're mostly wondering when a combo of Kinect, Surface and old school electronic football will bring the experience directly to our living rooms to play around with. Check out the gallery for a few more screens and expect to see this implemented more during the upcoming big time bowl games -- no, there's no secret code Desmond Howard can input to get a national championship game between two college football teams that haven't already played each other, we asked.

Gallery: ESPN GameView Augmented Reality

Continue reading ESPN's bowl coverage swaps out the telestrator for augmented reality GameView

ESPN's bowl coverage swaps out the telestrator for augmented reality GameView originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zooey Deschanel plays "What Are You Doing New Years Eve?" on ukulele

Zooey Deschanel plays "What Are You Doing New Years Eve?" on ukulele:

[Video Link] Accompanied by Joseph Gordon-Levitt on guitar.

Sonic and Sega all Star Racing Free on iTunes

Sonic and Sega all Star Racing Free on iTunes: Found by boombadoom

was 69p the other day i think and has now gone down to Free!

Not sure what its like, now downloading

New Record High Temperature At South Pole

New Record High Temperature At South Pole:

New submitter Titus Andronicus writes "The South Pole experienced its highest-ever recorded temperature of -12.3C (+9.9F) on December 25, 2011, according to preliminary reporting from the Antarctic Meteorological Research Center at the University of Wisconsin."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Huge List of Free iPhone & iPad Apps! - Quick, some aint going to be free for long!

Huge List of Free iPhone & iPad Apps! - Quick, some aint going to be free for long!: Found by antdav

Here's a load more Free Apps for you new Christmas presents!
Most Apps are either Previously Paid Apps Free for a limited time, or available free from iTunes.

=========================================================
WARNING - Apps Free at the time of posting!!
Please Please double check before downloading - just to be sure!!
=========================================================
Six Guns
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id447331712
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overkill
http://itunes.apple.com/app/overkill/id421659813
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robotek HD
http://itunes.apple.com/app/robotek-hd/id437602797
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blood & Glory
http://itunes.apple.com/app/blood-glory/id466067444
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tap Fish 2
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id443891725
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hangman Deluxe HD
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id473201635
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 4.1 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UltiMaze
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id463383364
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Requires iOS 4.2 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Soccer Showdown
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id482525547
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Creeps!
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id300670609
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Galaga 30th Collection
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id413616338
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENDI Tank Battle HD
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/endi-tank-battle-hd/id400291223
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 4.3 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MetalStorm: Wingman
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id425746946
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (2nd generation), iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trial Xtreme 2 Free
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id475970023
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Push-Cars HD
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id441053894
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dice With Buddies Free
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id432750508
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Angry Gran
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id481664999
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Casse Briques HD
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id424588675
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Knights Dawn
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id432749372
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 4.2 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Huntville
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id441888490
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 4.3 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGO® Instructions
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id401424333
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 4.3 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ponon! Deluxe
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id402642577
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pool
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id332184886
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Glass Tower 2
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id368940123
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skipping Stone
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id426081628
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ninja Saga
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id431062466
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NinJump
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id379471852
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kiss My Rocket
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id428244728
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Free Zombie Hero - Kill Angry War Ninja
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id383047803
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Horoscope
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id329504506
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flash Web Browser - Splashtop Remote Browser
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id431331485
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Undead Attack Pinball HD
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id462024290
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Space Frak HD
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id413099795
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tesla Wars HD
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id365616904
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ordance Survey - GB Road Atlas 250K
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id375929161
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Angry Duckly
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id431563222
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 4.1 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeti Town
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id489567928
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GT Racing: Motor Academy
http://itunes.apple.com/app/gt-racing-motor-academy-free/id407224003
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or later
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tiny Village
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tiny-village/id453126021
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eternity Warriors
http://itunes.apple.com/app/eternity-warriors/id434032546
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frontline Commando
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/frontline-commando/id464131808
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Early Bird HD
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id453089066
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Infinity Quest
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id461759042
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zombie Toss Basketball
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id436247664
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 4.2 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DeathFall
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id410757041
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
iStunt 2 HD - Insane Hills
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id429431260
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fishdom: Christmas Splash HD (Premium)
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id473920065
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1000 Heroz HD
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id438458959
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 4.1 or later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ENJOY!

Imgur.com: Why We Dumped GoDaddy

Imgur.com: Why We Dumped GoDaddy

Velcroman1 writes "On the eve of what has been dubbed "Dump Go Daddy Day," imgur.com — the massive image hosting sites is responsible for an astonishing 28 terabytes of bandwidth and nearly 200 million page views per day — has already changed its registry entries, foreshadowing the potential negative effect of a boycott set to begin Thursday morning. GoDaddy.com originally supported the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) but quickly recanted its position when the call of a boycott circulated. 'The outcry kind of forced our hand,' imgur founder and owner Alan Schaaf said. 'I'm against the SOPA act and imgur as a company is against it. We just feel it is terrible that GoDaddy.com would support this legislation.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Scientists scan damaged audio discs, resurrect fresh beats

Scientists scan damaged audio discs, resurrect fresh beats:

Digitizing your analog archives? Vinyl to CD / MP3 / iPod turntables might do well enough for your old 45s, but the folks at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory prefer to listen to their old beats by taking pictures of them. More specifically, restoration specialists are using a system called IRENE/3D to snap high resolution images of damaged media. The cracked discs -- often made of wax on brass or composition board -- are then repaired digitally, letting researchers play the digitized discs with an emulated stylus. So far, the team has recovered a handful of 125 year old recordings from a team in Alexander Graham Bell's Volta laboratory. The all digital system gives researchers a hands-off way to recover audio from relic recordings without running the risk of damaging them in the process -- and no, they probably won't let you use it to listen to that beat up copy of the White Album you've had in your closet since eighth grade. Hit the source link to hear what they've recovered.

Continue reading Scientists scan damaged audio discs, resurrect fresh beats

Scientists scan damaged audio discs, resurrect fresh beats originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 02:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Physorg | Berkeley Lab | Email this | Comments

LG unveils 84-inch 'ultra definition' 4K TV it's bringing to CES 2012

LG unveils 84-inch 'ultra definition' 4K TV it's bringing to CES 2012:

LG let us know at CES 2011 that it had 4K LCD televisions in the pipeline, but unfortunately they didn't make it out this year. Expect for that to change in 2012, as the company just announced it's bringing an 84-inch "ultra definition" (3840x2160) TV to Las Vegas to go along with its 55-inch OLED. It has all of LG's Cinema 3D and Smart TV features built-in, including support for that upgraded Magic Motion remote and voice control. There's no official word yet on when we'll see these on shelves or at what price, but it certainly looks production ready compared to other prototypes that have been displayed over the years. While we don't have easy sources of 4K-res video content yet, one of the reasons LG is making the jump first is for 3D. Its Cinema 3D tech uses a Film Pattern Retarder (FPR) screen and passive glasses that result in lowered resolution, but with those extra pixels there's no question about whether viewers are still getting at least an HD picture. So far 4K at home is the domain of Sony and JVC's high-priced projectors, but we'll see if any other companies (we'll check off Toshiba right now) show off upgrades in size and resolution of their HDTVs this year. Check the press release after the break for a few more details.

Gallery: LG 4K UDTV

Continue reading LG unveils 84-inch 'ultra definition' 4K TV it's bringing to CES 2012

LG unveils 84-inch 'ultra definition' 4K TV it's bringing to CES 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why We Agonize Over Buying $1 Apps

Why We Agonize Over Buying $1 Apps:

theodp writes "When it comes to explaining decision making and behavioral economics, Dan Ariely is the man. In his latest blog post, Ariely tackles the irrationality of app buying, explaining why the thought of paying even $1 for an app turns into an agonizing decision for those perfectly willing to spend $4 on coffee, or $500 on devices that they arguably don't really need. Had Apple created a really low minimum price for apps — say $0.15 — instead of offering free apps on day one, Ariely suggests, we would be anchored to the idea that apps should cost something. 'Then paying more (maybe even $2) for an app would be a simpler step,' he concludes, 'maybe one that we could take as easily as paying $4 for a latte.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Intel starts shipping Atom N2600, N2800 processors for netbooks, ten hours of battery life promised

Intel starts shipping Atom N2600, N2800 processors for netbooks, ten hours of battery life promised: We've already seen a few benchmarks and other hints that they'd soon be shipping, and Intel has now officially announced that its new Cedar Trail Atom processors are finally available, with the first systems using them set to roll out early next year. The two chips you'll likely be seeing the most of are the Atom N2600 and N2800 -- both dual-core, and both designed for use in netbooks, where they promise to allow for up to ten hours of battery life and "weeks of standby," and offer support for 1080p video playback. Also rolling out today are the D2500 and D2700, which are designed for use in entry-level desktops and all-in-one computers, as well as more commercial systems. As for all those systems themselves, details remain a bit light, but Intel says you can expect to see some from Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, and Toshiba.

Continue reading Intel starts shipping Atom N2600, N2800 processors for netbooks, ten hours of battery life promised

Intel starts shipping Atom N2600, N2800 processors for netbooks, ten hours of battery life promised originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Melting Glaciers Cutting Peru Water Supply

Melting Glaciers Cutting Peru Water Supply:

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "In a story that may repeat itself in all mountainous areas dependent on glaciers for their water supply, the glaciers in Peru's Cordillera Blanca mountain range are melting so quickly (PDF) that the water they supply to the arid region is being threatened 20-30 years earlier than expected. Of the time needed for the region to adapt to the coming water shortages, previously thought to be decades, researchers now believe, 'those years don't exist.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.