-PiZi-

Amazing and beautiful Photo manipulations revolving around female emotions

PiZi — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:46:31 +0000

Serenity by =MaureenOlder

Olympic timing a high-tech affair

PiZi — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:41:45 +0000

VANCOUVER, British Columbia–Less than a century ago, the timing of downhill skiing required someone at the top and bottom of the run, each with a stopwatch synchronized to the time of day.

Every few skiers, the timer at the top would send down a piece of paper with the start times of the last few skiers and then some math would ensue, eventually resulting in the time of the run being calculated.

Oh, how things have changed. Not only is everything electronic, of course, but the sensors are often tied to the athletes themselves. In speedskating, racers wear a transponder that can measure not only start and finish times, but also determine other things, such as acceleration in and out of a turn. On the slopes, it is the skier’s knees passing through a “snowgate” that creates a contact, instantly sending an impulse to triggers the start of the electronic timing.

“There’s not a lot of human intervention,” said Christophe Berthaud, general manager of Omega Timing.

Timing of the games: then and now (photos)

That said, the high-tech effort actually requires more people to administer. At its first Olympics, in Germany in 1936, Omega sent a single technician with 27 stopwatches to the Games. At the 2006 Turin, Italy, Winter Games, Omega sent 208 people–127 timekeepers and 81 data handlers–along with some 220 tons of equipment.

Each year, Omega finds a new way to either enhance the accuracy or reliability of the timing. This year, for example, Omega is adding a new electronic starting gun that replaces the traditional pistol and blank cartridge. The new gun emits a consistent light and sound that can be used with a time-synchronized photo as a backup if the electronic timing system were to fail.

Plus, Berthaud, notes, the new starter is a lot easier to get through airport security.

Meanwhile, the ability to measure minute differences in finishing times also has improved. And a new photo finish camera, for example, shoots 2,000 frames per second.

Improved ability to measure minute differences is important, Berthaud says, because of how close the results can be.

In some events, a 3-kilometer run can be settled by a matter of less than two meters by athletes traveling at more than 100 kilometers an hour.

“It give you an idea of the accuracy you need to deploy,” he said.

Some events, such as aerials skiing, ice dance and figure skating, of course, do have a human component, evaluating the technical and artistic merits of a performance.

“When you are having judges of course the human component is important,” Berthaud said. “What we are bringing in order to make it more fair is a certain number of technologies to help the judges.”

The biggest enhancement, there, he said, has been the use of more video replays to make the judging more systematic. “You don’t rely only on the memory or the eye of the judge.”

That, of course, has not made the scoring in figure skating any less controversial, but at least there can be no argument over whether a skater did or did not complete a required element.

Humans, are also key, Berthaud said, in being able to make sense of what the technology produces. Being able to read those photo finish images, he said, requires years of training, much as a doctor needs to learn how to read an X-ray.

“You need to have people very well trained to see a pixel of difference,” he said. Still, he said, there’s one thing that hasn’t changed.

“You have a start and a finish the one that crosses the line first is still the winner,” Berthaud said.

Google Buzz exposure stings users

PiZi — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:39:12 +0000

The chief executive of Google, Eric Schmidt, suggests users who complain about privacy invasions by Google Buzz have been experiencing “confusion”.

The company has been on the back foot since February 9, reacting to a storm of criticism about the way Buzz (which brings elements of social networking into its Gmail service) works. It made a series of tweaks to the system and has since apologised for angering users.

But talking to phone industry executives at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Schmidt says nobody had been harmed by Buzz and that the problems were merely the result of poor communication.

“I would say that we did not understand how to communicate Google Buzz and its privacy,” he says. “There was a lot of confusion when it came out on Tuesday and people thought that somehow we were publishing their email addresses and private information, which was not true.

“I think it was our fault that we did not communicate that fact very well but the important thing is that no really bad stuff happens in the sense that nobody’s personal information was disclosed.”

Schmidt’s assertions will come as a shock to privacy campaigners, who had complained that Buzz could inadvertently reveal people’s email addresses in public, as well as lists of people’s most popular contacts.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation had called for people to carefully review their privacy settings.

“Google attempted to jump-start Buzz with lists drawn from its successful Gmail and Gchat services,” a lawyer for EFF, Kurt Opsahl, says. “While this may help Buzz grow and save users the time to type in all their contacts, it also has an inherent danger of inadvertent disclosure of private information.”

Among the most notable critics of Buzz’s potential to invade privacy was a blogger going by the pseudonym Harriet Jacobs, who said she was a marital rape survivor and had had her privacy invaded because the system thought she would like to be connected to her abusive ex-husband.

Schmidt’s comments also come as a stark contrast to other efforts by the company to appease complaints, including a public relations offensive to try to quash upset over the way Google Buzz works. However, Schmidt did acknowledge the company had made changes to the service to allay people’s fears.

The 20 Funniest Figure Skating Faces

PiZi — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:31:27 +0000

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10 Hottest Disney Princesses Look Alike Models

PiZi — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:52:07 +0000

Like everyone else, I have also spent my childhood seeing these Disney fairy tales but of course as I grew my love for them died. Since you can’t probably watch those cartoons to cherish your memories for the Disney princesses, the ten images below provide a way to that memory lane but in the more adult way.

10. Pocahontas

Image Source

9. Belle

Image Source

8. Jasmine

Image Source

7. Little Red Riding Hood

Image Source

6. Ariel (Little Mermaid)

Image Source

5. Cinderella

Image Source

4. Snow White

Image Source

3. Jessica Rabbit

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2. Rapunzel

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1. Alice (In Wonderland)

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http://digg.com/d31JLuw

10 technology traps your users should watch out for

PiZi — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:21:09 +0000

We take certain best practices for granted, but users who don’t know any better often create problems for themselves. This list will help steer them away from common pitfalls.

Technology is a two-edged sword. It can certainly make life easier. But it can also create headaches and frustration for the unwary user. Here’s a list of some basic tech do’s and don’ts you can share with them.

Note: This article is also available as a PDF download.

1: Saving a file directly to an external drive

Those external USB drives or flash memory sticks provide convenient extra storage. However, you should avoid saving an application file, such as a Word document or PowerPoint presentation, directly to such a drive. Save the file to your internal drive and then copy it to the external one. If you save the file directly to the external drive, it may become corrupted during the save, especially if you accidentally break the USB connection. In that case, you’ll get the dreaded “[name of application] cannot open the file” message when you next try to use that file.

2: Working directly on an attached e-mail file

Your boss or co-worker has sent you an e-mail with an attached document you’re supposed to revise. So you click on the attachment, spend hours on revisions, then save the file and forward the message, with the attachment, back to the original sender. Don’t be surprised if you get a call asking why that file is still in its original form.

Yes, you can make those revisions to the attachment. You can save them and then close the file. You can even click on the original message attachment again, and see that your changes are there. However, if you send that message to someone else, chances are that your changes will be ignored, and all the recipient will see is the file as you first received it. Therefore, to be safe, first save that attachment to a non-temporary folder on your hard disk before working on it. Then, upload this revised file when are ready to return it to the sender.

3: Sending recipients a file in an incompatible format

Have you just installed Word 2007? Be careful if you’re sending your .docx files to others. If those users haven’t upgraded and they haven’t installed have the Office Compatibility Pack, they may not be able to work with your files. Check to make sure that recipients have at least the same version of software as yours, if not later. Otherwise, you may want to save your file in an earlier format, if possible. Better yet, if your recipients are only viewing and not changing the file, consider sending your file as a PDF. You can download and install Microsoft’s Save as PDF or XPS add-on for Office 2007 or look for a standalone product such as this free PDF creator.

4: Sending a file created in an obscure application

The same principle applies if you’re using some uncommon application that only you have. Sending someone a data file from your application in native format will probably do them no good. If it’s not practical for them to install that application, consider sending the file as a PDF. Alternatively, if that application has one, send recipients a viewer for the application. Such a version generally is free and will allow recipients to view a file but probably not to change it.

5: Relying unnecessarily on batteries

With respect to using power outlets, remember the same principle applies as with fueling your car or using the restroom: A wise person does so when he or she can, a foolish person does so when he or she must. Are you waiting for your flight at the airport gate area? Are you next to an available live outlet? Even though your laptop battery might be at 100%, take a second and plug your laptop into that outlet and run with electricity. You might later find that your airplane has no outlets or that you lack an adapter that lets you use it. If you run on batteries in the waiting area, you will have deprived yourself of battery power you later might need.

6: Losing that smartphone

Do you have an iPhone or similar product? If so, and you’re like most owners, your whole life is now stored on it. If you lose that phone, you may also lose sensitive information, such as credit card and bank account numbers. Consider password-protecting that phone. In addition, if you do have an iPhone, you may want to get a program such as MobileMe. (Currently, you’ll get a $30 discount if you purchase it when you purchase your iPhone.) This program will let you remotely erase the contents of your phone. In addition, if your phone is merely misplaced (say, in your home), MobileMe allows you to unsilence it and activate its ringer.

7: Ambiguity regarding email addresses

Have you ever been told, “I sent you an email already,” but you see no such message? It could have happened because you (like many people) have multiple email addresses: your address for work and several for personal use. Be sure you ascertain which account the other person has sent the email to. And if you tell someone you sent that person an email, be specific as to which address you used.

8: Dead batteries

The presentation is about to start. You pull out your laser pointer, press the button — and nothing happens. If you’re traveling with battery-operated equipment, be aware that it might accidentally be turned on, thus draining the batteries. Consider this trick I was taught long ago as a Boy Scout: Reverse each battery, so that the positive terminal battery is touching the negative connection of the device and vice versa. Of course, remember to re-reverse it before you need to use it.

9: Entering a bad link

Don’t rely on your memory or on manual typing of a URL when sending email or composing a document. One wrong letter or a wrong domain type may cause the recipient or reader embarrassment, irritation, or wasted time. Navigate to that Web site first yourself and confirm that it’s the one you want. Then, copy the Web address and paste it into your document or email. Alternately, if you do insist on typing the URL manually yourself, test it to make sure it goes where you are expecting it to go.

10: Cats

Cats are wonderfully cute but curious creatures. If you have or are about to get one, be aware that they may find your keyboard a warm and comfortable place to nap. If they’re heavy enough, and stay long enough, they may end up disabling the keyboard. Shutting down and restarting the computer may solve the issue, but the best approach is to keep them away in the first place. If you have to leave your computer, shut it down or put it in standby, then shut the lid. Most of all, you do not want that cat to have an accident while lying on your keyboard.

In addition, keep cats away from your power cord, or rely only on battery power when they’re around (but see the earlier point regarding electric power). Your cat will start playing with the power cord or get tangled in it. And if frightened, the cat will lunge away, possibly getting hurt and/or ripping and thus destroying your cord while creating a Fourth of July display. (And yes, this has happened to me.)

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com

Want a Droid for Work E-mail? It’ll Cost You Extra (0)

Tetris Mobile Games Achieve 100 Million Downloads

PiZi — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 02:10:46 +0000

Officially-licensed mobile game versions of Tetris have totaled more than 100 million downloads, making it the most successful mobile game of all time.

That’s according to an Associated Press report filed in advance of what the AP claims will be an official statement by license holders The Tetris Company and Blue Planet Software, and licensee Electronic Arts, whose EA Mobile division publishes numerous mobile versions of the game.

The phenomenally popular puzzle game, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, was designed in the former Soviet Union by programmer Alexey Pajitnov, who still shares control of the rights with licensor Henk Rogers.

In an extensive interview with Gamasutra last year, Rogers said Pajitnov is still involved with overseeing changes to Tetris game design when external firms add new games to the franchise.

“We don’t do anything significant to Tetris without discussing it with him first,” Rogers explained.

Most recently, EA Mobile published a version of Tetris for the PSP Minis series of downloadable games in concert with the launch of the PSP Go device.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26888/Tetris_Mobile_Games_Achieve_100_Million_Downloads.php

Generation M2: Understanding the Multimedia Teen

PiZi — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 02:09:20 +0000

If you’ve spent any time trying to talk to a teenager lately, then the latest numbers on how much time they spend with their nose buried in a glowing screen of some sort will come as no surprise. Whether it’s text messaging, Tweeting, watching YouTube videos on their iPhone, lurking on a social networking site like Myspace or Facebook or doing something as old-fashioned as watching TV, teens are spending more time than ever before consuming some sort of media.

According to a study released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation, those between the ages of eight and 18 devote just under eight hours a day to media consumption and, depending on how you look at it, that may be the least surprising of the numbers.

The study consists of a survey of 2,002 3rd to 12th graders, ages eight to 18, with 700 of those respondents filling out a “media-use diary” for seven days. From these diaries, it found that respondents used media for an average of seven hours and 38 minutes during the survey period. However, due to multi-tasking – for instance texting while watching TV – teens actually crammed 10 hours and 45 minutes of media consumption into those approximately seven and a half hours.

What’s even more notable about these numbers is that the average teen has increased their media consumption by nearly two-and-a-quarter hours since the last survey, which was conducted in 2004.

Increased mobile media use and lax rules are two driving factors behind this growth in media consumption, the report says.

In a dramatic increase from 2004, cell phone ownership among the respondents jumped from 39% to 66%, while ownership of iPods and MP3 players jumped from 18% to 76%. Only about three in 10 had any rules regarding their use of these devices. And with cell phones becoming increasingly Internet-connected, their owners reported using them for media purposes more than their original purpose – actually talking to other people.

With teens spending more time with media in a week than the average person does at a full-time day job, we can only wonder what this next generation will look like as they enter the work force. Oh wait, are they called “bloggers”?

And to think, time spent texting was actually not included in the times for media consumption.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/generation_m2_understanding_the_multimedia_teen.php

Bill Gates launches new site, offering peek inside his mind

PiZi — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 02:08:20 +0000

Turns out Bill Gates’ attention-getting debut on Twitter was just the prelude. The Microsoft chairman and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair today is launching a new site, dubbed The Gates Notes, where he’ll be writing about what’s on his mind, posting information from his trips, and sharing excerpts from his exchanges with experts and leaders in areas including science, energy, philanthropy and other global issues.

“Since leaving my fulltime job at Microsoft to dedicate more time to our foundation, a lot of people have asked me what I’m working on. It often feels like I’m back in school, as I spend a lot of my time learning about issues I’m passionate about,” he says in an introductory note. “I’m fortunate because the people I’m working with and learning from are true experts in their fields. I take a lot of notes, and often share them and my own thoughts on the subject with others through email, so I can learn from them and expand the conversation.”

Gates explains that he “thought it would be interesting to share these conversations more widely with a website, in the hope of getting more people thinking and learning about the issues I think are interesting and important.”

It’s an interesting move that could establish more of public presence for Gates independent of Microsoft or his foundation, although clearly his technological and philanthropic interests figure largely in his thinking, and will play a big role in the site.

Gates Notes includes a section dubbed “What I’m Thinking,” with topics including the crisis in Haiti and the role of innovation in addressing global warming. Other sections include “What I’m Learning,” “My Travels,” and “Curious Classroom,” in which Gates answers questions from schoolchildren around the world.

There’s also a “Conversations” section that will contain interviews and exchanges with Gates and other notable people. And Gates will take on a variety of topics in the “Infrequently Asked Questions” sections

Content is expected be added regularly, depending on the pace of Gates’ writing. Commenting functions and RSS feeds are on the way, promises Larry Cohen, Gates’ chief of staff.

http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2010/01/bill_gates_launches_new_site_offering_a_peek_inside_his_brain.html

California CIO: Open source officially welcome here

PiZi — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 02:07:24 +0000

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the state of California has issued an IT policy letter to formally affirm that open source software is acceptable for use by government agencies in California.

As the state lies crushed beneath the burden of an unprecedented $20 billion deficit, government officials are looking for ways to cut spending and manage infrastructure more efficiently. Reducing vendor lock-in and giving more consideration to free and open source software could help the state improve its financial health.

The same dynamic is also true at the national level. Last year, the national governments of Canada and the UK both began formulating open source IT strategies. The US Department of Defense, which has a history of open source advocacy, issued a memo last year highlighting the advantages of open source adoption.

Open source software isn’t necessarily a silver bullet for cheap IT, however, and can potentially increase support and deployment costs while decreasing licensing costs. It’s important for these factors to be taken into consideration when governments evaluate open source software. Much like the DoD memo, California’s IT policy letter stops short of mandating a preference for open source solutions. It provides formal clarification that open source technology is a valid option that should be considered alongside other available technologies.

-PiZi-

Amazing and beautiful Photo manipulations revolving around female emotions

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1: Saving a file directly to an external drive

2: Working directly on an attached e-mail file

3: Sending recipients a file in an incompatible format

4: Sending a file created in an obscure application

5: Relying unnecessarily on batteries

6: Losing that smartphone

7: Ambiguity regarding email addresses

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9: Entering a bad link

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