Watch this TEDTalk from John McWhorter and his analysis of txting.
He also has an article in Time magazine about the same topic:
The argument that texting is “poor writing” is analogous, then, to one that the Rolling Stones is “bad music” because it doesn’t use violas. Texting is developing its own kind of grammar and conventions. Read more »
Dominion Post reporter and future Labour Party press secretary Tom Pullar-Strecker isn’t very good at hiding his dislike of the Government.
Yesterday he gave his future boss Clare Curran a free run in a story that appears to be based on a combination of hearsay and an interview with his keyboard.
The gist of his story was that he and Curran have decided the Government should have already auctioned the 4G spectrum freed up by the switchover to digital television.
He then goes in to some bizarre angle based on a “suspicion” by Labour there has been some kind of massive conspiracy that isn’t backed up anywhere with facts.
Pullar-Strecker than contradicts himself by writing:
“It was never envisaged the spectrum would become available to new users before the end of this year.”
And ICT Minister Amy Adams has repeatedly said the spectrum would be auctioned by September, which will give plenty of time for business and network planning. Read more »
The Samsung Galaxy S 4 has pretty much beat Apple’s meek technology one upmanship that is the iPhone 5.
A study now confirms this, proving that the displays of both phones are at par with one another. In English: The Apple Retina display’s performance is no longer unique to Apple.
Displaymate Technologies conducted a study by taking the S4, S3 and the iPhone 5 and studying them under a microscope.
The factors considered for the comparison test included brightness, subpixels, saturation, sharpness and so on.
Displaymate Technologies owner, Dr. Ray Soneira, says that the 5 inch 1080p display on the S4 packs just about the same number of subpixels as the iPhone 5.
His study also claims that the PenTile layout packs twice as many green subpixels as compared to red and blue.
The S4 reflects light better than the iPhone 5 as well.
Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear.
The backlash is starting after a recent NZ Herald Android App update.
The app can now take photos and videos whenever it likes. It can essentially listen in on you. It can take photos of you or your surroundings, and send them back to the NZ Herald (or anyone else they want).
In spite of the lessons learned from News Of The World phone hacking scandal, the NZ Herald is now trying to cut out the middleman and take information from you directly?
Politicians, Spin Doctors, Industry Leaders and anyone else using this NZ Herald Android App should think long and hard about letting the NZ Herald have the ability to record anything at any time via your smartphone or tablet.
This is a potential invasion of privacy and unauthorised use of a data plan that the NZ Herald isn’t paying for.
This is the sort of thing that the NZ Herald would like to deny the GCSB, yet they are fine with the concept themselves?
I’ve uninstalled it.
via NASA
I have been getting emails why I didn’t immediately cover the bombing in Boston and leap on the bandwagon of grief porn.
There are a couple of reasons. The first one was that I was busy. Then there was the confusing and in some cases outright wrong reporting, and lastly…some of the photos that are out there are just shocking. I had people at the office claiming variously that dozens were dead, then just some, before settling on three, that they had arrested a Saudi national and he was under guard at a hospital. Then as I watched over the last few days at the witch-hunt unfolding for people who are innocent I am kind of relieved I didn’t jump on the band-wagon.
Slate has an article about the splatter porn and breaking news that I think people should read. It explains why breaking news is broken.
Inspired by the events of the past week, here’s a handy guide for anyone looking to figure out what exactly is going during a breaking news event. When you first hear about a big story in progress, run to your television. Make sure it’s securely turned off.
Next, pull out your phone, delete your Twitter app, shut off your email, and perhaps cancel your service plan. Unplug your PC.
Now go outside and take a walk for an hour or two. Maybe find a park and sit on a bench, reading an old novel. Winter is just half a year away—have you started cleaning out your rain gutters? This might be a good time to start. Whatever you do, remember to stay hydrated. Have a sensible dinner. Get a good night’s rest. In the morning, don’t rush out of bed. Take in the birdsong. Brew a pot of coffee. Read more »
via bgr.com
Apple’s next generation iPhone may feature a 12-megapixel camera with an improved night shooting feature and HDR reports Vietnamese site Tinhte.vn.
According to the site, the rumor comes from a source at Wonderful Saigon Electricsin Binh Duong, which specializes in providing camera modules for the iPhone.
An improved camera has been a long rumored feature of the iPhone 5S, but there are few specifics available.
Martin Missfeldt has published an informative infographic, detailing the functions of the Google Glass Project. The infographic reveals a revolutionary design which employs a mini-projector to display images on the main prism display that focuses directly on the retina.
Users can adjust the focus by moving the unit closer or further away from the eye. This means that Google Glass will have to be worn outside regular user spectacles.
The revolution that the Google Glass Project has inspired is nothing short of awe-inspiring. It goes without saying that it has generated enough criticism over time but then the opportunities that it promises are eagerly anticipated.
