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Tuesday 31 July 2012
Microsoft Debuts Shiny New Mobile Peripherals
Microsoft Hardware on Monday unveiled several new mobile-friendly keyboards and mice designed specifically for use with its forthcoming Windows 8 and tablets: the Wedge Touch Mouse, the Wedge Mobile Keyboard, the Sculpt Touch Mouse, and the Sculpt Mobile Keyboard. On Oct. 26, when Windows 8 becomes officially available, Microsoft will also be releasing new gestures for the Microsoft Touch Mouse.
Jury to Hear That Samsung Failed to Preserve Evidence in Apple Patent Suit
Not a great start for Samsung.
"Resilience" Looks At How Things Bounce Back
In their new book, Resilience, Andrew Zolli and Ann Marie Healy examine how institutions and people respond to disruptions. By studying how systems--from coral reefs to Lehman Brothers--respond to change, Zolli argues that we can be better prepared for unexpected events.
Announcing MozCast - The Google Weather Report
Posted by Dr. Pete
If you follow me on Twitter at all (and, if so, may God have mercy on your soul), you may have seen me saying things like this over the past couple of months…
…and you may have found yourself wondering “Where does he get all that wonderful data?” Like all of the best things in life – cookies, babies, belly button lint – the answer is that I made it myself. Luckily for you, I’m in a sharing mood.
Welcome to MozCast
So today, I’m pleased to announce the launch of Mozcast.com – the Google weather report. You can visit it right now, and it looks something like this:
The first thing you'll notice (besides Roger's smiling face), is yesterday's weather. The hotter and stormier the weather, the more Google's algorithm changed over the past 24 hours (a "normal" day is roughly 70°F). The weather report updates automatically each morning (about 7:30am Pacific Time currently, but that may change over time).
5-day & 30-day Reports
One every page of MozCast.com, you can view a 5-day history on the left-hand side of the screen. The home-page also provides a complete 30-day history – mouse over any day on the graph for the date and a specific temperature reading. In the near future, we'll be adding a 30-day average and may open up more historical data.
How Does It work?
There's a detailed explanation on the MozCast site, but here are the basics. We track a hand-selected set of 1,000 keywords every 24 hours. Those keywords are delocalized, depersonalized, split evenly across 5 "bins" of search volume and are tracked from roughly the same location and the same time every day. Our goal has been to keep the system as controlled as possible.
For each keyword, we store the top 10 Google organic results, and then we compare those results to the previous day. We calculate a metric called "Delta10", which is essentially the rate of change across the entire top 10. Then we take the average of all Delta10s (which ranges from 1-10) to measure the daily flux. We multiply that by a fixed value (currently, 28.0), and that becomes the day's temperature on MozCast.
Each temperature is also converted into one of five weather states: sunny, partly cloudy, cloudy, rainy, or stormy. These are completely dependent on the temperature - think of it as the quick view. The stormier it is, the more rankings changed. If it's really hot and stormy, odds are good that something big changed in the algorithm. You can see more in the launch presentation from Mozcon below:
Get Twitter Updates
We've also created a new Twitter account @mozcast - stay tuned there for daily weather reports, feature updates, and occasional deep dives into unusual events. If you're at Mozcon, I'll be at the Garage party tonight and around all day Friday, so please feel free to stop me and ask questions about MozCast. I hope it keeps you out of the rain, even here in Seattle.
Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!
GOP's Three Biggest Fears in 2012 | Alternet
GOP’s Three Biggest Fears in 2012 Only an insecure and ideologically bankrupt political party has to game the rules to stay in power. July 31, 2012 | As the 2012 presidential campaign takes a breather, we need to consider why today’s Republicans are no …
Is Assad Carving Out A Haven For Syria's Alawites?
Questions are growing about the fate of President Bashar Assad's regime. One possibility is the creation of a breakaway region in the northwest coastal mountains dominated by the president's Alawite minority. Analysts say it would be a disaster politically and economically for Assad and the region.
Court releases wife of notorious Belgian pedophile
The ex-wife of a pedophile who aided her husband has been released from prison early, triggering immediate protests.
Rediscovered Headstones Hold Clues To Earthquake
California's Gilliam Cemetery appears to have more occupants as of late, but it's not only because new bodies have been buried there. Instead, old headstones that were claimed by the earth a century ago have been resurrected.
Canon EOS C300 Digital Cinema Cameras Fly High in First-Ever Movie Filmed Completely on Airplanes
Canon U.S.A., Inc. has announced that “Departure Date,” the first motion picture to be filmed entirely onboard airliners in flight, was shot using Canon EOS C300 digital cinema cameras. The film was shot in nine days on three commercial flights at an altitude of 35,000 feet, spanning across 28,000 miles and three continents. Written and directed by Kat Coiro, “Departure Date” is a film about Jake (Emmy-nominated actor, Ben Feldman), who finds and loses the love of his life (Nicky Whelan) on a Sydney to Los Angeles Virgin Australia flight, meets his depressing future (in characters played by Philip Baker Hall, Janeane Garofalo, and Luis Guzman) on a Virgin America Los Angeles to Dallas flight, and is motivated to go get the girl on a Virgin Atlantic Los Angeles to London flight. “Departure Date” premiered on June 17th at the L.A. Film Festival.
“Virgin has a long history of groundbreaking firsts, and shooting the first film at 35,000 feet certainly continues that tradition,” said Virgin Produced Head of Commercial Production Huntley Ritter. “We pride ourselves on the quality of the content we deliver in any medium, and the Canon products we utilized on this production and have used in the past have always exceeded expectations. We look forward to working with Canon for years to come.”
“I knew it would be a challenge to figure out how to get it done just in terms of lighting, mobility, electrical power, and airport security,” states director of photography Doug Chamberlain. “I looked at the Canon EOS C300 digital cinema camera and was immediately convinced that it’s the perfect tool for shooting ‘Departure Date.’ The EOS C300 is a very production-friendly camera.”
Compact, lightweight, and designed to deliver exceptional full 1920 x 1080 HD images, the Canon EOS C300 digital cinema camera is the product of decades of Canon’s expertise designing advanced image sensors, lenses, and digital imaging processors. Engineered for filmmakers at all levels, the Canon EOS C300 features a unique Super 35mm Canon CMOS sensor, revolutionary Canon DIGIC DV III image processor for superb cinematic image quality, and a 50 Mbps 4:2:2 MPEG-2 codec for faithful image capture. It records to two CF (Compact Flash) cards through dual slots, with a choice of serial or parallel (for backup) recording, providing up to 80 minutes of recording time on each 32GB card.
The camera is available in two models: the EOS C300 equipped with an EF lens mount for compatibility with Canon’s extensive line-up of interchangeable EF lenses for Canon EOS digital SLR cameras and EF Cinema lenses; and the EOS C300 PL with a PL lens mount for use with industry-standard PL lenses including Canon’s EF Cinema lenses with PL mounts. Both C300 models employ the industry-standard MXF (Material eXchange Format) for smooth workflow compatibility and include features such as Canon-Log that ensures capture of the full 12 T-stop exposure latitude of which the camera is capable.
Chamberlain used PL-mount compact prime lenses with his Canon EOS C300 camera to shoot “Departure Date.” The compact size and long recording times provided by the Canon EOS C300 digital cinema camera proved essential for shooting in the tight confines of airline cabins, according to Chamberlain.
“Fortunately, at under four pounds, the C300 is actually quite light,” he said. “It proved to be everything we needed in terms of the extreme mobility required to shoot in such a small space. I was able to move quickly and efficiently, and back the camera right up against the bulkhead or the window and still get my shots. I don’t think I could have done that with many other cameras.”
Puzzle me this!: A Google-a-Day Puzzle for July 30
Google's daily brainteaser helps hone your search skills.
Monday 30 July 2012
Weekly Standard: Gun Fights
The Aurora, Colo. theater shooting has politicians like the president talking about gun control, but The Weekly Standard's Geoffrey Norman says firearms are a check on the power of the state, and government should not regulate their sale.
Microsoft?s New Mouse and Keyboard Are Actually Quite Lovely
Microsoft announced new keyboards and mice today: the Wedge Touch Mouse and Wedge Touch Keyboard, and the Sculpt Touch Mouse and Sculpt Touch Keyboard. The Sculpt products, though quite nice, are iterative updates of existing gear, but the Wedge Touch Mouse and Wedge Touch Keyboard are truly cool.
TuneIn to the Good New Radio Days
It wasn't too long ago that you'd have to pore over shortwave radio schedule listings, cross referencing time of day, with frequency in kilohertz, in order to listen to long range, overseas broadcasts -- picking out the words from the spooky radio harmonics. Then along came the Internet, which allowed for a continuous stream of mellifluous programming to be place-shifted anywhere.
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LG READIES APP PLATFORM FOR TRANSACTIONS ON SMART TV'S
BOSTON -- LG is readying a commerce platform around its smart TV app ecosystem, says Matt Durgin, Director of Content, LG Electronics, in this interview with Beet.TV In this update about its content offering on Internet-connected TV's, Durgin speaks about a new upcoming crop of 3-D content offerings, the growth of the company's advertising network with YuMe and the integration with Brightcove. Durgin was a speaker at the Brightcove global customer conferennce which we covered earlier this week. Andy Plesser
I Can See What Direction This Conversation is Going In?
engrish funny - I Can See What Direction This Conversation is Going In...
More Lawsuits Over Florida Voter Purge | Care2 Causes
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) faces another lawsuit stemming from the purge of voter rolls leading up to the November presidential election.
Civil and voting rights organizations filed suit today alleging the purge violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bans discrimina …
Civil and voting rights organizations filed suit today alleging the purge violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bans discrimina …
John Amaechi -- Athletes Coming Out? 'Don't Hold Your Breath'
Former NBA star John Amaechi came out of the closet after his playing career was over, but with the recent announcements by celebs in other fields ... Amaechi doesn't feel we'll see an active athlete come out any time soon. Amaechi,…
Sunday 29 July 2012
Enbridge hopes to replace leaking section of line on Monday
NEW YORK, July 29 (Reuters) - Canadian pipeline company,
Enbridge Corp., said on Sunday it hopes to replace the
leaking section of its 318,000 barrel per day Line 14 on Monday
but had no restart time for when the line would resume service. 
Enbridge Corp., said on Sunday it hopes to replace the
leaking section of its 318,000 barrel per day Line 14 on Monday
but had no restart time for when the line would resume service.
Where Did All The Watermelon Seeds Go?
Seedless watermelons are easier to eat than traditional ones, but are we sacrificing flavor? Plant breeders say watermelons have been bred to enhance flavor and convenience, and argue that seedless ones are usually sweeter.
Big Tech: What?s Good for Verizon and AT&T Is Terrible for American Consumers
This summer, the very big wireless carriers in America, Verizon (106 million subscribers) and AT&T (99 million), are poised to get even bigger. This may good for them, but not good for the rest of us.
Major Baseball Dreams In The Minor Leagues
While Major League baseball is big and epic, there's something magical about sitting in a small stadium. Guest host David Greene reports on the progress of Minor League Baseball player Tyler Saladino at one of his team's away games. Saladino is an infielder for Alabama's Birmingham Barons.
Wealth Strategies: Off the Beaten Track Tech. Stocks
July 27 - In the wake of the Facebook and Zynga debacles Brian Jacobsen, chief portfolio strategist at Wells Fargo Funds Management gives his tech. stock picks that are off the beaten track. 
Cheney: Picking Palin Was A 'Mistake'
Former Vice President Dick Cheney called Sen. John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008 a "mistake."
App Developers Tilt Toward iOS
A survey of more than 3,600 Appcelerator Titanium developers has revealed that they would rather develop mobile apps for iOS than for Android. iOS led Android by 16 percent in the Appcelerator/IDC Q2 2012 Mobile Developer Report. Fifty-three percent of the respondents believed that iOS was winning in enterprise app development, whereas only 37 percent believed Android was.
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Founding Text -- Do We Still Believe in "A Decent Respect"?
In its opening lines, the Declaration of Independence notes the necessity of showing "a decent respect to the opinions of mankind." When the founders announced their decisive break with the motherland, they felt obliged to explain themselves -- to argue...
Lochte Cruises To Win Gold, Beating Phelps In The 400 IM
American swimmer Ryan Lochte won the gold medal in the men's 400-meter individual medley Saturday, beating Michael Phelps and the rest of a talented field at the London 2012 Olympics.
Saturday 28 July 2012
Athletes' First Olympic Competition: How Did They Look?
Among the parade of athletes during Friday night's ceremony, several outfits screamed for attention. Some shouted national pride, while others just called for a costume change. Tell us who you think should win our fashion contests.
Google Earth Update Brings 3-D Maps to Apple?s iPad, iPhone
Google Earth on iOS was updated on Thursday with a new 3-D maps and a Tour Guide feature that points out historic and landmark locations in cities.
The Guardian Reaches 10 Million Monthly Video Views with Facebook Driving 50 Percent
LONDON - The Guardian has been increasing its monthy video views to 10 million, says Stephen Folwell Director, Business Development and Brand Extensions for Guardian News & Media, in this segment from the recent Beet.TV video journalism summit at the Financial Times. The paper's Facebook presence, which hosts the Guardian video player, drives as much as 50 percent of the video views, he tells Beet.TV via email. The Guardian has 6 million active app users of Facebook, he adds. In the segment he speaks about the development of sponsored content for the Web, the opportunities around tablets and connected TV's and the editorial approach to content creating at the paper. Andy Plesser
Accel's Jim Breyer: "A wonderful time to be an entrepreneur focused on video"
BOSTON -- This is a "wonderful time to be an entrepreneur focused on video, " says uber venture capitalist Jim Breyer, whose Accel Partners was an early investor (2005) in Brightcove, the same year he lead his firm's investment in Facebook. We spoke with him after his keynote address at the Brightcove global customer conference. Breyer is particularly keen on the opportunities for developers to create video apps. In the interview, he also addresses the new opportunities around social networks and the global emergence of digital devices. Andy Plesser
Midwest crops, fish, water supply punished by drought
CHICAGO/SCRANTON, Iowa (Reuters) - Temperatures heading north of 100 degrees Fahrenheit and scarce rain portended another blistering weekend for much of the U.S. Midwest, where the most extensive drought since 1956 is devastating crops, evaporating rivers, and threatening to push world food prices higher. 
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