Apple’s New Big Mac [video]

New Android Keyboard Layout Makes Typing 1/3 Faster

According to BusinessInsider -

Smartphone and tablet typists are being urged to abandon the qwerty keyboard layout for a new design it’s claimed will make them more than a third faster. Researchers at the University of St Andrews have developed a keyboard for handheld touchscreens called KALQ that allows typing 34 per cent faster. It will be released as a free Android app.

Continue reading HERE

Smart Bracelet Protects Aid Workers

According to BBC -

A hi-tech bracelet could soon be helping civil rights and aid workers at risk of being kidnapped or killed. When triggered, the personal alarm uses phone and sat-nav technology to warn that its wearer is in danger. Warnings are sent in the form of messages to Facebook and Twitter to rally support and ensure people do not disappear without trace. The first bracelets are being given out this week and funding is being sought to make many more.

Continue reading HERE

 

 

How To Talk On The Phone – 1951 Booklet

ClassicRotaryPhones.com presented a booklet from 1951, that was published by Bell Telephone to instruct people how to use the newfangled rotary dialed phones. They also have a PDF of the booklet available for downloading.

Go to ClassicRotaryPhones.com

 

 

FreeFile Review – Team Viewer

If you are tech support for friends or family, Team Viewer is a must-have. Team Viewer allows one desktop to be viewed and controlled by another PC over the internet. Gone forever are the days of someone who is “bad with computers” trying to describe their problem and you attempting to explain to them what they need to do to fix the issue.

Team Viewer works with both Windows and Mac. It requires no installation – just run the application. Two different modules are used – the simple customer module, runs immediately without installation and does not require administrative rights. The PC remoting in runs the complete module. The client gives their ID and password, which are entered into your complete module and a connection is established. Team Viewer claims this connection is completely secure. I have never had problems with firewalls or any security software while running Team Viewer. I have used it only with broadband connections on both ends, but it will work with dial-up, albeit rather slowly. A chat client is included, but I find it easier to have the other person on the phone. TeamViewer is free for all non-commercial users.

- – - – The Bottom Line – - – -

I’ve used Team Viewer many times and I find it has saved many hours fixing PC problems for friends and family. It works smoothly – a distant computer can be operated as if you are sitting in front of it. I find Team Viewer to be indispensable.

Team Viewer site

Download Team Viewer HERE

Read more FreeFile Reviews at DanKostecki.com

 

 

Best Software Promo Video – Lotus 123 – OMG

Researchers Use DNA For Data Storage

According to Discover Magazine -

DNA is the building block of life, but in the future it may also be the standard repository for encyclopedias, music and other digital data. Scientists announced yesterday that they successfully converted 739 kilobytes of hard drive data in genetic code and then retrieved the content with 100 percent accuracy.

So what does DNA offer that other data storage methods don’t? One, it can pack data really densely. A single gram of DNA holds more than a million CDs, according to the researchers. Two, DNA lasts a really long time in a range of conditions. It is not nearly as sensitive or fragile as existing data centers. Three, DNA has a reputation for safely storing information: It holds the history of all life on Earth, a tough resumé to top.

Continue reading HERE

 

 

Google Wants To Replace Passwords With USB Dongles

According to Wired -

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California — Want an easier way to log into your Gmail account? How about a quick tap on your computer with the ring on your finger? This may be closer than you think. Google’s security team outlines this sort of ring-finger authentication in a new research paper, set to be published late this month in the engineering journal IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine. In it, Google Vice President of Security Eric Grosse and Engineer Mayank Upadhyay outline all sorts of ways they think people could wind up logging into websites in the future — and it’s about time.

Thus, they’re experimenting with new ways to replace the password, including a tiny Yubico cryptographic card that — when slid into a USB (Universal Serial Bus) reader — can automatically log a web surfer into Google. They’ve had to modify Google’s web browser to work with these cards, but there’s no software download and once the browser support is there, they’re easy to use. You log into the website, plug in the USB stick and then register it with a single mouse click.

Continue reading HERE

 

 

World’s Oldest Digital Computer Is Once Again Running

According to BBC -

The world’s oldest original working digital computer is going on display at The National Museum of Computing in Buckinghamshire. The Witch, as the machine is known, has been restored to clattering and flashing life in a three-year effort. In its heyday in the 1950s the machine was the workhorse of the UK’s atomic energy research programme. A happy accident led to its discovery in a municipal storeroom where it had languished for 15 years. The machine will make its official public debut at a special ceremony at The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) in Bletchley Park on 20 November. Attending the unveiling will be some of its creators as well as staff that used it and students who cut their programming teeth on the machine. Design and construction work on the machine began in 1949 and it was built to aid scientists working at the UK’s Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell in Oxfordshire. The 2.5 tonne machine was created to ease the burden on scientists by doing electronically the calculations that previously were done using adding machines. The machine first ran in 1951 and was known as the Harwell Dekatron – so named for the valves it used as a memory store. Although slow – the machine took up to 10 seconds to multiply two numbers – it proved very reliable and often cranked up 80 hours of running time in a week.

Continue reading HERE

Old Time Sunday Newspaper Flyers

Four advertising flyers have recently been added to my classic newspaper site, HotMeatloaf.com. They’re all complete and in full color. From 1975, there are flyers from K Mart and Walgreens. Techies will love the two flyers from 1990 – Best Buy and Radio Shack flyers feature the best of 22 year old technology.

K Mart and Walgreens flyers

Best Buy and Radio Shack flyers

HotMeatloaf.com

 

FreeFile Review – PC Image Editor

PC Image Editor is a simple image editor available for Windows only. This type of program is designed to perform a few simple adjustments quickly. What separates this editor from dozens of other free graphic editors is its interface, which is modeled after Adobe Lightroom, with the most-used tools arranged in tabs on the right side.

The standard color adjustments (Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, etc.) are on the Adjustments tab along with buttons for Auto Levels, Auto Contrast and Invert. All of these adjustments work as expected, except for the Colorize controls, which will add color to an image, but will not remove it. The Filters tab contains 10 filters which work well enough; I would like there to be more. There is really little reason for the last two tabs. The Effects tab contains the normal transform controls and two controls that are better suited for the Filters tab. The Resize tab is self-explanatory.

Positives include opening and saving in most common image formats, the tools work well, and the program is easy to use. I liked the small preview that pops up whenever a tool was used.

Negatives include too few filters and effects. The program’s lack of any selection tools or text tools is understandable, but the lack of a crop tool is a major shortcoming.

- – - – The Bottom Line – - – -

I was prepared to recommend PC Image Editor until I realized that it lacks a crop tool. Adding more filters and effects and, most importantly, a crop tool, will make this program a winner. Until that happens, I feel the program is too limited for most people. If you want to give it a try – PC Image Editor can be downloaded HERE.

Read more FreeFile Reviews at DanKostecki.com

Artwork From Electronic Components

ThisIsColossal reports that Leonardo Ulian, is an artist who carefully solders a myriad of computer components, circuitry and microchips to create these precisely symmetrical mandalas. The straight lines and symmetry may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the choice of media is certainly unusual.

Check out more pics of the work HERE