Chicago's Adler Planetarium to start projecting 8K by 8K images from this July, put cinema screens to shame

Okay, so it's not quite 8K video, we're not there yet, but the Adler Planetarium and its brand new Grainger Sky Theater are about to show us what 64 megapixel images look like on a big screen. Described as the "largest single seamless digital image in the world," the picture inside the planetarium will come from 20 projectors hooked up to 45 computers processing data, and should provide the most lucid and captivating view unto our universe that one can get without actually exiting the Earth's atmosphere. The new show kicks off on July 8th, having been put together with aid from NASA and IBM among others. Jump past the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Chicago's Adler Planetarium to start projecting 8K by 8K images from this July, put cinema screens to shame

Chicago's Adler Planetarium to start projecting 8K by 8K images from this July, put cinema screens to shame originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 03:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Not Serious About Online Gaming? This Job Offer Suggests Otherwise

Remember back in July last year when we reported that Google quietly invested $100 million in Zynga in preparation for a new product dubbed Google Games? They even recruited gaming industry vet Mark DeLoura (formerly of Ubisoft, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Nintendo and others) as developer advocate for game-related products, though he quit after only 4 months on the job (he's now a VP at THQ). This morning, a job offer surfaced on Google's LinkedIn profile that suggests the search and online advertising juggernaut is finally about to put its stake in the digital games ground.

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Elephant Quest is an addictive, deep platformer

When someone tells me about a "platformer", my first thought is that it's probably a simple game that mainly revolves around running and jumping around, with a minimal plot. [Play a Zelda game! -Ed]

Elephant Quest is one platformer that managed to prove me completely wrong. Yes, you do run and jump around, and you also shoot at stuff. But the game has much, much more going for it.

Basically, as you run, jump and shoot, you gain experience points and level up. Hitting Space brings you into an interface where you can convert your experience points into Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Dexterity points. Once you've "specialized" your points, you then get to pick what exact skills you'd like to enhance in each field. For example, you could use your dexterity to enhance your weapons or increase your swiftness.

The game is played in a huge maze; you go through rooms using doors, and there's a large map. As the name implies, there are quests you can take, too. For example, one quest had me searching all over the place for ten balloons.

The bottom line is that this is a surprisingly deep game that just might ensnare you for a good bit longer than you intended to play. Beware!

Elephant Quest is an addictive, deep platformer originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Lenovo to Debut Android Tablet This Summer

Yet another major electronics manufacturer may throw its hat into the tablet ring this summer according to a recent report.
Chinese PC manufacturing giant Lenovo has plans to debut its Android 3.0-powered ThinkPad Tablet come June, according to a leaked Powerpoint presentation obtained by tech reporter Joanna Stern.
As the document says, the device will [...]

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Shocker! Instant messaging gains popularity as TXTing declines, BBM to blame

Apparently, those young'uns just love their BBM. According to a report by the research group Mobile Youth, young folk (read: those of you between 15 and 24) are increasingly abandoning SMS in favor of instant messaging apps, with texting expected to drop off 20 percent over the next two years. The main culprit? BlackBerry Messenger, which now boasts over 39 million users, many of them living outside the US. In fact, it's in the UK, Indonesia, South Africa, and Brazil -- all popular markets for BBM -- that Mobile Youth expects texting to dwindle the most. And if BBM is to blame, well, that drop-off could be just the beginning.

Shocker! Instant messaging gains popularity as TXTing declines, BBM to blame originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ChromeLite: experience the ASCII Web of yesteryear

Have you ever wondered what the Web was like before the Mosaic Web browser? If you were born in the last 20-odd years, or you only discovered your inner geek recently, did you miss out on monochrome monitors and the dial-up BBS era? Well, here's your chance to get a sneak peek at history: grab the ChromeLite extension and marvel as the entire Web is transformed into ASCII characters.

Now, ChromeLite isn't really all that functional. For the most part, it simply strips images and converts text into a monospaced terminal font. There are a few Easter eggs inserted -- such as a fun message at the bottom of YouTube (image after the break) -- and some fun ASCII art, but that's about it. Rather oddly, most JavaScript continues to work -- so you can still enjoy Google Instant Search!

ChromeLite was actually made by Google as an April Fools' joke -- and indeed, an annoying 'you can uninstall this!' message appears at the top of every page -- but we're kind of hoping that Google, or another developer, takes ChromeLite and turns it into a real ASCII browsing extension with configurable settings. If anything, it will provide an easy way to save bandwidth and CPU time.

Continue reading ChromeLite: experience the ASCII Web of yesteryear

ChromeLite: experience the ASCII Web of yesteryear originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shock! Microsoft's BSOD Will Actually be a Black Screen of Death in Windows 8 [Microsoft]

Microsoft's Blue Screen of Death has been simultaneously worrying and pissing people off since Windows 1.0. No doubt trying to add a bit of sexy glamour to an otherwise frustrating experience, Microsoft's next OS looks to include a black screen. More »

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Alleged LHC Memo Hints Scientists Have Found the Elusive Higgs Boson [Rumors]

Did scientists running the massive Large Hadron Collider finally discover what Einstein eloquently hypothesized was the "mind of God" for the last 30 years of his life? Possibly, yes, if a memo leaked this week turns out to be legitimate. More »

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I Need a Hero

I've been watching some of the drama surrounding Donald Trump, the concerns surrounding the air traffic controllers, the close call with the first lady, tourists being shot in Florida, U.S. citizens being shot off their jet skis, the inability to control spending -- and the "Shrek" version of "I need a Hero" started playing in my head.

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Gazelle Gets Into the Reselling Business [Recycling]

I've used e-waste recycling service Gazelle a few times now, so I'm comfortable recommended other recyclers use it as well, but today's news isn't about recycling—it's about reselling. More »

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Corel releases VideoStudio Pro X4, we go hands on (video)

Corel seems to be on a roll lately; after releasing WinZip System Utilities just last week, this morning the company announced VideoStudio Pro X4.

VideoStudio Pro is aimed at home users and small business professionals who want to create professional-looking videos, but without the hassle, steep learning curve and price of Adobe Premiere Pro and the likes.

This new version introduces several features:

• Stop motion animation: You can now capture still frames using a webcam, camcorder or DSLR and use them to produce an animation. Tools such as "onion skin view" let you compare the previous image in the sequence with the current one and make the animation as smooth as possible.
• Processor optimization: Corel says the app is optimized for Intel's new Sandy Bridge systems, and have shown us some graphs with very impressive numbers. We've been unable to test this particular point, but if you have a recent-generation Intel or AMD Fusion system, VideoStudio performance should be blazing. Even on our older test system performance was quite impressive.
• Customizable workspace: You can drag the video preview window to your secondary monitor (if you have one) and tweak just about any other element in the window layout. Once done, you can save your ideal workspace in one of three slots.
• Share-to-Web: VideoStudio Pro X4 hooks directly into YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and Flickr, so you don't even have to launch a browser to upload your final product. Edit, produce and share from within the app itself.
• Smart Package: Video projects typically consist of many files; Smart Package lets you bundle all video assets for a given project into one ZIP file which you can password-protect and keep in a safe place once you're done editing.

I've had a chance to play around with a pre-release version for a few days, and have put it through its paces editing a short video for my day job. Overall, I've been impressed with how easy it was to create pro-looking results. If you do any sort of video editing but are leery of the investment other apps require (both in dollars and effort), VideoStudio Pro is well worth checking out. To see a bit of the interface itself and what the app can do, watch the video after the jump.

Note: We'll be running a give-away of ten VideoStudio Pro X4 licenses later today, each worth $100 USD. Keep your eyes peeled for the giveaway post!

Continue reading Corel releases VideoStudio Pro X4, we go hands on (video)

Corel releases VideoStudio Pro X4, we go hands on (video) originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Kindles Enthusiasm of Library Crowd

Young Kindle is getting a library card -- at 11,000 libraries. Amazon announced Kindle Library Lending on Wednesday. The new feature, which launches later this year, will let Kindle customers borrow Kindle books from more than 11,000 libraries in the United States. Kindle Library Lending will work on all generations of Kindle devices and Kindle reading apps.

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Painting with fire, thanks to a cybernetic glove (video)

Fire: the most primal element. "It's a living thing," Robert De Niro once said, "It breathes, it eats, and it hates. The only way to beat it is to think like it." Unless you're an artist - then you rig up a series of tubes, pump in some kerosene, and connect it to a Power Glove-like control device. Next thing you know, you're "fire painting," making that hateful beast dance and strut for your amusement. "Its burning can be handled by subtle movements of the sensory data glove for tactile formulation of the fiery image," the artist explains, "Thus, the image can be manipulated, yet it constantly escapes control." To know what it's like to summon flame with a flick of your wrist - while sporting a creepy smiley-face welding mask, no less - see the video above.

Painting with fire, thanks to a cybernetic glove (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 04:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pope to Phone Space Next Month [The Pope]

Internationally-recognized celestial being Pope Benedict XVI will holler at space next month, when he calls a pair of Italian astronauts aboard the International Space Station on a special Vatican hotline set up especially for holy calls from the Pope to outer space. If the Pope is really nice, he'll give the astronaut going up in the shuttle a pair of his lucky red slippers. More »

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