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Arduino-powered lighting system infuses your LED with some Ambilight-like pizazz (video)


Why spend your hard-earned money on one of Philips' Ambilight displays when you can just make your own, using some Arduino-based wizardry and a little bit of elbow grease? Fortunately, Minty Boost creator ladyada is here to help. All you'll need is a strand of digital RGB LED pixels, a five-volt DC power supply (along with a female power adapter), any USB-equipped Arduino micro-controller and, of course, the appropriate Processing programming environment. You can find the full how-to at the source link below, but the results are pretty impressive -- a capture-based sketch system that's compatible with just about any media player. See it for yourself in the video after the break.

[Thanks, Phil]

Continue reading Arduino-powered lighting system infuses your LED with some Ambilight-like pizazz (video)

Arduino-powered lighting system infuses your LED with some Ambilight-like pizazz (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 06:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Invisibility cloak made of carbon nanotubes uses 'mirage effect' to disappear


If the phrase "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good" means anything to you, you'll be happy to know that scientists have come one step closer to a Potter-style "invisibility cloak" so you can use your Marauder's Map to the fullest. With the help of carbon nanotubes, researchers have been able to make objects seem to magically vanish by using the same principle that causes mirages. As anyone who's been especially parched along Route 66 knows, optical illusions occur when heat changes the air's temperature and density, something that forces light to "bend," making us see all sorts of crazy things. Apply the same theory under water using nanotubes -- one molecule carbon coils with super high heat conductivity -- and scientists can make a sheet of the stuff "disappear." Remember, it only works underwater, so get your gillyweed ready and check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Invisibility cloak made of carbon nanotubes uses 'mirage effect' to disappear

Invisibility cloak made of carbon nanotubes uses 'mirage effect' to disappear originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Webmaster Tools in Google Analytics for everyone


Back in June, we announced a pilot program to allow users to surface Google Search data in Google Analytics by linking their Webmaster Tools accounts. We’ve been busy making some improvements and tweaks based on user feedback, and today we’re excited to make this set of reports available to all users.

The Webmaster Tools section contains three reports based on the Webmaster Tools data that we hope will give you a better sense of how your site performs in search results. We’ve created a new section for these reports called Search Engine Optimization that will live under the Traffic Sources section. The reports you’ll find there are:

  • Queries: impressions, clicks, position, and CTR info for the top 1,000 daily queries
  • Landing Pages: impressions, clicks, position, and CTR info for the top 1,000 daily landing pages
  • Geographical Summary: impressions, clicks, and CTR by country
Queries report
To start using the reports you first need to link your Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools accounts. You can get step by step instructions and additional information on the reports in this Help Center article. If you’re not already using Webmaster Tools, we highly recommend you start. It’s a free tool that helps you understand how Google sees your site. Sign up on the Google Webmaster Tools homepage. Enjoy the new reports, and let us know how they’re helping your analysis.


Posted by Kate Cushing, Associate Product Manager, Google Analytics team

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After iPhone 4S Siri Announcement; Vlingo Voice App Now Free, Hints at “Next Gen” Product This Fall on iOS


Vlingo iphoneOne of the biggest pieces of news that came out of Apple’s highly anticipated iPhone event was the announcement of ‘Siri,’ a new iPhone 4S feature that lets you complete tasks on your phone by talking to it. For example, you can ask your phone the weather and it will actually tell you the weather. Siri combines artificial intelligence with iPhone voice commands by introducing semantic engines and natural language processing, something that has yet to be perfected but is currently being worked on by another mobile company not quite as big as Apple.

Cambridge based Vlingo, the maker of the Vlingo voice app has alarming similarities to Siri and they know it. In a blog post published yesterday by the company’s CEO Dave Grannan, he talks about the increased competition and the need for user choice, but more importantly he pointed at that the Vlingo app will now be free for all.

“While there is no debating Apple’s ability to package technology in a way that transforms it into a standard for consumers, we think that we have a unique ability to drive innovation within the industry as the last truly independent player….When Google Voice Actions came out, we felt it was unfair to ask our users to continue to pay for our application.  We wanted them to be “free to compare.”  We feel the same way about our iPhone product, and have pushed a new version to the App Store that will enable the full Vlingo functionality at no cost. “

This is an important move for Vlingo to make. When given the opportunity to use a free integrated feature on the iPhone or a paid application in the app store, I will use the free native feature every time. Vlingo understands this and better yet is lining up to go head to head with Siri in the next few weeks.

In addition to making the current Vlingo application free, Vlingo hinted at a “a brand new, next generation voice product that we will release on the iPhone platform this fall.”

Many might question why we would choose iOS to launch this new product as Apple prepares to make a big splash with new native functionality.  Truthfully it was a question we thought about deeply ourselves.  The last few years Apple has continued to surge past its competitors by delivering products that technically beat user expectations.  So why would we try to compete?  The answer is simple. Vlingo delivers choice that you simply cannot get from these “OS integrated” options.

We’ll be keep our eyes peeled for the new Vlingo release this fall. Have you used Vlingo? Let us know in the comments.

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Who Ruled the Social TV Airwaves in September? [STATS]


social tv image


September is always a huge month for TV with a slate of show premieres and returning favorites. But which networks ruled social TV? We’ve got a fresh set of data from Trendrr, a realtime social media tracker.

The big broadcast winner was FOX with a 29% share of the social traffic voice in September. Surprisingly, the CW had the lowest share of voice (13%) but had the highest growth (up 7% between August and September).

SEE ALSO: The Most Social Shows on TV in July [STATS]

MTV came away as the top cable network with 19% share of social traffic. The top broadcast show was Glee (FOX) with 16% share and the top cable show was — wait for it — Jersey Shore! (MTV) with 18% share in September. The Charlie Sheen Roast only took up 4% of the share, which might have to do with the fact it was a one-off event. Trendrr’s metrics clearly favor sustained performance even though the Roast had a huge social media presence.

Trendrr compiles data from public profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Miso and GetGlue. It then ranks that data using buzz, checkins, posts and tweets for terms associated with TV shows. Take a look at some of the numbers below. Surprised to see some shows or networks on top or bottom? Let us know what you think in the comments.


Broadcast Network Winners



Top Broadcast Network Shows



Broadcast Network Percent Increase



Cable Network Winners



Top Cable Network Shows


Image courtesy of Flickr, mattedgar

More About: Entertainment, social tv

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New Facebook: What It Means for Local Marketers



Peter Heffring is president and CEO of Expion, a social software company that empowers retailers, brands and agencies to localize and manage their social marketing efforts. Founded in 2009, the company is privately held and headquartered in Raleigh, N.C.

If the f8 announcements have taught us anything, it’s that Facebook change is constant. For users, that means getting acquainted with and complaining about new features regularly. For marketers, it means adapting to the changing user behaviors that the new platform will inspire.

While it’s too early to gauge specifics, changing Facebook user behavior will likely give local marketers distinct advantages over bigger, national brands.

SEE ALSO: 5 Ways Facebook’s New Features Will Fuel Social Shopping

On average, my company has seen that local marketers like retailers and franchisees have much higher user engagement rates on Facebook than national chains or brands. While local marketers tend to have fewer fans, in some cases, they boast 50 times the user engagement – comments, posts and “Likes” – than their bigger, national competitors.

The new Facebook updates are designed to create more engagement overall, and two of the changes could favor local marketers.


Users Can Designate Brand Posts as Top Stories


The new top stories functionality will ensure that loyal fans don’t miss posts from the brands they care about most. As always, getting that attention means creating compelling content — and, by default, localized content tends to be more relevant.

For instance, if you’re hosting a Halloween party, are you more likely to enter a “scariest Halloween decorations” contest put on by a local shop, or by a national chain that may not be in your neighborhood? Which contest do you think you’d have better odds at winning? The analogy works regardless which type of brand, or the content it ultimately posts. Local relevance increases the probability of engagement, every time. The new Facebook top stories functionality creates an additional opportunity for them to stay at the forefront of users’ minds.


The New Algorithm Will Prioritize News Feed Content to Favor the Most “Engaging” Posts


Though Facebook hasn’t fully implemented Graphrank, the new content algorithm, the update is designed to further help users cut through the clutter. Graphrank favors the posts that users interact with most. Since localized content tends to have higher levels of engagement, content from local marketers could potentially gain priority.


Local Marketing for Big Brands


So how can bigger brands use these updates to their advantage? The key is to think like a local marketer. In my company’s work with franchises like Applebee’s, we’ve learned that the most engaging Facebook content doesn’t typically come from the corporate marketing team — it comes from individual store locations. Corporate marketing is no match against the thousands of employees physically interacting with customers on a daily basis.

Tapping local employees’ collective wisdom is like being able to run hundreds or thousands of multivariate tests. Particularly savvy corporate teams have learned to track their local teams’ content, to analyze the best strategies for when, why and what to post, and then to integrate that knowledge into a broader strategy.

Not every brand has the ability or the need to implement a fully localized Facebook content strategy. However, bigger brands can learn from smaller, local companies as they market across the new Facebook.

More About: algorithm, Business, contributor, Facebook, features, Marketing

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Apple unveils dock to micro USB adapter to comply with EU standards


European Union regulations require cell phone vendors to include micro USB connectors as a means of standardizing charging options for cell phones, a necessary move to cut down on the plethora of mutually incompatible charging options that have proliferated through the mobile phone industry. Rather than alter the iPhone itself, Apple has instead begun offering a micro USB adapter that connects via the existing 30-pin dock connector. Thus far it appears to be available only in the UK Apple Store, and at £8.00 it seems fairly inexpensive as far as Apple's accessories go. It will be available on October 14.

The adapter will allow you to sync and charge any iPhone (except the original 2007 model) via a micro USB cable connected to your computer, and you can charge your iPhone from a charger with a micro USB connection. This means you no longer have to rely on Apple's somewhat expensive dock cables if the one that comes with your iPhone breaks and you don't have a spare.

EU regulations do allow for Apple to offer the adapter instead of altering the iPhone itself, so Apple is now in full compliance with the standards.

Apple unveils dock to micro USB adapter to comply with EU standards originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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