It's not MSNBC, it's MSex-NBC. Or it very well could be, as Bloomberg reports a second marriage of sorts is purportedly on deck for Microsoft and two former Peacock execs, Marc Graboff and Jeff Gaspin. Redmond's already made public plans to expand its Xbox Live streaming platform beyond VOD and into live TV, having announced a trio of content partners at this year's E3, so news of an in-house original programming push comes as no surprise. While it remains to be seen just what types of series, scripted or otherwise, are in the works, the company appears willing to press pause on the entire initiative should a suitable candidate fail to materialize. That's all the rumor mill's wrought for now, folks, but we'll keep you posted on this as it develops. And no, a certain Ms. Maddow likely won't be coming soon to an Xbox 360 near you. Microsoft on the hunt for original programming head, eyes ex-NBC execs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Joystiq | Bloomberg | Email this | Comments
from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/12/microsoft-on-the-hunt-for-original-program...
It's not MSNBC, it's MSex-NBC. Or it very well could be, as Bloomberg reports a second marriage of sorts is purportedly on deck for Microsoft and two former Peacock execs, Marc Graboff and Jeff Gaspin. Redmond's already made public plans to expand its Xbox Live streaming platform beyond VOD and into live TV, having announced a trio of content partners at this year's E3, so news of an in-house original programming push comes as no surprise. While it remains to be seen just what types of series, scripted or otherwise, are in the works, the company appears willing to press pause on the entire initiative should a suitable candidate fail to materialize. That's all the rumor mill's wrought for now, folks, but we'll keep you posted on this as it develops. And no, a certain Ms. Maddow likely won't be coming soon to an Xbox 360 near you. Microsoft on the hunt for original programming head, eyes ex-NBC execs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Joystiq | Bloomberg | Email this | Comments
from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/12/microsoft-on-the-hunt-for-original-program...
It's not MSNBC, it's MSex-NBC. Or it very well could be, as Bloomberg reports a second marriage of sorts is purportedly on deck for Microsoft and two former Peacock execs, Marc Graboff and Jeff Gaspin. Redmond's already made public plans to expand its Xbox Live streaming platform beyond VOD and into live TV, having announced a trio of content partners at this year's E3, so news of an in-house original programming push comes as no surprise. While it remains to be seen just what types of series, scripted or otherwise, are in the works, the company appears willing to press pause on the entire initiative should a suitable candidate fail to materialize. That's all the rumor mill's wrought for now, folks, but we'll keep you posted on this as it develops. And no, a certain Ms. Maddow likely won't be coming soon to an Xbox 360 near you. Microsoft on the hunt for original programming head, eyes ex-NBC execs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Joystiq | Bloomberg | Email this | Comments
from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/12/microsoft-on-the-hunt-for-original-program...
It's not MSNBC, it's MSex-NBC. Or it very well could be, as Bloomberg reports a second marriage of sorts is purportedly on deck for Microsoft and two former Peacock execs, Marc Graboff and Jeff Gaspin. Redmond's already made public plans to expand its Xbox Live streaming platform beyond VOD and into live TV, having announced a trio of content partners at this year's E3, so news of an in-house original programming push comes as no surprise. While it remains to be seen just what types of series, scripted or otherwise, are in the works, the company appears willing to press pause on the entire initiative should a suitable candidate fail to materialize. That's all the rumor mill's wrought for now, folks, but we'll keep you posted on this as it develops. And no, a certain Ms. Maddow likely won't be coming soon to an Xbox 360 near you. Microsoft on the hunt for original programming head, eyes ex-NBC execs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Joystiq | Bloomberg | Email this | Comments
from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/12/microsoft-on-the-hunt-for-original-program...
The bandages are barely off after a recent nip-tuck and the internet's biggest time sink is going under the knife again with its new YouTube EDU initiative. Imagine your favorite video site with all the fun stuff stripped off -- it's essentially that. Gone are comments and related videos, and all the non brain-enhancing stuff, leaving just what's good for the grey matter. Why? Well, in the VHS era teachers had control, but now it's a minefield. With its wealth of knowledge, YouTube is an obvious choice for educators, but with so many ways to get RickRolled, or catch-up on the latest keyboard cat, pupils' attention can be lost in seconds. The project has content provided by over 600 educational outlets such as TED and the Smithsonian, with subjects broken down into more than 300 teacher-friendly playlists. We're not sure if " national constitutions"is going to be one of them, but hit the promo video after the break to find out more. Continue reading YouTube launches education-only site, won't teach evolution of dance (video) YouTube launches education-only site, won't teach evolution of dance (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink ZDNet | YouTube | Email this | Comments
from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/12/youtube-launches-education-only-site-wont-...
Designing a website combines the best parts of art and science. Sure, you need to have some incredibly artistic and elegant designs but without a simple framework, the site will suffer some serious flaws. Following a blueprint will ensure great flow and usability. It will allow users to understand where they are while navigating and give them an easy way to get to the next page.
While no website is the same, this infographic from ROI Media lays out some awesome tips and tricks for designing the perfect website. Also, did you know that there are over 525,998,433 websites out there on the vast internet? How many of those do you bet are absolute garbage and lack some of the basic optimization techniques?

from BostInno http://bostinno.com/2011/12/11/the-anatomy-of-a-perfect-website-infographic/
Jeremy Johnson, co-founder and CMO of 2tor, began his talk at the Education & Entrepreneurs Summit by pulling up an image of a fortune cookie. Inside, the slip of paper read, “May you live in interesting times.” Often referred to as the Chinese curse, Johnson used it to describe the education field instead.
“We’re living in the most interesting time,” Johnson said, claiming that we’re seeing more innovation in the classroom now than we’ve seen in the past 200 years.
Johnson was one of the three keynote speakers at yesterday’s first EdTechup Conference. Speaking on behalf of 2tor, an education technology company that partners with elite universities, such as Georgetown, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and University of Southern California to deliver rigorous, selective programs online to students from around the world, he proved how one can easily disrupt the higher ed market right now.
The second image Johnson pulled up was of a college lecture hall. In it, 95 percent of the students were seen on their laptops. Now, whether they were taking notes or chatting with friends on Facebook, we’ll never know, but what we do know is that students are more engaged with their laptops today than they are with their professors. How is that then different from online learning? The answer? It’s not.
“Ten percent of marriages now start online,” Johnson said. “You can build relationships there.”
Professors have told Johnson they often feel more connected to the students in their online class than to those in their physical class. During an online class, when a student leaves their computer, you see an empty chair. There’s no “hiding in the back of the classroom” when you’re online. As Johnson said, “Everyone is front and center on the Internet.” Students are more apt to pay attention to their teachers, when they’re face-to-face with them on their computer. Johnson realized that, and took advantage of the market.
“Education is one of the last industries to be disrupted by the Internet,” Johnson said, as he pulled up images of books and movies. Why go to Barnes and Noble now when we have Amazon? Why go to Blockbuster when, instead, there’s Netflix? Had those companies changed with the times sooner, they could have been preserved. Education is next on the chopping block, and Johnson claimed that those “who embrace technology and change are going to have an oversized advantage.”
Prior to yesterday’s conference, Marissa Lowman, the founder of EdTechup, said, “I think the education industry, as a whole, is very fragmented. If entrepreneurs and educators collaborated more, I think it would spur more innovation in education, as well as help entrepreneurs start companies that are both sustainable and scalable since they’d be catering to the market from the beginning.”
Johnson’s company is the perfect example of that. With 2tor, he’s trying to fix a fragmented market, which is crucial when you take into account the end user of education products: children. Those using these new classroom tools are the world’s future, and if we’re not innovating now, it’s soon going to be too late.
“We need to view all of this as an opportunity,” Johnson said. “We’re about to experience the renaissance of education.”
from BostInno http://bostinno.com/2011/12/11/jeremy-johnson-embraces-innovation-disrupts-hi...
Yeah, we're well aware that our fascination with unique and multi-hued timpieces may be more of an obsession. Well, you can add another to the list with the Kisai Rogue Touch Pocket Watch from Tokyoflash. Enclosed by a stainless steel case with brushed edges, the $149 timekeeper makes use of a LCD display with LED backlights in your choice of four color options. The watch's face is protected by a spring-hinged cover and crystal lens. You'll notice a similar dial design to that of the Rogue Touch of the wrist wrapping variety, as this watch also sports four hot-zones for switching between modes. Capable of displaying two time zones, along with date and an alarm, the pocket watch uses an animation to monitor the hours instead of those clunky mechanized arms. If you're wanting a closer look hit the gallery below, and to see the timepiece in action, peep the video just past the break.
Continue reading Kisai Rogue Touch Pocket Watch from Tokyoflash keeps things dapper, semi-hard to decipher (video) Kisai Rogue Touch Pocket Watch from Tokyoflash keeps things dapper, semi-hard to decipher (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Tokyoflash | Email this | Comments
from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/08/kisai-rogue-touch-pocket-watch-from-tokyof...
An anonymous reader sends this excerpt from a report at Al Jazeera "The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has launched a virtual embassy for Iran in what it said was a bid to promote dialogue with the Iranian people in the absence of formal diplomatic ties. The web-based embassy went online on Tuesday in English and Farsi, offering visitors what it described as 'another perspective' for Iranians who 'remain hungry for information about the United States.' 'This website is not a formal diplomatic mission, nor does it represent or describe a real U.S. embassy accredited to the Iranian government,' the U.S. state department said in an introductory note. 'But, in the absence of direct contact, it can work as a bridge between the American and Iranian people.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
from Slashdot http://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/12/06/2057244/us-launches-virtual-embas...
It's been over three years since we first heard a new TiVo was coming to DirecTV, but the satellite broadcaster has finally revealed it will be available -- in select markets -- starting December 8th, the same day its own HR34 multiroom solution becomes available. Both the HR34 and the TiVo HD DVR from DirecTV (THR22-100) got the official nod in DirecTV's installer forums, informing techs the $199 TiVo box would be available for an extra $5 / month service fee, in addition to the $10 / month HD Access and $7 / month DVR tariffs. What does that extra scratch buy you? The new box can access all of DirecTV's live, on demand and pay-per-view video, downloading updates via satellite, and supports remote DVR scheduling through the website. On the downside however, there's no mention of the new TiVo Premiere UI or internet streaming, and it does not support other add-ons like 3D, whole home DVR, apps, or DirecTV's iPad app. One way or another, starting Thursday customers will have their choice of HD DVR satellite boxes, so hit the source link for a few more details and a PDF spec sheet (also pictured in the gallery). Update: Official details from TiVo are included after the break, mentioning a nationwide rollout will occur next year.
[Thanks, @TechWzrd] Continue reading DirecTV's TiVo ready to return December 8th in a few markets DirecTV's TiVo ready to return December 8th in a few markets originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | DirecTV Forums, TiVo | Email this | Comments
from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/06/directvs-tivo-ready-to-return-december-8th...
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