Norway To Digitize ALL Norwegian Books

Posted: 16 Dec 2013 06:00 AM PST

This kind of news makes me want to go and live in Norway. This Scandinavian country is known for many awesome things – from fjords to salmon to the midnight sun – and now, there is another thing to add to the list: by the mid-2020s, all the books in the National Library of Norway will be digitized. Every single book in their repository.
You’re probably thinking, “So what? These days, you can find practically any book in digital form.” Sure, that is correct. You can even find more books you can read – for free – over at Project Gutenberg. And, of course, there is always The Pirate Bay – it’s not called the world’s most resilient BitTorrent site for nothing!
Norway To Digitize ALL Norwegian Books
The amazing thing about the Norwegian government’s initiative to digitize books is that the goal is to make ALL books available to Norwegian readers. Yes, even those which are still under copyright. The only caveat is this: your IP address must show you are in Norway. (I can hear you thinking…)
There’s another question that may be in your mind right now. This initiative only covers books in the National Library of Norway, yes?
Yes, but here’s the thing: it is a law in Norway that “ALL published content, in all media [must] be deposited with the National Library of Norway”.
How cool is that?
While the initiative is not going to be complete for a little more than half a decade yet, the mere idea of a government going this far to make information available to its citizens is nothing short of astounding.
If you think about it, other first world nations are way, way behind in terms of making sure that written pieces of work are available to its citizens for free. Indeed, what we hear about are the efforts of private entities such as Google (see Google Books), which, while praiseworthy, is not nearly enough.
Hey, United States government (and everyone else for that matter), how about taking a look at what the Norwegian government is doing and following their example?
[Image via dvice]
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• Cross Platform Malware Increasing at Alarming Rate

Posted: 16 Dec 2013 05:00 AM PST
As the advance of computer technology and its wide reaching applications continue to grow, unfortunately so do the threats.  The newest forms of malware have advanced and increased in adaptability and strengths; they attack without prejudice or warning and they have cross-platform power. The same strain of a particular malware and virus, if it has cross-platform capability, can hit multiple operating systems like Windows, Mac OS and Linux, simultaneously. They are dangerous because they have the ability to not just infect multiple OS, but also to transfer the infections from one platform to another.
Increase in Cross Platform Malware
The most noted and notorious cross-platform malware started back in 2009. Known as Koobface, this particular strain could affect both Windows and Mac computers. It could infiltrate and gain access to messenger Software, such as Yahoo Messenger, email and social media sites like Bebo, MySpace and Twitter. Koobface worked with an overabundance of aliases and managed to rip off over $2 000 000 from different users in twelve months, the most amounts were siphoned in March and April 2010.  The infection was global with 134 countries being affected.  The total number of IP Addresses hit was in the region of 62,000.
This infographic takes an in depth look at cross-platform malware.
Increase In Cross Platform Malware
There have been other infamous forms of Malware on the scene over the last 3 years, starting with the ‘Trojan.Jnanabot’ in Jan 2011.  Next up, in July of that year, there was ‘Backdoor:OSX/GetShell.A.’ That particular form of Malware was able to infect Mac, Windows and Unix machines.  A year later, in August 2012 Kaspersky Lab researchers discovered the ‘Crisis’ Malware, which was able to transfer itself from Windows to Mac OS X.  Only 4 Months ago, Malware researchers came across a Java based Trojan called ‘JV/BackDoor-FAZY’.
With the increased adaptability of these cleverly designed malware threats, how can the average user protect themselves? You should be wise when it comes to completing social media surveys and opening unsolicited emails. Anti-Virus software goes without saying, for both Windows and Mac Operating Systems, but do you keep it up to date?  With these constant threats out there, you should!
[Image via mashable]
SOURCE: http://www.mobistealth.com/blog/cross-platform-malware-growing-threat/
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• Scientists Create The First Sperm-Based Biobot

Posted: 16 Dec 2013 04:00 AM PST
Metal cybernetic microorganisms and bull’s sperm cells have been used by scientists to create the first sperm-based biobots.
The scientists from the Institute for Integrative Nanosciences in Dresden, Germany say that this spermbot can be remote controlled and used to impregnate an egg or deliver a drug to a target within your body.
Scientists Create The First Sperm-Based Biobot
To capture the sperm cells, a 50-micron-long microtube was used and the flagellum, or tail of the sperm, was left outside. The scientists then employed a magnetic field to control which way the metal tube went, directing the sperm in any direction they wanted.
Oliver Schmidt, who led the research team, explains: “sperm cells are an attractive option because they are harmless to the human body, do not require an external power source, and can swim through viscous liquids.”
Although this all sounds very wierd and a bit gross, it is also very clever and no doubt will be an invaluable tool for the future.
cyborg sperm
“This type of hybrid approach could lead the way in making efficient robotic micro-systems,” says Eric Diller at the University of Toronto, Canada, although it is hard to get micro-robots to swim as fast as biological cells.
[Images via deccanchronicle & Sploid]
SOURCE: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24721-how-do-you-control-a-spermbot-try-a-magnetic-field.html#.Uq3f2eIpvIV
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• Record Everything With 360 Bublcam

Posted: 16 Dec 2013 03:00 AM PST
A new kickstarter project called Bublcam uses a 360º camera technology hardware with compatible software, which can share everything around you through spherical photos and videos.  The Bublcam creators claim that it is the world’s most innovative 360º camera.  The camera itself has been developed to be light and extremely portable (it’s a little larger than a baseball). It was created to give users the ability to capture 14 mega pixel spherical photos and record videos at 1080p at 15 fps and 720p at 30fps.
Bublcam
The accompanying Bublcam software suite allows you to experience the content by looking up, down and all around in any given direction. You can then share your capture moments across your social networks.
The camera device utilizes Wi-Fi and allows the user to live stream directly to a computer, mobile devices and via the web. You can also save your content to a MicroSD card.  And soon your content will be available for storage directly to your favourite cloud storage providers such as Drop Box and Google Drive.
Bubl Cam - Action Camera 360 Records And Plays Degrees Video
The desktop app that is included with every Bublcam allows you to view, experience and share photos everywhere. With this feature you can simply save a panoramic JPG and share it like any other photo you’ve ever taken digitally.
The Bublcam currently provides a high quality image, but with further funding help, the company can make it better. By advancing improvements in FPGA, sensor and DSP, the guys at Bublcam can deliver the camera, to everyone who’s backed it with 32 mega pixel photographs producing an estimated 4920×4920 multiplexed image, 1080p video at 30fps and 720p video at 60fps. Video will also then have improvements in pixel density creating a better overall image for virtual tours, filmmaking, sports, security, family and any experience you may choose to capture. Reaching this goal will allow Bubl to produce a camera that enhances what is already the most innovative 360-degree camera in the world.  Check out the Drone Video Here
The Bublcam is capable of recording video at 30fps at 720p or 15fps at 1080p and exports MP4 format. It records a multiplexed 4-image quad video that can be dynamically blended (the stitching process) or converted into an equirectangular image.
Record Everything With 360 Bublcam
The following information is taken directly from the Kickstarter website:
PANORAMIC PHOTOS:  Photos are captured at full resolution, which is 3840 X 3840 at 14 Mega pixels multiplexed photo exported as JPEG. This can be blended dynamically or an equirectangular (panoramic) image can be outputted.
OPTICS & SENSOR: The Bublcam utilizes 4, 190º, 1.6 mega pixels lenses. The OmniVision sensor captures 5 mega pixels and has high quality low-light vision. The sensor will also allow you to set gamma, contrast, gain, brightness and saturation.
MEDIA STORAGE: You can save your media directly to the Micro SD Card, which can be a maximum of 32GB. The Bublcam currently records 1MB per second. You can also record via USB 2.0 connection or record your LIVE stream using VLC.
WIRELESS STREAMING: The internal Wi-Fi unit will allow you to LIVE Stream your video to a computer or mobile phone. You can use the BublApp, VLC or QuickTime to view your multiplex stream. LIVE stitching coming soon.
So, all in all the Bublcam is designed to be used in a number of different situation and for a number of different uses; For personal life, photo and video enthusiasts, action sports, travel, baby monitoring, gaming, chatting, business, news, security, filmmaking & TV, teleconferencing, real estate and travel and tourism.  If you want to experience your recorded content in a spherical panoramic way, then head over to the Bublcam Kickstarter page and pledge!
[Image via: want-that & pinterest]
SOURCE: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bublcam/bublcam-360o-camera-technology-for-everyone
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• Make Your Smartphone Smarter With Agent

Posted: 16 Dec 2013 02:00 AM PST
I love my smartphone, but I’ll be the first to admit that for a smartphone, it can sometimes be rather dumb. For example, when my battery is on the fritz, the phone will exert an endless amount of energy telling me that it’s about to die. It will beep, vibrate, and light up to its heart’s content, all the while draining more of its precious juice until it eventually dies or I plug it in to charge. If it’s about to run out of power, why doesn’t it just settle down and take a rest, thereby saving some energy in case I need to make a call before it decides to power down.
It turns out I’m not the only person to think this way. Some folks have actually decided to do something about the less than smart things our smartphones do on a regular basis. The designers at Egomotion have created an Android app known as Agent that promises to take your smartphone back to the classroom and teach it a few things.
Make Your Smartphone Smarter With Agent
Should You Bother With This “Agent?”
As of this moment, there are 5 areas where the Agent app can help your phone to assist you better, and they will be briefly outlined below.
First off is the battery. When Agent senses your battery power going south, it will automatically do everything it can to save what life if left in your phone, such as toning down your screen brightness, turning off Bluetooth, etc. Everything will go back to normal once you plug in your phone.
Then there is the sleep mode. With this enabled, your phone will only ring if it is an emergency during certain hours of the night. This can be set to only turn on when you plug in your phone at night.
As far as meetings go, Agent links with your Google calendar and will automatically silence your phone whenever you have any meetings scheduled throughout the day.
When it comes to driving, Agent uses Bluetooth to know when you’re on the road. When it senses that you’re on the go, it will automatically turn on the drive mode features of your phone. It will read your messages out loud and will respond to everyone that you’re driving at the moment and will get back to them later. Also as part of driving, once you stop the vehicle for a certain period of time, Agent will remember that location as your parking spot so you can easily find it later.
As of right now, Agent is only available for Android devices, and if you’d like to try it out, you can purchase it at the Google Play Store for $1.99.
[Image via droid-life]
SOURCE: http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/29/agent-makes-your-smartphone-a-little-bit-smarter/
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• Space Cowboys: NASA Want To Lasso Asteroids

Posted: 16 Dec 2013 01:00 AM PST
NASA has big plans to lasso an asteroid and then land an astronaut on to it. As a result it is working on a spacesuit that would be suitable for such a mission.
Near to the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineeers are testing a modified version of the pumpkin-orange Advanced Crew Escape System (ACES) worn by space shuttle astronauts, for the future use by the crew of the Orion spacecraft.
asteroid mission
Space is quite tight inside the Orion and so the white Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuits, which are normally worn during spacewalks on the International Space Station, are just too bulky to carry on the spacecraft. NASA are working on a way of altering the ACES suits so that they can be used both inside and outside the spacecraft during deep space missions and also for the voyage to a relocated asteroid.
The shell of them is very much the same, and to the casual user you may not even notice the difference, but internally we modified them to work with the plumbing inside Orion,” said Dustin Gohmert, Crew Survival Systems Manager at Johnson.
Space Cowboys: NASA Want To Lasso Asteroids
As well as redesigned suits, NASA is also looking at other ideas and techniques in a bid to refine the mission design for the asteroid initiative.
The planned mission to the asteroid, combines human exploration, space technology and science work in order to locate and redirect an asteroid to a stable orbit near the moon so that astronauts can explore and gather information.
[Images via astrobio & gawker]
SOURCE: www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-testing-modified-pumpkin-suit-for-asteroid-mission-spacewalks/#.Uq3so-IpvIX
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