Tag Archives: pdf

US mineral companies to tech industry: drill, baby, drill

By melissa | Published: March 10, 2010
Even if your favorite gadget isn't flaunting them , rare earth metals are vital to all sorts of high-tech gizmos, from your flat-panel TV and computer hard drive to the hefty batteries that power the Toyota Prius . But over 95% of the world's rare earth comes from China; and late last year, China told the world that they'd like to keep the lion's share all to themselves. What will we Westerners do? Well, we could let China continue producing mountains of e-waste on our behalf. But we could also find plenty of rare earth just by digging in our own backyard. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the United States has over 13 million metric tons of rare earth with concentrated deposits in Mountain Pass, California and Diamond Creek, Idaho. But since the private firms that control those deposits aren't willing to spend the requisite eight years and minimum $500 million to construct a chemical separation plant, Idaho-based U.S. Rare Earths is just sitting on their ore for now, while California's Molycorp Minerals is forced to send their material all the way to China (once again) for processing. "No one wants to be first to jump into the market because of the cost of building a separation plant," former USGS rare earth specialist Jim Hedrick told LiveScience . Should China's export dwindle and the U.S. feel the pinch, that may change, but for now it's good to know that when the global game of StarCraft tells us "not enough minerals," we'll know exactly where to look. US mineral companies to tech industry: drill, baby, drill originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in Technology | Also tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

iPad trainspotters divine e-book prices, My Documents and more from Oscar night commercial

By anthony | Published: March 8, 2010
Trainspotters, eagle-eyed bloggers, and tech detectives of all stripes have had a field day with last night's iPad commercial . At the very least, we got a pretty good look at some e-book prices , ranging from Ted Kennedy's True Compass: A Memoir ($14.99) to Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World... One Child at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin ($7.99). All gripping reads, for sure, and all more expensive than Amazon. In addition to all that, TUAW has made note of a New York Times button, possibly to bring up NYT bestsellers in the iBookstore. Delving deeper into the UI, a look at the Pages iWork app has revealed a button labeled My Documents (where have we heard that one before?). But Oscar night is not the only place for iPad leaks: according to a tipster named James Barcellano, close viewing of the iPad keynote video has revealed an "Open In..." button during the viewing of a PDF attachment in mail. Perhaps this is an indication that the device's file system will be a tad more open than we were expecting. Or maybe not! You know how these things go. One more pic after the break. Continue reading iPad trainspotters divine e-book prices, My Documents and more from Oscar night commercial iPad trainspotters divine e-book prices, My Documents and more from Oscar night commercial originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in Technology | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple ‘iKey’ Places a Combination Lock on Your Wallet [Patents]

By anthony | Published: March 8, 2010
At its surface, a recently uncovered Apple patent application describes a Motion Based Input Selection. But a closer look reveals that Apple wants the iPhone to become your life's omnitool. Using near field communication—or RFID, which isn't in the current crop of iPhones—coupled with a cute, onscreen UI (like a combination lock), Apple's patent describes a future in which iPhone users open their front doors and even pay for their next iPhone with a 3-digit pin. Many have already dubbed it the "iKey." I'm not sure that I could stand waiting at Walgreen's while the guy in front of me attempted to wield the iPhone's accelerometers with enough dexterity to purchase some antacid and the latest edition of Sport Fishing . But given that a good chunk of the world is already benefiting from phone-based RFID shopping, there's little question that the basic premise is a good one. [ Patent (PDF) and Telegraph and ElectricPig via Slashdot ]
Posted in Technology | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Do You Keep Your Computer Patched and Up to Date? [Ask The Readers]

By shervin | Published: March 5, 2010
According to researchers behind a white paper on computer vulnerabilities the typical Windows user has to patch their computer an average of 75 times a year. Many simply ignore the task. We want to hear how you keep things current. Photo by Sam Howzit . Over at the computer-centric blog Computerworld they highlight a security white paper published by the Secunia company: The typical home user running Windows faces the "unreasonable" task of patching software an average of every five days, a security and vulnerability research company said today. "It's completely unreasonable to expect users to master so many different patch mechanisms and spend so much time patching," said Thomas Kristensen, the chief security officer of Secunia. The result is that few consumers devote the time and attention necessary to stay atop the patching job, which leaves them open to attack. Secunia has a free tool called Personal Software Inspector that assists users in determining which portion of their operating system or installed software needs to be patched based on releases from the software vendors—it doesn't however download or install the patches for you. They analyzed the data from a millions of users and determined the average Windows user needs to patch software every 4.9 days to keep everything completely current. That isn't Windows Updates mind you, but updating all the various applications on their PC. In light of what a pain it would be to constantly keep on top of updates, we'd love to hear what solutions you're using to make managing updates easier. Sound off in the comments below with your tips, tricks, software tools, and other patch-related wisdom to help your fellow readers stay on top of updates and patches. If you've never considered what a burden keeping your software updated is, nor thought about getting a program to do so, start your research by reading our Hive Five on the topic . White Paper: The Security Exposure of Software Portfolio (PDF) [Secunia via Computerworld ]
Posted in Technology | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Print a Free and Effective Flash Bounce Card [Printables]

By shervin | Published: March 3, 2010
You don't have to search for very long to find a variety of printable bounce cards online, but most of them look like cheap. Use this printable template to put together a free, effective, and good-looking bounce card. The bounce card template is provided by LADIG, the Los Angeles Digital Imaging Group, a group dedicated to promotion digital photography and digital media of all kinds. You'll need to print it out on cardstock for it to keep it's shape. Try it out by attaching it with a rubber band and if you like the design a couple dots of velcro will make it easier attach and remove it. If you really like the design and were feeling ambitious you could stop by your local print shop and ask for a piece of white and black vinyl cover stock, gluing them together and using a regular print out as your cutting template to create a really sturdy and durable version. You can download the template the link below or visit the LADIG website for more information about their organization here . Have a favorite DIY photography hack? Let's hear about it in the comments. Whacky Hack Bounce Card (PDF!) [LADIG via Make ]
Posted in Technology | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Change the Background Color in Adobe Reader for Eye-Friendly Contrast [Tweaks]

By anthony | Published: March 2, 2010
Ed. note: If you do extensive reading on a computer screen you know how quickly start black-on-white text can strain your eyes. One Lifehacker reader, tired of straining his eyes, changed the default background color with pleasing results. We watch the #tips box every day to see all the tips, tricks, and clever uses Lifehacker readers come up with. Today's tip is focused on taking a widely adopted application—Adobe Reader—and tweaking the background to be less eye searing. I read PDF files everyday whether it's an ebook, a report, or notes from my classes. Unfortunately, the gleaming white background color of every PDF file was not easy on my eyes. So, I decided to change the default white background color. It's a simple change that can make reading PDF files easier on the eyes. Example: [imgur.com] 1) Open Adobe Reader. Go to Edit - Preferences - Accessibility. 2) Make sure the "Replace Document Colors" is checked and click on Custom Color. 3) Click "Page Background" color and then select "other color." Here's my custom neutral color settings: [imgur.com] You can also do the same for any of your favorite word processor applications. It will make writing and reading easier on the eyes! Have a tip for tweaking the background color in other applications? Let's hear about it in the comments. Thanks for the tip SandHammer !
Posted in Technology | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Simple Scan Makes Linux Scanning Beginner-Friendly [Downloads]

By admin | Published: March 2, 2010
Linux: The default image scanning app on most Linux destkops, XSane, has many, many buttons and sliders. When all you want to do is make a PDF from text, or scan a picture, Simple Scan is there for you. Robert Ancell, a developer for Ubuntu backer Canonical, is developing Simple Scan to drop into the next release of Ubuntu, Lucid Lynx, due out in April. Although his software isn't officially at a finished, 1.0 stage, it's already decent enough to be an attractive install for Ubuntu users. Load up your scanner, plug it into your system, fire up Simple Scan, switch between Photo and Text, and hit the Scan button. Yes, you can adjust the dpi resolution, create multi-page PDFs, and crop your results, but you usually don't need to. The buttons to save, email, and print your results are all there, too, and this app just works. Simple Scan is a free download for Linux systems only. Source code is available in addition to Ubuntu packages, but we're guessing the app runs best on Ubuntu. Simple Scan [Launchpad via Starry Hope ]
Posted in Technology | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Google gains clearance to buy and sell energy, continue taking over the world

By anthony | Published: February 19, 2010
What Google wants, it largely gets. Need some proof of that? Fret not, as we've got plenty right here. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) just granted the internet behemoth authority to "buy and sell electricity in bulk like any other utility." As of now, it doesn't look like Google is jonesing to take on your local power provider, but rather to open up more avenues for acquiring power for its own good. Company spokeswoman Niki Fenwick noted that this filing was made so Google could have "more flexibility in procuring power for Google's own operations, including our data centers." That quote lines up with what we heard when this initiative was proposed just over a month ago, but considering that it's dabbling in the ISP business (and pretty much anything else it wants to), we wouldn't put it past 'em . Google gains clearance to buy and sell energy, continue taking over the world originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in Technology | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

School allegedly uses students’ laptop webcams for espionage, lawsuit ensues

By melissa | Published: February 18, 2010
Hold onto your butts, kids, we've got a doozy of a story. Let's take this one slow: a class-action lawsuit has been filed in Pennsylvania accusing the Lower Merion school district of "unauthorized, inappropriate and indiscriminate remote activation" of webcams in laptops issued to students, without prior knowledge or consent. The tale begins when Assistant Principal Lindy Mastko of Harriton High School informed a student that he was "engaged in improper behavior in his home"; the suit alleges that when pressed for details, Mastko told both the boy and his father that the school district could remotely activate the webcam -- a capability that is apparently being used. The school district has yet to respond to the accusations, so at this point we've only got the plaintiff's side of the story -- for all we know this kid took a picture of himself and somehow accidentally uploaded it on the school network. Then again, some purported Lower Merion students just emailed Gizmodo and claimed that their MacBooks' green webcam lights went on at random times, but they were told by IT support that it was just a technical glitch. Holy alleged invasion of privacy , Batman, this could get mighty interesting. PDF of the complaint available below. Update: The Lower Merion School District superintendent Christopher McGinley has issued an official response on its website , acknowledging "a security feature intended to track lost, stolen and missing laptops." Going further, he says the district " has not used the tracking feature or web cam for any other purpose or in any other manner whatsoever" but that the matter is "under review." [Thanks, Yossi] School allegedly uses students' laptop webcams for espionage, lawsuit ensues originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in Technology | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

TiVo granted patent on recording Season Pass subscriptions by priority

By shervin | Published: February 18, 2010
It's been a ten year process, but TiVo just won a patent on managing DVR recording schedules and resolving schedule conflicts using a list of shows ordered by priority. US Patent #7,665,111 covers "recording, storing, and deleting of television and/or web page program material" by generating a prioritized list of shows that contains both shows chosen and ranked by users and shows the DVR think you'll like, matching that list against the program guide and available recording space, and resolving conflicts based on priority. Yeah, that's what essentially every DVR on the market does now -- but before you run off screaming into the woods, remember that this was all basically uncharted territory when TiVo applied for this patent way back in 1999, the same year it launched one of the first DVRs. Now, TiVo has been anything but shy when it comes to suing over its other hard-fought DVR patents, so we'll have to see how the company decides to use this new bit of IP leverage; patents that have been pending for this long aren't exactly secrets to anyone, and we're sure TiVo's competitors have been thinking of clever ways to design around it. (One bit that jumps out: the priority list has to contain both "a viewer's explicit preferred program selections for recording" and "inferred preferred program selections for recording," so DVRs that don't auto-record like TiVos could potentially be excluded.) Of course, we'd rather just see TiVo retake the lead in the DVR space with some entirely new ideas -- we'll see what happens next month . TiVo granted patent on recording Season Pass subscriptions by priority originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in Technology | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment