February 2012
4 posts
6 tags
Social Media Explained
Source: Alyssa Milano’s Posterous
8 tags
Relax, Apple doesn't want to screw you over iBooks
2 weeks ago, amidst all the hype surrounding the iBookstore and the business model chosen by Apple to allow people to sell iBooks on the iBookstore, I asked the following question: When I publish something through the iBookstore, am I the copyright holder of the book’s content? Why was this question so important? Because, If the creator of the iBook is in fact the copyright holder of...
2 tags
Having fun with accents
Source: 9Gag
3 tags
"People are citizens while on the Internet too"
Source: SMBC
January 2012
18 posts
8 tags
Skynet is getting physical
Within my research, I’ve mainly worked on creating autonomous software entities (entitled intelligent agents) that are able to cooperate with each other and solve problems that are far more complex than those they could solve if they were to operate alone. But so far, all of this has been simulated at a software level. I’m now considering making the leap to the hardware level and...
7 tags
I can haz gravity?
A cat can easily rotate itself in order to always face the ground when falling, allowing for it to firmly land on its paws. But have you have wondered what would happened if cats were sudenly in a situation where rules like gravity wouldn’t apply? Lucky for us, some scientists wondered about the same question and decided to put it to test:
3 tags
Scary landings
Heavy crosswinds + pilots that know what they’re doing = awesome landings
3 tags
If you like puns, you'll love this
8 tags
Star Wars made by fans
This is the result of a crowd-sourced effort, started in 2009, to re-create the entirety of Episode IV as series of 15-second clips filmed and submitted by fans: Now imagine that SOPA was already accepted and YouTube would probably be shutdown because of this. And I’m not sure if George Lucas won’t sue the life out of the guys behind this. Source: Slashdot
6 tags
The Bark Side of the Force
Just a brilliant ad by Volkswagen:
6 tags
Interesting take on page-turning technology for...
It’s quite interesting how you can get so much out of a touch-based interface in terms of delivering a more natural page-turning experience with just a few simple gestures. Check out the video from KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) Institute of Information Technology Convergence: Source: The Verge
What's so different about the iBookstore?
Let’s sum it up: 1. Apple decides to enter the (digital) book publishing market and in order to actually build a wide catalog of books (especially for the textbook market) they offer a free authoring tool for anyone to use. 2. In order to offer the simplest and easiest experience to authors and users, Apple decided to use a mix of standards that ultimately produces a proprietary format...
4 tags
SOPA & PIPA: I think The Oatmeal says it best...
… with this handy-dandy animated GIF: Pirated with permission
4 tags
Google as a music discoverer
Have you ever tried googling “duh duh duh duh”?
3 tags
Here's a different type of diet
Source: 9Gag
7 tags
How to screw with a skeptic's mind
Source: SMBC
4 tags
Things you can say to your dog, but not your...
Source: 9Gag
4 tags
Interesting point about vampires...
Source: 9Gag
Toy Story is a lie
It’s all a lie. I’ve even installed cameras to watch them when I’m not in the room but still they don’t move. I’m starting to think that the Toy Story movies are not actually real.
6 tags
Happy Birthday, iPhone
That’s right, the iPhone was “born” 5 years ago and I think this may be a good time to remember how it was unveiled in 2007:
5 tags
How to steal a flat-screen TV
Flash Flash Source
5 tags
Shit that should not be: in the movies!
There’s this podcast I listen called Hollywood Babble-On, which amongst featuring funny aspects of the show-biz like odd news, recent deaths and amazing impersonations by Ralph Garman, they also show funny movie mistakes that will make you wonder how did they end up in the movie in the first place (considering a movie is screened through so many people before they actually reach the...
December 2011
8 posts
4 tags
What Really Happened Aboard Air France 447
I know this is old but I only had the chance to read it now. Go read the report, now: Two years after the Airbus 330 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, Air France 447’s flight-data recorders finally turned up. The revelations from the pilot transcript paint a surprising picture of chaos in the cockpit, and confusion between the pilots that led to the crash. My heart was racing as I...
6 tags
Awkward fight: Siri vs. Secretary/Assistant
7 tags
From Lisbon to Vietnam, to London and back to...
So I was at a concert in Lisbon last night and when I picked up my phone to take some pictures of the show I noticed the iPhone was using the wrong time. It said it was 05:30 when it was actually closer to 22:30. Since I know the iPhone uses location to automatically set the time-zone and adjust the clock, I quickly opened the Maps app and to my surprise I was “located” in Vietnam. ...
4 tags
Matt Damon Claus
7 tags
Chain Reaction: the challenges of implementing a...
I’ve been increasingly enjoying working in web development. It’s not my area and I’m far from being an expert but lately I’ve been dealing with a lot of web-related technologies and let’s just say it has had quite an effect on me. For that reason, I’ve been trying to learn more on this subject and, in particular, on the more recent standards of web development...
3 tags
The beauty of accents
Source: 9gag
6 tags
Be kind to your parents...
… they have access to your embarrassing childhood photos. Which can be problematic, especially if you’re Superman: Source: 9gag
The fascination with fire is in our DNA
No matter how much time has passed since our ancestors first discovered fire, people still unite around a fireplace as a form of social gathering.
November 2011
4 posts
9 tags
This is what Apple TV with Siri technology will...
Flash Flash You’re watching A New Invention on ‘30 Rock’ 02/03/11 - TV Replay.
Some tips for Mac OS X
I’ve been acumulating a lot of links to some interesting Mac OS X tips on my Instapaper in the hopes that I’ll have to time to write a post about them individually but since I don’t see any chance of that happening any time soon, here’s the list for your enjoyment: Select Text in Quick Look Windows - This one has bothered me for quite some time, but I’m glad...
If Facebook existed during World War II
What a brilliant piece of Facebook humor… Plus, you get to learn a lot about the second world war. Source: 9GAG
10 tags
On Codebits V and other endeavors
I was planning on writing about this year’s Codebits event but since Sérgio has summed it up so nicely, I’ll just link to his post instead. Nevertheless, there’s a video I must post here. Background: some of my lobsters friends decided to embrace the DIY spirit and managed to create the necessary tools to build their very own longboards at a very reduced price. You can check...
October 2011
7 posts
5 tags
Mac OS X Lion
With the arrival of iOS5, I finally decided to make the change to Mac OS X Lion and although I had to make some adjustments afterwards, the whole thing went quite smoothly. “Relax, I got this” First up, the installation process. I fired up the install file and it stated that it needed about half an hour to finish. So I went on with my chores (like bathing the kid and preparing...
Officially graduated
6 tags
A crossover between (probably) two of the best...
I love Portal and I love Super Mario, so you can imagine what I felt when I saw this: Source
8 tags
Steve Jobs
Today is the first day of a post-Jobs era. A man that has been praised, loved and hated by so many but that has never been indifferent to anyone with the bit interest in technology. It’s pointless to try to make a heart-felted and deep post about the man whose professional achievements are well-known but whose private life was so, indeed, private. What I can only testify is the way his...
Weird weather: Using flip-flops in autumn
2 tags
TSA at its best
When a woman that has been a victim of breast cancer, get’s treated like this at a TSA checkpoint, I fear for the future of Humanity.
Got myself a new set of wheels
September 2011
11 posts
4 tags
Using gravity to paint
I think I just found an interesting demonstration scenario for artificial intelligent collaborative art:
6 tags
My son can never see this video...
… because it would mean he would ask for my iPad more often than he already does.
5 tags
Are we smarter when we are exercising?
The mistery: When I go for a run, I use fast-paced tunes to help keep a nice pace during the jogging session. The interesting thing is that when I listen to the same tunes while I’m relaxing, they appear to be playing a lot faster. Either this means that time slows down while I’m running (highly improbable, I know) or this is a simple reaction of the brain due to the fact that the...
Wifey's present: my new nerd t-shirt
5 tags
Dreamcatcher: it's not that far away after all
Imagine if one day you can actually build a visual representation of your dreams. Well, that day is not that far away after all.
3 tags
Brilliant music video
6 tags
People who mess with my patience...on the road
I don’t know if this only happens in Portugal, but I get seriously disturbed with some situations while driving here. It’s amazing how some drivers are purposely obnoxious to other drivers by showing them absolutely no respect or common sense whatsoever. Not many bus stops here were created with a special area for the bus to stop without blocking other drivers, but on the ones that...
5 tags
Conan O'Brien's Commencement Speech @ Dartmouth...
3 tags
World's funniest joke
I’m not the one affirming it, it’s Wikipedia: Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, “My friend is dead! What can I do?”. The operator says “Calm down. I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s...