ThinkLikeGeek.com Moderator

Basically, I'm a guy. I love tech. I love math. I love English. I love the pleasures of life. But most importantly to you, I love tech. Since a small life-lover, I've always loved computers and blogging. When I was six-to-seven years old, with help, I wrote a blog about my interests at that time— chess, computers, and— life. That's all you need to know, about me. Now, if you're wondering why I even have a blog here, it's cause of http://thinklikegeek.com on tumblr. My description is over, and if you thought there was more, and you want more, click the link you were supposed to go to, above (it says http://thinklikegeek.com).

[mathinsights]

One of the most overrated sections in mathematics is trigonometry, which is the art of triangles. A huge portion of “trig” involves right triangles (triangles with one 90° angle). Right triangles have a special property to them which makes them very amazing. An old mathematician from long ago…

[adihaya]

#math

[adihaya]

Basically, this is what's up: the government is considering to plot out new Internet laws forcing website domains to pay for high Internet load speeds, and all others to get pushed into a slow speed group.

What the laws will do, is force domains like Tumblr and Netflix to pay extra if they want Internet Fastlane (fast speeds) which are essential to these services. If they choose to have high speeds, they'll leverage the costs on you, forcing you to pay extra for certain online services. If sites reject payment offers, they get put into the Internet Slow-Lane, which forces them to have super slow speeds. And this is what the Internet will look like when the laws are passed:

Not great, right? Well, the government is planning to submit the laws soon, pushing our amazing companies (including http://thinklikegeek.com) into the "digital dust", where they will load forever.

Many domains like Tumblr, Netflix, Kickstarter, etc are protesting against this. They've joined forces to become "Team Internet", who are against "Team Cable". "Team Cable" is the group of companies supporting the Internet Slowdown laws, consisting of Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and AT&T.

Stop them, now, for the sake of fast Internet lines. Share, Like, and Retweet this post. And learn more at http://battleforthenet.com.

[thinksquad-deactivated20190405]

Are you paranoid that strangers are using drones, security cameras, hidden microphones, or even Google Glass to spy on you? If so, you might be interested in a little device called Cyborg Unplug. Just stick it into a power outlet and watch as it sounds an alarm whenever such a surveillance device enters the vicinity of your home. Even better, you can lock those devices from connecting to your Wi-Fi network. If you’re really looking to make a statement, you can even show those “Glassholes” who’s boss by preventing all surveillance devices near your Cyborg Unplug from connecting to any Wi-Fi network.

The device is really just a tiny router the size of an old Apple Airport Express that’s had its firmware customized to sniff out and block devices based on their MAC addresses. It’s created by Julian Oliver, an artist living in Berlin who originally came up with a bit of code called Glasshole.sh that was designed to kick Google Glass devices from your Wi-Fi network. Apparently the idea was such a hit that Oliver decided to make a complete consumer product based on the same premise.

Oliver notes on the product’s website that its so-called “All Out Mode” — which prevents surveillance devices from connecting to any Wi-Fi network in the area — is likely illegal, and he advises against its use. Nevertheless, we can imagine activists slipping these litte devices into public areas and wrecking a bit of havoc. Of course, even if the Cyborg Unplug does shut down a stranger’s device from connecting to Wi-Fi, it doesn’t do anything to stop it from saving video or audio data locally. The Cyborg Unplug will be available soon for $50 to $100.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/6/6115249/anti-router-stops-drones-cameras-and-google-glass-from-connecting-to

[adihaya]

A very nice article about a nice privacy helper tool.

[thinklikegeek]

Fast Forward to 2025: What Do Our Tech Trends Look Like?

Let’s say we just took a time machine to the year 2025. What do you think the major technology trends look like?

Home Automation

The “Internet Of Things” is a popular phrase suggesting that everything from shoes to thermostats to glasses can be manufactured to have tech and cloud connections, and report to the Internet.

And so: predictions can be made that doors, windows, lighting, and more will be automated and controlled by gesture or positioning (moving of your hands, or if you step in a certain area). So if you’re about to enter a room, the doors will automatically swing open, and if it’s dark and you point at a light, it turns on automatically.

Also, Nest thermostats and smoke alarms, along with auto-sprinklers and in-home elevators will be very popular.

Sensorization

Many automated devices will be controlled without a touch. Eye and face tracking devices will be very accurate. Eye-scrolling smartphones, and gaze gaming will be popular. Instead of using credit cards, you can pay  and checkout with your face, after inserting a PIN code.

Also, other devices will be controlled by voice. Google Voice Search, and personal voice assistants will rule over. Although, Apple Siri will become more and more unpopular. Voice identity recognition might also begin.

Theories and prototypes of holograms and holographic touchscreens will start coming up.

Using just a gesture, you’ll be able to control a lot. Xbox Kinect gesture gaming will take over. As explained in the Home Automation section, with a gesture, you can control doors, lighting, fans, and more appliances. Gestures will definitely control holographic touchscreens, also.

Prototypes of brain and mind-controlled devices may exist, too. Mind controlled holograms, games, and cars may develop. With cars, you can use your mind to control where you go, and Google’s Self-Driving Car will drive itself there. In gaming, you may be able to think an action (like ‘shoot a fireball’) and do it in the game. Also, Instant Messaging in the mind may take place, where you can form a piece of text in your mind and text message someone.

Health

In Health, there will be new developments of automated health tracking, and devices that help you eat well and stay fit.

For example, instant food choice-making devices may be there. When you get to the lunch table, the device chooses the best food for you (personalized) at that time, and orders it at a specific time before lunch. Nutrition sprays may exist that add awesome flavor to healthy foods while keeping nutritional value.

Also, motivational fitness trackers will surround the gyms. It’ll tell you how many more jumping-jacks or basketball layups you need to do before you’re done for the day, and motivate you to get there.

If you get sick, when you walk through the door, a mat on the ground will check your feet and get as much health information just from your feet as possible, and determine the right medicine and ship it.

With these devices, you’ll always stay healthy…

Read More

[adihaya]

These things might be developed by Apple and Google even sooner! We already love Google X's projects, already very futuristic.

[thinklikegeek]

We’re all waiting for the Apple iWatch to come out, and there have been very weird rumor pictures of how it might look, though this is my favorite.

Is it going to come out? YES. How do we know? We have more than enough perfect proof that starts months ago:

1) A few months ago, Nike laid off it’s whole group that worked on Nike Fuelband. The product was discontinued, just like that. But Nike had a reason behind it. They’re known to be close partners with Apple. And if Nike quit Fuelband, it means that something else will come up, a partnership between Nike and Apple that will drown Fuelband, and take over. That’s iWatch.  That’s the only logical reason that Fuelband was discontinued.

2) Then, a very recent news arrived. Apple just hired a senior executive from Swiss luxury watch brand Tag Heuer, which could be (obviously) to help it with the launch of its iWatch expected this autumn. Tag Heuer, part of luxury goods group LVMH, said on Friday its vice president for sales, Patrick Pruniaux, who had been with the brand for seven years, was leaving on Monday to join Apple. Of course, why would Apple hire a swiss luxury watch salesmen? iWatch.

Read More

[adihaya]

Yes! Yes! It's true, people. The iWatch has two options: delay itself until 2015 (aww) or reveal itself on the magical day: September 9th, 2014.

Read more now at http://thinklikegeek.com!

[thinklikegeek]

Face it, Google Plus is just better than Facebook.

The battle between Google+ and Facebook has been going for at least 3 years now, but it’s time to realize the truth: Facebook just isn’t getting any better. Just like we depend on Google for search, mail, YouTube, and everything else, let’s do...

[thinklikegeek]

I guess we can say it’s time for a new, simplistic, minimalistic although powerful, majestic mobile browser to come through. Well take a look at this outstanding mobile browser (what I expected Mobile Google Chrome to become in the far future), for iOS and Android. Say hello to Mercury. 

Mercury is a brilliant browser for very many reasons. First, just like most Apple devices, Mercury browser is simple, elegant, and minimalistic, making it very easy to use. The most powerful settings like changing the User Agent, etc, are just a few taps and swipes away. 

Mercury supports adding extensions and plugins like AdBlock, Google Translate, QRCode Scanner, Lights-Out, and more. Mercury also supports a cool safari-like reading list, neatly organized into priority-based sections.

Bookmarks and History are easy to view, and Mercury even has it’s own File Manager for downloading and storing files easily in the cloud. Mercury syncs with all of your devices much like Chrome, and now Safari. 

Mercury protects your privacy using SSL, a handy Incognito Mode, and a secured Private Folder. It includes key features like pretending to be another browser, an awesome downloader, text size adjusters, a useful toolbar, full-screen mode, and more. 

Mercury syncs data with your Google account (and chrome!), your Facebook account, or via email. Mercury even has themes that make the app’s user interface feel nicer and more welcoming.

Some features I’d like to see are improved passcode lock intergration (there’s already a lock, but it could be better), voice search, multiple user integration, and network connection settings.

Overall, if you’re looking for the best desktop browser, look to Google Chrome. As for mobile, Mercury should be your choice.

[thinklikegeek]

You might be wondering… how does the biggest web search provider (often named “search giant”) do it’s job? I mean, for you, it’s just “go to google.com, type your search terms, press enter”, and boom, you’ve got what you wanted. But what’s working behind that half-second where Google returns you your search results, is much more complex than you think.

Read More

[thinklikegeek]

We all have our own rubric and default rating of Google’s online document/typed media web application, Google Drive (formerly known as Google Docs). But the images you see above probably don’t look like what http://drive.google.com looks like, for you. 

That’s because Google Drive is giving free access to “what’s coming next”, or the beta version (beta versions mean that the version you see is not available for the general public just yet). In a few months, this is how Google Drive will look for all of us. So, to keep up with the hubbub of version updates and beta testing, we’ll be reviewing and rating the new Google Drive.

Read More

[mothernaturenetwork]

World’s first man-made photosynthetic ‘leaf’ could produce oxygen for astronauts Breakthrough technology could make long-distance space travel feasible, clean our air here on Earth, and even combat global warming.

[adihaya]

Gotta love the new refreshing http://ThinkLikeGeek.com updates! Ooh, and on Google+.

[thinklikegeek]

This year’s 2014 Mary Meekers Internet Trends report was viewed by lots of us in the tech industry. Let’s review some of the main topics of what’s up with the internet usage:

Internet user growth has slowed below 10%, smartphone growth is still strong but slowing.

But mobile data traffic is accelerating—up 81% year-over-year—thanks to video, where mobile is now 22% of consumption.

Only 30% of the world’s 5.2 billion mobile users have smartphones—still room for growth.

There are still more global TV users (5.5 billion) than mobile phone (5.2 billion).

97% of smartphone share OS “made in USA” vs. 5% in pre-iPhone era.

Mobile advertising is still underperforming vs. time spent on mobile devices, whereas print is still significantly overperforming.

About 5 million Bitcoin wallets exist, up 8 times year-over-year.

Tinder users “swipe” 800 million times per day, up 21 times year-over-year.

66% of U.S. tablet owners are surfing the web while watching TV. 44% are shopping.

52% of ESPN’s digital users access only on smartphones and tablets, representing 48% of time spent.

China’s mobile Internet users now ~80% of total China Internet users. More critical mass for mobile web than anywhere, and leading mobile commerce revolution.

Six of top 10 Internet properties “made in USA”—down from 9 of top 10 last year—with more than 86% of their users outside America. “China rising fast.”

We’re not at all done here, though. Let’s do some under-the-hood look analysis:

We see that more than half the globe is filled with people using TV’s. That’s a lot. Lots of people are cutting down cable, but it’s not like they don’t use other smart TV hubs, like the Amazon FireTV (recently reviewed by ThinkLikeGeek). Compare that to about 5.4875 percent of the globe having tablets. Almost a radical difference. This means out of everyone you meet in one sunday (on average a hundred people), about five will own a tablet, and most will own TV’s, right? Not exactly. Here in the US, tablet population is way up. When surveyed, over 1/3 of United States residents own at least one tablet. Could be an iPad, Surface Pro, Nexus, whatever. 

Speaking of tablets, last year, many would visit websites on mobile devices. This year, the amount of website visitors viewing from a mobile device is almost two times as much as last year:

It’s awesome how more people turn to mobile devices to bring them everything a laptop could, much like Microsoft Surface’s motto, which Apple thinks of as haywire. A lot of these companies have been fighting for the mobile market share. But I think you could give it up to Google. I mean it.

Android (Google’s Mobile OS) has literally been given up about 80% of the mobile smartphone market share. It started with Nokia Symbian, then to Blackberry, and Android took over from there. Apple’s iOS has less than 20% of the smartphone shares, yet everyone thinks iOS is in the lead. As always, Windows phone is really lagging behind, and Blackberry has almost lost it. Nokia Symbian, Linux, and any other mobile OS, they’ve all been swept away into the past. This shows how eager people are to switch to anything new, anything that seems to give them more pleasure. In less than 15 years, people have switched from old Symbian to Android and iOS fast. 

Just like this, I bet you guys are all waiting for iPhone 6 and Apple iWatch. We’ll do a later talk about why the Apple iWatch is definitely going to release very soon. 

Bye, and remember to follow thinklikegeek! 

[thinklikegeek]

The smartwatch war is still going! Recently, we did a blog post on the Qualcomm Toq, a color display smartwatch. But if you’re looking for a slightly cheaper watch, I say “go getpebble.com”! 

Pebble is a special kind of smartwatch, that allows you to get more apps for it. Instead of a touchscreen, the Pebble has 4 button controls for it, and instead of a color display, it goes with purple/white displays. You might say that’s terrible, but when you see the pricing you’ll be glad.

Pebble’s charger is different from others cause you don’t push it into a socket, you just let it touch the charging area. It’s cheap and cool, but with a little motion, the charger easily comes off.

Pebble comes with these apps: Music, Notfications, Alarms, Watchfaces, Settings, Pebble Cards, and Clock mode.

Pebble Steel (newest version) prices at the same as Qualcomm Toq. I recommend Qualcomm Toq versus Pebble Steel, although, because it has a color touchscreen, but Steel is also great cause you can add more apps to it.

But all the other Pebble products rate well in pricing, so go get them at getpebble.com now.

The PROS of Pebble is that it’s cheap, can hold lots of apps, and is easy to learn. The CONS are that it’s a black/white non-touch display, and the charger comes off easily.

[astronomicalwonders]

Since your working on Google glass (which I find astounding) what is your imput/comments on other companies that are doing what you guys are trying to achieve? Some might argue even better for example meta pro and anther labs AR glasses.

For those of you that don’t know, these are the products we are discussing:

Meta Pro:

AR Glasses:

Google Glass:

Like Glass, Meta Pro and Atheer Labs are still in development so this conversation is going to change a lot over the lives of these devices. First, I’ll list a few reasons why I think Google Glass is going to be more successful in this market/what companies can achieve with it:

Glass is light weight and small so it does not get in the way of sales/customer interaction in a retail setting.

Glass is relatively cheap compared to the other products so the barrier to entry is lower

There is already a large Android programming community and there are well establish API’s that have been ported to Glass. This makes developing on Glass more appealing because it is easier to jump in to

Google’s marketing teams and vast sums of money will make Glass seem more appealing to the public than some of these smaller companies products

I think these other companies are doing something great, but their audience is much smaller than Glass’s audience. Glass is something that is activated at your convince and seamlessly integrates itself into reality. In other words: Glass does not want to augment your reality, it wants to become part of it.

Unlike Glass, these other products seek to augment your reality. For example, Meta Pro boasts having “holographic interfaces”. This is pretty sweet but from a retail stand point it’s not as useful as an interface that allows you to talk to a customer and search item inventory at the same time (like Glass does). Now don’t get me wrong, I love these other technologies. I think they’re great (especially for gaming or generating 3D models)! I just think that Glass will have a larger piece of the market because of how it interacts with market conditions/existing tech/experienced developers and so on.

Very cool question, thanks for the ask & DFTBA!

[discoverynews]

Falling Into the Guts of a Black Hole

If you happened to be falling into a black hole, the last thing on your mind will likely be how pretty the view is. Read more

[adihaya]

There are many news channels all over tumblr, but discoverynews beats all-ish

[adihaya]

The great owner of Life Of Code is asking us to write this awesome hash table! They told us the winner should be featured on LifeOfCode, RammingRuby, and AR Essays Site! Anyone want to try and be the winner?Send to us!

[adihaya]

Hint to Trivia #1

The biggest hints I have are questions:

Are there "end"s for every "if"?

Do "when"s need their own end?

- If so, are there enough ends to match "when"s?

Anything jumbly with the "response = gets" area?

The pinpoint error from machine:

"(eval):620: (eval):620: compile error (SyntaxError)

(eval):603: syntax error, unexpected tIDENTIFIER, expecting kEND

... response = gets

^

(eval):620: syntax error, unexpected tCONSTANT, expecting kEND

... print "Please enter Dog's color:" ...

^

(eval):620: unterminated string meets end of file

(eval):620: syntax error, unexpected $end, expecting kEND"

If you find the correct code, go to Any Questions? page to submit tested answers -- *they must be tested without errors in http://goo.gl/F8Zrl (IRB Online Ruby) before submission