cup of waves

Hi, I'm Matija Zlatarek. I'm a writer for Zimo and software developer at eBIZ. Cup of Waves is where I collect interesting things.

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I'm turning a new page on Cup of Waves blog.

From now on, you can expect posts on current topics in technology, business, new media and life in general, written by me.

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A revised version of David Bowie's Space Oddity, recorded by Commander Chris Hadfield on board the International Space Station. Best cover ever?

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How can we pull our attention from our phones when the Internet is a superorganism of all mankind’s thought? How can you design a product to be part of a network when networks are living, changing things? 

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Rest in peace Aaron Swartz.

Technology's greatest minds say goodbye to Aaron Swartz.

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SpaceX and Elon Musk shared few more details about plans for Mars colony.

Price: $500,000 per person

Inhabitants: 80,000

Investment: $36 billion

When: In 12-15 years

Can't wait :)

Read more here.

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What is the future of gamification? After hype comes the fall, Gartner would say.

Something is wrong, and it comes down to bad design. Companies get crazy about points and badges, while not creating enough meaning in motivation and objectives. Read more here.

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Six former Nokia employees teamed up in Finnish startup Jolla.

Today they unveiled Sailfish - mobile OS based on MeeGo platform. 

It really looks great, somewhere between Windows Phone 8 and Android. With Blackberry 10 coming in January, I hope we'll have five lovely mobile operating systems soon.

You can read more about Jolla and Sailfish here.

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Mobile Web overtakes desktops in China as over 50% new Internet users come from rural areas.

Number of mobile Internet users is now 388 million, while Android is a leading mobile OS with around 90% market share. Read more here. 

In the picture: Guangxi Province in China

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Wired editor Chris Anderson is leaving the magazine after eleven years as its editor-in-chief. As he explained, robotic company he founded, 3D Robotics, needs more energy and his time.

Anderson also wrote several influential books, including most recent one Makers: The New Industrial Revolution, which covers the rise of 3D printers, industrial outsourcing and the maker movement. 

Read more here.

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I love Bob.

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This video is a LEGO tribute to the end of the Space Shuttle era. Proving that although retired, this machine can still fly, albeit in toy form.

The launch took place from central Germany (easy flight clearance) and reached a max altitude of 35,000m. A 1,600g meteo balloon filled with helium was used alongside a GoPro Hero, Spot GPS and of course Lego Space Shuttle model 3367.

Music is by Radical Face - Welcome Home, and Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra. Enjoy :)

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Astrophysicist Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson was asked by a reader of Time magazine "What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?"

This is his answer, together with an amazing shoots of Earth and the Universe. Music is by the Cinematic Orchestra - To Build a Home. Enjoy :)

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doubleheelix:

11 Reasons to Meditate Daily

1. Your life becomes significantly more clearer and calm The hustle and bustle of everyday life is choking our minds of the peace we deserve! Our technology advancements shouldn’t suffocate our minds, it should allow us to achieve more peace. Meditation helps put those events in perspective for our daily tasks. 2. Your blood pressure is lowered Science has proven it, meditation lowers the blood pressure, which in return is related to your stress levels and stress management.  Much better than taking pills to lower your blood pressure! 3. People around you enjoy your company Regular meditation leads to higher/positive energy that you are consistently tapping into. This effectively makes you very pleasant to be around, and people like that! People naturally gravitate to the people that make them feel good.

4. Your connection with God is strengthened Spiritual awareness is strengthened with a daily meditation practice. You naturally become more aware of your surroundings, and higher awareness always leads to a deeper connection with God. The trees begin showing personalities, and the landscape takes on different meanings … all through a deeper awareness. 5. You achieve several hours of sleep in one 20 minute meditation session Another scientific fact is that meditation is known to put you into a deeper state of rest than deep sleep. Deep sleep is associated with a delta brainwave. Deep meditation can drop you into that delta brainwave rapidly, achieving the effects in a shorter amount of time. 6. Problems that seemed very difficult suddenly have clear solutions For every problem a solution exists. When your mind is clear and your in a state of peace, solutions appear. Being in a state of peace just naturally attracts solutions and pathways into your field of view. 7. Your productivity sky rockets because of your ability to have clear focus If solutions to problems appear more frequently when meditating daily, then imagine what happens to your everyday tasks. Solutions to everyday life become more and more obvious. And you begin to take note of these subtle changes as your spiritual vision grows clearer and wider. 8. Your life expectancy increases Science has shown that regular meditation will increase your life expectancy. It’s pretty obvious to see … less stress and more peace promotes healthy cells and healthy cells regenerate healthier cells. And likewise, stressed cells regenerate more stressed cells. So live longer by choosing more peace in your life. 9. You effectively reduce stress in your life Speaking of stress, meditation has a profound effect on reducing stress in your body. Because meditation promotes peace and inner calm, stress dissolves dramatically from this meditative process. Again, science has proven it. 10. You can visualize powerfully when combined with positive affirmations and meditation Meditation is powerful at clearing the mind and focusing on simple things … like breathing … or a flower. But, it can be used for so much more! To powerfully manifest your desires, you must get into a clear connection with the source of manifesting (God(YAHWEH)/Universe/Ethers). If your spirits are on high while you visualize then the communication channel for manifesting positive events in your life is strengthened. While meditating I like to repeat affirmations, otherwise known as mantras, to help focus my energy into the positive. These statements can be as simple as “love” or “I am love, I am joy, I am peace”. 11. You feel fantastic throughout your day! And finally, when you meditate on a regular basis, you just feel fantastic. Plain and simple. You feel good.

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“[Apple is] going to continue to make the best products in the world that delight our customers and make our employees incredibly proud of what they do.”

- Tim Cook in his first email to Apple employees as Apple’s new CEO sent August 25, 2011

“The path [Sony] must take is clear: to drive the growth of our core electronics businesses - primarily digital imaging, smart mobile and game; to turn around the television business; and to accelerate the innovation that enables us to create new business domains.”

- Kazuo Hirai in response to being appointed Sony’s new President and CEO on February 1, 2012

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(Photo via last.fm)

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Is Bratislava on track to join the top European tech startup cities?

If you come from ICT, economy or marketing world, and are about to graduate, you might be wondering what is the best place to get a job. Today I read an article on The Next Web presenting Slovakian capital Bratislava as one of the best places to start doing great things for yourself and the world. Since situation in Croatia isn't great for starting new business or just finding a job, I found this article very interesting. 

(Photo via wikitravel)

Slovakia is part of European Union and the euro zone. It enjoys fair corporate taxes and not too crazy bureaucracy. The knowledge and expertise amongst the Slovaks IT workforce is very high with Slovaks employed by companies such as Google and Facebook. Bratislava also hosts a couple of technical universities. Still, when it comes to living conditions, the relatively small Bratislava lags behind London or Berlin, although proximity to Vienna helps a bit. If you wonder which Slovak startups are considered to be the best, continue here.

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Best Startup Sectors for New Business Ideas

I read a very interesting article about entrepreneurship, which has been one of the precious few bright spots in a terribly gloomy economy, and this new generation of entrepreneurs, both intentional and accidental, has taken it upon themselves to keep things going along.

(Photo via e-spark)

What did they do? They recognized ten sectors that are trending up

decision

collaborative commerce

customization

true mobility

creativity

urban farming

gamification

design

extreme fitness

jobs

that will probably get bigger this year. Each trend is explained, and you can also read which three businesses or startups are leading the way in specific sector. Whole article can be found here.