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Comment Re:um no (Score 2) 89

by Roblimo (#46146099) Attached to: NPR Labs is Working on Emergency Alerts for the Deaf (Video)

A lot of people don't seem to have picked up on the fact that the NPR Labs emergency device picks up both radio broadcasts and satellite transmissions. That means it will work even when the power is out and the cellular towers stop working.

After Hurricane Charlie in Florida my wife and I drove from Orlando to Bradenton via side roads, and there was no cellular service and half the radio stations were off the air. And even if the cell towers work, the systems get overloaded during emergencies because everybody's Aunt Mabel calls to check on Barnaby, Suzanne, and Little Emil, so you're better off with an emergency radio than a cell phone.

Old Sailor's Motto: "Prepare for the worst days and the good days will take care of themselves."
       
Communications

Video NPR Labs is Working on Emergency Alerts for the Deaf (Video) 89

Posted by Roblimo from the extending-emergency-broadcasts-to-people-who-can't-hear-them dept.
When we think about NPR (National Public Radio) most of us think of A Prairie Home Companion or another favorite radio show. But NPR also has a research component, NPR Labs, that they say "is the nation's only not-for-profit broadcast technology research and development center." The video (below) is an interview with NPR person Maryfran Tyler about their pilot program designed "to demonstrate the delivery of emergency alerts to people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing in the Gulf Coast states through local public radio stations and the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS®)." NPR also says, "This is the first effort to deliver real-time accessibility-targeted emergency messages, such as weather alerts, via radio broadcast texts."
Toys

Video Meet the MOSS Modular Robots (Video) 22

Posted by Roblimo from the one-day-they-will-be-sentient-but-not-quite-yet dept.
The MOSS modular robot system is sort of like LEGO Mindstorms, in that you assemble small blocks to make custom robots and other items. But it has some interesting tricks of its own, as product demonstrator John Moyes shows Timothy Lord at CES 2014. The MOSS kits include lots of little metal balls, so they carry a warning that says MOSS kits are suitable for ages 8 and up, while the company's older Cubelets product, which doesn't have the little balls, is supposed to be okay for ages 4 and up. There is no upper age limit specified for either product, so you're probably safe if you want to buy (and can *afford* to buy) any of these interesting toys.
Open Source

Video Why We Need OpenStreetMap (Video) 118

Posted by Roblimo from the free-often-gives-you-the-best-value dept.
This video is a conversation between Slashdot's Timothy Lord and informal OpenStreetMap spokesman Serge Wroclawski. Serge stresses the point that OpenStreetMap isn't a mapping application, but consists of the data behind mapping applications; that there are many apps that use OpenStreetMap data; and that you are free to use OpenStreetMap as the data engine behind a map-based application. You are also welcome, even encouraged, to contribute, and you may want to check out the OpenStreetMap Foundation, which is "an international not-for-profit organization supporting, but not controlling, the OpenStreetMap Project." Now comes the question: Do you really want Google or MapQuest or another commercial (or government) entity to know where you are and where you're going? With OpenStreetMap you can download maps of your area, country or even the whole world and keep your travels confidential. You can also help create accurate maps of the areas you know best, including points of interest chosen by actual users like you, not because they paid to have their names on a commercially-produced map. A last thought: In addition to watching Serge in the video, you might want to read an article Serge wrote for his blog that The Guardian picked up about the need for OpenStreetMap. The 195+ comments attached to the article are interesting, too.
Patents

Video The Public Patent Foundation Fights for Freedom From Bad Patents (Video) 36

Posted by Roblimo from the we-remember-the-cat-laser-pointer-toy-patent-all-too-well dept.
The Public Patent Foundations Fights for Patent Freedom (Video) The PUBPAT website's About page says, "The Public Patent Foundation at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law ('PUBPAT') is a not-for-profit legal services organization whose mission is to protect freedom in the patent system." Today's interviewee, Daniel B. Ravicher, is the group's Executive Director and founder. Eben Moglen is on the Board of Directors, and PUBPAT's goals have been aligned with the FSF since PUBPAT started. The most publicized PUBPAT success so far was, in conjunction with the ACLU, getting patents on naturally-occurring genes overturned. Go, PUBPAT!
Printer

Video $499 3-D Printer Drew Plenty of Attention at CES (Video) 155

Posted by Roblimo from the next-year-maybe-we'll-have-4-dimensional-printing dept.
3-D printing is far from new, but a $499 3-D printer is new enough to get a bunch of people to write about it, including someone whose headline read, CES 2014: Could 3D printing change the world? XYZPrinting, the company behind the da Vinci 1.0 printer, has some happy-looking executives in the wake of CES. They won an award, and their booth got lots of attention. This is what trade shows are all about for small and/or new companies. Now the XYZprinting people can go home and pump out some product -- assuming they got a lot of orders (and not just attention) at CES.

Comment Re:Obsolete when your phone is obsolete (Score 1) 104

by Roblimo (#46052197) Attached to: CES 2014: Stefan Lindsay Demonstrates the gTar (Video)

I dunno.... I bought an acoustic Epiphone at a pawnshop in Killeen, Texas, when I was stationed at Ft. Hood. Not 50 years back, but a good while. I still have it. I'm still not very good on guitar, but what the hell. I still prefer the real thing. It's been to at least four or five countries with me. Yep.

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