Category: Release_Candidate

Formerly a separate Gadget/Tech blog, now all the old posts are integrated into Pattern Recognition.

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Amazon just launched a completely web-based version of their Kindle software, called Kindle Cloud Reader. This allows you to read your Amazon library from any Chrome browser (including Chromebooks), Safari, or mobile Safari on the iPad.

Kindle Cloud Reader

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Interesting article about the economic changes and impacts of 3D printing. However, the quote:  “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: most households will not purchase and run a 3D printer to produce their own products,” Terry Wohlers, the president of Wohler Associates, recently wrote. Average consumers might have small inexpensive printers for making children’s toys, but he thinks most people will lack the skills, interest or financial commitment needed to routinely make their own products. To me, that sounds an awful lot like: “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.”    — Ken Olson, president/founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977.

3D Printing and The Replicator Economy | Txchnologist

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For those who like their technology to look like fine, handcrafted books, TwelveSouth has produced this BookBook iPhone case. It looks beautiful, but I’m wary of the lack of camera access.

BookBook for iPhone

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjQ9JL5E9gc Minecraft 12x12x11 15 color 3D printer (by Moofius2)

Minecraft 12x12x11 15 color 3D printer (by Moofius2)

This is an incredible creation using the free-form digital world of Minecraft to produce a 3D printer capable of “printing” 3D objects using the standard set of Minecraft blocks. 

The easiest way to think of Minecraft is as a computer-based lego set, if you aren’t familiar with the game/world. This is an insane amount of work!

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Amazon just announced the availability of textbook rental through their Kindle service, which allows students to “rent” a textbook for any device that runs the Kindle software. The rental length can be between 30-360 days (you pay on a sliding scale depending on how long you need it) and can be extended after the original rental if needed.  In conjunction they now have a Textbook portal for searching out what you need, including the ability to search an entire list of ISBN numbers at once.  It will be interesting to see how popular this service becomes as we move into the start of school in a few weeks.

Kindle Textbook Rental launches

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Amazon just reduced the price of their Kindle 3G with Special Offers to $139…this is a MASSIVE steal for lifetime 3G connectivity that works globally.  

Kindle 3G now $139

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Google announces the first eInk reader to integrate natively with Google Books, coming this Saturday, July 17th. The iRiver Story HD will retail for $140, and will be available at Target stores.

Google eBooks-integrated e-reader: iriver Story HD

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Here’s yet another example of how we are currently living in the cyberpunk future that William Gibson warned us about…networks are now inserting new advertisements into reruns/existing video products. This is a great argument for libraries owning content and acting as archives for preservation purposes. Future research on advertising/fashion/video production could be rendered impossible if there’s no saved version prior to digital manipulation. When streaming is the norm, there may BE no “canonical” version of a broadcast, since each stream could be individually tailored to the recipient. 

Living in the cyberpunk advertising age

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If you ever wondered to yourself “This 3D printing is interesting and all, but what if I need to print out an alligator skull…can that be done?”  The answer is now “Yes, it can.”

Printing complex organic shapes with a Makerbot

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A design firm creates a challenge for itself: create 30 different coffee cups in 30 days and sell them online via 3D printing. Each of these is printed directly to ceramic, glazed, and then shipped off to the buyer.

30 Days 30 Cups