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May 31, 2010 15:46  by Kris Abel
It's a holiday weekend in the US, the perfect time thinks one virus writer to launch a fast-spreading attack across Facebook. Anti-Virus company Sophos describes it's method. It begins with an all too-tempting message from one of your friends' feed indicating that they "like" a link with one of the following messages: 

 

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May 31, 2010 08:20  by Kris Abel
Canadian stunt performers are a special breed. In a country where film work can easily pendulum between being plentiful and scarce, between big budget and low-budget, they have evolved careers where they’ve learned to perform any stunt that comes along and be incredibly ingenious in working out ways to make them work. We see them as risk-takers and daredevils, men and women willing to leap off of buildings and commit themselves to harrowing death traps, but both before and during the action they ignite into seat-of-their-pants scientists, making complex calculations in physics, mechanics, and geometry. They are suicidal geeks if you will, too smart to die.

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May 31, 2010 06:35  by Kris Abel

Fractal

If you like puzzles built around the idea of triggering a chain reaction check out Fractal. Played on a hexagonal board, the idea is to push selected pieces so they stimulate the others touching it to duplicate. The more pieces touching, the more new pieces you'll create. If you can create a grouping of seven pieces (six, circling the seventh) called a "bloom", it will give a massive push and hopefully in turn create more blooms, etc. Although intended as a game to purchase and download to your computer, the demo version that's up is more than enough to help you pass some time if needed.  [More]
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May 31, 2010 05:57  by Kris Abel

Pixar Canada

Hoping to draw upon Canada's rich heritage in Animation, Pixar has decided to establish a new studio in Vancouver. Initially the studio will work on content that will be designed to help expand the Cars and Toy Story universes before they reach out to create their own original properties. To better explain their plans they've created an introduction video which depicts some of their best known characters paying a visit to Vancouver. Yes, their hiring and will have 75 - 100 employees working at the new location. You can find more details at the Pixar Canada website. 

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May 30, 2010 09:23  by Kris Abel

Apple iPad

if you haven't bought an iPad yet the good news is that you now have more choice. Telus has started offering data plans for the 3G models, offering 500 MB of data usage per month for $20. if you manage to go beyond the monthly limit, the penalty is 5 cents per MB over, up to $30. So the worse you can be charged is $50 per month. [More]

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May 28, 2010 06:41  by Kris Abel
The iPad offers a more relaxed way to use a computer. It’s not a device that you can carry around with you at all times like a Smartphone, nor is it a work machine you can sit down with at a desk for long hours like a laptop. You’re meant to find a cozy little spot where you can prop your feet up, place it on your lap, and use in a very casual way. For that reason you’ll be looking for excuses to use it more and more often.

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May 28, 2010 06:33  by Kris Abel

With the Canadian launch of the iPad just hours away I thought I'd post my favourite hack for the device, Alan Daly's iPad Kitchen cabinet modification. Daly saw the iPad as the ideal Kitchen computer, an ideal device for quickly looking up recipes, watching videos, and checking messages with, but he wanted to find a way to get it up and out of the way of kitchen messes and curious children. He settled on a cabinet door when it occurred to him that it spends 90% of its time closed. In addition to creating the portal in the cabinet door for the iPad to slot into, he also had to install a power source and because the iPad can be easily removed when needed, create a framed photo to put in its place to fill the gap for just those occasions. More details on his blog here.

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May 28, 2010 06:22  by Kris Abel


Street Art LocatorThanks to the success of street artists like Banksy and Blek Le Rat there is no considerable interest in finding and appreciating some of the hidden works of art placed on the hidden walls of buildings and alleyways. Streetartlocator is a new Google Maps mash-up aimed at documenting the locations of the most stimulating and interesting pieces, from graffiti and stencils to gallery exhibitions and outdoor paintings, you'll find them tagged onto Google maps the world over. You can help by adding your own entries or even just by posting comments on those already in place.  [More]

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May 27, 2010 07:15  by Kris Abel

Know for their innovative take on household electronics, Dyson's engineering team has come up with a novel way to show off the company's new bladeless fan design. They've taken a room full of the gadgets and lined them up to create a course that moves and loops up and over obstacles. A simple balloon is pushed into the first fan which sucks it into the next, and so on and so on. The real pay off are the sophisticated loops at the end. Looks like fun. 

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May 27, 2010 07:05  by Kris Abel


Inside GoogleBreakfast cereal Weetabix is having fun with Google, launching an interactive website claiming to offer a behind-the-scenes view of how Google's popular search engine works. What's on the other side of the search bar screen? One very resourceful, fast-acting librarian. You can watch her work at InsideYourSearch.com and when she points to the search bar, you're free to type in your own query and see what she does in response. Obviously if you type in Weetabix you get a surprise. Let me know if you discover any other special keywords. 

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