Author: Serkadis

  • EA Sports has ‘Nothing at All’ for 3D Gaming

    Madden NFL 10

    Sony may be making a big push for 3D TVs — and, by extension, 3D gaming — but EA Sports president Peter Moore doesn’t yet seem convinced it’s the future — or not the immediate future, anyway. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz (via Eurogamer), Moore said that they currently have “nothing at all” in the works in terms of 3D gaming.

    “No, no, no. I have a point of view and that’s about as much as we have,” Moore said. “[From] Howard Stringer down, Sony has made it a strategic imperative for the company. And when Sony does something of that nature then we as a company need to sit up and take notice. But believe me there’s nothing going on right now that would say I’m ready to demo a 3D sports game. Nothing at all.”

    So what are Peter Moore and EA Sports almost ready to do? Demo what they have in store for Microsoft’s Project Natal and Sony’s motion controller. “We’re getting in sync with Sony’s motion controller and Project Natal with what Sony and Microsoft want to do with their publishing partners, so stay tuned for further information on that as we get closer to the date,” Moore said. “And as you can imagine, EA being EA we’re going to have our core intellectual property represented in some shape or fashion on those platforms.”


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  • The next frontier: Converting 2D to 3D

    Remember at CES when all of the companies were like “We’ll convert your 2D to 3D?” Yeah, ummm, nah. What will happen is that studios will back-convert some of their old movies – or movies not shot in 3D – to 3D using a time-consuming, partially automated process. Like in love, the first cut is the deepest:

    The first step is to separate the shot into somewhere between two and eight layers of depth. Take, for example, an image of a man standing in front of a brick wall, with a blue sky behind the wall. The graphic artist might separate the shot into three layers: the man, the wall, and the sky. Then, he would take each layer and draw contour lines around any object that appeared there. He’d start by marking depth lines on the man using a computer, turning the image into a sort of topographical map. He’d repeat the process for any objects in the other layers. (If there were a bird in the sky, he’d draw lines there, too.)

    This creates layers that the computer can then ‘tween based on surround frames. If the spot where a character was before is visible later, the computer can approximately assess what should be “behind” the character. While it sounds more like the Turner-ization of black and white movies (you have to be pretty old to remember that golden period in television), it’s the only way you’re going to be able to see Shaft in 3D.

    Read more about it at Slate.

    via Giz


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  • More rumored Telltale plans for the Mac

    Filed under: ,

    We posted a little while back about Telltale possibly bringing its games over to the Mac, and now there’s even more rumblings to be interested in. Rumor has it that since most of their games use the same platform, one port is the same as all of them, which means we may see the whole catalog released in one fell swoop on OS X, and sold right alongside their PC brethren. Additionally, Telltale hints that we may even see iPhone and/or iPad versions of their games, including Sam and Max, the Monkey Island franchise, and all the rest (with the exceptions of the Bone series and Texas Hold ‘Em).

    They are saying that we’ll hear more at Macworld next month, and since TUAW plans to be there en masse, we’ll definitely keep our eyes open for anything they’re showing off. Good to hear that one of the more interesting and quality developers out there is planning to come over to the Mac in a big way.

    [via IMG]

    TUAWMore rumored Telltale plans for the Mac originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Open Thread: What’s Your Favorite Tech Nonprofit/Philanthropic Company?

    A while ago, I wrote a rather condemning post on how most “social media for social good” efforts were heavy on social media activities but came up short on actual social good.

    Still, there are organizations such as Kiva, The Extraordinaires or SocialVibe and many others that do turn user microactions and technology to affect change and do good in very tangible ways. Those are just three of the tech nonprofit or philanthropic organizations I can think of at the moment, but we at RWW would love to know more. Tell us in the comment what your favorite tech nonprofit is and why.

    Sponsor

    As most of you already will know, Kiva is an organization that allows users such as you and I to make microloans to folks in developing countries. For example, I could loan $100 to a woman in the Philippines to help her buy supplies and livestock to start pig farming, increasing her own quality of life and improving the local economy around her. Trickle Up is another similar microlending organization.

    SocialVibe is a company that helps brands and users create positive social change. In a typical SocialVibe setup, a brand “sponsors” users, who take small actions and engagements to raise money for the charity of their choice. In some ways, it’s kind of like a broader-in-scope version of The Hunger Site, which gets advertisers to shell out cash to feed hungry people when users click around the site.

    And The Extraordinaires is a program we just recently discovered while finding out how to help our readers use their personal time and online actions to help folks in Haiti. This site allows organizations to create missions. Users can complete micro-tasks from their mobile devices or computers toward those missions. Currently, the site has around 50 participating organizations and about 6,000 members who have completed in excess of 35,000 micro-tasks. Missions range from mapping safe places for children to play to helping first-aid responders reduce fatalities.

    But there are many ways tech can be used to help others, not just the social media-focused, crowdsources companies we’ve mentioned here. For example, Inveneo helps to give access to information and communications technologies, including phones, computers and Internet access, to people in remote parts of developing countries. And there are many organizations focusing on getting tech hardware into the hands of those who need it, including students and injured veterans.

    We’d love to know more about similar projects and organizations, whether large or small, new or longstanding. In this open thread of comments, please tell us your favorite nonprofit or philanthropic tech organization and let us know what they do. And please spread the good word and invite others to share, as well!

    Discuss


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  • Wii Outsells NES, DS Outsells Game Boy

    WiiIn what may be the best symbolic example yet of Nintendo’s current phase of prosperity, president Satoru Iwata announced that lifetime sales of the Wii have surpassed those of the NES, and the DS has outsold the Game Boy — making them, respectively, Nintendo’s best-selling home hardware of all time and best-selling hardware period (via Shacknews).

    “Needless to say, these are just two milestones of a larger journey in our efforts to reach the ultimate goal of bringing one home console for every household and one handheld for everyone,” Iwata said, possibly while stroking a white Persian cat while seated in a swivel-chair in the belly of a submerged nuclear submarine.

    The numbers break down to 67.45 million Wii units sold as of the end of December, compared to lifetime NES sales of 61.91 million units. The DS has sold 125.13 million units as of December, compared to lifetime Game Boy sales of 118.69 million.

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  • Macmillan books gone from Amazon.com, Steve Jobs grins wryly from his throne of golden iPads

    We hate to iPad-ify the news so bluntly (matching lower back tattoos aside), but the timing of this one is uncanny. Mere days after Apple’s announcement of a deal with Macmillan for its new iBooks store, and right after a shakycam video of Steve Jobs predicting some publishers would be pulling books from the Kindle due to a lack of satisfaction with Amazon’s prices, Macmillan’s books have mysteriously disappeared from Amazon.com. Even the paper ones, like the new Wheel Of Time book, pictured to the right. You can of course buy books from the other retailers that Amazon’s systems support (along with Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca), but there’s no getting a Macmillan publication straight from Amazon.com. Without a peep about the issue from Amazon or Macmillan, it’s easy to see this as some sort of wild glitch — after all, what could possibly cause such a rift between these two companies to end sales of all Macmillan books, instead of just the e-books for Kindle? Hopefully we find out soon, before our heads implode conspiratorially.

    Macmillan books gone from Amazon.com, Steve Jobs grins wryly from his throne of golden iPads originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Illinois residents find jobs at Scott Lee Cohen’s job fairs

    Scott Lee Cohen helped put Illinois‘ resident Raymond Hancock back to work. Scott Lee Cohen, Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor, said he had to do more for Illinois than just talk about creating jobs. He had to take action.

    Highlighting his top priority of job growth in Illinois, Cohen, a successful business owner and founder of citizen’s group “Rod Must Resign,” has been hosting job fairs connecting thousands of job seekers with employers who are hiring right now.

    “Had I not had exposure to the job fair, I probably would still be looking for employment,” said Hancock, who was able to find employment with a national insurance provider during one Scott Lee Cohen job fair.

    Scott Lee Cohen helped Raymond and many others get jobs. Recently, a new video of job fair testimonials has circulated the web and can be found at scottleecohen.com.

    Attendees like Peg Bang who shares her success story in the video says she and others have been given hope.

    “I think Scott Lee Cohen is taking concrete steps to improve the economy,” said Bang.

    Cohen said that the need to create jobs is urgent.

    “We cannot wait for career politicians to fix the economy. That’s why I’m holding job fairs and taking action to find people jobs right now,” said Cohen.

    “As Lt. Governor, I will utilize the untapped potential of the office to create jobs and recruit businesses to relocate to Illinois.”

    In addition to hosting job fairs, Cohen transformed half of his Chicago campaign headquarters into a Job Resource Center where his staff offers services such as resume review, interview preparation, lists of companies that are hiring and resume routing to hiring employers.


  • Hivision Netbook Could Run Under $100

    Check out the the Hivision PWS700CA laptop found in this review from friend of the site, Charbax.  The 600MHz powered Android Laptop is currently being shopped around, looking for distributors.  According to Charbax, this netbook could reach the bargain-basement pricing of $100 or less should a large reseller such as Walmart or Best Buy step up.

    Click here to view the embedded video.

    Other specs in the Hivision PWS700CA include 128SDRAM, a 7″ 800×480 display, 720p HD support, WiFi, Ethernet, and audio input/output.   You can head to ARMdevices.net to read more on the device as well as look at a full gallery.

    Might We Suggest…


  • PhoneArena reviews the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2

    Phonearena have published their review of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2. The handset has recently been showing up in secondary markets and PhoneArena has been able to give it a good hands-on.

    While they recognize the improvements over the original Xperia X1 they device did not impress them.

    They concluded:

    We were pleasantly impressed by the Xperia X1 when it rolled out, so we just could not wait to take a closer look at its successor. We had to  wait for more than a year until our wish came true and as time went by, our expectations hit the ceiling. Now, when we have examined the handset in details we feel disappointed at its performance. It is merely a jazzed up version of the X1, but not a worthy successor. Aside from minor improvements to its overall design and panel interface, the Xperia X2 doesn´t offer anything new, there is nothing about it to wow us. Was it worth waiting for? No. Does it deserve your attention? Only if you are looking for a handset that is more exotic than its Windows Mobile brethren.

    Read their full review here.

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  • Gypsy’s Fate after Bharat Stage IV

    After 1 April 2010 when Bharat Stage IV emission norms are applied. Will gypsy retain the Revv friendly G13BB engine with minor modifications to ECM? or will it get the K series engine of the swift. The new K series engine is almost 995cc smaller and also produces less bhp as compared the old G13BB but they claim that it has more torque and is quite peppy. Comments please.
  • Week in Microsoft: Windows 7 gives Microsoft a huge boost




    Let’s look back at the week that was in Microsoft news. Here were the top stories:

    Windows 7 leads the way to record quarter for Microsoft: Sales of Windows 7 and a recovering economy helped Microsoft set a record second quarter with a 60 percent jump in profit, to $6.66 billion.

    Microsoft releases slew of Windows 7 updates: Microsoft has released a few fixes for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, including another stability and reliability update.

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  • USC Trojans versus Oregon Ducks College Basketball Free Pick

    With our free pick on Saturday we will select from the Pac 10 conference college basketball contest between the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks. They tip off this NCAA hoops contest in Oregon at 6PM Eastern Time. With our free pick we will play on the USC Trojans –2 against the Oregon Ducks. In this game we have the disciplined USC Trojans squaring off with an undisciplined team in the Oregon Ducks. The Trojans defend the basket very well allowing just 37.4% shooting in their 8 Pac 10 conference games. The Oregon Ducks are the polar opposite as they don’t defend well as teams has shot over 47% against them over their past 5 games. Defense gets it done in conference play and the Trojans have fielded great defense the past few years and that has resulted in 4 straight wins against the Ducks. Take the well coached Trojans.

    Bet USC Trojans -2

    Current Line at Bodog Sportsbook

    Courtesy of Tonys Picks

  • CAREER TIP:Don’t just create to do lists. Create to un-do lists.

    to do list

    Just because you’re doing a lot, doesn’t REALLY mean you’re doing a lot.

    Maintaining a cluttered life is a great trick to avoid changing your life. Be come aware of un-doing the following…

    YOUR UN-DO LIST:
    Undo personal wackiness.
    Undo unimportant meetings.
    Undo unclear assignments.
    Undo energy sapping people.

    Also, get a journal and write in it regularly. Listen to your inner “truth” about how you’re wasting your time — in particular with stupid/fake/energy-sapping people or stupid/fake/energy-sapping activities….then stop wasting your time, dammit! :)

    In Summary Career Reminder:
    Time = money. Time wasters = money wasters

    In Summary Life Reminder:
    Just because you saved the time that made you money…spending money won’t bring you happiness.
    Only spending time wisely will!

    For more career tips, check out my book BALLSY which offers EXTREME SUCCESS TIPS – with praise on the back from SETH GODIN and KEITH FERRAZZI! Click this line to find out more about BALLSY!

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  • Canard Digérateur de Vaucanson (Vaucanson’s Digesting Duck)

    France, Europe | Amazing Automata

    All that was left of the most famous of all automatons were a pair of heat-warped wings found among the smoking ruins of a museum in Krakow, Poland in 1889.

    Built in 1739 by Grenoble artist Jacques de Vaucanson, the Digesting Duck quickly became his most famous creation for its lifelike motions, beautiful craftsmanship, and it’s ability to poop out food it had eaten. This simulacrum of life was the ultimate goal for Enlightenment automata builders, both for entertainment and for scientific/philosophical reasons. He built his master works – the duck and two life-sized humanoid musicians – in Paris, after several earlier attempts at mechanical devices and automata.

    The duck sat on an enormous base housing the mechanics, and was life-sized, constructed of hundreds of parts covered in perforated gold-plated copper to allow a view of the inside workings. When activated, it moved like a duck, wiggling its beak in the water, quacking, and re-adjusting its position. Most famously though, it could eat pellets offered to it, and then, after “digestion”, poop them out the other end.

    Voltaire was suitably impressed, and wrote, “Without Vaucanson’s Duck, you have nothing to remind you of the glory of France.” Just how sarcastic or not he may have been is left to the imagination.

    It quickly became a super-star attraction, but Vaucanson tired of them only a few years later, packing them off for a grand tour with caretakers. He turned his attention to a new assignment of designing automated looms for France’s silk industry, leading to a colorful chapter in his life wherein, upon introducing an automated loom needing only the expertise of a donkey for man-power, the silk workers revolted causing Vaucanson to flee the area disguised as a monk.

    In the meantime, the automatons changed hands. In 1805, Johann Goethe saw the duck in the private collection of German eccentric Gottfried Christoph Beireis, along with the disabled remains of his two other famous automatons, and remarked in his diary,”The Vaucansonian automatons were utterly paralyzed. . . A duck without feathers stood like a skeleton, still devoured the oats briskly enough, but had lost its powers of digestion.”

    Repaired for the occasion, the duck made its last formal appearance at the Exposition Universelle at the Palais Royal in Paris in 1844. The illusionist and automata maker Robert-Houdin was employed after the exposition to repair damages to a wing. During his repairs, he took the opportunity to turn a critical eye to the famous digestive tract of the duck, and announced triumphantly, “I found that the illustrious master had not been above resorting to a piece of artifice I would happily have incorporated in a conjuring trick.” The duck poop was in fact stored in a separate hidden compartment, a mechanical slight of hand, not the result of artificial duck digestion.

    In the years after this, the duck disappeared into obscurity until spotted among the collection of a Krakow museum. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed the building, the two partially destroyed wings taken as evidence of its demise. Since the it has grown in reputation, showing up as motifs in film, art, and literature, notably in Thomas Pynchon’s novel Mason & Dixon, Vaucanson’s duck comes alive and terrorizes a French chef with its Bec de la Mort (“Beak of Death”).

    The excellent copy on display at the Museum of Automatons in Grenoble was created in 1998 by Frédéric Vidoni a builder and restorer of automata. The Musée des Automates is a small collection assembled by Francis Lara of music boxes and auomatons, and the duck its star attraction.

    In an interesting recent development, in Gaby Wood’s 2002 history of automata Edison’s Eve, the author mentions that “some mysterious photographs have come to light in the archives of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris” (situated on a street now called rue Vaucanson). They show a crude, featherless bird, made of spring-like windings of wire and perched on a huge wooden frame that contains a mechanism resembling a watermill. They are extraordinary views, reminiscent of the sorry skeleton Goethe described.”

    Both the provenance of the photos and the item pictured are in doubt. It may show a copy, or the insides of a different contraption. However, it is interesting to note that after Vaucanson died in Paris in 1782, his collection, originally donated to Louis XVI ultimately became the foundation of the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers (the educational organization which maintains the Musee des Arts et Métiers).

    For now, a painstaking and beautiful reproduction shall have to suffice.

  • Weekend Giveaway: Sporty Friends Commemorative Olympic Swatch Watch

    Yeah, guys! Do you like Yetis? Penguin things? Vancouver? Well today is your lucky day because we’re giving away one sexy Swatch watch commemorating the upcoming 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

    What do you have to do? So very, very little.

    Simply name those two sporty friends in a comment and we’ll pick one winner at random on Monday. While I’m sure those guys have real names, I prefer to call them Burt Reynolds and Meg Ryan. You?


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  • First image from Pixar’s Cars 2 revealed?

    Filed under:

    The movie Cars 2 is slated for release in Summer 2011, and that means that Hollywood CGI types are busy sketching, rendering and compositing. Production artwork (seen above) found in Disney’s annual report, has Lightning McQueen running in Japan ahead of what we’d imagine is a Formula 1 car. The plot has McQueen dashing around the world with Mater to win the Race of Champions. Mater gets confused for a top spy, and we can only hope that will be much funnier in Pixar’s hands than Larry the Cable Guy’s last outing as a government operative.

    [Source: Pixar Planet]

    First image from Pixar’s Cars 2 revealed? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Top 10 Tips and Tools for Freelancers

    Freelancing isn’t something you should just jump into, but it makes sense for a good number of workers. If you’re looking into, or getting started with, working on your own, here are 10 resources we think every freelancer can learn from.

    Photo by Mat Honan, who is himself a freelancer.

    10. Make your schedule family-friendly

    If you’re going to have to entirely ignore your kids and family when you’re working at home, you might as well head into the office. Career columnist and Wall Street Journal writer Alexandra Levit offered up six tips for working parents to spend more time parenting. They were aimed at anyone with a job, but freelancers certainly have an easier time of shifting their schedules back and ahead, taking web meetings instead of traveling for in-person summits, and involving their children in their work. Photo by Amit Chattopadhyay.

    9. Do it without quitting your day job

    Why freelance on the side instead of full time? The taxes are a lot more simple, the income a bit more stable, and, best of all, your day-to-day job provides you with countless opportunities to meet and greet future clients and referral helpers. That’s assuming your side gig is kosher with your boss, of course, but if you want to test the waters of selling yourself on the freelance market, do it without quitting your job.

    8. Use discounts to get paid on time

    Becoming your own Accounts Payable department is new to most freelancers, and not very fun. If you run into clients who are hesitant to pay on time, or leave you on the hook waiting for their next order, try offering a discount or repeat business incentives, as suggested by Web Worker Daily. Give clients a 5 percent discount if they pay within, say, 24 or 48 hours of invoice shipment, or whatever you consider prompt—the cash value is almost certainly worth the time you’ll spend tracking it down and worrying. If clients make you wait forever for their next order, offer a coupon or discount after receiving payment on a gig, giving them a small bit off if they place another order within a certain time frame. It’s easy for small businesses to lose track of freelance people, but they tend to pay attention to dollars and cents. (Original post)

    7. Track your work and generate invoices simultaneously

    The web is full of freelancers and contractors, and many of them have created better systems for tracking time and sending bills. There are too many free or “freemium” services to try and compile into one list, but, hey, let’s throw out a few. MakeSomeTime is simple, CurdBee handles everything up to the Google Checkout/PayPal payment screen for clients, FreshBooks covers a lot of different aspects of billing, Toggl is a great second-by-second live tracker, and BlinkSale has been generating crisp-looking invoices for years. Any of them are worth checking out, and probably fit the bill better than a gigundo spreadsheet. (Original post)

    6. Know what you can write off

    If you’re starting to get actual, notable income from your freelance work, the first thing you should do is find someone who know how to handle the taxes of independent contractors. Gina proved the value of a good accountant in her human versus TurboTax.com showdown, but noted that an experienced filer could probably make due with the tax software solution. The Freelance Switch blog also offers 10 easy-to-miss freelancer deductions, like coffeeshop meetings, unpaid invoices, and gig hunting expenses, that any independent worker would do well to look into. (Original post)

    5. Find more work

    Cold calling is not fun, and if you think it might be, watch Glengarry Glen Ross again. A good lead comes from knowing where people are looking. FreelanceSwitch has compiled a monster list of freelance job sites, though some of them are going to be hired-gun-type, low-paying grunt work. On the other hand, a 10-minute call to your clients can get you all kinds of results you weren’t even looking for. (Original post)

    4. Track your pitches with a custom spreadsheet

    Who should you call with a reminder that you’re available, and who needs a quick follow-up on a pitch? Those are questions you should have answers for. Web Worker Daily’s Celine Rogue explains how to set up a spreadsheet with drop-down choosers, collated data, and other tools to become a great pitch, client, and job tracker. Half of life is just showing up, after all, and some extra percentage is knowing exactly where and when to be present with an offer. (Original post)

    3. Get into the estimated tax groove

    If you don’t cover the tax burden throughout the year of not having an employer to deduct social security, unemployment, and other taxes for you, the month of April will truly be the cruelest. Read how our own self-employed readers set aside money for estimated taxpayments four times each year (or in other installments), and read how Gina automates her finances to always have the money on hand, even when her income is very variable.

    2. Learn your legalese

    Besides having to learn the basics of contracts and work rules, freelancers should try to grab the basics of selling and regulating resalable (and different) stock work, as well as know how to stand their ground on copyright, fair use, and Creative Commons. It is, in short, not enough to simply create cool things—you have to know how to shepherd them through the cloudy worlds of commerce and the web these days. Photo by MikeBlogs. (Original posts: legal resources, stock work).

    1. Determine your hourly rate

    Not every contract will rely on hourly rates, but you’d best be prepared to offer a price if someone asks. The general advice is to aim slightly higher than you figure you should really charge, because you will always, always aim low when you’re determining the time and administrative costs of getting the job done. If you want a more concrete number to base your rate on, try FreelanceSwitch’s hourly rate calculator, which takes your office and supply costs, experience, and other factors into account. (Original post)


    If you’re an established freelancer, what apps, tools, or advice did you find truly helpful when starting out? If you’re still green at working for yourself, what do you need the most help with? Swap the tips and stories in the comments.

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  • American Computer Museum

    Montana, US | Museums and Collections

    “To collect, preserve, interpret, and display the artifacts and history of the information age.”

    That is the mission of the American Computer Museum, founded by husband and wife George and Barbara Keremedjiev. Although the computer has worked its way into nearly every facet of daily life, the American Computer Museum is one of only two museums in the U.S. dedicated to the history of the computer (the other being the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley).

    For many people, the esoteric language and pervasive status of computers creates confusion and an apprehension towards technology. George Keremedjiev therefore aims to demystify the machine by showing its evolution as a natural extension to human development.

    Visitors to the museum are guided through a 20,000-year timeline detailing the origins and history of the information age. From the ancient writing system of the Sumerians to early versions of the calculator, the Keremedjievs connect key historical developments to weave an intricate tale of how the computer was born and subsequently changed the course of civilization.

    The collection started with one mechanical calculator that was purchased in 1980. Soon, the Keremedjievs had acquired so many computing artifacts that a museum only seemed logical. Even today, with 6,000 square feet of floor space, the museum can only manage to display about six percent of its entire collection. Still, over 1,000 items are on view, including an operator’s switchboard, Montana’s oldest telephone and calculator, antique office appliances, Arithmometers, adding machines, and dozens of mainframes and personal computers.

    Some machines can’t be displayed because they are simply too large. The Burroughs model 205, for example, is a 60-foot-long and 6-foot-deep computer made in 1956, now sitting in the Keremedjiev’s storage. On the other hand, the IBM 1620 from 1964 might fit the space just fine, but at 1,200 pounds it isn’t likely to move anytime soon. Perhaps the museum’s most famous machine, however, is an early version of the Apollo guidance computer, the instrument that helped land men on the moon. On loan from the Smithsonian, this computer was cutting-edge in the 1960s but operated on only two kilobytes of RAM – about as much memory as a musical greeting card.

    The Keremedjievs also ensure that the people responsible for some of the very machines in their collection get the proper recognition. Since 1997, the museum has annually honored important, but often forgotten, innovators of technology with the George R. Stibitz Computer and Communications Pioneer Awards.

    The honorees typically travel to Bozeman to accept their award and speak to the public about their careers. Past recipients have included the inventor of the cell phone Martin Cooper, the creator of the compact disc James Russell, and Ralph Baer the inventor of the first home video game.

  • Zucchini Chips with Spicy Salsa

    Zucchini Chips with Spicy Salsa chips and salsaWhen many people hear the world “chips” the next thing that pops into their mind is “potatoes.” As we all know here, however, chips can be made out of any number of vegetables. Parsnips, beets and rutabagas work well and as Diana pointed out with her snack recipe submitted to the Primal Blueprint Cookbook Challenge (current theme: Primal Snacks), so do zucchini and yellow squash.

    Diana uses a dehydrator to make her chips. But since not all of us have a dehydrator, let’s start with the kitchen oven. Although we’ll be honest: making chips of any kind in an oven is tricky. To get a crispy, crunchy chip that isn’t burned, the slow method is best. And by slow, we mean practically a whole day at your oven’s lowest possible heat level.  Some people recommend leaving the door slightly cracked so air can circulate. If you don’t have that kind of time, try this fast method: slice zucchini thinly, dip in egg white and then a light coating of coconut flour. Bake in a 425 degree Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes, flipping once. This will make a flavorful and fairly crunchy chip. For even more flavor, add onion powder or grated parmesan to the coconut flour.

    However, it can’t be denied that by far the easiest and most fool-proof way to make chips is in a dehydrator. You can walk away and let the dehydrator do the work without worrying about the chips staying soggy or burning to a crisp. They come out crispy and crunchy every time, which is exactly the texture we want when a snack-attack strikes.

    A dehydrator is also a kitchen appliance worth considering if you’ve been wanting to make jerky or dried fruit. If an electric dehydrator isn’t in your budget, then you might want to consider some homemade versions, and let us know if they work.

    If you are using a dehydrator, Diana’s recipe for zucchini chips is as good as we’ve ever tried. We love the simplicity of it. Make sure to try her salsa too, because nothing makes a chip taste better than a little something to dip it in.

    Chip Ingredients:

    Zucchini Chips with Spicy Salsa ingredients 22

    • 1 or more large zucchini and/or yellow squash
    • 1 dehydrator (or your kitchen oven)
    • salt (optional)
    • onion powder (optional)

    Instructions:

    Cut squashes into 1/2 inch slices. Season lightly with salt, onion powder or any other spices you like. Dehydrate in the dehydrator. If you’re using an oven, set oven to low, place squash directly on the racks and let them dry. It may happen over night, or may take a couple of days.

    Zucchini Chips with Spicy Salsa coated chips 1

    Serve with home-made “roasted” salsa.

    Salsa Ingredients:

    • 6 roma tomatoes
    • 2 bell peppers
    • 3 jalapenos (more or less for hotness)
    • 1/2 onion

    Chop veggies into medium to large chunks, coat with olive oil and roast in oven at 400 degrees until lightly roasted.

    Add:

    • 4 cloves garlic
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 lime, juiced
    • cayenne pepper sauce to taste

    Lightly pulse in food processor until chopped.

    OR: Chop veggies into small pieces by hand, mince garlic, place in a bowl and mix in olive oil, lime juice and cayenne pepper sauce.

    Zucchini Chips with Spicy Salsa chips and salsa

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    Related posts:

    1. Baba Ghanoush with Squash Chips
    2. Hot, Hot, Hot: How to Make the Ultimate Salsa
    3. Spicy Stuffed Eggplant

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