NEW NET Weekly List for 02 Jul 2013

Below is the final list of technology news and issues for the Tuesday, 02 Jul 2013, NEW NET (NorthEast Wisconsin Network for Entrepreneurism and Technology) 7:00 - 9:00 PM weekly gathering at Sergio's Restaurant, 2639 South Oneida Street, Appleton, Wisconsin, USA.

The Weekly Top Ten, (pre-NEW NET, based on potential or immediate impact and/or general tech interestingness)

1.        LinkedIn Gets A Little More Watchful, Now Tells You Who’s Viewed Your Updates (# 14)

2.       Siri’s Creators Demonstrate an Assistant That Takes the Initiative (# 17)

3.       Today’s Phones and Tablets Will Die Out Like the PC (# 26)

4.       Walmart, Staples to Sell Google Chromebook (# 31)

5.        Google+ Turns 2, Rolls Out Redesigned Follow Buttons And Badges (# 34)

6.       Microsoft Seeks End to Dinosaur-Era Software Upgrade Cycle (# 36)

7.        Android invades the desktop (# 39)

8.       Google And Apple May Bring Us A Console War We Didn't See Coming (# 44)

9.       Start-up plans 'fleet' of satellites taking photos of Earth for massive, open database (# 61)

10.     Kirobo the talking robot makes for one very creepy space companion (# 62)

The ‘net

11.      Yahoo! announces last hurrah of ancient AltaVista search engine and other service shutdowns  http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/28/yahoo-to-sunset-alta-vista-axis-rss-alerts-and-nine-other-products-some-as-soon-as-today/  “Yahoo…is…sunsetting 12 products, with some starting as soon as today. Included are AltaVista and other search products like its experimental Axis search extension…Here is the full list…Yahoo! Axis…Yahoo! Browser Plus…Citizen Sports…Yahoo! WebPlayer…FoxyTunes…Yahoo! RSS Alerts…Yahoo! Neighbors Beta…AltaVista…Yahoo! Stars India…Yahoo! Downloads Beta…Yahoo! Local API…Yahoo! Term Extraction API…”  http://www.altavista.com/

12.     With new ICANN agreement, you'll need to verify email or phone to register a domain  http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/29/4478172/icann-to-require-verified-email-phone-number-for-domain-registration  “Domain registrars like GoDaddy will soon be held far more accountable for information on those who are signing up for web domains. In the future, users will need to verify either their email address or phone number within 15 days of applying for a domain. Without verification, registrars are instructed to suspend domain registrations…The updated rules, which won't take effect until a later date when registrars sign the new agreement, should make the often-inaccurate WHOIS data on domain registrations a bit more reliable, while deterring those looking to set up websites for illicit purposes from doing so…”

13.     How Lumosity’s Big Data is changing scientific inquiry  http://pandodaily.com/2013/06/24/how-lumositys-big-data-is-changing-scientific-inquiry/  “As academic studies go the findings were not all that surprising…the impact that lifestyle choices and sleep, aging, and alcohol consumption have on health and well being. What is notable, however, is how the findings in these two studies were arrived at. Last week Lumosity, a Bay Area startup that creates and sells brain training and mind exercise games, released a paper in conjunction with Duke University as part of its Human Cognition Project. This is an initiative that offers researchers access to its data for purposes of scientific research…This heap of information is growing every day as Lumosity adds 100,000 new users each day with seventeen million Americans accessing the site each month…Lumosity’s 36 million users have played more than 609 million cognitive games. In the process, they’ve shared a lot about themselves…”

14.     LinkedIn Gets A Little More Watchful, Now Tells You Who’s Viewed Your Updates  http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/26/linkedin-gets-a-little-more-watchful-now-tells-you-whos-viewed-your-updates-and-where-youve-been-looking/  “LinkedIn, the social network used by people for job hunting and making other business connections, is adding two more enhancements to its homepage that highlight one of its more unnerving, but occasionally useful, elements: how it tracks what people visit on the site and then reports on that activity. From today, it will start showing users who has viewed not just their overall profiles, but also their updates on the site; and it will also start showing what you’ve been visiting yourself…The bigger picture, too, is that LinkedIn is fighting another trend: that of declining revenue growth…“Who’s viewed your updates” differs from the existing profile viewing tracker in a couple of ways. For starters, there is no paygate on the feature that limits how much data you can see…LinkedIn tells me it has no plans to charge for “who’s viewed your updates,” perhaps because it wants to push the site as a platform for sharing content…”  [any interest from NEW NET participants in focusing on LinkedIn or other digital tools and services to learn more about their usefulness and / or tricks and tips? – ed.]

15.     Yahoo News Gets A Makeover  http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/27/yahoo-news-gets-a-makeover-but-the-bigger-improvements-are-under-the-hood/  “…Yahoo…is today announcing a major makeover for one of its flagship properties, Yahoo News. The updated Yahoo News site is has been redesigned with a more modern look and feel, to better fit in with Yahoo homepage’s new look…But the bigger improvements are the less visible ones…the most notable change was not the homepage’s appearance, but rather its increased emphasis on personalization. The same, apparently, holds true for the new Yahoo News site…For example, after clicking the “X” over a story about the Hernandez homicide investigation, the message reads “show me fewer stories about” and then provides a list of choices including “sports & recreation,” “football,” “Aaron Hernandez,” “National Football League,” or “New England.”…the fact that Yahoo News is pulling out the major subjects involved in a news story like this indicates there’s some more serious technology under the hood, like semantics…”

16.     Last-Minute Hotel Bookings Made Cheaper  http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/travel/last-minute-hotel-bookings-made-cheaper.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0  “I’m not accustomed to staying in places like Room Mate Emma, a slick boutique hotel in Barcelona. But there I was…and for only 74 euros…through the last-minute hotel booking app Blink…15 euros less than the price listed on the hotel’s Web site — and a full 65 euros less than the lowest rate for several Sundays later…There are lots of ways to save money on a hotel room…the market has been flooded by apps offering discounts for travelers willing to wait until the day of their stay and reserve on their smartphones…the apps are a boon for impromptu or emergency trips and for the admirable breed of traveler that shuns rigid itineraries. And sometimes they pay off big…”

17.     Siri’s Creators Demonstrate an Assistant That Takes the Initiative  http://www.technologyreview.com/news/515671/siris-creators-demonstrate-an-assistant-that-takes-the-initiative/  “…an array of massive flat-panel displays and video cameras track Grit Denker’s every move. Denker…at the nonprofit R&D institute SRI, is showing off Bright, an intelligent assistant that could someday know what information you need before you even ask…Bright is meant to cut down on the cognitive overload faced by workers in high-stress, data-intensive jobs like emergency response and network security. Bright may, for instance, aid network administrators in trying to stop the spread of a fast-moving virus by quickly providing crucial infection information, or help 911 operators send the right kind of assistance to the scene of an accident. But…Bright could eventually trickle down to laptops and smartphones…Already some assistant software, such as Google Now for Android smartphones, tries to predict what information a user may need and serve it up automatically. It does this by, for example, recognizing that the user is waiting at a bus stop and delivering bus timetables. The aim of Bright is to develop something even more sophisticated and capable in an office setting…”

Security, Privacy & Digital Controls

18.     Vast majority of malware attacks spawned from legit sites  http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/06/vast-majority-of-malware-attacks-spawned-from-legit-sites/  “The vast majority of sites that push malware on their visitors are legitimate online services that have been hacked as opposed to those hosted by attackers for the purposes of distributing malicious software…The data…challenges the myth that malware attacks happen only on disreputable sites, such as those that peddle porn, illicit software ("warez"), and similar content. For instance, on June 9 only 3,891 of the sites Google blocked as part of its Safe Browsing program were dedicated malware sites, while the remaining 39,247 sites that were filtered offered legitimate services that had been compromised…”

19.     Cloudsweeper tells you how much your Gmail is worth to a hacker  http://www.geek.com/apps/cloudsweeper-tells-you-how-much-your-gmail-is-worth-to-a-hacker-1560265/  “The value of your data is the driving force behind much of the malware and malicious behavior on the internet. If an attacker can gain access to a store of information, it can be sold off piece by piece until the evildoer has a pocket full of cash, and you have a massive headache to deal with. A new tool called Cloudsweeper aims to help you figure out how much your Gmail account is worth, and make it less valuable at the same time. Cloudsweeper was developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago as a way to gather data for a study on how people reuse passwords…When you run Cloudsweeper (the account theft audit link) it searches your messages for plain text passwords, password resets, and other valuable account information. The system then estimates what each notable item is worth based on on those sketchy forums where people buy and sell personal information…For what it’s worth, this appears to be completely legit. My Gmail account is worth $28.90…”

20.    Army blocking military access to Guardian coverage of NSA leaks  http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/27/19177709-army-reportedly-blocking-military-access-to-guardian-coverage-of-nsa-leaks?lite  “The Army is blocking all access to The Guardian newspaper's reports about the National Security Agency's sweeping collection of data about Americans' email and phone communications, an Army spokesman said Thursday…employees at the Presidio of Monterey, an Army public affairs base about 100 miles south of San Francisco, were unable to gain access to The Guardian's articles on former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and his professed leaks of classified information…an Army spokesman told The Herald by email that the newspaper's NSA reports were, in fact, being blocked across the entire Army. He wrote that it's routine for the Defense Department to take "network hygiene" action to prevent disclosure of classified information…”

21.     Turkish protesters use a camera drone, so police shoot it down  http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-06/24/turkish-protest-drone-shot-down  “A civilian camera drone in Istanbul has been shot down by the police while it was monitoring the large Turkish anti-government protests. Operated by a "drone journalist"…the quadcopter was shot down…over Gezi Park, the centre of the Turkish protest movement. It had been capturing footage of the protests in the Turkish capital…Jenk wrote under the final video it captured before being shot: "…Police was violently attacking peaceful protestors. Police fired guns at one of our RC drone during the protests in Taksim square, Istanbul…The camera and drone were both broken…”

22.    NextGen Aluminum Foil Hats: Stealth Wear Aims to Make a Tech Statement  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/technology/stealth-wear-aims-to-make-a-tech-statement.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0  “The term “stealth wear” sounded cool, if a bit extreme, when I first heard it early this year. It’s a catchy description for clothing and accessories designed to protect the wearer from detection and surveillance. I was amused…Fast-forward a few months. Flying surveillance cameras, also known as drones, are increasingly in the news. So are advances in facial-recognition technology. And wearable devices like Google Glass — which can be used to take photographs and videos and upload them to the Internet within seconds — are adding to the fervor. Then there are the disclosures of Edward Snowden, the fugitive former government contractor, about clandestine government surveillance. It’s enough to make countersurveillance fashion as timely and pertinent as any seasonal trend, like midriff tops or wedge sneakers. Adam Harvey…an early creator of stealth wear, acknowledges that countersurveillance clothing sounds like something out of a William Gibson novel. “The science-fiction part has become a reality,” he said, “and there’s a growing need for products that offer privacy…”

Mobile Computing & Communicating

23.    BYOD 2.0: A more secure workplace  http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/6/19/technology/byod-20-more-secure-workplace  “People have become very attached to their mobile devices. They customise them, surf the web, play games, watch movies, shop, and often completely manage their lives with these always-connected devices…With the global mobile workforce expected to increase to 1.2 billion by the end of 2013 —a figure that will represent about 35 percent of the worldwide workforce— mobile technology is set to become the leading driver of innovation…employees are driving the adoption of mobile more than the IT department, with employees seeking to use their own mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablets) at work, driving the Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) trend…BYOD increases the risk of data theft, leakage and malware intrusion caused by a machine connected to an enterprise network…BYOD 1.0 was the IT industry’s first attempt at solving problems related to personally owned devices in the workplace. The primary aim of dedicated Mobile Device Management (MDM)…is to manage and secure the endpoint device itself…BYOD 2.0 seeks to ensure that the enterprise footprint on a personally owned device is limited to enterprise data and applications…mobile device management is supplanted by mobile application management (MAM), and device-level VPNs are replaced by application-specific VPNs…”

24.    M-PCIe: PCI Express Technology for Mobile Devices  http://www.fortmilltimes.com/2013/06/25/2783252/pci-sig-specifications-deliver.html  “PCI-SIG…announced…its Mobile PCIe (M-PCIe) specification and its new M.2 specification, a next generation form factor for ultra-light and thin platforms…It provides a natural transition from the Mini Card and Half Mini Card to a smaller form factor in both size and volume, thereby supporting multiple technologies including Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, SSD and WWAN…”

25.    Recon Jet is Google Glass for athletes and professionals  http://venturebeat.com/2013/06/26/recon-jet-is-google-glass-for-athletes-and-professionals-available-for-pre-purchase-now-at-499/  “Google Glass is for walking around and getting directions to a cafe with perfect espresso. Recon Jet is for kicking your performance into the ultimate high gear and — yes — even saving lives…It’s essentially a rugged take on Google Glass with perfect balance that does not require Wi-Fi or cellular connections, works in any weather conditions, and provides data-at-a-glance even under the worst viewing conditions…The device, which is embedded within a pair of sunglasses, weighs just 28 grams — less than an ounce — and is weighted perfectly with 14 grams to a side. Included in that ounce is a dual-core 1GHz processor, a graphics chip, Wi-Fi, built-in ANT+ for device communications, Bluetooth, GPS, a HD camera, and a raft of sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, altimeter, magnetometer, and thermometer. And, of course, it has an HD display, infrared gaze detection, a mic, speakers, and a touchpad that Fowler says works even with gloves and even when it’s snowing…”

26.    Today’s Phones and Tablets Will Die Out Like the PC  http://www.technologyreview.com/view/516486/todays-phones-and-tablets-will-die-out-like-the-pc/  “The personal computer is dying. Its place in our lives as the primary means of computing will soon end. Mobile computing—the cell phone in your pocket or the tablet in your purse—has been a great bridging technology, connecting the familiar past to a formative future. But mobile is not the destination. In many ways mobile devices belong more to the dying PC model than to the real future of computing…the future of computing is…a diffuse and invisible network embedded in our surroundings. Chips and sensors are finding their way into clothing, personal accessories, and more. These devices are capturing information whose impact is not yet meaningful to most people…Today we are enjoying what computing has done to enhance our lives, but we do not like having to baby-sit all the devices that give us access. We have to tell them what to do. The next wave of computing devices will be different because they won’t wait for our instructions…The hardware and software technologies behind this ubiquitous-computing model will become the focus of a radically changed computing industry…”

27.    Smartphone market share consolidates at top  http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/06/28/apple-vs-samsung-market-share-comscore-may-report/  “…latest U.S. smartphone market report…covering the past three months through May…showed slow growth for Apple, which still dominates the smartphone market despite increased competition from Samsung, but showed that Google’s Android operating system slightly increased its lead over iOS in the past few months. Out of 141 million smartphone owners in the country, 39.2 percent carry an iPhone…Samsung saw…23 percent of U.S. smartphones. Rounding out the top five in descending order were HTC, Motorola and LG…Android maintained its majority market share for smartphone mobile platforms, jumping…to 52.4 percent of the market. Apple’s iOS held on in second place…BlackBerry, Microsoft and Symbian rounded out the top five with 4.8, 3 and 0.4 percent of the market…”

Apps

28.    Google Earth 7.1 for Android and iOS, now with Street View  http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2013/06/google-earth-71-for-android-and-ios-now.html  “…With the addition of Street View to Google Earth for mobile devices, you can explore many sites from street level right on your mobile device. And with the new streamlined interface, a simple click of the Earth logo in top left will give you quick access to more information through layers like Panoramio Photos and Wikipedia…Google Earth's improved directions enable you to visualize step-by-step transit, walking and biking directions in full 3D…”

29.    14 Video Editing Apps for Smartphones  http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/4072-14-Video-Editing-Apps-for-Smartphones  “Here is a list of video editing apps for your smartphone. There are feature-rich video editors to mix and style commercial videos…All of these video editors are either free or very inexpensive…Vine.Instagram…YouTube Capture…iMovie…Vyclone…ReelDirector…Splice…VideoGrade…Cute CUT…Montaj…Magisto…Video Edit…HighlightCam…Lapse It…”

SkyNet

30.    10 Little Known Google Drive Features  http://techpp.com/2013/05/31/little-known-google-drive-features/  “…here is a list of some hidden features of Google Drive you didn’t know about…Edit and backup your documents in offline mode…Drag and Drop your files…Integrate Google Drive with IFTTT…Use handy templates…Save your favorite web content with Clean (Chrome Extension)…Making use of Stock Photography…Search your document content from Gmail…Add more apps to Google Drive…”

31.     Walmart, Staples to Sell Google Chromebook  http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9240119/Walmart_taking_the_Chromebook_mainstream  “Walmart has begun selling the Chromebook in 2,800 of its approximately 4,600 U.S. stores…Staples will also be selling the Chromebook in 1,500 stores…Chromebook has long been available on Amazon, among other online retailers, and the $249 Samsung Chromebook has been its laptop category best-seller for months. Chromebook is also sold in Best Buy stores and in the coming months will also be available Office Depot, Office Max, Fry's and others…”

32.    10 Ways To Improve Your Google Rank  http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2013/07/01/10-ways-to-improve-your-google-rank/  “…there are no quick and easy ways to make your website get more links or turn up on the first page of a Google search. Here are 10 strategies that can help…1. Pool your votes…2. Provide testimonials…3. Offer discounts…4. Donate to charity…5. Volunteer your services…6. Locate references without links…7. Book speaking engagements…8. Create a superior product or service…9. Sponsor photo contests…10. Target the right keywords…”

33.    Google Chrome Offers Direct Access to MS Office Docs  http://www.geek.com/mobile/chrome-os-gets-experimental-word-and-excel-editing-1560582/  “…Chrome OS can now edit Microsoft Office files all by itself! The stars have finally aligned and Chromebook users will soon be able to more than just view these documents whether they’re online or offline. It’s all been made possible by QuickOffice, which Google acquired back in the summer of 2012…Right now, QuickOffice editing is limited to the Chrome OS Dev channel. It’s also hidden behind a flag, so clearly Google doesn’t think it’s ready for widespread testing just yet. Still, if you want to take an early peek it only takes a few steps to enable…”

34.    Google+ Turns 2, Rolls Out Redesigned Follow Buttons And Badges  http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/28/google-turns-2-rolls-out-redesigned-follow-buttons-and-badges-introduces-badges-for-communities/  “Google+ turned two today. To celebrate, Google…launched a redesign of its Google+ plugins for websites, including its Follow, +1 and share buttons, as well as its badges for pages and profiles. All of these are getting a refreshed look, and most of them are also getting a few new features and customization options. In addition, the company is, for the first time, launching dedicated badges for Google+ Communities. Google will automatically update existing +1 and Share buttons over the next few weeks…”

General Technology

35.    Microsoft to shut down TechNet subscription service  http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-to-shut-down-technet-subscription-service-7000017541/  “…Microsoft…plans to retire its venerable TechNet subscriptions service. New subscriptions will no longer be available after August 31, 2013, and the subscription service will shut down as current subscribers' contracts end…The services have historically been one of the best deals around for frugal IT professionals and PC enthusiasts…a lot of enthusiasts used TechNet as a way to get cut-rate Windows client and server upgrades and licenses. Those product keys [wound] up activating Windows on PCs deployed for everyday use instead of hewing to the “evaluation only” restriction. To make matters worse, that smoking deal was also a boon for software pirates, who figured out long ago that they could subscribe to TechNet and sell the keys (sometimes along with counterfeit media)…at prices that were too good to be true…”

36.    Microsoft Seeks End to Dinosaur-Era Software Upgrade Cycle  http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-27/microsofts-cloud-based-office-shifts-to-perpetual-update  “Since…1989, Microsoft has updated its popular Office suite of software every three years or so. Those updates included revamped interfaces, new Word fonts and Excel formulas, and a raft of fixes for bugs, some noticeable and others gnat-size. Big and small, these updates were wrapped up together in a shiny, redesigned box with a new price tag. Typically they were sold to individuals and companies who had recently invested in new PCs. The formula worked for a long time, and it still does; in 2012 there were 1 billion Office users worldwide, and the suite of productivity software brought in more than half of the $24 billion in global revenue generated by Microsoft’s business division. As it shifts its Office sales…toward its cloud-based Office 365 subscription service, Microsoft is rethinking the way it releases software updates, and dramatically accelerating them…A year ago, 80 percent of the engineers in Office’s servers and services group were working on the big updates that took place every few years, and 20 percent were assigned to quicker fixes for Office’s cloud products; now it’s the reverse. Office 365 users receive monthly updates, and soon, Teper says, they’ll be weekly…The focus on Office 365, now a $1 billion-a-year business, risks alienating some corporate customers. While it’s convenient, users may find a stream of program changes disorienting…There’s…a broad category of customers who are terrified by that…”

37.    How Well Do Microsoft's Xbox, Skype, Office, and SkyDrive Work Together?  http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-18/how-well-do-microsofts-xbox-skype-office-and-skydrive-work-together  “…Steve Ballmer has been insisting that Microsoft (MSFT) is evolving from a software maker to a “device and services company”…to focus consumers on the company’s tablets and phones and the programs that are designed to seamlessly link them. As someone who covers Microsoft, I need to be familiar with the company’s products. To that end, I have actually purchased the whole shebang: Skype Premium…Xbox Live Gold…Office 365 Home Premium…Xbox Music Pass…SkyDrive…After using all of them extensively, I can safely say that if Ballmer and Microsoft really want consumers to make this turn, the interconnections between all of these services still need a lot of fine-tuning. For example, I spent more than an hour with Skype customer support last weekend trying to figure out a way to sign in to Skype on my Windows Phone. Normally, this is an easy process…”

38.    Microsoft Windows 15% Mobile, Desktop Market Share  http://thevarguy.com/business-smartphone-and-tablet-technology-solutions/gartner-microsoft-windows-15-mobile-desktop-mark  “Gartner predicts Microsoft Windows will have only 15 percent market share in 2014…The Gartner estimate extends beyond PCs to include tablets and smartphones -- where Apple iOS and Google Android remain in growth mode. Here are the estimates…Android will double from 505.5 million to 1.061 billion device sales from 2012 to 2014…Apple iOS and Mac OS X will grow from 212.8 million to 354.8 million device sales from 2012 to 2014…Windows will grow from 346.4 million to 378.1 million device sales from 2012 to 2014. In some ways, it's unfair to lump in the traditional Windows PC market with the smartphone and tablet markets. But remember this: Microsoft also is guilty of using the market metrics to describe its own upside potential…”

39.    Android invades the desktop  http://www.zdnet.com/android-invades-the-desktop-7000017286/  “Microsoft has spent a lot of time and effort trying to get Windows onto smartphones and tablets--so far without a whole lot to show for it. Now several PC companies are trying the opposite approach, taking the Android operating system and porting it to PCs. The latest example is HP’s Slate 21, which looks like a standard all-in-one PC with a 21.5-inch (1920x1080) IPS touchscreen, but has the specs of a tablet including Nvidia’s Tegra 4 quad-core processor and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. HP…included several features to make Android work better on the desktop including support for up to five Google profiles, drivers for USB peripherals…Splashtop for running Windows apps and a productivity suite (Kingsoft Office). The Slate 21 has only 8GB of storage, but there is an SD card slot for expansion and HP says USB flash drives and external hard drives will also work. It will be available starting in September for $400…”

40.    Android-controlled exercycle excites Kickstarter fans  http://linuxgizmos.com/android-controlled-excercise-bike-excites-kickstarter-fans/  “After only two days on Kickstarter, an Android 4.1-powered exercise bike project has reached almost half its $250,000 goal. Peloton Cycle’s Peloton Bike is equipped with a 21.5-inch touchscreen console that runs Android 4.1 on a 1.5GHz dual-core ARM processor, offers multiple wireless options for connecting heart rate monitors, and delivers 1080p video chat and live on-demand indoor cycling classes…The company is building a 50-cycle spinning studio in New York City, and will offer live video broadcasts of several classes a day on the Peloton Bike’s console, so users can ride along remotely…”

Leisure & Entertainment

41.     A Dark Room, an adventure game/sim-like webtoy  http://jayisgames.com/archives/2013/06/a_dark_room.php  “It's just you, a fireplace, a dwindling stack of woods and your thoughts in A Dark Room, an adventure game/sim-like webtoy from doublespeak games that takes gameplay cues from Candy Box!... though sports a decidedly creepier tone. Just click to select options as they appear, which could take some time, so this is a game you might want to leave running in another tab as you surf. Initially all you can do is stoke the fire in your meager room, but what might the light in that otherwise dark forest attract? Would could you build if you dared venture outside to search for supplies?…”  http://adarkroom.doublespeakgames.com/  [what text adventures do you recommend these days? – ed.]

42.    Netflix ditches Silverlight with support for HTML5 video in IE11  http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/06/26/netflix-ditches-silverlight-with-support-for-html5-video-in-ie11-available-today-with-windows-8-1-preview/  “Netflix…announced that it has…taken the first step towards ditching Silverlight for HTML5, largely thanks to Microsoft…The company has been working closely with the Internet Explorer team to implement its proposed “Premium Video Extensions” in IE11 on Windows 8.1, meaning if you install the operating system preview released today, you can watch Netflix content using HTML5 right now. Back in April, Netflix revealed its plans to use HTML5 video in any browser that implements its proposed “Premium Video Extensions.” These extensions allow playback of premium video directly in the browser without the need to install plugins such as Silverlight or Flash…Microsoft made this possible by implementing three features in its still-unfinished IE11: The Media Source Extensions (MSE)…The Encrypted Media Extensions (EME)…The Web Cryptography API (WebCrypto)…”

43.    First impressions: Hands-on with Ouya  http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2013/06/28/hands-on-ouya/2471957/  “…from its inception, Ouya has been about trying to break the mold. The video game console was born through Kickstarter. It boasts an attractive $99 price tag, along with games that are equally inexpensive. It's got mobile DNA in the body of a home console. Yet the Ouya is just like the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii U in one important regard: it's only as good as its content…Before we dig into the library, let's start with the hardware. The Ouya is tiny compared to the behemoths that normally serve as video game consoles. That's the benefit of depending on a digital-only games library. On the back are ports for the power adapter, USB, ethernet and HDMI (a HDMI cable is included). Plus, there's only a lone Power button on top. The device is powered by a Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, which won't stand up to next-generation devices, but should be sufficient…The controller follows the similar design of current devices, with two thumbsticks, a directional pad, four face buttons, two bumpers and two rear triggers. There's also a power button which doubles as a pause or menu option…”

44.    Google And Apple May Bring Us A Console War We Didn't See Coming  http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2013/06/28/google-and-apple-may-bring-us-a-console-war-we-didnt-see-coming/  “…the Wall Street Journal brought us news that Google has now set its sights on making its own Android-based video game console. The kicker? This is supposed to be in response to Apple doing the very same thing. Google and Apple video game consoles? Are the Xbox One and PS4 dead already? No. Though this would change the game to some degree, it’s more like Google and Apple are creating an entirely new league for themselves. Consoles theoretically released by Google and Apple would likely not be the kinds we see in our living rooms now. They’d be specifically designed to play all those massively popular Android or iOS handheld games on a big screen, rather than running the likes of Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty…”

45.    Netflix Max game helps pick something to watch  http://news.yahoo.com/netflix-max-221008517.html  “Netflix can be a terrifically useful and addictive service if you know exactly what you want to watch. Craving some “Big Lebowski”? Just click play. Want to lie in bed with the curtains closed and watch five straight seasons of “Breaking Bad”? That’s fine, too. (Well, it’s not fine, but you can still do it, if you want to.) When you’re just noodling around on the Netflix homepage, however, with no real destination, just scrolling and scrolling, up and down and left and right, in search of a title that calls to you -- that’s when the frustration arises. And that’s why…Netflix announced a new Siri-like feature called “Max,” designed to help users of the streaming service discover a new show or movie to watch in a fun, engaging way. Max is essentially a short, lively game show feature that ends with Netflix choosing a movie or show that you haven’t streamed before and automatically playing it for you. The program that Netflix selects is based both on your rating and viewing history, and also a short, punchy mini-game, designed in conjunction with the studio behind “You Don’t Know Jack…”

Entrepreneurism and Technology

46.    The complete startup ecosystem of the future fits inside four walls  http://venturebeat.com/2013/06/20/the-complete-startup-ecosystem-of-the-future-fits-within-four-walls/  “Welcome to the new breed of incubators: startup accelerators that give startups everything they need in one central location. It’s literally a startup ecosystem in a box…at Launch Academy, a startup hub in Vancouver, Canada…“If you have a great opportunity but need cash, we help you find investors. If you need more mentorship and guidance, then we help you get into an accelerator. If you’re doing well but need more traction … then you just keep working…What we’re really looking for is passion: can you convince us that you can get something done in the next four months – whatever that ‘something’ is — that will move your company forward?” That’s starting to be the new normal, TechStars CEO David Cohen told me…Silicon Valley is so densely infiltrated by startups, mature technology companies, angels, VCs, and all the other components of a rich startup ecosystem that Y Combinator doesn’t need to demand onsite working hours…That’s not always the case elsewhere. That’s where more geographically centralized incubators come into play…After going back to his basement in January 2012 and missing the experience of being around entrepreneurs, he wanted to start a coworking  space. GrowLab, a Vancouver accelerator with roots in Silicon Valley, had a two-month gap in between cohorts — and therefore space. “We walked in May 25…filled up our 15 desks in two weeks, and went to IKEA and bought more desks,” says Walia. “By the end of the month, we had 25 companies here.” By the time GrowLab’s new cohort was ready, the space was full. So, with GrowLab’s executive director Mike Edwards and Vancouver-based super-angel Boris Wertz, they bit the bullet and found a new, bigger space for both. Microsoft came in as a sponsor, Garibaldi Capital came in as an anchor tenant…”

47.    Announcing Microsoft Ventures for startups to build, innovate and grow  http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2013/06/25/announcing-microsoft-ventures-for-startups-to-build-innovate-and-grow.aspx  “…Microsoft is announcing the creation of Microsoft Ventures, a coordinated global effort that offers the tools, resources, expertise and routes to market by providing mentorship, technology guidance, seed funding, joint selling opportunities…Since 2008, more than 75,000 startups from over 100 countries have received access to tools and resources through the BizSpark program. Since launching our accelerator programs two years ago, 114 startups have graduated…We launched the Bing Fund in 2012 to make seed investments in startups, and help them build their business and improve their technology…by unifying our various efforts, we will give entrepreneurs a single point of entry to engage with Microsoft…We want to make access to us as intuitive and friction-free as possible…Microsoft Ventures is broad-based and takes a holistic approach, featuring a community evangelism program including BizSpark, an accelerator program and a seed fund that works with startups worldwid…”

48.    Hacker School: Where Students and Instructors Learn Together  http://mashable.com/2013/06/25/hacker-school/  “…we've seen an enormous increase in software development programming courses such as Codecademy and Treehouse. In the midst of all the education reform and experimentation, Hacker School takes a very different approach to training the next generation of programmers…Hacker School is a three-month, full-time school for programmers in New York City. It is completely free, and the lack of curriculum lets students focus on their passion projects, learning how to improve coding skills along the way…We just literally facilitate people becoming better programmers, sitting down and collaborating on code with students. So we'll work with them for maybe an hour to two, writing code for their projects. Then we lead by example — we're students as well as facilitators, and we have our own projects as well — so we try to work on cool, interesting things, both to keep us occupied and excited, and to act as inspiration for other people at our school…”

Design / DEMO

49.    GrabCAD and Autodesk Team Up on Product Design in the Cloud  http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2013/06/27/grabcad-and-autodesk-team-up-on-product-design-in-the-cloud/  “…almost every gadget or device you use, from your car to your phone, starts out as a draft in someone’s computer. Increasingly those designs are moving to the Internet, where they can be shared and worked on more efficiently by teams in different parts of the world…Autodesk, the CAD giant based in San Rafael, CA, has formed a strategic partnership with GrabCAD, a startup in Cambridge, MA, to integrate their software products aimed at designers and engineers…Earlier this year, GrabCAD rolled out its new Workbench software, which is meant to help hardware designers collaborate with their peers and manufacturing partners in one secure place—without requiring everyone to have CAD software, use Dropbox, or e-mail around screenshots and comments. Meanwhile, Autodesk is trying to become more nimble and reach a new generation of designers who have grown up on the Web. “We’re preparing for the next 30 years…Earlier this week, Autodesk released a cloud-based 3-D CAD software product called Fusion 360. The idea now is that GrabCAD’s Workbench can be combined with the new Fusion tools (and AutoCAD 360, aimed at Web and mobile users) so engineers can do authoring and editing of 2-D and 3-D designs, all in the cloud, through GrabCAD’s new app platform…”

50.    How To Conduct Your Own Google Ventures Design Sprint  http://www.fastcodesign.com/1672887/how-to-conduct-your-own-google-design-sprint  “To mentor 150 startups…Google Ventures developed a five-day design process…We call it a product design sprint, and it’s great for getting unstuck or accelerating projects that are already in motion…Over the next several posts, I’ll be sharing a DIY guide for running your own design sprint…Before the sprint: Prepare…Day 1: Understand…Day 2: Diverge…Day 3: Decide…Day 4: Prototype…Day 5: Validate…It’s based on the design thinking structure championed by Ideo and Stanford’s d.school…The version I’m going to share works especially well for startups…”  http://www.fastcodesign.com/1672929/how-to-decide-what-ideas-to-prototype

51.     5 steps for applying design thinking to enterprise service creation  http://www.zdnet.com/5-steps-for-applying-design-thinking-to-enterprise-service-creation-7000017276/  “…Why not apply design thinking to internal enterprise services?...Hilton Menezes urges that more design thinking be incorporated into service creation and deployment…The service design process should include the following five steps…Understand your customers…Draw the service…Prototype the service…Design the project…Deploy the service…”

DHMN Technology

52.    What Worked in Hackathons for the National Day of Civic Hacking  http://www.transfabric.org/hackathons-for-the-national-day-of-civic-hacking/  “Last weekend was the National Day of Civic Hacking (NDoCH), a country-wide effort to bring people together to solve problems through hackathons, brigade meet-ups and block parties…hackathons are a simple idea: get a bunch of people together to come up with ideas to solve a problem, particularly through the creation of a working prototype and a short presentation…Hackathons can be used to locate talented coders as a kind of outsourced headhunting. Activists use them to solve problems as a collective. Companies may be interested in promoting the use of a certain platform, to populate an “app store” or gain traction in the developer community…Here are five pragmatic suggestions to keep in mind when running a hackathon: Balancing - while groups can arise organically, it’s also important to make sure they have the right mix of participants and resources to keep them going…When ideas presented aren’t well-matched with participant groups, balancing qualitatively different skill sets can be a challenge…at the Innovation Lab we advocate for an even mix of hustlers (business), hackers (coders) and designers…Scaffolding…Timing…Openness…Deliverables…”

53.    BENDLAY 3D Is A Bendable Printing Filament  http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/26/bendlay-3d-is-a-bendable-printing-filament-that-you-can-use-to-make-clear-flexible-straps-and-bands/  “Kai Parthy is a German engineer who creates odd printing filaments for 3D printers. His previous projects, LayWoo-d3 and Laybrick, are two non-warping plastics that offer wood and brick-like consistencies when extruded. Oddly, LayWoo-d3 actually smells like wood when printed. Now he’s created a bendable printing filament called BENDLAY that is 91% transparent and remains “bendable” after printing…ABS plastic…can split and warp as it is formed and it isn’t quite food safe. It is also very brittle and will “whiten” when bent, resulting in a messy final object. This filament is made of stretchy Butadiene, a form of synthetic rubber. It is foodsafe and can be used for clear bottles and containers and works well for flexible straps…”

54.    Microsoft Moves to Simplify 3-D Printing  http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/microsoft-moves-to-simplify-3-d-printing/?_r=0  “…If today’s hot new technology, 3-D printers, starts showing up under Christmas trees this year, Microsoft has begun a pre-emptive strike against any such criticism. It announced that the newest version of the company’s operating system, Windows 8.1, will be the first to include built-in support for 3-D printers…The idea is to make 3-D printing as easy as printing out a Word document. Plug in the printer, click “print,” and a 3-D printer can begin squirting out hot plastic to make your design real…3-D printing requires an array of different software packages, from design software to “slicing” software and separate programs that connect your home computer to each individual printer. All of these steps make getting started with 3-D printing cumbersome. And when any link in the chain breaks down, it can be maddening…Windows 8.1 allows users to plug in printers like the MakerBot Replicator, the Cube, the Fabbster and Up printers, as well as open-source models, to work with Windows straight out of the box…The company is hoping that native support for 3-D printers will encourage developers to create easier-to-use 3-D printing software…”

55.     Professional engineers and hobbyists will increase reliance on open source hardware and software  http://www.premierfarnell.com/content/professional-engineers-and-hobbyists-will-increase-reliance-open-source-hardware-and  “The use of open source hardware and software will continue to grow among both professional engineers and the hobbyist community in 2013, according to the results of a new survey from element14…More than half (56%) of professional engineers are more likely to use open source hardware such as Arduino and BeagleBone in 2013. Among hobbyists, that figure jumps to 82%...52% of professional engineers and 81% of hobbyists report being more likely to use open source software in 2013…“The numbers paint a very clear picture that open source hardware is showing strong traction among professional engineers and hobbyists as well as educators and students…With a high level of crossover between professionals and hobbyists, this increase in adoption extends to the workplace. An engineer on the job is looking for access to many of the same tools and resources accessible to the hobbyist community…This trend also speaks to the importance of ease of access and use, as a strong community can help bring ideas and designs to life,” Koritala said. “Engineers have historically been hesitant to fully embrace open source, but the sheer availability of open-source tools and resources has mitigated many of the risks associated with designing in open source for commercial us…”

Open Source Hardware

56.    Maker Machine sends open source robots to school  http://opensource.com/education/13/6/maker-machine  “Maker Machine is a mobile makerspace that brings 3D printers, DIY robotics, and interactive art to primary schools, libraries, museums and youth clubs. The project is currently fundraising for a tour of Australia to bring our workshop to schools around the country…The Maker Machine van is equipped with 3D printers, open source robotics, and more tools needed for children to engage with technology in a creative way and bring their work to life. We started Maker Machine because we are both passionate about making things and bringing emerging technologies to the wider community…there are new technologies being released almost daily to the maker community via platforms such as Pozible and Kickstarter. This includes, open source projects like Makey Makey, Littlebits, and the Inmoov 3D printable robot—they all have huge potential for teaching younger generations about how the world around us works as well as engaging them with the workings of technologies they interact with everyday…”

57.     Parallella: An Open Source Hardware Project  http://www.parallella.org/2013/06/29/parallella-open-source-hardware/  “…we have now published all the hardware sources for the first version of the Parallella board on Github, making the Parallella a proper open source hardware project. The first beta version of the board will go out to early backers soon! We have also updated the detailed specification for the final Parallella board…The new design files are in process and will be be published openly as soon as they are ready…Our goal for the Parallella hardware project is to set a new standard for open collaboration on a global scale…”

58.    OSHW in China  “…Eric Pan and his open hardware facilitator, Seeed Studio are accelerating the global maker movement by helping people source, design, produce, and commercialize their maker projects…fueling a Chinese maker movement that is starting to take full advantage of both Shenzhen’s awesome manufacturing capacities and China’s shanzhai superpowers. Seeed recently attended the Bay Area Maker Faire, where they…brought such delights as a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) shield for building connections between Arduino and iOS devices, a critical enabling component for makers; their open source wearable solution called Xadow, enabling everybody to make add-ons for Google Glass, iWatch, etc.; the DSO quad, a pocket size 4 channel digital oscilloscope developed by a veteran engineer team in Guangzhou who did it for fun and open-sourced the design; and a recent hot collaborative product, the Crazyflie nano quadcopter kit…”

Open Source

59.    World’s first Tizen tablet  http://linuxgizmos.com/japanese-company-announces-first-tizen-tablet/  “Japanese firm Systena Corp. announced the first Tizen-based tablet…The unnamed Systena Tizen tablet offers high-end features including a 1.4GHz, quad-core Cortex-A9 system-on-chip, 2GB of RAM, and a 10.1-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixel display. The Systena tablet offers robust specs that come close to matching the most powerful Android tablets currently on the market. The slate incorporates an unnamed 1.4GHz, quad-core Cortex-A9 processor along with 2GB of DDR3 RAM and 32GB of flash. The 10.1-inch display offers…1920 x 1200-pixel resolution…WiFi, a microSD slot, and a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera, as well as a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera…As far as we can see, this is not only the first Tizen tablet to be announced but the first formal announcement of any Tizen-based product…”

60.    Young maker says Raspberry Pi is way to go  http://opensource.com/life/13/6/young-maker-lauren-egts  “…I was able to attend the Mini Maker Faire in Cleveland, Ohio where I got to meet…Dave and Lauren Egts. Lauren was there presenting on the Scratch Game she designed: The Great Guinea Pig Escape. I was very impressed with her interest in programming at such a young age and was able to discuss with her and her father how she got involved in programming, her thoughts on Raspberry Pi, and what is next for this father daughter programming team. Q: When did you first get started in programming? A: I first got started in 5th grade over Christmas break. My dad showed me how to write bash scripts on Linux in what we called "Daddy's Computer Camp." That February, I made my dad a Valentine's Day robot that had bash code on the front…Raspberry Pi is the perfect device for kids to get into programming. If you're a kid and you start programming on the family computer, there's always the worry that you might break the computer somehow. This is why I love the Raspberry Pi. It doesn't really matter if I break it because it is so low cost that I can easily get another one, and I don't have to worry about somehow deleting all of the documents on the family computer by accident. I also love that it comes with two programming languages, Scratch and Python. Scratch is a simple visual programming language. It's a great way to get kids into programming because it's easy to use and pretty self explanatory. I haven't really looked at Python yet, but I know that is more complex than Scratch. Now that I have a solid understanding of programming constructs with Scratch, I think I'm ready for Python…”  [a great combined hardware/software project would be building a Pi computer dedicated to coding with Python and Scratch, with a 15” or 17” LCD monitor that has a nice carrying handle and has the Pi and any other hardware mounted on the back of the monitor, including carrying clips for the keyboard and mouse – ed.]

Civilian Aerospace

61.     Start-up plans 'fleet' of satellites taking photos of Earth for massive, open database  http://www.itworld.com/hardware/362800/start-plans-fleet-satellites-taking-photos-earth-massive-open-database  “…a team of former NASA scientists hopes its start-up -- which "will operate the world’s largest fleet of Earth imaging satellites" -- can be the next great catalyst for positive change. "We want to help people understand the planet and make better decisions," the Planet Labs founders say on the start-up's website. "By giving people a view of the Earth in near real-time, we intend to spur people, companies, and governments to action. Planet Labs will be providing an entirely new data set -- unprecedented coverage and frequent imagery of the planet. This new information will inform future humanitarian, ecological and commercial endeavors…Two months ago Planet Labs…launched two of its "Dove" demonstration satellites to test out. Things went well, so Planet Labs says early next year it "will launch the world’s largest constellation of Earth observing satellites." These tiny satellites will transmit a near-constant stream of images that will enable the creation of massive data sets…”

62.    Kirobo the talking robot makes for one very creepy space companion  http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/shortcuts/2013/jun/27/kirobo-talking-robot-creepy-space-companion  “This August, a consortium of Japanese scientists, engineers…will send a talking robot into space. The robot will be named Kirobo, and its mission will be to communicate directly with astronauts onboard the International Space Station. The moral of this, clearly, is that Japanese consortiums need to watch more films. Rule No1 of almost every science-fiction film ever made is that you should never put a talking robot in space. Never. 2001: A Space Odyssey put a talking robot in space, and it ended up trying to kill everyone…Putting a talking robot in space is a very bad idea, especially if – as is the case with Kirobo – the robot looks like a sinister little Chucky doll…If this had happened 15 years ago, the astronauts onboard would have been sent a Tamagotchi…Ten years ago, they would have been sent a Sony AIBO robot dog…as the global population ages it is expected that robots will play a bigger and bigger part in healthcare, from robot pets that aid dementia patients to full-on robot nurses…So maybe, on reflection, Kirobo is a good thing. Sure, he might go haywire, invent Skynet and doom humanity to an eternity of miserable slavery, but at least he'll be doing it 200 miles or so above the Earth…”

63.    L-1011 Drop-Launches NASA's Newest Solar Satellite  http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_06_28_2013_p0-592319.xml  “NASA reports “a great insertion orbit” for its newest orbiting telescope for studying the Sun’s dynamic temperature bands, which was drop-launched from a former airliner…The launch used a three-stage Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL booster dropped from Orbital’s L-1011 flying at 39,000 ft. about 100 mi. northwest of Vandenberg AFB, Calif…The mission’s $170 million budget assumes a nominal two-year mission, but there is every likelihood the spacecraft’s 20-cm (8-in.) ultraviolet telescope and spectrograph can operate much longer, given the initial reading on its orbital placement…when 1998’s Transition Region and Coronal Explorer mission, another study of the solar photosphere, got an excellent Pegasus placement it lasted for 12 years…”

Supercomputing & GPUs

64.    South African Student HPC Team Rides GPUs to Victory at ISC 2013  http://www.hpcwire.com/hpcwire/2013-06-27/south_african_student_hpc_team_rides_gpus_to_victory_at_isc_2013.html  “When an underdog team of undergrads from South Africa arrived in Leipzig, Germany for the 2013 Student Cluster Challenge last week, they had the odds stacked against them. But what the team lacked in experience was more than made up for with intestinal fortitude, not to mention a heavy dose of NVIDIA GPUs…after CHPC put its Dell PowerEdge cluster of Xeon CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs through its paces, it emerged as the clear winner, earning the "Overall Championship Award." Every group in the competition used co-processors to give their cluster extra punch, but CHPC's use of eight NVIDIA K20 cards appeared to give it an edge…"While some teams used Intel Phi co-processors, team South Africa went with eight NVIDIA K20 cards, which seemed to do the trick,"…The apps included GROMACS, a molecular dynamics package; MILC, a quantum chromodynamics app; WRF, a weather research and forecasting application…AMG numerical analysis application and the CP2K molecular simulation package. These benchmarks accounted for 60 percent of a team's score, and the remaining 40 percent comes from interviews with event judges. Student systems had to consume less than 3,000 watts, which may have proved a challenge for some teams stuffing up to 16 GPUs into their clusters…”

65.    GPU-Accelerated SGI Servers to Simulate Seismic Activity at Princeton  http://www.hpcwire.com/hpcwire/2013-06-25/gpuaccelerated_sgi_servers_to_simulate_seismic_activity_at_princeton.html  “SGI…announced its NVIDIA Tesla GPU-powered SGI Rackable servers have been deployed in the Department of Geosciences at Princeton University to drive next-generation earthquake research. The department will utilize five main open-source software packages and is leveraging NVIDIA GPUs for the SPECFEM3D 'Sesame' application, which simulates seismic wave propagation on regional and global scales…The installation includes 200 NVIDIA Telsa K20 GPU accelerators with four K20 GPUs per each 2U Rackable server. It enables the Department of Geosciences to report on seismic activity, via the Global Seismicity Portal, in 15-30 minutes as compared to two to eight hours previously. The portal was designed to present the public with near real-time visualizations of recent earthquakes…”

Trends & Emerging Tech

66.    10 trends in hotel technology  http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/10764/10-trends-in-hotel-technology  “…A recent webinar sponsored and moderated by The Wall Street Journal and an accompanying white paper explored 10 key hospitality technology trends…1. Device and entertainment autonomy…2. The new perks…3. Service automation…4. Digital signage replacing printed signs…5. Meeting spaces go high tech…6. Free Wi-Fi…7. The lobby as tech hub…8. The role of social media…9. Technology as luxury…10. The office away from the office…”

67.    13 Global Trends That Will Define Travel in 2013  http://skift.com/2013/01/03/skift-report-13-global-trends-that-will-define-travel-in-2013/  “…We believe these 13 trends, by no means exhaustive, will help define travel and many other interconnected sectors: Everyone wants a Chinese tourist…Ancillary fees are the new normal…Last-minute mobile hotel booking…The rise of price transparency…Travelers are hungry for food tourism…Airports as destinations…Destination branding through movies…Digital maps are one of travel’s key battlegrounds…Personal in-flight entertainment through mobile devices…Affordable design at hotels…Blurring of business and leisure travel…Cementing of the Gulf as the next great global aviation hub…Lure of the last unknown: The rise of Myanmar…”

*****