David Lidsky's Blog, page 4743

Rollingstone.com Relaunches with Exciting Extras, but No Screams

Rolling Stone has rolled out its new website today, er, tomorrow. Or something. More importantly, for the first time in a long time, it's in charge of its own online destiny. A deal with RealNetworks, which ran the magazine's online presence, has expired, and so full control of the site is back in Jann Wenner's hands--and not before time. "Here's something we're excited about," they trumpet. "On April 19, we'll be relaunching a redesigned, reimagined rollingstone.com." Aaaand, cue dry...

Infographic: The Catholic Church's International Sex-Abuse Coverup

A single, jaw-dropping graphic that illustrates the scope of the scandal--and the organization-wide attempt to sweep it under the rug.

It's easy to think that amid the all of the allegations of sexual abuse currently scarring the Catholic church, the cover-ups that have followed have been locally driven. But as the current Pope Benedict scandal suggests, the church cover-ups appear to implicate its highest ranks--a point shown by this startling infographic.

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You'd probably expect a couple...

Work Smart: A Single Trick for Remembering Countless Passwords

One of the most annoying things about computing today is having to keep track of dozens of passwords. You've got passwords to Web sites, computers, networks, and the ATM, and every time you create a new password it's easy to use one you've used before and make it something easy to remember, like your birthday, your kid's name, or your first phone number. The problem is this: Many passwords that are easy for you to remember are also easy for an identity thief to guess. Plus, using the same...

Ecomat's Lego-like Sustainable Bricks Are Earthquake-Resistant Building Blocks of Life

On show in Milan last week were Ecomat's Lego-esque building bricks. They're made from sustainable materials, are earthquake-proof, and suitable for both permanent and temporary structures. Do you think the fact that some of the bricks have been manufactured in United Nations blue is a subtle hint by Ecomat's Italian creators that the bricks would be suitable for refugee camps in disaster zones?

Although they are light enough not to cost the earth for transportation, they've got good thermal...

Checking in at Foursquare's Hot Tubbin', Rooftop, Rock Star Moment

Rabid users of the social game threw 150 parties on 4-16 (four-squared). Fast Company reports from the New York City rooftop soiree, where Foursquare founders and 500 fans toasted the wildly popular app.

Dennis Crowley, co-founder of Foursquare, the social network and nightlife "check-in" game that connects friends via GPS, is in his underwear. On the roof of a 20-story building. In the rain. He dutifully steps into a hot tub containing six people who appear to be in advanced stages of...

Ubisoft Pushing for Games to Go Green

Ubisoft announced today that the company was launching two green initiatives. Starting with the upcoming Shaun White Skateboarding, Ubisoft games will no longer feature paper manuals packed in with the discs. These games will now feature digital manuals accessible within the games' menus. "That is going to provide a huge benefit to the environment, but also to the consumer; having a better gaming experience with an in-game manual," said Rich Kubiszewski, Ubisoft's VP of Operations, "We are...

Cloud Computing Expo

The much-hyped cloud really is growing -- so quickly, in fact, that this year's New York conference is expected to draw 5,000 attendees, more than quadruple last year's crowd. Even President Barack Obama has called for a switch to cloud computing, because it can stretch the $80 billion budget for federal technology spending. And IBM recently nabbed a deal to create a cloud model for the Air Force, a chance to prove that the cloud can handle heaps of highly sensitive data. But you have to...

Networked Ping Hoodie Will Help Keep the Chill off Your Facebook

Wearable computers have been an idea thrown around for the last few years. The idea that we don't need a screen to carry out complex tasks has intrigued concept designers to say the least. The Ping Hoodie--which lets you update social networks, know when certain individuals are calling, and receive other digital alerts--is the latest, and arguable most relevant, example of how such a concept could fit into our daily lives.

The Ping clothing concept makes use of embedded electronics and...

Stanford Students Test Piezoelectric Sensor for Future Power Drivers

Piezoelectric power, or electricity produced in response to applied mechanical stress, keeps popping up on our radar. Recently, we looked at a French city's plan to implant piezoelectric microsensors in its sidewalks, and just last week we had the opportunity to chat with Stanford students working on piezoelectric vibrational energy harvestors for vehicles, or piezeoelectric sensors that can power certain vehicle functions using normal vibrations.

The key to the technology is a tiny energy...

MyFord Touch System Teaches Drivers to Be Fuel-Efficient

Fuel efficiency is an elusive thing. If you have a hybrid or EV, efficiency is easy enough to achieve, but otherwise it's difficult to gauge (unless you're a professional driver). Ford's MyFord Touch system, set to launch on the 2011 Ford Edge starting this summer and on the upcoming 2012 Ford Focus, offers a simple way to stay efficient: the Eco-Route.

MyFord Touch uses historical and real-time traffic data to calculate the fastest, shortest, and most fuel-efficient ways to reach a...