Tom Merritt's Blog, page 1145
February 22, 2013
Tech News Today 696: Vita Phone on Vodaphone?
Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Jason Howell
What’s the Chromebook Pixel for? HP’s crappy earnings are good news, North Korea allows mobile data, and more.
Guest: Darren Kitchen
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Running time:: 0:45:33
February 21, 2013
Tech History Today – Feb. 22
In 1857 – Heinrich Rudolf Hertz was born in Hamburg, Germany. Hertz made key discoveries in optics but also transmitted and received electromagnetic waves and gave his name to the common unit of frequency, Hz.
In 1995 – Chicago stock broker Steve Fossett completed the first hot air balloon flight over Pacific Ocean. At 9600 km it was also the longest baloon flight.
1995 – President Clinton signed an Executive Order directing the declassification of intelligence imagery acquired by the CORONA, ARGON and LANYARD U.S. photo-reconnaissance satellites. More than 860,000 images of the Earth’s surface, collected between 1960 and 1972 were made public.
Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
Tech News Today 695: Chrome Wasn’t Built in a Day
Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Jason Howell
What we really think of the PS4, Apple watch facts, touchscreen ChromeBooks, and more.
Guest: Russ Pitts
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Submit and vote on story coverage at technewstoday.reddit.com.
Check out the full show notes for today’s episode.
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Thanks to Cachefly for the bandwidth for this show.
Running time:: 0:45:14
February 20, 2013
Tech History Today – Feb. 21
In 1937- Waldo Waterman flew the first test flight of the Arrowbile, and found the aircraft easy to fly and virtually spin and stall proof. It is considered the first successful flying car to actually fly.
In 1947 – Edwin H. Land demonstrated his one-step instant camera and film at a meeting of the Optical Society of America. The first Polaroid camera was on sale within two years.
In 1986 – The Legend of Zelda, the first in the ongoing series, was released in Japan for Nintendo’s Famicom console.
Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
FSL Tonight Offseason Report
Petey Rave files his first offseason report and takes a look at some of the free agents teams in the FSL might be looking at to shore up needs on their rosters.
Tech News Today 694: Java: Mug It, Don’t Plug It
Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Jason Howell
Yahoo gets a new look, Google shows off Project Glass, Spotify wants to pay labels less, and more.
Guest: Peter Rojas
Download or subscribe to this show at twit.tv/tnt.
Submit and vote on story coverage at technewstoday.reddit.com.
Check out the full show notes for today’s episode.
We invite you to read, add to, and amend the wiki entry for this episode at wiki.twit.tv.
Thanks to Cachefly for the bandwidth for this show.
Running time:: 0:47:01
February 19, 2013
Tech History Today – Feb. 20
In 1900 – John F. Pickering of Haiti received a US patent for his design of an airship.
In 1962 The United States became the second nation to put a man into orbit. John Glenn piloted the Mercury-Atlas 6 Friendship 7 spacecraft to a successful conclusion of the mission.
In 1986 – A Soviet Proton launcher boosted the base block of the Mir space station into orbit.
In 2004 – Apple’s first iPod Mini arrived in Apple retail stores and online. It was the first variation on the original iPod.
Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
S&L Podcast – #121 – A bird too far
It’s time for a substantive down-to-Earth deep discussion of Bridge of Birds. And Veronica now feels better about pronouncing things.
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Jameson’s
Veronica: Cono Sur Cabernet Sauvignon
QUICK BURNS
Stephen Donaldson delivers last-ever THOMAS COVENANT novel
An incredibly thorough analysis of how frequently words and characters appear in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books
Make your own pulp magazine covers
Love Of Classics Inspires Raygun Chronicles Kickstarter Anthology Project
THE CITY AND THE CITY on stage in Chicago
BARE YOUR SWORD
Does science fiction lack good criticism?
TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
George R.R. Martin expands on HBO deal
Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle is coming to Syfy
BOOK CHECK-IN
Pretty Ping Rape? (Spoilers)
A Slight Flaw in His Character…
Gaiman narrates the audio book Odd and the Frost Giants. Its a great audiobook. Andrew R.
FYI. Not sure if this will be “fresh” enough to cover on the S&L audio show next week… Eric W (Goodreads follow-up)
ADDENDUMS
T-shirts, get your t-shirts heeeere!
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Direct episode download link
Tech News Today 693: Hack It Your Way
Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Jason Howell
HTC’s One last chance, Google to get into retail, Burger King and Jeep hacked, and more.
Hosts: Lamarr Wilson
Download or subscribe to this show at twit.tv/tnt.
Submit and vote on story coverage at technewstoday.reddit.com.
Check out the full show notes for today’s episode.
We invite you to read, add to, and amend the wiki entry for this episode at wiki.twit.tv.
Thanks to Cachefly for the bandwidth for this show.
Running time:: 0:49:10
February 18, 2013
Tech History Today – Feb. 19
In 1856 – Professor Hamilton L. Smith of Gambier, Ohio received the first U.S. patent for the tintype photographic picture process. It described a method for “the obtaining of positive impressions upon a japanned surface previously prepared upon an iron or other metallic or mineral sheet or plate by means of collodion and a solution of a salt of silver.”
In 1878 – Thomas Edison received a patent for the phonograph. His first recording was of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” spoken into a large horn which transmitted vibrations to a needle that cut the recording on a hand-rotated cylinder.
In 2002 – Odyssey, the first of many operational Mars vehicles began its mission to map the planet.
Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
