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The best and worst ways to get around CES

Jan09
by on January 9, 2015 at 12:40 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

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The Las Vegas strip is technically not huge (roughly 4.2 miles overall), but it can feel like a never-ending journey going from one end to another when you’re constantly bombarded by bright lights, booth babes, lines of curious conference attendees and grandiose showcases. There are many ways to get around CES, and here is how we’d rank the modes of transportation available, from zero to five TNW chips. Taxi Taxis are plentiful in Vegas, but the only way to pick one up is from an established business location. Because you cannot hail one from the street, the lines at hotels and convention centers can get ridiculously long,…

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Snowcookie tracks your skiing to maximize your downhill form

Jan08
by on January 8, 2015 at 11:37 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, Insider

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Part of the joy of skiing is perfecting your downhill form. Unfortunately, that usually involves a very expensive private lesson with video showing you all the things you’ve done wrong after the fact. Snowcookie can give you that information while you’re actually on the slopes. The Snowcookie system involves two sensors placed on your skis and placing your iPhone with the installed companion app towards the middle of your chest. Founder and CEO Martin Kawalski says that putting your phone in a front pocket will suffice. Once you get the system set up it tracks your skis and your body position and…

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Map of Life unveils new Google Earth-powered tool to aid conservation efforts

Jan08
by on January 8, 2015 at 11:30 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider, Product Updates

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Extinction sucks. And with that in mind, it’s incumbent on humans to make sure that other species besides ourselves can inhabit the planet and support thriving populations for generations to come. Another resource has now made its way into the toolkit to help with the critical task of protecting biodiversity. Map of Life has pre-released a new service powered by the Google Earth engine that can better define and locate at-risk species specifically in nature reserves. The new service, announced in a Google Research Blog post, uses biodiversity data and high-resolution habitat information to locate and evaluate the actual conditions of species in greater detail…

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Facebook acquires QuickFire, a video compression startup

Jan08
by on January 8, 2015 at 10:44 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

Facebook is getting serious about video. Its latest statistics show a dramatic uptick in video watching on the social network and now it’s purchasing video compression startup Quickfire. QuickFire’s technology can quickly transcode a video to take less bandwidth for users, without a drop in video quality, which is a natural fit for the social network. The acquisition means that Quickfire will be winding down business operations and some team members will be joining Facebook. The move is good news, especially for Facebook users in countries where bandwidth is much more scarce. ➤ Facebook acquires Quickfire [WSJ]

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