New Technology : Predicting the Future of Tech Is Hard – Here’s How to Do It Anyway

predicting-tech-future

Through the years, many technologies have come and gone – everything from 8-track tapes and laser discs to PDAs and pagers. The process can be a little surreal, especially as you get older. So how do you know which technologies are worth bothering with? Depending on your age, you’ve probably had your own experiences with technologies passing through your life. In fact, your basement or garage is probably filled with a few of them – old VHS camcorders, analog phones, cassette Walkmans. Many of those technologies transformed lives. Those old Atari game consoles added excitement and joy to the lives...

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New Technology : Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo – Who Had the Best E3 Showing?

e3-best

It’s E3 again, which is like Christmas for gamers, if Santa told you about your presents a year in advance and then spent Christmas morning selling them to you in bits and pieces. This year’s E3 represented a strong showing by the big three console makers. The presentations went weirdly smoothly for everyone involved. Dozens of exciting titles were announced yesterday and this morning, and there’s plenty to look forward to over the coming year. Some of us spent yesterday forgoing food and sleep to stay glued to the live streams, but let’s assume for the sake of argument that you have...

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New Technology : Turn Your Raspberry Pi into a Network Monitoring Tool

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Whether you want to keep an eye on devices on your home network or wish to monitor the performance of your website, the open source Nagios monitoring tool should be your first port of call. Although you’ll need a Linux box, the Nagios software is quick to install and straightforward to configure. But, it’s a bit of a waste of a PC. Having a full system setup and dedicated to checking whether other devices have gone offline wastes space, power and hardware. Fortunately, we have a solution to this, in the shape of the Raspberry Pi, the compact British-built mini-computer...

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New Technology : Can’t See the Windows 10 Upgrade Notification? Here’s How to Enable It.

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Microsoft recently activated the Get Windows notification on eligible Windows 7 and 8.1 devices. Some users don’t see the notification, despite running Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1, both of which qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 10. If that’s you, let us show you how to enable the Get Windows 10 upgrade notification. We’ll also show you how to cancel the upgrade in case you changed your mind. Are You Eligible for the Upgrade? Only specific versions of Windows are eligible for the free upgrade to Windows 10, including genuine versions of Windows 7 (Starter, Home, Professional, and...

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New Technology : Starting a Makerspace on a Budget? Here’s The Equipment You’ll Need

makerspace-equipment

Most of the things that involve computers are solitary endeavors. Writing. Programming. Building electronics projects. It’s not unheard of for creative-minded geeks to lock themselves away for days at a time, isolated from the world, and hack away on their projects. But the problem is, that’s not particularly healthy. People are social animals who crave interaction, and affirmation. They’re collaborative beasts. Which is why countless developers, digital artists, makers, and engineers have launched ‘makerspaces’. What Is A Makerspace? Makerspaces – also known as ‘hackerspaces’ and ‘hack labs’ – exist to provide a common space (and often the raw materials) for members...

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New Technology : What Is GAFA? Why The EU Doesn’t Love Large American Internet Companies

eu-gafa

GAFA is an acronym for Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon — the 4 most powerful American technology companies. Usage of the term “GAFA” is increasingly common in Europe. The acronym, originally from France, is used by the media to identify the 4 companies as a group – often in the context of legal investigations. The EU has been butting heads with large companies for years. Let’s take a look at why it doesn’t like Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon. What’s Different About Europe? The Europe Union, or EU, is composed of 28 countries. The major European powers, like France, Germany and...

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New Technology : Speedrunning Culture: The Future of Single-Player Gaming

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The beauty of video games is that they’re interactive, meaning you can play them however you wish. This may not be as true in an online multiplayer setting, but is certainly true for single player games. The culture of speedrunning is a perfect example. Some people play games for the story and characters. Others play to relax, to take it slow, or to kill time when they’re bored. And then there are those who want to challenge themselves to the extreme. In a lot of ways, the challenge is the heart of gaming. This can manifest in a few ways....

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New Technology : Watching Cat Videos Is Good For You, Googling Fast Food Is Bad, & More… [Tech News Digest]

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Watching cat videos for fun and profit, Googling the calories in fast food, running encrypted Bing searches, exploring Ello on iOS, and the jealous cat who hates video games. Carry On Watching Cat Videos That time you spend watching cat videos online may not actually be as wasteful and pointless as you have been led to believe. In fact, according to a new study published in the Computers in Human Behavior journal, watching cat videos may be good for you. The study surveyed 7,000 people about their habit of watching cat videos and how doing so affects their mood. According...

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New Technology : An Artificial Intelligence That Can Play Mario? The Future is Here

MarI_O - Machine Learning for Video Games - YouTube - Google Chrome 2015-06-17 21.58.05

A.I. can do a lot. As time goes on, the amount of things that can be accomplished without human intervention has expanded tremendously. But all of them fall flat in comparison to the one featured below. The feat it accomplishes will truly blow your mind in the best way possible. Named MarI/O by its creator SethBling on YouTube, this A.I. can figure out its way through a Mario game. Don’t believe us? Check out the video below and prepare to be blown away!

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New Technology : Need Food? 8 Best Social Restaurant Recommendation Apps Worldwide

restaurant-recommendation

When you’re out and about, where do you turn to to tell you where to eat? Do you look around and take your chances? Or do you listen to the wisdom of crowds? There’s a growing trend of relying on social media to find great new products to buy and places to try. We’re no longer just listening to the so-called experts, but we’re seeking out reviews, people who like similar things to us. We’re also paying close attention to the things our friends recommend, which has become easier than ever. Zomato – iPhone / Android Zomato has been a...

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