One More Thing… [iPad Parody]

Here is a parody of the new Apple iPad. I imitate Steve Jobs’ presentations. Enjoy.

Digg it! http://digg.com/apple/One_More_Thing_iPad_Parody

Pandora Radio Mac App

Hey guys. Using the great app-making tool for Mac, Fluid, I’ve created my first app. It’s a simple app that let’s you listen to Pandora radio without having to open up Safari, create a new tab, and log in to your account every time you want to listen to some music. So to download it, follow the 4Shared link and enjoy!

http://www.4shared.com/file/193804487/dfbc17a8/Pandoraapp.html

Digg this!

Icon credit to Iconshock.

I Made a Podcast!

So, with my new Mac Book Pro, I decided to utilize every single feature! With iWeb and GarageBand, I have started my own podcast- Mike’s World of Tech, Music, and More- ya I know, long title. Deal with it. So I’d like some feedback and some subscribers. Kthxbye!

Linky—> http://web.me.com/mikecefalo/podcast

Eagle-i Video Recording Sunglasses

For Christmas, I was very fortunate to receive a pair of the Eagle-i Video Recording Sunglasses. These not only provide one of the smallest audio/video recorders and mask it for stealth recording and hidden camera-esque activities, but the audio and video quality are quite outstanding for a camera of that size.

This video is my visit to Ross Park Mall on December 26. It was recorded entirely with the Eagle-i glasses and edited with iMovie on my new Mac Book Pro.

This is a test video I made on the morning of December 26.

“Mystery Google” Changes Name to “Mystery Social,” “Mystery Seeker”

The popular site- Mystery Google- where “you get what the person before you searched for” has undergone a few name changes the last couple of days. The first change transformed the site into “Mystery Social” but was soon switched to “Mystery Seeker.” The “I’m Feeling Lucky!” button has also been modified to make an “Are You Sure?” button. Also, above the search bar is a message stating “Last name change, we promise.” However, the URL still remains as mysterygoogle.com.

A popular rumor that is most likely true isn’t really that hard to figure out. After Mystery Google gained much popularity from the FML sister site MLIA, Google most likely contacted the owner of Mystery Google and demanded a name change.

Many, myself included, are crushed because Mystery Google missions will never be the same. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, users utilize the “previous search” feature to leave the next user a (usually humorous) mission to complete- such as “Mission: call 555-5555 and sing a song!”

Mitosis

Not my usual style of video. I haven’t posted in a while, so when I made this short animation for my Honors Biology 1 class, I thought I’d post it.

This animation shows the mitosis phase of the cell cycle and covers these steps:

• Prophase
• Metaphase
• Anaphase
• Telophase

 

Google Chrome for iPhone

 

Naw not really, but it is a theme to make Mobile Safari look like Google Chrome. The source for this theme should already be installed on your iPhone, but if it isn’t, the source is http://apt.modmyi.com/. The package is called “Google Chrome Safari.”

This Mobile Safari theme comes complete with

• “Page forward/back” buttons
• “New page/tab” button
• “Bookmark” button
• “Favorites” button
• “Stop/refresh” buttons
• “Close page” button

All that have the familiar look and feel of the Google Chrome Browser.

Also, note that when the new page button is selected, the background is also themed to have a Google Chrome look. In portrait mode, a chromium design is featured, while a Google Chrome logo and title are featured in landscape mode.

 

 

Have fun!

Puzzle Master

In the 1950’s, Martin Gardner was an editor in New York City for the children’s magazine “Humpty Dumpty.”

Mr. Gardner received a job offer in 1956 from the publisher of “Scientific American” magazine. The job offer was to write a monthly column on “recreational mathematics,” a term used to describe math puzzles, riddles, and stories. Mr. Gardner had never taken a math class after high school and considered himself poor at math. He took the job anyway.

Mr. Gardner recently turned 95 years old. Since taking a chance on that job offer in 1956, he has published over 70 “recreational math” books including two this year. He started this amazing career with his first article for “Scientific American” about “flexagons”, pieces of paper folded into various shapes.

Most of Martin’s math puzzles were formed through research at various New York book stores. Some are very old including some that are several centuries old. Many have been passed down through the generations and often change and evolve as years go by. Mr. Gardner always admitted that he was not a skilled mathematician and always credited others for their work. He struggled through each puzzle until he thoroughly understood it. Therefore, he could better explain the puzzle to his readers.

He stopped writing his magazine column in 1981, but he continued to write math related books and essays. Since 1994, magicians, puzzle enthusiasts, and mathematicians gather in Atlanta, Georgia every two years to exchange puzzle ideas at an event called “The Gathering for Gardner.” Mr. Gardner is happy that more teachers are using puzzles in their math curriculum.

On the surface, Mr. Gardner’s puzzles are about animals, boats, and pool halls, but they are really about theorems and magnificent numbers. When you find the answer to one of his puzzles, you know that it is true and everything makes sense.

Mr. Gardner believed that a good puzzle lasted forever. One of the world’s oldest puzzles is known as the “rowboat problem.” This puzzle has been passed down in many different forms for approximately 12 centuries. An interactive version of this puzzle can be found at http://www.mathcats.com/explore/river/crossing.html.

Dinosaurs?

I have selected the Rob Rogers “Dinosaur” political cartoon as my topic for this essay. In the cartoon, Rogers portrays the newspaper industry as a dinosaur who is selling newspapers. The newspaper in the dinosaur’s hand shows a headline stating “DINOSAURS IN TROUBLE / FORD, GM, CHRYSLER.” The irony of the cartoon is one struggling industry commenting on another struggling industry.

Most experts believe that the “Big Three” (3 major US auto makers- GM, Ford, and Chrysler) mismanaged their products, time, and money. This has greatly contributed to the crisis in the auto industry. The Big Three market share in 1998 was 70% of all cars sold in the US. By 2008, the market share had decreased to 53%. The Big Three focused their product lines around larger, fuel inefficient models (like the larger SUVs and pick-up trucks) for better profit margins. The Big Three used to make 15 to 20% profit margin on SUVs / pick-ups, while only making about 3% on smaller automobiles.

Rising fuel costs lead consumers to look for smaller vehicles with better gas mileage. Consumers believed that foreign auto makers had higher quality and more fuel efficient vehicles. The Big Three had been much slower to bring innovative, fuel efficient, yet appealing automobiles to the market.

Other problems also contributed to the decline of major US auto makers. All Big Three assembly plants were unionized. This meant higher labor, benefit, and legacy costs were given to the workers. Legacy costs are costs associated with pensions and benefits to thousands of retired employees. The 2008 “financial crisis and credit crunch” also hurt the Big Three. Auto makers had less access to capital and consumers had a harder time getting auto loans. The increasing costs of oil also lead to higher costs of parts and raw materials.

In September of 2008, the US government made the first of many “bailout loans” to the US auto industry. This has lead to increased government ownership and oversight of the Big Three auto makers. Of the Big Three, Ford was the only company that did not accept bailout money. The newest government sponsored deal is the “Cash for Clunkers” program. This program guarantees minimum trade-in values to consumers on older, less fuel efficient cars. The success or failure of this plan is still a matter of major debate.

Much like the auto industry, 2008 was a horrible year for the newspaper industry. Major newspapers in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Minneapolis declared bankruptcy. Many other newspapers did the same or simply shut down, including the 150 year old Rocky Mountain News. Some of the country’s largest newspapers are also struggling financially including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Advertising revenues were 7.5 billion dollars less than 2007. As of yearend 2008, ad revenues had declined for ten straight quarters. Last year alone, 12,000 newspaper jobs were eliminated.

Major industry problems include declining circulation, lower advertising revenues, increased hi-tech competition, and higher printing and delivery costs. Younger people do not have long and emotional attachments to their local newspaper as their parents once did. More and more of the news is now read online. Many newspapers have eliminated their print editions and publish only online versions.

In my opinion, the printed newspaper may be a “dinosaur” facing extinction, but the US auto industry has a great chance for survival and success. As more people get their news from TV, computers, mobile devices, and satellite radio, printed news will continue to struggle and shrink. Many newspapers acknowledge this fact by moving to online editions only. Furnishing news online is a faster and more cost efficient method for delivering the news.

The US auto industry on the other hand is making strides towards improvement and longevity. Increased focus on consumers’ wants and needs will help improve their sales and market share. All three major US auto makers are currently producing or developing smaller, more fuel efficient models (like the Ford Focus) to compete with foreign auto makers. GM will soon introduce an electric car (the Chevrolet Volt) that can travel up to 40 miles purely on electricity before a small gasoline engine takes over. It is estimated that city driving will result in MPG of 230. Although the Volt will carry a heavy price tag ($40,000) it is estimated that future versions will be less expensive as the technology continues to develop.

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The Oldest Computer in the World

The Antikythera Mechanism

The Antikythera mechanism is the oldest mechanical computer known to date. It is a calculator made for calculating the positions and movement of the sun and moon.  It is also known as the first analog computer because of the many gears contained within. The flawless design of the Antikythera mechanism hints that it was built after many other previous models. It was estimated to be built around 100-150 BC. This device was discovered by sponge divers in 1901 off the coast of the Greek island, Antikythera. All though no more of the Antikythera mechanism can be found, scientists have made many hypotheses of more functions and parts of the device. For instance, it is believed that once a date was entered and a crank was turned, the device could calculate the astronomical positions for that day.