December 2011
73 posts
1 tag
Adventure Resolutions
Screenshot: EpicThrills
Too often our New Year’s resolutions look too much like work and not enough like fun. This year, let’s all agree that we need to get more exercise and save the resolutions for something a little more interesting — like kickass adventure vacations to Patagonia or Iceland! This is your life, ok? Let’s do something! Our latest find is EpicThrills, a new travel...
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Pray for Snow
Photo: “Chair, birch and sky” by Flickr user Rudi Riet under CC (BY-SA 2.0 license)
Here’s how skiing and snowboarding work: you take a big mountain, dump a bunch of snow all over it, then you ski or snowboard down the mountain on top of the snow that you dumped all over it. Most of the time there are chairlifts involved, and some of the time there are monoskis involved. ...
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Resolve to ‘Have a Cow, Man’!
Photo “Raw milk cheese” by Flickr user Rebecca under CC (BY 2.0 license)
Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA’s, are becoming a mainstream part of the vegetable and fruit economy. The latest version of CSA’s are slightly illegal under the table omnivore communities who share a cow’s raw milk, a pig’s meat, or a local fisherman’s bounty.
The benefit to local shares is often the...
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Food Trends of 2012
Photo “Sidecar” by Flickr user Alejandra Owens under CC (BY-ND 2.0 license)
In 2012, the food world is predicted to go through some changes. The Food Channel cites locavorism as their number one food trend, and I would also support this with continuing awareness of vegetarian, vegan, paleo, pescatarian, etc. diets becoming mainstream.
I predict the continued rise of documented semi-...
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The Best Viral Vids of 2011
Watch the Official Ojai Valley Taxidermy TV Commercial on YouTube.
Year end is for two things: wondering how everything in the past year went to crap, and reminiscing about the great viral videos that hit up the webz. Guilty Dog: Guilty. Yes. Hilariously cute. Very yes. Reverse Psychology: Don’t watch this adorable video of a dad using Jedi Mind Tricks on his son. Don’t. ...
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New Douche on the Block
The latest morons to challenge the collective power of the internet come from Ocean Marketing. Ocean Marketing is a firm responsible for promoting the Avenger, a controller specially designed for the handicapped. So how did something for good go wrong? It started when a customer named Dave wrote an email to Ocean Marketing asking for an update on his apparently long-delayed order. The response...
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DO YOU SUFFER FROM TABLET ELBOW?
Photo: “Amazon Kindle” by Flickr user Chris Coyier under CC (BY-ND 2.0 license)
There’s a new epidemic sweeping the nation and it’s affecting technology users of all ages: tablet elbow. It’s comparable to pointer-finger-itis (from tapping your touch screen too hard) but much more serious than tennis elbow because honestly, who’s playing tennis all day, every day? To rid yourself of...
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HOW TO MASTER HOLIDAY’S HOTTEST GADGETS
Photo: “Apple iPad” by Flickr user John Karakatsanis under CC (BY-SA 2.0 license)
Did all of your gadget dreams come true this holiday season? Great, but getting the perfect gift is only half the fun. Now you need to learn how to use it, and fast. Even IT Girl isn’t too proud to do a little research on how to best use her new device (a Kindle Fire).
iPad2: No Apple product is...
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The Best of 2011
Photo via WIRED
2011 is wrapping up, so let’s take a moment to marvel at all the great design and innovation that has emerged in the last year, despite a still sluggish economy and, sadly, the loss of an industry giant. First, The Next Web’s got a a great round up of mobile tech in 2011 and WIRED takes a look at the year in tablets. And with tablets and mobile becoming evermore the...
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Digital Gentleman's Guide to Throwing a...
Photo by State Library and Archives of Florida
I learned during my undergrad days that the three ingredients to a party are good drinks, good music, and good ambiance. So this New Year’s, dispose of the cheap hats and turn things up with a well-curated set of tools designed to ring in the new year in style. First, drinks. What NYE party is complete without the bubbly? But rather than...
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Smarter Upstarter’s SXSW Advice
It’s a little too early to be thinking about SXSW if you’re not attending, but if you are, the time to snag your hotel room is now. First time at SXSW Interactive? Your friendly neighborhood Upstarter has the short list for places to crash.
The Driskill — The granddaddy of this list. Austin’s most famous hotel features rawhide furniture, traditional western art, and a prime location right on 6th...
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Siri’s Brand Awareness
Has anyone else noticed how unbelievable Siri is at recognizing proper nouns?
While in search of the Anne Taylor store near me last week, I took a shot and said “Anne Taylor” to Siri. Instead of the expected “I don’t see Anne Taylor in your contacts” message, Siri assumed I meant the store, and showed me the nearest location. She did the same for Tommy Hilfiger. While driving that night, I...
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MAKER’S GUIDE TO HOLIDAY MOVIES
Photo by Flickr user Matt P. under Creative Commons (BY 2.0 license)
Forget the big name actors, the action-packed plots, and the holiday themes. We’re breaking down why we, as geeks, should get excited about a few non-traditional holiday movies this season.
THE ADVENTURES OF TIN TIN: Using advanced motion capture technology that will impress even those who don’t like “cartoons,” the famed comic...
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BUILD YOUR OWN WINTER WONDERLAND
Video screenshot via WIRED (via Instructables)
Yeah, yeah. The holidays are coming to a close, but if you’re looking to keep yourself busy on your time off, we’re still gathering cool winter projects that will make this season – or the next one – even more magical and bright.
If today, your Christmas Day, is not a white one, fear not. With $100 and a trip to the hardware store – if it’s open –...
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Space Travel on a Budget
Photo: “WK2/SS2 from directly below” by Flickr user Jeff Foust under CC (BY 2.0 license)
I happened to catch Smarter Upstarter’s post about the Facebook IPO the other day, and something stuck with me. One of those lucky employees is considering — not fantasizing about, but really considering — a vacation to space. My brain’s still trying to process the notion. Outer space?As a...
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Adventure Capitalist Gift Guide
Image via WIRED
Well? Did you get it all done? Gifts bought, wrapped, shipped, and delivered? Congratulations to those of you who pulled it off, but I think you forgot one person. Somebody special. Look in the mirror — what about you? It’s important to do a little something for yourself this month, so take a look around and pick out something you’ve been wanting. You deserve it. Svpply’s...
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An Unsung American Classic
Photo “Fried Oreos” by Flickr user Pat Castaldo under CC (BY-ND 2.0 license)
The holiday season provides many opportunities for gluttony, indulgence, sugar and chocolate. I like to try all the homemade cookies (not withstanding the general inverse relationship between taste and beauty), the sweet and spicy cocktails, the unique overly packaged chocolate and more. I can’t help it. I’m...
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Entomophagy Resurgence
Video screenshot via The Perennial Plate
En-to-mo-pha-what? Entomophagy is the practice of eating insects for food. Located somewhere between a high concept food trend and a panacea for impending global food scarcity, one thing is clear: the lowly bug is back!
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization is championing the critters as a nutritional alternative to meat and is expected to present this...
Searching for Utopia
By 2050, 75 percent of the globe’s population will live in cities. Fast-forward with “Searching for Utopia,” a provocative look at the future of cities from Academy Award-nominated director Nathaniel Kahn, and son of legendary architect Louis Kahn.
Much like the way his father, Louis, saw new potential for buildings, Nathaniel journeys to the cradle of civilization to explore one of the world’s...
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Culturazzi's Gift Guide
Image via WIRED
OK this gift guide is coming in right at the wire, but I figured if you’re procrastinating on gift buying, I can procrastinate on gift guide writing. Without further ado:
First, consider the Kickstarter-powered ideas I’ve written about previously: the multi-touch keyboard or the LunaTik tablet/analog pen. Sure they wouldn’t arrive by Xmas, but with such cool...
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A Dose (or two) of Tolkien
Watch the trailer on WIRED.
This has been a good week for Tolkien fans. First, the trailer to Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit. Seeing it is like seeing an old friend, and Jackson’s tone and feel is still pitch perfect. Adding to the lore are a lot more dwarves and Jackson’s use of songs lifted right out of Tolkien’s text. The best part: Sir Ian McKellen hasn’t aged a...
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SO YOU WANNA BE A VIRAL VIDEO STAR?
Photo: “YouTube Generation” by Flickr user jonsson under CC license (BY 2.0)
You’ve probably had a conversation with a friend where you came up with some genius invention and then your friend said, “That’s a million dollar idea!” You agreed and then forgot about it … forever. On a much smaller scale, you’ve probably had a hilarious YouTube video idea but were too lazy or...
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DEATH BY TWITTER
Illustration “Twitter” by Flickr user Pete Simon under Creative Commons (BY 2.0 license)
Twitter is an interesting place to be when a celebrity death announcement sweeps the world – even when it’s fake, like in the case of Jon Bon Jovi or Justin Bieber. Fans take to their mobile devices or social media dashboards and tweet condolences with special hashtags in honor of their late...
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Digital Gentleman's Guide to Gift Guides
Photo via JD Hancock
T-minus five days and counting, ladies and gentlemen. Perhaps many of you have wrapped up your gift buying, while others have been stuck at the office finishing the 2012 budget plan and thus too busy to get started. Well, there are many gift guides out there to help out even the most procrastinating amongst us, so here’s my Guide to Gift Guides. Amongst them all,...
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Could saving the planet be a design problem?
Photo via WIRED
If there’s one thing Apple taught us, it’s that simple, engaging design can go a long way. Maybe it can even help save the planet. The Nest Thermostat comes from Nest Labs, a company headed by an ex-Apple exec who helped develop the iPod. You can see the resemblance. Unlike most thermostats, the Nest’s wheel design is so approachable as to be...
Driven by Design
Watch the video at discovery.com/energy.
“Efficiency” is a car buyer’s favorite buzzword. Refined fuel sippers have replaced clunky gas guzzlers, engines have been streamlined for ultimate performance, and yet, there’s still one element that puzzles even the most adept designers, the most inefficient part of the car today: the drivers.
By 2050, the world’s car fleet is expected to triple and...
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Smarter Learning with the iPad & Farmers Insurance
The newly-minted University of Farmers in Grand Rapids, MI is 50,000 square feet of learning labs, 360-degree collaborative classrooms, and simulated agent offices. The trick is understanding how to utilize all that technology—otherwise you end up with a bunch of students who had a blast playing with cool toys, but didn’t learn anything. One of the keys at U of F, as well as in younger...
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Better Living through Hashtags
Image via Likeable
Posting to Facebook from a laptop is a pain. It’s “frictiony,” as they say in the developer world, meaning it takes a bunch of clicks to accomplish something. Which is why these days I do pretty much all my social media updating via the glorious desktop Twitter app. With keyboard shortcuts and drag and drop in play, things happen a lot more quickly. Best of all, you can...
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Teens in Tech
Daniel Brusilovsky runs a pretty tight ship. The 19 year old founder and CEO of Teens in Tech Labs is interviewing panelists, operating the projector, and even running the raffle for his company’s Teens in Tech Conference. About a hundred people gathered in a 33rd floor Microsoft conference room in downtown LA last Saturday to hear current and former teen entrepreneurs share their stories and...
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RELIVE 2011 THROUGH LEGOS
Photo: “Permutation” by Flickr user wooleywonderworks under CC (BY 2.0 license)
As a new year approaches, you can bet on one thing: an obscene amount of “best of the year” round-ups or “the year in photos” slideshows popping up all over the Internet. But this one tops them all: LA Weekly’s The Year In LEGO.
Perhaps inspired by the Occupy LEGO Land initiative, journalist L.J....
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FACT: NEON TUBING MAKES EVERYTHING COOLER
Video screen shot YouTube user StrongbowCiderAus
I promise. I’m really not obsessed with TRON. I just can’t get enough of the soft glow from that aqua EL wire. Like on this messenger bag or this custom Lightcycle. Or these surfboards.
Yes, neon lights take to the waves. A group of Australians attempted to gather the largest group of glow-in-the-dark surfers at Bondi Beach in celebration of...
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Adventure Capitalist Gift Guide
Image illustration by Justin Beere. (Left: Mono wallet via Fab. Right: MAKO Bike Tool via PocketToolX)
Alright ladies and germs, we’re getting down to the wire for the holiday shopping season, and we need to step it up. I’m doing my part this week by sharing two gift ideas — that’s a 100% increase from last week! Hockey-stick growth! Bicycles are simple machines, and can be easily tuned...
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The NFL's iPad Play
Image via WIRED
iPads have come to the NFL. Over at Playbook, sportswriter Kyle Stack has taken a good hard look at just how deeply the iPad has been integrated into the workflow of your average NFL franchise. Instead of printing thousands and thousands of playbook pages every year, the Baltimore Ravens are moving towards a paperless iPad system. Instead of burning through thousands of DVDs...
MGM Ka at the WIRED Store
Photo by Amy Sokoloff
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Cross Referencing Cross Cultural Recipes
Graphic via Scientific Reports
Ever notice how easy it is to place similar foods on a global map based on their flavors? For example, think about Western chicken soup vs. Vietnamese Pho: They are both the same basic composition of chicken, broth, noodles, vegetables and herbs and spices with geographically identifiable flavor profiles.
A new study, “Flavor Network and The Principles of Food...
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Gouda Goes The Distance
Photo: “Gouda - Ready to Cut Open” by Flickr user Rebecca (CC BY 2.0 license)
What food would your bring to a desert island? What about on a mission into outerspace?
Lucky for Dutch Astronaut André Kuipers, astronauts are allowed to request special food items for his upcoming six month long foreign journey. His request was none other than multiple award-winning Old Amsterdam Aged...
Presenting "Energy 2050"
In partnership with Shell and Wired, Discovery presents EARTH 2050, a provocative television special airing on Discovery Channel that looks at the energy challenges our world faces over the next 40 years.
By the year 2050, the world’s population will reach nine billion. The demand on the world’s resources - energy, first and foremost - will be severe. But the road from now to then...
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Tech the Halls with WIRED
Tech the Halls is a nationwide holiday listening party, with the biggest names in tech journalism coming together to throw down on turntable.fm in head-to-head DJ battles. And there’s more than just bragging rights on the line: the battles are the finale to a month-long fundraising campaign for One Laptop Per Child, and the money raised will be donated in the winning DJ’s name.
Join...
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Last Chance to Bid on Norman Reedus' Photography
Norman Reedus Auctions Signed Photography for Oxfam. Watch the video on YouTube.
Norman Reedus, a photographer and actor – best known for his work in The Walking Dead – is auctioning photographs he took around the set in Georgia. Today is your last chance to bid on one of these surreal pieces. All proceeds to benefit Oxfam.
Visit the auction on charitybuzz.
See photos from Norman Reedus’...
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The Dolphin Jetpack
Watch the video at Zapata-Racing
Remember that scene in Ironman when Tony Stark first flies around in the armor? How he uses the main leg thrusters for lift and then the arms for steering? Then remember how sad you were that you didn’t have that technology? Well, you still don’t, but thanks to a French firm, you’re a little bit closer. The Flyboard is a waterjet-powered board...
The Cloud is Growing
Join the discussion on Cloudline, an online community presented by IBM and WIRED. Tech experts, journalists, and IT insiders all weigh in on how the cloud is shifting today’s computing landscape. Meet this month’s Cloudline contributor:
Dr. Angel Luis Diaz, IBM Software Group Vice President, Software Standards & Cloud, delivers interoperability and innovation across multi-vendor...
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Angry Birds Theme Park Opening in China
Image via Huffington Post
From what I can tell from my Google Reader, China is a major economic threat to the US. Something about owning all of our debt. I don’t know about that, but I do know that China has 100% of the Angry Birds theme parks, and that isn’t OK. The attraction is totally unlicensed and will probably be shut down soon. Judging from the video, this park might need...
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IS TECHNOLOGY MAKING US MISERABLE?
Photo: “RIP Steve Jobs” by Flickr user Eric Wittman under CC license (CC BY-ND 2.0)
It may not be ruining our lives but, according to this AllTop infographic, it could be ruining our minds. Social media is affecting not only our attention spans, but our multitasking skills and social interactions as well. And there’s not many who will disagree with Fast Company’s argument...
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WHEN THE HOLIDAYS BRING OUT THE GEEKIEST IN YOU
Photo: “Starship Christmas Tree 8” by Flickr user JD Hancock (CC BY 2.0 license)
The holidays are a time for giving … or for exposing your geekiness to all of your family and friends. Are you gadget-obsessed like me? If you answer “yes” to three or more of these questions, it’s safe to say that you might need a vacation from digital distractions come January 1.
Question 1:...
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The Man. The Legend. The Deiter.
Dieter Rams’ T3 Transistor Radio from 1958. Look familiar? Via WIRED.
Dieter Rams is for me what Joss Whedon is for sci-fi nerds, or who Michael Jordan is for sports fans, a larger than life character who basically changed the game. Rams almost literally designed the modern world. He worked for decades at Braun making coffee makers and shavers into works of functional art, and now he has...
The Lunatik Pen is Just Crazy
Watch the video on Kickstarter.
The last time Scott Wilson put his brainchild on Kickstarter (on the now famous TikTok+LunaTik watches) he raised over a million dollars. So now he’s at it again, putting pen to paper. And pen to pad. No really that’s literally the idea. The LunaTik Touch Pen is Wilson’s answer to the problem of having both a paper pad and digital pad on your...
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Social Media Timesaver
What is Summify? Watch the video on Vimeo.
The social media news aggregator Summify was one of the very first things we covered here at Smarter Upstarter. Back in April, Summify was little more than a once or twice daily email that scraped your social media accounts to determine which stories were getting shared the most. And now? Well now it’s pretty much the same thing, which is why I’ve been...
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The Facebook IPO Trickle Down
Photo via TechCrunch
Reuters recently did a short piece about how the local Palo Alto economy will be affected next year when a thousand new Facebook millionaires are suddenly running around town. A few of the more tenured employees have some pretty outrageous plans for how to spend their IPO shares. See if you can guess which scenario I made up:
An expedition to Mexico, where a group of...
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Smarter Learning with the iPad & Farmers Insurance
In San Diego, Speech Pathologist Adrian Mamikonian uses an iPad with her high school students with special needs. “I can use apps like Pow! Strip Designer to make personalized comic strips that teach conversation and social skills to young people on the autism spectrum.”
In San Francisco, Occupational Therapist Jessica Klemp began including iPads in her student sessions as a new way to engage...
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GIVE THE GIFT OF GEEKY
Photo “Paper” by Flickr user Riley Kaminer under Creative Commons (CC BY 2.0 license)
It’s the season of sharing, so why not share your love of making with someone you love? Encourage others to let their true maker shine and join the DIY revolution.
Every naysayer needs a little nudge. Bring inspiration and confidence with the new book from the creator of BoingBoing and...