Carve a pumpkin video! One of the best. Not so hard. Use a sharp knife.

Get some templates

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When you search for something on VideoSurf, it brings you results based on visually recognized faces within the video. Another cool feature is the ability to jump to specific part in the video. You can also share them (these specific moments) with friends.

Features:

Video search engine with face recognition
Refine search results based on faces that appear in video.
Timeline to jump right at the video scene you want to watch.
Narrow down results by type (slideshow, TV episode) or genre (funny videos, news, music vids).
Filter results bby video source i.e. YouTube, MetaCafe, Comedy Central etc.
Sort results by relevance, popularity, freshness and duration

http://www.videosurf.com/

Technorati Tags: beta, Facial Recognition, VideoSurf, Youtube killer

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Opponents, however, argue that decriminalizing prostitution will make it harder for law enforcement to pursue human trafficking cases because they will have fewer legal tools at their disposal.

Both sides are basing their arguments on untested theories, as there are currently no known models of officially sanctioned decriminalized prostitution.

Read More:

http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/005723.html

Technorati Tags: decriminalized prostitution, Leagalization, Pimps, San Francisco, Whores

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A glimpse into a NATO simulation tech demo.

Technorati Tags: head tracking, helicopter, NATO, toushscreen

I absolutely love my Orbit. In addition to the fact that we are constantly stopped by people either asking about the stroller or commenting about how cool it is, it has the most user friendly functionality. Love is in the details. Just go try it out. You won’t believe how easy it is to use. For those of you who are debating between the Bugaboo and the Orbit, I actually got the Bugaboo Frog for my first child (before Orbit reached the market) and liked it fine. But in my opinion, the Orbit is so much better for so many reasons. 1) It folds more compactly. It takes up significantly less room in my car than the Bugaboo. 2) It’s a single step, 1-handed fold whereas the Bugaboo required me to remove the seat, put it on the ground so I can have both my hands to click the levers on the stroller, then basically fold it down twice before I can put it in the car (and then bend down to pick up the seat and put that on top of the stroller). 3) It rotates 360 degrees. There are endless obvious benefits to this feature. 4) It has cup holders! 5) It has a great sun shade. I’m constantly worried about my baby’s skin exposure to the sun. With my older child, I always had to lay a blanket on top of the sunshade in order to fully shield her. But with the Orbit’s shade and “paparazzi shield,” they’ve beautifully solved this problem. (Additionally, the toddler stroller seat has a beast of a shade!) The Orbit car seat is heavier, but I feel that the ease of assembling/disassembling the stroller more than compensates for the heavier car seat, meaning you can always just stroll your baby instead of carrying ANY car seat. Another huge plus for the stroller is its maneuverability. I can always push the stroller with one hand and it turns on a dime. Lastly, as a mom who is slightly a clean freak, I love how Orbit understands the importance of being able to remove the linings and pads, machine wash everything, and put it all back on with ease.

More Reviews

Technorati Tags: infant, orbit stroller, pics, review, stroller

1. Better security.
As much as we all have bashed Microsoft for security flaws in their software, a redesigned, more secure Windows Vista kernel wasn’t in the end enough to get businesses or users to flip from Windows XP to Vista. That’s proof positive that good enough security trumps better security. Claiming Windows 7 is more secure than Windows Vista or XP won’t make Windows 7 a success.

2. Lipstick On A Pig.
Vista’s redesigned interface in many ways was simply an overlay on top of existing Windows XP configuration settings. Rather than making it easier to use, it meant Windows knowledgeable users had to learn a new layer just to get to the same underlying functionality already existing in Windows XP. Why take the overpass when the freeway will get you to the same destination, faster.

3. 3D User Interface.
Vista’s Aero interface features and transparency added a cool, glossy look but in the end didn’t materially improve the end user’s experience. For many users it slowed down the user interface, making Vista seem slower than the older Windows XP running on older hardware. More proof that iCandy alone won’t make users switch.

4. Letting Apple Dis You One Commercial At A Time.
Like that yapping terrier next door, Apple just kept coming and coming at Microsoft, attacking each new flaw and imperfection in Vista. Eventually, like enduring the marketing equivalent of water torture, we all just gave in, encouraging Apple and making their “I’m a Mac” commercials just that much more enjoyable. Time for Microsoft to learn the art of smack down and not let Apple paint Windows 7 in the next Vista corner, which you …know… they just can’t wait to do.

5. Death By A Thousand Versions Of The Same Product.
How many versions of Vista are there again? Okay, if you say so. We only need 3 versions of Windows 7: a home version, a business version, and a mobile version. Three products, and three SKUs. That’s it. Give us any more and we’ll send you back into timeout, Microsoft.

6. Fixing What Wasn’t Broken. Oh, my… where do I start.
Probably the best example I can think of is epitomized by ribbon menus in Microsoft Office. (Yes, I know that’s not Vista but it’s a great example of what I’m talking about.) Problem ribbon menus solves: none. Customer benefit: none. End result: negative user productivity. Ribbon menus was about as good an idea as switching to the metric system. I’m sure somebody thought it was a good idea, but nobody asked if it was worth the price we’d have to pay.

7. Annoying The User. UAC was the direct approach.
Ask the end user at every turn possible a question they don’t care about, don’t know the answer to, for something they are going to do any way. Or there’s the indirect approach, the sum of a lot annoying little problems: slower file copy, a slower computer using experience, a lack of drivers, stability issues, confusing product editions, etc. Either approach works great at annoying the end user. Doing both guarantees it will happen.

Technorati Tags: bad, microsoft, Sucks, will fail, Winows 7

Some very good questions coming form the source at Blizzard.

What is the StarCraft II Trilogy?

The StarCraft II Trilogy consists of the base StarCraft II game and two subsequent expansion sets. StarCraft II is subtitled Wings of Liberty (working title) and will include a lengthy single-player campaign that focuses on the terrans and puts players in the role of Jim Raynor, one of the series’ main heroes. The first expansion set, Heart of the Swarm (working title), will follow later and include a single-player campaign focusing on the zerg and Kerrigan, Queen of Blades. The second expansion set, Legacy of the Void (working title), will continue the story experience with a single-player campaign centered on the protoss.

Will we still be able to play multiplayer matches of StarCraft II with all three races?

Yes! From the beginning, StarCraft II will be a fully featured multiplayer game, and all three races will be available for competitive play.

How will the expansion sets impact multiplayer gameplay?

The expansion sets will add new content to each race for use in multiplayer matches. This could include additions such as new units, abilities, and structures, along with new maps and Battle.net updates.

If I buy StarCraft II but don’t buy any of the expansion sets, will I still be able to play online?

Yes. This will work similarly to Warcraft III and the original StarCraft, which maintained separate online gaming lobbies and ladders for expansion set players and players with the base Warcraft III or StarCraft.

How long is each of the campaigns?

StarCraft II’s terran campaign will consist of approximately 26 to 30 missions, and each expansion set will include a similar number of missions. This means that the complete StarCraft II Trilogy will include as many as 90 single-player missions. This allows us to create a truly epic story experience with a great variety of unique missions and gameplay types.

Why did you decide to release each race’s campaign separately?

We’re aiming to push the boundaries of storytelling and character development in RTS games through the unique single-player campaign design of StarCraft II. Players will be able to choose their mission path and technology upgrades for their army as they advance through the campaign. In order to make these choices meaningful while creating an epic story and well-developed characters for each faction, we needed to focus on a single race for a large number of missions.
The Trilogy also allows us to create more in-game and prerendered cinematics to tell the story in between missions. There will be more interactive sets and elements for players to explore during each campaign, along with other interesting design elements to differentiate the single-player game from multiplayer matches. For example, the technology choices within the terran single-player campaign will include special upgrades and unit types that are unique to the single-player game. These could include the ability to purchase classic units such as the wraith or firebat to add to Jim Raynor’s army.

Are these three separate games? How much will all of these games cost?

The StarCraft II Trilogy will consist of the base StarCraft II game and two expansion sets. Pricing on these games hasn’t been determined at this early stage; however, we’ve always charged an appropriate price for the content the player receives, and we will continue to release high-quality games that offer great value.

How long will it take to ship each expansion set in the Trilogy?

We’re still focused on developing the base StarCraft II game, and all the content associated with the terran campaign, including the missions, cinematic cutscenes, and interactive sets. It’s too early to provide an estimate on how long it will take to develop each of the expansion sets in the trilogy, but as always, we will take as much time as is needed to create the best possible gaming experience with each expansion set.

Check this site for new info

Technorati Tags: Blizzard, Demo, Q&A, Questions, Questions Answered, StarCraft 2, StarCraft II, StarQuest Download

Technorati Tags: Google Change, Google update, iGoogle layout change, iGoogle Update

New research is being made in how searching things online is better for the old noodle. I guess that would depend on what you are searching for. Anyone disagree?

“There’s so much interest in exercising our minds as we age,” said the researcher, Dr. Gary Small, a professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. “One result of this study is that these technologies are not all bad. They may be good in keeping our brains active.”

I still advise that searching for “Married with Children” is a good way to lobotomize your frontal lobe. Hey anyone want to pay me for this research? I have a few nursing home participants standing by.

“The bottom line is, when older people read a simulated book page, we see areas of the brain activated that you’d expect, the visual cortex, and areas that control language and reading,” he said. “When they search on the Internet, they use the same areas, but there was much greater activation particularly in the front part, which controls decision-making and complex reasoning. But it was only for the people who had previous experience with the Internet.”

More from the source:
Go get It

Technorati Tags: brain, Google brain, Google good for brain, research, UCLA research

Here we go…

It took me awhile to learn how to click and drag my avatar through the space. I kept on clicking on the floor to move which resulted in my avatar skipping abruptly to the spot I clicked on. I felt jerked into place instead gliding into place. Once I learned how to move my little virtual self, I felt more connected with it. Speaking of my little avatar, it was not the one I picked. My avatar was a girl and not the guy I chose. I chose the guy with the blue hair, not the girl with the red hair.

I must also say that the audio could be jazzed up. The continuous looping of environmental sounds is annoying. There is no sense of connection to the sounds. The audio is very flat with no special dimension. I would expect some spatial sensitivity in a 3D environment.

Some avatar sounds just simply scared the living shit out of me.

I do not feel apart of a community at all. There is no immediate sense of connection to the other inhabitants. I do not see, feel or am I aware of any incentive to learn about my fellow ‘googlers’.

I want to upload Sketchup models to my custom world. Please let me do this.

Overall, I think Google has some big plans with Livlely as in everything they do. But at this point it just seems they are looking to enter a new market with the framework and engine to support something.

http://www.lively.com/

Express your thoughts. I think Google needs to hear it.

Technorati Tags: Avatar, Google, Lively, Second Life

Verizon Wireless today also started selling the new Samsung Sway, a slim slider with a silver finish. The Samsung Sway offers a 2.2″ screen, a 2-megapixel camera with NightShot and video capture, Rhapsody service, Bluetooth, and a microSD slot supporting up to 8GB cards.

Key features:
a media center, offering downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services. Feels nice in the hand.

Samsung claims a talk time of up 4.5 hours. to Measuring 4.15 by 1.96 by 0.47 inches and weighing in at 3.56 ounces, the Samsung Sway costs $120 with a two-year contract.

Technorati Tags: Flux, Mobile, Rhapsody, Samsung Sway, Verizon

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