drag2share: YaCy's gunning for Google with free-software bullets

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/30/yacys-gunning-for-google-with-free-software-bullets/

YaCy's a new free-software search engine aiming to wrest control of your private data back from the Googles and Bings of this world. There's no targeted advertising here, just a global network of peers all connected with the site's software. It currently has 600 peer operators servicing 130,000 queries monthly, with each user able to create individual search rankings so results improve over time. Project head Michael Christen said it's important no person decides what is listed, or in what order -- which makes us wonder what would happen if the Justin Bieber fan club decided to game the system. The software is available on GNU/Linux, Windows 7 and OS X and you can try a web-based tester (if you can get it working) at the source link below.

YaCy's gunning for Google with free-software bullets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink IT World  |  YaCy  | Email this | Comments

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drag2share: British Library digitizes 300 years worth of newspaper archives, brings 65 million articles online

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/30/british-library-digitizes-300-years-worth-of-newspaper-archives/

Britain's historical news junkies are in for a treat today, because the British Library has just digitized a major chunk of its newspaper archive, comprised of four million pages spanning some 300 years of headlines. With today's launch of the British Newspaper Archive, users can search and browse through a staggering 65 million articles from a range of regional UK papers, encompassing the most newsworthy events from the past few centuries. Developed in coordination with online publisher Brightsolid, the archive also allows for remote article access and download, saving researchers a trip to the British Library's newspaper depository in North London. The initiative seems similar to some we've seen from the Library of Congress in recent years, though the archive isn't completely open to the public. Users can search the site for free, but will have to pay a subscription fee to download any article as a PDF. And, expansive as the selection may be, Brightsolid and the Library are aiming to digitize a full 40 million pages over the course of the next decade.

Nevertheless, today's arrival marks an important first step for the British Library and, in a larger sense, British history -- on both individual and collective levels. "For the first time people can search for their ancestors through the pages of our newspapers wherever they are in the world at any time," Ed King, head of the library's newspaper collection, told the Telegraph. "But what's really striking is how these pages take us straight back to scenes of murders, social deprivation and church meetings from hundreds of year ago, which we no longer think about as we haven't been able to easily access articles about them." Be sure to check out the archive at the source link below, and be prepared to lose your entire afternoon in the process.

British Library digitizes 300 years worth of newspaper archives, brings 65 million articles online originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Telegraph, NPR  |  British Newspaper Archive  | Email this | Comments

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drag2share: Ricoh's modular GXR camera getting new 16 megapixel APS-C unit with 24-85mm lens

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/30/ricohs-modular-gxr-camera-getting-new-16-megapixel-aps-c-unit-w/

A new lens for your DSLR or Micro Four Thirds camera may make you feel like you have a whole new camera, but that's really the case with the interchangeable units for the Ricoh GXR. The latest addition to the modular camera's bag of tricks a new 16 megapixel unit with an APS-C sensor, which comes paired with a 24-85mm zoom lens (f3.5-5.5 aperture). Unfortunately, Ricoh isn't getting specific with a price a specific release date (saying only early 2012), but photographer Cristian Sorega reports on his blog that Ricoh will make an official announcement at CES in January, with a release set for January 20th.

Ricoh's modular GXR camera getting new 16 megapixel APS-C unit with 24-85mm lens originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  Ricoh, Cristian Sorega Photography  | Email this | Comments

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Nissan sells more than 20,000 Leafs in first year; Fiat, Not So Much » go-Digital Blog on Digital Marketing http://bit.ly/u2xgkX

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drag2share: SandyStation interactive sandbox uses Kinect to make topography much more interesting (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/30/sandystation-interactive-sandbox-uses-kinect-to-make-topography/

If you're not really into using your Kinect experiment to launch your new startup or give your next presentation, let us offer another entertaining option. Two students at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen have created an interactive sandbox using Kinect, a projector, a computer and, of course, a box chock full of sand. The Xbox motion / depth detector is installed about two feet above the sand pit to measure each area that is carved out. Using a unique detection program, the topographical information is then transmitted to a data projector that renders an image in the sandpit -- the image being a color based on the height or depth of what has been created. The devs have built out a few different projections. Hills that are constructed by the user are assigned a shade of green based on height, while troughs are given blue hues according to depth. What's that? You built a hill and dug out the center? The projector sees that as a volcano, complete with spewing lava. If you're tired of SimCity and want to actually get your hands dirty, take a peak at the video just past the break.

[Thanks, Mark]

Continue reading SandyStation interactive sandbox uses Kinect to make topography much more interesting (video)

SandyStation interactive sandbox uses Kinect to make topography much more interesting (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 01:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Smart Mania (Czech)  | Email this | Comments

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