By Sam Biddle, Gizmodo – September 02, 2010 at 02:40PM
Panoramic photography can be tricky. What’s better? Canon’s camera that shoots a single, 360° image. The tech uses a giant, 50 megapixel CMOS sensor and aspheric mirror to capture a sharp, sweeping photo, exceeding the human eye’s measly 120° view. More »
By Dennis Crouch, Patent Law Blog (Patently-O) – September 02, 2010 at 01:51PM
The USPTO has released a set of updated examination guidelines on the core patentability issue of obviousness. The 18–page guidelines do not have the force of law, but will impact how examiners judge obviousness in practice. The updates primarily focus on Federal Circuit opinions that interpret and implement the holdings of KSR v. Teleflex, 550 U.S 398 (2007). I have copied the following tables from the Federal Register. [https://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-21646.pdf].
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Combining Prior Art Elements |
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In re Omeprazole Patent Litigation, 536 F.3d 1361 (Fed. Cir. 2008). |
Even where a general method that could have been applied to make the claimed product was known and within the level of skill of the ordinary artisan, the claim may nevertheless be nonobvious if the problem which had suggested use of the method had been previously unknown. |
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Crocs, Inc. v. U.S. Int’l Trade Comm’n., 598 F.3d 1294 (Fed. Cir. 2010). |
A claimed combination of prior art elements may be nonobvious where the prior art teaches away from the claimed combination and the combination yields more than predictable results. |
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Sundance, Inc. v. DeMonte Fabricating Ltd., 550 F.3d 1356 (Fed. Cir. 2008). |
A claimed invention is likely to be obvious if it is a combination of known prior art elements that would reasonably have been expected to maintain their respective properties or functions after they have been combined. |
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Ecolab, Inc. v. FMC Corp., 569 F.3d 1335 (Fed. Cir. 2009). |
A combination of known elements would have been prima facie obvious if an ordinarily skilled artisan would have recognized an apparent reason to combine those elements and would have known how to do so. |
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Wyers v. Master Lock Co., No. 2009–1412, —F.3d—, 2010 WL 2901839 (Fed. Cir. July 22, 2010). |
The scope of analogous art is to be construed broadly and includes references that are reasonably pertinent to the problem that the inventor was trying to solve. Common sense may be used to support a legal conclusion of obviousness so long as it is explained with sufficient reasoning. |
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DePuy Spine, Inc. v. Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc., 567 F.3d 1314 (Fed. Cir. 2009). |
Predictability as discussed in KSR encompasses the expectation that prior art elements are capable of being combined, as well as the expectation that the combination would have worked for its intended purpose. An inference that a claimed combination would not have been obvious is especially strong where the prior art’s teachings undermine the very reason being proffered as to why a person of ordinary skill would have combined the known elements. |
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Substituting One Known Element for Another |
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In re ICON Health & Fitness, Inc., 496 F.3d 1374 (Fed. Cir. 2007). |
When determining whether a reference in a different field of endeavor may be used to support a case of obviousness (i.e., is analogous), it is necessary to consider the problem to be solved. |
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Agrizap, Inc. v. Woodstream Corp., 520 F.3d 1337 (Fed. Cir. 2008). |
Analogous art is not limited to references in the field of endeavor of the invention, but also includes references that would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art as useful for applicant’s purpose. |
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Muniauction, Inc. v. Thomson Corp., 532 F.3d 1318 (Fed. Cir. 2008). |
Because Internet and Web browser technologies had become commonplace for communicating and displaying information, it would have been obvious to adapt existing processes to incorporate them for those functions. |
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Aventis Pharma Deutschland v. Lupin, Ltd., 499 F.3d 1293 (Fed. Cir. 2007). |
A chemical compound would have been obvious over a mixture containing that compound as well as other compounds where it was known or the skilled artisan had reason to believe that some desirable property of the mixture was derived in whole or in part from the claimed compound, and separating the claimed compound from the mixture was routine in the art. |
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Eisai Co. Ltd. v. Dr. Reddy’s Labs., Ltd., 533 F.3d 1353 (Fed. Cir. 2008). |
A claimed compound would not have been obvious where there was no reason to modify the closest prior art lead compound to obtain the claimed compound and the prior art taught that modifying the lead compound would destroy its advantageous property. Any known compound may serve as a lead compound when there is some reason for starting with that lead compound and modifying it to obtain the claimed compound. |
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Procter & Gamble Co. v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., 566 F.3d 989 (Fed. Cir. 2009). |
It is not necessary to select a single compound as a ”lead compound” in order to support an obviousness rejection. However, where there was reason to select and modify the lead compound to obtain the claimed compound, but no reasonable expectation of success, the claimed compound would not have been obvious. |
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Altana Pharma AG v. Teva Pharms. USA, Inc., 566 F.3d 999 (Fed. Cir. 2009). |
Obviousness of a chemical compound in view of its structural similarity to a prior art compound may be shown by identifying some line of reasoning that would have led one of ordinary skill in the art to select and modify a prior art lead compound in a particular way to produce the claimed compound. It is not necessary for the reasoning to be explicitly found in the prior art of record, nor is it necessary for the prior art to point to only a single lead compound. |
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The Obvious To Try Rationale |
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In re Kubin, 561 F.3d 1351 (Fed. Cir. 2009). |
A claimed polynucleotide would have been obvious over the known protein that it encodes where the skilled artisan would have had a reasonable expectation of success in deriving the claimed polynucleotide using standard biochemical techniques, and the skilled artisan would have had a reason to try to isolate the claimed polynucleotide. KSR applies to all technologies, rather than just the ”predictable” arts. |
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Takeda Chem. Indus. v. Alphapharm Pty., Ltd., 492 F.3d 1350 (Fed. Cir. 2007). |
A claimed compound would not have been obvious where it was not obvious to try to obtain it from a broad range of compounds, any one of which could have been selected as the lead compound for further investigation, and the prior art taught away from using a particular lead compound, and there was no predictability or reasonable expectation of success in making the particular modifications necessary to transform the lead compound into the claimed compound. |
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Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc. v. Mylan Labs, Inc., 520 F.3d 1358 (Fed. Cir. 2008). |
Where the claimed anti-convulsant drug had been discovered somewhat serendipitously in the course of research aimed at finding a new anti-diabetic drug, it would not have been obvious to try to obtain a claimed compound where the prior art did not present a finite and easily traversed number of potential starting compounds, and there was no apparent reason for selecting a particular starting compound from among a number of unpredictable alternatives. |
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Bayer Schering Pharma A.G. v. Barr Labs., Inc., 575 F.3d 1341 (Fed. Cir. 2009). |
A claimed compound would have been obvious where it was obvious to try to obtain it from a finite and easily traversed number of options that was narrowed down from a larger set of possibilities by the prior art, and the outcome of obtaining the claimed compound was reasonably predictable. |
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Sanofi-Synthelabo v. Apotex, Inc., 550 F.3d 1075 (Fed. Cir. 2008). |
A claimed isolated stereoisomer would not have been obvious where the claimed stereoisomer exhibits unexpectedly strong therapeutic advantages over the prior art racemic mixture without the correspondingly expected toxicity, and the resulting properties of the enantiomers separated from the racemic mixture were unpredictable. |
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Rolls-Royce, PLC v. United Technologies Corp., 603 F.3d 1325 (Fed. Cir. 2010). |
An obvious to try rationale may be proper when the possible options for solving a problem were known and finite. However, if the possible options were not either known or finite, then an obvious to try rationale cannot be used to support a conclusion of obviousness. |
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Perfect Web Techs., Inc. v. InfoUSA, Inc., 587 F.3d 1324 (Fed. Cir. 2009). |
Where there were a finite number of identified, predictable solutions and there is no evidence of unexpected results, an obvious to try inquiry may properly lead to a legal conclusion of obviousness. Common sense may be used to support a legal conclusion of obviousness so long as it is explained with sufficient reasoning. |
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Consideration of Evidence |
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PharmaStem Therapeutics, Inc. v. ViaCell, Inc., 491 F.3d 1342 (Fed. Cir. 2007). |
Even though all evidence must be considered in an obviousness analysis, evidence of nonobviousness may be outweighed by contradictory evidence in the record or by what is in the specification. Although a reasonable expectation of success is needed to support a case of obviousness, absolute predictability is not required. |
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In re Sullivan, 498 F.3d 1345 (Fed. Cir. 2007). |
All evidence, including evidence rebutting a prima facie case of obviousness, must be considered when properly presented. |
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Hearing Components, Inc. v. Shure Inc., 600 F.3d 1357 (Fed. Cir. 2010). |
Evidence that has been properly presented in a timely manner must be considered on the record. Evidence of commercial success is pertinent where a nexus between the success of the product and the claimed invention has been demonstrated. |
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Asyst Techs., Inc. v. Emtrak, Inc., 544 F.3d 1310 (Fed. Cir. 2008). |
Evidence of secondary considerations of obviousness such as commercial success and long-felt need may be insufficient to overcome a prima facie case of obviousness if the prima facie case is strong. An argument for nonobviousness based on commercial success or long-felt need is undermined when there is a failure to link the commercial success or long-felt need to a claimed feature that distinguishes over the prior art. |
By Phillip Torrone, MAKE – September 02, 2010 at 12:00AM
Homebuilt meat smoker texts your phone when the meat is ready! – Gadget Freak Case #170: Smoking Permitted, but Bring a Roast…
Peter Rauch used a proportional-integral-differential (PID) controller that modulates electrical power to a heating element to create a home-built electronic meat smoker. A touch-screen display let him manage the controller set point and control-loop parameters. A J-type thermocouple in the top of the smoker provides a voltage signal so the feedback loop can control the smoker’s temperature. A second sensor, which reads meat temperature, is used only for monitoring and alarms. A user can enter a desired meat temperature, and receive an alert via a text message when the temperature reaches a preset value. Additionally, when the temperature reaches this setpoint, the controller can ‘hold’ the meat at a preset temperature to avoid overcooking it until you can remove it.
Read the Full Story » | More on MAKE » | Comments » |
By (author unknown), Core77 – September 01, 2010 at 01:56PM
The Delft University of Technology’s Industrial Design Engineering department has posted their “Delft Design Guide” online, for free PDF download. The content in the guide is drawn largely from five of their design courses: Introduction to Industrial Design, Concept Design, Fuzzy Front End, Materialization and Detailing, and their Final Project course.
Posted alongside the guide is this video interview with Jeroen van Erp, an alumnus, faculty member, and part of the Dutch creative agency Fabrique. (Warning: The sound is horrible, as if it were recorded with one of those snazzy DSLRs with amazing video capabilities but a terrible microphone. Get ready to lean in close to your speakers.)
Hit the jump to learn more about what’s in the Guide.
By James Johnson, ForeverGeek – September 01, 2010 at 12:18PM
Sure Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers may have the dark side to aid them in their battles, but there’s nothing like staying nice and limber as well, that’s where a daily routine of Tai Chi comes into play.
Notice the lazy Stormtroopers in the background who are doing little more than standing around.
Watch as Darth Vader does his Lift Knee Thrust Upward pose and his Turn Body, Thrust Downward Pose among 40 other moves in the style of Star Wars.
Here’s the video:
It’s all a bit silly, but check out the definition for Tai and it’s use of “the force” as told from the directors point of view:
Featuring Darth Vader. Chi is the Chinese word meaning ‘life force’ – an energy created by all living beings. A Tai Chi master’s strength flows from this FORCE.
Known for its health benefits, Tai Chi is in fact a martial art, evolved for combat over 4,000 years. The secret is inner calm, relaxed concentration and lethal precision.
Perhaps it’s not as silly as I thought.
By Philip Guo, Lifehacker – August 31, 2010 at 08:00PM
Accurately remembering names is one of the simplest yet most important components of interacting with people, no matter in what capacity. This article presents some tips I’ve acquired over the years with regards to remembering and using people’s names.
Image by quinn.anya
Accurately remembering names is one of the simplest yet most important components of interacting with people, no matter in what capacity. A person’s own name is the single most important word to him/her; it is intimately tied to his/her identity as an individual. How you deal with people’s names can have a profound effect on their impressions of you: Think about the times you’ve felt special when someone you admired addressed you by your name in a sincere tone; or think about the times when you’ve felt belittled when someone negligently called you by the wrong name, or worse, maliciously made fun of your name in front of you.
This article presents some tips I’ve acquired over the years with regards to remembering and using people’s names. There are many far more reputable professionals who have written about this topic, so I am not claiming that my tips are novel. However, such professional ‘human interaction gurus’ are often targeting their advice to a business-minded audience, giving tips on how to socially network, schmooze, or otherwise impress people at work. In contrast, I am writing based upon my own experiences growing up as a technically-minded kid without much in terms of schmoozing or popularity-acquiring skills, so hopefully other nerds and geeks can better relate to my advice.
Here is the most important tip of this article, so pay attention!
Unless you’re the Unabomber (or some other hermit living in isolation), you will have to make hundreds or even thousands of introductions to strangers throughout your lifetime. Like death and taxes, personal introductions simply cannot be avoided, so it’s wise to remember the most crucial bit of information that comes out of them: the other person’s name.
Unfortunately, most of us totally forget the other person’s name as soon as the introduction is over. Here is how a typical scenario plays out:
This has happened to me dozens of times, and it still continues to happen, although less frequently now that I’m more conscientious about remembering people’s names. The main lesson here is that if you don’t make an active effort to remember someone’s name the first time he/she tells it to you, then it’s really difficult for you to get another chance to do so.
One simple way to elide this awkwardness is to later ask a friend who knows Sasha to remind you of her name. But I feel that a better way is to try your hardest to remember names the first time around. Let’s revisit our same introduction scenario again:
With some practice, you’ll notice that you will become much better at remembering people’s names, without appearing at all awkward.
Most people you’ll meet will have conventional-sounding names, like Steve or Rachel (if you live in America). However, you will inevitably meet people with unconventional, foreign-sounding, or hard-to-pronounce names (with respect to your home culture). These folks are used to people forgetting or botching up their names, so you will make an extra good impression if you can accurately recall their names. It’s obviously harder for Americans to remember a name like Ramachandran than George, but that’s not an excuse for not trying.
My main advice here is to (apologetically) ask the other person to repeat and clarify how exactly to pronounce their name: “Sorry, I can’t hear too well with this noise in the background. Could you repeat how to pronounce your name?” These people are used to having to repeat or clarify their names, so they likely won’t mind, especially when you are meeting them for the first time. Don’t worry at all about how to accurately spell their names, but rather focus on making up a phonetic spelling that’s easy to remember. For a name like Chakravarty, you could think to yourself, “CHALK – AHHH – VAR – TY, rhymes with party” And when you address them by their names again, you can ask for them to repeat it a few times, with something like “Pardon, did I pronounce it correctly? I want to make sure I get it right.” At the very least, they will appreciate that you are making an effort.
Everyone with an unconventional name probably remembers being teased as a kid in school over his/her name, so such insensitive behavior during adulthood (even if not maliciously intended) can bring back less-than-fond memories.
You risk sounding ignorant, xenophobic, and bigoted if you make dismissive or insensitive remarks about people’s names that happen to be unconventional by your local definition. For example, “Boy, those Asian names are so hard to remember! Sheesh, I can deal with Dave or Mike, but Yamamoto, damn!”. Or even something as innocuous as “Whoa, that’s pretty weird-soundin’, dude! Where did that come from?!?” Even if you don’t actively intend to be prejudiced, such statements make you sound so. This is especially true if you’re a member of the majority group, i.e., a white person in America.
Remember, in most countries, your name sounds weird!
Play it safe by always addressing someone by the exact name he/she used when introducing him/herself. Hearing someone call you by an unsanctioned nickname or name variant can be mentally jarring, since you’re simply not used to responding to it. Even worse, it shows disrespect and arrogance on the part of the caller, since he/she seems to be asserting the right to modify your own name in front of you. Someone named Robert might not want others calling him Rob or Bob or Bobby-boy, or might have reserved those variants only for use by close friends or family members.
This action becomes even more offensive and bigoted when the other person has a foreign name. For example, if you meet someone named Katsuyami but you say something like, “God damn! What a weird-soundin’ name! How ’bout I call you Kat instead? You cool with that, kid?” What an insult!
Once you remember someone’s name, the great thing about using it in conversation is that it can develop better rapport (since everyone likes hearing their name) and can also help you remember it even better. Of course, it’s gratuitous and phony-sounding to preface every sentence with mention of a name, but I’ve found that you should at least use names when saying hello and goodbye to enter and exit with a pleasant impression, respectively.
Hearing your name mispronounced can be annoying but forgivable, especially if lots of people find your name hard to pronounce, but hearing someone call you by the wrong name is always infuriating! Out of all facts that someone can possibly misremember about you (e.g., your job, college major, or ethnicity), getting your name wrong is the ultimate insult. It simply leaves a yucky visceral impression that the other person doesn’t give a damn about you.
Thus, if you’re not 100% certain that you’ve got someone’s name correct, it’s probably better not to address them by it, and instead immediately find some covert way of re-learning it (e.g., asking a friend or even apologetically asking that person to re-introduce him/herself to you).
However, don’t just give up and not make subsequent attempts at learning someone’s name just because you didn’t get it the first time around. Hearing someone call you by the wrong name is horrible, but knowing that someone most likely doesn’t know your name and isn’t willing to learn it is also fairly irritating.
When you are writing emails to people (or letters, if you’re old-school), the single most important word to spell correctly is their name. Typos everywhere else can be tolerated, but people will reflexively cringe if they see their names misspelled. A person sees his name in writing probably more times than any other non-trivial word, so any misspellings will immediately pop out.
Many people have misspelled my name as Phillip in emails, even when my emails to them clearly spelled it Philip; this is one of my personal pet peeves, and I can’t help but notice every single time it occurs.
A brain-dead-easy way to get someone’s name correct in writing is to simply copy-and-paste it from a previous email they have written to you; the chances of someone spelling their own name wrong is far less than you spelling it wrong!
You can build even greater rapport with someone if you can remember the names of his/her significant other, spouse, kids, or even parents. That way, instead of sounding generic with something like, “So, how is your wife’s art project going?”, you can appear more personable with, “So, how’s Deborah’s art project going?”
Don’t stress as much about these names, though, since they are less important than getting the person’s own name nailed!
On remembering and dealing with people’s names
Send an email to Philip Guo, the author of this post, at philip@pgbovine.net
By Saikat Basu, MakeUseOf – August 31, 2010 at 03:31PM
This instrument is commonplace today. But when it was first invented, someone said “an amazing invention – but who would ever want to use one?”
The Doubting Thomases were talking about a cool new invention called the telephone. Inventions start off like that. Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention.
A well known misquote said that everything that can be invented has been invented. That was uttered more than a hundred years ago, and if it had been true, we wouldn’t be reading this article sitting hundreds or thousands of miles apart in front of a lit up glass screen. Thank God for the spirit of invention and innovation.
Even the most skeptical among us sits up to take notice when some breakthrough happens. But the really interested of the lot go out looking for any new cool invention that’s being cooked up. You can wait for the year-end roundups like the one from Time or check up on any of these websites now and talk about cool (and absurdly weird) inventions.
The site’s tagline reads – The Future Now. Popular Science brings new technology and science news as it is happening right now. Most of it is on the cutting edge. If it all sounds too serious, do a bit of crystal gazing on This Week in the Future. But their richest resource can be mined from their 137 year old archived collections made available for free browsing.
The New Scientist website is all about scientific discovery, and its industrial, commercial and social consequences. It is one of the most popular destinations for those interested in cool inventions and innovations. The patent news blog which made for interesting reads on new cool inventions though has been discontinued. The best bet is to follow the news or use the search feature.
Sci-Tech Today brings current news from many areas of human scientific development. As a reader interested in cool inventions, you might like to check out topics headlined under Innovation. I just read a piece and found that a glass first manufactured in 1962 is on the cusp of becoming a multi-million dollar business now, fifty years later. Were you in the know about Gorilla Glass?
Are you looking for a better material? Did you know that there is a unique consultancy that displays a library of innovative new materials that anyone can use for research? Read about such innovations and cool inventions on this online magazine that covers technology and how it impacts business, design, and even politics.
You might like this blog after reading all the serious stuff in the previous ones. The blog on cool inventions collates inspirations and innovations from around the websphere and presents it for quick reading but with lots of photos. Check out the mention on the Shark Inspired Personal Watercraft.
Inventorspot.com is not only about the guy who likes to read up on latest inventions, innovations and interesting ideas, but also for the wannabe inventor. Inventors can check out the well listed resources for their kind like the InventorPages directory. Then there’s the Inventor’s Forum for all kinds of chit chat.
But as an interested reader, I would check out the Inventor Gallery where lots of cool (and crazy) inventions are arranged around categories. For instance, the Keyboard Organizer is something I could use in my space starved room.
Inventionreaction.com is very similar to the above website in that it provides all the regular dope on inventions from around the world. An interesting read in the Invention Timeline which chronologically lists groundbreaking inventions since the early millennia. You can then balance your reading of the latest cool inventions with a few from the funny and weird inventions list. How about the Defendius Door Chain as a home security system?
Kids are instinctively inventive. That’s what InventNow.org comes forward to prove with its gallery of inventions that have been submitted by kids. The website also includes games, message board, contest and other activities. You can search for cool inventions by kids using the search or go through them in the Gallery. You have to move a conveyer belt to look at each one of them.
Get invention and technology news in the form of free detailed articles which also link to the main sources. The news comes from a variety of fields, from advertising to fashion inventions. How about a Smart Mirror if you have a phobia about shopping on your own.
Whynot.net is about asking questions and generating ideas, some of which will hopefully spark inventions. The community powered website works like an open discussion board where you can post your ideas and get support and inputs from members. Like one of the ideas points to the YouTube video of a machine that converts plastic into oil. The website is less about illustrations and more about enlightened ideas and discussions.
Then there are the websites that help you scour the patents that get filled every day. A web resource like Patent Storm gives you the whole shebang but may be dull as dishwater for the casual reader. But Patently Silly might help to bring the sense of absurd back with a funny look at some cool inventions.
Are you inspired by inventions? Do you like reading about them? Let us know about any web places you like to hang out to read about cool inventions.
Image Credit : Wikimedia Commons
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By Jeffry Thurana, MakeUseOf – August 31, 2010 at 01:31PM
As an old-fashioned self-proclaimed (amateur) musician, I was amazed when watching a video showing a local band of five performing a Coldplay song using “only” iPhones and iPod Touches.
I was even more amazed watching a YouTube video of a young Korean girl who calls herself Applegirl doing solo Lady Gaga’s Poker Face cover using her iDevices.
I feel that a revolution is happening in the music world, especially in the iDevices country. So, not wanting to be left behind, it’s only logical that a few of the first apps that I downloaded for my phone were apps to make music with an iPhone.
If you also want to make music using your iDevices, here are some of the free ones that you can try.
Let’s start our list with apps that imitate traditional musical instruments. They are trying to utilize iPhone features to produce the sound and feeling of the real instruments.
Xylophone is probably one of the most simple and universal musical instruments. I guess almost everybody is familiar with this one (even though the name might be different and the shapes are slightly different in different parts of the world).
The app is trying to replicate the wooden instrument. But instead of hitting the bars with a stick to produce sound, you just need to touch them.
There are many piano apps available out there. Just do a search in the iTunes App Store and you will find a bunch of them. I use Touch Piano as an example because of the simplicity. You just open it and play.
This one is great for those ice breaking moments or to keep the kids quiet, but won’t substitute the real one. And your fingers should be tiny enough to play this piano comfortably.
Angklung is a traditional musical instrument from Indonesia. It’s made from bamboo and you shake it to produce the sound. Each angklung will produce one note, so to be able to play a complete song, you need a set of angklungs (played by one person or by a group of people).
Similar to the real thing, you shake the Angklung app to play the sound and it can only produce one note at a time. But this electronic angklung can be set to play any note that you want.
Again, there are many drums apps out there. Drum Meister Pro Lite is chosen as an example because this is the best that I found among the free alternative music making iPhone apps.
Tapping on one of the drum kits will give you the drum sound, that’s pretty ordinary. But tapping on different parts of a cymbal will also give you a different sound, just like the real thing. Other cool things about this app are the ability to re-arrange the position of the drums, and to record and play your virtual drum playing.
If you love percussion, you can also try Touch Conga.
Unlike the Piano and Drums categories, I can’t single out a particular app to use as an example for guitar apps. There are too many of them and each has their own uniqueness. So I’ll show you three different guitar apps: Instant Guitar Solo Lite that will give you instant licks just by tapping a button, Guitar Free which imitates the classical guitar, and Steel Guitar with more strings to play than ordinary guitar.
This second group of apps does not imitate any ordinary musical instruments. Instead, they will help you generate music using unique and different methods.
I had difficulties finding words trying to explain this app. Basically, you are given several “Scenes” to choose and these scenes are unique environments where you can create your music. Some scenes generate music using your voice, some use the touch, and others use the movement of your iPhone.
There are no better way to enjoy this app than using it yourself. You might want to start from the “Interactive – Tutorial Scene” to get familiar with it.
In Beatwave, you create your music by placing notes in the “music field“. Then the “music scanner” will continuously move along the field and play any notes it meets along the way. You have four fields to play with, and there are a bunch of settings that you can change – like tempo and sound – to generate different outputs.
Similar to RJDJ, the best way to enjoy the app is to use and experiment with it. And since this one uses regular “scanning” intervals, you can’t help but get electronic vibes in your music.
I picked up other things during my treasure hunt. Not exactly music making apps, but will help you in the process.
They are: Guitar Tuner that will help you keep your guitar from the land of the false notes,
And iTick, the electronic metronome that will keep your beat in check.
I’m sure that my findings are minuscule compared to the collection of free music making apps available out there. So if you love to make music and you have your own favorite music-making iDevices apps, why not share them with other music lovers using the comments below?
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By Kevin Purdy, Lifehacker – August 31, 2010 at 07:00AM
Some sites don’t give enough context in their RSS feeds to help you decide on committing to a full read. New web-based RSS reader prldr skips truncated feeds and shows full web page links in a side panel.
If you’ve only got a few feeds you normally look through, you’ll probably like prldr’s color-coded feed sidebar, and won’t have a problem with the fairly simple read/unread and date sorting tools. Power users will still find Google Reader a more powerful tool for sorting, searching, and controlling large batches of RSS, but it’s hard to resist the appeal of seeing the whole story, in its intended context, through prldr. You get to see a better preview of content and skip a click, and publishers get to show you the ads and other stuff they use to stay in business.
Prldr is a free webapp that requires an account to use. For a similar kind of full-feed solution for Reader, try Google Reader Full Feed.
By Matt Cherette, Gizmodo – August 31, 2010 at 05:00AM
You’ve seen the sonar image of the Titanic‘s remains. Now, the video: here’s an eerie peek inside the debris of the most famous ship in history, shot by Expedition Titanic‘s new underwater remotely operated vehicle. Watch the chilling footage inside. More »
