Thanks to "TrapCall," yet another new app for the iPhone, users will no longer have to explain to annoying teenagers that their refrigerator, indeed, is running. For a mere five dollar monthly fee, the application will give iPhone users the names and numbers of blocked numbers that call their phone.
After downloading this application, press the power button on your iPhone twice when receiving a call from an anonymous number. Within seconds, the service will send you the name, phone number and address of the caller via text message.
But that is not all.
The app can also block incoming calls or play an automated message saying that your number has been disconnected, high useful against pranksters, telemarketers... or stalkers.
While this application seems very useful at first glance, I wonder how often I would implement it. I do not think I receive five dollars worth of unwanted calls a month. Further details have not yet been released about the app, but I wonder if you can easily cancel it after one month. That way, I would be able to forever block annoying telemarkters, having no more need for the service.
Also, I wonder how exactly they get so much information about a person just from their blocked phone call. Name, telephone number AND address? It seems a bit excessive. Just a reminder that big brother really always is watching.
For more information, read the original article, Find Out Who's Calling You from a Blank Number, on Gizmodo.com, or watch the video below.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Walmart Bags will Heat your Future Home!
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. As global warming becomes more and more evident, and going green seemingly trendier and trendier, we seem to be bombarded with this slogan weekly, if not daily. One of the main issues our planet seems to be having is the oh-so-terrible material... Plastic.
But there is a new hope thanks to Japanese inventor, Adrian Covert, who has created a machine that will melt down plastics, like water bottles or shopping bags, to be used as crude oil.
And what capabilities does this crude oil have? Well, many actually. For example, it can be used as an energy source for heating homes, a pretty major innovation.
Sound too good to be sure? Not necessarily! In fact, in under sixty minutes, Covert was able to use his machine to melt two pounds of plastic, including polypropylene, polyethylene and polystyrene... for example. The two pounds were melted into a quart of oil, which is essential a kWh worth of energy.
And anyone can buy this wonderful converting machine! If they have an extra $10,000 lying around, that is.
Nonetheless, the expensive machine is still incredibly exciting. It may just be one small step in the right direction, but it is a journey that we definitely need to get started. Because all of the plastic we use keeps accumulating in Earth's landfills, the hopes for an incredibly practical way of using that is thrilling.
For more information, check out the original article, One Man's Trash is Another Man's Heat Source
But there is a new hope thanks to Japanese inventor, Adrian Covert, who has created a machine that will melt down plastics, like water bottles or shopping bags, to be used as crude oil.
And what capabilities does this crude oil have? Well, many actually. For example, it can be used as an energy source for heating homes, a pretty major innovation.
Sound too good to be sure? Not necessarily! In fact, in under sixty minutes, Covert was able to use his machine to melt two pounds of plastic, including polypropylene, polyethylene and polystyrene... for example. The two pounds were melted into a quart of oil, which is essential a kWh worth of energy.
And anyone can buy this wonderful converting machine! If they have an extra $10,000 lying around, that is.
Nonetheless, the expensive machine is still incredibly exciting. It may just be one small step in the right direction, but it is a journey that we definitely need to get started. Because all of the plastic we use keeps accumulating in Earth's landfills, the hopes for an incredibly practical way of using that is thrilling.
For more information, check out the original article, One Man's Trash is Another Man's Heat Source
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
NASA's New Toy
There is a strong possibility that NASA will be discovering early galaxies, just-forming stars, clouds of gas and space dust in the near future due to the James Webb Space Telescope, an upcoming technological innovation.
The James Webb Space Telescope is an infrared-detecting observatory that will travel through space at the Second Sun-Earth Lagrange Point, an orbit far beyond Earth's Moon. There is a plethora of information about this topic, as it is a fairly current event, but I found a lot of helpful information from the article Webb's Nuts and Bolts.
Naturally, with great innovation comes great debate. A large quantity of people seem to be upset about the extreme bill NASA is racking up in order to fund the project. Because the telescope requires a giant sun shield and large mirrors among several other expensive parts, many have already begun to complain because they feel this money could be better spent in support of other causes. One of their main arguments surrounds the fact that the project does not have a 100% success guarantee. In fact, there seems to be a large margin for error.
Personally, I support NASA's project despite the enormous amount of money it will cost because I feel the potential outcomes outweigh the risks and negative consequences. If this project is successful, the Webb Telescope will be able to capture the clearest picture of objects that emit this invisible radiation ever taken.
The article found on HubbleSite gives a fairly easy-to-follow description of the Webb Telescope and NASA's plans for it, but an even better source of information can be found in the video below. I encourage everyone to watch, as this new technological innovation may very well affect us all.
The James Webb Space Telescope is an infrared-detecting observatory that will travel through space at the Second Sun-Earth Lagrange Point, an orbit far beyond Earth's Moon. There is a plethora of information about this topic, as it is a fairly current event, but I found a lot of helpful information from the article Webb's Nuts and Bolts.
Naturally, with great innovation comes great debate. A large quantity of people seem to be upset about the extreme bill NASA is racking up in order to fund the project. Because the telescope requires a giant sun shield and large mirrors among several other expensive parts, many have already begun to complain because they feel this money could be better spent in support of other causes. One of their main arguments surrounds the fact that the project does not have a 100% success guarantee. In fact, there seems to be a large margin for error.
Personally, I support NASA's project despite the enormous amount of money it will cost because I feel the potential outcomes outweigh the risks and negative consequences. If this project is successful, the Webb Telescope will be able to capture the clearest picture of objects that emit this invisible radiation ever taken.
The article found on HubbleSite gives a fairly easy-to-follow description of the Webb Telescope and NASA's plans for it, but an even better source of information can be found in the video below. I encourage everyone to watch, as this new technological innovation may very well affect us all.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Feminine Side of Video Games
It has been no secret that video games are not just for boys anymore, but a recent study done by the Journal of Adolescent Health, which studies girls from the ages of eleven to sixteen, found that they can help girls to be less depressed and better behaved. Unfortunately for boys, the games apparently do not have the same affects.
While not all video games seem to have the same powerful impacts, collaborative ones such as Rockband truly seem to be having an impact as long as they are played in small amounts. Large amounts of game play will have the same negative affects, such as anxiety and depression, that affect boys.
I found this article to be particularly interesting because video games are usually considered to be a hobby for teenage boys. In addition, they are often discussed in a negative light. These new finding show that the technology can be used not only for bonding within families, but to improve a person as a whole.
To find out more about these interesting studies, read the article Video Games are Good for Teen Girls.
While not all video games seem to have the same powerful impacts, collaborative ones such as Rockband truly seem to be having an impact as long as they are played in small amounts. Large amounts of game play will have the same negative affects, such as anxiety and depression, that affect boys.
I found this article to be particularly interesting because video games are usually considered to be a hobby for teenage boys. In addition, they are often discussed in a negative light. These new finding show that the technology can be used not only for bonding within families, but to improve a person as a whole.
To find out more about these interesting studies, read the article Video Games are Good for Teen Girls.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Use Technology to Battle that Warrensburg Snow!
While I would not consider myself a voluntary "Snow Junkie" by any means, the recent weather in Warrensburg seems to be forcing us all into a wintery-wonderland lifestyle. Naturally, the article
The Best Apps for Snow Junkies on Gizmodo.com caught my eye immediately.
The various apps, including iOS Snow Report, Weatherbug, MotionX GPS and Satski, were originally created for smart phone users at ski resorts, so they could better track looming snow storms. While they do include many features benefitting skiers alone, I find other aspects of these applications to be pretty helpful as well. For example, putting your location information into Weatherbug will not only give you an hourly forecast for the next day, but will also provide you with a "tentative" prediction for the weather as far as ten days into the future. Not too bad for a free application, right?
What makes these applications better than your average weather program? They are tailored specifically towards accurate snow prediction, something we can all appreciate these days. Also, if you are indeed a skier, they have numerous other abilities such as progress tracking, resort ratings and mountain maps. With all of these new capabilities, I might just take up the hobby. (But probably not, I am not a big fan of the cold).
For another review on one of these snow Aps, check out this video. It is clearly an advertisement, but I still found it fairly informative when picking out a Snow Ap to arm myself with before our next blizzard.
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