Teknovis

I just read that Skype video calling is now available on Android in Skype video calling comes to Android smartphones.

Actually, I am surprised that has not been available before now!

Tags: Skype

From Fall in online child pornography detections:

There was a significant drop in internet child pornography detected in Ireland last year according to a report by Hotline.ie.

… and …

Hotline.ie’s General Manager Paul Durrant said this showed the public was encountering less illegal content online and measures being taken by the industry and law enforcement agencies were successful.

Hmmm…. I suspect that this is really due to improved techniques for concealing content :o

Today I heard about Lytro, and the new camera that the company is developing based upon capturing something called the light field. For more information see Lytro, the Astonishing Camera Start-Up, Celebrates Its Splashy Debut (Video) and Meet the Stealthy Start-Up That Aims to Sharpen Focus of Entire Camera Industry (the clickable images in the later article are fascinating).

It is interesting that Lytro has decided to build the cameras rather than sell the technology. I wonder are the current leading camera manufacturers worried!

Tags: Lytro

Somebody recently showed me how to merge Microsoft Word documents that have been reviewed by several different people! See Merge comments and changes from several documents into 1 document and Compare and combine documents in Word 2007.

I could have saved so much time if I had know this for the last six months!

Tags: Microsoft

Recently I read a fascinating story about the origin of the bit and software:

Tukey is also credited in the “Annals of the History of Computers” as the person who, in 1946, coined the word “bit”, a contraction of “binary digit”, the term describing the 1s and 0s that are the basis of computer programs. Tukey suggested the shorter “bit” to computer experts at AT&T Bell Laboratories, where he was a researcher. “Bit” was easier on the tongue than the other possibilities they were considering, such as “binit” and “bigit”, so it stuck. Twelve years later, Tukey came up with the word “software” to describe the programs on which electronic calculators ran, first using it in a 1958 article he wrote for American Mathematical Monthly.

The source of this is Patent Law for Computer Scientists by Closa, D., Gardiner, A., Giemsa, F., Machek, J.

For more information see John Wilder Tukey.

I came across this concise summary of the differences between Google‘s Cloud Computing approach and Apple‘s Cloud Computing approach: Apple cloud vs. Google cloud: The philosophical differences.

Tags: Apple, Google

I read Irish start-up to revolutionise in-game payments at E3 last week, and I was quite impressed. Well done!

My only reservation would be that SMS feels like a fading technology to me, but perhaps it can succeed with the intended target audience!

Tags: SMS

There was lots of talk about Apple‘s announcement of iOS 5 last week. For an overview of the new features read See new features included in iOS 5.

The most interests aspects are:

• Notification Center – This seems like very expected functionality to me! Actually, it is interesting that Apple is playing catch-up to Android in this respect!
• iMessage – A potential SMS killer? Some think so! See Apple Has Finally Stuck A Dagger Into SMS. I Love It. and Apple surprised iPhone carriers with iMessage. I think that this must have the telcos worried!
• Reminders – I just think this looks good, at the same time as being functional.
• Twitter – Interesting that Twitter was chosen ahead of Facebook. Why did Apple choose Twitter over Facebook for iOS 5? gives some insight into this decision.
• PC Free – Big advantage to me! I hate having devices coupled to a single computer!

I am not an iDevice user, but I am becoming more impressed :)

Finally, Google Android vs. Apple iOS: Handicapping the 2011 death match gives a good comparison of iOS and Android.

Tags: Apple, Facebook, SMS, Twitter

When Apple recently announced that it was going to start taking a share of revenue on purchases made within applications on iDevices (yes – I made that name up) I thought that this would accelerate the move to HTML5 web apps.

The first significant player (at least that I am aware of) made the leap this week! The Financial Times! For more details read FT Bypasses Apple’s iTunes, Launches HTML5 Web App (Free Access First Week), and to download the app go to The new FT app for iPad and iPhone.

I really wonder if Apple has got the strategy wrong with this!

Tags: Apple, HTML, The Financial Times

The first of the two final state maths exams that students do at the end of their second level schooling is in progress right now. Apparently, there are fewer students doing the highest level of maths than ever before: Leaving Cert honours maths uptake hits record low – report.

Welcome to the knowledge economy Irish style – a place where maths is not important!

Tags: Ireland