Find out how a small thrill ride manufacturer in Logan, Utah found new markets by engineering excitement and exporting its product globally. With 95 percent of potential customers living outside of the United States, there is no better time to grow your small business, like S & S Worldwide, through various government export assistance programs. Click this link to play the video: Coast to Coasters
Help Uber Denver Be Here to Stay!
The Colorado PUC (Public Utilities Commission) is trying to shut down one of our favorite new companies in Denver and we need your help to stop it from happening! Uber is a limo/taxi type service that provides rides through their brilliant smartphone app. All you do is press a button to request a pickup and voila, you receive a text that your Uber is enroute. The text tells you approximately how long it will take for them to arrive, but equally importantly, provides you with the driver's name, customer rating, phone number and profile picture. This is absolutely wonderful for those whom may want to know who's picking them up. The drivers of Uber are far more personable than most taxi drivers and the quality of cars they own are beyond comparison to any Yellow or Metro taxi there is. The thing I like most is that the wait has never once been long, averaging about 6 minutes from the request.
In my experience (31 Uber rides to date), it blows the taxi services in Denver out of the water. The service has been so good in the short four months they've been in Denver that the taxi companies have talked the PUC and Gov. John Hickenlooper into changing the rules in sections 6001, 6301, & 6309, which would effectively shut Uber Denver down.
As the citizens of the greatest city on the planet, we cannot let this happen in our town! Here's what you can do to help:
1) Contact Gov. Hickenlooper and tell him: “Save Uber in Colorado! Withdraw PUC Rules Changes to sections 6001, 6301, & 6309.”
- a) Write on John Hickenlooper's Facebook timeline: here
- b) Write John Hickenlooper an email: here
- c) Tweet to him: @hickforco
2) Contact the Colorado PUC Directly:
- a) Email Joshua Epel, Chairman: [email protected]
- b) Email Doug Dean, Director: [email protected]
3) Sign this petition
If you've never used Uber, you really need to give it a try. Get $10 off your first Uber ride by using this promo link
~Follow Blake Rubenstein on Twitter: @BlakeHenry27
Apple Rumors: 128 GB iPad
According to an article written by Mark Gurman of [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://9to5mac.com/2013/01/27/apple-ready-to-release-additional-ipad-model-likely-128gb-version/"]9to5Mac.com[/lightbox], Apple is set to release another version of the 4th generation of the iPad with Retina display. This additional model will supposedly have 128 GB of storage capacity, doubling its current beefiest model, which holds 64 GB of memory.
It sounds like the Apple community of consumers isn't exactly ecstatic about this unofficial announcement. They are worried that this 'quiet release' of an additional 4th generation iPad will push back the 5th generation release, which is currently slated for June, to more likely Novemberish.
This is still just a rumor, as inside info about a new Apple [lightbox title="Title" href="http://www.icosa.co/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ipadskus2.png"]SKU[/lightbox] was discovered, calling this additional device the 'Ultimate'. As iPads are named by their storage amount, (Good- 16 GB, Better- 32 GB and Best- 64 GB), the Ultimate would have 128 GB of ROM. Since it's not an official announcement, it is also thought that the new iPad model could be only for government, retail or internal use by Apple, as they have done that with certain products in the past.
The price of the new iPads would start around $799 for the WiFi-only model and $929 for the Cellular-compatible model in the United States.
If I were you and I had the money to spend on one of these devices, I'd either save it for the next iPad or I'd buy a MacBook Air. I don't see the point in this additional release of the current model, which didn't do as well as hoped anyway. Apple is projected to have a slow first half of 2013, so I think they should be focussing their efforts elsewhere.
~Follow Blake Rubenstein on Twitter: @BlakeHenry27
ICOSA Tech Tease- Nexus 7
The two nerdiest dudes you know are back at it. This time, reviewing Google's Nexus 7 tablet. [youtube width="640" height="360" video_id="OSw8F6xLfQk"]
Eli gives the Nexus 7, 4 out of 5 icosahedrons. What do you think of this product? Do you have one? Do you want one? Let us know your thoughts.
~Follow Blake Rubenstein on Twitter: @BlakeHenry27 & follow Eli Asfaw: @SoDroid
Google Glass- This is Crazy, So Call Me Maybe
If you haven't heard anything about [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Glass"]Google Glass[/lightbox] yet, you are in for a treat. This is easily the most arousing consumer technology that I've ever heard of. [lightbox type="iframe" title="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2013/01/googles-project-glass-is-ready-but-for-developers-eyes-only/"]'Project Glass'[/lightbox] is essentially a headset that has a little cube of glass on one side to look through, which creates [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality"]augmented reality[/lightbox]. The concept of augmented reality isn't necessarily new, but Google's implementation of it is. This is a consumer level product that essentially allows you to view your surroundings and receive a slew of interactive info in return. Imagine driving down the road and instead of looking at your GPS screen or your smartphone, directions just pop up in a built-in [lightbox title="Title" href="http://www.icosa.co/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/googleGlassMap.png"]map[/lightbox] over the stuff you already see.
This technology will turn your whole world into a virtual information center. Everything you look at can be searched via Google and the information is overlaid on the things you naturally see. When I think about this technology, I imagine the [lightbox title="Title" href="http://www.icosa.co/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/terminator_AR.jpg"]Terminator[/lightbox] and his robot brain that sends him info about everything he looks at.
The possibilities for apps and tools to coincide with this hardware should be endless. While Google hasn't given a release date, the general consensus is that consumers will be able to purchase the product in 2014. Developers were given the chance to pre-order the product recently and should be able to get their hands on them as soon as late January/early February 2013. The nerds who actually get to use and test the product (at $1,500 a pop) will be able to create apps and come up with ideas for cool ways to use it. Google hopes consumers will be able to pick these up for less than $1,500 once released to the public.
I'm pretty stoked about this coming out, as I think it advances our species to be more robot-like. As a robot myself, it is a welcoming feeling. What about you robots and non-robots alike; is this a sensational product and would you pay roughly $1,500 to be an early adopter? Comment below and let me know your thoughts.
~Follow me on Twitter: @BlakeHenry27
Mozilla Firefox Smartphone- Cool in a Time Machine
Mozilla is releasing their first smartphones to developers so they can get a look at their new OS platform for smartphones. The problem is, it's not 2011. The [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://slashdot.org/topic/cloud/firefox-os-smartphones-arriving-for-developers/"]specs[/lightbox] on the phones would have been impressive a couple years ago, but it's hardware seems to be lacking in many ways. At around the same price point as the majority of Droids and iPhone 4, there is no reason you'd buy one unless you want to waste your time on an unproven concept.
Basically, they are making the phone, because it is powered by the Internet and gives users and developers the ability to use the browser much like that of Mozilla Firefox for your computer. Apps don't need to be built in the traditional way, specifically for the phone, but rather can be created from any basic html website. I guess that's cool if you want to be different, but let's face it, they aren't going to be taking the marketshare from Google or Apple anytime soon. Apparently these phones aren't even intended to crack the U.S. market and are more for emerging economies. Therefore, your official 'give-a-crap-o-meter' should be at an all-time low. But hey, they can't all be winners, right?
ICOSA Tech Tease- Samsung Galaxy Note II
As the default tech dude at ICOSA, I knew the best way to drop some real knowledge about tools & toys was to bring in the big gun, Eli Asfaw. Eli has been my go-to gadget geek for about 14 years or so, as his level of expertise in such field far surpasses mine. Eli is now the official 'gadget geek' at ICOSA and my partner in crime in a new short video segment we have coined 'ICOSA Tech Tease'. Each week, Eli and I will be reviewing a tech gadget in our own way. We won't bore you with a spec run-down of every single feature, but we will discuss the best ones and tell you why each tool or toy (in our opinion) is one to empower leaders and/or leadership. Visit the tech section of icosa.co every week to hear Eli's thoughts on a variety of tech gadgets and to read my wrap-up of said video/featured gadget. The first video is directly below. ↓ [youtube width="640" height="360" video_id="iPQ9bCZ29dw"]
The tech tool we feature this week is the Samsung Galaxy Note II. This was our initial choice, because it's Eli's favorite smartphone to date. There is a ridiculous number of sick features on this [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phablet"]phablet[/lightbox] that have never been offered on a smartphone in the U.S.. If you want to check out a full list of specs, you can do so right [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_ii_n7100-4854.php"]here[/lightbox]. What impresses us the most is the fact that you can simultaneously work on three different things on your screen at one time. If you can imagine, this is huge for the multitasking business leader. Also, at 5.5 inches and with a 720 x 1280 pixels resolution, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 also boasts the biggest screen we have ever seen on a phone. The last feature we love is the S-Pen that comes with it. The S-Pen is slightly larger than with the original Galaxy Note and has flat edges, making it more ergonomic. The sensitivity of the S-Pen and the display on the Note 2 allow for "Air View". This feature enables the user to hover the pen above the screen to perform certain tasks. This is the only phone that allows for desktop-like web surfing in such a way. To learn more about the S-Pen, watch [lightbox type="youtube" title="Title" youtube_id="bisGjDdDKKQ"]this video.[/lightbox]
Eli gives this phone 4.5 icosahedrons out of 5, his highest (and only) rating yet. Leave a comment below with your thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Note II and/or suggestions of gadgets you think we should feature on ICOSA Tech Tease. Check in with us next week as we'll feature the new Droid DNA.
***Disclaimer: this is both of our first take on camera. We will get better, LOL***
~Follow Blake Rubenstein on Twitter: @BlakeHenry27 & follow Eli Asfaw: @SoDroid
The Flu's for Foos
As I shiver with cold sweats and suffer a nagging cough generally reserved for avid smokers, I reflect on the past. I don't recall my mind and body feeling quite so under-the-weather anytime recently. I have the flu. I never get the flu. [lightbox title="Title" href="http://www.icosa.co/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Screen-Shot-2013-01-10-at-11.27.50-AM.png"]What the heck is going on?[/lightbox] The flu is rampant in the U.S. this year and many are wondering why they got that flu shot that didn't work, that never works, that the nurse in the doctor's office talked them into. Flu shots... I don't do it anymore and haven't since I was a young lad. However, this is the first 'flu season' that I actually came down with the flu, so I thought, hmmm, shoulda got that shot! But should I have?
Since my girlfriend is just as sick as I am and she actually did get the shot, it led me to do a little research. Now we've all heard mixed things about the flu shot and whether it's a good or bad thing. Chances are, you've made up your mind a long time ago and you've stuck with your guns for as long as you can remember. Either way, there are so many factors to a flu vaccine, it's seemingly impossible to be effective. No soy un medico, so you should take it from a more scientific source and read [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/a/aa011604a.htm"]this article[/lightbox].
Basically, there are just too many variables when it comes to flu viruses and their vaccinations. All I really know about the flu is that it better be outta here in time for Saturday's game. [lightbox title="Title" href="http://www.icosa.co/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/shutterstock_PFM.jpg"]PFM[/lightbox] is putting Ray-Ray's career to rest and I WILL NOT miss the game. My conclusion on flu vaccines is that [lightbox title="Title" href="http://www.icosa.co/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/shutterstock_NWO.jpg"]'Corporate America'[/lightbox] tells us we need to get flu shots, so we do. What's behind their agenda? You don't want to know.
Robotic Limbs- WTF?!?!
New Years Day is generally a day reserved for nursing my conscience mind back to normalcy, not advancing it to previously unchartered territory. But, as I lay on my buddy Dane's couch, post [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.grubhub.com/denver/spicy-basil/?showSmallSearchWidget=Y"]Chinese food[/lightbox] coma, I complained about his choice to watch an [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50137987n"]episode[/lightbox] of [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/60-minutes/"]60 Minutes[/lightbox] he had DVRed earlier in the week. Since my tush was planted on his sofa, whining was as far as my objection would get. (These days I watch NFL analysis when I control the remote.) While the CBS show often surprises me when I'm forced to watch it, it seemed like all the typical boring stories that don't generally provoke much internal dialogue. Until... BAM, a long segment on something that I literally thought was science-fiction when it first came on: [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/jan-june12/roboticarms_05-16.html"]Robotic prosthetics controlled by your brain[/lightbox].
If that doesn't sound like sci-fi to you, you probably have weird dreams that I want to hear about, so comment below.
What exactly are robotic prosthetics that are controlled by your brain?
That's it, precisely what it sounds like. Scientists started experimenting on this with monkeys and with wild success, needed a willing human to take part in the experimentation. The first lady they introduce in the story had [lightbox title="Title" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7tlq7_diGNs/Tl2Lyz0xX7I/AAAAAAAAaR0/o2Y5YFwCwsk/s1600/Gifkings.com-0170.gif"]elective brain surgery[/lightbox] so they could implant the wires and communication devices so she could use her own mind to control a robotic arm. She is paralyzed from the neck down, but when she is connected to the free-standing robotic arm, she simply has to think about moving the limb like it was her own and it does what she thinks. I never conceived anything like this and am still in shock that technology has advanced in such a way. However, it doesn't stop there in sophistication.
The next man in the vignette is not paralyzed, but rather is missing one arm from just above the elbow. The doctors built him a robotic prosthetic that connects via wires to nerves in his arm and doesn't require any brain surgery. When the arm is connected, he simply feels like his normal arm is still attached. Somehow they can connect to his nerves in such a way that his brain and body just detect a normal limb. Not only can he control the limb with his thoughts, but he actually gets signals back and therefore can feel and receive [lightbox title="Title" href="http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/mind_blown.gif"]information[/lightbox] from it as well. That is the most unbelievable part of the story to me.
In conclusion, if scientists can actually enable you to control artificial limbs with your mind and receive sensory information from them in return, why can't I [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://listverse.com/2008/08/02/top-10-quirkiest-early-flying-machines/"]fly[/lightbox] to work yet?
[youtube width="560" height="315" video_id="Z3a5u6djGnE"]
Apple's iPad Mini or Google's Nexus 7?
It seems like the coolest new gadgets out there are the small versions of tablets. If you want one, how the heck are you supposed to know which one is for you? ****SPOILER ALERT**** You aren't. You're supposed to fall for whichever company has the best form of mind-controlling advertising.
This can be confusing when you compare Apple's iPad Mini to Google's Nexus 7. While Apple has the clean, simple, smug, hipster approach to advertising (it's working), Google has the easy-going, mind-controlling, sometimes not-so-subtle way of subliminally targeting you (it's working). It's hard to choose a side and stick with it. I for one, have grown 'older' using Apple in my daily life to do my work, but I also am one of those confused Mac guys who uses an Android phone to try and balance the devil's tools in my personal life. That being said, I believe Mac makes the perfect tools to be creative and do my job as a video producer/editor/pawn. At the same time, Google's products have given me the perfect tools to manage that work-flow.
WOW, get back to the subject, pal! Okay, fine, Nexus 7 vs iPad Mini:
They're both very comparable products when it comes to overall functionality. Nexus 7's screen seems a little higher quality for watching movies, while iPad Mini's display seems to produce crisper text and graphics. On the other hand, the iPad Mini has a slightly larger screen, is thinner and lighter. That's its biggest (maybe only) advantage over the Nexus 7. Considering that Apple's product is about $130 more, I see no reason to choose it over Google's. They will both ultimately do the same things, but it seems as though Google's devices are more easily customizable.
Thanks to all whom have given me the chance to confuse them, although that wasn't my intention. But hey, it's my blog, so if you don't like it, you can (insert exploitative verb).
Comment if you dare,
-Blake R.
License Plate Scanners: Privacy Issue?
According to an article posted by Todd Quinones of cbsphilly, the Cherry Hill Police Department is now equipped with a new technology that scans license plates and searches databases to find wanted persons and/or stollen automobiles. A small machine, which can stand alone, is typically built into police cruisers. As cars drive by, the machine scans and runs the plates and checks to see if the owner has warrants or is connected to crimes. Recently, the scanner helped police find a man named Robert Ford, a robbery suspect connected to 8 crimes.
While the technology can find suspects of serious crimes, they can also check simple things such as expired tags. There is a privacy issue at hand that seems like it could get obtrusive and out-of-hand to the typical citizen whom isn't being investigated in a crime. The Cherry Hill PD claims that information isn't kept about non-criminal persons.
As long as government agencies don't start crossing-the-line with implementation, I see this as a good technology, because it's a fast-acting option for finding suspects and/or victims of amber alerts (kid-napping).