Google Earth adds balloon and kite aerial imagery, invites you to contribute

Google Earth adds balloon and kite aerial imagery, invites you to contribute

Google Earth already offers quite a variety of ways to explore the planet, but the folks in Mountain View never seem content to leave things alone for long. Their latest addition is some aerial imagery of a slightly different sort -- images shot from ordinary balloons and kites. That initial batch of photos comes courtesy of The Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science, which is itself a grassroots effort that anyone can contribute to. And that's apparently what Google hopes folks will do in order to expand the aerial views available -- as Google notes on its Lat Long blog, all that you need to get started is a digital camera and about $100 in parts, plus a little initiative. Complete details on how to start your own DIY mapping effort, or simply explore the options now available, can be found at the links below.

Google Earth adds balloon and kite aerial imagery, invites you to contribute originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nikon D4

The Nikon D4 ($5,999.95 list, body only) represents the dream camera of many a professional photographer. It?s a huge beast that can rattle off shots at an impressive 10 frames per second, focus with speed and accuracy, and do just about anything else you need it to. On the sidelines of an NFL game? Pop on a telephoto lens and plug a cable into the Ethernet port?your photos will go straight to the wire service. Covering a wedding in available light? Reach for the 35mm f/1.4 lens and shoot at just about any ISO you can imagine?the resulting images will be printable. This is not to say that the D4 is the perfect photographic tool for every occasion?no camera is. Landscape photographers may opt for a D-SLR with an ultra-high-resolution sensor, like the 36-megapixel Nikon D800 ($2,995.95), and working pros with an investment in Canon glass are probably more interested in the EOS-1D X ($6,799) or 5D Mark III ($3,499). As it stands, the D4 is a worthy follow up to the company's D3s, easily earning our Editors' Choice award for full frame D-SLRs.

Design and Features
Far from a small camera, the D4's full-frame sensor necessitates a large, heavy optical viewfinder?one that is stunning when compared with even the finders in the best APS-C cameras. And, because the image sensor is the same size as a 35mm film frame, there is no "crop factor" when talking about lenses?your 28mm wide angle is still a wide angle, not a standard angle lens as it is on a camera with a smaller image sensor like the Nikon D5100 ($899.99, 4.5 stars).?An integrated vertical grip houses the camera's huge battery and includes dual control wheels and a shutter release to help improve ergonomics when shooting in portrait orientation. The D4 measures 6.2 by 6.3 by 3.6 inches (HWD) and weighs a whopping 2.6 pounds, and that's without a lens. The D800, which features a full frame sensor but lacks a vertical grip, is quite a bit smaller. That camera measures 4.8 by 4.7 by 3.2 inches (HWD) and weighs just under 2 pounds.

Listing all of the physical controls that are packed into the D4's body would require quite a bit of space, but rest assured that if you need to adjust a setting while shooting, chances are that it's at your fingertips. The camera's fixed rear LCD is 3.2 inches and packs 920k dots. It isn't the highest resolution display you can find?the rear LCD on the Canon EOS-1D X matches the Nikon's in size but betters it in resolution with 1.04 million dots. The D4 also has two monochrome information displays?one on top and one on the rear. The top LCD displays much of the information that is visible at the bottom of the viewfinder, including the current shooting mode, shutter speed, and aperture. The rear monochrome display shows the ISO and memory card status?it's located directly above the ISO button, so you can get some visual feedback as you adjust it when the camera is not raised to your eye.

You'll have access to the full library of Nikon lenses, including those designed for the smaller APS-C DX sensor format. When you use one of those lenses with the camera, the area that the lens cannot cover is dimmed in the viewfinder and the resulting photo is only 6.8 megapixels in resolution. The camera can even work with very old manual focus Nikon AI lenses?it can store the focal length and aperture information for up to nine non-CPU lenses. When shooting with older lenses you'll be limited to the Aperture Priority and Manual shooting modes. Every Nikon lens produced after 1988 has a built-in CPU, but lenses produced between 1977 and 1988 do not. Lenses produced before 1977 shouldn't be mounted to the D4 without modification, as they can damage the camera.

Nikon refers to the D4 as a multimedia camera?its video capability is almost as impressive as its still features. It can record 1080p footage at 30, 25, and 24 frames per second, and supports 720p capture at 60, 50, 30, and 25 frames per second. The camera uses the QuickTime format with H.264 B-Frame compression when recording to a memory card and supports uncompressed video output via its mini HDMI port, so you can connect it to an Aja Ki Pro ($3,995) or similar field recorder so you can capture the video in the format of your choice.

The D4 can autofocus when recording video, although you'll have to trigger the function manually?it doesn't offer automatic continuous autofocus like our Editors' Choice APS-C SLR, the Sony Alpha 77 ($1,999.99, 4.5 stars). Depending on which lens you use, the sound of the focus motor can be audible, and the camera can hunt back and forth for a second before locking focus. The D4 does support a standard mic input and also includes a headphone jack so you can monitor audio while recording. The full frame sensor makes it possible to achieve a very shallow depth of field, which can give your video a true cinematic look. The D4 also has a unique video recording mode that isn't available on other cameras?it can grab 1080p footage from the exact center of its image sensor. This results in a 2.7x crop factor, which is a boon for videographers who are in need of extreme telephoto reach.

Pros who have invested heavily in CompactFlash memory have taken notice that the D4 only has one CF slot. As the first camera to support the new XQD card format, Nikon opted to release a camera that supports two different memory card formats. Our tests show that XQD delivers its promised performance, but anyone with thousands of dollars worth of CF cards is sure to look at a new format with some trepidation. The silver lining in all of this is that CF cards will still work with the D4, so you can hold off on investing heavily into the XQD format until it's clear whether or not it will take hold.

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Dual-Action Wind Turbine Generates Power and Water [Monster Machines]

Throughout the developing world, millions of people struggle with a shortage of clean water and steady electricity. This wind turbine could solve both problems in one shot by pulling both power and water straight from the wind. More »


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ARM announces new quad-core Cortex-A15 Hard Macro variant

ARM announces new quad-core Cortex-A15 Hard Macro variant

It's pretty much a year to the day that we reported the possibility of a quad-core Cortex-A15 from ARM, and look what just came across the wire! It's the Cortex-A15 Hard Macro -- the first design from ARM we're aware of that packs four A15 cores. The Hard Macro edition is of particular interest as it aims to help manufacturers bring products to market more quickly and at a lower cost. The chip variant runs at 2GHz, with performance of over 20,000 DMIPS if you were wondering. Notably, it operates with the same power usage of the A9 hard macro, which should mean it's got good efficiency credentials, and it's the first in the family to be based on 28nm process. There's no indication where we might see this turning up, but with the firm spilling the full details at the IEEE Symposium later this week, we're sure we'll find out soon enough.

Continue reading ARM announces new quad-core Cortex-A15 Hard Macro variant

ARM announces new quad-core Cortex-A15 Hard Macro variant originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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YouTube wants more videos to have background music, adds audio editor

YouTube wants more videos to have background music, adds audio editor

Need something to fill in the awkward silence between your vlog's unscripted stuttering? YouTube's got your back. In yet another attempt to make your crummy videos just a little better, the streaming outfit has revamped its audio editing suite, giving users access to over 150,000 tracks and a simple sound mixer, to boot. Sure, YouTube's tracks may not be as catchy as your favorite Flaming Lips single, but at least you won't have to worry about copywrite infringement. Check out YouTube's quick demo of the feature after the break.

Continue reading YouTube wants more videos to have background music, adds audio editor

YouTube wants more videos to have background music, adds audio editor originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gariz Sony NEX-5n Half-Case Review

Throughout 2011 I pondered whether or not I should upgrade from my Nikon d90 dSLR behemoth to a MILC with better camera-tech stuffed into a much smaller, lighter form factor. The main reason I wanted to upgrade was portability.? Due to its weight and size, I never took my d90 anywhere. For my trip to [...]

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Touchpad Free adds Windows 8 gestures to its WP7 app

Touchpad Free adds Windows 8 gestures to its WP7 app

There's no shortage of apps that let you use your mobile phone as a touchpad for your computer, but Touchpad Free is the first we've heard of that adds explicit support for Windows 8 gestures. The remote pointer app should allow your Mango-powered device to play nice with that preview copy of Win 8 you've been running since it hit the web, complete with the multitouch gestures that are key to navigating the metro interface. To get it up and running you'll have to install a small server app on your PC which you can find at the source. Follow the second source link and you'll come upon Touchpad Free itself. Neat huh? Well, what are you waiting for, go check it out.

Touchpad Free adds Windows 8 gestures to its WP7 app originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink WMPoweruser  |  sourceNullar, Touchpad Free (Marketplace)  | Email this | Comments

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The Best Way To Look After A Watch Without Truly Attempting ...

With correct care, a watch will deliver its proprietor with lots of a long time of pleasure and dependable service. Here are a few suggestions that could help you look after your new chronograph watch, skeleton watch, or tourbillon watch:

Water Resistance - Comprehending the water resistance limitations of your respective watch is definitely an crucial portion of guarding it from pointless injury. Listed here are some general tips to help you find out the degree of caution essential to guard your watch:

Non-Water Resistant - Watches which have been not rated as water resistant need to be shielded from water or other sources of moisture, such as rain, excessive perspiration, and so forth.

Water Resistant - Watches which have been water resistant but have no exact depth rating can securely withstand incidental splashes from actions such as hand washing, getting caught while in the rain, and so forth.

Up to 50 Meters Water Resistant - swiss replica watches rated as water resistant up to 50 meters may be securely worn though swimming in even now water, such as inside a swimming pool. Nonetheless, lots of watch experts advise exercising caution when undertaking such elements as diving towards the bottom of a deep swimming pool, because the fast alter in stress could affect watches with reduced water resistance ratings.

Up to 100 Meters Water Resistant - Watches rated water resistant up to 100 meters are appropriate for sporting during actions such as swimming, surfing, snorkeling, or other similar water sports.

Up to 500 Meters Water Resistant - iwc watches for sale with this particular water resistance rating are appropriate for use in all sorts of water sports, such as deeper-water scuba diving such as wreck diving, reef diving, and so forth.

Watches and Temperature Extremes - You need to always be cautious not to expose your watch to intense temperatures. Do not ever put on your watch inside a hot tub, or leave it within the dash of a auto uncovered towards the sun, as this will injury vital elements with the watch. Also, when you have a quartz watch, heat could injury the battery, triggering the watch to function incorrectly or halt functioning altogether.

You need to also stay clear of leaving your watch uncovered for extended periods to incredibly cold temperatures, as this could result in it to keep time poorly until finally it returns to a more ordinary temperature selection. Cleaning Your Watch

Dirt, stains, and also water spots detract from your physical appearance of your respective watch, and could negatively effect its functionality. To maximize the lifestyle and top quality of physical appearance of your respective watch, you'll want to thoroughly wipe it down the moment a month or so using a soft, dry cloth. A high-quality linen or silk cloth functions effectively, but even a terrycloth wash cloth functions fine provided that you take care not to snag the crown or pushers within the terrycloth loops.

We're not big followers of sporting a watch while in the shower-soap was meant to clean individuals, not watches. But need to you select to do so, be certain you rinse it thoroughly to acquire any soap off of it, and gently pat it dry using a clean towel or cloth. Also, immediately after sporting your watch inside a swimming pool or while in the ocean, you'll want to be certain you thoroughly rinse it in fresh water to wash away any residual chlorine or salt, and then gently dry it.

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Oil near $104 after successful Spain debt sale

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Rihanna Topless, Bikini Photos: Girl Gone Wild!


Another day, another revealing batch of Rihanna pics.

Posted by the 24-year-old singer herself, no less.

The star showed off pictures from her Hawaiian vacation via Facebook Monday, and in one image, she flings off her white bikini top while standing under a waterfall.

It's Rihanna topless. Further comment unnecessary.

A Rihanna Topless Pic

The Battleship actress says she doesn't actively work out, but just has an active lifestyle, swimming, horseback riding, hiking and such whenever she can.

"I'm not excited about how skinny I am, so it wasn't a goal for me or anything," she says of her thin frame. "That was not something I even tried to do."

Anyone out there complaining? No? Okay. Other sexy images include Rih playing with her bikini on the beach and descending into a shark tank. Enjoy.

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