Tech Brief
On Tech Brief today: Sat Nav victory for Brian Blessed, the great algorithm competition and how new digital book software was born in just seven days.
• "Gordon's alive" - Brian Blessed's performance with extra gusto from cult film Flash Gordon could now change to "Gordon's arrived". That's thanks to a Facebook campaign calling for Brian Blessed to become the voice of Sat Nav. It's claimed a victory after over 25,000 people spurred the man himself into action, .
The actor, renowned for his performances in I, Claudius and Flash Gordon will now join the ranks of John Cleese, Ö÷²¥´óÐãr Simpson and Snoop Dogg, all of whom have lent their voices to Sat Nav manufacturer Tom Tom.
"Richard Gardner from Manchester started the campaign to get the Yorkshire born actor and comedian to voice driving directions in April 2008. After attracting a handful of members, the campaign really started to gain momentum earlier this year, and subsequently has more than 25,000 supporters.."
to express his delight.
• A universal phone charger that will be able to recharge lots of different handset models is to be introduced in Europe in 2011 .
Ten brands including BlackBerry makers RIM, Apple, Samsung and Motorola have signed the agreement - something similar is also underway in the US but no deadline has been set.
"A universal charger means consumers don't have to get a new charger with every mobile phone. As a bonus, it will be easier to borrow a charger when in need. And if all that isn't enough, there's the green aspect. One-size-fits-all means fewer chargers will wind up in landfill, less pressure on recycling of the electronic waste, and fewer resources consumed in manufacturing chargers."
Tech Brief will be keeping its phone charger under lock and key in the office from now on.
• An interesting competition for the electric-car-loving algorithm experts among you (don't be shy) .
The challenge is to come up with algorithms designed to make electric cars more economical.
It won't make you a millionaire but a $100 Amazon gift certificate to the most efficient entry each month.
"We're hoping that with your help and intuition, we can improve the efficiency, longevity, and range of electric vehicles. "
• on the success of "one week I one tool", in which a group at the US Center for Digital Humanity spent a week designing and building a digital tool from scratch.
They posted teasers about the project online but did not reveal the result of their work until the seven days were up:
"They put together a great open-source tool: AntholÂoÂgize, a WordÂPress pluÂgin that helps you take online conÂtent like blog posts and colÂlect, edit, design, and forÂmat them into a book -- for either digÂiÂtal or print. Solid softÂware, with obviÂous utilÂity for lots of peoÂple, not just acaÂdÂeÂmics."
And it's open source too - which makes it a free for all. Bookbinding is certainly a lot less fiddly these days...
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