Skype Reveals Every User IP address

If you take your online privacy seriously, you might want to know that you might be highly exposed if you happen to use Skype online service: as it is apparently very easy to know every Skype user's IP address.

An IP address might not be enough to get you a street address on someone, but is often enough to get a country and city approximate location; and it's made worse due to the fact that the attacker doesn't even need to be on your contact list. Right now, there might be people harvesting lists of IP/location info on thousands of online Skype user (offline users have no valid IP address that can be probed).

More so, an IP address is also a prime vector for attacks/hacking, allowing an attacker to direct its efforts to your location, allowing them to test known vulnerabilities and potentially gain access to your computer and infect it with malware or similar types of undesirable software.

Google Maps Cube Game

If you're the kind of person that spends a lot of time in Google Maps... get ready to start spending even more time on it, thanks to this newly arrived Google Maps Cube game.

Truth be told, we were expecting it for quite a while now, as Google teased about it a few months back, and it was promised to arrive in February - which came and went without any sign of it.

But, it's here now, and in this game you have to tilt a cube map, thanks to the magic of WebGL in your browser.
The objective is to be as fast as possible, and you'll be finding world famous cities and landmarks across each of its 8 levels, like New York, Tokyo, Paris, etc.


Level 1 -  Manhattan - reach your friends at the Brooklyn Bowl.
Level 2 - San Francisco on two wheels, biking your way to four different landmarks.
Level 3 - Paris
Level 4 - London
Level 5 - Tokyo
Level 6 - Las Vegas
Level 7 - Mall of America
Level 8 - Well... you'll see it when you get there. :)

On each level you'll be using some of the Google Maps features, like traffic, bike maps, and navigation. And it sure will keep you trying for a while to beat your previous fastest attempts.

Samsung Organizes Anti-Apple Mobs in front of Apple Stores

Samsung has just recently surpasses Nokia, ending its 14 years reign as the leader in the phone market, but that doesn't seem to change the way it has decided to fight its now "most-loved/hated" rival: Apple.

As if mocking with the people waiting in line to buy Apple products, and -more recently- comparing them to sheep in preparation to the upcoming Galaxy S3 annoucement  next May 3rd; Samsung has now take it to the next level, by organizing anti-apple mobs in front of Apple Stores.

Personally, I think this is becoming too much (and I'm the kind of person that really loves a "ad media smackdown" among competitors: like the BMW vs Audi battles). The issue here is that Samsung is not really focusing on Apple... but on its customers. And, having a mob clamoring "Wake up" implying that every Apple customers is "asleep" and not knowing what they're doing... might be a little over the top.

Particularly when lots of those customers have taken the time to consider the alternatives and won't like themselves to be labelled as Apple fanatics or as "blind" as Samsung claims them to be.

In the end, it might just serve to make them remember, next time they're considering their new smartphone... that they might be better served with any brand but Samsung itself!

In any case, if the point is to make fun of Apple "fanatics"... I don't think having a mob of similarly "fanatic" Samsung visionaries shouting will be the proper way to do it.

No matter if you side with Apple/Samsung on this, how do you feel about this latest stunt? Is this really a good way for Samsung to make their point? Or are they really going to far?

How to use any remote control to control your Apple TV

You might wish for a future where all you have to do is ask (Siri on TV?) but until then, your living room is most likely plagued by several remote controls laying around - and usually the one you're looking for is the one that is missing. TVs, set-top boxes, DVR, DVDs, AV system, bluray, media center... There are lots of things we need to control, and not enough fingers to do it all.

Sure, universal remotes can lend a hand, and even learn commands from other remotes; but, if you happen to have an Apple TV, maybe you'll like to know that it can to learn commands from any remote.

Yes, you can effectively use any remote control to control your Apple TV. No jailbreak required!

Note: If you have an Apple TV (1st generation), update to Apple TV software 2.3 or later.

1. Using the Apple Remote included with Apple TV, choose Settings > General > Remotes.
2. Choose Learn Remote.
3. Set your remote to a device setting that doesn’t control any other devices in the area or identify other buttons that do not already control a function on your TV or other device. Many third-party remotes have an option to control different devices such as a VCR or DVD player, or have an auxiliary (AUX) option for an unspecified device.
4. Start.
5. Apple TV will display icons that represent the six buttons on the Apple Remote with the “Up” or “+” button highlighted first.
6. Using your third-party remote, press and hold the button you would like to use to control the “up” function until the blue progress bar is full, as shown below.
7. Apple TV will then select the next button function. Repeat step 6 and 7 using a different button
8. After you have programmed all six button functions, you can now use your third-party remote to control Apple TV.
9. Optionally, you can set up specific playback buttons for fast-forward, rewind, next chapter, and more.

And, if you think one remote control is not enough... nothing stops you from adding extra remote controls. Just follow the exact same procedure with every single remote control you wish to use with your Apple TV. At anytime you can rename, delete or revise your button choices for a selected third-party remote by choosing Settings > General > Remotes and selecting a third-party remote that Apple TV has already learned


[via appletvhacks]

Reclaim your 25GB SkyDrive Space

If the free 5GB space offered by Google Drive isn't enough, you might want to try out Microsoft's own SkyDrive.  For starters, it offers 7GB of free space, which you can expand even further by adding 20, 50 or even 100 extra gigabytes.

But the trick is that, for existing users, you can upgrade your SkyDrive space from 7 to 25GB without spending a cent. All you have to do is jump SkyDrive storage management webpage and click the free upgrade button to reclaim the extra space.

If you happen to had over 4GB uploaded already, the 25Gb update is applied automatically.

"Under the old system, users had 25 GB of non-synced SkyDrive cloud storage, and 5 GB of synced Mesh storage. Now, there's just a single 7 GB of synced storage. However, any users that signed up for SkyDrive before April 22, and who have uploaded at least one file to the service, are eligible for a free upgrade to 25 GB. Existing users with at least 4 GB uploaded will pick up the 25 GB update automatically."

Pixel Qi Promises "Better than iPad" Screens

The transflectiv Pixel Qi screens have long since promised to revolutionize the mobile industry. But so far they've been late to market, and its screens lacking in terms of view angles and such. However, no one can deny that its low power promise, as well as its sunlit screen readability still leave us wanting such a screen to be possible.

But, the mobile market is always evolving, and we now have screens like the amazing 2048x1536 LCD of the new Apple iPad. A reference LCD that has impressed all... but that Pixel Qi claims it can outshine!

Pixel Qi says that for its next generation screens: "We have a new architecture that matches the resolution of the ipad3 screen, and its full image quality including matching or exceeding contrast, color saturation, the viewing angle and so forth with massive power savings."

Bold claims indeed, considering they haven't been able to impress anyone as much as we once expected. But, considering just how important such a screen could have - should they be able to deliver - my guess is that we better hope they succeed!

Google Drive goes live

We knew it was due any minute now, and here it is at last: Google Drive is finally live and available to all.

As expected, you get 5GB free, and the web interface is grafted in place of the old(er) Google Docs. There's some slight changes to the way folders/labels used to work... as it now translates into file folders directly (which is actually simpler than it was, to be honest.)

You can use the web viewer to view 30 kinds of different file types, such as photoshop and illustrator files (that's handy!), and as expected, you can expand your available space up to 16TB (if you're willing to pay a monthly fee of $799.99!)

More affordable are the 25GB ($2.49/month) and 100GB ($4.99/month) options, which should suffice for most users.

The Windows and Mac app are already available, as is the Google Drive App for Android. iPhone and iPad users will have to wait a while longer.






[via engadget]

Solar Powered Car Parks

A few years ago I read something about using solar power parks as way to generate energy - and possibly even use that same energy to power up the electric cars parked beneath the panels. Little did I know that there is a portuguese company specialized in solar power installations that has already turned that concept into reality.

We don't need to be a conspiracy "nut" to realize that the oil industry has definitely done all it could to delay the development of efficient electric vehicles. And truth be told, our power grid would definitely have a hard time  - and most likely would fail - if it had to handle a switch to electric vehicles overnight; with millions of people arriving from work and wanting to charge their cars... at roughly the same time.

We need more intelligent power grids. And perhaps even more important, we need to decentralize power production. Doesn't it make perfect sense that the power should be generated as closest as possible to the point it is needed the most? That means that every single home and building should have as many power generation systems as it possibly can: solar power, wind power, thermal power, etc.

And that applies to car parks as well. It makes perfect sense to have a car parked right there where power can be harvested from the sun to recharge it, minimizing the impact on the power grid and avoiding costly (and inneficient) power routing or distribution.

Sure, solar power efficiency still has a long way to go before it becomes a real alternative to non-renewable/dirty power sourcesm. But, if we were able to put men on the moon in under a decade in the 60s... can you imagine just how much we could really push solar power forward in the next ten years... if the "world" really put its mind onto it?

Uncharted in Movie Version

We all know just how entangled the videogame industry and the movie industry have become lately. While once videogames were mere accessories used to promote a movie... now we have the exact opposite, with movies serving as "add-on" to hugely successful games with millions of fans worldwide.

Sure, not all of them would be movie material... but in some cases, that really is the case. Take for instance, the well known Uncharted saga on Sony Playstation.

This is the kind of game that, from the very beginning, looks like it would turn into a great movie.

And to that point, a fan has decided to edit all in-game videos together, and tie them with the required bits of gameplay... and the end result is 3 amazing movies, one for each Uncharted game out there, which anyone can enjoy (at least until someone complains about copyright issues and gets the content removed :(







[via kotaku]

Come and Visit Portugal

Every once in a while, I can resist to talk to you about my country: Portugal. A country that unfortunately has been on the headlines lately due to the economic crisis - and is currently facing growing unemployment and some though price hikes - but that is still one of the most welcoming and enjoyable countries you could ever visit.

Though I live near Portugal's second largest town (Porto - if you do happen to come by let me know :) most flights will probably bring to our capital: Lisbon.

While you won't have any trouble finding good hotels in Lisbon, there's also a wide array of more affordable options (even several interesting hostels for backpackers with very cheap prices). But, more important than the place you'll be staying the night... is the "place" you're actually in.

When in Portugal, you'll find yourself surrounded by hundreds of years of history and tradition as well as some of the more modern aspects you could find in any city. You might be surprised to find all that you can do at our ATM machines, from buying tickets to shows to activating virtual payment cards to use online; or that we can fuel up our cars and drive away thanks to automatic wireless payment systems; or even that you're likely to find dozen of free Fonera WiFi hotspots for internet access in every city block.

And when the time comes to eat... well... you better be prepared to get home with a few extra pounds. From our traditional dishes that leave no one indifferent, to our highly regarded and appreciated deserts, you can be sure you'll want to be back for more!

360º Catpures with Arqball Spin

Ever wanted to create those interactive "surround" videos that allow you to spin around any type of object? That's precisely what you can do with this Arqball Spin, without the need for any special - or expensive - hardware. You need only your trusted iPhone (or iPad), though for maximum quality you might want to back their Kickstarter project to create the rotating base that ensures high-quality spins.
(Personally, I think $60 is a bit over the top for a rotating base... and I think you can put your imagination to good use to find out a cheaper rotating base... but that's up to each one to decide.)

The App is freely available to iOS, so you can see what you can come up with and "spin to your hearts content".

Mobile Graphics to Surpass Xbox 360 Quality by 2014

Anyone can attest just how fast the mobile devices evolution has been in the past couple of years. From modest single-core CPUs to powerful quad-core CPUs, and from low-resolution screens to tablets that have higher resolution than most desktop high-definition monitors.

Nvidia decided to put that into perspective, by showings us a graph of graphic evolution in PC, consoles and mobiles... and where we can see that by 2014, mobile GPUs should surpass the graphic power of the current generation of consoles.

Sure, by then we'll most likely be already playing on the next generation of game consoles by Microsoft and Sony, with even more powerful graphic capabilities... But give the evolution rate, within a few more years, they're likely to catch up again.

[via anandtech]

Crysis 3 [Teaser Video]

We'll have to wait a few more days to get to know what the upcoming Crysis 3 has to offer (a gameplay video will be shown next April 24th) but until then you can start imagining what's coming with this short teaser video.

Crysis has been a reference in high-quality graphics gaming, continuously pushing forward graphics technology - and most of the time reminding us that our powerful gaming systems aren't enough to create the visuals they envisioned. (And becoming a benchmark ever since).

But, that's not all... If you play Crysis on a game console like the Xbox 360 or PS3, which today have severely limited hardware (not to mention just 512MB of RAM)... you'll see just how well it can look even in such modest hardware.

For Crysis 3, one would expect they'll have a lot of surprises that will make the most out of every graphic card out there... And we'll just have to wait a few more days to see what's coming.

Water Resistant Coating

I've told it time and time again: no matter how much I appreciate our modern smartphones, true engineering marvels that allows us to do the "unthinkable" and be connected to the entire world 24/7; I still believe there's still a lot to be done. And by that I mean: what good is it to have the latest iPhone or Android smartphone in your pocket, if you happen to need to use it while its raining intensively and you dare not do it?

Sure, there are some models that are waterproof and such, but that has not yet become the norm. However, that might be about to change thanks to special coatings like the one being prepared by Daikin.

This 0.1-1 micron coating allows any object to become water resistant. It's not actually "waterproof", but is more than enough to endure most day to day situations, as well as an accidental drop in water.

This coating is even more incredible when you see it working in mesh surfaces, turning a metallic net into something that can actually hold water!

Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad

Sure, there are lots of covers and bluetooth keyboards available for Apple's iPad tablets - and some of them really have the often required "good look" needed to convince Apple fans. But... looks like Logitech has gone the extra step with this Ultrathin Keyboard Cover which will most likely become the "reference" in Keyboard Cover designs for the iPad.

This aluminum cover not only protects your iPad screen using Apples magnetic "hinges", but it comes with a high quality bluetooth keyboard that doesn't make you feel like you're typing in a block of wood. More importantly, Logitech managed to press all this into a very thin package that won't make you feel like you're carrying a bulky add-on with your tablet.

Logitech says the keyboard is good for 6 months of 2h daily typing sessions, which should be more than enough for most people, and it will be available in the US starting next week. In Europe it's expected by mid-May with a price of €99.99.

Bing Translator App for Windows Phones

If you recall the amazing Word Lens, that was able to instantly transform an image containing text into a new image with translated text - as if you were looking at the world through some "magic" lens; then you won't be surprised by the new Bing Translator App for Windows Phone.

This doesn't mean that Microsoft hasn't done a nice job with this App. It too does the instant translation thing, overlapping "subtitles" over the original image - and that happens in realtime, no need to snap a photo of the texts to translate.

If you have a Windows Phone, the App is free, and it certainly will be of great help to anyone travelling abroad... as long as it has roaming Internet access.



[via thenextweb]

Asus Padfone comes to Europe

Wanting to enjoy the transformable options of the Asus range of smartphone/tablet products? It seems that Asus is finally on the brink of bringing its new Padfone to Europe, as well as the as new Transformer Pad 300 and the Transformer Infinity.

The most intriguing and curious one is undoubtedly the Padfone, which takes the "transforming" concept one step further than the Transformers, by allowing you to open up the tablet to reveal its real brain: a smartphone.

The Padfone is expected to arrive in late May, and - unfortunately - it will cost 700€... plus 150€ extra for the keyboard dock. (Guess it won't be a big hit with these prices.) An LTE version should arrive later this year, by September.

More interesting,  the Transformer Pad Infinity (which will have a FullHD screen, in response to the latest Retina display iPad), which should be available on June 10th, and will cost 600€ for the 64GB WiFi version. If you do want it to "transform" into a netbook sort of tablet, you'll need to pay up the extra 150€ for the keyboard dock.

Last but not least, the "cheaper" Transformer Pad 300, which will only be available with 32GB (and the current "low-def" display) and will cost 400€ or 500€ (WiFi or WiFi+3G version).

Galaxy S 3 Unveiled on May 3rd?

There's been a lot of buzz surrounding the upcoming flagship model of the popular Samsung  Android smarphone range: the Galaxy S 3.

After a few unproven rumors, it finally seem that this is it, and that Samsung is preparing its presentation next May 3rd under the not-so-subtle guise of: Come and meet the Next Galaxy.

If this proves to be true, we're a little more than two weeks away from getting to know its reference device and find out which (if any) surprises it holds.

Samsung has received some flak lately, due to failing to provide timely upadates to its devices, as well as "forgetting" it's original Galaxy S - which won't be receiving the latest Android 4.0 ICS. But no matter what, the Galaxy S smartphones are still highly regarded as one of the most desirable Android smartphones out there... and he're hoping Samsung has put a lot of effort into making its 3rd evolution even more desirable than the previous models.

Besides the "more-than-certain" quad-core CPU, 4G/LTE, and HD screen... what are you expecting the new Galaxy S to have?

Justin Bieber's Chromed Fisker Karma

If anyone would have asked, Justin Bieber would definitely be the last person I would ever talk about here on the Internet Best Secrets. But proving that nothing is impossible, here he is, thanks to its unusual automotive choice. As if it wasn't enough to choose an electric Fisker Karma to show off its "eco-status", Bieber went all the way - bypassing all the expected "exotic" colors celebrities often choose for their cars - and having an entirely chromed Fisker Karma.

A car that apparently is in violation of California laws, not because of its glaring chrome job, but because of its surrounding "fuschia" lights - in California you can only have white or amber lights facing forward.

... More worrying: will this be the first of a long list of celebrities going "chrome"? (No doubt Google could certainly put this to food use to promote its Chrome browser! ;)



[ via TMZ]

Hot to Enable Click to Play on Chrome Browser

Thanks to web standards like HTML5, more and more web site are leaving Flash behind (and many other types of content that previously could only be achieved via browser plugins.)

This means that, for the most part, you can now live in a plugin-free web world. So, why would you want to wast time and space keeping those plugins active, when plugins like Flash are often abused and used in annoying and irritating ads and popups?

For years, people have been relying on 3rd party browser extensions to block ads and plugin content (with AdBlock and FlashBlock being two of the most common). But now, you don't even need a browser extension if you're using Chrome (and Firefox too, soon).

Chrome has a nifty option called Plug-ins Click to Play, that you can activate by:

• navigating to chrome://settings/advanced page
• Clicking on "Under the Hood" section
• Click on "Content settings" button
• Just head up to chrome://settings/content
• Scroll down to the Plug-ins section, and change it to click to play

This way, when you visit a page with Flash Content, instead of loading automatically, it will show up just a dummy and inactive placeholder - which you can... as expected...  "click to play".

For the most part, it will require just a single extra mouse click to access the content you want; but on the other side, it will ensure your browser won't be wasting resources on unneeded plugin content that has no added value to you. 

ScanStik and PrintStick - Pocket Sized Scanner and Printer

If you do your best to achieve a paperless office, but can't avoid dealing with paper documents, here are two small gadgets that will allow you to take your office with your wherever you go.

This ScanStik might look like a slightly enlarged pen... But in reality, it's a full-fledged scanner capable of scanning an entire page in one go in under 4 seconds, and with a quality of up to 600 dpi.

And, because you never know if you'll have to scan a single page or thousands, the ScanStik even has a microSD slot, so you can expand its capacity and store thousands of scanned pages without requiring a PC nearby to offload its documents.

To do that, you need only connect it to any PC via a USB cable, and manage - or even perform OCR - with the included ABBYY FineReader SE and PaperPort OCR software.


When the time comes to do the exact opposite, you can rely on the PrintStik.

This tiny printer uses a self-contained paper cartridge with 20 pages, that allows you to print wherever you may be. You don't even have to worry about toner or ink cartridges, as it uses a high quality thermal printing system.


... When I look at these devices I can't avoid remembering those old "Mission Impossible" TV series episodes, where often we would see similar gadgets doing this sort of thing - but at the time being pure science fiction! It took them a while... but it's now real and within reach of anyone wanting to take a scanner and printer anywhere they go.

How to Use All Screen Space in the New Google+

If you're an avid Google+ user, you've probably noticed the new and improved Google+ that was deployed yesterday. A new design that makes it better... but that also has an annoying "feature" that seems to have been forgotten by the design team: when you use it in a high resolution wide screen monitor, you get a lot of unused space:

Unless you like having half of your screen unused, there is clearly something that Google needs to fix soon. Until then however, you don't have to suffer any more - at least if you're using Chrome. Thanks to this GExtend extension, that makes a slight alteration to Google+ CSS settings, you can have your Google+ using up the entire width of your screen.

What would you Say to 1 Million Listeners?

Just the other day I came across a discussion about the effect of having a growing number of followers, listeners, readers, viewers, on the internet. Would you write the same thing whether you have 100 readers or 10,000? Would you tweet the same stuff for 10,000 or 1 million?

In my modest scale, I too feel the same effect, as the number of readers on my blogs keeps growing, and I find myself reaching over 10,000 people every day on each post. A volume that whether I do it consciously or not, does impact on the way I write as well as the things I write about. A process that I think is just part of the natural evolution of a site.


And that's why I find this The List Serve project so interesting, as it aims to provide a mailing list with 1 million readers, to whom each and everyone will be entitled to send a daily email about anything you wish (the email will be randomly selected - and is pre-screened to prevent spam or inappropriate content).

So... what would you have to say to 1 million people willing to read your words?



[via betabeat]

Philips Monitor Enforces Right Posture

Stop! Notice exactly how you are right now. If you're using a desktop computer and monitor, chances are you're now bending forward, or at least, with an arched back that won't do you much good in the long run.

To try and prevent those common errors, Philips now has a monitor that tries to help you keep the correct posture as well as take regular breakes.

Thanks to its Ergosensor, that can measure your distance from the screen as well as your angle, this 24" desktop LCD monitor uses can remind you to sit up straight and/or move to an appropriate distance from the screen.

As one would expect, this monitor comes with all imaginable options in regards to adjusting its height, tilt, swivel and rotation. And you can also count with it prompting you to take regular brakes, so you can stand up and move your eyes away for a while.

As you do that, the monitor detects it and enters a power saving mode, and lights up once again when you come back and sit in front of it.

New Kindles to Have Lighted Screen

Traditional Kindles with the eInk screen still attract those who prefer a more natural reading experience, similar to what printed paper provides. It's eInk screen not only allows it to have a battery life longer than what's possible with other kinds of screens (like LCDs and OLEDs), but allows it be easily read even under direct sunlight.

However, eInk screens also suffer from some drawbacks: like the lack of color, slow refresh rates... and impossible to read in the dark.

Technology is advancing, making color eInks screens and faster refreshes a reality that will inevitably reach consumers... But for now, it seems that Amazon is working on the other missing aspect: adding light to its kindle ebook readers.

Amazon has acquired a world leading light-guide technology company, which prompts us to believe that the next Kindle will offer a "glowing" screen that will improve its readability when ambient light levels decrease. This light guide technology means that it will only require a small layer over the existing screen, not affecting its touch sensing system.

[via Techcrunch]

Google Graphs in 3D and WebGL

You're probably aware that your Google Search box is more than capable of handling math operations and conversions. Just try entering "10+10", or "10 km in miles", or even "50 USD in EUR"), but what you probably din't know is that Google is now able to plot 3D graphics.

When you enter a 2 variable function, like :

sqrt(x*x+y*y)+3*cos(sqrt(x*x+y*y))+5 from -20 to 20

You'll get an interactive, zoomable 3D graphic that puts your browser WebGL capabilities to good use.
... I wouldn't be surprised if they added animation features in its next evolution, and before you know it, we might end up having a full-fledged 3D modelling and animation package inside Google Search. ;)

[via google]

iOS Text Editors

With millions of Apps available in your App Store, the problem isn't finding a App that does what you want... but finding the one that best does what you want.

And when what you want is something as simple as a text editor, it becomes even harder to figure out if there's another App out there that might solve the issues you might be having with your current app.

Thankfully, as it's quite common on the internet, this same dilemma has already crossed the mind of other people... including one that decided to take matters into its own hands and compile a comprehensive iOS text editors comparison table that allows us to have a better view of each App features.

Now you can easily check which Apps supporte Dropbox syncing, text expanding, export to PDF, how much they cost... and lots, lots more.

A comparison table that gives us a glimpse of how hard it can be to do such a simple thing as: figuring out the best text editor App out there.

[iTextEditors via the verge]

Google Unveils Project Glass

Looks like Google finally admitted being working on a next-gen man-machine interface using digital glasses, called Project Glass. The glasses Google intends to create are nothing like the bulky and heavy digital glasses we're used to see. Instead, they're quite unobtrusive and small enough to go mostly unnoticed in everyday use.

Will this project end up being a major breakthrough in the way we interact with our computers and smartphones, and finally put augmented reality tech to use in something we can use on our daily lives?

Maybe a couple of years from now we'll be looking back and laughing about the time people used to argue about the ideal screen size for portable devices and tablets...

Let's hope so!

How to Fix Forza 4 Marketplace Error

If you're an avid racing fan and have an Xbox 360, then you'll know Forza 4 inside and out by now. This amazing racing game puts you behind the wheel of cars of all makes and models, from cheap every day cars to the most exclusive and unaforddable ones.

Even better, every month a new expansion pack comes out, offering even more cars (if you have a season pass, you can get most of them for free).
Usually, the process is quite simple: as you enter the game you'll receive a message that there's new content available, you head up to the Forza Marketplace, select it... and it's done.

However, sometime you might get the following message instead:

MARKETPLACE ERROR Failed to download required marketplace data

And no matter how hard you try, you can't get past it and gain access to the new packs.
Considering the new April Alpinestar pack is out today, some of you might be getting severely frustrated if you face this error.

Well, it seems there is an easy fix, provided by Turn10 studios themselves:

• Delete season pass -> go to HDD -> games and applications > Forza 4 -> delete season pass
• Delete season pass -> go to HDD > clear cache
• Start up the game and re-download the season pass. You should be promoted to download it again automatically
• If not then access the marketplace section of the game and download it manually
• Once that has downloaded it should start the content download automatically

Hope that helps!

[Update: thought that was the end of it, but with the May Top Gear Pack the problem is back... and now it doesn't work even with this technique!]

The True Cost of an iPhone

Have you ever tried to imagine the sheer scale of building and assembling products "by the millions"? When you head up to your nearest Apple Store and pick up an iPhone, do you wonder of everything that makes that simples "pick up and pay" process possible?

It's something that I sometimes wonder about, and that this interactive infographics regarding the true cost of the iPhone tries to make more present - as there's a lot of steps involved that we often don't know (or in some cases, don't even want to know.)

Every component inside your iPhone had to be manufactured and/or assembled, each had to be made, from raw materials like iron, silica, etc. Every iPhone comes with cables that also had to be made somewhere, and neatly packed in a little box and put away for shipping. All this times millions and millions...

I can't even picture how 10000 iPhones would look side by side, let alone 10 millions!

Sure, this isn't an iPhone specific concern, as it happens with any mass-produced consumer device made at similar scales. But... it would be nice not to make a blind eye about how all this is made possible.

Paper for iPad

A few days ago I've shown you how you could turn your iPad into a futuristic notebook that might very well change the way students (and everyone else) used paper notebooks. Today, we make things even simpler, by turning your iPad into a simple piece of paper.

This App is aptly named Paper (couldn't be simpler), and it lets go of most interface items. Curiously, some of its developers were also involved with Courier - which serves to show just how much people are working on tablet Apps and full of interesting ideas.

On this free App you get just a simple fountain pen and eraser. But you can get extra tools via in-app purchaes (and you can even preview each and every one of them before you buy it)

• Write (pen)
• Sketch (pencil)
• Outline (marker)
• Color (watercolor)

The thickness of the trace varies according to the speed of your movement, and there's also a nifty "undo" function that works by placing two fingers on the iPad screen and doing a counter clockwise motion.


Paper for the iPad from FiftyThree on Vimeo.

Trans-Oceanic Cables will be Laser Cleaned for Faster Internet

As you might be aware, the Internet doesn't have its global reach by magic. There's an entire infrastructure all around the world that allows data packets to zoom along at light speed, transporting all sorts of data to wherever it's needed... and that includes fiber optic cables crossing thousands of miles across the oceans and connecting different continents.

However, as you'd might expect, transporting trillions of bits of data each and every second over these cables has its consequences... a phenomenon known as bit rot leaves some of these bits stuck on optic cables, degrading its performance over time.

But fear not. Scientists have devised a cleaning method that will restore these fiber optic cables to full performance using high power pulse lasers.

Though they say most people shouldn't notice any internet connection issues, they warn that those who have a fiber to the home (FTTH) internet connection might experience some odd flashing pulses of light - and they say users might want to wear their sunglasses during the cleaning hours just to be safe.

The laser cleaning schedules will be posted in the next couple of weeks, and we'll keep you posted about the fiber optic cables cleaning status as it proceeds.