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1984: The Monterey Bay Aquarium opens in California. The aquarium occupies the site of an old sardine cannery at the edge of Monterey Bay, one of the most fertile and diverse marine environments on earth. That diversity inspired the idea of devoting the aquarium solely to the rich marine life indigenous to its own stretch of [...] Source: http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/10/1020monterey-bay-aquarium/
 Ever since the iOS 4.2 beta for iPad came out, some people have been a little upset about the hardware orientation lock being changed into an iPhone-like mute switch. There’s been talk (hope) of getting a settings option that would allow for the user to choose between orientation lock and mute, but now that’s been [...]Steve Jobs: iPad 4.2 mute switch not changing, not user-definable is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/gf-6XGlcH2k/
 Wired, proving yet again that it strives to cover only the most important and socially conscientious news, has published a couple of stories on the physics of Angry Birds. In the first part, the height of the slingshot and red bird are discussed, while the second part deals with an even stickier question: does the Angry Blue Bird multiply its mass?Angry Birds, if you're not "with it," is a physics game for iOS, Android, and even Palm's webOS. You load birds into a slingshot and then fling them across the map, hoping to either hit some pigs or cause other objects to squash some pigs. I can't say that the game's questionable physics have kept me awake long into the night, but I'm definitely not surprised that someone, somewhere has decided to write about it. This is the Internet, after all. It turns out that the red bird is 70cm tall, and a third of the weight of a big boulder. The blue birds are only 1/60th the mass of the red birds -- but when they split into three, their mass grows by 30 times! Mind blowing. There are a ton of graphs over on Wired if you're really interested. There's even a video! The physics of Angry Birds: just how fat is the red bird? originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 06:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/10/19/the-physics-of-angry-birds-just-how-fat-is-the-red-bird/
Filed under: Fun, Video, Apple  Released to the world only 10 hours ago on Hacker News, the developer admits that the 'entire app is as dumb as hell' -- but that it only took him about an hour to develop. Sadly I don't have a Mac or an iPhone so I can't try the service out, but from what I've heard -- from my richer and snobbier friends -- is that it works exactly as advertised. Obviously, think twice before giving up your phone number to a complete stranger. You can also change your FaceTime email address in File > Preferences -- please do it before you try Facelette. Facelette -- yet another Chatroulette clone, but for Apple FaceTime originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/10/21/facelette-yet-another-chatroulette-clone-but-for-apple-face/
Filed under: Android  This is just a quick heads-up for all our Eastern European and Anatolian readers: you can now use Android's Voice Search in four new and crazy languages! Russian is the first Cyrillic language, and Turkish, Polish and Czech mean that a lot of Europe now has access to Voice Search.The only real problem is that you have to change your phone's global language setting to use Voice Search in another language. So, while this might sound like an ideal app for bilingual speakers, in reality it's a bit too clumsy. Hopefully future versions will include a simple on-screen toggle for different languages. If your phone doesn't have Google Voice Search installed, simply search for "Voice Search" on the Android Market -- and it's only for Android 2.1+, alas. Google Voice Search on Android now supports Russian, Polish, Czech and Turkish originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Earlier today Padacs announced the release of their new Toccata iPad case which conveniently comes with a built-in Bluetooth 2.0 keyboard. If you’re the type who prefers using a physical keyboard over tapping letters on your iPad screen then this stylish new accessory is especially for you. The QWERTY keyboard is powered by a Lithium [...] Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ipadbuzzblog/~3/J98OjKqOTu4/
Every iPad owner understands the importance of keeping their device both protected and clean. It takes very little time for oil from your hands to build up on the iPad’s screen, leaving plenty of unwanted smudges. There is an affordable solution though thanks to the iShine Microfiber iPad Sleeve. The iShine Sleeve is a must [...] Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ipadbuzzblog/~3/DOIiF-uD1vk/
1582: Nobody does anything, anything at all. In fact, nobody does anything whatsoever between Oct. 4 and Oct. 15, 1582, because the 10 intervening days have simply been declared out of existence by the pope. (This offer may not apply outside Italy, Spain and Portugal.) Where did those days go? By the mid-1570s, the Julian Calendar established [...] Source: http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/10/1008gregorian-calendar-skips-days/
Filed under: Android This is just a quick heads-up for all our Eastern European and Anatolian readers: you can now use Android's Voice Search in four new and crazy languages! Russian is the first Cyrillic language, and Turkish, Polish and Czech mean that a lot of Europe now has access to Voice Search.The only real problem is that you have to change your phone's global language setting to use Voice Search in another language. So, while this might sound like an ideal app for bilingual speakers, in reality it's a bit too clumsy. Hopefully future versions will include a simple on-screen toggle for different languages. If your phone doesn't have Google Voice Search installed, simply search for "Voice Search" on the Android Market -- and it's only for Android 2.1+, alas. Google Voice Search on Android now supports Russian, Polish, Czech and Turkish originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Games, Time-Wasters  Before you get your hopes up, this is not an exciting game by any means. Chilean Miner Rescue is a celebration more than anything else -- a heart-warming tribute to perseverance!The game -- if it can be called that -- is simple. You turn a wheel that sends a lift plunging down into the depths of the mine, you pick a miner up, and then you spin the wheel to return the mucky hero to the surface. Repeat that rather arduous process 33 times and you have Chilean Miner Rescue. It takes about 10 minutes to play through, and boy does time crawl by slowly. But then you remember that these guys spent 69 days underground. That puts things quickly into perspective. I admit I didn't play through the whole thing, so there might be some kind of surprise that awaits the 'winners'. Leave a comment if you make it to the end, and tell us your completion time too! [via Neatorama] Chilean Miner Rescue is a very slow-paced and heart-warming Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
1884: Geographers and astronomers adopt Greenwich as the Prime Meridian, the international standard for zero degrees longitude. The late 19th century was an era of standardization. With the Second Industrial Revolution stimulating world trade, the Treaty of the Meter established the International System of weights and measures in 1875. With railroads linking together entire continents, nations [...] Source: http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/10/1013greenwich-prime-meridian/ |
Good afternoon! Firefox Friday has been decidedly absent from the luridly green pages of Download Squad over the last few weeks, but it returns today with vengeance. 
