Daily Bits – Page 235

Language Apps You’ll Find Useful

November 23, 2012 by noemi

Do you have a fixation on words and languages? Do you fancy yourself speaking more than one or two languages?

Luckily for you, technology has made it easier for self-motivated people to learn new languages. While there are still a lot of ways you can learn formally, there are also countless language apps which can either serve as your main source of learning or as a supplement to your formal program. [Read more…] about Language Apps You’ll Find Useful

Death By Computer – And How to Avoid It!

November 23, 2012 by noemi

Is Your Computer Killing You — Death by Computer

We’re all dying every second. There’s nothing we can do to stop that, but that does not mean we have to hasten the process, does it?

There are many things we can do to live a (somehow) healthy life, and spending too much time in front of the computer just might not be one of them. That is not to say that the computer does not help us in so many ways. For those who work online, it is a lifeline of sorts. However, as with most things in life, we can say that moderation is the key.

Here’s a fun infographic focusing on how your computer just might be killing you. Needless to say, it applies depending on the amount of time you spend in front of your device. [Read more…] about Death By Computer – And How to Avoid It!

Soon, Your Avatar Can Reflect Your Emotion in Real Time

November 21, 2012 by noemi

The graphics of today’s video games have improved so much that I can’t help but be mesmerized even when I am a mere observer most of the time. I am thinking about games such as Skyrim, where the level of details is simply astounding. Even with all the advances made, though, there is still some room for improvement.

If you think about it, there video game avatars do not exactly have real facial expressions. While their expressions do change, there is still some way to go in this regard.

This is what Thibaut Weise of EPFL’s Computer Graphics and Geometry Laboratory has been working on. His idea is very simple: to enable avatars to reflect the facial expressions of their real life users in real time. [Read more…] about Soon, Your Avatar Can Reflect Your Emotion in Real Time

5 Common Internet Words and Their Real-world Connections

November 19, 2012 by noemi

Internet lingo has evolved over the years. And just like any other language, many of the words used in Internet speak have been borrowed.

Have you ever wondered where Internet words like ping and bugs came from? What their real-world connections are? For your dose of Monday trivia, let’s take a look at 5 of the most commonly encountered/used Internet words. [Read more…] about 5 Common Internet Words and Their Real-world Connections

Games to Keep You Occupied on a Long Flight

November 16, 2012 by noemi

I haven’t been on extremely long flights, but even on flights that take three or four hours long, I get fidgety unless I fall asleep. Lucky for me, my body seems to take a moving vehicle as a signal for sleep most of the time. If all else fails, there is the iPad which keeps me busy for the duration of the flight.

If you are going on a trip soon, and you are preparing yourself for hours on the plane, here are some iPad games that have proven to be entertaining. Download them before you go. You won’t regret it!

Flight Control

Every time I write something about awesome iPad games, Flight Control makes it to the list. It is that awesome. The premise is to route and reroute planes so that you can land all of them safely. It is a bit weird to play this game while you’re 30,000 feet above ground, but you’ll certainly not feel the time pass. [Read more…]