I didn't realize the extent to which these things were filmed on green-screen backgrounds. I sort of assumed that the trouble to get the camera angles synchronized, along with the post-processing work, would outweigh the trouble of just shooting on site. It seems I was very wrong about that :)
- Joel Webber
I want one ;) Dang it's open source. "OpenSource Quadrocopter U.A.V.P. Universal Aerial Video Platform www.uavp.de" http://www.youtube.com/watch...
- Shane
I notice that there are no clips of *landing* the quadrocopter
- Robert Felty
Rob, landing is easy if you are this good at flying.
- Paul Buchheit
Note that this is a computer simulation and not a video of an actual model. Still - very cool!
- Joe Beda ()
from iPhone
Damn those computers and their fake reality!
- Paul Buchheit
I'm sure i could land one too Paul. I'm just not so sure that it would ever fly again.
- Robert Felty
What I'd like to see with a variable-pitch quadrocopter would be a rock-steady, autonomous hover. With fixed-pitch, they always seem to float around approximately in the same place, with variable-pitch hovering steady might be more possible.
- John μller
Absolutely. I would also assume that Google is big enough that depts can easily keep secrets from one another.
- Louis Gray
@Louis - big enough, perhaps. But easy? Not at all. Secret projects are rather antithetical to the dominant paradigm at Google. It's only happened on a few occasions that I can recall, and those were truly exceptional cases (that each had to be justified). Besides, the engineering culture favors a large shared codebase with a tremendous degree of code reuse and common tools -- more so than anywhere else I've worked -- it is hard to keep projects secret for long in such an environment.
- DeWitt Clinton
Understood. I just don't always assume that the team working on GMail, for example, knows the Android product roadmap, for example. I know that certain more involved and visible folks, such as yourself or Mr. Cutts, may be more cross-functional, I would not ask Matt for updates on Blogger or Reader.
- Louis Gray
Oh, certainly. And I wouldn't personally presume to speak for a team I wasn't working closely with. Though for most teams I bet all I would have to do is look at their team roadmap, which they'd likely share internally anyway. I think we've seen more value unlocked by having a culture of transparency and opportunistic collaboration (and to be honest, some drive-by critique) than we would by locking down too tightly. On the balance I know I much prefer it the way Google operates.
- DeWitt Clinton
DeWitt's description is in line with my experience as well. With rare exceptions, if I don't know about a project it's because I just haven't heard about it, or haven't had time to look. It's a very, very open culture, and it's very rare to keep code hidden.
- Joel Webber
My brother-in-law was an Apple employee. He usually didn't know what Apple was announcing until they announced it. He worked on the chip set of the iPhone and never saw a completed iPhone until Steve showed it off on stage. He told me before the iPhone came out that it would be "thin" and a "phone." Well, yes.
- Robert Scoble
Google's development tools and processes don't lend themselves to maintaining an Apple-esque degree of internal secrecy, even if the company wanted to. Its a unique environment, in my experience (and I'm old). The toolchain was built with searchability and discoverability of code as a goal.
- DGentry
Today is Linus Torvalds' birthday. A meditation on how much we owe to his long ago birthday choice to buy a PC.... http://www.linuxjournal.com/content...
"Even though the overall Android app market grew 20 percent month-over-month in December 2009, Droid logged the biggest gains, indicating a higher number of Droids in the market than competing Android devices, new data from Flurry Media, a San Francisco-based mobile analytics company, shows: * Droid application downloads increased by 93 percent over previous Fridays in December. * Droid accounted for 48 percent of download volume across the leading Android handsets (Droid, myTouch 3G, G1 and HTC Hero)."
- LANjackal
from Bookmarklet
I have the myTouch 3G. We don't have the DROID in Canada ): Well, on Telus soon. But I have Rogers.
- Zachary TG
I wonder if when people speak of "Droid" the phone is it sometimes confused with the operating system, "Android?"
- Ron Thompson
"So, let's summarize: The NY Times has run a silly editorial by a self-interested search company founder who would like his site to get more traffic founder who would like his site to get more traffic, but hasn't gone to the trouble of building something useful. The only scandal I see here is that apparently NY Times OpEds over the holidays are vetted by malnourished monkeys. apparently NY Times OpEds over the holidays are vetted by malnourished monkeys"
- Adewale Oshineye
"Details of this rebellion have since been celebrated by a cadre of mostly western thinkers who believe that digital activism can help to topple authoritarian regimes. Belarusian flash mobs are invoked to illustrate how a new generation of decentralised protesters, armed only with technology, can oppose the state in ways unthought of in 1968 or 1989. But these digital enthusiasts rarely tell you what happened next."
- Adewale Oshineye
Yes, I know it's to get more ad views. But -- especially when the pages feature not only annoying on-page ads but also pop-ups that are designed to bust through pop-up blockers -- it's clear that these sites have no respect for their users. Of course, users are also somewhat to blame: I would pay $3-5/year, for instance, for Men's Health online content, but would others? If enough others did, I'm sure we could all enjoy an ad-free service, but people (and I'm referring to those who are in a position to afford extra expenses) seem almost allergic to the idea of paying for online content, and I think that's sad.
- Adam Lasnik
Yes, seriously. For Real Simple specifically the print version has TONS of ads... but they layout is pretty in print. Unlike the one page per idea setup they have going for the same content online, ugh.
- Kelly Seiler
I thought the free Google food deal went away a while back when times got tough
- LANjackal
Unrelated to the crab rumor: I know a few people from college who went on to become Disney princesses. There is apparently a promotion ladder you climb (e.g., first Pocahontas then Jasmine ... ending with Cinderella)
- Benjamin Golub
Aw, thanks for telling me NOW, Golub! JK...I've never stormed a disney castle before.
- Jon, the Beartato of '10
Unless and until they bring back Captain EO, Google is your man by default.
- Micah Wittman
Now my question: Would you date a guy simply b/c his name was Jus Askin? #jusaskin
- Micah Wittman
more shamlees? dating the googler ... go for it.. Trying to get the nexus one are you?
- Wayne Sutton
hahahah this just came up in passing while BSing with my gfs. Stupid me decided to Tweet it and now I have all sorts of people calling me names. GEEZ. But I'd rather be a food digger or free disney admission digger than a gold digger! ;)
- Mona Nomura
Both Wins....does that make me a bad person :-)
- John D Reasor
Should be re-named " The death of Microsoft's attempt at Social Media".
- Jeff P. Henderson
1) I can't find any sign of MS sponsorship on the page now 2) "Sponsor" only means ad revenue, just as companies "sponsor" TV shows by displaying ads on them. It doesn't necessarily signify deep agreement with everything presented 3) MS threw a quarter bil at Facebook, has a Bing deal with the site AND has more Twitter accounts and official blogs than you can shake a stick at. That sound like a company that thinks social media is dying to you?
- LANjackal
LANjackal, yes, MS sponsors the site. (It's hard to miss next to the title and a full banner ad, vertical) I am certain they had nothing to do with the story, nor did they sponsor this one in particular. It is an unfortunate coincidence for them. Have some fun with it.
- Louis Gray
What type of commentators do you have in mind?
- Louis Gray
Heh, Akiva! And Louis, actually a broad swath of commentators. Initially, I was frustrated specifically with tech bloggers, "ZOMG, I read on this other blog that maybe possibly [x] is going to totally do [y]. Then it's gonna kill [z]!!!" All this speculation on [x] (along with the must-be-like-crack desire to dictate a zero-sum game) is tiresome. Too many blogs/bloggers (which I hesitate to name) derive their traffic from scoops, often obtained in the context of amoral or illegal activities to boot.
- Adam Lasnik
Scoops come from who you know. But analysis... that's more powerful. That shows how you *think*, not just whether you know leakers and/or make wild-assed guesses. I like bloggers / journalists who study trends, who explain how things work or why things work, who help me understand what *is*, who help me get more out of what I have access to now. And I have a hell of a lot more respect...
more...
- Adam Lasnik
Unfortunately, I think due to a scary lessening of attention spans (sometimes mine included!), it seems that the quick-sell, the hot scoop gets a lot more eyeballs than the thoughtful analysis. Maybe too many of us are tired, not only too tired to write thoughtful stuff, but too tired to consume it.
- Adam Lasnik
That is true as well. Note the post above talks about how there is an obvious problem, but the cards are stacked against the problem getting solved, as the priorities and incentives are in the wrong place.
- Louis Gray
HOLY CRAP, Louis (and no, I don't normally use all caps), but indeed you comprehensively hit upon exactly the frustrations I've been feeling. It's gratifying that I'm not alone, and it's also embarrassing that I've been so busy lately that I've not done a better job seeking out the more good content and thoughtful writers. Thanks for clueing me into your post!
- Adam Lasnik
Now that it's clear so many of us agree on the problems, I wish we all had more specific, doable, and promising solutions <sigh>.
- Adam Lasnik
Happy to help, Adam. The post was fairly visible. At the very least, a few folks are thinking about it more. I'll keep doing what I'm doing, and you keep me in check. Any time you run across opportunities for me to be better educated through introductions to new folks and programs wouldn't help either. I know you're not housed in an isolation booth. :)
- Louis Gray
making previsions and getting them right makes the user feel good and boosts their self-esteem. Also it's like playing the lottery, where only if you play you "could" win. Some people speak randomly just to get it right sometimes.
- righini riprova
I guess calling it a mob or a Greek Chorus would depend on whether or not you're on the same side as the mob- err... Greek Chorus
- Nathan Wenzel
from iPhone
I would love to hear the logic that reduces the two to being equal. But my guess is logic and unreason are the same depending on which side you are on so question answered.
- Todd Hoff
Hey we bailed them out, so I guess we can now peek into the emails, we own the company
- Shakeel Mahate
open source is probably the most democratical way of justice, at least the most transparent one
- A.T.