The Week's Top 10 Haha and WTF Tech News (week starting Apr 4)
As the week winds down, so does your interest in reading serious news about serious topics. It’s Friday, you don’t really feel like working, and you want to waste a bit of time. I know how you feel.
And that’s why I invite you to check out 10 news that will put a smile on your face, make you laugh, and even make you say what the f...
1. The wearable that promises to put a stop to menstrual pains
I’m a guy, so I don’t know how much menstrual cramps hurt. According to Livia (and all of my exes), they hurt a lot. So much that a wearable had to be created to help the countless women who suffer from severe cramps. Unveiled on Indiegogo this week, this period-pain-squashing device uses electrical stimulation to block pain receptors and thus relieve menstrual pain.
"With Livia, women everywhere can have a more comfortable period," said Livia’s CEO Chen Nachum. "Especially with people looking into holistic alternatives for food, medicine, and other industries, Livia is the natural step to take in order to get relief from menstrual pain, especially for women whose cramps can really be debilitating."
2. Quantum Break makes Jack Joyce look like a pirate
In Quantum Break, the action-adventure 3rd person shooter that launched this week for Xbox One and Windows 10, you play as Jack Joyce, a guy who has the power to manipulate time. He makes everything freeze so that you can escape from attacks and defeat enemies.
If the game's DRM detects that you’re playing a pirated version, it will implement a comical anti-piracy measure: make Jack Joyce look like a pirate by getting him to wear a skull and crossbones eye-patch on his left eye.
Quantum Break's Windows 10 FAQ explains that the DRM might trigger accidentally if you log out of your Microsoft account before starting the game.
3. SwiftKey’s new app helps you write like Shakespeare
Did you know that in 2016 we celebrate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death? Well, now you do. SwiftKey decided to mark the occasion by releasing ShakeSpeak, a limited edition keyboard app that helps you write like the famous playwright.
"2016 marks a yearlong celebration of Shakespeare and the incredible literary legacy he has left us," said SwiftKey’s Head of Languages, Caroline Gasparin. "SwiftKey’s technology learns your personal writing style to predict what you will most likely type next. We have trawled thousands of words from his plays for SwiftKey to learn from the great playwright himself build this personalized language model. To celebrate the 400th anniversary of his death, the ShakeSpeak keyboard makes the greatest playwright of all time accessible in a new and unique way."
The ShakeSpeak app is available for free on Google Play.
4. See how a tattoo looks like on your skin, in real-time
The Ink Hunter app lets you see how a tattoo will look like. It uses augmented reality (AR) to let you see your tattoos in real-time. Should come in handy if you’re thinking about getting inked and you want to visualize what you’re getting yourself into.
For now, the Ink Hunter app is available for iOS only. The Ink Hunter team says they’re working on and Android and Windows Phone version and if you leave your email address, they’ll tell you when It's out.
5. New Domino’s app requires zero interaction
Domino’s knows that when you want pizza, you want an effortless way to order it, one that doesn’t involve lots of clicking and tapping. So it came up with a new app called Zero Click. Launch it and it will automatically place an order for pizza.
A 10-second countdown timer will show up when you launch Domino’s Zero Click app. When the countdown ends, the app will submit your order. Obviously, you will have to complete an initial setup. You’ll need to create a "Pizza Profile" and add your favorite type of pizza’s to Domino’s Easy Order system. Once you do, ordering a pizza is as easy as launching the Zero Click app.
Domino’s Zero Click app is available for iOS and Android on their respective app stores.
6. Taco Bell’s working on TacoBot artificial intelligence
While Domino’s wants to simply the ordering experience as much as possible, Taco Bell wants to make it a bit more social. For the past few months, Taco Bell’s been working on TacoBot, a chatbot that’s reminiscent of Siri and Cortana.
"TacoBot is a new friend and should be treated as such upon a quick install," said Taco Bell. "Start asking it questions about our menu, see how it’s feeling or find out what its favorite movie is. From there connect your ta.co account, choose your pickup location and order up your favorite Taco Bell item. Tacobot is ready to serve!"
7. Samsung wants to patent smart contact lenses
It’s come to light that Samsung filed a patent in North Korea, patent that describes contact lenses equipped with a tiny display, a camera, an antenna, and several sensors that detect movement and blinking. It uses a smartphone to process data and it projects images directly into your eye.
Even though the patent was filed back in 2014, and hasn’t been awarded to Samsung so far, it made the news just this week when it was spotted by SamMobile.
8. Would you like an “eyegasm”?
"Never Had An Eyegasm? Aurai’s Eye Massager Will Change That" – that’s the title Aurai went with in a press release that promotes its new eye care device, a massager that uses water technology to address problems related with digital eye strain.
"For years my father-in-law was suffering from eye fatigue and even showed signs of eye strain, puffiness and migraines. We couldn’t find the right eye care products on the market and that’s why we started to develop Aurai," said Eric Chu, Co-Founder of Aurai.
"Everyday we use our laptops, smartphones, and tablets for a whole range of things that we either need to do or want to do, you’re even looking at one of those devices right now. Constantly staring at screens is essentially the same thing as having your arm in a cast, it doesn’t adjust and as a result, it gets weaker and fatigued. We want to bring Aurai to people everywhere so at the end of a long day of screen watching or being affected by the elements outdoors, people can take care of such an important part of their bodies."
Pre-sales for Aurai’s eye massager kicked off on Kickstarter this week. The device is priced at $119.
9. Valve’s trailer does VR right
Valve recently pulished a trailer promoting SteamVR and the HTC Vive virtual reality headset. It brilliantly shows what VR is all about and I bet the competition is having one of those "why didn’t I think of that?" moments.
The HTC Vive isn’t out yet, it’s scheduled for a May release. In preparation for its release, SteamVR has put together a very nice selection of VR games. Check them out here.
One of the apps that’s included with the HTC Vive is Google’s Tilt Brush, an app that gives painting a fresh new perspective: paint in 3D.
"With Tilt Brush, you can paint in three-dimensional space. Just select your colors and brushes and get going with a wave of your hand. Your room is a blank slate. You can step around, in and through your drawings as you go. And, because it’s in virtual reality, you can even choose to use otherwise-impossible materials like fire, stars or snowflakes," said Andrey Doronichev, Group Product Manager, Google VR.
10. The Force Awakens Honest Trailer
The guys at Screen Junkies have finally made an Honest Trailer for "Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens", and it’s awesome! Check it out below.
And that’s why I invite you to check out 10 news that will put a smile on your face, make you laugh, and even make you say what the f...
1. The wearable that promises to put a stop to menstrual pains
I’m a guy, so I don’t know how much menstrual cramps hurt. According to Livia (and all of my exes), they hurt a lot. So much that a wearable had to be created to help the countless women who suffer from severe cramps. Unveiled on Indiegogo this week, this period-pain-squashing device uses electrical stimulation to block pain receptors and thus relieve menstrual pain.
"With Livia, women everywhere can have a more comfortable period," said Livia’s CEO Chen Nachum. "Especially with people looking into holistic alternatives for food, medicine, and other industries, Livia is the natural step to take in order to get relief from menstrual pain, especially for women whose cramps can really be debilitating."
2. Quantum Break makes Jack Joyce look like a pirate
In Quantum Break, the action-adventure 3rd person shooter that launched this week for Xbox One and Windows 10, you play as Jack Joyce, a guy who has the power to manipulate time. He makes everything freeze so that you can escape from attacks and defeat enemies.
If the game's DRM detects that you’re playing a pirated version, it will implement a comical anti-piracy measure: make Jack Joyce look like a pirate by getting him to wear a skull and crossbones eye-patch on his left eye.
Quantum Break's Windows 10 FAQ explains that the DRM might trigger accidentally if you log out of your Microsoft account before starting the game.
3. SwiftKey’s new app helps you write like Shakespeare
Did you know that in 2016 we celebrate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death? Well, now you do. SwiftKey decided to mark the occasion by releasing ShakeSpeak, a limited edition keyboard app that helps you write like the famous playwright.
"2016 marks a yearlong celebration of Shakespeare and the incredible literary legacy he has left us," said SwiftKey’s Head of Languages, Caroline Gasparin. "SwiftKey’s technology learns your personal writing style to predict what you will most likely type next. We have trawled thousands of words from his plays for SwiftKey to learn from the great playwright himself build this personalized language model. To celebrate the 400th anniversary of his death, the ShakeSpeak keyboard makes the greatest playwright of all time accessible in a new and unique way."
The ShakeSpeak app is available for free on Google Play.
4. See how a tattoo looks like on your skin, in real-time
The Ink Hunter app lets you see how a tattoo will look like. It uses augmented reality (AR) to let you see your tattoos in real-time. Should come in handy if you’re thinking about getting inked and you want to visualize what you’re getting yourself into.
For now, the Ink Hunter app is available for iOS only. The Ink Hunter team says they’re working on and Android and Windows Phone version and if you leave your email address, they’ll tell you when It's out.
5. New Domino’s app requires zero interaction
Domino’s knows that when you want pizza, you want an effortless way to order it, one that doesn’t involve lots of clicking and tapping. So it came up with a new app called Zero Click. Launch it and it will automatically place an order for pizza.
A 10-second countdown timer will show up when you launch Domino’s Zero Click app. When the countdown ends, the app will submit your order. Obviously, you will have to complete an initial setup. You’ll need to create a "Pizza Profile" and add your favorite type of pizza’s to Domino’s Easy Order system. Once you do, ordering a pizza is as easy as launching the Zero Click app.
Domino’s Zero Click app is available for iOS and Android on their respective app stores.
6. Taco Bell’s working on TacoBot artificial intelligence
While Domino’s wants to simply the ordering experience as much as possible, Taco Bell wants to make it a bit more social. For the past few months, Taco Bell’s been working on TacoBot, a chatbot that’s reminiscent of Siri and Cortana.
"TacoBot is a new friend and should be treated as such upon a quick install," said Taco Bell. "Start asking it questions about our menu, see how it’s feeling or find out what its favorite movie is. From there connect your ta.co account, choose your pickup location and order up your favorite Taco Bell item. Tacobot is ready to serve!"
7. Samsung wants to patent smart contact lenses
It’s come to light that Samsung filed a patent in North Korea, patent that describes contact lenses equipped with a tiny display, a camera, an antenna, and several sensors that detect movement and blinking. It uses a smartphone to process data and it projects images directly into your eye.
Even though the patent was filed back in 2014, and hasn’t been awarded to Samsung so far, it made the news just this week when it was spotted by SamMobile.
8. Would you like an “eyegasm”?
"Never Had An Eyegasm? Aurai’s Eye Massager Will Change That" – that’s the title Aurai went with in a press release that promotes its new eye care device, a massager that uses water technology to address problems related with digital eye strain.
"For years my father-in-law was suffering from eye fatigue and even showed signs of eye strain, puffiness and migraines. We couldn’t find the right eye care products on the market and that’s why we started to develop Aurai," said Eric Chu, Co-Founder of Aurai.
"Everyday we use our laptops, smartphones, and tablets for a whole range of things that we either need to do or want to do, you’re even looking at one of those devices right now. Constantly staring at screens is essentially the same thing as having your arm in a cast, it doesn’t adjust and as a result, it gets weaker and fatigued. We want to bring Aurai to people everywhere so at the end of a long day of screen watching or being affected by the elements outdoors, people can take care of such an important part of their bodies."
Pre-sales for Aurai’s eye massager kicked off on Kickstarter this week. The device is priced at $119.
9. Valve’s trailer does VR right
Valve recently pulished a trailer promoting SteamVR and the HTC Vive virtual reality headset. It brilliantly shows what VR is all about and I bet the competition is having one of those "why didn’t I think of that?" moments.
The HTC Vive isn’t out yet, it’s scheduled for a May release. In preparation for its release, SteamVR has put together a very nice selection of VR games. Check them out here.
One of the apps that’s included with the HTC Vive is Google’s Tilt Brush, an app that gives painting a fresh new perspective: paint in 3D.
"With Tilt Brush, you can paint in three-dimensional space. Just select your colors and brushes and get going with a wave of your hand. Your room is a blank slate. You can step around, in and through your drawings as you go. And, because it’s in virtual reality, you can even choose to use otherwise-impossible materials like fire, stars or snowflakes," said Andrey Doronichev, Group Product Manager, Google VR.
10. The Force Awakens Honest Trailer
The guys at Screen Junkies have finally made an Honest Trailer for "Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens", and it’s awesome! Check it out below.
