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Google brings accessible Morse code typing to Gboard on iOS
Google is expanding the reach of Gboard's Morse code support. The search firm has introduced the accessibility-focused keyboard to Gboard for iOS, making communication easier for iPhone and iPad owners with limited motion. As before, it replaces the usual letters with giant dot and dash buttons and offers text suggestions that include the Morse code for a given word. If you're not sure how to write, don't worry -- Google is providing some help on that front as well.
Google brings Morse code to Gboard
During Google I/O today, the company announced that Gboard would soon support Morse code, a move inspired by developer Tania Finlayson who communicates through head movements that are translated into Morse code and then into speech. She and her husband partnered with Google to bring Morse code to Gboard, and Finlayson said in a statement, "I'm very excited that Gboard now has a Morse keyboard that allows for switch-access, with various settings to accommodate more people's unique needs."
Netflix engineers dream up a way to search your queue with Morse code
Netflix's annual Hack Day event saw a host of funky projects this year, including a Redbox-style Netflix vending machine, a spooky new interface that makes eyes and heads of characters in thumbnails follow your cursor, an interface to track your binge watches and an audiobook mode that plays Audio Descriptions from movies so you can listen to your Netflix queue instead of watch it. The most interesting project, though, is called TeleFlix, which uses a Raspberry Pi and an old telegraph key to search Netflix with Morse code.
Gene editing can end disease and fight global famine
We're looking at the single greatest advancement in genetics since Mendelev started growing peas. CRISPR-Cas9 gene-modification technology is powerful enough to cure humanity's worst diseases, yet simple enough to be used by amateur biologists. You thought 3-D printers and the maker movement were going to change the world? Get ready for a new kind of tinkerer -- one that wields gene-snipping scissors.
'Battlefield 4' hides an incredibly elaborate Easter egg
You've probably seen some clever gaming Easter eggs in your day, but few of them are likely to be this... involved. Gamers playing Battlefield 4's new Dragon Valley map have discovered an Easter egg that requires a massive, multi-step sleuthing campaign to complete. How massive? Well, it starts with translating Belarusian Morse code and moves on to hidden objects, logic puzzles and audio editing. The kicker is that this isn't repeatable -- even if you pay close attention to the video below, you'll have to do some of the hard work yourself.
Visualized: Cubesat micro-orbiters slip into space to flash Earth in Morse code
Japan's four-inch FITSAT-1 orbiters were released from Japan's Kibo laboratory on the ISS last week to (literally) start their world tour, and astronauts aboard the station captured the wee satellites being dwarfed by giant solar arrays and our own blue rock on their way to orbit. Soon they'll be writing "Hi this is Niwaka Japan" in Morse code using intense flashes of LED light, first to Japan and then across the globe, starting next month. To catch them floating away from the International Space Station's cozy confines, hit the source.
Japan's LED-stacked cubesat will burn Morse code into the heavens
If you thought cloud writing was cool, then how about a message from space burnt into the night sky? A group of unassuming cubesats recently left the comfort of the ISS and joined Earth's orbit -- among them was FITSAT-1 (aka Niwaka), a four-inch-cubed Japanese satellite covered in high-powered LEDs. Its mission is to broadcast the message "Hi this is Niwaka Japan" in Morse code, using bursts of intense light to draw dots and dashes across the heavens. FITSAT-1 was originally planned to appear only over Japan, but a flurry of interest means it'll be touring the globe, starting next month. It'll also find time for its studies, beaming VGA images snapped with an onboard camera back to Earth, to test a high-speed data transmitter. While its creator, Professor Takushi Tanaka, has said the Morse broadcast has "no practical aim," we think it would make a good emergency beacon for natural disasters (or, more worryingly, alien invasions). FITSAT-1 will try and fulfill all requests for appearances, but it can't control the weather, so you'd better hope for a clear night if it visits your part of the world. If you're as excited as we are to see it in action, bookmark the source links below, which should be updated with its orbit schedule in the near future. And, even if you don't speak Japanese, the video after the break will give you an idea of what to expect.
Bluetooth keyboard mod resurrects Morse code, offers a helping click to disabled (video)
Morse code may have been pushed aside in the pursuit of higher-tech cryptography, but the old dits and dahs of yore are now finding a repurposed life helping the disabled. Modding outfit Zunkworks has cobbled together an Arduino hack that pairs a Bluetooth-based, dots and dashes approach with wallet-friendly parts. Using the keyboard's two inbuilt push-buttons, users' clicks are decoded by the integrated Arduino and then transmitted via Bluetooth to a nearby computer. And thanks to the mod's HID profile support, you can also enjoy this access solution on smartphones and tablets -- useful for those who can "send code at 25-50 words per minute." Yeah, that's definitely not us. Still, we applaud the group's efforts to make 21st century tech accessible to the handicapped and geek alike. Jump past the break for a video demo of this on / off hackjob.
5 Mac applications for ham radio fans
Although my work keeps me from spending a lot of time conversing with the world via ham radio (I'm KCØEZH, by the way), it's a fascinating techie hobby. Sure, you can use a wireless phone to call anyone on earth, send 'em SMS/MMS/email messages, tweet, blog, etc..., but there's something rather fun about trying to pluck a faint signal from someone on the other side of planet and coax it into recognizable speech or code.Many hams are hard-core electronics buffs who like to "roll their own," so it's not surprising that a lot of ham radio operators build their own PCs from parts and run Linux or Windows. However, thanks in part to virtual machines and the general growing popularity of Macs (and iPhones) in general, there is getting to be a sizable population of Mac-driving amateur radio fans.Follow along as I show a random sampling of ham radio apps for the Mac.
FCC drops Morse code requirement for amateur radio license: - - - .... / -. - - - !
Despite the fact that it's been proven more than once that there are lots of folks who are well-versed in Morse code, it appears that the SMS of the 19th century has become a thing of the past. The FCC has finally dropped the requirement to learn the obscure language to become a ham radio operator; up until now there had been a five word per minute minimum Morse code speed requirement in order to get the amateur radio license. This brings American amateur radio operators in line with similar requirements in Europe and Canada, who since eliminating the rule in 2003, have found this requirement a bit, shall we say, old world? [Warning: PDF link][Via Slashdot and ARRLWeb]
Steampunk laptop comes complete with Morse key
We're not exactly sure how this actually works, but a creative Japanese fellow seems to have created a laptop that looks like something out of the movie "Pi." It's apparently a functioning laptop, with mechanical keys, a wooden space bar, and a stylish Morse key over the trackball. It's even got USB, Ethernet, and all the modern trimmings. Click, or tap, rather, on over to the next page to check out a closeup of that Morse key...[Via Boing Boing]
Widget Watch: Morse Code Translator
.-- .... .- - / .... .- - .... / --. --- -.. / .-- .-. --- ..- --. .... - ..--.. / - .... . / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . / - .-. .- -. ... .-.. .- - --- .-. --..-- / .-- .... .. -.-. .... / -.. --- . ... / . -..- .- -.-. - .-.. -.-- / .-- .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / . -..- .--. . -.-. - / .. - / - --- / -.. --- .-.-.- / .. - / -.-. --- -. ...- . .-. - ... / .--. .-.. .- .. -. / - . -..- - / - --- / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . / .- -. -.. / ...- .. -.-. . / ...- . .-. ... .- .-.-.- / -- .. --. .... - / -.-. --- -- . / .. -. / .... .- -. -.. -.-- / .. ..-. / -.-- --- ..- .----. .-. . / . ...- . .-. / ... - .-. .- -. -.. . -.. / --- -. / .- / -- .- -.-. / -- .- -. .. .- / --. . . -.- / -.-. .-. ..- .. ... . / .-- .. - .... / -. --- / .-- .. ..-. .. .-.-.- Translation:What hath God wrought? The Morse Code Translator, which does exactly what you expect it to do. It converts plain text to Morse code and vice versa. Might come in handy if you're ever stranded on a Mac Mania Geek Cruise with no WiFi!
