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ICYMI: Animals can communicate better than we'd realized
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: We are adding horses to the list of animals who can communicate via some form of symbolic language, now that researchers taught a group of horses how to understand three symbols related to whether they wanted a blanket covering on or not. With that, horses, primates, dolphins and birds can all communicate with us -- and suddenly old masterpieces like Mister Ed and The Birds have a whole new significance.
Facebook bans, then reinstates, iconic 'napalm girl' photo
Facebook's policy on what constitutes as nudity is in the news again. This time, though, there's a reversal involving a Pulitzer Prize-winning photo from the Vietnam war, The Guardian reports. The Terror of War is a photograph of children running from a napalm attack with armed soldiers behind them, taken by Associated Press photographer Nick Ut. One of the kids, Kim Phúc, is naked. When Norwegian writer Tom Egeland posted it along with six others as a status concerning photos that "changed the history of warfare," the author's account was suspended.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: An impressive mobile home, and more!
Is the age of the flying car upon us? This week a new report revealed that Google co-founder Larry Page has secretly invested over $100 million in two aerial vehicle startups. Meanwhile, four major political parties in Norway have proposed a ban on all gas-powered cars by the year 2025. A team of Swedish students unveiled one of the world's most energy-efficient rail-bound vehicles. A young filmmaker transformed a boring Chevy van into an incredible solar-powered mobile home. And the Coboat is a sun and wind-powered catamaran for co-working freelance nomads.
'Minecraft' gets its first live concert
Minecraft has had its share of real-world crossovers, but nothing quite like this. Norway's annual The Gathering tech conference is hosting a live concert both in real life and in Minecraft tonight at 9PM local time (4PM Eastern), with volunteers mimicking the artists in Minecraft as they parade around the stage. And this isn't a small production, either -- AlunaGeorge, Broiler and Lemaitre are on deck, so you should be in for a good time whether you're looking at the real artists or their blocky avatars.
One day, you'll fine-tune hearing aids yourself
Hearing aids are supposed to help you resume a normal life, but they sometimes make things worse -- and when most clinics aren't prepared to calibrate the devices, it's tempting to ditch them altogether. Norwegian scientists might give you an incentive to keep those earpieces in place, though. They've developed a touchscreen-based tuning system that lets you customize hearing aids largely by yourself. The technology asks you to pick a typical sound scenario (such as a busy office) and introduce extra effects until it replicates the situations where you have problems. After that, an audiometrist only has to adjust the hearing aid based on your feedback.
Norway will lead the effort to switch off FM radio
Some countries are already stepping up their transition to digital radio, but Norway thinks it can one up them all. The nation's Ministry of Culture has revealed plans to switch off FM radio across the country in 2017, making it the first country to scrap conventional broadcasts. The staged shutoff (which begins January 11th that year) is focused on improving channel choice and quality, according to the government. While there are just five national stations on FM, there's room for roughly 42 using cleaner-sounding DAB technology. It's about eight times more expensive to use FM, too, and digital radio is more reliable for getting messages across in an emergency.
Norway's new bank notes are pixel art dreams
Norway's new banknotes are quite literally works of art. After inviting submissions from a number of design houses, the country's Norges Bank has chosen just two. While the front of the new notes will display traditional imagery, the rear will feature conceptual designs that transform Norway's costal landscapes into pixels. The artworks, created by Oslo-based Snøhetta, become progressively more abstract as the value of the notes increase, with the 50 kroner note depicting an idyllic scene and the 1000 kroner note a windswept sea of purple. The new designs will go into circulation in 2017, and you can squint at the rest of them after the break.
Norway's VR test helps soldiers see through armored vehicles
There's a good reason why games like Battlefield rarely offer a realistic view of what it's like to steer armored vehicles: actual drivers have to either look through tiny portholes or risk getting shot. The Norwegian Army may not be so restricted in the future, though. It's testing a system from MakingView that uses Oculus Rift VR helmets to help soldiers glimpse through a vehicle's protective plating. The headset is linked to a set of cameras that, like a recent drone experiment, lets drivers simply look in a given direction to see what's outside.
Xbox One rolling to 26 new regions in September
Microsoft plans to bring the Xbox One to 26 more markets in September, eight of which were in the original plans for the console's November 2013 launch. Those eight territories, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland, were cut from the first run in August, at which point Microsoft scaled its launch plans back to 13 regions. Head past the break to see the list of the other 18 regions the system will arrive in come September.
Netflix reportedly reaches another Comcast-style agreement, but with a Norwegian ISP
Netflix's oddly public peering agreement to connect directly with Comcast has, as many expected, been followed closely by a similar deal. What may surprise some is that this arrangement is with Norway's Telenor and not Verizon or AT&T, although the circumstances are remarkably similar. Filter Magazine points out a report from Dagens Næringsliv (Today's Business), a Norwegian industry paper, revealing an arrangement where Netflix is apparently paying rent to place its servers loaded full of movies inside the telecommunication company's datacenter. Telenor spokesman Jørn Bremtun confirmed a commercial agreement to Filter but could not reveal details, although Netflix's OpenConnect proposal suggested a similar arrangement, without payment. Telenor has recently dropped sharply in Netflix's ISP speed index (sound familiar?), and like the Comcast announcement, this new deal is drawing scrutiny from supporters of the principles of net neutrality. Telenor is held to the standards of net neutrality as set by the Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority (PDF), just like Comcast is under the terms of its agreement to purchase NBC. Also just like Comcast, Telenor claims that charging Netflix is not blocked by those standards, since it isn't providing preferential treatment to any particular traffic on the network. Finn Myrstad of The Consumer Council of Norway echoes statements by US consumer rights groups and our post on the topic, pointing out that the secret nature of such deals is inherently troubling. There's still no word on any other similar agreements with US ISPs, but the trend appears to be firmly in motion.
Norwegian school teaches ethics with The Walking Dead
A teacher at Nordahl Grieg Upper Secondary School in Bergen, Norway, is using Telltale's The Walking Dead video game to help teach students ethics. Norwegian news station NRK has a report you can watch above, but we suggest turning on captions - unless you speak Norwegian. As part of his religious studies class, Tobias Staaby has students take anonymous polls which are centered around events of the game. When Glenn wants to save a woman trapped at a motel for example, Staaby asks his students if it's the "right thing" to do. "I want a good catalyst for discussions about ethical theories or ethical dilemmas," Staaby told NRK. "This game provides the students with a space they can navigate and discuss within based on the curriculum." Staaby said he hopes his method will become more common as time goes on. We're inclined to agree, and who says it needs to be limited to ethics classes? Imagine Business 404: Zombies and You. Yeah. You're welcome.
Dreamfall Chapters dev wins grant for Norwegian horror game
The Norwegian Film Institute has awarded Red Thread Games a $144,000 grant which will fund the developer's next project, a first-person survival horror game dubbed Draugen. Inspired by Scandinavian legend, Draugen is set at some point during the 1920s amongst the mountains and fjords that make up Norway's west coast. Players assume the role of an American nature buff who travels to the area to study its flora and fauna. Beyond this, scant details are known, though a hint at the game's content can be found in its title. "Draugen" is a Norwegian word most commonly used to refer to the undead - specifically ghosts, though the term's colloquial use is broad enough to cover a wide range of creatures who prefer spooking people to mouldering in the grave. This grant is a double-edged sword for fans of Red Thread Games. The developer states that this money will allow it to form a new development team, specifically devoted to the creation of Draugen. Dreamfall Chapters, the developer's other, much-anticipated adventure game project remains in development, but will not be aided by any of this grant money. There's still no official word on when we can expect Dreamfall Chapters to make its public debut, though Red Thread plans to reveal more information on the game's characters "before Christmas."
Daily Update for August 12, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Norwegian government bans Apple from capturing 3D Flyover Maps data in Oslo
The Norwegian government has banned Apple from capturing 3D Flyover Maps imagry of Oslo, reports Aftenposten (via 9to5Mac). Apparently the Norwegian National Security Authority has instituted the ban because it is concerned that the small aircraft Apple uses, which has advanced 3D photography systems on board, could map confidential buildings and other security infrastructure in the city. Apple is now working with the United States Embassy in Norway to help resolve the issue. Oslo's mayor Fabian Stang has come out in support of Apple saying its 3D maps can not only help those that live in the capital, but also increase tourist interest as they can view the city from afar. As Stang told the Aftenposten newspaper: I think the new apps is very exciting – and they are also relevant for tourists, both those who are here and those who are considering going here. I have therefore asked the minister to look into the possibility of achieving this, while maintaining the security measures but me must consider. A semi-obvious answer to this problem would be for Apple to work with the Norwegian government in identifying imagery that is suitable to be shown to users. Google and other mapping services in the past have worked with various governments around the world in identifying security structures and not making photography of such structures available to the public.
Tesla Model S deliveries begin outside of North America, starting with Norway
Tesla's four-door Model S has been trickling into North American garages for a couple of years now, and it seems that production has ramped up enough to finally begin deliveries internationally. Starting today, Model S buyers across various ponds will begin to see stock appear. As seen above, the action is starting in Oslo, Norway, where that guy in the driver seat looks particularly charged up about the parade that awaits. Sorry. It seemed funnier in the moment.
Angry Birds soda release makes for huge sales jump
Yes indeed: Angry Birds soda. A Nordic beverage company named Olvi got the rights from Rovio to make some Angry Birds-branded sugar water, and apparently it's a huge hit for them, raising the company's sales by 85 percent. Exports were especially huge, going from 3 percent of Olvi's market to a whole 20 percent, with exports focusing primarily on Spain, Norway and the UK. There's no indication that any of this drink has made it over to the United States for sale just yet, so if you have a chance to try some, you'll have to let us know how it tastes. Hopefully "eggy" isn't a word included in the description. This is far from the last we'll hear about Angry Birds merch, especially with that movie set to arrive in the next few years. You can bet that even bigger companies are looking at sales figures like this, and then lining up to make a deal with Rovio as fast as they can.
HTC shutting down Watch movies in six countries by May 31st
While there are signs HTC's fortunes might turn a corner through the launch of the One, few would doubt that its finances could use some streamlining. The company has just outlined one of the ways it will be pinching pennies: it's closing its Watch movie stores in Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden by May 31st, with some Italians reporting a shutdown on the 15th. As the company explains to us in a statement (after the break), it's concentrating on supporting Watch in those regions with the "highest engagement" while dropping those with "less application traffic" -- in short, markets with poor performance get the boot. HTC stresses that Watch isn't going away, however, and it's delivering a steady stream of content. We're glad to hear that the company is sharpening its focus rather than cutting the cord. Still, that won't be much consolation to movie-loving Europeans and Scandinavians.
Daily iPhone App: Zombies and Trains combine for gory fun
Zombies and Trains is the latest app from Dragonhead Games, an indie dev based in Norway. It's a zombie app (which is fairly meh these days), but it features a pretty inventive control scheme and a whole lot of content to play through. The app is essentially an arena game, where you're presented with wave after wave of zombies, and then need to kill them off. Rather than using a gun or a hatchet, however, you use something a little more powerful: A freight train. Each area has various tracks running across it, and just touching one of those tracks will send a train rumbling through, demolishing any zombies who happen to be in the way. The game can be frantic but very satisfying -- most of the stages involve a trophy in the middle for you to protect, and if even one zombie reaches it, it's game over. There are four different modes, including a progressively difficult Arcade mode, an endless wave mode, a one minute survival mode, and a "slaughter" mode, which just has you killing as many zombies as possible before time runs out. The whole thing is fairly simple, but the graphics are well done, and the idea of a train at full speed running through a herd of zombies is really just too good to pass up (especially if you've played The Walking Dead game, which combined zombies and locomotion in a much less satisfying manner). Zombies and Trains is available for 99 cents on the iPhone, or $1.99 on the iPad.
Netflix Watch Instantly is live in Finland, completes Nordic sweep with Norway, Denmark and Sweden
Thanks to a rapid pace of one country per day Netflix has made light work of its Nordic roll out. The internet movie service is launching its final Scandinavian flag today in Finland after starting Monday in Sweden, then notching Denmark and Norway (pictured above) in between. As with the others there's extensive device and app support from the start, and although the content selection may vary Netflix is the exclusive streaming home of Iron Sky, for all your Nazis-on-the-moon viewing needs. Not enough? Hey, there's always HBO Nordic, and you don't even need cable or satellite to get it.
PSA: iPhone 5 available in 22 more countries, on Cricket and US regional carriers galore
Disappointed that your country or favorite carrier missed the initial cut for the iPhone 5 launch? Odds are that you're all good now. Worldwide, 22 more countries have joined the mix as of today, including wide swaths of Europe as well as New Zealand; you'll find the full list in the release here. Americans also don't have to turn to the big carriers, as they can now opt for prepaid carrier Cricket in addition to a slew of extra providers that include C Spire as well as regionals like GCI and nTelos. In some cases, you'll even snag a discount by going with one of the smaller networks. If you bagged an iPhone in Barcelona, or caught one on Cellcom, let others know how it's going in the comments. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
