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Appsterdam: building a haven for app developers in Amsterdam
Mike Lee, formerly of Apple and Tapulous, has moved to Amsterdam and is looking to set up a new application development community. Lee left the US after he became disillusioned with how the country and the development community was headed. He was frustrated with not being able to afford heath insurance as a self-employed worker and was put off by the fast, money-focused lifestyle of Silicon Valley. He chose Amsterdam for his new Appsterdam project after traveling the world looking at prospective cities. It has the right combination of affordability and is centrally located in Europe. Amsterdam, he notes, is already filled with creative and marketing people. He hopes to provide a pool of talented app developers. Lee already kicked off his Appsterdam project with a weekend of tours and has designated official hangouts where developers can collaborate. Local investor Floris van Alkemade is offering his support by establishing a seed fund that will provide investments of 10-50,000 EUR (US$14,000- $70,000) per company.
Europe's first solar powered train tunnel goes live on Belgian high-speed line (video)
The train ride from Paris to Amsterdam may not be the most scenic of European railway routes, but it's the only one capable of harnessing the awesome power of the Sun -- for two miles, at least. Yesterday, engineers in Belgium officially switched on Europe's first solar-powered train tunnel, spanning a 2.1-mile stretch of the rail line connecting the City of Lights to Mokum. The installation's 16,000 solar panels will be used to provide 50 percent of the energy needed to power nearby Antwerp Central Station and to provide extra juice for both high-speed and traditional trains. Originally developed to help protect travelers from falling trees in an ancient forest, the project is expected to produce up to 3.3MWh 3,300 megawatts hours per year, while decreasing annual CO2 emissions by about 2,400 tons. Speed past the break for some aerial footage of the artery, along with a brief PR from Enfinity -- the Belgian renewable energy company that helped bring it to life. Update: According to the AFP, the tunnel will produce 3,300 megawatts hours per year.
Amsterdam orders 125 public EV charging stations, hastens the death of internal combustion
Amsterdam is known for its affinity for two-wheeled transportation, but the cycling-crazed city is also making a serious commitment to EVs for those Dutch who prefer driving. As a part of a plan introduced two years ago to eliminate internal combustion from its streets by 2040, the Netherlands' capital is looking to add to its existing 100 EV charging stations. The City Council has charged Dutch power company Essent with the installation of an additional 125 public plug-in points this year, with the possibility of adding 625 more. These new chargers may make it easier to juice up your electric car, but given the current price of EVs, we aren't sure how many Amsterdam residents will trade in their Kalkhoffs for Fiat 500s and Smart ForTwos. PR's after the break.
Scientists figure out how to see through walls, sort of
We all know that light can't exactly pass through solid objects -- unless of course, you're using a laser or something. Yes, X-rays allow us to look into suitcases at the airport and broken bones in our bodies, but there's a new kid on the block that claims to have done the impossible in a novel fashion. Jochen Aulbach and his colleagues of the FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics out in Amsterdam have developed a technology that allows scrambled light to remain focused as it passes through ultra-thin layers of paint. You see, when light is sent through opaque material, it becomes muddled and lost in the space-time continuum. Aulbach and his crew used a spatial light modulator, or SMT, to control a 64-femtosecond long laser pulse that's passed through a thin layer of paint. The SMT emits pulses that last long enough for only a machine to see and the data is sent to a computer for calibration. NewScientist claims that with this technology, it might be possible to hone in on cancerous cells and blast them to oblivion without damaging the healthy tissue surrounding them.
John's Phone review: 'the world's simplest cellphone'
It's said to be "The world's simplest cellphone." That's a bold claim from anyone let alone a previously unknown (in gadget circles anyway) Dutch team of creatives over at John Doe Amsterdam who wanted to build a basic phone -- the most basic phone ever -- that wasn't as dull and boring as other affordable phones on the market. So is it? Well, it certainly is basic. In the age of smartphones and cheap featurephones, John's phone is more clearly defined by what it lacks than what it has: no fancy color touchscreen display; no camera; no 3G radio, WiFi, Bluetooth or even GPRS data; no FM radio; no user-accessible storage; and no music player or apps of any kind. It can't even send a text message. It's just a quad-band GSM phone with an ink pen and paper notepad tucked neatly into its capacious recesses. That's right, pen and paper. So, it's definitely basic, but is it simple to use? Read on to find out. %Gallery-109300%
The Virtual Whirl: A brief history of Second Life, 2008-2010 and beyond
This week, we cover the final installment of our summarized history of Second Life and Linden Lab (check out the first installment or the second, if you missed them). It's only possible to cover a tiny fraction of the events that took place in the space we have here, but the highlights paint an interesting picture. We'll be working our way from 2008 to June 2010, and looking at what future directions we expect from there.
TomTom Go Live 1000 taken for first test drive (video)
We've just returned from a ride with the TomTom Go Live 1000. In general, the device met our relatively high expectations set by a purported flagship navigator from the likes of TomTom. Unfortunately, the prototype unit guiding our vehicle was limited to a scripted demonstration on pre-selected routes. And when we did veer off course thanks to an unhelpful, but rather posh, voice guiding us to turn left a bit early, it took about 8 seconds for the ARM 11 device to reroute -- not bad but not exactly the 0 seconds we were promised during the pitch. Again, we were told that this was the result of using a prototype device... though it must be a near production-ready model given the summer launch timeframe. The unit also wasn't equipped with the automatic volume adjustment that raises and lowers volume based on the ambient noise around it. We did witness the Webkit UI in action and it does seem significantly improved based on our brief 15 minute test ride with it. However, it was still cumbersome enough to give our tour guide (a TomTom quality manager) fits as he tried to jump between 2D and 3D navigation modes. And the capacitive touchscreen was a mixed bag: at times it seemed to require the kind of finger mashing usually reserved for resistive screens; at others it was a bit too sensitive to effectively target street names from a pick list while being jostled about on a Dutch road (accidentally brushing the display selected the entry either above or below the street desired). As bad as all this sounds, we had the good fortune to have a Garmin nuvi 1690 in the vehicle with us to go head-to-head, flagship-to-flagship, and the Go Live 1000 was the clear winner in getting us back to our starting location. Check the Go Live 1000 in action after the break.%Gallery-91899%
Lonely Planet giving away free iPhone guides in honor of Eyjafjallajökull messing with Europe
Did Eyjafjallajökull mess your week up? The answer is probably "no" if you're asking who Eyjafjallajökull is. For those of us who did have our week interrupted by that big exploding volcano in Iceland, Lonely Planet is offering thirteen of its City Guides for free in the App Store (and okay, they're free to all, no proof of volcano-interruption required). The aptly-named "Volcano Relief Sale" is being held in hopes of helping travelers stuck in unfamiliar places find "access to practical information as well as suggestions on what to do whilst stranded," according to Tom Hall, Lonely Planet Travel Editor. "That's why we're giving away iPhone city guides to major affected destinations." Those destinations include: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Copenhagen, Istanbul, London, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, and Vienna. I've been to all but two of those destinations, and if you're stuck in any of them, you really should be thanking Eyjafjallajökull (and now, Lonely Planet). The thirteen City Guides are normally priced between $10 and $15, so this is quite a bargain. But act fast, the City Guides will only be available for free until April 22 -- hopefully a date which will also see many more planes back in the air. [via Macworld] [Image by NASA Goddard Photo and Video]
Massively's interview with Linden Lab's Catherine Smith, in Amsterdam
You might recall that, back in September, Linden Lab CEO Mark Kingdon and the Lab's director of Marketing and Communications Catherine Smith took a trip to Amsterdam, where it was revealed that they were seeking space for a new marketing headquarters for Linden Lab. Well, the new office isn't open yet – that's coming in January – but Ms Smith has already relocated to Amsterdam, which actually made her a bit easier to catch up with for a talk about the new digs and new initiatives.
Linden Lab to step up Second Life marketing with Amsterdam office
Over the last few days, Linden Lab CEO Mark Kingdon, and Lab director of Marketing and Communications, Catherine Smith have been in Europe, where Kingdon is reportedly seeking office-space for Linden Lab in Amsterdam. The office is intended to start as a small marketing headquarters for Linden Lab. At NIMK, Catherine Smith told De Hoeksteen Live! that Linden Lab was planning to launch the new office in January next year. Linden Lab's marketing efforts for Second Life hitherto have largely focused on placement of speakers at conferences and events, and – prior to 2008 – on minor registration incentive programs. More recently, efforts have focused on the revamped Web-site and assorted press-materials and white-papers.
LG's New Chocolate BL20 spotted in the wild
Calling LG's New Chocolate BL20 half of the BL40 would probably be classified as logorrhea, but there's no doubt that this slider is handsome. So handsome, in fact, that LG has seen fit to showcase it over in the company's new building in Amstelveen, Holland. GSMArena was able to snap a few pics of the installation while also gathering that it'll boast a non-touch edition of the S-Class UI.Hit the read link for a few more looks -- it ought to make waiting for LG to actually announce this thing a lot easier.[Via slashphone]
Upper Deck announces Amsterdam Darkmoon Faire
European fans of the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game are in luck as the Darkmoon Faire will be visiting Amsterdam this September. Upper Deck, who host the events, are expecting 350 players to attend and are offering a host of prizes, including a goody bag for every attendee as well as raffle with some really epic loot as prizes. The goody bag contains a T-Shirt, regular and exclusive Mini figures, a Death Knight Starter pack, some battleground cards, a demo CD, a common loot card and an entry form for the raffle.The raffle is where things get interesting. Upper Deck have fifteen prizes up for grabs which have a combined worth of €5000. They are giving away: One Frostmourne sword Two Collectors Editions of Wrath of the Lich King Five exclusive Wrath of the Lich King mousepads Two complete sets of Minis Five Spectral Tiger mounts The event will be taking place at Westergasfabriek between September 12th and 13th. Tickets are free so if you're in Amsterdam that weekend, you might want to pop along.
Augmented reality on hand at museum in the Netherlands, threatens to make learning cool
This is not the most prurient example of augmented reality we've seen, and it may not have an obvious movie tie-in, but we will give it bonus points for being educational. Visitors to an exhibit titled "A Future for the Past," currently at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam, can peep context specific info and virtual reconstructions of Satricum and the Forum Romanum, superimposed on large scale photographs of each respective site. There are two types of hardware on hand -- both the MovableScreen-packin' iMac stationary display and the UMPC devices allow the user to seemingly view through the photos, exploring specific points of interest. There's no telling how much a setup like this would run you if you wanted to, for example, let your friends and neighbors virtually peruse that massive Lego city you built in the garage, but make sure you let us know when you get it up and running. That would be so sweet. Video after the break.
Rumor: Release list dates Wii Sports Resort with MotionPlus, reveals Wii Fit Plus
A GoNintendo reader by the name of Maxemillian_X recently snapped a picture of an upcoming release list from an Amsterdam-based gaming retailer which reveals two interesting pieces of Wii news. The first (and somewhat more reasonable) item is a supposed July 10 release date for the Wii Sports Resort and Wii MotionPlus bundle, as well as the standalone MotionPlus peripheral.The second eye catching release date on the list is for Wii Fit Plus, which is apparently due out November 19, giving us plenty of time to find out what the hell it is. Given the pictured release list's dubious origins (we don't know what store it came from), we're taking it with a healthy dose of trepidation. Still, a summer release for Wii Sports Resort and a follow up to Nintendo's exergaming cash cow don't seem beyond the realm of possibilities.
Phatland for sale: Famous island to go on eBay
Phatland (aka Phat Cat's Jazz club) was originally founded by Dilbert Dilweg and Charity Colville, two people who met in Second Life, worked together, fell in love, and forged a successful and lasting relationship in the physical world -- not an uncommon story. Indeed, it seemed like Phatland and its club grew with their romance, up until mid 2007 or so Phatland was one of the single most popular places in Second Life by any reasonable reckoning. When the couple moved to be with each-other in the physical world, they needed to make some changes in their lives, as one might expect. And that included the sale of Phatland. The sale went through, but not everything went smoothly with Phatland after that, and Dilbert and Charity were banned from the site. Phatland's traffic started to fall significantly. Where there had once been 90 or more users at all hours of the day, soon the site seemed to be a mere shadow of its former success. Are you a part of the most widely-known collaborative virtual environment or keeping a close eye on it? Massively's Second Life coverage keeps you in the loop.
The emperor's new suit
Back in the day, when Kevin Alderman (Second Life's Stroker Serpentine) was selling his hugely successful and popular virtual Amsterdam setting, he hinted that he was moving into a related line of business. Well, we know now what business it is that he's been getting into: wearable, affordable, consumer-grade motion-capture suits. Frankly, the expensive professional capture systems that have largely been de-rigueur for motion capture for most of the history of the art require a ton of space, huge amounts of computing power, and that you dress like a luge sled pilot that's been infected with evil-alien-mime DNA and is being assaulted by amorous Pythagorean solids. Those days are soon to be over. Alderman's company Strocap is working on a simple, wireless, wearable motion-capture suit that doesn't make you look any more retarded than the average outfit of expensive athletic gear. You can wear this with regular clothing -- or without it, depending on just exactly what sorts of motions you want to capture.
Dutch cyclists lobbying for external airbags on cars
Sure, there's always the airbag-equipped motorcycle, but for those who prefer to power their own two wheel transporters, you're pretty much on your own. The Dutch Cycling Federation has just cranked out a study showing that some 60 lives could be saved each year (though we're not sure if that's worldwide or region-specific) if airbags were installed on the hoods of vehicles. These external safety devices could also slash serious cycling injuries by 1,500 a year, and while you're likely passing this off as completely infeasible, Sweden's own Autoliv has already developed a bag that "inflates from the bottom of the windscreen." Of course, these timid cyclists could just wait until 2010 and strap on a wearable airbag of their own, but where's the fun in that?[Via Autoblog]
Playlogic wins copyright battle over Ancient Wars: Sparta
Fights over who owns what is certainly not uncommon in big business, though video game companies generally seem to keep their noses clean, no doubt thanks to the groundwork laid by a handful of notable past litigations. Still, from time to time studios lock horns over a title, and that is certainly what happened when publisher Playlogic and Russian devs WorldForge threw down in September over the developer's PC strategy game Ancient Wars: Sparta. There was a lot of name calling and mud tossing between the two parties, as WorldForge claimed it wasn't paid and that the publisher smelled bad, while Playlogic responded by calling the devs filthy liars and that it was 'rubber' to WorldForge's 'glue.'However, in the end, it was Playlogic who came out on top, with the studio issuing a statement that it now owns the copyrights to Ancient Wars: Sparta. The drama played out before the District Court of Amsterdam, with the judge ruling in Playlogic's favor on all counts. Not only that, but WorldForge will be the one forking over the cash, as it was also ordered to pay Playlogic a penalty of €10,000 "each time they state the contrary or refrain from publishing rectifications of former wrong statements." The developers are also barred from dealings with the game "outside countries of the former Soviet Union," and will have to pay "a penalty of €1,000 for every copy without permission." You know, WorldForge, sometimes it just pays to keep your head down, stay quiet, and just enjoy the ride.
RFID, robots aim to handle luggage more effectively
RFID and luggage have certainly been used in the same sentence before, but IBM and Vanderlande Industries are hoping that their efforts will "cut down on the amount of baggage lost as it is being transferred between connecting flights." Truth be told, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is likely most concerned with travelers' baggage, as it has allowed the aforementioned firms to implement a "baggage management system to control and track each bag using robot handling software." Reportedly, a half dozen bots will manage the bags, which will purportedly "improve the working conditions of the people" -- the people who've yet to be replaced by machines, that is.[Via InformationWeek]
PSP becomes fashion accessory in Amsterdam
Next time you're in the Netherlands, you may want to carry a PSP around. These models were part of Amsterdam Fashion Week, and were seen showcasing Sony's handheld, Go!Cams attached. While we're not sure if owning a PSP will make hordes of models flock to your side, we say it couldn't hurt to try.[Thanks, Robert!]
