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ICYMI: Charging lights with foot power
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: EnGoPlanet is testing streetlights powered by both kinetic footpads and solar panels, placed in a plaza in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the Panther is a military-style drone that can both drive on the ground and fly through the air, while carrying up to 15 pounds of gear. The guys and girls of Engadget video are stoked about the Beauty and the Beast live-action movie reboot from Disney; the new trailer is here just fyi. The determined garbage kid is here and the AP video of stranded cows is here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for mskerryd.
New Zealand carriers will block the Galaxy Note 7
If you think that Samsung's constant software reminders to return the Galaxy Note 7 aren't enough to make stubborn owners change their minds, you should book a trip to New Zealand. All of the country's wireless carriers will block the discontinued smartphone on their networks as of November 18th. Essentially, they're turning the Note 7 into a paperweight. You can use it on WiFi, but it won't be very useful as, well, a phone. New Zealand is expected to rely on the same IMEI (hardware identifier) blocking that telecoms use to render stolen phones useless, so you'd have to jump through hoops to have any hope of restoring cellular functionality.
Kim Dotcom will be allowed to stream his extradition appeal
The extradition case for Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom can be streamed on YouTube, a New Zealand court has ruled. The German internet entrepreneur -- now living in Auckland, the nation's largest city -- and three of his former colleagues began a six-week hearing earlier this week to appeal a December court decision that allows them to be extradited to the US to face conspiracy, racketeering and money-laundering charges.
Kim Dotcom could face extradition to the US
Kim Dotcom, essentially the Motion Picture Association of America and Digital Millennium Copyright Act's de facto prime target, and his colleagues actually can be extradited to the United States to face copyright charges according to a judicial ruling. However, don't expect the man behind Megaupload to appear stateside anytime soon.As The New Zealand Herald, Dotcom's local news publication, tells it, the internet mogul has 15 days to appeal or apply for a writ of habeas corpus (produce the body) and it looks like his legal defense team is already taking care of that. In addition to copyright infringement, he faces charges for racketeering and money laundering as well. The BBC reports that he owes domestic authorities somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 million.
YouTube Kids entertains children outside of the US
Some seven months after launching, YouTube Kids is expanding outside of America. Folks living in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom can access the family friendly section of Google's video wing. What's more, Mountain View says that the apps' been downloaded over 10 million times to date and that apparently more time has been spent watching "Wheels on the Bus" than "Gagnam Style." Mind you, the "Wheels on the Bus" video is almost an hour long versus just over four minutes for PSY's smash hit. Oh, and Google says to keep an eye out for upcoming holiday specials on the app over the next few weeks. [Image credit: Associated Press]
Explore New Zealand's 'Great Walks' with Google Street View
If you want to take a trip to Middle Earth tonight but don't have a passport, Google's got you covered with a new addition to Street View. The internet juggernaut's partnered with New Zealand's Department of Conservation to use Google Trekker to create some pretty rad 360 degree panoramas of the country's most stunning vistas, the "Great Walks." It isn't the first time Mountain View's gone someplace that inspired a movie before, and hopefully it won't be the last. The real question here is if that's an ent moot off in the distance or just your eyes playing tricks on you.
PlayStation 4 drops to €350 across Europe and £300 in the UK
With Uncharted 4 slipping into 2016, Sony's PlayStation 4 doesn't have much in the way of exclusives this fall. But in its ongoing battle with Microsoft and the Xbox One, the company does have a fallback to stay competitive: price-cuts. After dropping the system to $350 in the US, Sony is now doing the same for the rest of the world. Starting today, the 500GB model will cost $349.99 across Europe and £299.99 in the UK. Furthermore, the console is dropping to $479.95 in Australia, $569.95 in New Zealand and AED1399 in the United Arab Emirates. Sony doesn't have Halo 5 or Rise of the Tomb Raider (at least, not yet) but the PlayStation 4 does have a broad, extensive library including Bloodborne, Until Dawn and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. If you've been waiting to jump to "next-gen," or already own an Xbox One, there's really been no better time to pick up a PS4.
Mozilla is ready to test Firefox on iOS, but only in New Zealand
iPhone and iPads owners looking for a browser alternative are one step closer to seeing Mozilla's option on their devices, but right now a "preview" of the app is only available in New Zealand. In a blog post it says this limitation is so it can gather feedback before taking it to a few more countries ahead of any public launch. Assuming you are a Kiwi, you can try out its Intelligent Search with suggested results across certain sites, and sync your info from the desktop with a Firefox account. Everyone else is invited to sign up for a notification of when the app will arrive in their country.
Kim Dotcom promises to launch an open-source competitor to Mega (updated)
Third time's a charm. Kim Dotcom -- creator of Megaupload and Mega file-sharing sites, New Zealand politician, US fugitive -- plans to launch a third cloud-storage company when his existing non-compete clause runs out at the end of the year. Dotcom briefly outlined his plans for a new site in a Slashdot user interview, saying, "I will create a Mega competitor that is completely open source and non-profit, similar to the Wikipedia model. I want to give everyone free, unlimited and encrypted cloud storage with the help of donations from the community to keep things going."
Future commercial satellites will be launched from New Zealand
New Zealand has been chosen as the home for what's likely to be the world's first private satellite launchpad. Rocket Lab, makers of the first 3D-printed rocket engine, has announced that it'll build a facility on the Kaitorete Split near Christchurch. It's a popular location for space launches and has been used by NASA to get craft into suborbital flight. Rocket Lab's idea is that a permanent base in the area will enable it to offer satellite launches for a fraction of the going rate.
New Zealand makes cyberbullying a crime
New Zealand has passed a law that criminalizes one of the least desirable facets of the internet: cyberbullying. The legislation effectively prohibits sending messages to people that are racist, sexist, critical of their religion, sexuality or disability. The rest for determining harm will be if these communications were designed to cause "serious emotional distress," and if a person is found guilty, could face up to two years in jail. In addition, the bill creates a separate crime of incitement to suicide, which will see a person jailed for up to three years if they are found to be encouraging such an act.
New Zealand used NSA data to spy on rival trade leader candidates
Want to understand why far-reaching, poorly scrutinized spying programs are dangerous? Here's why. The Intercept and the New Zealand Herald have obtained a document showing that New Zealand used the US National Security Agency's XKeyscore surveillance system to spy on other countries' candidates for the World Trade Organization's director general role. The 2013 snooping campaign searched for keywords in communications that referenced New Zealand's own candidate (Minister of Trade Tim Groser, above), the competition and the WTO itself. Any relevant results were passed on to a "trade team" within the country's surveillance agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau, which is rather alarming when the leadership run had nothing to do with national security.
A single Google balloon delivered internet from Chile to Australia
It's been interesting watching Google's Project Loon progress, and the latest test run for the balloon-based internet service is perhaps the most impressive. A single balloon recently launched from New Zealand and traveled some 5,500 miles (9,000 kilometers) across the Pacific Ocean to Chile where Google started putting it through its paces. Once in the South American country's airspace, Project Loon members issued a command for the balloon to change altitude and hit a wind pattern that caused it to cut its 80 KPH (almost 50 MPH) speed by a quarter. That gave the ground team a chance to use smartphones to test the airborne LTE network's mettle.
Blizzard's bringing its 'Warcraft' card game to Android tablets (update)
Recently picked up a Nexus 9 but you're still jealous of your iPad-toting pals because they can play Blizzard's Warcraft-themed card game? Well, relax because Hearthstone is coming to Android tablets (and early next year, phones). It's launching in waves, according to the publisher, starting with a roll out in Australia, Canada and New Zealand ahead of a worldwide release in a few days. And as a way to reward your patience -- the game initially launched back in April -- Blizzard is giving away a free pack of Classic Cards. Just finish a game in any mode and, well, you'll have some new cards to use. You don't even have to win! Perhaps even better? If you're coming in from another platform, your card collection and progress will transfer over to Google's mobile OS. Oh, and in case you want a peek inside the brains of a few of the folks who work on the game, check out this Reddit AMA from earlier today. Update (12/16): And here it is -- we're not sure about the rest of the world, but Hearthstone is available on Google Play in the US.
Kim Dotcom says he's broke
Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom might have been able to reclaim his New Zealand finances earlier this year, but his ensuing legal fight against internet piracy charges has apparently evaporated that. The entrepreneur told the BBC that he' has gone through $10 million in legal costs. His legal defense team stepped down two weeks ago causing Dotcom to initially claim he might have to represent himself at his bail hearing (which began earlier today). While Dotcom was able to reclaim some assets, dozens of bank accounts remain frozen. Dotcom's follow-up online storage service, Mega was valued at $164 million in March, although as the BBC reports, the founder doesn't hold a stake in the company. Financial troubles have also been compounded by his political party, the Internet Party, which failed to claim a single seat in New Zealand's general election two months ago.
Netflix is expanding to Australia and New Zealand in March
Finally, viewers down under won't have to rely on proxies and other intermediaries to get their streaming video fix, as Netflix announced it will launch in Australia and New Zealand next year. There's no word on pricing, but the service will arrive in March with its slate of originals (including Marvel's Daredevil, shown above) and 4K video support. We'll have to see what the library looks like to know if residents will be happy with just what they're offered locally, but for now it looks like ISPs will have to offer more than a "Global Mode VPN" to attract customers.
Portable cardboard desk keeps you standing while you type
Many will tell you that it's unhealthy to sit in front of your computer for hours at a time, but you can't usually bring a standing desk with you to a remote studio or the park. However, you won't have to make do with chairs and laps now that Refold's cardboard standing desk is on the way. Think of it as origami office furniture -- so long as you're willing to lug about 14 pounds with you, you can set up a leg-friendly workstation in about two minutes. It's sturdy enough to handle the weight of many desktop PCs, and there are different sizes to accommodate both kids and taller adults. Like the concept of computing anywhere? You can pledge $160 NZD (about $125 US) to Refold's already-funded Kickstarter to get the American-made desk, which should arrive sometime in June.
New Zealand ISP admits its free VPN exists just so people can watch Netflix
One of the most frustrating parts of trying to go legit with your movie watching is being restricted by Hollywood's windows and geofences that limit what's available to watch in your area. Of course, a network of third parties provide tools to help users go around and through the blocks, but now an ISP is taking the unusual step of getting directly involved. For the last year, New Zealand's Slingshot has offered a Global Mode VPN feature marketed for use by visitors from the US or UK. As a not-so-secret side effect it also let Kiwis pull in streams from the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and BBC iPlayer, but that wasn't mentioned -- until now. Slingshot General Manager Taryn Hamilton confirmed to the New Zealand Herald that "No beating around the bush. This is to watch Netflix," ending the ruse and opening it to all subscribers for free. [Image credit: Nathaniel Bell for Netflix]
PlayStation 4 in Australia and Europe won't get full PSN features at launch
Sony has been rather successful in selling the PlayStation 4, to the point where the PlayStation Network has strained under the load. To avoid making things worse, the company will be delaying some PSN features in Australia, Europe and New Zealand. For the first few days after the PS4 launch in these areas, friend activity will be disabled in both the What's New and content info sections. Activity will come back once the initial frenzy is over, Sony says. The decision won't make a big impact on gameplay when multiplayer and other core features will be available on day one, but it may catch a few players off-guard.
Kickstarter now available in Australia and New Zealand, projects launch on November 13th
Kickstarter's world conquest continues: following a Canadian launch in the summer, the crowdfunding service is now available in Australia and New Zealand. Creators in both countries can start building their projects today, and launch as soon as November 13th. Locals can accept pledges from anywhere on the planet, although their backers will have to pay through the Kickstarter website rather than Amazon Payments. If you're eager to learn the ropes, the company is hosting its first workshops for the region between October 27th and November 5th. There's no word of expansion to other countries, but it's clear that Kickstarter's international rollout is gathering steam.
