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Google opens virtual version of fire-ravaged Brazil museum
A couple of years before a fire devastated the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro in September, Google's Arts and Culture team started working with the museum to digitize the collection. Just a few months after the inferno, Google has reopened the museum's doors -- albeit in a virtual form using Street View imagery and digital exhibits.
US rowers will get antimicrobial outfits to survive polluted Rio waters
The Rio Olympic and Paralympic games sound like more of a nightmare every day. After the National Institute of Health announced that they will study American athletes for probable Zika infection, textile engineers at Philadelphia University have made antimicrobial suits to protect US rowers from the sewage-filled water around the South American city. Unfortunately, they might not be a match for an environment with 1.7M times the level of viral presence considered "hazardous."
Google Maps takes you inside Rio de Janeiro's Olympic venues
Google Maps adds indoor views of major attractions on the regular. Ahead of this summer's Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, the company is taking you inside the 25 indoor venues that will host sporting events in a few weeks. There are "enhanced views" of the 12 outdoor venues as well, with maps for these stadiums and arenas showing locations for restrooms, concession stands, info desks and ATMs. Real-time transit info for the Brazilian city was added to Google Maps recently, so if you're traveling to the games, you'll have a familiar guide. If you're not making the trip, you can still scope out where the games will be held from the comforts of home.
Google and Microsoft want to put Brazil's favelas on the map
To the Brazilian government, favelas, often referred to as "the slums," don't portray an image they're willing to share with the world. So much so, in fact, that during the past World Cup some favela residents were reportedly being forced to leave their homes behind, as Brazil officials were looking to polish areas surrounding the stadiums playing host to the most watched sporting event on the planet. In Rio de Janeiro, favelas make up roughly a quarter of the population, yet somehow they aren't often found city maps, either physical or online. To help with the latter, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google and Microsoft have begun mapping Rio's favelas, albeit both companies are doing so in separate initiatives.
Brazilians will see every blade of World Cup grass on outdoor 4K screens
If you're in Rio de Janeiro this summer but can't attend any World Cup matches in person, don't fret; you may still be in for a treat. Brazilian TV giant Globo is teaming up with Sony to broadcast three live Cup games (a second-round match, a quarterfinal and the final) in 4K quality, and it's putting 65-inch sets in Rio's Jardim Botanico neighborhood so that the public can watch. This isn't the first time we've seen live soccer futebol play out in 4K, and there will be a handful of feeds in other countries. However, Globo's offering promises to be one of the more exciting test runs for high-res sports -- particularly for locals determined to cheer on the home team. [Image credit: AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo]
Daily Update for November 14, 2012
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
Apple confirms first Brazilian store opening; also hiring in Istanbul
Apple's ambitious plans to open more retail stores around the world are in full gear. The company emailed a few Brazilian tech news sites with confirmation that the company will be opening a store in Rio de Janeiro soon, the first Apple Store in Brazil. Rio will also be hosting crowds in the next few years both for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympic games, making an Apple Store a popular draw for visitors from around the world. Brazil isn't the only new country that's joining the Apple fold -- Istanbul, Turkey will soon be home to an Apple Store as well. Apple's financial disclosures indicated that the company plans to open up to 35 new stores during the next 12 months, with 75 percent of the new construction occurring outside of the United States. [via 9to5Mac]
Adidas Social Media Barricade shoe concept moves tweets to the track (video)
Adidas is known for making connected shoes -- but never quite as linked-up as a Nash Money concept making its appearance late into the London Olympics. The Social Media Barricade weaves the guts of a phone and a basic two-line LCD into a running shoe, letting the footwear take Twitter updates very literally on the run through a public account. Even the signature Adidas stripes change their hue through remote control. Before anyone gets visions of athletes checking congratulatory tweets after the 100-meter sprint, just remember that it's an idea rather than a production blueprint: although Adidas is quick to call the Social Media Barricade the "future of athlete connectivity," the only athletes putting eyes on a pair right now are those swinging by the Olympics' media lounge for interviews. Knowing this, we can still imagine some future shoes padding runners' egos at the finish line during the 2016 Rio games.
Jetman soars over Rio, flies circles around historical landmarks (video)
Why would you want to leap out of a perfectly good aircraft? To fly a winged jetpack over the city of Rio de Janeiro, of course. It sounds nuts, but it's just a day in the life for Yves Rossy, the self proclaimed "Jetman" who flew over the Grand Canyon last year. Since soaring over the Rio Grande, Rossy has pitted his carbon-fiber wings against a rally car on Top Gear, taken to the skies over Abu Dhabi and, most recently, buzzed Brazil's famous Christ the Redeemer statue. Jetman rocketed past the monument on an 11 minute flight earlier this week, beginning his journey by dropping out of a helicopter over Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. Rossy pulled his Rocketeer trick and eventually parachuted to safety on Copacabana beach. Sound fun? Head past the break to see the man in action. Us? We'll keep our feet planted on terra firma, thanks.
Brazilian police live out Robocop fantasies, test glasses that scan for criminals
In advance of the 2016 Olympics 2014 World Cup (and the thousands of visitors it'll draw), military police in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are testing glasses topped with cameras capable of scanning crowds for criminals. The camera analyzes 46,000 biometric points on up to 400 faces per second -- data that then gets compared with a database of up to 13 million people. If a mug happens to match a wanted person or known troublemaker, a red light will appear on a small screen connected to the glasses. And, in a twist particularly befitting Robocop, the glasses can purportedly be calibrated to zoom in from 12 miles away, though they'll typically be used to manage crowds at a much more personal 50 meters (164 feet). For now, local cops will use them to tame crowds (and likely brawls) at soccer matches and even concerts, but hope to eventually monitor those crowded World Cup stands. As for us, we're all kinds of curious. Where do those tens of millions of faces come from -- Santa's naughty and nice list? What if people wear masks? Or sunglasses at night?
Zeebo lands in Brazil, inspires revolutionary fervor in the hearts of gamers worldwide
According to UOL Tecnologia, Tectoy's Zeebo game console is on sale now in the city of Rio de Janeiro, with availability to spread across the Brazilian countryside later this year. As expected, the system is going for a MSRP of R$499 (that's about $299) and ships with three games in memory: FIFA 2009, Need For Speed Carbon, and Brain Training, all in Portuguese. Additionally, the device ships with credit for three free downloads: Prey Evil, Quake, and Quake II. And as expected, this bad boy includes a free 3G connection via Claro, enabling additional game downloads in the R$7-30 ($3-13) range. Video after the break.
