visualization

Typing used to be the domain of secretaries and writers, but the explosive popularity of computers has made it an important skill for almost everyone. People who can't type are at a serious disadvantage when it comes to succeeding in school, applying for jobs, and even keeping in touch with friends and family. Letter Chase Typing Tutor is a simple program that teaches you to type using a step-by-step process, ensuring that proper technique is learned while keeping the process from becoming overwhelming.

Letter Chase's interface is plain and intuitive, with plenty of guidance for newbies. You first … Read more

A year ago when I first noticed a green dot had appeared on my PowerMac G5's display I was a bit disappointed, but not fully surprised because LCD pixels are known to die, go dim, or get stuck in a specific color. Not thinking much of it I dismissed it as a common issue and continued to use my computer; however, these dots were going to soon become a larger problem for me.… Read more

When IBM speaks of Smarter Planet or the U.S. Department of Energy talks of smart grids, a big part of the vision is pervasive sensors that measure and meter the physical world in real time.

Implicit is the assumption that much of this instrumentation will be deliberate and purposeful, put in place for a specific function such as measuring traffic flows or electricity consumption.

This is all fascinating stuff. But what I find even more intriguing is how data that's created by individuals--perhaps even as an accidental byproduct of some activity--can be aggregated and mined to deliver insights. … Read more

VI Fit, a video game research project at the University of Nevada, Reno, could help people who are visually impaired stay fit with active games modeled on the Wii that do not require vision (of the literal variety, that is) to play. They do require Wii remote controllers and a Windows PC with Bluetooth support or a USB Bluetooth dongle, but the games can be downloaded for free at vifit.org.

"Lack of vision forms a significant barrier to participation in physical activity, and consequently children with visual impairments have much higher obesity rates and obesity-related illnesses such as … Read more

If your friends are talkers, you're going to want listen up. YouMail is a visual voice mail service that lets you view and listen to missed calls on your mobile phone or online in any order you like. Some other features include customized greetings and call blocking.

This week's illustrious giveaway graces not 1, but 10 lucky winners with a six-month subscription to YouMail's $17.99 per month Read-It 150 plan, which goes a step further to translate up to 150 voice messages per month into text.

YouMail will work with any mobile phone, and there are … Read more

Microsoft is ready with the final versions of its Visual Studio 2010 developer tools software and Silverlight 4, as well as version 4 of the .Net Framework.

The company is announcing the launch of the three products on Monday at a Visual Studio developer conference in Las Vegas. Visual Studio 2010 and the updated .Net Framework are now broadly available, Microsoft said, while Silverlight 4 will be made available for download later this week.

"We're excited to celebrate the launch of Visual Studio 2010 with developers around the world today," Server and Tools unit President Bob Muglia … Read more

Microsoft announced on Tuesday two new programs for those looking to move to its next generation of developer tools software.

First, the company said that the retail version of Visual Studio 2010 Professional will come with a one-year trial version of its MSDN program, known as MSDN Essentials. Though they won't get access to as full a range of free Microsoft software, MSDN Essentials subscribers will get access to Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise, and SQL Server 2008 Datacenter R2 for development and test use, along with 20 hours of Windows Azure use.

Microsoft also announced … Read more

This show is about one of the categories for the Academy Awards: visual effects. This year, there are three films up for awards in the visual effects category: Avatar, Star Trek, and District 9. We're going to be talking with Russell Earl of Industrial Light & Magic. Russell was co-visual effects supervisor for one of those films, Star Trek, and also worked on Transformers, Pearl Harbor, Pirates of the Caribbean, and two of the Star Wars movies.

Also joining us is CNET writer Daniel Terdiman, who covers digital media, culture, and gaming for the Geek Gestalt blog on CNET.

Show notes and talking points… Read more

Recent editions of Windows offer a lot more in the way of desktop customization and interface enhancement options than was once the case, but for some PC users, especially those used to relying on third-party apps to deliver what Microsoft doesn't, even Windows 7's much-touted improvements are behind the curve. For them, desktop slideshows are so Win95; they need more features and control in their computing experience.

Nimi Visuals offers both. It's a free, compact, standalone Windows effects and customization engine that bundles together more than 59 different customization effects like transparent windows, snow, jelly windows, window … Read more