Developers urged to remove the inactive Meebo code from their site before then. [Read more]
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Tag Archives: Cleaning
Space Junk ‘Cleaning’ Missions Urgently Needed
Posted by Gsurface
on April 27, 2013
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Following a conference on space debris, the European Space Agency has warned that the amount of space junk floating around in orbit is a problem that needs to be dealt with ‘urgently.’ They are calling for a number of test missions to examine different methods of controlling or removing the debris. “Our understanding of the growing space debris problem can be compared with our understanding of the need to address Earth’s changing climate some 20 years ago,” said Heiner Klinkrad, head of the agency’s Space Debris office. A couple years ago we discussed an idea for de-orbiting space junk by hitting it with a laser to change its momentum. An Australian company has now received funding from NASA and the Australian government to try just that. “We’ve been developing tracking systems using lasers for some years, so we can actually track very small objects with a laser rangefinder to very high accuracy. … If you allow that velocity to change over a period of perhaps 24 hours, then you can get actually a 100-meter shift in the location of an object to deflect it from colliding with another space debris object.” Other plans are in development as well, and there currently exists an international guideline saying that new hardware must de-orbit and burn up in the atmosphere after 25 years of operation — but compliance is lagging. Meanwhile, collision events are becoming more common (PDF), and experts worry about the safety of the International Space Station and important satellites. “Their direct costs and the costs of losing them will by far exceed the cost of remedial activities.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Home Cleaning Service Teddle Raises £255K, Hailo Founder Ron Zeghibe Joins As Non-Exec Chairman
Posted by Gsurface
on April 15, 2013
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Dust off that cheque book. Teddle, the UK startup that lets you easily find and book a home cleaner, has closed a £255,000 (~$ 391k) funding round from a group of entrepreneurs-cum-angel investors, including Open Table founder David Pritchard.
In addition, the Springboard alumni has managed to persuade Hailo founder and chairman Ron Zeghibe to join as non-executive chairman, although I’m told he hasn’t invested, but (as we’d expect) is taking a small amount of equity.
Despite ‘spring cleaning,’ Google CalDAV support still coming to Windows Phone
Posted by Gsurface
on March 15, 2013
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Still hurting from Google’s “spring cleaning” announcement yesterday? Google Reader fans may be out of luck, but Windows Phone users can take heart in knowing that Microsoft made the whitelist for the CalDAV sync interface, which is now shelved to all but developers who get Mountain View’s green light.
Early this year, Google announced it would extend support for Exchange ActiveSync on Windows Phone through July 31st, with the implication being that Redmond would build support for CalDAV in the meantime. Luckily Microsoft’s work was not for nothing, though — and this is a big though — the Windows team won’t be adding CalDAV or CarDAV support for users trying to connect a Google account via Mail, Calendar or People apps after January 30th, 2013.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Microsoft, Google
Via: ZDNet
Yahoo Does Some Spring Cleaning: Shuts Down Avatars, App Search, Sports IQ, Clues, Updates API And Its BlackBerry App
Posted by Gsurface
on March 2, 2013
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Yahoo, which is now officially a technology company, just announced a Google-like spring cleaning campaign. Just like Larry Page started shutting down a number of under-performing Google properties when he took over from Eric Schmidt, Yahoo’s new CEO Marissa Mayer is also in the process of shutting down a number of smaller Yahoo properties. According to today’s announcement, Yahoo will shut down its BlackBerry app, Avatars, App Search, Sports IQ and its Message Boards website on April 1st. In addition, it’s ending support for the Yahoo Updates API on April 16th. While it is shutting down the Message Boards website, individual message boards on sites like Yahoo! Finance and Yahoo! Fantasy Sports will remain active. BlackBerry users will be able to continue to use the app, but it won’t be made available for download after April 1st. If you have no idea what all of these products are, you are probably not alone. Yahoo Avatars, for example, as the name implies, allowed you to build you own avatar and then export it to Facebook and Twitter. This is Yahoo’s second round of closures, following the demise of a number of Yahoo Messenger features at the end of last year. Yahoo Clues, which never made it out of beta, let you analyze search trends and features riveting content like a Top Trends leaderboard that told you who today’s most popular celebrities are. Virtually all of the other products Yahoo is shutting down were similarly underused, so chances are there won’t be a major outcry over today’s closures. As Yahoo EVP of Platforms Jay Rossiter notes in the announcement, the company is making these changes ” in an effort to sharpen our focus. By continuing to home in on our core products and experiences, we’ll be able to make our existing products the very best they can be.” Here is Yahoo’s full list of products that will get the ax next month: Yahoo! Avatars Effective April 1, 2013, we will no longer support Yahoo! Avatars across our properties. If you like your existing avatar and want to keep it, please go to the Avatars download page, pick a picture size and format, and click the appropriate download button. Similarly, if you want to edit your avatar, you can download the image and then use a photo editing service of your preference. If you want to continue using your avatar with our products,
TechCrunch
iRobot Looj 330 and Mirra 530 hands-on: gutter and pool cleaning made fun
Posted by Gsurface
on January 9, 2013
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Before we saw the iRobot Mirra 530 pool-cleaning robot and the Looj 330 gutter-cleaning robot here in person at CES 2013, we never imagined we’d be considering work with either area of dirtiness to be an entertaining prospect. In fact now with these two robotic masterpieces ready for iRobot-level cleaning in the near future, it
Google Does Winter Cleaning, Shuts Down “Less Popular” Calendar Features, Punchd Loyalty App, Multiple Sync Services
Posted by Gsurface
on December 14, 2012
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Google likes to make sweeping changes in bulk, getting rid of features that don’t matter, really. Why don’t they matter? Its users tell them so by not using them. In a “Winter Cleaning”, there were some minor cuts, and a somewhat major one, the shutdown of Punchd, its loyalty card app and service. Merchants must not have been getting their bang for the buck by integrating it into their offerings. The sync service drops are interesting, specifically Google Sync Exchange within Gmail, Contacts and Calendars. The last Google “cleaning” was the official death of Wave, so the company doesn’t mess around when things just never stuck with its users. The company says it aims to make things more “seamless” in 2013, something we’ve seen with its Chrome, Gmail, Google+ and Maps apps for iOS recently. Here’s what Venkat Panchapakesan, VP, Engineering, had to say: Technology offers us a way to make a big impact on the world. In 2013, we’ll keep working hard to build a seamless, amazing Google experience for you. The following will be going away: – On January 4, 2013, we’ll be shutting down several less popular Google Calendar features. You’ll be unable to create new reservable times on your Calendar through Appointment slots, but existing Appointment slots will continue working for one year. In addition, we’ll discontinue two Calendar Labs—Smart Rescheduler (we recommend Find a time view or Suggested times as alternatives) and Add gadget by URL. Finally, Check your calendar via sms and Create event via sms (GVENT)—U.S.-only features for creating and checking meetings by texting information to Google—will be discontinued today, as most users prefer mobile Calendar apps. – Google Sync was designed to allow access to Google Mail, Calendar and Contacts via the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync® protocol. With the recent launch of CardDAV, Google now offers similar access via IMAP, CalDAV and CardDAV, making it possible to build a seamless sync experience using open protocols. Starting January 30, 2013, consumers won’t be able to set up new devices using Google Sync; however, existing Google Sync connections will continue to function. Google Sync will continue to be fully supported for Google Apps for Business, Government and Education. Users of those products are unaffected by this announcement. – In addition to Google Sync, we’re discontinuing Google Calendar Sync on December 14, 2012 and Google Sync for Nokia S60 on January 30, 2013. We’re also ending
TechCrunch
Google’s ‘spring cleaning’ hits features in search, news
Posted by Gsurface
on September 29, 2012
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The company announces it will no longer support lesser-used features in a variety of products. [Read more]
CNET News
Google’s “Spring” Cleaning In Fall: AdSense For Feeds, Classic Plus, and Spreadsheet Gadgets Get The Axe
Posted by Gsurface
on September 28, 2012
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It’s that time again when Google does its “Spring Cleaning.” Basically, that means the company axes the stuff that really isn’t working and takes up too much time or resources. But lets call it what it is, these things failed or fizzled.
TechCrunch
Errand Outsourcing Startup Exec Tests Out A Faster, More Expensive Cleaning Service
Posted by Gsurface
on September 27, 2012
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Exec, the Uber-meets-Taskrabbit app that allows you to instantly hire people to perform basic jobs, is testing out a new version of its cleaning service. In the future, cleaning with Exec should be a higher quality, faster experience, and it will come with a higher price tag to match.
Until now, everything in the app came at a standard price of $ 25 per hour. For the new cleaning service, the per-hour rate has more than doubled to $ 65. That doesn’t mean you’ll actually pay twice as much — Exec is now sending two people to do the job, so it should take less time.
TechCrunch
US Is Finally Cleaning Up Agent Orange In Vietnam
Posted by Gsurface
on August 9, 2012
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derekmead writes “It only took 40 years. And yes, Washington still disputes Hanoi’s claim that up to 4 million Vietnamese suffered contact with the defoliant, which was dumped en masse in a U.S. air campaign to scorch away the dense jungle cover under which guerilla fighters hid. But the AP reports that the U.S. is finally set to start cleaning up the mess. The numbers are staggering: Between 1962 and 1971, the U.S. military sprayed some 20 million gallons of Agent Orange and a galaxy of other herbicides on nearly a quarter of former South Vietnam. The defoliant ate through about 5 millions acres – a tract comparable in size to Massachusetts – of forest. An additional half-million acres of crops were decimated.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
It’s spring cleaning time for your email inbox
Posted by Gsurface
on April 14, 2012
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Clutter-clearing apps, just in time for spring cleaning
Posted by Gsurface
on March 23, 2012
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IRL: Rayovac Mobile Power Pack, a TomTom car charger and cleaning a DSLR sensor
Posted by Gsurface
on March 17, 2012
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Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we’re using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.
This week’s edition of IRL is geekier than usual because really, only the nerdiest of you would be reading a tech site when you could be pretending to be Irish. On tap (har!) we have James and Andy talking about their favorite ways to charge gadgets on the go, while Darren, a man after serious photographers’ hearts, tells what happened when he took his beloved D3S in to have the sensor cleaned.
Continue reading IRL: Rayovac Mobile Power Pack, a TomTom car charger and cleaning a DSLR sensor
IRL: Rayovac Mobile Power Pack, a TomTom car charger and cleaning a DSLR sensor originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Engadget
Neato XV-21 autonomous cleaning robot released
Posted by Gsurface
on March 11, 2012
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The next big thing in robot cleaners have arrived, and it comes from Neato Robotics, a group known for their ability to create strange and wonderful devices galore. This device is an automatic vacuum cleaner made specifically for pet owners as well as allergy sufferers. This robot has a bristled brush to pick up pet
Ask Slashdot: Handling and Cleaning Up a Large Personal Email Archive?
Posted by Gsurface
on December 4, 2011
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First time accepted submitter txoof writes “I have a personal email archive that goes back to 2003. The early archives are around 2 megabytes. Every year the archives have grown significantly in size from a few tens of megs to nearly 500 megs from 2010. The archive is for storage only. It is a mirror of my Gmail account. The archives are both sent and received mail compressed in a hierarchy of weekly, monthly and yearly mbox files. I’ve chosen mbox for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it is the simplest to implement with fetchmail. After inspecting some of the archives, I’ve noticed that the larger files are a result of attachments sent by well-meaning family members. Things like baby pictures, wedding pictures, etc. What I would like to do is from this point forward is strip out all of the attachments and only save the texts of the emails. What would be a sane way to do that using simple tools like fetchmail?”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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