Why is Wikipedia's editing community dwindling?

Wikipedia's closely-examined editing community has been declining for quite some time, and historian and Wikipedia editor Richard Jensen has a theory that may explain why. The problem, Jensen postulates, is that there's simply less work for editors to do than there has been in the past. He cites the editing histories of popular articles like the War of 1812 and World War II, which peak between 2005 and 2007. In contrast, the articles' pageviews have steadily increased, which Jensen says shows that there isn't a lack of engagement, but rather that popular articles are nearly complete. Take a look at more highlights from Jensen's study at The Atlantic.

[Source: The Verge]

T-Mobile also cancels NYC event on account of weather

We've been through this before. This notice has just landed in our inbox:

Hi,

Apologies for the late mail, but due to the expected weather in New York, T-Mobile will be postponing its showcase event (which was scheduled for October 29) to a later date.  We will keep you posted on a rescheduled date as soon as we can.

Thanks for your flexibility and patience and apologies for the inconvenience.

The weather is getting nasty out there, and T-Mobile has decided that holding its event in New York Cityisn't the best choice. Since Google has also decided to postpone its impending Nexus event, we're not going to blame T-Mo for taking the safe route. No reason to risk having extra people traveling in Hurricane Sandy.

[Source: Android Central]

Cray's Jaguar supercomputer upgraded with NVIDIA Tesla GPUs, renamed Titan

Cray's Jaguar (or XK7) supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been loaded up with the first shipping NVIDIA Telsa K20 GPUs and renamed Titan. Loaded with 18,688 of the Kepler-based K20s, Titan's peak performance is more than 20 petaflops. Sure, the machine has an equal number of 16-core AMD Opteron 6274 processors as it does GPUs, but the Tesla hardware packs 90 percent of the entire processing punch. Titan is roughly ten times faster and five times more energy efficient than it was before the name change, yet it fits into the same 200 cabinets as its predecessor. Now that it's complete, the rig will analyze data and create simulations for scientific projects ranging from topics including climate change to nuclear energy. The hardware behind Titan isn't meant to power your gaming sessions, but the NVIDIA says lessons learned from supercomputer GPU development trickle back down to consumer-grade cards. For the full lowdown on the beefed-up supercomputer, hit the jump for a pair of press releases.

[Source: Engadget]

Google postpones October 29th event over Hurricane Sandy worries

We hope you weren't basing your calendar around Google's big Android event on October 29th. The company has confirmed to us that it's postponing the event to an as yet undetermined point in the future due to Hurricane Sandy, whose East coast arrival will follow so closely before the New York City gaterhing that Google isn't willing to take the chance on its big day. If you're experiencing a sense of déja vu, you're not alone -- Google delayed last year's event revealing the Galaxy Nexus out of respect for the late Steve Jobs. While it's not what we'd call an auspicious start to Google's holiday launches, we can at least hope for an abundance of riches when the company is ready once again. The full statement waits below.

"We are canceling our Monday morning event in New York due to Hurricane Sandy. We will let you know our plans as soon as we know more."

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky: Windows 8 PCs are better value than Apple

AllThingsD's Ina Fried was on hand for Microsoft's full day of Windows 8 fun yesterday, and she reports that Microsoft exec Steven Sinofsky enjoyed pointing out how the new Windows 8 PCs deliver better value than Apple's products.

Sinofsky said that there are "full-featured Windows 8 laptops that sell for $279. These are fantastic machines. At that price, you can get a computer good enough to last a student through college."

Microsoft is betting its future on Windows 8, an OS designed from the ground up to run both on desktop and laptop machines as well as tablets. Windows 8 now features a built-in software store, something that Mac users have had since January 6, 2011.

Sinofsky told the assembled press that there were "tons of thin, light, touchscreen Ultrabooks that sell for hundreds less than a MacBook Air," noting that it was "engineering work that drives the cost down." Apparently low price isn't a factor for consumers, who were responsible for FY 2012 sales of Apple's Mac line being 1 percent higher than last year's sales, while the PC market in general saw a drop in sales of 8 percent.

During yesterday's Apple earnings call, Apple's Tim Cook managed a good retort at Microsoft's Surface tablet. In pointing out that the device makes compromises by trying to be both a PC and a tablet, he said "You could design a car that flies and floats, but I don't think it would do either of those things very well."

[Source: TUAW]

Google Maps adds natural terrain by default outside of satellite views, reminds us the world isn't flat

Everyone knows that Google prides itself on mapping accuracy. If you hadn't checked beyond the base maps in the past few years, though, you'd have thought the terrain was charted in the "here be dragons" era -- it's been as flat as a board. Take a second look today. Google has overhauled Google Maps worldwide to show hills, deserts and lush zones by default, as well as label the geographical features that hadn't previously been identifiable in a sea of white. The map overhaul isn't so nuanced enough as to remind us how steep the hills can be in San Francisco, but it will remind us that Gobi refers to more than just a chipset.

[Source: Engadget]

ASUS unveils RT-N12HP WiFi router with extra-long antennas: compensating for anything?

If getting long-range WiFi is a perpetual battle, ASUS just started a nuclear war. Its fresh RT-N12HP router carries a pair of (thankfully removable) high-gain, 9dBi antennas and a separate signal amplifier that can jointly boost the range of the router's 802.11n wireless up to 300 percent versus challengers that reach the same 300Mbps peak speed. Beyond that, the hotspot mostly claims sheer flexibility as its virtue with support for as many as four separate WiFi networks and a fast toggle between pure router, access point and repeater modes. Once ASUS confirms that we can grab the N12HP in specific countries, it'll likely deliver a good signal from corner to corner in most any home -- and invite some Freudian interpretations.

[Source: Engadget]

Squarespace introduces Squarespace Note

Web hosting provider Squarespace has a new app out, but it's not what you might think it is. Rather than an update or completely new version of the Squarespace app, the company has released Squarespace Note, a free app to help people "record their ideas on the fly."

The app provides a fast way to write down ideas on an iOS device, loading a blank white piece of virtual paper upon launch. Once you've written a note, it can be synced to Squarespace, email, Dropbox, Twitter, Facebook and Evernote. Everything you need to do can usually be done with a single swipe in one direction or another -- it's a very clean UI.

[Source: TUAW - Click here to read the full story]

Google Trekker goes to the Grand Canyon, takes Street View souvenirs back home

You might remember Google's unveiling this spring of the Street View Trekker, a seeming cross between a backpack and Van de Graaff generator that lets the mapping team produce 360-degree imagery where even trikes dare not tread. The portable camera ball is just going on its first trip, and Google has chosen the most natural destination for a novice tourist -- the Grand Canyon, of course. Staffers with Trekkers are currently walking trails along the South Rim of the canyon to provide both eye-level points of reference for wayward hikers as well as some breathtaking, controllable panoramas for those who can't (or won't) make it to Arizona. Once the photos make it to Street View sometime in the undefined near future, it'll be that much easier to turn down Aunt Matilda's 3-hour vacation slideshow.

[Source: Engadget]

Sharp announces first TVs with Moth-Eye technology: the AQUOS XL series

Sharp may look like it's in trouble, but that's not stopping it bringing new displays to the market, including today's announcement of the AQUOS Quattron 3D XL TV line. Behind the mouthful of acronyms, these LED-backlit LCD panels are the first to feature Sharp's Moth-Eye technology, designed to reduce glare and pump out bright colors, as well as a deep black. The company's 'four primary color' tech is partly responsible for the rich output, which squeezes a yellow sub-pixel in with the standard R, G and B. All the panels run at 1,920 x 1,080, as you'd expect, sport a 10 million to 1 contrast ratio and use five speakers to deliver audio. Prices aren't fixed, but the 46-, 52- and 80-inch models will be released inJapan on December 15th, while the 60- and 70-inch variants will come slightly earlier, on November 30th. You're going to have to be quick on launch day, though -- only 10,000 units are expected to be available in the first month.

[Source: Engadget]

Getting Started With The Raspberry Pi Is Not As Easy As Pie

The super low cost computer called the Raspberry Pi is mind-blowing and awesome. As TechCrunch recently reported, the $25 to $35 mini computer on a circuit board is designed to give kids around the globe an easy way to learn computer programming. But the Raspberry Pi is not like a computer you get from Apple or pickup at the local Best Buy. It’s not as simple as plug and play. It takes a bit of extra work and time. And you need to be a hacker before you can get it working.

[Source: TechCrunch - Click here to read the full story]

Technology for gaming, from fridge-sized machines to handy apps

Gaming has always been greatly influenced by developments in technology. At first casinos, the forerunners in gaming tech, were developed as land based buildings where patrons could play their favourite games on big, clunky machines. Playing a game required both travel and time, and often a bag full of coins. The next step were gaming devices in more reasonable sizes that you could buy to use at home, computers and consoles. Later the devices became a bit more portable, but still not too impressive. Then, finally, the internet gave us online gaming sites and casinos – first accessible from the comfort of our own homes at the click of a mouse.
A bit later we could play games wherever we were, thanks to the development of truly mobile devices - who can forget the first phones with Snake? – and later mobile internet revolutionized everything. Whether you have an iPhone, a BlackBerry, or an Android smartphone, there are hundreds of different casino or other gaming apps out there ready for you to download and use to play all of your favourite games; from roulette to craps, slots to blackjack, and even poker, all the best casino games are now accessible from the palm of your hand.
With so many to choose from how do you know which app is the best? It depends on what you’re looking for. Some apps are dedicated to a particular game, such as slots or roulette. If you only want to play one particular type of game a dedicated app like this will probably provide the best experience. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for an all-round casino experience with lots of games to choose from then you need an app with broader scope; one such app is the new Mobile Casino from Gaming Club - a reputable online casino and games provider. Their app is available to download from their mobile website, and you can of course also play in your phone browser. With a reliable provider behind it this is a safe bet for a casino app that will allow you to have fun and win big whilst keeping all your financial information secure.

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