For everything from family to computers…
Every year we put together a list of our Lifehacker App packs for each operating system. In the spirit of those lists we figured it was time to put together a list for students getting ready for school. Whether you’re on Windows, Mac, iPhone, or Android, we’ve got you covered. More »
from Lifehacker
An Android based games console has destroyed its targets to become the second best-funded project ever on Kickstarter. The makers of the OUYA console had bid for $950,000 of funding from the public but wound up with just short of $8.6 million.
The idea of the console is to combine the creativity and independent spirit of today’s smartphone and tablet games with the wow factor of playing on a TV screen. It’s designed to be an alternative to the major consoles where games often have high budgets and thus low creative risks.
Developers will be able to release games for OUYA without any restrictions, other than at least some of the gameplay must be free of charge, even if it’s just a demo. The developers are then open to charge a subscription fee, a one-off upgrade fee for the full game, or offer in-game purchases. As with most mobile game platforms, the developers take 70 percent of any revenue, with the other 30 percent kept by the console makers.
It’s already confirmed that Final Fantasy III and a prequel to Human Element will be available on the console, while Minecraft is also set to appear at some point.
Any existing Android apps can be ported to OUYA and can make use of a touchpad built into the controller. Users can root the console if they choose, as well as creating new peripherals for USB or Bluetooth connection. The software development toolkit for creating games will be available directly on the console itself.
The developers of OUYA haven’t explained the name, though it’s pronounced “ooh-yah†in the style of a Randy Savage impersonator from the deep south. The console might be a bit tricky to market in parts of Africa as the name reportedly sounds similar to the Swahili version of a particularly vulgar insult beginning with c.
The console is scheduled to be shipping next spring and will sell for $99 with one controller and $30 for an extra controller. Between the various Kickstarter options, 58,000 consoles have already been pre-ordered.
The art of paper marbling has been around for a long time. You sometimes see the covers of books or stationery decorated using this technique. On Make: Projects, Marcia Friedman shows how to create Japanese sumi ink marbling, a particular style of marbling which produces beautiful swirling patterns of black, white, and gray.
Suminagashi images from Flickr user juni xu
In the video below, a marbling artist demonstrates a more premeditated design by painting on water and then carefully laying down paper over it.
How-to: Japanese Sumi Ink Marbling
Watch Dale Dougherty right now to learn more about marbling paper, live on Maker Camp! (12pm PST)
from MAKE
Academic success in school doesn’t necessarily translate into adult wellbeing. If you want your kids to grow up into happy adults, a new study suggests what you may want to help them aim for.
from Wired Top Stories
When you’re hired at Google, you only have to do the job you were hired for 80% of the time. The other 20% of the time, you can work on whatever you like—provided it advances Google in some way. At least, that’s the theory. More »
from Lifehacker
If you’ve tried taking naps in the afternoon and found yourself feeling groggy after waking—if you manage to force yourself back out of bed—you may just be going about them all wrong. Even if you don’t work in a job where napping is acceptable, there’s a very clear reason why the best naps are the ones that are usually around the half-hour mark. Here’s why. More »
from Lifehacker
There are a lot of ways to keep your stuff from getting stolen, but legendary DIYer Kip Kay shows us a $2 alarm that will fit on just about anything. More »
from Lifehacker