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At its core, SoundGecko is a new webapp that’s essentially a text-to-speech transcription service. Drop a URL into SoundGecko and it converts the article into speech. On top of that it also integrates with cloud services and an iPhone app. More »
from Lifehacker
The Black Sea looks crazy right now, as you can see in this photo taken by the MODIS instrument onboard NASA’s Aqua satellite on July 15. These intense swirls are the work of a microorganism called coccolithophore, a “calcite-shedding phytoplankton [that] can color much of the Black Sea cyan.” More »
from Gizmodo
That is terrible that Microsoft would charge so much to developers for fixing games! Boo!!!
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Seeing as how so much software is moving to online distribution, the significance of this controversy might extend far beyond gaming and XBLA. For now, however, the spotlight is firmly on Microsoft and the way it charges developers for testing their games and patches, after a well-known developer made an unusually public complaint. In a post on its official blog, Polytron said it would not patch a rare game-saving bug in its popular title Fez, because Microsoft would charge it “tens of thousands of dollars to re-certify the game.” It added that “had Fez been released on Steam instead of XBLA,” the problem would have been fixed “right away” and at no cost to the developer, which strongly hints that it’ll jump to another platform as soon as its XBLA exclusivity expires. Responses to the story over at our sister site Joystiq are decidedly mixed, with some folks outraged that Microsoft’s high maintenance attitude could hold back improvements in this way while others suspect Polytron of blame-shifting.
from Engadget
Ask most people what a water ionizer does, and not only will they probably not know, they probably won’t care. But ionizers like Tyent’s new 9000T, complete with a slick touchscreen display, can make your water even more healthy than it already is. More »
from Gizmodo
Ford is recalling 11,500 of its new 2013 Escape SUVs because a defect in the fuel line could cause a fire. The automaker is telling owners to stop driving the vehicles until the problem is repaired.
Mortgage borrowing got cheaper again this week, as rates on 30-year and 15-year fixed-rate loans fell to record lows.
We need some of these U.K. judges shipped over here as soon as possible. In a recent ruling, Judge Colin Birss has ordered Apple to place a statement on the official Apple website that Samsung did not ripoff Apple’s iPad design with their Galaxy Tab lineup. Apple’s lawyers did contest this at first, explaining that this is essentially promoting Samsung on their own site, but the judge incredibly dismissed the claim.
Along with the statement that will remain on Apple’s site for the next six months, they must also publish it in several UK newspapers and magazines to help Samsung’s overseas image. Booyah!
Via: CNET
Cheers Ryan and Matt!
from Droid Life