Datensklaven

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., June 29, 2012 – Tune-in to Facebook.com/NikeSurfing on July 2nd and 3rd for a live webcast of the 2012 National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) National Open Championships from the southside of the Huntington Beach Pier.

[cid:788638F1-494F-4E58-8F44-8FF7B6058277]This year marks the 35th anniversary of the NSSA National Championships, which is considered the most prestigious amateur surfing event in the United States. Each year, more than 80 NSSA events are held regionally across the country and culminate in Huntington Beach. Many of the world’s most prominent surfers got their start climbing through the ranks of the NSSA including former NSSA National Open Champions: Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Kalani Robb, Andy Irons, Bruce Irons, CJ Hobgood, Carissa Moore, Lakey Peterson, Nat Young, Kolohe Andino and 2011 Men’s Open Champion, Cam Richards.

[Text Box: NSSA standout Jake Marshall will be up against some of the best young surfers in the country in the Open Boys division]“We’re excited to help support the legacy of NSSA through the provision and partnership of the webcast,” says Megan Koehn, North America Associate Brand Manager for Nike Surfing. “It’s a great way to get more exposure to the amazing talent that’s out there today.”

The two-day exclusive webcast will be the only opportunity to see live coverage of the event without actually being in attendance at the beach. The webcast will include coverage of the Open Mens and Womens divisions from Round Two through the Finals, as well as, Open Juniors beginning with RoundThree, Open Boys and Mini Groms beginning with the Quarters, and the Girls, Open Longboard and National Airshow Finals.

In addition to live action, scoring and results, hosts Peter Mel, Dave Stanfield, Saxon Boucher and a roster of special guest hosts including NSSA Founder Peter “PT” Townend will provide behind-the-scenes commentary and insights.

Fans can catch all of the live action at Facebook.com/NikeSurfing.
Nike Action
Engineered for world-class athletes, Nike Action unites the performance innovation of Nike with a deepcommitment to the history, creativity, and raw athleticism of action sports.With a focus on Skateboarding, Snowboarding and Surfing, our footwear and apparel merge advanced materials and design with classic styling, driven by the voice of our athletes. Based at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, Nike Action is dedicated to inspiring and supporting the world of action sports.

About SURFING Magazine
SURFING Magazine is the official storyteller of modern surf culture. We seek out thepersonalities and ideas that define our community – progressive, authentic and young, with a focus on the experiences and lifestyle that make surfing morethan a sport. Travel. Photography. People. Fashion. Music. Art. The magazine is published 12 times per year by Source Interlink Media’s GrindMedia, an integrated network of magazines, digital properties, events and television programming. surfingmagazine.com

About GrindMedia
Source Interlink Media’s GrindMedia is home to renowned action and adventure sports magazine brands Surfer, Surfing, Snowboarder, Skateboarder, Powder, Bike, Canoe & Kayak, SUP-Standup Paddler, DirtRider, ATV Rider, and Paved. Along with our standalone websites, including GrindTV.com, Newschoolers and Motocross.com, GrindMedia is the leading provider of print and online action sports and entertainment content in the United States. Delivering significant reach across both action sports enthusiast and various in-market consumer audiences, GrindMedia produces more than 20 leading events and webcasts such as Surfer Poll Awards, PowderAwards, Nike Lowers Pro, EnduroCross and International Surfing Day. GrindMedia is also the exclusive action and adventure sports content provider for Yahoo! Sports. To learn more, visit grindmedia.com.

Swedish Designer Eddi Törnberg has designed the best human-powered work station we’ve seen yet because unlike other concepts that require you to do things like ride a bike while you’re working, it doesn’t require a person to do anything more than sit and work. The project, called “Unplugged,” powers the various gadgets we use to work — laptops, lamps, etc –through our small constant movements and body heat.

The desk chair is equipped with a metal seat that gets hot as a person emits body heat, but the underside stays cools through a pattern of metal fins. Electricity is produced through the Seebeck Effect where an electric charge is created when a material is hot or warm on one side, but cool on the other.

The other energy-harvesting part of this set up is a rug that lies under the desk that is outfitted with piezoelectric crystals that generate electricity when pressure is applied to them. Each random shuffle, stomp, and rolling back and forth of the chair is a source of electricity.

The final part of Unplugged is plant-powered rather than human-powered. A potted plant provides electrcity through a process similar to a potato battery.

Unplugged is definitely more of a concept than a working product, but if this set-up were put to use, it could generate a nice chunk, though probably not all, of the energy needed to get through the workday.

via The Atlantic Cities

Images via Eddi Törnberg

Your favorite RSS app on the Mac now comes with Retina goodness.

Silvio Rizzi has updated his popular Google RSS app, Reeder, with Retina graphics for the 2012 next-generation MacBook Pro. Version 1.1.7 of Reeder is available now as a small update in the Mac App Store. Interface elements and feed text in the app will now be displayed at the new MacBook Pro’s full, Retina resolution.

If you have a new MacBook Pro with Retina Display, you know the pain of using an app that hasn’t been updated with Retina graphics. Twitter for Mac is a perfect example. Non-Retina apps look pixelated and ugly. This new update for Reeder will surely please many RSS junkies like myself.

Reeder’s 1.1.7 update also addresses a small issue with sharing links to Twitter from inside the app.

You can download Reeder in the Mac App Store for $5 and learn more about the iPhone and iPad companion apps on the web.

You know we all wanted to call it the iPad 3. It would make a lot of sense, given that they named the previous model the iPad 2.

But no, Apple decided to call the latest iteration of their magical tablet device “The New iPad.” Ok, fine, Apple, have it your way.

But then they filed a case with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) saying that they should own the domain name www.ipad3.com.

What?

The domain name was registered in January of 2010. It’s currently owned by Global Access, a company that’s had to give up previously owned domain names due to complaints by AllState, AOL, and MasterCard.

This looks to be a company that does this on purpose, in a process called cybersquatting. iPad3.com is reported to be parked but is currently unavailable to access at the time of writing. Interestingly, there are a ton of iPad domain names registered, but not to Apple. For example, whoever owns iPad4.com has it pointed to an iPad Jokes site. iPad.com itself isn’t owned by Apple either, but it looks like a legitimate site.

Regardless of who owns these domains, should Apple be able to push them out of their domain addresses? I’d have to say no, especially if they stop using the number designation for their next iPad model as well. This may be a gray area for IP law and trademark protection, but I can’t see anyone being confused by iPad25.com, can you?

Via: Forbes

Source: Domain Name Wire

Earlier this month we reported that MacPhun squeezed their outlandishly colorful Color Splash Studio Mac app onto the iPhone. Today, they’re giving away free copies of the Mac app, with one small catch: You have to send them something you created on the iPhone version of the app.

Sound confusing? Here’s the deal: If you send MacPhun an image you’ve created on the $1 iPhone version of Color Splash Studio — at (sorry, you need Javascript to see this e-mail address) —  they’ll send you a copy of the $5 Mac version for free (it’s on sale now for $3, if you want it but don’t want the iPhone version or don’t have time).

That’s a bit of a hoop to jump through, but the app makes some pretty striking effects, and it’s a worthy option for your post-processing photo-quiver.

Three days after we reported an Apple win in regards to the Samsung Galaxy Tab, US District Judge Lucy Koh just handed Apple another, possibly temporary, victory.

In a decision handed down today in California, Judge Koh granted a preliminary ban on the Galaxy Nexus phone. Apple’s original request was in February of this year, and alleged that the Nexus infringed on several Apple patents. The current decision, if upheld, will keep the phone from being sold in the US.

Samsung issued a statement that said that it’s disappointed, and that it will take “all available measures, including legal action, to ensure the Galaxy Nexus remains available to consumers,” as quoted on CNET and originally reported on Reuters.

Apple issued a very familiar-sounding statment, of course.

“It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,” Apple said in an e-mail to CNET. “This kind of blatant copying is wrong and, as we’ve said many times before, we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”

The obvious question here is what will happen to the Nexus 7 tablet? There’s no mention of the just-announced Google tablet in the article at CNET. We’ll keep an eye on things and report as soon as we know more.

Source: CNET
Image: PC World

Erica Sadun writes at TUAW about a new, possibly first of its kind ebook, one that includes American Sign Language (ASL) videos embedded along with the electronic text and pictures.

While bilingual education has been around for a good long while, the concept of prepackaged ASL translation is a relatively new one, as the tools to embed quality video in an eBook haven’t been mainstream enough. Until now, of course, with iBooks, the iPad, and iBooks Author.

Author Adam Stone released his new book, Pointy Three, on the iBooks store last week. From the iTunes description:

Presented in American Sign Language (ASL) and English! The story of a fork who’s missing one of his prongs, but not his brave spirit. Follow Pointy Three on his journey through the land of Dinnertime as he meets characters left and right and looks for a place where he belongs.

Sadun interviews Stone and talks with him about his motivation to do such a book. “I want to show everybody that it can be done easily, quickly, and cheaply,” he said on his blog. “You don’t need to talk to a publisher; you are the publisher.”

Stone works as a first grade teacher at an ASL school in New York. He was inspired by the introduction of iBooks Author and came up with the idea for the story with ASL elements on the way home one day. He typed up the treatment on his iPhone in the Notes app, he says.

When asked why he hadn’t created an app, Stone reveals that he has no skills as a programmer. With iBooks Author, anyone can create an interactive story for their unique audience and situation.

This is the disruptive success of Apple, one that hearkens back to the original computer club and Steve Wozniak. Apple devices are all about empowering people to actually create and do things – wonderful and unique things – with the powerful technologies inside.

Source: The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Video: Ben Sitten
Surfers: Gabe Kling, Chris Ropero, Jody Davis
Location: Florida Panhandle

Hurricane season is the most exciting time to be a surfer on the East Coast. It doesn’t always mean the best waves because overall, most of the epic sessions come from cold fronts after the wind switches offshore. Although, the excitement factor that comes along with a tropical storm or hurricane brings another level of fun to surfing and chasing waves in places you normally don’t visit.

Gabe Kling and a few of his North Florida friends took the drive west in search of sandbars on the panhandle and found some fun left tubes in between rain squalls and gusting NE wind.

The NPD Group reported today that the use of digital tablets like the iPad has more than doubled across the globe this year.

According to surveys of approximately 14,000 TV owners across 14 different regions worldwide, the research group found that a whopping 10 percent of those surveyed reported using their iPad or other tablet to watch video. This is up from about four percent of the same population surveyed a year ago.

The study noted a high concentration of videos being watched on tablets in urban China, with 35 percent of respondents replying in the affirmative. The fastest growing group? Turkey – where tablet viewing behavior has jumped from 3.1 percent to 16.5 percent in a single year.

In a not too surprising note, NPD Group reports that 70 percent of the respondents said that they have watched TV on a device other than a TV.

“While the trends vary by region, it is evident that consumers around the globe are watching more video and TV content with their portable electronic devices as these provide additional means of accessing content,” said Riddhi Patel, Research Director of Consumer Insights for NPD DisplaySearch. “Despite this increase, however, TVs still remain the primary device of choice for viewing TV content, with 30% of consumers reporting that they view TV/video content on TVs alone.”

These numbers are against a backdrop, as Patel notes, of people still watching most of their video on TV screens. The NPD report also says that TV replacement cycles are shorter this year than last, as consumers upgrade their TV sets with improved picture quality, larger overall size and HD performance. LCD panel TVs continue to win in the global marketplace as the flat panel tech of choice, according to the report.

Will iPads eventually take over as the screen of choice in most homes? Most likely not. However, I can foresee a day when perhaps hotels and other travel destinations provide iPads for in-room viewing, perhaps as an alternative for children and parents to watch different shows simultaneously. At some point, the iPad – or whatever succeeds it – will become as ubiquitous in motels as the Gideon Bible once was.

Source: NPD’s DisplaySearch Via: GigaOm

In one of the more meta examples of self-referential design, this Kickstarter project plans to make iPhone cases out of – get this – wood from Apple trees. Each skin is laser-cut and matte finished, less than 1 mm thick, and attaches to the back of an iPhone 4 or 4S with an adhesive sticker.

Project creator Robert Magno (one letter combination away from being even more meta-fruit-like) wanted to keep things simple, a very Apple-like stance, to be sure.

“These iPhone skins are made from real apple wood,” he says on his Kickstarter page. “Each skin is unique with its own distinct wood grain. They are laser cut and measured precisely to fit on the back of your phone.”

In addition, the iPhone skin will come packaged in chipboard and cardboard which can then be folded into a stand for your iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S, another little Apple-esque touch. He plans on making these skins on his own, with no outsourcing.

He will buy all the materials, then assemble and seal them by hand. Why? Because it just ends up looking better. “It is much more time consuming,” he writes, “but the end result is far superior than finishing my machine.”

So far, you can only become a backer of this project over at Kickstarter. If you pledge $5 or more, you can choose to get a cardboard stand for your own iPhone. Pledge $24 or more and you can get one of the first 10 skins already produced, while supplies last.

No word on final pricing, though this does seem to be more of a boutique process than a mass production run. If you want to check out more details, or even back the project yourself, head on over to the project page on Kickstarter.

Source: Kickstarter

The Reno, Nevada City Council today approved a deal that includes $89 million in tax abatements for Apple, representing a 79 percent overall reduction in Apple’s tax burden in the city. The tax breaks apply to county, city and state taxes, and will in part encourage Apple to invest $1 billion in northern Nevada over the next 10 years.

For its part, Apple plans to build a 350-acre data center to house iCloud servers just east of Sparks, Nevada and a “business and purchasing center” in the Tessera District, a less than savory area northeast of downtown Reno.

The data center, dubbed “Project Jonathan,” is slated to employ up to 41 full time employees alongside 200 long-term contract employees, according to the AP report posted on Bloomberg’s BusinessWeek website. Construction alone could generate close to 600 temporary jobs as well, according to local paper, the Reno Gazette-Journal.

The Las Vegas Sun weighed in, however, reporting that the tax breaks will allow Apple to only send along $16 million of an estimated $343 million in economic activity over the next 10 years. The Nevada Office of Economic Development pointed out in response that the tax breaks are the reason Apple chose Reno over other possible Apple location, including Oregon, which has no sales tax.

“They’ve got lots of options,” said Steve Hill, an employee of the office. “The Prineville, Ore., area remains more competitive than northern Nevada.” Hill continued to say that construction could begin as early as August, once the project gets through a month-long approval process at the governor’s office.

It’s doubtless that we’ll see more of this sort of maneuvering on the part of regions that want to bring in Apple’s economic powerhouse to their area, similar on a macro level to retail owners courting Apple in malls across the country.

Source: BusinessWeek

Apparent’s battery-powered Doxie Go portable scanner has been around since last year, though its optional scan-direct-to-mobile-device capabilities have only been available on iOS devices. But the scanner has just had a major firmware update, making it compatible with Android — along with some new functionality and hardware that’ll make Apple-ites happy also.

The basic functions of the scanner allow it to scan documents and save the scans onto an SD card (or straight to your computer). But with the wifi version ($229), scans could be sent directly to an iPad or iPhone; now it’ll also send scans to Android devices. Of course, it can also send documents to cloud services like Evernote and Dropbox. If you have a Doxie Go without wifi, there’s an optional $30 card that’ll give it wifi capability.

The Doxie Go also has new optional accessories to play with: An international power adapter and a microfiber case (above). No word on pricing yet.

Here’s a list of the other new upgrades, straight from the press release:

Basecamp project management.
Manage projects and share tasks with Basecamp from 37signals. The new Doxie Go uploads business docs directly to any Basecamp project for sharing and commenting.

Sign documents, deliver faxes.
Provide digital signatures and send faxes with the newly integrated HelloFax. Just select your documents, create a signature box, and send automatically via fax or e-mail.

Enhanced Dropbox + mobile integration.
Use Doxie and Dropbox together to share your documents – now Doxie lets you save searchable PDFs to any folder in Dropbox in one step. And on iPhone + iPad, select scans to save to any Dropbox folder for access from any device.

Scan longer, scan legal.
Doxie now scans paper up to 15” (38 cm) in length, handling U.S. legal documents and long receipts, plus standard sizes like business cards, photos, and U.S. Letter/A4 sheets.

Whew, what a day. Day 1 of Google I/O was full of sky diving, rappelling, biking, oh yea… and cool gadgets and software!

Whether you’re a fan of Android, Google products, or just good ol’ geeky tech, Google I/O has it all. If you missed the announcements or are just plain curious about what Google showed off today, give the list of links below a look for a brief recap of day 1 at Google I/O.

• Day 1
• Project Glass Demo
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• Nexus 7
• Nexus Q
• New YouTube Mobile Android App
• Launch of new 3D imagery on Google Earth for Android
• Google+ Improvements (Tablet app, Events, and more)
• Google Maps For Android Goes Offline
• Day 1 Gallery

Stay tuned for more coverage, as we have much more to cover from now until Friday.

Left to right: Matt Kurvin, Shawn Parkin, Ryan Craig, Mike Smolowe, Sarah Lee

Peter’s Notes:

This year’s competition was incredibly tough — with three photographers from past finalist shows and two photographers breaking into the Top 5 for the first time. Here’s my cliff-notes from the judging night:

Newcomer Sarah Lee: She brought a fresh look of surf minimalism to this year competition. Her photography is pure innocence. It’s really broken down into the simplest form which is super refreshing these days.

Ryan Craig: He’s shooting water photography at locations that a lot of people would feel really uncomfortable shooting. He also posseses the talent to showcase popular destinations in a whole new light, which is a very difficult thing to do. One of the most driven surf photographers out of this batch.

Mike Smolowe: Technically a very strong performance. His lifestyle images, landscapes, and scenic photography are his real strengths. One of the strongest in the focus and composition realm — he really uses it to his advantage. He hasn’t traveled as much as some of the other finalist, but here he really makes the most out of the surf that he gets to shoot. A very solid up and coming photographer.

Shawn Parkin: Shawn was a finalist a couple years ago. He took a year off work to travel the world and shoot photos. Some of his adventures are in this year’s slideshow. He shot a wide variety of surfing, not just shortboarding, and with angles and looks that have a completely virgin appeal.

Matt Kurvin: Most surf photographers are looking to chase waves. Matt chooses a very unique angle in chasing color. The spirit of his slideshow was probably the most thought out. A great choice of music, pacing and theme.

Press Release

June 25, 2012 — Follow the Light Foundation (FTFL), a non-profit organization that continues to fuel the dreams of the world’s most talented young surf photographers, announced its 2012 finalists today after an evening of review and deliberation. This year’s installment of young visionaries include: Ryan Craig from Santa Cruz, Matt Kurvin from Felton, Sarah Lee from Holualoa, Shawn Parkin from Dana Point, and Mike Smolowe from San Clemente.

“This is the best collection of photos I’ve seen all year,” said longtime SURFING Magazine Photo Editor Peter Taras. “It’s so inspiring to see the act of waveriding through fresh eyes.”

The winner of the $5,000 grant will be announced during the US Open of Surfing at the Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach on Tuesday July 31st. The event is open to the public and free of charge. The reception begins at 7:00PM; The Shorebreak Hotel is located at 500 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, CA 92648, www.shorebreakhotel.com. “We’re very excited about the talent level of this year’s finalists,” said legendary photographer and Judge Aaron Chang. “And to celebrate their skills around this year’s US Open will make it even more special.”

FTLF sponsor Bob Hurley said,” Recognizing the world’s best up-and-coming surf photographers fits right in with the spirit of the US Open of Surfing. “It’s so fun to see such an amazing showcase of young talent in one place – very inspiring.”

The FTLF was founded after iconic photographer Larry “Flame” Moore’s passing to ensure that up-and-coming surf photographers continue to get the recognition and support they deserve. Flame — legendary Photo Editor of SURFING Magazine for more than three decades — made it a priority to teach and inspire anyone with a passion for photography. This grant helps keep that legacy alive. Details can be found on the FTLF website. (followthelightfoundation.org)

Founding board member and Judge Sam Olson said,” Every year there is so much new talent submitted to FTLF. And each and every year I go away from the judging inspired to build on my own photography”.

Now in its seventh year, the FTLF awards ceremony is part of the world’s largest action sports festival. The US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach will reach all kinds of people, but there is no better place to showcase the best rising talent in the surf photography world. In years past, FTLF grant winners like Morgan Maassen, Chris Burkard, Matt Clark, Ray Collins, Duncan Macfarlane and Todd Glaser have continued to change the game in what is possible in surf imagery. This year, previous winners played a huge role in selecting the 2012 recipient.

“The follow the light foundation has continued to set a standard for up and coming surf photographers, each year that bar is raised and the photographers keep stepping up there game”, says former winner and SURER senior staff photographer Chris Burkard. This year, the submissions came from far and wide, and it seemed like each style of work was well represented, I know that I will be seeing so many of these names grace the credits of magazines for years to come. You can always tell the work is good when it inspires you to work harder. ”
SURFLINE Photo Editor, Jeremiah Klein added, “With all the talent this year we had to look at the slideshows a few times over to narrow it down to our top ten. The final five was even more difficult to choose but in the end we found a winner that is most deserving.”

Come July 31st, this new artist will get his or her due recognition. This year the evening will include the SWELL’s “People’s Choice” award, where fans will vote for the winner and a raffle with great prizes. All in all, it’s a great night, a great cause and a whole lot of fun.
The Follow the Light Foundation is proudly supported by Hurley, Swell.com, Surfing and Oakley.

We’ve already talked about how your next iPhone should be a prepaid one, right? Heck, we’ve even discussed why Cricket might be your next iPhone carrier. It sounds like some folks must have been listening.

When Cricket started selling pre-paid iPhones as planned today, people lined up at the door before stores opened to get one of the newly available Apple handsets.

According to CNET, a Cricket representative said the prepaid iPhone models were made available this morning and received “brisk” customer activity. The buyers must have figured out that the prepaid iPhone will cost much, much less when purchased from a company like Cricket as a prepaid phone than it does when bought as part of a contract with a provider like AT&T.

At Cricket, the 16GB iPhone 4S will run you $499.99, while the 8GB iPhone 4 is only $399.99. The plan includes a $55 no-contract plan with unlimited calling and text messaging. There’s also 2.3GB of data, as well, which, while advertised as unlimited data, will apparently slow down after it reaches that amount.

While seeing the iPhone sold as a commodity pre-paid handset may bother some folks who see it as a loss of the cool factor of the iPHone, this is still a fantastic deal over the lifetime of such a device. If you’re in the market for a phone and are out of contract, you just might want to check out a Cricket reseller near you.

All those folks in line this morning did.

Source: CNET