Everything's Social

Latest Updates: Germany RSS

• 

  University Course Teaches E-mail Flirtation to Over 400 Pitiful Souls

  JP 1:45 am on July 27, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: B.O, course (3), Germany, nbsp (1,601), Philip von Senftleben, pitiful souls, potsdam university, Read (1,390), self improvement books, University (7)

  Filed under: Cell Phones, Web, Social Networking

  

  In the saddest news we’ve heard today (which means it’s been a relatively good day), 440 people have enrolled in a master’s course, held at Potsdam University in Germany, that instructs students in how to be flirtatious via text message and e-mail, how to impress acquaintances and how to deal with that girl who will inevitably text back, “uhhh NO, perv.” The course’s instructor, Philip von Senftleben, plans to take the spirit of his self-improvement books and radio programs to the classroom in order to tell the pitifully shut-in how to “get someone else’s heart beating fast while yours stays calm.” We’re not sure whether or not the course has a title yet, but we’d like to offer this one: “Dating 2.0: In Facebook, Nobody Can Hear You Stutter or Smell Your B.O.” [From: Reuters]

  Continue reading University Course Teaches E-mail Flirtation to Over 400 Pitiful Souls

  University Course Teaches E-mail Flirtation to Over 400 Pitiful Souls originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  
   

  Reply Click here to cancel reply.

  Name (required)

  Email (required)

  Web Site

   
• 

  Now Google Can Spy on You at an Angle: 45-Degree View Released

  JP 1:45 am on July 12, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: California (27), dortmund germany, Germany, google (174), google maps (21), Italy (7), nbsp (1,601), Read (1,390), South Africa (5), Venice (2), venice italy, View (13)

  Filed under: Google, Web

  

  Google has now announced that you can use its services to get a sideways view of the world. A few months back, Google released its 45-degree aerial photographs to developers, and has since incorporated the perspective into its beta testing ground, Google Maps Labs. Now the images are available for all users, but they only cover a handful of areas: some parts of California; South Africa; Venice, Italy; and Dortmund, Germany. Hooray for the Google panopticon!

  What does this mean for your weekend? Why, absolutely nothing. In fact, we can’t really see what’s different from when Google Maps merged its data with Google Earth. We guess the pictures are a little higher-res? Even more reason to cover up your naked child. [From: ReadWriteWeb]

  Now Google Can Spy on You at an Angle: 45-Degree View Released originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  
   
• 

  Google Street View Data Included Passwords and E-Mail

  JP 1:45 am on June 20, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: G. Originally, Germany, google (174), google street view (8), intentional wrongdoing, legal repercussions, nbsp (1,601), Read (1,390), Spain (2), Street (5)

  Filed under: Google, Web

  It was less than two weeks ago that Google agreed to turn over the data it inadvertently collected while assembling Street View. Now the French National Commission on Computing and Liberty (CNIL) has announced the results of its analysis and things do not look good for the G. Originally Google said that it had only recorded “fragments” of data, but an examination of the data revealed that it accidentally collected and stored complete passwords and e-mails.

  Its too early to say what, if any, legal repercussions Google faces, but it’s already clear that the company was not completely upfront about the incident which could further damage its reputation with consumers, many of whom have not completely forgiven it for the debacle that was the launch of Buzz. Things may only get worse as authorities in both Spain and Germany are also looking to audit the roughly 600GB of data. Of course, there is no reason to believe that there was any intentional wrongdoing on behalf of Google, and the company should be commended on its honest handling of the situation. Still, the collection and storing of private data is a massive mistake, and someone, somewhere is going to end up paying for it. [From: InfoWorld]

  Google Street View Data Included Passwords and E-Mail originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  
   
• 

  Googlemobiles Are Scanning German Wi-Fi Networks

  JP 2:33 am on May 1, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Colonel Sanders, german news magazine, Germany, Google Street (13), google street view (8), Mac (36), media access control, nbsp (1,601), Peter Schaar, Read (1,390), Register, View (13)

  Filed under: Google

  

  According to The Register, Google Street View cars in Germany have been scanning Wi-Fi networks and recording users’ Media Access Control (MAC) address, which are unique identifiers assigned to networks, without permission. The country’s Federal Commissioner for Data Protection Peter Schaar isn’t happy about it, either. “I am appalled… I call upon Google to delete previously unlawfully collected personal data on the wireless network immediately and stop the rides for Street View,” he told a German broadcaster. This isn’t the first time Street View has riled up some European folks with privacy concerns. But recording MAC addresses is a big deal, since a person’s identity could eventually be culled from this data by cross-referencing it with other data.

  However, German news magazine Spiegel reports that Google has been doing this since 2008. If that’s true, we wonder why nobody has said anything before now? The issue is that geolocation information is collected by myriad sources, from ISPs to cell providers, all hoping to map and track what Google calls “publicly broadcast information.” Obviously, a compromise will be reached between Google and the Germans’ desire for privacy. After all, Google agreed to blur faces a couple years back, even going as far as blurring Colonel Sanders’ face. [From: The Register, via: Google Blogoscoped]

  Googlemobiles Are Scanning German Wi-Fi Networks originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  
   
• 

  Multitoe Touchscreen Floor Taps, Jumps and Wiggles Into The Future

  JP 10:40 am on April 17, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: floor, Germany, hasso plattner, interactive exhibitions, nbsp (1,601), New York (32), Potsdam (2), Professor Patrick Baudisch, Read (1,390), system (6), tapping your toes

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Computers

  

  Touch displays are awesome and all, but it sure takes a lot of effort to put your finger to the screen. Couldn’t we just do it with our feet? Well, Professor Patrick Baudisch and his research team at the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany have developed a multi-touch floor display called Multitoe, utilizing the concept of frustrated total internal reflection (we had to Wikipedia that one) that makes more conventional multi-touch systems work. But, basically, the team’s floor is lit from beneath by a projection system that recognizes not only the sole pattern of a user’s shoe, but also the posture of that user. It will ignore other users around while that user is actively using the system, or respond to both at the same time. Stomping, jumping and tapping your toes will cause the system to prompt you with a touch-enabled keyboard or drawing program.

  The demo of the concept (video after the break) seems incredibly cool, but kind of crudely applicable. We could see a multi-touch floor being utilized for games or interactive exhibitions, say, at a museum or science center. Or even paired up with the absurdly interesting motion-capture tech at New York’s SMALLab. Neat stuff! [From: Designboom, via: Engadget]

  Continue reading Multitoe Touchscreen Floor Taps, Jumps and Wiggles Into The Future

  Multitoe Touchscreen Floor Taps, Jumps and Wiggles Into The Future originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 08:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  
   
• 

  ESP Pinball Wizardry Impressive, Still Silly Looking

  JP 12:52 am on March 8, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: brain computer interface (3), Germany, nbsp (1,601), Pete Townshend, Pinball, pinball wizard, Read (1,390), technology (7), Tommy (2)

  Filed under: Computers

  

  When The Who’s Pete Townshend wrote “Pinball Wizard,” we bet he never imagined just how much influence technology would have on the classic game of flippers and steel balls. Tommy, the song’s protagonist, sure could play a mean pinball, but he wouldn’t stand a chance at the flippers if his opponent were wearing this brain-scanning device.

  According to io9, the device, which looks like a swim cap, uses an electroencephalogram (EEG) to monitor the brain’s activity. It fits snugly on the user’s head, and allows him or her to flick those flippers with brain waves rather than crazy flailing fingers. Just take a seat, strap on the headpiece, and let your telekinetic powers rack up high-scores, bonus rounds and extra balls. The machine is the work of the Berlin Brain-Computer Interface research consortium, which recently revealed the system at the ceBIT Technology Fair in Germany.

  Continue reading ESP Pinball Wizardry Impressive, Still Silly Looking

  ESP Pinball Wizardry Impressive, Still Silly Looking originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  
   
• 

  Googlemobile Got By German GPS Pranksters

  JP 9:05 pm on February 8, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: art (6), Berlin (18), berlin artists, F.A.T (2), Germany, google (174), google map (3), nbsp (1,601), Read (1,390), Street (5), view cars (2)

  Filed under: Google, Web

  Remember when Google rolled out its Street View feature and everybody was suddenly up-in-arms about their privacy? Well, the tables were recently turned for a day in Germany. According to Mashable, some Berlin artists known as the Free Art & Technology (F.A.T.) group secretly attached a GPS device to one of Google’s Street View cars over the weekend. In a hilarious bit of irony, the pranksters posted a Google map on their site, which tracked the car’s movements around the city. The map updated every two minutes so that Berlin residents could check it and avoid being caught on camera. But somebody from Google must have pretty quickly noticed that the company car was being tracked, because the device went offline the same day it was planted. Nonetheless, you can still check out the map and see where the car went.

  At least now, a few Google employees know how it feels to be watched. We’re sure it won’t make the company rethink its voyeuristic ways, but it might make folks who’ve been caught in compromising situations by Street View feel a little better. [From: Mashable]

  Googlemobile Got By German GPS Pranksters originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments