GeekwithEnvy

TV

Bill Nye Joins Dancing with the Stars

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If you grew up in the 90’s then it’s very likely that you have seen Bill Nye in action on the popular education television show, Bill Nye Science Guy. Recently, he’s been having a bit of fun as he takes his dancing skills on stage and on TV with ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.

Bill has remained dedicated to educating people about science over the years and has even worked on some amazing projects like the Mars Dial, which actually went up to Mars as it was equipped on multiple rovers.

Cool Fact: Did you know that Bill Nye did a local Seattle sketch comedy show before his science guy gig?  The show was called Almost Live! Before that Bill Nye worked for Boeing as a mechanical Engineer.

The World’s Most Portable Gaming System Reveals UI

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The world’s most portable gaming system, GameStick, is now showing off it’s UI in a developer kit video that has recently been released. GameStick has been pushed into a reality thanks to it’s successful Kickstarter campaign and it’s really nice to see how things are coming together. Now, it’s time to get these devices into the hands of developers so they can start cranking out some great content for the new device.

GameStickSide
GameStick Console

The console itself is quite amazing as it’s basically a controller and a USB stick. The console is Android based and really quite unique and actually has quite a bit of power behind it. GameStick plugs straight into your TV’s HDMI slot and connects to the controller via Bluetooth 4.0. It even supports additional memory through the use of a microSD slot.

GameStick-Dock
GameStick Controller and Wireless Charging Dock

GameStick’s simplicity is what makes it stand out in a gaming world that still seems to be stuck on big clunky hardware. It may not be the next-gen PS4 or Xbox but it’s a pretty awesome way to bring the world of Android and gaming to your big screen TV in 1080p.

Here are the System Specs:

  • Processor – Amlogic 8726-MXS
  • Memory – 1GB DDR3 / 8GB FLASH
  • Content Download Manager w/ cloud storage for games.
  • WiFi – 802.11 b/g/n
  • Bluetooth – 4.0
  • O/S – Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
  • Controller – Bluetooth 3.0
  • Full 1080p HD video decoding
  • Upgrade memory via microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
  • Support for iOS and Android mobile devices to be used as controllers
  • Support for XBMC.

Using the Power of the Cloud For Your DVR

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Imagine being able to watch any episode of a current season or being able to watch your DVR content from any device you choose, from anywhere you want. These are just a few of the possibilities with a cloud based DVR. I imagine being able to queue up a movie, then I can notify my friends or family members that I am about to start watching a new movie or episode of my favorite series, they then receive a message asking them if they would like to join me. Imagine how powerful this could be, being able to connect like this and have a live discussion about what your watching together from anywhere in the world. There are many ways that this could be implemented and there is word that companies like Apple are getting involved in making all this happen.

Cloud computing
Cloud Computing

There are many other technologies available for your television that use a remote database to provide content already, but nothing quite like this. The Internet has so many rich video experiences now that it makes sense that providers would want to have some of these same features. We live in a world now that has two separate ways to watch your favorite content, online or on TV. I think that as we move forward we will see the lines blur more and more until they just become one.

With ever increasing Internet speeds around the world becoming the driving force behind doing what might have been  impossible only 10 years ago, we are seeing history change right before us. I personally can’t wait to see whats next,  it’s one thing to talk  about how it might work and another to see what actually comes out. I have mentioned the power of the cloud before in other posts and this is no different. I am sure will will see more ways to utilize the cloud in the future that we didn’t expect to see.