Snap has announced its Spectacle sunglasses are now available for purchase online. Previously, the video capturing wearables were only sold through vending machines, available for about a day at a time in iconic locations throughout the U.S., as more of a marketing stunt than an effort to sell many of them. The company did create a lot of buzz with its experiment, and followed up with a permanent store in New York City which attracted long lines at first. But as the novelty and scarcity wears off, they are looking to “significantly broaden the distribution of Spectacles” ahead of their IPO. The $130 glasses are available in black, coral or teal and have what Snap Inc. calls “one of the smallest wireless cameras in the world” integrated into them. Pressing a button near the hinge records 10 seconds of video, during which time a ring of LEDs will light up. The device connects directly to Snapchat via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and recorded footage is transferred directly … [Read more...] about Snap starts selling Spectacles online for $130
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Volcano Lightning Strikes — in the Lab
The electrifying displays of lightning often seen over volcanoes have now been experimentally generated in the lab, research that could help shed light on the effects volcanic eruptions have on the landscape, the scientists behind the work say.The blisteringly hot plumes of ash rising above volcanic eruptions often burst with lightning storms, the largest of which rival the most powerful thunderstorms known on Earth. These natural fireworks might have once helped spark early life on Earth, some scientists think.Scientists are increasingly analyzing volcanic lightning to better understand volcanic eruptions. Still, much remains unknown about volcanic lightning, since investigators rarely get to see these bolts in nature or get close enough to probe their electrical properties. [Electrifying Images of Volcanic Lightning]Now, for the first time, scientists have experimentally simulated volcanic lightning in the lab, which could help model the phenomenon's origins and behavior.The … [Read more...] about Volcano Lightning Strikes — in the Lab
Facebook now has more than 2 billion monthly users
Facebook, the world’s largest social network by a sizable margin, now officially has more than two billion monthly active users according to a post on Tuesday by founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Product Director Mike Nowak and Product Manager Guillermo Spiller in a joint press release credited the millions of smaller communities and individuals for helping them achieve the milestone. To show their appreciation for the many ways people support each other on the site, Facebook said it plans to share several personalized experiences over the coming days. Zuckerberg started Facebook in 2004 while still a student at Harvard. The social network was initially limited to college students but that restriction was peeled away a couple of years later, leaving the service ripe for growth. It would take Facebook a full eight years to attract its first billion users and just five more years to lure in the next billion. In comparison, YouTube has 1.5 billion monthly logged-in users while … [Read more...] about Facebook now has more than 2 billion monthly users
Instagram adds private photo, video sharing and texting with Instagram Direct
Instagram on Thursday announced a new messaging feature during a press event in New York City. Available as of today, Instagram Direct allows users to send text messages, video and photo messages privately to other users – a feature that many believe has long since been missing from the service. Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom said communication is not about photography, necessarily. If that were the case, Instagram would be built into cameras, not phones. The new feature shows up in the Share To section of Instagram. It’s here that you can select which of your friends to share a specific image or video with meaning you have to follow someone to share and vice versa. We’re told that users can share individually or with up to 15 people at a time. When you send someone a direct message that is online, their avatar will light up to indicate they’ve viewed or liked your message. Systrom said real time likes and chat bring the feature alive. And while you can send … [Read more...] about Instagram adds private photo, video sharing and texting with Instagram Direct
Lightning Bolts Are Churning Out Antimatter All Over Planet Earth
Particles split in the hot belly of a lightning bolt. Radioactive particles decay in the afterglow. Gamma rays rain down to Earth.Teruaki Enoto, a physicist at Kyoto University in Japan, proved for the first time, in a paper published Nov. 23, that lightning bolts work as natural particle accelerators. Enoto and his co-authors' results confirm for the first time speculation dating back to 1925 about this phenomenon. Back then, scientists suggested that energized, radioactive particles might zip through the booms and flashes of a thunderstorm. Those particles emit energy at precise wavelengths, which Enoto and colleagues are the first to detect. [Electric Earth: Stunning Images of Lightning]Here's what that means:When lighting strikes, electrons shoot screamingly fast between clouds and Earth's surface (or between two clouds). But the particles don't travel through empty space. Along the way, they crash again and again into atmospheric gas molecules. All those collisions heat the gas … [Read more...] about Lightning Bolts Are Churning Out Antimatter All Over Planet Earth