Certification - January 2009 - (Page 18)

WhAT WE lIKE Wake Up! We’ve all had those mornings when we just can’t get out of bed, and the snooze button is just a little too convenient. Well, luckily for all the loafers out there, there’s a solution. Clocky is a stylish — if somewhat quirky-looking — alarm clock that doesn’t let you laze in bed. If you do press the snooze button, Clocky will jump off your nightstand and race around the floor on its wheels while beepAmerica,” the “Today” show and “The Big Idea.” So if you’re a perpetual snoozer, maybe it’s time to say goodbye to those eight extra minutes and invest in a Clocky. My Tunes Here at CertMag, we’re more than happy to open Pandora’s box. Pandora Radio is an online radio station that delivers customized music streams straight to your desktop, free of charge. After creating a profile, users set up radio stations based on their musical tastes and the site then searches its database to “play music you’ll love — and nothing else.” That’s a bold statement, but Pandora has created the Music Genome Project to deliver. According to the site, the project is the “most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken.” Since 2000, the project’s analysts have listened to countless songs across all genres, patiently studying and carefully cataloging each song’s unique attributes, such as melody, harmony, instrumentation, rhythm, vocals and lyrics. Each selection offers useful advice and information on the highlighted artist so you can decide if you’re a fan. And the site tailors the station even further by giving users a “thumbs-up, thumbsdown” option for every recommended song. There also are links to the rest of the selected artist’s music, similar songs by other artists, opportunities to hook up with fans who have similar tastes and a link to buy the song through iTunes or Amazon. The result is a fascinating implementation of Web technology — and that, after all, is music to our ears. ing hysterically. To silence it, you must get up and chase after it. A built-in microprocessor ensures Clocky is unpredictable by randomly determining its speed, distance and routes, so you will never know where to find him. Clocky is the result of creator Gauri Nanda’s own frustrations with the snooze button. As a graduate student at the MIT Media Lab, she created a prototype for a class project. The prototype wasn’t quite as sleek as the current version because it was covered in shag carpet. The fuzzy look was intended “to remind you of a troubled pet that you love anyway,” Nanda said in The Boston Globe. Now, Clocky has taken over nightstands everywhere. It’s been featured on “Good Morning 18 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE January 2009 http://www.nandahome.com/products/clocky/index.php http://pandora.com/ http://www.pandora.com/mgp http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2005/04/07/rise_and_shine___and_find_that_clock/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Certification - January 2009

Certification - January 2009 Editor's Letter Contents Data Stream Virtual Village Tech Careers Dear Techie Academic Connection Troubleshooting What We Like Look Ahead The New Convergence Formula Cybersecurity: Are You Safe? Interface Lead Applications Developer: The IT Ambassador Inside Certification Ad Index Endtag

Certification - January 2009

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