Optoma GT750 3D Gaming Projector Review and Giveaway
I love projectors; I have fond memories of nights spent in front of the projector with all my housemates, as we snuggled under the kotatsu (a Japanese heated table thing) and settled in to watch the latest episode of Heroes. Anything done on a big screen is better - movies and gaming become a surreal experience - even compared to a 50-inch TV screen. Today, I'm taking an in-depth look at a mid-range projector, the Optoma GT750, designed especially for gaming; and we'll be giving this one away to one lucky reader.
Touch Something That Isn't There - Haptic Technology [MakeUseOf Explains]
Haptics is the technology of touch. In the context of a virtual environment, it would mean being able to touch and feel something that literally isn't there, but that's certainly not its only use. From gaming and virtual reality to 3D modelling and making computers more accessible - virtual surgery, driving simulators, swinging a virtual sword, the texture of paper or moleskin on a touchscreen display - this is haptic technology at its most amazing, and the implications are far reaching.
A Day In The Life Of a BlackHat SEO, Circa 2010
For most people, SEO consists of making sure your page content is compelling and the metadata accurately describes the page without keyword stuffing.
Everything You Want To Know About The Oculus Rift Dev-Kit
The future is here - the Oculus Rift has finally begun shipping. It's early days yet, but if you're one of the lucky few who backed or pre-ordered the dev kit, here's a collection of resources, videos, and information on everything we know about the Oculus so far. The excitement is unbearable though, so apologies in advance if you just can't wait after reading this.
5 Tips & Tools To Help You Learn Japanese
Japanese is an incredibly difficult language to learn, and I should know having lived in Kyoto for 8 years. While nothing beats learning a language by being thrown straight in at the deep end, there's certainly some great tips and tools I can pass on that should benefit anyone just getting started with Japanese. If you're not particularly into Japanese, then check out all our other language learning articles too.
The Future Is Here: 5 Predictions From The Past - Did These Come True?
We've come a long way since those first baby steps were taken in computing, and sometimes it really helps to just put things in perspective and look at the amazing technology that surrounds us today. Yet the technological reality we face doesn't always match what we thought it was going to be all those years ago.
3 Ways To Speed Your Site Up With The Cloud
The Cloud is the answer to all the worlds problems, it would seem - a buzzword technology that sends computing full circle right back to where it started - with a thin client model and all the power in a remote server. Economic downturn? No problem - just put it in the cloud! World peace? There's a cloud app for that. I joke, of course - but there are actually some legitimate uses for this "new" technology.
Give Your Arduino Project Its Own Mini-Webserver, With An Ethernet Shield
A while ago, I showed you how to setup an internet control system for your Arduino - but it had to stay connected to a computer through USB in order to maintain the internet connection. If you have an Ethernet shield though, that's not necessary Today we're going to look at setting up an Arduino as a basic webserver so we can host our own device control website.
Don't Waste Your Sleep - Apps and Hardware to Induce Lucid Dreaming
It's rare for technology to have such a developed presence in what are otherwise considered quite holistic practices, but lucid dreaming is one of those subjects where technology has indeed come a long way. Today I'm going to take a look at lots of different hardware and software that's been developed to help lucid dreamers the world over.
How to Live Stream Your Gaming Sessions
As we enter our month of gaming giveaways, it seems only appropriate that we look at the delicate art of live streaming PC and console games. Although it's difficult to understand why anyone would want to watch strangers playing games, I have to be completely honest and say I found BanadanRob's SimCity sessions quite compelling (at least until I bought the game myself). The first thing you'll need to start streaming is an account over at Twitch.tv.
Roxio Game Capture HD Pro Review and Giveaway
Sharing your game playing sessions is all the rage nowadays, as the rise of Twitch.TV has shown. Every moment of the day, there are literally millions of people just watching other people play - it's really quite astonishing. So to kick off Gaming Month, we're giving away 5 Roxio Game Capture HD Pro units to record and livestream our fun to a breathlessly awaiting audience, valued at $750! But first let's find out what they can do.
Apps We Use: James' Essentials [OSX & iOS]
As the lead developer and head of everything tech here at MakeUseOf, most of my time is spent coding things and emailing people. My requirements aren't hugely complicated, and I don't use any "getting things done" systems, nor am I am productivity hound. I find simple works best and don't enjoy life in the fast lane. Read on to find out the tools and apps I consider essential - on both OSX, and iOS.
Don't Spend Money On An Arduino - Build Your Own For Much Less
I love my Arduinos. At any point, I have quite a few projects on the go - prototyping is just so easy with them. But sometimes, I want to keep the project functional without buying another Arduino. Spending $30 each time for a fairly simple microcontroller than I only need some of the functionality for is just silly. It's at that point that building an Arduino clone becomes a viable option.
jQuery for Beginners (Part 6) - jQuery UI and Further Reading
In our final lesson in this jQuery for Beginners tutorial series, we’re going to take a brief look at jQuery UI - the most widely used jQuery plugin for adding graphical user interfaces to web apps. From fancy forms and visual effect, to draggable widgets, spinners and dialog boxes – jQuery UI gives you the power to create rich web UIs.
What's The Difference Between Running Your Blog On Wordpress.com & Wordpress.org?
With Wordpress now powering 1 in every 6 websites, they must be doing something right. For both experienced developers and the complete novice, Wordpress has something to offer you. But just as you start on your path of Wordpress nirvana, you're going to hit a stumbling block: "Do I need wordpress.com or wordpress.org? What's the difference?!" This question comes up a lot, so I've decided to write a definitive guide.
This Is How To Run A Live Podcast Or Videocast
Let me tell you - running a live video stream and podcast every week is tough work indeed. Actually... that's a complete lie - but don't tell my co-hosts that because they think I'm a genius - it really couldn't be easier. You don't need expensive software, you don't need any specialized "podcast webhosting", and it doesn't even take that much effort to set everything up.
Remee Lucid Dreaming Mask Review and Giveaway
The Remee Lucid Dreaming Mask (pronounced rem-may) claims to aid you in mastering the art of dream control; or as it's more commonly known, Lucid Dreaming. Join me as we lose ourselves down the rabbit hole; the adventures of Alice will seem truly tame in comparison. We'll also be giving a brand new Remee Lucid Dreaming mask to one MakeUseOf reader to complete the experience!
SimCity 2013 - The Tale Of a Terrible Launch & a Terrific Game [MUO Gaming]
SimCity was one of the first PC games I ever played when it was first released in 1989 - I was just 7 at the time. You'll understand then why this game holds a particularly dear place in my heart, and why the launch of it's most recent iteration has been somewhat upsetting. What exactly went wrong with the launch, and more important - is the game any good?
How To Get More Listeners For Your Podcast
At some point in your podcasting career, you're going to approach the same point as we have: where do we go from here? You've built up a solid listener base from friends, colleagues, word of mouth and random visitors - but growth has slowed. Now what? What can you do to promote your podcast and take it to the next level?
Like To Unlock: How To Build A Basic Facebook Fan Gate Without Paying For Hosting
One incredibly effective use of a Facebook hosted brand page is to incentivise people to like the page by creating some secret members-only content; commonly referred to as a "fan gate". Facebook has also partnered with Heroku - a cloud hosting company - which means you can create your own basic Facebook app, and host it for free, on a secure server. Read on as I make a basic Facebook fan-gate page tab app, hosted for free, on Heroku.