University of California, Riverside runs entire building floor off of 1.1-megawatt green battery

We're used to batteries powering a lot of devices, but the University of California, Riverside is upping that a notch by charging up a whole floor's worth. The school's Winston Chung Global Energy Center is walking the eco-friendly walk and has started using a huge bank of rare earth, lithium-ion batteries from Balqon to produce 1.1 megawatts, enough to keep Winston Chung Hall's entire first floor humming along while tapping renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. The batteries bank their energy overnight, keeping the throngs of students happy without having to recharge as much or use the regular power grid as a fallback. While it's considered a testbed, the university's giant battery is considered a blueprint for cellular towers and the green power sources themselves -- the combination of which could keep your smartphone up and running with a lot less of an environmental hit.

[Thanks, Justin B]

University of California, Riverside runs entire building floor off of 1.1-megawatt green battery originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 21:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Charges for owner accused of abandoning pet that bit her (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

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Session over, legislators hit campaign trail (Star Tribune)

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How gay-marriage issue could alter the 2016 presidential race (Los Angeles Times)

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With 12M+ Downloads, Scan Launches Scan-to-gram, A New Way To Follow People On Instagram

Three guys from Provo, Utah set out on a mission to make QR codes, those boring pixellated, black-and-white squares come alive -- in other words, to extend their functionality by turning them into realworld "like," "follow," and "buy" buttons. And it's been working. In February, Scan announced a seed funding round from Shervin Pishevar, Google Ventures, CRV, Start Fund, Social + Capital, Ludlow Ventures, and more. The company moved their operations from Utah to San Francisco, and is currently sitting at just over 12 million downloads across iOS devices. As Scan is in the business of creating apps that extend the potential application of QR code tech, Scan is today leveraging the buzz around Instagram to let businesses, organizations, etc. build their Instagram user base via QR codes. The new app, appropriately called Scan-to-gram, which launches today, lets users scan QR codes and instantly follow a company and its employees. Notable Instagrammers to be part of its initial launch, including Warby Parker, Zooey Deschanel, Nike, Marc Jacobs, and, notably, the Instagram team itself.

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LegalZoom Files For $120M IPO, Saw $156M In Revenue Last Year

Online legal services company LegalZoom filed an S-1 form this morning declaring its intention to raise up to $120 million in an IPO. LegalZoom offers documents and subscription services to make it easier for individuals and businesses to accomplish basic legal tasks. As evidence of the company's traction and impact, the S-1 says LegalZoom has served about 2 million customers in the past 10 years. It also says that in 2011, those customers placed 490,000 orders on the site, and during that period, more than 20 percent of limited liability companies formed in California did so through LegalZoom.

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The Most Realistic Robotic Ass Ever Made [Video]

In the never-ending quest to bridge the uncanny valley, Japanese scientists have turned to one area of research that has, so far, gone ignored: the robotic ass. More »

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Nintendo DSi drops to $100, DSi XL drops to $130 on May 20th

Three-dimensional gaming not your thing? Then Nintendo's latest price drop might just grab you. It's cast an eye over the rest of its portable gaming family and decided to cut the cost on both the DSi (down to $100) and the hulking DSi XL (dropped to $130). These new prices will kick off on May 20th -- exactly the same day as this purple mess.

Continue reading Nintendo DSi drops to $100, DSi XL drops to $130 on May 20th

Nintendo DSi drops to $100, DSi XL drops to $130 on May 20th originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 14:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Britney Spears 'X Factor' Deal: By The Numbers

We look at Britney's $15 million deal and what that kind of reality TV money can buy.
By Gil Kaufman

Britney Spears
Photo: Splash News Online

$15 million. Sure, on the surface that number seems pretty gaudy, especially when you consider it's for one season
 of work on a reality TV show that will add up to maybe one month's work in total for Britney Spears.

But we're talking Britney here and when you aim to reel in the big fish you have to use a really big worm. That might explain why Simon Cowell has gone all-in to get Spears to join him and L.A. Reid on the panel of "Factor" this fall. Spears had been rumored for the gig for months, but considering the low profile she's kept since her string of personal problems several years ago — which included a nearly-total retreat from interviews and unscripted public appearances — the idea of Britney agreeing to appear on live TV twice a week seemed remote.

Cowell typically gets what he wants, though, and now the world is going to see more of Britney than we have since her late 1990s heyday. What does that $15 mil buy you? We break it down ... by the numbers:

$12 million: That's the figure that Jennifer Lopez reportedly earns for her gig on "American Idol." We're not exactly sure what fellow former "Mickey Mouse Club" veteran Christina Aguilera makes for each season of "The Voice," but she reportedly banks $225,000 per episode, which could add up to nearly $10 million a season.

10,721: The approximate number of copies of Spears' Circus album that you could buy with $15 large.

15: The number of Paula Abdul's you could pay for one season of "X Factor" for the price of one Britney Spears.

$131.8 million: Total grosses for Britney's 2009 "The Circus" tour.

$1.5 billion: Total global grosses for Spears' various fragrances, which have sold more than one million bottles in five years.

15: Number of high-end music videos you could make based on the $1 million price tag of Britney's 2004 clip for "Toxic."

750: That's how many $20,000 bras you could buy based on the reported cost of the super high-end 18K gold brassiere Spears wore in her Twister Dance promo.

3: The number of "X Factor" winners who could get paid with Britney's salary for one year.

$485 million: What would be left over after you subtracted Britney's paycheck from what Beyoncé was allegedly offered to join "X Factor."

1: Reality performance shows Spears has appeared on if you count her time on "Star Search" when she was 10.

0: Minutes Spears has spent being a judge on previous reality shows.

18: Years it's been since Britney was a regular on a TV program ("The New Mickey Mouse Club").

13.3: The then-record-setting number of viewers who tuned in to watch a Britney cameo on "Glee" in 2010. (That figure was shattered last year by the post-Super Bowl
 figure of 26.8 million for a Michael Jackson-themed show.)

Are you excited about Britney joining "X Factor"? Let us know in comments below.

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Hands-on with ZTE's flagship Android 4.0 smartphones

Chinese manufacturer ZTE made a nice impression in New Orleans this year, bringing with them a host of high-end smartphones and tablets proving that they’re playing in the Android market for keeps. ZTE introduced these devices in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress, but this marks the first American appearances of its high-end PF112, seen above.

And high-end is an understatement indeed. The PF112 is packing a gorgeous 4.5-inch display with 1028 x 720 resolution that adds up to a vivid, colorful experience. We’ve got a nice 8MP camera around back, and HSPA+ radios under the hood. ZTE still won’t dish on what processor it’s using, but based on how fluid Ice Cream Sandwich looked on the device, and the specs of its lower-end Era, we’d be willing to bet it’s a quad-core model.

One step down from the PF112 is the Era, that is second-in-command in ZTE’s flagship line. It’s packing a quad-core AP30 in-house processor, as well as the same 8 MP camera and HSPA+ radios as its older sibling. Where ZTE skimped a bit here is the display: at 4.3-inches, the Era is packing qHD resolution with TFT technology. Like the PF112, the Era is running Ice Cream Sandwich with little if any customization from ZTE.

As you’ll see in the photos and videos after the break, ZTE definitely put some thought into its Android offferings. Spec-for-spec, the flagship devices match some of the best phones on the market today. We don’t know if that’s enough for ZTE to make a splash here in the United States, though, especially considering the lack of LTE on its flagship line. We’ll keep our eyes and ears peeled for a release date, and we’ll be sure to pass along the information as it comes in.

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