Tag: technology

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Thieves try to steal a Tesla

Thieves steal Tesla carTake a look at a recent attempt of a couple of U.K. thieves to steal a Tesla Model S. They’re smart enough to actually gain entrance to the vehicle without the fob but they’re not smart enough to unplug the charger!

The owner of the vehicle does admit to not doing a couple of things that could have actually prevented the bad guys from gaining entrance including setting a PIN and using a Faraday pouch for the fob (while would block fob’s signal).

But it just goes to show that even “sophisticated” criminals who use technology aren’t always the brightest.

Source: electrek

 

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CatManDu Now Offers Local Technology Concierge Service In Amarillo

We’re proud to annouce that we’re now offering our Technology Concierge service. This exciting service let’s you connect directly with a local technology expert — your very own Technology Concierge who can assist you with any technology-related question or problem you may have!

Need a new router but don’t even know what a router is?! Contact your Technology Concierge — they can help with that!

Looking for a new Internet Service Provider because you’re tired of Netflix “buffering” while you’re trying to binge watch your favorite series? Don’t keep suffering! Contact us today to how a Technology Concierge can assist you.

Is your computer running slowly but you don’t want to take it to that “big box” store? Sign up today and let your Technology Concierge help you!

These are just a very few examples of how our Technology Concierges can help you with your technology-related questions or problems. Please check out our Technology Concierge website at cat-man-du.com, give us a call at 806-350-8324, or stop by us and see us in person at our physical location (that’s right: we’re “real” people and we’re local — we’re your friends and neighbors!) at:

8501 SW 34 Ave.
Amarillo, TX

We look forward to serving you!

 

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John Deere & catmandu

John Deere and catmandu. Weird combination, right? What could an outdoor and farm equipment company have in common with a tech company? We live in an agricultural community here in Amarillo, TX. Our city thrives on the rampant production agriculture that occurs outside the city limits.

For miles and miles into the distance, all you can see is fields of wheat, corn, and sorghum blanketing the landscape with a lot of cattle herds mixed in. And what brand of equipment do you normally see tilling the soil, planting the seeds, and eventually harvesting the crops? John Deere. Why? Because they’re the best in the business and John Deere equipment is the industry standard.

At catmandu, we sell Lenovo brand laptops, desktops, and tablets. We like to say that Lenovo is the John Deere of PCs because Lenovo is the #1 PC maker in the world and has the lowest failure rate.

At catmandu, we could sell HP, Toshiba, or Dell systems and honestly, we would make a lot more money if we did because 1) computer brands like these are cheaper, therefore we would be able to charge a higher mark-up and still sell more and 2) the computers would fail more often, causing the customer to come into catmandu and spend more money trying to fix the problems that will inevitably crop up. We’ve seen too many one month old laptops come through our doors with a myriad of issues and we couldn’t live with ourselves if those were the laptops we were selling.

At catmandu, as our motto states, “everything matters.” Especially our customers. We want to sell you the best products in the world. You deserve nothing less than excellence from us. That’s why we only sell Lenovo, the industry standard and the John Deere of computers.

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Technology Without Borders: How New Innovations Unite Us

Try imagining a world without technology. Picture a world where we don’t get minute by minute updates of events that are happening in every corner of the world, where we can’t video call people on the other side of the planet, where we can’t play video games with people in a different state, and where we can’t even take a picture with our phone and immediately upload it. These simple, almost mundane tasks have become commonplace. It’s easy to overlook how technology has united the world

Innovations that have been around for a few years have spurred this unification. Social media plays a big role in uniting people both every day and when tragedy strikes. Many newsworthy events and tragedies immediately develop their own hashtag. For example, during the Boston Marathon Bombing of 2013, the hashtag #PrayforBoston cropped up on social media. Photos and videos from the bombing filled news feeds causing the FBI to send out a call for people to send in their pictures and videos. With that evidence, they were able to identify the suspects based on the pictures, according to NBC News.

The latest innovations will unite us further. Skype has created a translator that allows people of different languages to speak to each other in real time without learning one another’s language. The translator is currently available in English and Spanish but more languages are on the way. Imagine how this will unite the world. As seen in the video below, even children in classrooms across the globe will be able to talk with each other and learn about the other’s culture.

New currencies will make it easy for us to make transactions with people in other nations. According to Peter Diamonds of SingularityHub.com, these “cryptocurrencies” will “provide some level of stability and independence from your country’s political turmoil, or whether your country’s GDP is based on oil exports.”

In the past, technology has only connected us by what we read, see, and hear but even that is about to change. Apple’s iWatch, coming out in early 2015, has haptic feedback. Someone will be able to send you a touch and you will feel a tap or a caress on your wrist.

Technology allows us to share our experiences like never before. Whether we are sharing recipes with a friend in Spain, chatting with grandma in Guatemala, or discussing world affairs with foreign nations, new innovations, if used wisely, can have the ability to connect us like never before.

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Intel Helps Millions Suffering from Disabilities Find Their Voice

Intel researchers with Stephen Hawking. Photo from Gizmodo.com.

 

For the three million people around the globe who suffer from quadriplegia and motor neuron disease, relief is on its way. Intel has created a free, open source speech software for renowned professor and physicist Stephen Hawking, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. This software can be developed and suited to assist anyone living with these conditions, according to Wired.com.

The system, called ACAT (Assistive Context Aware Toolkit) allows Hawking to speak effectively through eyebrow movements, eye blinks, and touch. Without it, he would not be able to speak. His previous system was so out of date that he was only able to speak one word per minute, according to Gizmodo.com. ACAT is enabling Hawking to once again give lectures and write twice as fast as before.

The remaining research of ACAT will be made open source in January 2015. It is the hope of Hawking and Intel that universities and researchers will further develop the system so the millions of people who are unable to communicate effectively can finally have a voice.

“We are pushing the boundaries of what is possible with technology, without it I would not be able to speak to you today,” said Hawking.

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Tricking Facial-recognition Cameras With A Mask

Photo via Vimeo
The Government, along with social media sights, employ surveillance cameras with facial recognition software to track the publics every move, which is why developer Leonardo Selvaggio invented the URME mask.  Leo, a Chicago based artist and strong believer in public privacy, came up with the idea after Chicago placed 25,000 cameras with facial recognition around the city. Rather than camouflaging or hiding their identity, the user can simply wear a URME mask.
https://vimeo.com/90828804

URME SURVEILLANCE: Indiegogo Campaign from Leo Selvaggio on Vimeo.

The mask is printed with the developers face that “Will track me instead of you and your actions in public space and will be attributed as mine because it will be me the cameras see” said Selvaggio on his blog. This new prosthetic will not only protect your identity, but will help you voice your opinion without the fear of repercussions. The mask is currently still in beta testing, but Selvaggio guarantees a release of the product later on this year. There is a printable paper version of the mask currently available on his online store.  Selvaggio is looking for volunteers who are willing to donate their “identities” for his project to create more mask options for the public.  But think first before you donate, there is no way of tracking who buys your “identity” and what actions they will use the mask for.

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Doctors Replace Woman’s Skull With 3D Printed Cranium [VIDEO]

Screenshot From YouTube

A young woman from the Netherlands who suffers from a chronic bone disorder will be receiving a new top portion of her skull thanks to a 3D printed skull. She is 22-years-old and the disorder has caused her skull to increase in thickness from 1.5cm to 5cm which has resulted in reduced eyesight and severe headaches.

A team of neurosurgeons at the Utrecht University Medical Centre performed the miraculous surgery. It is claimed that this is the first successful 3D printed cranium not being rejected by a patient. After a 23 hour surgery, led by Dr. Bon Verweij, the patient was saved from impending death or severe brain damage due to the thickness of the skull.

Prior to 3D printing technology there was no real ideal or effective treatment. “It was only a matter of time before critical brain functions were compromised and she would die,” said Dr Verweij.

Using an unspecified plastic the skull was specifically made for the patient. The patient has since regained her eye sight back completely and is symptom free and back to work. Whether the plastic will last for the remainder of her lifetime remains to be seen. If it does not, a future surgery will be required.

It is hoped that the technique will allow doctors to help people who have severely damaged skulls due to cancer or trauma.

 

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Buying Christmas Gifts From Local Amarillo Businesses – 3 Tech Items That Will Be A Hit

Christmas is just around the corner and we know the shopping season is about to swing into full effect. If you’re looking for something different than the big box store experience, then cat-man-du is your place to buy your Christmas tech items. First and most importantly, cat-man-du is a local Amarillo (Canyon, and Dumas) business. The money that is spent in our stores stays in our community. Second, we pride ourselves on customer service and making sure that when you leave our store that you are completely satisfied with your purchase. We are not just a retail seller, we are a company that wants to make sure that you get exactly what you are looking for.

cat-man-du is Amarillo’s most awarded technology company. Our goal is to make sure that when you leave our business that you not only have the items that you need for business, home, or personal use, but that you know and understand the product. We are not like the big “box stores”. We are not trying to shuffle people through just to make a sale. Amarillo, Canyon, and Dumas have been doing business with cat-man-du for more than a decade and the reason is simple. We offer fair pricing, only the best products and service, and customer service that you cannot receive anywhere else in the city.

Everyone’s Christmas wishlist is different. Tech items are super hot during the holidays and we carry only the best. Below you’ll see three items that will make you the hit of Christmas morning!

Google Nexus 2nd Generation Android Tablet 32GB – $269.99

If you have a techie on your list then you will be needing one of these under your tree. The Google Nexus 7 is the #1 tablet in the country. It has a beautiful HD display and of course comes with the Google Play Store where they can download their favorite apps and games. Not only can you play games, but you can watch movies on Netflix, as well as buy or rent them right from the ‘Movie Section’ of the Play Store.

You can also sync your work and personal email directly to the device as well as your calendar. I have one of the original tablets and it’s the best tablet I have ever owned.

Click here for pricing and to order

Lenovo ThinkPad E535 – $649.99

Lenovo has now become the #1 computer company in the world and it’s no wonder why. They make reliable computers with sleek design. The ThinkPad branding has been part of the tech world since the very beginning. The ThinkPad E535 has everything the your ‘techie’ could possibly need. The 2.5 GHZ AMD processor is fast enough to handle anyone’s toughest tasks. 320 GB hard drive and writable DVD burner built in. This thing comes with plenty of RAM to handle both personal and business tasks.

USB 3.0 Superspeed will make transfering data to this new computer a breeze as well, but remember, we can always handle that for you for a small fee.

Click here for pricing and to order

Lenovo All-In-One Ideacentre – $899.99

This All-In-One computer has super cool design. It has touchscreen interface and Windows 8.0. You can do anything from office work, design, and even high end gaming. Watching movies on this crisp monitor is a dream. 23″ monitor with 6 GB of RAM and 1TB of storage make this All-In-One everything a user could ask for. To top it off it’s sporting a fast i3 processor.

This makes the perfect gift because it is literally plug and play. Take it out of the box and fire it up. It’s that simple. No more mess of wires coming from the back of your machine. Just a clean desk and superfast computer to boot. This machine is definitely centered around entertainment, but can handle any of your computer needs.

Click here for pricing and to order

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Windows 8.1 Rolls Out Early AM October 17th

Windows 8.1 will begin its rollout tomorrow morning at 4AM PT. Microsoft is hoping for a “rebirth” with the rollout of the OS update. After a rough introduction to the marketplace for Windows 8, the company has hopes that this will renew faith in the OS.

Fresh built in applications, user interface upgrades, and more powerful search technologies, are features that Microsoft hopes will calm the storm of users who are really unsatisfied with the initial release of Windows 8. Sources are stating that Windows 8.1 is to Windows 8 as Office 2010 is to Office 2007. It’s definitely an update that you want to install on your machine.

Not all computers will receive the new code at exactly 4AM PT. Some will see the update in the Windows store later. But, most people will see this new update waiting for them as they wake up in the morning.

Depending on how Skydrive, Bing, Skype and other services behave with the roll out, even this new release has the potential to be tarnished. That being said, for the most part, these applications have been quite stable as of late.

The big question is, “How many people will actually install the upgrade?” With the issues that people have with the initial release, I don’t see any reason why people wouldn’t jump on this update the moment they see it available.

For those who are chomping at the bit, or satisfied with the current OS, they will all have their chance to upgrade first thing in the morning.

Photo via Windows Facebook Page

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Xbox One – What You’ll Love and What You Need To Know

If you are a gamer, or have one in your household, then I’m sure that you are already aware of the new Xbox ONE. At least you are probably aware that it has been released and is on someone’s Christmas list. It’s been years since and actual upgrade to the Xbox gaming system. Sure, they’ve released the special editions, slimmed down the design, and beefed up the storage, but there have been no real changes to the processor or ‘guts’ of the device.

Well, that has all changed. The new Xbox is touting a brand new design along with brand new features. The processor can simultaneously switch between apps and inputs. No longer will you have to launch a new app and wait while it loads. This will all be done on the fly.

There will be a full NFL integration that allows you to watch the games, and see stats as they change on the fly. If you are watching a football game and your ‘fantasy’ wide receiver scores a touchdown, you will see your ‘fantasy’ results update right on the screen. On top of that you’ll have instant access to a skype based app that allows you to trash talk your friends after.

The new Call Of Duty Ghosts will have new rendering and all new skins for all of the graphics. The action and gameplay will be smoother and more realistic than ever. Prepare for this game to be taken to the next level.

Here is something that they are not advertising though. The new Xbox ONE will now allow for scanning YOUR room for licensing violations. Here’s an example. Imagine that you have gotten the latest UFC fight on pay-per-view. You invited 100 of your closest friends to a UFC party for some drinks and an evening of watching the fights. Well, now Xbox ONE can scan your room and report back to the broadcaster that you are violating the licensing contract and allow for proof for the broadcaster to take actual legal action against you. Big brother celebrates with this new technology.