Boomshine is a soothing-yet-frustrating time waster

boomshine
One click; just one single well-aimed click. That's all you get in Boomshine.

That single click triggers a chain reaction; circles start exploding, and other circles colliding with the shockwaves explode as well, creating their own shockwaves, which then catch other circles.

It's been done before, yes, but this one is a great iteration. The soundtrack is mellow, with lots of piano and some nice percussion (not electronic - it sounds like drums).

At each level you need to make a certain number of circles explode to go on to the next level. I got up to level 12, where you get 60 circles and need to make 55 of them explode. And then I kept trying and trying, but simply couldn't get it. I did get to 54 circles a couple of times, but as they say, you don't get points for trying.

There's no time limit, so you can carefully study the pattern of motion and place your click at the exact right place to create the best chain reaction. I've found that clicking near the middle of the screen works quite well, especially if the balls are slowly moving in that direction. By the time the first shockwave dies off, the oncoming balls usually hit it and the chain reaction continues.

What level did you reach? Screenshots please!

Boomshine is a soothing-yet-frustrating time waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/16/boomshine-is-a-soothing-yet-frustrating-time-waster/

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Personal Activity Monitor tracks time you spend using desktop apps

personalactivitymonitor
Up until a couple of years ago, I used to turn to RescueTime to figure out how I spend my time online. Then it got too complex, and I stopped using it. Personal Activity Monitor is like a vastly dumbed-down version of RescueTime, and I mean that as a compliment. It's free and bare-bones -- all it does is track what applications you're using and for how long.

A big drawback at this point is that it doesn't integrate with Web browsers to help you analyze how you spend your time on the Web. Still, if your work doesn't require constant Web app use, knowing how long you've used a browser overall might be enough to help you manage your time.

This is far from the only application in this space -- alternatives such as Slife and Chrometa are full-featured and impressive -- but PAM is good option for those who want a nice, simple tracker.

Personal Activity Monitor tracks time you spend using desktop apps originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/05/personal-activity-monitor-lets-you-quickly-see-what-you-spend-ti/

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Snag a copy of “Laptop Buying Guide 2012″

Laptop Buying Guide 2012 [affiliate link] is an eBook for readers who are getting ready to buy a new laptop and need help making a decision. This guide includes information on hardware, brands, and the experience you’ll have after the laptop is home. By the end you will be prepared with all of the information needed [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/05/24/snag-a-copy-of-laptop-buying-guide-2012/

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Microsoft trumpets Windows Phone 7 numbers on first birthday

windows phone 7
Happy first birthday, Windows Phone 7! One year on, and the fledgling mobile operating system has 36,000 active developers in its AppHub community, 1.5 million downloads of its Developer Tools, and 11,500 apps in its Marketplace.

Microsoft is quick to take a couple shots at competitors' app stores, beating its chest about not re-counting tanslations of an app or "lite" apps, "increasing tonnage" by supporting apps from other mobile platforms, and not listing wallpapers as a category.

That's all fine and dandy, but we spend a lot of time sifting through WP7 app feeds -- and we're still not seeing a lot of awesome apps on the platform. We think a few marquee apps would've made a pretty nice first birthday present -- along with a much smoother update process for WP7 users.

Microsoft trumpets Windows Phone 7 numbers on first birthday originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/microsoft-trumpets-windows-phone-7-numbers-on-first-birthday/

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How Apple's Product Cycles Torture Customers Into Loving It

Apple MacBook Pro rumors, and to a lesser extent iMac, MacBook Air and Mac Pro rumors, have been flying around fast and furious these days, and all it's doing is stoking my fire for a new MacBook Pro. Every Tuesday, which seems to be Apple's favorite day of the week for announcing new products, I anxiously wait to see the Apple Online Store go down and a press release to appear.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/1faa911d/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C751940Bhtml/story01.htm

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Kanex outs non-Apple Thunderbolt cable (updated)

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Kanex is releasing its very own Thunderbolt cable. However, if you were looking for something shorter and cheaper than Cupertino's six foot, $50 beast, prepared to be disappointed. Costing $60, the only difference between the two is that this is black instead of white, but if your inner-Goth couldn't bear to see another pearly cable, then perhaps those extra ten bucks won't matter.

Update: Our friends over at 9to5mac pointed out that WD and Elgato are also pumping out speedy cables to the masses.

Kanex outs non-Apple Thunderbolt cable (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 08:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/25/kanex-thunderbolt-cable/

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IDC numbers are in, Android leads the way

Android Central

According to the IDC, Android accounts for 59% of all smartphone sales worldwide.  This is a healthy jump from last year when Android accounted for 36.1% of smartphone sales.  iOS is second, with 23% of sales.  Last year the two smartphone OS's owned 54.4% of the market combined, ​so this is impressive growth.  Android showed a 145% year-over-year change, at the expense of Symbian, which went from 26% in 1Q11 to just 6.8% in 1Q12.

Samsung is the big winner here, accounting for 45.4% of all Android smartphone sales.  This is due in no small part to the success of the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note, both of which have racked up impressive sales numbers.  With the looming launch of the Galaxy S III Samsung is showing no signs of slowing down, either.

Source: Business Wire

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/8N1mUbpzwy4/story01.htm

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Slicing, Serving Kitchen Knife Is an Excalibur For Dinner Hosts [Daily Desired]

It's hard to choose one item as the perfect kitchen accessory, but the Slice n' Serve makes a strong case for the crown by incorporating a pizza slicer into a knife that's wide enough to be used for serving food. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Va8ibrOa_ZU/slicing-serving-kitchen-knife-is-an-excalibur-for-dinner-hosts

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Nissan announces e-NV200 all-electric van, production slated for 2013

Nissan announces e-NV200 all-electric van, production slated for 2013

So, Chrysler's electric postal van never really took off -- perhaps a few too many mailmen refused to give up those roomy Grumman LLVs -- but now Nissan is giving the electric van concept a go. Yesterday the company announced the e-NV200 compact van (previously teased as a concept), which will go into production in 2013. The van will be Nissan's second all-electric vehicle, following the 2010 Leaf. The e-NV200's design is quite similar to that of the NV200 van, but it swaps taxi-cab yellow for the Leaf's shade of robin's egg blue. Nissan says it's putting $126 million into producing the new model, but so far it's keeping mum on other details. Head past the break for the full press release

Continue reading Nissan announces e-NV200 all-electric van, production slated for 2013

Nissan announces e-NV200 all-electric van, production slated for 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 22:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/x14hFTm-OOw/

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Ugh, The New Yorker Is Going to Tweet An Entire 8,500-Word Story [The Worst]

Because it apparently has nothing better to do, the New Yorker will tweet the entirety of an 8,500-word short story from the @NYerFiction account. Written by Jennifer Egan, the author of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner, A Visit From the Goon Squad, the piece will be posted over the span of 10 nights, starting tonight, with one tweet added per minute between 8 and 9 p.m. Eastern. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/3QjvU9SErY0/ugh-the-new-yorker-is-going-to-tweet-an-entire-8500+word-story

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