04 · 29

Hubble Celebrates 20 Years of Being Crazy Awesome

The Hubble Space Telescope is 20 years old, but it never ceases to amaze me:

Thanks for showing us the Universe, Hubble.

This brand new Hubble photo is of a small portion of one of the largest seen star-birth regions in the galaxy, the Carina Nebula. Towers of cool hydrogen laced with dust rise from the wall of the nebula. The scene is reminiscent of Hubble’s classic “Pillars of Creation” photo from 1995, but is even more striking in appearance. The image captures the top of a three-light-year-tall pillar of gas and dust that is being eaten away by the brilliant light from nearby bright stars. The pillar is also being pushed apart from within, as infant stars buried inside it fire off jets of gas that can be seen streaming from towering peaks like arrows sailing through the air.

NASA’s best-recognized, longest-lived and most prolific space observatory was launched April 24, 1990, aboard the space shuttle Discovery during the STS-31 mission. Hubble discoveries revolutionized nearly all areas of current astronomical research from planetary science to cosmology.

See NASA, ESA and STScl’s announcement, Starry-Eyed Hubble Celebrates 20 Years of Awe and Discovery, and don’t forget to check out HubbleSite, Hubble’s official website with tons upon tons of awe-inspiring photographs of the cosmos!

04 · 29

Pictures of Eyjafjallajökull - The Icelanic Volcano

Here are some amazing photographs of the current eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano on Iceland:

Update: More pictures from Marco Fulle:

Update 2: More pictures from Skarphéðinn Þráinsson:

Update 3: Even more photographs of Eyjafjallajökull at Boston.com – The Big Picture, like:

Update 4: Two more great shots by Skarphéðinn Þráinsson, showing how the volcano has passed into the next stage of the eruption, and is literally sparkling lava:

Update 5: More amazing images of the eruption from Terje Sørgjerd:

Absolutely surreal!

If you’re wondering how to pronounce ‘Eyjafjallajökull’, here’s a recording.

04 · 29

What Apple's Acquisition of Siri Means for the Future of Mobile Search

As we noted earlier today, Apple has acquired Siri, a company that makes a very compelling voice-operated personal assistant app for the iPhone. This move has huge implications for the future of mobile search and discovery; by buying Siri, Apple has taken aim straight at Google.

Apple’s acquisition of Siri (Siri

) is completely in line with Apple’s thinking on mobile search. For instance, check out what Steve Jobs had to say about mobile search during the iPhone 4.0 OS event earlier this month:

Jobs points out how search, which is a driver for advertising on the desktop, is much different in the mobile space. As he said, users are “using apps to get to data on the Internet, not generalized search.”

This is true. The most successful and the most useful mobile applications are those that can plug into data on the Internet to bring users exactly what information they need.

Mobile Search Is Not About Results, It’s About Actions

As mobile devices become more powerful and more connective, these devices are not just stepping in for old methods or devices, but oftentimes creating entirely new and more efficient ways to get things done. Mashable’s Jenn Van Grove summed up the issue a few weeks ago in a post about the new consumer review:

“So while Yelp (Yelp

), Citysearch and all the rest are great resources when you have some extra sit-down time, they don’t exactly help you retrieve information when you need it most. There’s a huge void right now when it comes to need-based, on-demand delivery of trusted user-generated content.”

This difference doesn’t just extend to review services, but to search in general. With mobile, search is not about results, it’s about actions. Consumers don’t want to try to research their options and read through screens of data, they want a solution and they want that solution to be actionable.

In this way, what Siri does is quite brilliant. Because it uses natural voice search for its queries, it’s easier for users to specify what they want to happen and then to immediately take action. One of the things I like most about Siri — and something I commented on in my original review — is its ability to tap into so many different platforms and protocols when returning data. That means I can buy a movie ticket with my MovieWatcher Rewards points, I can book a table with my existing OpenTable account and I can automatically call my favorite cab company if I need a ride.

With Mobile, Context Is Crucial

Google’s (Google

) own voice search for mobile solution can do some of what Siri does; it offers good human language recognition and can offer up location-optimized listings. However, where Google’s current offering differs is in context.

While context is incredibly important in any search situation, it is even more important on mobile devices when time and screen real estate are tight and needs are often unexpected and urgent. If I’m in need of a cab right now, I don’t want to get just a listing of nearby cab companies; I want to be able to either call or even book the cab online, right now.

The best mobile search experiences are those that provide contextual actions that can be activated on-demand.

Monetizing Mobile Search

It will be interesting to see how Apple will use Siri and its technology in the future. The technology could monetize mobile search using the semantic web and voice-driven data to create the same platform that has driven desktop search. Prior to the acquisition, it was my understanding that Siri’s business model would be based on partnerships, affiliate commissions from partners and possibly from promoted results.

However, given what Apple has planned for its iAd platform (see above), we’re not sure if the ultimate goal is to reposition search as the advertising driver for mobile devices. Certainly, that could be part of it, but the goal seems to be to get away from the “search box” paradigm and more toward “using apps to get back information” solution.

In that regard, Siri might actually be more valuable not as a standalone application, but as something that is deeply integrated with the iPhone platform. It could take what Google’s voice search does for Android (Android

), but place it at a more robust level. Think about the possibilities of voice-driven technology to search data and applications on your phone or on the cloud at any point.

For instance, I could be looking at Twitter (Twitter

), see a tweet about an upcoming movie, use a gesture and voice search to say, “buy two tickets for Iron Man 2 May 7 at midnight” and then have that action take place in the background. A pop-up would confirm my order while I’m still using my Twitter app.

Think about how powerful something like Siri could be if it could not only plug into the API streams of its connected services but also to the data stored and being used on the local device itself. Think about using Siri within the Facebook iPhone app, connected to all of your different accounts and services via the Facebook (Facebook

) Open Graph.

That’s got a lot of potential, both for more standard monetization and also for simply building a more robust and compelling user experience.

Mobile Search Is a New Battleground

Just as desktop operating systems haven’t dictated mobile operating system success or marketshare, mobile search won’t necessarily be dominated in the future by the existing leaders and players.

Google owns desktop search but it faces stiff competition from not only the other desktop search players, but also from companies like Wolfram Alpha, location-based networks like Foursquare (Foursquare

) and Gowalla (Gowalla

), uber-data networks like Facebook and now from Apple.

What do you think the Siri acquisition means for the future of mobile search and the ongoing battle between tech giants Apple and Google? Let us know in the comments.

04 · 29

"5 Summer Safety Tips Every Parent Should Know"

With summer just around the corner, many people look forward to vacations, camping, and all around having fun. Here are some Summer Safety tips.

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04 · 29

Steve Jobs: Flash Is No Longer Necessary

What are your thoughts on this?

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Kyle Reddoch

I am an aspiring Web Developer, Android Fanatic, Family Man, and all around Web Geek! I also do Freelance Development work.

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