local

Names on WTC memorial arranged by algorithm

President Obama joined thousands today in marking the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center site in New York, laying his hands on a bronze memorial engraved with names of victims--a list arranged with the help of an algorithm.

The 2,983 names on 76 bronze panels surround two cascading pools of water where the towers stood, in architect Michael Arad's design "Reflecting Absence." In seemingly random fashion, the panels list those who died on September 11, 2001, as well as in the WTC bombing of February 26, 1993.

But the carefully thought-out memorial reflects the victims' complex web of relationships to one another--professional, social, and accidental. This was accomplished thanks to an algorithm created by data artist Jer Thorp working with New York design firm Local Projects.

Arad rejected arranging the names alphabetically or chronologically. The best way to set the names seemed to be one that wouldn't favor some people over others, so they're arranged according to groups and their relationships with one another. … Read more

Sony KDL-NX720 review: Edge-lit LED gets darker

There's a lot to like about the KDL-NX720 series. Sony's least expensive TV with that lovely Monolithic styling, it still costs a mint but will reward investors with some of the best 2D images we've seen on any LCD with an edge-lit LED backlight. And despite lacking an app store and Vudu, Sony's Internet selection is chock-a-block with video from sources both mainstream and otherwise. As long as you don't care about its picture quality in 3D, the Sony KDL-NX720 series competes well against the best edge-lit LED TVs on the market.

Read the full review of the Sony KDL-NX720 series.… Read more

LG's best local dimming, passive 3D TV ships now

Today at the CEDIA trade show in Indianapolis, LG announced the availability of the 55LW9800, its best 2011 LED-based LCD TV and the first on the market to combine a full-array LED local dimming backlight and passive 3D.

The 55LW9800 is the successor to the well-reviewed LX9500 from 2010, a full-array model with active 3D. LG had announced high-end local dimmers for the U.S. market at CES in January under the LW7700 and LW9500 series names, but subsequently said it would scuttle those sets--which used active 3D technology--in favor of a TV with passive 3D.

The 55-inch 55LW9800, shipping … Read more

LG shows Nano local-dimming LED TV at IFA

Today at the IFA trade show in Berlin, LG announced the European availability of the LW980S, its highest-end 2011 LCD TV.

We expect a similar announcement of a U.S. version soon, perhaps at the CEDIA trade show in Indianapolis next week.

The LW980S' standout feature is the same kind of LED local dimming backlight scheme we liked so much in the 2010 LX9500 and LE8500 models.

While those sets were superb, we complained about the unusual uniformity issues we saw, which manifested as bands of uneven lighting that were visible in some material. LG told us that the 2011 … Read more

Facebook kills deals after just four months

Tech is going through a late-summer cleanup: Apple's killing rentals, Google's dissolving Slide, and now Facebook will discontinue its deals product, the company said today in a statement released to Reuters and other outlets.

The Facebook Deals product, which offered discounted coupons for local businesses, had launched only four months ago. Its shutdown follows Facebook's discontinuation earlier this week of its location-based check-in feature for mobile users in favor of broader place-tagging tools. Here's Facebook's statement:

After testing Deals for four months, we've decided to end our Deals product in the coming weeks. We … Read more

AmazonLocal deals in New York City

AmazonLocal, the online retail giant's Groupon knockoff, is bringing its deals to the Big Apple and several other cities.

According to The New York Times, the daily deals from Amazon will begin tomorrow in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The first offers will include 50 percent off tickets to a new Cirque du Soleil show and a 74 percent discount for a month of Bikram Yoga classes.

Amazon rolled out its daily-deals service in June, just about the same time that Google launched its would-be Groupon killer, Google Offers.

The Associated Press is reporting that AmazonLocal will be operating in 30 … Read more

Zaarly turns Craigslist on its head

Zaarly is essentially a reverse Craigslist app that lets you post requests for goods or services to nearby users in hopes of getting one (or more) of them to oblige.

Here's how it works. Log into Zaarly, post something you want, how much you're willing to pay for it, and when you need it by. Then, nearby users will respond if they've got the goods or they're willing to provide the services. Whether you're looking for furniture, someone to pull weeds in your backyard, or a pick-up truck to borrow for the evening, Zaarly seems … Read more

LED-based LCD TVs explained, compared

If you thought all LED TVs were created equal, you're underestimating the power of confusion as a marketing tool. In their continuing efforts to compete against the picture quality advantages of plasma-based flat-panel TVs, makers of LCDs TVs have introduced numerous new technologies. The most successful in our opinion is full-array LED backlighting with local dimming. When you see the words "LED TV" in an ad, it definitely refers to an LCD TV with an LED backlight, but what type of LED backlight and how it's configured make all the difference.

In the article linked below … Read more

Sony XBR-HX929 review: Best LED TV yet this year

The first so-called LED TVs were local-dimming models, where the LEDs behind the screen could be dimmed or brightened in different areas to correspond to darker or brighter areas of the picture. The result was excellent contrast, on a level no other LCD-based TV could muster. Since 2008 when these TVs debuted, they've remained uncommon and expensive while so-called edge-lit models have populated store shelves and living rooms with abandon.

The XBR-HX929, Sony's most expensive and, we're willing to guess, best-performing TV of 2011, is also the company's only local dimmer. It boasts that excellent contrast … Read more