• Fujitsu Flexbook Teases With a Bendy Screen Future – Tested.com
• Playstation Network Goes Back Online – Playstation Blog
• Bing Adds Facebook Recommendations to Search – AdAge
• iPhone 5G shows edge to edge screen and Flash has been moved – Electronista
• 7 Cool iPhone and iPad Space Apps from NASA – Makeuseof

• Bing Replacing Google on iPhone 4? – June 1, 2010
• IPHDAVAD The All In One HDMI and USB Port for Your iPhone and iPad – November 28, 2011
• Watch YouTube Playlists on iPad – November 27, 2011
• Foxconn Investing $12 Billion in Brazil to Manufacture iPads and iPhones – April 15, 2011
• BabbleOn: Create Voice Messages for Facebook: iPhone, Android and Blackberry Apps – March 30, 2011

Crenk Weekly: Tech Info You Might Have Missed This Week originally appeared on: Crenk
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When you read, you place the text that you are reading directly in front of your eyes. As you age and your eyesight declines, you can begin to wear bifocals or progressive lens eyeglasses in order to see the item more clearly in front of your face. But what if you were an astronaut who was challenged with reading material above your head thanks to the lack of gravity in your temporary home? Those same types of glasses won’t work as well for you. NASA hopes to solve this problem by testing out new adjustable eyeglasses called TruFocals that may be useful for astronauts with deteriorating vision.

TruFocals

TruFocals are adjustable glasses that combine two different types of lenses that are attached to one another magnetically. The first is a set of round traditional lenses in the wearer’s regular eyeglass prescription strength. The second is a flexible set of lenses that can change shape as needed to change the wearer’s focus for reading close-up materials. The flexible lenses are located on the inner portion of the glasses. They contain a shape-changing pouch that holds liquid silicon oil. To adjust the shape of the glasses, all that you need to do is press a slider bar located on the bridge of the eyeglass frame. This action pushes the fluid out around the pouch and creates the right shape for better vision. These glasses are already being sold in the commercial market.

How TruFocals Help NASA Astronauts

NASA astronauts may be able to benefit from these glasses for a number of reasons:

* It will be easier to read materials that are not placed directly in front of the astronaut’s line of vision.
* It will eliminate the need to switch between reading glasses and far-sighted vision glasses. This is important because switching glasses can be difficult in a space that lacks gravity.
* The glasses provide crystal clear vision in small spaces for people whose eyesight is deteriorating naturally due to age. This is especially important for astronauts who may have additional eye problems due to the microgravity in space (according to Scientific American).

Additional Testing Required

Initial tests by astronauts have been positive but NASA needs to test these glasses further to determine if they will work properly in space. The main concerns are issues of safety and durability. There doesn’t seem to be a question of whether or not the glasses will work. The technology mimics the natural changes that take place in the eyes with age. It works. The problem is that the glasses need to be tested to make sure that they can safely work in the unique conditions of a spacecraft.

Guest post by: Sara Roberts is a content contributor for Just Eyewear, an eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses retailer.

• Crenk Weekly: Tech Info You Might Have Missed This Week – May 15, 2011
• Top Five Astronauts Using Twitter From Space – January 28, 2010
• NASA TV – A Pretty Cool View From Space – July 20, 2009

NASA to Use Adjustable Glasses originally appeared on: Crenk
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History has once again been made when the first ever tweet from the International Space Station made it onto Twitter a few days ago, made by TJ Creamer.

“Hello Twitterverse! We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station — the 1st live tweet from Space! More soon, send your ?s”

This tweeting from space seems to be getting very popular. There are now quite a few astronauts tweeting from space. Some have hundreds of thousands of followers accumulated in just a few days So here are a few of the best ‘out-of-this-world- tweeters at the minute. I’ll add to this list as more space explorers come into the ‘Twitterverse’

@Astro_Tj – TJ Creamer, NASA

@Astro_Soichi – Soichi, CNSA

@Astro_Mike – Mike Massimino, NASA

@Astro_127 – Mark Polansky, NASA

@Astro_Naoko – Naoko Yamazaki, CNSA

• New Twitter ReTweet Beta – November 19, 2009
• Twitter Logos: Free Twitter Badges, Logos and Images for your Site or Blog – September 8, 2009
• NASA TV – A Pretty Cool View From Space – July 20, 2009
• Twitter Photo Sharing Service is Growing Fast: Third Party Services are Struggling – November 10, 2011
• 10 Twitter Hashtags to Live a More Frugal and Sustainable Life – October 27, 2011

Top Five Astronauts Using Twitter From Space originally appeared on: Crenk
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NASA TV have set up streaming cameras in the space station that run continuously, streaming it all back down to earth onto your screen. I watched it for a few moments as a NASA technician repaired the US toilet. Apparently, it stopped working and the US astronauts had to ask the Russians if they could use their toilet. Good thing they said ‘yes’ too.

The video and sound quality are superb, keeping in mind that their being streamed from space. There is also a running commentary telling you what each astronaut is up to and why he/she is doing that. They also alternate to different positions around the Space Stations. For example, I seen a Russian chowing down on some space food, an American fixing a loo and two Canadians floating around talking to someone at home about their day.

If you’re into all that space stuff then this is worth a go. You can also get an app for Windows Sidebar in Vista that streams it onto your desk top. NASA TV is also worth a peek if you just want to see where your tax dollars end up. To have a look, click here. 7/10

• Top Five Astronauts Using Twitter From Space – January 28, 2010
• China Launching Module to Practice Docking on Their Own Space Station – September 27, 2011
• Space Station Timelapse! – September 22, 2011
• The First 45 Years of Star Trek – September 9, 2011
• Danish DIY Rocket Has Successful First Launch – June 7, 2011

NASA TV – A Pretty Cool View From Space originally appeared on: Crenk
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