Exploding Kittens Game Blows Up Kickstarter

There are times when simple idea gets huge backing and astonishing support and money. Exploding Kittens has made a sensation by blowing away its humble $10,000 funding goal with attracting a whooping funding of $4 million in pledges on the popular crowd-funding forum Kickstarter. Exploding Kittens is simply a card game which offers a unique perspective and engaging game-play to the players which had inspired a huge amount of crowd sourcing fervour.

Exploding Kitten Fares Extremely Well On Kickstarter

The funding campaign for the Exploding starter saw an amazing response from the backers and it got fully funded within first twenty minutes. Another forty minutes later it reached 1000 percent of its funding goal.
This card game has been created by an online famous celebrity who is popularly known for his The Oatmeal and himself being called Matthew Inman. He had brought up his own distinct enthusiastic art style in the card design. The co-designer Elan Lee has been left stunned more than surprised with an overwhelming response they had received for their Exploding Kittens project on Kicstarter. Regarding this usual interest and funding pattern shown by this card game Kicstarter’s Luke Crane has said that the backers had been enthralled by project’s sense of humour, art style and presentation.

Exploding Kittens Is An Innovative Card Game

This game works in the manner of the Russian Roulette wherein players draws cards and tries to avoid being evicted from the from by unknowingly or accidently triggering an exploding kitten. It has all the interesting features to enhance the game-play by bringing a tragedy, drama, strategy and weaponized back hair. This card game is available in a regular deck and suitable for the players of 7 years of age and above.

Exploding Kitten is all about the strategic betrayal wherein the players would be pitied against each other. Players would be left to decide which one is to betray and how they wish to perform it. This game shouldn’t be taken literary as it has nothing to do with hurting cats or kittens. The object of this game is to defuse the explosions which might occur if the kittens happen to get into trouble.

Exploding Kitten Breaks Reading Rainbow Record On Kickstarter

Exploding Kittens has created a sensation of the crowd-funding website named Kickstarter. Currently its holds the record of eight most funded Kickstarter projectin its history. Exploding Kittens still have a 23 left days which gives it a great chance of becoming the most funded project in is history.

Exploding Kittens is attracting funding at a break-neck pace and it is all set to break the record of Reading Rainbow. Reading Rainbow had set record of most funded project in 2014 with a whooping backers count of 105,857 but Exploding Kittens has already achieved those number of backers and many are still pledging to support its endeavours.

As Exploding Kittens has already achieved the most number of backers, now comes the time to deliver what it projects. Inman is heavily busy creating the art work for the cards and aims to send it to their backers by the end of summer.

Bill Gates Is Worried About Artificial Intelligence Too

Bill Gates has joined the ranks of other eminent scientists and industry notables for issuing a warning for humanity against the use of artificial intelligence. Earlier Stephen Hawking and the Internet innovator Elon Musk has raised the possibility of potential threat which comes from the machines if they ‘happen to think for themselves’. Gates has put forward his thoughts on this matter on Reddit “AskMeAnything” thread which is special kind of online Q&A session conducted live on this social news website.

Artificial Intelligence In Sci-fi- Movies

The current advancement in the field of the technology had led to the emergence highly efficient Artificial Intelligence. There are numerous short stories and movies which shows the threat posed by the AI if used unchecked but today AI has moved into reality. In the ‘Matrix Trilogy the emphasis is deemed upon the machines which thinks that humanity is threat and they enslave people for maintaining their virtual existence. In terminator series Skynet computer system becomes sentient and it wages a cruel multiyear war using cyborgs to kill humans.

Presence of Artificial Intelligence in Reality

AI is introduced in the real world by Apple with its voice based personal assistant called Siri. Though it is not extremely advanced at the moment but research is going on to make it much smarter. IBM has also developed a supercomputer based on AI which has moved from just analysing few stings of data to conducting medical research and diagnosis on its own. Furthermore researchers have even created a new computer program which posses incredible AI that can beat anyone at poker. Gates doesn’t find this interesting but view it as a worst scenario where researcher might happen to build AI which is too much smarter than the needed.

Fears Emerging From Artificial Intelligence

Musk had earlier stated that the so called AI development is like summoning the demon. Hawking had expressed his views for an international newspaper in May 2014. He said that short term impact might appear favourable on who controls but the long term impact depends wholly on whether it could be controlled or not. Google CEO Larry Page has also talked about AI but he doesn’t seem to express any explicit fear or concern.

Bill Gates warning against the AI comes from the Microsoft development of the machine intelligence called Cortana which has already been implemented in its range of Lumia smartphones. It is interestingly based on AI character which features in a popular video game named Halo. Cortana is all set to release in the PCs as a part of the new Windows 10 operating system later this year.

Reasons For Bill Gates Giving The Warning Signals

A physicist and entrepreneur named Louis Del Monte shed lights on the extent of threat emerging from the AI. He believes the machines would certainly surpass the humans and would become the dominant species as there is no legislation which limits the extent of their intelligence. They would end up outsmarting the human’s intelligence and even work towards their own survival which means going any extent to save them.

Microsoft Enhances Its One Drive with New Features On iOS

Microsoft has finally made a significant number of changes in the look, feel and functionality of its popular cloud storage service OneDrive app for the iOS based users. The tech giant has given heed to the users based on Apple’s iOS platform by updating its official OneDrive app with highly improved photo management and a sophisticated integrated access to OneDrive for Business.

This updated app will simply allow the users from varied devices like iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to create photo albums for better viewing in a single place. Users would be required to copy or move the file essentially in their albums. This features would streamlined the viewing the photos as well as make it appear less cluttered and organized.

Features Debuted On iOS Platform

Tagging feature is also introduced wherein users can tag the photos manually or even allow the app to automatically generate tags. Tagging feature works on the basis of impressive object recognition technology powered by Bing and Microsoft Research. This makes it possible for the OneDrive to recognize the visual content associate it with different tags such as people, animals, buildings and others with ease. Tags would provide a new way of browsing through the picture and lane of memory with grace.

Another notable feature is the text recognition in photos along with the content of documents. This feature makes it easier to search among the hoards of files and photos. There is also a feature which brings in the seamless integration of password management apps including the 1Password and LastPass. Apart from these update had made some bug fixes and certain important improvements like the one for audio and video playback.

Microsoft had also released a public preview version specifically for the Mac users with its Mac sync client for OneDrive for Business. This will help them in managing files and later syncing them offline.

Microsoft Brings Simple Solutions For Businesses

OneDrive for iOS will feature a built in access to OneDrive for Business. This simply translates that businesses doesn’t have use the separate app for assessing the OneDrive for Business. Those users could easily connect with their OneDrive for Business accounts from a single app and could view their business files along with the personal files. On security from users should be relieved that their business files would still be secured, managed and covered by Microsoft’s Office 365 enterprise service.


Microsoft Increases The Storage on OneDrive

Microsoft has also given a boost to the users by increases their offered storage for free on OneDrive from standard 15 GB to 30 GB if they turn on their automatic camera backup. This hefty increase by Microsoft fives direct competition to other cloud storage services mainly Dropbox and iCloud. Furthermore OnDrive is giving free increase in storage which is not available on these high paying competitors. Microsoft even couples this with distinctive changes made in uploading, organization as well as the searching of files on its cloud storage which had made it extremely easier and beautiful system in itself.

Why a Strong Dollar Means Fatter Margins for Jeep Renegade

Fiat Chrysler is all set to launch its new Jeep model called Renegade in March which is expected to boost the sales as more and more Americans are going after SUV’s due to the recent fall in oil and gas prices. Renegade would be made in Italy and it will be imported to U.S. for sale. This would translate huge profits for Fiat Chrysler as the Euro far weaker in value compared to Dollar at the moment. Renegade is deem to give huge competition with distinguish features and adequate pricing against other vehicles in the same category namely Kia Soul and Nissan Juke.

Low Gas Price Boosts The SUV Sales

There has been a huge decline in the value of euro which has fallen to $1.10 and it is the weakest against dollar in over a decade. Gas prices in U.S. have also registered a sharp decline by 33 percent in last three months due to decline in global crude oil price. Now the national average for the gas is revolving around just $2.04 a gallon which has spurted the increase in SUV sales.

Features Of Jeep Renegade

Jeep new offering Renegade is expected to revolutionize the fast growing sub-compact crossover segment which is highly appreciated by the customers. This segment already has some of the successful vehicles like Nissan Juke, Fiat 500x, Kia Soul and Honda HR-V. Renegade boasts a seven-slot grille along with a vertical windshield and rugged stance which lends a tougher, bolder and solid impression. Renegade also have modern features such as adaptive cruise control which allows the car to move at a prevailing speed.

Better Interiors, Affordable Price

The interiors of the new Jeep model has been furnished with effortless solid, smooth yet soft feel. There are also distinctive fun touches which include the use of paintball splash for marking the red zone on the tachometer. Customers would be given options to switch between different driving modes such as snow, sand and mud which essentially depend upon the terrain and conditions. It also possesses two roof panels which can be removed and placed in the truck to give a convertible like feel.

Renegade is also available in a Trailhawk version which offers great driving experience for off-road purposes and it’s priced at $ 24,795. The sports version is pitched at $17,995. Fuel efficiency has not been determined but it is expected to give atop mileage of 30 miles (48 kilometres) per gallon.

Jeep Renegade Brings In A New Evolved Segment

The iconic brand Jeep has gone through a tightrope in creating the Renegade which is an epitome of beautiful design and remarkable features. In order to boost its production capability Fiat is set open two new factories one is Brazil and another in China by the end of March and year’s end respectively. Initially these two plants would forge out the cars for the Latin America and Asia based customers. Jeep brand chief Mike Manley has asserted that Fiat is set expected to evenly split the Renegade sales among the three major markets namely U.S., Europe and Asia.

MIT-USAID Program Releases Pioneering Evaluation Of Solar Lanterns

Reports on Effectiveness of Solar Lanterns 

The CITE – Comprehensive Initiative on Technology Evaluation group, funded by the United States Agency for International Development – USAID has released its first report recently, evaluating the effectiveness of solar lanterns in Uganda, Africa.

The team of MIT faculty with students, set off for western Uganda to conduct CITE’s evaluation of solar lanterns and researchers conducted hundreds of survey with consumers, suppliers, manufacturers as well as non-profits in order to evaluate eleven locally available solar lantern models. In order to assess each product’s suitability, researches computed rating score ranging from 0 to 100 on the basis on how the product’s attributes and features perform.

Attributes include characteristics inherent to solar lanterns like brightness, time to charge and run time and features include less central characteristics like a lantern’s ability to charge a cell phone. Sanyal comments that the importance of cell phone charging was a surprising and noteworthy finding. The said device seems to appear like Nalgene water bottles which soaks up energy during the day and switches on at night.

 The analysis of the solar lantern market in Uganda, where one can purchase over a dozen various lanterns costing between $14.17 and $79.99 had a few surprises. According to MIT professor, Bishwapriya Sanyal, he stated that `what surprised them was that the market was flooded but no one knew which one really works’.

Charging – Placing on Roofs - Daytime

Researchers observed that the best intentions of the producers did not always sync with how products were utilised in the real world. The producers of the solar lanterns have intentions of placing them on roofs to be charged during the day though most of them would not leave them there fearing that they could be stolen. The features that users would be interested in is `would the solar charger also have a port to charge their cell phone and these observations would probably change the way manufacturers made their device, according to Sanyal. He points out one thing which stuck him was that consumers were concerned whether or not the solar lantern charged the cell phone and that they did not expect this feature to be so important and for some, connection would be more valuable than having light.

Need to be Nimble with Changing Market

CITE worked with USAID with the intention to select solar lanterns as product family for its first evaluation. Sanyal states that evaluating solar lanterns would enable CITE an opportunity to learn from USAID’ existing partnership with Solar Sister, which is a social enterprise distributing solar lantern in Uganda, a country with few people having access to light after dark.

This could be very beneficial to them. CITE researchers worked closely too with Jeffrey Asher a former technical director at Consumer Reports in order to learn from existing production evaluation model. Evaluation of products in laboratory at MIT or Consumer Reports is quite different from evaluating them in rural Uganda though both are important according to Asher a co-author of the CITE report.

He states that the greatest challenge of Consumer Reports’ has been evaluating products which are presently in the U.S. market and CITE has found that in developing countries, they need to be more nimble in keeping up with the changing market.