Fictional Character Hatsune Miku Entertains Live Audiences via Hologram

Have you ever heard of Hatsune Miku?  If you’re an Anime fan, you may have.  If you’re a music fan, you might have.  Hatsune Miku 16-year-old fictional character, created by Crypton Future Media to put a face to their singing synthesizer application known as a vocaloid, which is Yamaha technology.  Basically, the technology was created so music composers could type in lyrics and a melody to synthesize singing. 

Surprisingly, though, this fictional character has become Japan’s favorite celebrity, beginning when Exit Tunes Presents Vocalogenesis feat. Hatsune Miku topped the Japanese Oricon album charts May 31, 2010.  Suddenly, the fictional Hatsune Miku was performing live in Japan and overseas.  Here she is performing live!

Since then, multiple albums have been created with the Hatsune Miku software, thanks to people uploading songs using the vocaloid. Her popularity has also caused her to appear in video games and many other forms of media.  Here is the video for one of the anime character’s most popular songs created with the program, Silence.

 

[via Geek.com]

Technorati Tags: Anime,Hatsune Miku,Videos,Music,Japan,Singing

What Internet Explorer is Good For [PIC]

Yes, I use Firefox.  Yes, this is all I used IE for when I first got my computer.  Yes, I am proud of that.

[via TechPP]

Technorati Tags: Browsers,Firefox,Internet Explorer,IE,Google,Computers

15 Apps Every Student Should Use [Guest Post]

This is the guest post I alluded to yesterday, written by Ashli Norton!  A must read for students and their parents!

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As a student, there is no time to waste and I find the biggest time wasters of all in school besides hanging with friends, Facebook, and class itself are finding the right tools to make your school experience easier.
Well, there is nothing better than apps to come to the rescue of your student woes and I have listed a few apps for almost every relevant platform that will help make your student life easier.

Web

1. Evernote - Evernote does exactly what it sounds like - keeps your notes. You can clip images that you want to keep note of, sound bites, and of course text notes on the web to take with you anywhere as it’s saved on the web.
2. Quizlet - Need flashcards quickly, whip them up on the web using Quizlet. Quizlet lets you study in multiple modes - which is perfect so you can study the way you want and hey it’s free, what beats that!
3. Gcalc.net - Save yourself the $100+ and hop on the web to get the answer to that tough math problem FREE.

Windows

1. Open Office - Forget shelling out the money for Microsoft Office, this app is so similar it’s scary. It has every feature Microsoft Office has, plus some and even functions very similar to it - and it’s free.
2. Study Perfect - Flashcard app for your PC. Has advanced options like flashcard printing, images, and freestyle diagram drawing.
3. Notalon - Note-taking app for students. You take notes while reading or listening, and, once you're done, export them to PDF.

Mac

1. SchoolHouse - This cool app on the Mac, makes keeping track of your busy school life fun actually. It’s an easy, quick and powerful way to manage what they need to work on.
2. Kindle for Mac - Kindle on the Mac (also works on various other devices) will keep you from making your first college mistake - purchasing textbooks. If you have a Mac, simply open Kindle and you have access to textbooks from various publishers at a much lower rate.
3. Pear Note - Perfect Mac app for taking notes in class and keeping them organized. You can integrate text, audio, and video notes in the app. As well as the slides your professor made, now that’s a time saver.

iPhone/iPod

1. Cram - Simple app on your iPhone that helps you study with flashcards or practice multiple-choice mode (also works on the Mac). Has images, test history, and downloadable tests from friends and Quizlet.
2. iStudiez Pro - Perfect on the go student planner for the iPhone. It’s beautiful, simple, and just what every student needs.
3. Grades - None of us are taking these college courses just for fun, there is a goal and the goal is a great grade. So the Grades app will help you get there. Just enter the grade you want and Grades will show you what you need to get there.

Droid

1. Aldiko  - Skip purchasing your paper textbooks new or used. This app is an eBook reader and they have access to libraries of popular textbook publishers which will allow you to carry your textbooks right in your pocket. Tell your friends to attempt that.
2. CoursePro - Track your homework, assignments, school projects, and grades with this lovely app on your Droid.
3. Share Your Board - Perfect for the fast teacher that insists on not slowing down his pace, just take pictures of the board and this app will clean it up and save it for you to study with later.

BlackBerry

1. Student Docket - Perfect planner to keep all of your assignments, grades, and more organized on your BlackBerry.
2. gFlash+ - gFlash+ is a flashcard app for your BlackBerry. Includes images, flashcards, and more (also works on Droid).
3. Edocrab - This app is perfect for reading your textbooks on your phone, what gets better than reading your textbooks on your Berry.

Just try a few these apps to see how much more efficiently you can handle your student life.

Author Info:
Ashli Norton is the Co-Founder of SimpleLeap Software, a small software firm that makes apps for the Mac, iPhone, and iPod. Ashli is also the Editor of TheiPhoneWebsite.com

CRAMming for Tests & Guest Blogger Info!

Tomorrow I will be posting the first of two awesome guest posts written by Ashli Norton.  Both posts are back-to-school related, so be sure to check them out!

I’m very honored that Ashli wanted to write for my blog, because she is the co-founder of a software company called SimpleLeap. 

SimpleLeap produces a software called Cram, a study aid for Macs, iPhones, and iPods.  Ashli offered to let me download Cram for free to try it out, but unfortunately, I’m a PC user through and through.  I will say, though, that this is one of the few times I wish I had something more than an iPod classic!

If you are a student, or you have a child going to high school or college, you’ll want to check out Cram!  Not only can you study with digital flashcards and notes, but you can take practice tests, user-generated tests, and share your own tests.  After you’ve taken the test, you can track your grades and view your performance compared to previous test results. 

I seriously wish I could try it!

If you’re a Mac user, you can even download a free trial.  Might be a good idea to test it out before classes start!

Anyway, keep your eyes peeled for Ashli’s guest posts, and check out Cram!

 

**Disclaimer:  Though I was offered Cram for free, I had to decline.  Thus, this is not a sponsored post, just a tip by me to check out some awesome-looking software!**