Her calm and capable voice is everywhere these day – she’s Siri. Apple’s synthetic personal-assistant has risen to global prominence in a relatively short time. And fans of the technology know that it doesn’t take long to fall under Siri’s spell.

Siri is the virtual assistant at the heart of the iPhone 4S. 

Cool New Siri Tricks
With this many users, it only makes sense that Siri has become a celebrity unto herself, there’s practically an industry around exploring the technology and discovering cool new ways to showcase Siri’s many unseen talents. Some of these capabilities offer nifty practical uses while others are just for fun:

1. Change your iPhone 4S settings using Siri. Not only can you change your brightness using Siri, you can perform special tasks, such as checking your iPhone’s battery level.
2. Update your Twitter using Siri. You can also perform nine other Siri hacks, ranging from helping improve Siri’s pronunciation of phonetic names to parlor tricks like controlling Siri from across a room.
3. Looking for laughs? The are plenty of Siri tricks to turn her into a comedian.

 
Siri for Other Phones
Don’t have Siri on your iPhone? A new app allows you to turn your iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS into a Siri phone - but you will have to jailbreak the phone – which voids the warranty. Google is also developing a Siri-like assistant, although based on insider reports, the technology will not be as smoothly integrated throughout the phone as Siri is in the iPhone 4S.

Developing Future Siri’s
Siri is a great iPhone app. Future apps like Siri will be created by young app developers. Do you want to learn app development? Why not get started this summer at a app development summer camp like Digital Media Academy. DMA offers hands-on training in app development from industry professionals. They’ll start you on a career and give you the skills to create your own Siri.

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Matthew Broderick returns to the big screen on Super Bowl Sunday, reviving the role he made famous in the 1986 film, Ferris Bueller. If you’re ready to make your jaw drop, the check out this video:

The teaser video above appeared on YouTube and the internet is abuzz with excitement, mainly hoping that we’ll catch up with a modern day Ferris Bueller.

“Bueller? Bueller?”
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a classic. The 1986 John Hughes film follows a young man who takes the day off from school to explore Chicago with his best friends. The film connected with the audience in more ways than one – Matthew Borderick’s character spoke directly to the camera and ultimately made Ferris Bueller the cinematic poster child for a generation.

If you’re interested in learning film production, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a perfect example of how to make a great movie.

The film included cameos by future star Charlie Sheen and Jennifer Grey from Dirty Dancing. There are also probably another ten things you didn’t know about Ferris Bueller‘s Day Off. Including that in 2011, the film celebrated it’s 25th anniversary. And if that doesn’t make you feel old, how about this – Matthew Broderick turns 50 on March 21st.

Ferris in 1986…

…and Ferris Bueller now.

While the teaser video excites us too, we’re eager to see what product or (finger’s crossed) film, that Broderick is promoting. All will be revealed on February 5th when the curtain is lifted on the commercial – that is set to air during the Super Bowl. Apparently it’s part of a series of commercials that will take place during the game between the Giants and Patriots.

UPDATE: 01-30-2012
The Ferris Bueller, uh, Matthew Broderick commercial has been revealed! It’s Honda’s Game Day commercial for the Honda CR-V. The commercial stars none other than Matthew Broderick re-enacting scenes and key moments from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

We’ve got the clip below, let us know what you think:

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Apple is reinventing textbooks thanks to the latest iBooks update. iBooks 2 which is available in the Apple App Store gives readers a new way to interact with the written word.

The new textbooks inside of iBooks. To sample the new textbooks, download  E.O. Wilson’s Life on Earth for free. Your iPad will need to be running 1OS 5 to view the new books.

The iBook update now allows textbooks to be sold through the popular ereader app that already offers bestselling novels and literary classics like”Dracula” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.” Textbooks were not available before. The price for the textbooks? $14.99.

Reading is Fun-damental
Apple made the announcement at a press event in New York at the Guggenheim Museum. Apple feels it’s time that books caught up with other types of media, ebooks offer interactive notetaking, and highlighting as well as interactive videos, photo galleries, 3D models and other illustrations. For authors it’s another way that they can make their content come to life – for students it’s a fun and interactive way to learn.

The Beatles “Yellow Submarine“ is another free interactive ebook that showcases video. 

Before has death, Steve Jobs told the author of his biography, “Steve Jobs,” that he believed Apple could significantly shake-up the textbook industry and do it, with the iPad. Jobs held meetings with book publishers such as Pearson Education to encourage them to partner with Apple.

To date, Apple says there are more than 1.5 million iPads currently being used in schools and there. “Now with iBooks 2 for iPad, students have a more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive way to read and learn, using the device they already love,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

Becoming an eBook Author
Apple aims to make it easier for educators and authors to create books using iBooks Author. The app provides plenty of templates and putting your content into a ebook is as simple as dragging and dropping it into the template. The app supports multi-touch interface, like pinch and zoom views and swiping gestures. Apple has even included iBook Author HTML5 and Javascript support for programmers who want to take their books beyond the app.

The iBooks Author app uses a template and drag and drop interface, much like Apple’s Keynote or Pages app.

Digital textbooks are the future of educational publishing. Using iBooks Author to create your own content is a major win for not only educators, but for those that want to self-publish too. It’s exciting to see Apple in education and learning app development for iPad’s and iPhones is another way to development content, it can be a great tool for book publishers, too. Either way, Apple is helping both educators and authors create the future of media.

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The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA), are two bills currently being considered by legislators in Washington, D.C. – if passed, the bills will drastically change the you use the Internet.

No Google Doodle today – Google has blacked out their logo to speak out against SOPA and PIPA. 

What is SOPA? 
What is SOPA? SOPA is the Stop Online Piracy Act currently in the House, basically, it’s a bill that would censor websites, in addition impose regulations that would limit the way American businesses and web surfers use the Internet. Millions of Internet users and companies like Google and websites like Reddit, Boing Boing and Wikipedia have gone dark today, January 18 in response to the bill and in to raise awareness on the  legislation.

The “Blackout” has already gotten some legislators to take notice – and some have stopped supporting the bill – but the bill hasn’t been killed yet. The Senate will start voting on the bill on January 24.

If you want to get involved (and you should if you want a free and open internet) visit Google’s site and sign the SOPA petition telling Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA. Want to learn more? Gizmodo has a great article about SOPA and how it would affect you.

A Free and Open Internet
PIPA and SOPA go beyond piracy, the bills are poorly written and would drastically affect almost everything on the web. For example, under the current terms of the bill, your website could be shut down without explanation, without due process, for no reason. From a technical perspective, the bills will also affect your safety on the net as well.

Web development has changed dramatically over the last few years and will continue to evolve. But politicians must have intelligent conversations and work with business owners and internet users instead of mandating laws. Hopefully today is the day that lawmakers start to listen.

UPDATE 1-20-12
The SOPA bill has been sent back to the drawing board to be redrafted. We’ll keep you posted for any changes or updates to the legislation as they become available. 

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He’s probably the most famous bass player alive. A funk legend since the ripe old age of sixteen (when James Brown personally selected him for his back-up band, The J.B.’s), William Earl Collins has been famous since the early 1970s.

Famed bass-master Bootsy Collins will stream the funk via a live web event later this week. 

Of course, you may know him better by his trademark star-shaped sunglasses and platform shoes, or his nickname – which is explained by the title of his 1977 funk masterpiece “Ah…The Name is Bootsy, Baby!” And now Bootsy Collins, the musical legend who pioneered the slapping funk bass sound that we all now take for granted, is joining forces with the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus.

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is celebrating its 15th year on tour. To mark the event, on Friday, January 20^th between 6 and 7:30 pm Pacific Time, Bootsy Collins will jam LIVE from the bus! You can catch the FREE CONCERT online – thanks to NewTek, TodoCast and of course the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus! The live streaming event features Bootsy Collins with special guests Verdine White and ace session player Bernie Worrell.

For more details or to watch the event, visit the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus online.

Watch a live concert from Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bootsy Collins, Friday, January 20th, 2012.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer
Anyone that wants to learn how to make music that sounds like your favorite artists should know who Bootsy Collins is – a 1997 inductee into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame (as part of George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic), Bootsy has played with everyone from Madonna to The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards to Snoop Dogg. His own musical projects (such as his group, Bootsy’s Rubber Band) have stretched the limits of both funk and bass playing too.

Get Hands-on Digital Music Experience
Do you want to learn how to become a music producer or professional musician? Why not spend your summer at music camp learning from the professionals? The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus will again be partnered with Digital Media Academy for The Academy of Music and Video Production. This two-week academy is held at prestigious university locations like Harvard, Stanford and UCLA. During the camp you’ll get hands-on training and learn from music professionals while using the latest cutting-edge music and video production hardware – like Apple’s Logic Pro. Once you’ve learned the techniques, you can create the music, just like Bootsy! Who knows maybe someday you might even be inducted in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

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The toy company that announced the Steve Jobs Action Figure has cancelled plans to release the figure. In an announcement posted to their website, inicons explained the genesis of the idea and the action figure.

This announcement greeted visitors to inicons site, and explained the Steve Jobs would not be produced.

inicons announced a Steve Jobs action figure just before the end of 2011 and expected to ship the figure in late February 2012 for $99.00. The figure was a fully detailed 12″ Steve Jobs, right down to his black turtleneck and New Balance sneakers. Other accessories were also included with the figure including, extra hands, a stool (like the one used during the Apple presentations Jobs gave) – and apples.

Apple Approval
The announcement to cancel the figure was not a surprise, as many figured, without the approval of Steve Jobs’ family the figure could not be produced. inicons spoke directly to the copyright issue in a statement they released on their site and defended their position – one that came from a fan perspective.

The incredible detail of the action figure is seen closeup. 

“I created a single figurine of Steve which I placed on my desk next to my Mac,” the toy maker commented. The announcement also explained why there would be no figure:

“Though we still believe that we have not overstepped any legal boundaries, we have decided to completely stop the offer, production and sale of the Steve Jobs figure out of our heartfelt sensitivity to the feeling of the Steve Jobs family. We understand that this decision will cause many of the fans’ disappointment, but please forgive us as there is no other alternative unless to have the blessing from Steve Jobs family…”

The announcement ended with inicons promising refunds to buyers who pre-ordered and thanking all the fans for their support and one last apology.

Apple Toys
The Steve Job action figure would have adorned cubicles and fanboy shelves all over the world. But for now, the only “official” Apple toy fans will be able to get their hands on are apps like Garageband and others created by app development for iPhone and iPad.

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If you’re going to make a movie the first you need to learn (beside how to point and shoot a movie camera) is, what is a MacGuffin.

Indiana Jones with the Ark of the Covenant – the macGuffin from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

According to Wikipedia, a MacGuffin (also known as a McGuffin or Maguffin) is “a plot element that catches the viewers’ attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction.” The common wisdom with screenwriters is that a MacGuffin can be almost anything, but many times it’s mysterious or open to interpretation by the audience. All the characters seek it and are after it, it can be a mission, survival, power, a potential threat or maybe something completely unexplained.

MacGuffin’s Make the Movie
MacGuffin’s are common in filmmaking and even game development, especially action flicks. In most movies, a MacGuffin drives the central plot. It’s introduced in the first act, takes a backseat in the second (act as the characters, their motivations and connections) to it are played out and then the MacGuffin may be re-introduced or forgotten entirely as the story evolves.

Learning what a MacGuffin is and its importance is vital to learning digital filmaking. Steven Spielberg is a filmmaker that more than understands the postives and negatives of a good MacGuffin. On the topic of the Macguffin for Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Spielberg told Entertainment Weekly, “I sympathize with people who didn’t like the MacGuffin (the crystal skull) because I never liked the MacGuffin. George [Lucas] and I had big arguments about the MacGuffin.”

For movie makers, a MacGuffin is just one more tool they need to have in they’re bag of tricks – it’s essential to and now you know what a MacGuffin is.

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One of the coolest collection of computer artifacts in the world is not in a museum. Instead this collection resides in the hallowed halls of Stanford University, in Palo Alto, California.

The archive room at Stanford where their collections are housed…

From the collection – a promotional photo of  ”the other Steve.” Steve Wozniak, one of the founders of Apple Computer (Woz was employee #1), during Apple’s early days.

The collection? Apple Computer’s historical collection of artifacts - including paperwork, software, hardware and other rare business materials that document the genius and growth of the most influential technology company in the world. The documents date all the way back to when Apple was founded in 1976.

Apple’s Archive
Indiana Jones would be envious of Stanford’s Historical Archives. Not only does the private archive include the Apple library of archives but also collections from Douglas Engelbart (the inventor of the computer mouse), Ed Feigenbaum (one of the fathers of “artificial intelligence”), and William Shockley (credited as “the man who brought silicon to Silicon Valley” and sparked the technology revolution). There are also historical documents and materials from companies like Fairchild Semiconductor and the American Association for Artificial Intelligence.

The Apple Collection was donated to Stanford in 1997. The collection was previously managed and housed in Apple’s corporate library in Cupertino, now closed. The materials were intended for a Apple museum but that never became a reality. The collection is maintained now by Stanford for use in the special collections department in the Green Library.

Steve Jobs accepts a check for the early distribution of the Apple Computer.  

What’s in the Apple collection? Books, periodicals, press releases and company speeches – all about Apple computers and software. There are also user group newsletters, along with other miscellaneous artifacts. Records from the Apple Library Users Group and the Apple Library of Tomorrow program also are part of the collection. The memorabilia and related artifacts paint not only a historical picture of the computer advancements Apple made, but also its company culture.

The Apple archives even include an 1980′s-era video company video featuring Steve Jobs and other Apple employees as Ghostbuster-like computer nerds with early mac computers strapped to their backs, just take a look at the video for yourself:

In the press release Stanford issued about the Apple Archives, “The donation of Apple’s museum and historical archives adds significantly to Stanford’s unmatched collections on the technological and business history of Silicon Valley,” said Henry Lowood, library curator for the history of science and technology. “The unique documentation of corporate culture, personal computer design and software history in the Apple collection will be of particular value not only for research on the development of computer technology, but also for studies of the cultural and social impacts of computers on our lives.”

Stanford’s Tech Connection
Stanford’s tech connection doesn’t end there. Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement speech at Stanford was inspirational – Jobs had a very close connection with Stanford University. You can establish a connection with Stanford too. Either by attending Stanford University as a student. Another way is by attending summer camps at Stanford University like Digital Media Academy. You can even learn app development for iPhone & iPad just feet away from the historic Apple Archives.

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Steve Jobs is back – with his very own action figure. Believe it or not, the Apple icon is now an action figure – and the reproduction is so incredibly lifelike, it’s downright spooky…

Steve Jobs: inventor, visionary, action figure.

How can you get one of these awesome figures? By ordering it from the toy company in icons. Mr. Jobs will stand tall right alongside your G.I. Joes, but not until the end of February when the toy is expected to ship. Many media analysts doubt that the figure will actually ship though as it’s not authorized by obs family or Apple. The company does promise a full refund however if your figure doesn’t get shipped (i.e. they’re sold out).

Here’s what you get with your 12″ (that’s sixth-scale of the actual Jobs) action figure:

• One realistic head sculpt & two pairs of glasses
• One highly articulated body & three pairs of hands
• One black turtleneck & one pair of blue jeans
• One black leather belt & one presentation stool (wood + metal)
• One pair of black socks & sneaker
• Two apples (one with a bite)
• One “ONE MORE THING” cardboard backdrop

Clothes make the man, in this case, accessories make the action figure. The accessories, like the figure are amazingly life-like. 

The 12 inch figures sells for $99.99 (shipping inside the U.S. brings the total to $109.99).

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Long before the iPhone, Apple had another touch screen phone in development. The phone wasn’t the creation of Steve Jobs, but a designer he hired in 1982.

In addition to helping Apple establish a global brand presence, German designer Hartmut Esslinger was instrumental in creating an image for Sony, his work includes their line of personal music products and the Sony Trinitron. 

German designer Hartmut Esslinger created the Apple Phone prototype, along with other signature Apple designs, while working under exclusively under a $1,000,000 a year contract. His first job? To create a design strategy to turn the Silicon Valley start-up into a world-class brand.

Designing the Apple Brand 
Esslinger brought his company Frogdesign to California and set up shop in 1982 and he worked for Apple until Steve Jobs’ was forced out of the company in 1985. Esslinger broke his contract with Apple and followed Jobs to NeXT shortly after. But his designs would live on in Apple products until 1990.

Esslinger and Frogdesign created the “Snow White design” for Apple, this was the style used for all Apple products from 1984 to 1990, starting with the Apple IIc. The essence of the design uses vertical and horizontal lines for both decoration and ventilation. The lines give the illusion that the computer enclosure is smaller than it really is.

An Apple Macintosh IIx with Snow White design elements – off-white color and shallow, simple horizontal and vertical lines give a clean and minimal look.

In addition, the “Snow White design” also introduced Esslinger’s unique Apple logo—a three-dimensional rainbow Apple that was cut into the product case. Still, one of Esslinger’s most interesting designs has only recently surfaced – the prototype for the Apple Phone. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Apple was looking into telecommunication – and their very first phone even featured a touch screen.

The Apple Phone wasn’t a cell or “smartphone” but a landline phone and even though the device was designed in the early 80′s it still has a futuristic look – the handset has a unique angle and the touchscreen even has a small slot to store the stylus when not in use.

This recently uncovered photograph shows off an Apple phone prototype. The prototype dates back to 1983.

Apple has been on the forefront of technology for a long time. The company and it’s innovations have been mainly driven by Steve Jobs and his futuristic vision. In the post-Jobs era, a new, younger generation of designers and those learning app development for iPhone and iPad will design the future of Apple – future designers like those who follow in Hartmut Esslinger’s footsteps.

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