As a tech nerd, one of the things I love most about my job is the constant exposure to new technology.
In my position, I’m surrounded by all the ideas our engineers are working on and often I get to experiment with what’s being developed long before it ever hits a retail shelf.
And after all these years – it never fails – I continue to be stunned by what new technology enables us to do.
Here’s just one example.
Researchers looking to make advancements in medicine, science and other fields require major computing power to run experiments, simulations, etc. But often these non-profit research programs don’t have the resources to purchase the costly super computers they require.
As a result, a group of dedicated software programmers and engineers have developed a fascinating solution. Your VAIO PC and IBM’s World Community Grid can make all the difference without lifting a finger – literally.
How it works:
Through advanced networking technology that combines little pieces of spare processing power from millions of PCs around the globe, scientist are granted access to what is the equivalent of one of the world’s fastest super computers. This technology speeds up research by crunching numbers and performing simulations that would have otherwise took hundreds of years to perform on typical computers.
When you activate the World Community Grid on your VAIO, it creates a “free and open source lab for researchers around the globe” by tapping your PCs surplus processing power. It detects idle time in your computer activity – when you’re away from the PC, for example – and takes advantage of those lulls by initiating calculations.
Simply put, the World Community Grid goes to work when you’re not.
Once you start typing or browsing again, the World Community Grid app stops immediately – so it never interferes with what you’re doing.
The app even lets you track your activity with a screensaver indicating what project your computer is working on and the progress you’re helping to make towards that research.
A Smallpox Miracle:
IBM and others sponsored a research project aimed at accelerating the discovery of a cure for smallpox.
By leveraging the power of distributed computing, scientist were able to screen 35 million potential drug molecules against several smallpox proteins to identify good candidates for developing into smallpox treatments.
In the first 72 hours, 100,000 results were returned and by the end of the project, 44 strong treatment candidates had been identified.
Out of the success of this early project, World Community Grid was born and opened to the public.
Why it’s important:
Now, with the aid of the World Community Grid, scientists at the Scripps Research Institute are making advances in HIV/AIDS drug research. Meanwhile, French scientists are tackling the proteins involved in muscular dystrophy. Scientists at the University of Washington are also hard at work, developing hardier and healthier strains of rice – a staple important to many people around the world.
As more people participate, the computing power of World Community Grid grows exponentially and more research projects can leverage its power to uncover solutions that benefit us all.
As more people participate, the computing power of the World Community Grid grows exponentially and more research projects can leverage its power to uncover solutions that benefit us all.
How Sony is involved:
Sony has partnered with the World Community Grid to further assist with the development of this life-changing technology. Starting now, all Sony VAIO PCs – excluding Atom based laptops – will come equipped with World Community Grid software that users can opt to run. Sony fans already equipped with a VAIO can download the app here.
So join the VAIO team now! Click the live VAIO team ticker below for real time stats on the contributions our team is already making. In fact, as of the date of this article, VAIO owners have already contributed over 22,900 hours of processing time!
So as more and more Sony fans join the cause, the computing power of the World Community Grid grows exponentially and more research projects can leverage its power to uncover solutions that benefit us all. And as our team grows, I’ll provide regular updates on the contributions Sony fans are making plus bring you behind-the-scenes interviews with the people behind the technology and stories from research projects that benefit from your processing time.
As you’ve been reading, we’ve been up and down both coasts with Billabong on their High Five Movie Tour. And as we roll into the end of August, we’ve approached our final two tour stops.
To begin, we drove into Newport Beach for a unique screening at the historic Lido Theater. Opening its doors for the first time in 1938, the theater continues on to this day and stands as an authentically rare relic from the glamour of 1930’s Hollywood. Plus, being only a block away from the ocean and with surfers of all ages calling Newport Beach their home, the Lido has evolved into the surf film capital of Southern California running a full schedule of classic and new surf films.
With so much character the theater offered the perfect backdrop for a screening of High Five and to kick things off right, guitarist Wally P (right) – who contributed to the film’s soundtrack – performed live before the film began.
From Newport Beach, we then landed in San Diego for our final stop. Home to countless popular beaches, San Diego seemed like the ideal place to wrap things up. To celebrate the successful summer tour we headed downtown to Quality Social for one last hurrah and screening.
As always, we brought a camera crew along to both events to record all the fun and capture the reaction of Collin J. (left) – the second fan to win a new W Series in our three stop homestretch. Check out his reaction and all the highlights from the past two events in the clips below. You can also find photos from all the events on our flickr page and keep reading after the video for your chance to win free stuff.
Now for the best part. Because not all of our readers live in Southern California, we wanted to ensure you didn’t feel left out from all the excitement. So, starting today, we’ll be giving away 2 Imperial Lime W Series PCs and 10 Billabong boardshorts to some lucky fans.
Here’s how it works. Simply answer all 3 pop quiz questions below correctly by leaving your answers in the comment section. If you get stuck you can find hints to the answers by clicking the link to the related story. Next Friday, September 3rd, we’ll close the contest and randomly select 2 grand prize winners and 10 boardshort winners from the lot of those who answered all 3 questions correctly. We’ll announce the winners as a follow up to this post shortly thereafter. Good luck and be sure to let us know what you thought of the movie if you saw it!
Pop Quiz
What charity did this year’s Design for Humanity event benefit? Hint: Watch this video
What’s the official color name of the VAIO / Billabong collab? Hint: Read this story
Name the first fan to win the new VAIO / Billabong PC in our 3 stop homestretch? Hint:Read/Watch this story
P.S. Be sure that when you post your comment, you enter your real e-mail address in the e-mail field below (not in the comment area). Without a valid e-mail address in that field, I won’t be able to reach you if you win!
All the details our lawyers make us include:
OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. PURCHASING ANY SONY PRODUCT WILL NOT INCREASE CHANCES OF WINNING.
1. ELIGIBILITY: This sweepstakes (the “Sweepstakes”) is only open to natural persons who are legal residents of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia and age 18 or older at the time of entry. Employees of Sony Electronics Inc. (“Sony”), their affiliates and members of immediate family (spouse and parent, children and siblings and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and persons living in the same household, whether or not related, of such employees, are not eligible to enter or win. This sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and is void where prohibited.
2. HOW TO ENTER: To enter the Sweepstakes, visit http://blog.sony.com/ vaio-news-recent-tour-stop-recaps-a-contest-for-you and post your answers to the pop quiz as a comment on the blog post “VAIO News: Recent Tour Stop Recaps + a Contest for You.” Additional profile information will be optional and not required to enter the Sweepstakes, and will not impact your chances of winning.
Alternate entry method: Participants can also mail in a sweepstakes entry. To enter, send a postcard with your name (first and last), address (street, city, state and zip) phone number or email address, and your answers to the pop quiz. Send Mail-in entries to Sony Electronics Community Giveaway Sweepstakes Mail-in Entry, Sony Electronics Inc., 16530 Via Esprillo, San Diego, CA 92127, MZ 1097.
3. PROMOTION PERIOD: The Sweepstakes starts at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on August 25, 2010 and ends at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time on September 3, 2010 (the “Promotion Period”). All entries must be received by Sony during the Promotion Period. Limit one entry per person. All entries submitted become the sole property of Sony and will not be returned. Online entries will be deemed to have been submitted by the registered subscriber of the e-mail account from which the entry is made. Entries generated by a script, macro or other automated means are prohibited and will be disqualified.
4. SELECTION OF WINNER: Selection of the winners will be at random from the lot of readers who answered all three questions correctly during the Promotion Period. This selection will take place within seven (7) days of the end of the Promotion Period. All decisions by Sony regarding selection of the winner shall be binding and final in all respects.
5. GENERAL CONDITIONS: This Sweepstakes is governed by the laws of the United States. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Winners may be required to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Publicity and Liability within fourteen (14) days of notification. In the event of noncompliance, if the winner cannot be reached at the e-mail address or telephone number submitted with entry, or if the prize or prize notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable, the prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected. No cash alternative or substitution of any prizes will be offered. No prize transfer permitted. If a prize is unavailable, Sony reserves the sole right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value. Limit one prize per person. Entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sony, which are final and binding in all respects. All taxes, fees, and surcharges on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prize winners. Any winner agrees to provide Sony with necessary information to complete any necessary I.R.S. 1099 and other forms. By participating and accepting a prize, so long as there is no legal prohibition, winner agrees to the use of his/her name for advertising or publicity purposes and to the use of statements made by or attributed to him/her relating to Sony or this Sweepstakes, and releases any and all rights to said use without further compensation. Any entrant who tampers with the Sweepstakes or provides fraudulent data will be disqualified. Registrations received from any persons or email addresses in excess of the stated limitation will be void. Sony is not responsible for lost, late or illegible entries.
6. PRIZE AND ODDS OF WINNING: Grand Prize (2): A Sony VAIO W Series. Approximate Retail Value (ARV): $499. 1St Place Prize (10): A billabong boardshort. Aprroximate Retail Value (ARV): $50. Twelve (12) winners will be selected, the first two selected will be deemed the Grand Prize winners. Odds of winning depend on the number of registrations received during the Promotion Period. Only one prize per person. A winner will be selected in accordance with Section 4 of these Official Rules.
7. RELEASE OF LIABILITY: All Sweepstakes entrants release Sony, its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, directors, agents, employees and all others associated with the Sweepstakes from any and all liability with respect to or in any way arising from this Sweepstakes and/or acceptance or use of the prizes, including without limitation liability for personal injury, death, damages, or financial loss.
Sony is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of submissions in the Sweepstakes. Sony assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. Sony is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line-systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, or failure of e-mail on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any web site or combination thereof, including injury or damage to entrants or to any person’s computer related to or resulting from participating in this Sweepstakes. Sony is not responsible for user cheating or fraud by any entrants. Any activities intended to disrupt or interfere with the Sweepstakes, or defraud Sony in any way may be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Entrants engaging in any of the foregoing activities will be disqualified and will forfeit any prizes won.
If, for any reason, the Sweepstakes is not capable of running as planned, including without limitation infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sony which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Sweepstakes, Sony reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Sweepstakes.
8. WINNERS LIST: A Winners List will be available within ten (10) days after the end of the Promotion Period. For a list of the Grand Prize winner, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Sony Electronics Community Giveaway Sweepstakes Winner List, Sony Electronics Inc., 16530 Via Esprillo, San Diego, CA 92127. All requests must be received within ninety (90) days after the end of the Promotion Period.
9. SWEEPSTAKES SPONSOR: Sony Electronics Inc., 16530 Via Esprillo, San Diego, CA 92127.
We continue to tag along with Billabong on their High Five Movie Tour as they travel up and down southern California to surf, meet fans and screen TransWorld’s latest surf movie High Five. If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to check out the trailer below.
This time, last Wednesday we hit the road and headed up the 5 to Huntington Beach to catch some amazing pro surfers compete in the week long US Open of Surfing. The annual competition brings out the best of the best as it’s a major part of the qualification process for the ASP World Tour.
After a long day of competition, the Billabong team headed to Ra Sushi to celebrate, offer a free screening of High Five, and mingle with fans. We brought a camera crew along to record all the fun and capture the reactions of fans to the new W Series as well as Kayla B. (that’s her to the right) who won the PC at the end of the night.
Watch the video below for all the coverage then checkout photos from the night on our Facebook page here.
And remember the tour continues tonight with a stop at the Lido Theater in Newport Beach. There will be two showings: 7:00 and 8:30 pm. Plus, we’ll be giving away another W Series following the 8:30 show. For all the details head over to our Facebook events page here and be sure to any leave questions you might have below.
By now, you’ve probably seen our latest commercial featuring Sony’s exclusive Media Gallery software and its uncanny ability to tame even the fiercest collection of media. If not, be sure to checkout the commercial below.
Today we’re launching a fun new way to generate your very own media monster on Facebook so you can go head-to-head with others to prove once and for all who has the meanest media monster.
It’s easy to play. Simply grab the application on Facebook from our fan page, allow it to generate a monster based on the quantity of media associated with your Facebook account then head to the ring. Challenge friends or even Justin Timberlake in an all-out media melee.
The more wins you earn the better. Feel like your losing too many battles? Simply associate more photos and videos with your account to power up your monster Best of all, if your monster can go the distance and climb to the top of the leader board, you’ll have earned supreme bragging rights when it’s all said and done.
Think you’re up for the challenge? The sooner you start the better. Check out Justin’s trailer for the game below and let us know what you think by leaving a note in the comments section. Good Luck!
Earlier this year, VAIO and surf wear apparel brand Billabong decided to team up and do something fresh for the summer season ahead.
To kick off our new partnership, Billabong’s design team collaborated with us on a limited edition design for our favorite mini-laptop – the W Series. Inspired by a board short design (available 8/25), they came up with the Imperial Lime W Series (shown right) introduced in early June.
Following the launch of the new W Series, the VAIO team hit the road and headed up the 5 towards the bright lights of Los Angeles to support Billabong with their annual charity event – Design For Humanity. While at the event, we caught up with Billabong Design Director Rob McCarty and Alex Collins of Invisible Children for the stories behind their charity and the design of the new W Series. Check out video from the event including Sukhjit’s interviews with Rob and Alex here.
Now, with two big projects successfully behind us, our journey with Billabong continues. With summer in full swing, we’ve outfitted singer/surfer Donavon Frankenreiter with a new W Series so you can follow along as he travels up and down both coasts to perform live as well as teach the locals to surf like a pro.
Check out the most recent entry to his Mustache Manifesto below (you’ll love the surf lessons at the end) and be sure to stay tuned for even more video updates from Donavon.
We’ll also be tagging along with Billabong on both of their summer tours – the Billabong Aloha Days Retail Tour and the Billabong Transworld High Five Movie Tour.
The Aloha Days Tour will be making stops at local surf shops throughout Southern California. If you’re in the area, be sure to stop in to get autographs and tips from the pros, checkout Billabong’s latest line or play with the Imperial Lime W Series.
Feel like a movie instead? Check out TransWorld’s latest SURF movie High Five at any of the High Five movie tour stops. The VAIO team will be at select locations to say hi, answer questions, register you to win a new VAIO W Series and of course, watch the movie – we’ll even save you a seat. Check out the trailer and event dates below.
The Billabong and TransWorld High Five Movie Tour
Friaday, July 30th – La Paloma, Encinitas
Wednesday, August 4th – Ra Sushi, Huntington Beach (10:00 pm to Close)
Thursday, August 5th – US Open Premiere, Shoreline Hotel, Huntington Beach
Friday, August 13th – Quality Social, San Diego (8:00 pm)
Not planning on being in southern California anytime soon? Don’t worry. Be sure to follow us right here and on Facebook for updates and chances to win one of many Billabong board shorts or an Imperial Lime W Series. We know it’s a lot to take in so let us know if you have any questions by leaving a comment below.
As a tech nerd, one of the things I love most about my job is the constant exposure to new technology.
IBM and others sponsored a research project aimed at accelerating the discovery of a cure for smallpox.
