“Word Lens” Lets You Translate Signs in Real-Time!

With “Word Lens” (link to iOS app)  you can literally point your phone at a sign and get it translated to english in REAL-TIME!  I was skeptical at first but after seeing the app was free for a limited time I had to check it out. If you’re planning on traveling overseas (Europe/Russia) in the near future you need to get this app.  Very cool use of technology and an indispensable tool for those not familiar with the native language of the country they’re visiting.

Currently the following add-on languages are available (and they’re free to):

  • English ⇆ Russian
  • English ⇆ Portuguese
  • English ⇆ German
  • English ⇆ Italian
  • English ⇆ French
  • English ⇆ Spanish

I just read that Google has bought the company called Quest Visual (not surprising).  It’ll be interesting to see what they do with it going forward (it’s already been ported to Google Glass).

Washington Monument Repair – Time-Lapse Style

When 5.8 earthquake hit the DC Area in August of 2011 the icon of Washington had to close due to structural damage.  After over a year of repairs the Washington Monument is finally open again for people to tour and view the city from an interesting vantage point.

This 80-second time-lapse from EarthCam is pretty amazing.  It’s interesting to see the color difference near the bottom of the monument appears more pronounced now than before.

Suspect Picks a Ford “Escape” to Make a Break For It

Interesting morning in Indianapolis.  Got an alert from the WTHR app & turned on the scanner.  Police report this guy was hitting 120 mph on the interstate (although according to TopSpeed.com the limit is estimated at 108 mph).  Luckily no one was seriously injured when he blew the intersection and T-Boned another motorist, throwing that car on the sidewalk and striking a cyclist.

From WTHR – Indiana Metro Police have identified a man arrested Thursday morning after a high-speed chase that ended in a crash in downtown Indianapolis… [MORE]

13 WTHR Indianapolis