From mental_floss Blog:
I'm as big a fan of Christmas as the next person, but I'm wary of celebrating too much. I like a little eggnog, a few presents, a carol or two. But festive sweaters every day for a month, 10,000 watts of intricate lighting in your yard and holiday-themed s
The 133rd edition of the Carnival of Space is up at Next Big Future. You know what to do. Click there and read all the cool blog posts, I mean. I guess you probably really did know that already.
Apple's got the patent office working overtime again, this time with an application for a 3D display that rotates objects based on the relative position of the user.
According to the filing dug up by MacRumors, Apple's trying to bring a little hyper-reality to your monitor. Instead of using a keyboard or a click to move a 3D object, you'd simply have to move your head to manipulate the image. It sounds similar in concept to Johnny Chung Lee's heroic Wiimote hack that effectively turned your head into a mouse, though nothing in the Apple patent suggests you'd have to wear a sensor. Instead, a mounted camera would track your movements, and possibly also the environment around you.
The patent application also proposes incorporating the technology into 2D functions—like layering open applications—to provide a more intuitive, hands-free interface with your display for everyday tasks as well.
This isn't the first time Steve Jobs has explored a 3D solution, but with recent advancements like Natal and MIT's bidirectional display, it's more probable than ever that we'll see this—or something like it—come to fruition. [Apple Patent via MacRumors]
The NookDevs just got a full web browser up and running on the Nook, alongside Android Twitter/Facebook apps. At what point does the Nook cease to be an eBook reader and start to be something more? [Twitter via Android Guys]
Will consumers prefer a dedicated e-reader if a smart phone can do the same job almost as well? A teacher I know strongly wants an all-in-one portable device. Her dream is to have all electronics (cell phone, MP3 player) plus keys and subway pass integrated into one device. I hate tools that don't d
Hi everyone. I am trying to install semi rigid high-strength 5\16" nylon tubing on Ford duckbill fuel line connectors. They are the fittings with the barbed ends. I have tried heating the tubing in boiling water with very little success. I have also heated the nylon tube above open flame with better
The digital magazine battle royale has gone up a notch today, with the publishers of Popular Science magazine creating this beautifully graceful concept. Game on, Wired and Sports Illustrated, game on.
Publisher Bonnier has worked with design agency BERG to come up with the Mag+ tablet, which has the magazine pages run vertically, rather than on the next screen like we've always seen so far. It actually replicates the experience of reading a magazine really well, as pages can be flipped like you would with a normal magazine, and when you encounter an article you'd like to read, you scroll down to view it.
If this is the future for the magazine industry, suddenly I feel a lot more hopeful. [BERG via SlashGear]
Take a gander at the video of BERG talking through the concept here:
And video footage of the prototype here:
Mag+ (video prototype footage only) from Bonnier on Vimeo.
Why are the ratings of transformers in multiples of 11? eg- 66kv/33kv,33kv/11kv,etc.
This is absolutely crazy. There's a Swedish invasion at the Apple Campus in Cupertino, waiting for Steve Jobs to come. They are employees of the SVT TV channel—the Svenska equivalent to the BBC—broadcasting live now—to Sweden. Here's why:
Dear Steve Jobs,
We at SVT (the Swedish public service broadcaster) would like to ask you a favor. Below is a description of our SVT Play application. And to the right you can see all the Swedes who are eagerly awaiting its approval. So please Steve, hurry up and approve our app.
We have tried to simplify the approval process as much as possible for you. Just press the green button below and record a video of yourself saying "JA" (that's "yes" in Swedish, pronounced "yah").
Come on, Steve, Sweden is waiting. Say JA!
Sincerely,
SVT, Sweden
Apparently, it is not a joke. They want their video application—check out the video demo in the gallery—to be approved, and they figured out that this would be the fastest way to do it.
They are broadcasting live now. Yes, the Swedes are nuts, which is why I love them. [Dear Steve Jobs]
I love this quote from my Massachusetts senator who is here in Copenhagen (hat tip to the WWF Climate Blog):
There isn’t a nation on the planet where the evidence of the impacts of climate change isn’t mounting. Frankly, those who look for any excuse to continue challenging the science have a fundamental responsibility which they have never fulfilled: Prove us wrong or stand down. Prove that the pollution we put in the atmosphere is not having the harmful effect we know it is. Tell us where the gases go and what they do. Pony up one single, cogent, legitimate, scholarly analysis. Prove that the ocean isn’t actually rising; prove that the ice caps aren’t melting, that deserts aren’t expanding. And prove that human beings have nothing to do with any of it. And by the way — good luck!
Ladies and Gentlemen: Here in Copenhagen, now and forever, amateur hour is over. It’s time for science fact to trump science fiction.
Amen. These tough words are totally justified, especially in light of the new extremes that climate denialism has reached lately.
Honeycomb shape memory alloys cell size and shape relative to specimen size. And what is the effect of stress concentration?
Google's already said you'll need to buy a Chrome OS machine if you want it officially, but if TechCrunch's sources are right, they could be launching Google-branded hardware for the platform, much like they're doing with the Nexus One.
Sure, you may've already downloaded an early Chrome OS build on your current machine, but unless you want it to be your sole platform, and running just the way Google intended, then you'll need to buy the official hardware. Acer's stated its intent to be first with a product release, presumably at the tail-end of next year, but ASUS, HP, Lenovo and Toshiba are also involved in the Chrome OS project too.
A "request for proposal" has already been issued to potential suppliers, such as those mentioned above, supposedly listing the specifications Google would like to see in that first netbook. Google is believed to be working with just the one manufacturer, to build the ideal netbook. TechCrunch's sources are claiming they'll be 3G-embedded, and quite possibly subsidized by a carrier.
Michael Arrington, editorializing at this point, goes on to say that:
"I'd be willing to bet one of our writers' right hands that it's ARM [as opposed to an Intel Atom processor]. And I'd even go out on a limb and suggest that they may very well be targeting Nvidia's Tegra line."
Adobe, Freescale, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments are the other parties already working with on the Google Chrome OS project, so presumably the netbook will contain some components from them as well.
So, which company do we think Google will choose in this all-important talent show? Acer, ASUS, HP, Lenovo or Toshiba, or even someone else? ASUS obviously has strong heritage with netbooks, thanks to inventing the market for it back in 2007, but Acer launched the first Android-powered netbook. HP, Lenovo and Toshiba have all produced some solid netbooks in their time, but haven't quite measured up to Acer and ASUS' success just yet. [TechCrunch]
i mean what is the std formula for calculating utilisation factor.
Hi Guys, I live in the UK and trying to get some electronic components and circuit drawings is almost impossible. I am looking for a website for compatible components in the UK for instance sck054 thermistor AP2761I-A Mosfet Circuit drg for HP LCD 19" Monitor 1907W I have tried the stockists over he
More than a week after the truncated SpaceShipTwo rollout event at Mojave Air and Space Port, it’s increasingly clear that the decision to evacuate the event averted a disaster. Airport general manager Stu Witt described the evacuation to the Bakersfield Californian, saying he made the decision when he saw the wind lift up a corner of the giant main tent twice. “When I made the call it was calm,” he said. “People probably thought I was from outer space.” It did, though, turn out to be a wise decision, since it was only a little over a half-hour after the announcement that winds collapsed the giant tent. “I believe there are people living today because of the decisions made that night,” Kern County supervisor Jon McQuiston said.
Getting some people to evacuate was a challenge, since by that point the party was in full swing. Some people tried to get their coats and other items they had checked, only to be turned away by police and firefighters, the Tehachapi News reported Friday. Witt told the Bakersfield paper that one firefighter had to resort to his experience as a football lineman to “convince one gentleman to annul his marriage to the vodka bar.” But most were cooperative: “When the gentlemen with guns say you need to get out, people get the picture,” Kern County Deputy Fire Chief Mike Cody said.
Meanwhile, event organizers are responding to criticism that they had not properly prepared for this contingency. “We’ve heard, ‘You don’t know how to set up tents,’ since this happened,” Richard LoGuercio, owner of the company that supplied the tent, told BizBash, “but I’ve got guys in the back with 20 to 30 years experience. Am I embarrassed that this thing went down? Absolutely not.” The tent, valued at $200,000, was insured, he said.
The caterers of the event were thankful that they were able to salvage the food. “It was a proud moment to be able to shortly afterward tell Richard Branson that even though there was a lot of damage, we saved the food,” Janine Micucci of Along Came Mary, the event’s caterers, said. That food, she said, was then donated to the needy.
Does anyone know of humidity sensitive paint that change the colour when dry / humid.
It is / was often used on decorative items, Porcelain figures, ect.
The Blu-ray Disc Association has issued the official specifications for 3D Blu-ray, thankfully confirming that the discs will be backwards-compatible for when you tire of actors lunging out of the TV at you.
Making it easy for everyone to adopt 3D entertainment, good ol' Sony has worked it so that the PS3 will be able to play 3D Blu-ray discs, and the upcoming 3D players will be able to play 2D discs too. In regards to codecs, these discs will use Multiview Video Coding (or MVC), which is similar to the ITU-T H.264 AVC codec we use now, and will actually take up 50 per cent less space on the discs compared to 2D content.
Again clearing up any questions we may've had about 3D Blu-rays, the content will be full 1080p, so even though you're watching in 3D, the quality of the resolution won't be compromised. Expect to see some massive announcements from manufacturers and movie studios next month, including exactly what LG's going to sell in order to reach that 3.8m 3D TV units sold target. [BDA]
iPhone owners often feel they're part of a special club. A cult, non-members would say. As that club's grown very crowded recently, you may feel the need to join iWikiphone, a new community for iPhone users. UPDATE
As App Store reviews are often short, uninformative and seemingly populated by idiots, this social networking site could prove to be a much-needed platform for discussing which apps are worth downloading, and which to avoid. There's also an area called the App Farm, which lets users sound off their app ideas in case any uncreative developers are lurking. If it gets made, iWikiphone will award you with $500, which is a double-win for sure. [iWikiphone]
UPDATE: iWikiphone has exploded with traffic today, so the site's running a little slow until the servers can be tinkered with. Hold tight, it's worth waiting for.
With the catchiness of the name EeeBot, I'm surprised it's taken us this long to hear whispers of an ASUS robot.
ASUS will be working alongside the Taiwanese government to help spread the word on the benefits of Android, which the EeeBot would run on. ASUS has already proved its worth when developing low-cost products in its Eee range, but the cost of the robot will be subsidized by selling other services, such as apps, for it.
The potential of this project is huge—ASUS is the perfect hardware manufacturer to get involved in this, and it'd help breed a real apps ecosystem around the robot, which would hopefully benefit the phone OS flavor of Android too. Human-robot interaction, voice control, movement and navigation are all expected of these EeeBots, but with any luck the head honchos at ASUS have actually watched Battlestar Galactica before so we won't find ourselves in a similar situation.
Don't start putting aside money just yet for one of these EeeBots, as ASUS has already said it will take at least two years just to get to the stage of trialling the Eeebots. That's around enough time to start scoping out other planets to live on, just in case. [PC World]
Coming good on its promise, Sony's PlayStation Network Digital Comics service has launched, with PSP owners in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa able to download Marvel classics for as little as 99 cents.
Along with Marvel Entertainment comics, Disney, IDW Publishing, iVerse Media and several other publishers have supplied Sony with their wares, with 550 available today, including Iron Man, Spiderman, X-Men, Transformers and Archie.
Download them on your PSP over Wi-Fi, or on your PC and transfer over, with titles starting at 99 cents. Comic Book Guy is currently voicing his disgust all over the internet at the sacrilege of his prized Marvels. [PlayStation Comics]
