Thursday, April 26, 2007
Geologists in Serbia have uncovered a mineral unlike any seen before. Unsure of what it was, they did some research and discovered that the mineral is actually Kryptonite. Kryptonite isn't science fiction after all. The chemical properties of this mineral are the same as the green crystal that could bring Super Man to his knees.
This mineral however, is not green. It is white and powdery. The mineral, to be named Jadarite, will go on show at the London's Natural History Museum at certain times of the day on Wednesday, April 25, and Sunday, May 13. Now you have to ask yourself - does Super Man exist?
Read more.
Labels: Science
Remember that alarm clock that goes off and runs away from you? Here's a more "natural" way to wake up. The Glo Pillow will allow you to sleep peacefully without being abruptly disturbed by some screeching alarm. 45 minutes before your alarm is set to go off, the pillow begins emitting a soft glow. The glow gradually increases over the 45 minutes to simulate the sun rise. Once the 45 minutes is up, the light should be intense enough to wake your beautiful self from your sweet dreams. Using light rather than sound to wake encourages the body to establish a healthy sleep rhythm. This pillow is just a concept design, but it's kinda cool anyway.
More here.
Labels: technology
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Once they find out if this new planet is really habitable, how long before we move there? Seriously, and can everyone move there or just the people who vow to keep it a safe environment? Will it be a world of only solor powered mechanisms, hybrid cars and windmills?
I think it's pretty darn cool. Yes. And confirms that there is much about our vast universe that we have yet to discover. You never know what will happen. I doubt anyone ever thought someone would walk on the moon. But impossible things happen everyday now don't they?
Read the full article at CBS News.
And here's a link to Astronomy & Astrophysics
I think it's pretty darn cool. Yes. And confirms that there is much about our vast universe that we have yet to discover. You never know what will happen. I doubt anyone ever thought someone would walk on the moon. But impossible things happen everyday now don't they?
Read the full article at CBS News.
And here's a link to Astronomy & Astrophysics
Labels: space
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
So this weekend I made use of Google maps to help me get to a friends house in NJ. This got me thinking..how do I get to Paris? Yes - Paris, France. I know just where to get my answer too! Maps.google.com. Mr. Google, please show me how to get from New York City to Paris, France. The answer I do believe, will amuse you.
Looky.
Oh yes it does exist!For less than $9 you can have your very own dashboard ninjas.
They let out the aggression for you while you drive.
Who needs a bobble head or a hula girl when you can have fighting ninjas practicing their skills during your ride home? I'm telling you, it's a freaking sensation!
Labels: funny
Monday, April 23, 2007
Just when you think you've seen it all..you read about Clocky.
The summary is:
"Clocky is the alarm clock that runs away to get you out of bed. Clocky gives you one chance to get up. But if you snooze, Clocky will jump off of your nightstand and wheel around your room looking for a place to hide. Clocky is kind of like a misbehaving pet, only he will get up at the right time."I'm really not sure I should ever own one of these things. I hit the snooze button quite often and if my clock jumped off, blaring its alarm from some hidden corner...well that would not be a good morning. In fact, I think it would successfully impair me for the remainder of the day.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
"What if your photo collection was an entry point into the world, like a wormhole that you could jump through and explore..."
Photosynth will wow you. Some brilliant minds at the Microsoft Live Labs have figured out a way to arrange 2D images taken from digital cameras and create a 3D environment. This Photosynth program intelligently organizes the data from a collection of images (of the same scene) and compiles a beautiful 3D image. Imagine being able to "walk through" you photos as if you were there again? And zooming is cool too - only the data that is required to display the current view is used, which means two images of the same subject taken at different distances will not be displayed at the same time. Also, while looking at the entire collection, you can see where each image was placed to create the final compilation. You can save and share your collections as well. The system requirements aren't too bad: Windows XP SP2, 1 GB RAM, and a video card with at least 128 MB RAM and DirectX 9. This is quite an exciting technology, and I think you should check it out here.
Labels: Microsoft, photography, technology
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Coming to you through me, but from Bitt Box because that site RAWKS!
25 Reasons You Might Be A Hardcore Graphic/Web Designer
(In no particular order)
1. You've almost rear-ended the car in front of you because you were analyzing a font on a billboard.
2. You get pissed when a free Photoshop brush you download is less than 1000px in size.
3. You'd rather study the paisley pattern on your boyfriend/girlfriend's shirt than listen to what he/she has to say.
4. You can use keyboard shortcuts at light speed, blindfolded, but you can't type a paragraph of text without staring at the keyboard.
5. You've had "Software Nightmares," when you've been working way too much.
6. You consider meals interruptions.
7. You've learned your lesson and stopped using the word "final" in any file name when saving.
8. You clean your keyboard more often than you wash your car.
9. You've intentionally given up trying to explain your projects to non-designers.
10. You see CMYK and RGB like Neo sees the Matrix.
11. You'd rather organize your desktop than your sock drawer.
12. When you heard that Adobe was acquiring Macromedia, you had a Design Orgasm.
13. When you look at Album art all you see are grunge Photoshop Brushes. (Then you see the album art a couple minutes later)
14. You've Photoshopped out a watermark for a comp or mock-up.
15. You've actually $paid for a font.
16. You've totally slaughtered a great design concept because the client thinks he/she knows best. (everyone thinks they are a designer)
17. The amount of words you've written with a sharpie labeling burned discs total more than the amount of words you've read in novels.
18. You've had to explain to a client that a layered file wasn't part of the deal.
19. You've kept a ragged concert ticket just so you could scan it.
20. You've nicknamed the OSX spinning wheel. (and not affectionately)
21. You bookmark a resource more often than you have a fun night out on the town.
22. You've intentionally overbid a project because you can sniff out a bad client from a mile away.
23. You can't go to a restaurant without secretly critiquing the menu design.
24. You have an amazingly huge font collection, and an amazingly short temper.
25. If you had a penny for every mouse click, you would have been a trillionaire 3 years ago.
25 Reasons You Might Be A Hardcore Graphic/Web Designer
(In no particular order)
1. You've almost rear-ended the car in front of you because you were analyzing a font on a billboard.
2. You get pissed when a free Photoshop brush you download is less than 1000px in size.
3. You'd rather study the paisley pattern on your boyfriend/girlfriend's shirt than listen to what he/she has to say.
4. You can use keyboard shortcuts at light speed, blindfolded, but you can't type a paragraph of text without staring at the keyboard.
5. You've had "Software Nightmares," when you've been working way too much.
6. You consider meals interruptions.
7. You've learned your lesson and stopped using the word "final" in any file name when saving.
8. You clean your keyboard more often than you wash your car.
9. You've intentionally given up trying to explain your projects to non-designers.
10. You see CMYK and RGB like Neo sees the Matrix.
11. You'd rather organize your desktop than your sock drawer.
12. When you heard that Adobe was acquiring Macromedia, you had a Design Orgasm.
13. When you look at Album art all you see are grunge Photoshop Brushes. (Then you see the album art a couple minutes later)
14. You've Photoshopped out a watermark for a comp or mock-up.
15. You've actually $paid for a font.
16. You've totally slaughtered a great design concept because the client thinks he/she knows best. (everyone thinks they are a designer)
17. The amount of words you've written with a sharpie labeling burned discs total more than the amount of words you've read in novels.
18. You've had to explain to a client that a layered file wasn't part of the deal.
19. You've kept a ragged concert ticket just so you could scan it.
20. You've nicknamed the OSX spinning wheel. (and not affectionately)
21. You bookmark a resource more often than you have a fun night out on the town.
22. You've intentionally overbid a project because you can sniff out a bad client from a mile away.
23. You can't go to a restaurant without secretly critiquing the menu design.
24. You have an amazingly huge font collection, and an amazingly short temper.
25. If you had a penny for every mouse click, you would have been a trillionaire 3 years ago.
Labels: funny
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Firefox has yet another fun new extension and this one promises to make Gmail even better. I'll pause for the ooohs and ahhhs.
**pausing**
So, the extension is called...wait for it...Better Gmail. And it adds new features and macros to make your Gmail experience more wholesome. =o) Now you will have a choice in label colors, attachment reminders, keyboard shortcuts, filter assistants and it links together Google Reader with your inbox. Aw man, further proof that Google is indeed taking over the world one RSS feed at a time.
If you want to get the extension check out Lifehacker.com for all of the details.
**pausing**
So, the extension is called...wait for it...Better Gmail. And it adds new features and macros to make your Gmail experience more wholesome. =o) Now you will have a choice in label colors, attachment reminders, keyboard shortcuts, filter assistants and it links together Google Reader with your inbox. Aw man, further proof that Google is indeed taking over the world one RSS feed at a time.
If you want to get the extension check out Lifehacker.com for all of the details.
Labels: web
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Technology is great - especially for the music industry. The Internet has brought a new hope to up and coming musicians - particularly webcasts and internet radio. Starting May 15, US webcasters will face sharp rises in royalty fees that could render a "fatal" blow to the industry. The increases will eventually charge royalties every time an online listener hears a song.
"If these rates stand... I believe we'll see a virtual shutdown all of US webcasting," wrote Kurt Hanson, CEO of AccuRadio. "That will be bad for listeners, webcasters, musicians, and the record industry alike." It would appear that this particular hike in rates will be a great burden on the shoulders of the already low revenue generating radio stations. Those on the other side of the argument claim that it will allow musicians to earn more money for getting air time.
From what I've read, this doesn't exactly look like the best thing for artists themselves - especially if stations can't stay alive.
You can read more here.
A campaign called SaveNetRadio.org has now been set up to pressure Congress to resolve the problem and "create an environment where Internet radio, and the millions of artists it features, can continue to grow for generations to come."
Labels: music, technology
Google is releasing a tool called Claim Your Content. What is it? It's a copyright protection tool which will enable big angry corporations like Viacom to yank content off of YouTube (no more South Park clips). Supposedly these companies such as NHL, NBA, Viacom etc. will be able to log in and remove video they feel is infringing copyrights. How will they find it? The tool will accompany all posted video (and allow them to search for the tags and yank away?). Very cool for them, not very cool for you. I don't know about you, but ever since YouTube went mainstream it's just not as fun anymore.
Read More.
Labels: technology
Monday, April 16, 2007
This was found written on the back of a business card. I wish the picture said which company's card it was from...so funny.
Labels: funny
Microsoft has been buying up fuel cells from a company called Medis Technologies. What does this mean? There's no official word yet about what Microsoft plans to do with them. Whether they plan to integrate fuel cells into their product line or whether the company is just buying fuel cells to test them out isn't clear. The Zune, however, is a likely candidate for fuel cell technology. MP3 players do not consume much power and can operate independently on fuel cells.
I never thought about using fuel cells in any technology besides automobiles. It makes just as much sense to use them in dozens of other electronics though. Imagine these cells in flashlights, radios, cameras or my wireless keyboard so that I won't have to change the batteries so often. Fuel cell phone prototypes also exist. Fuel cells for running larger devices, such as laptops, can require additional components such as pumps (not so convenient). So there you have it - fuel cells - they aren't bad you know.
I never thought about using fuel cells in any technology besides automobiles. It makes just as much sense to use them in dozens of other electronics though. Imagine these cells in flashlights, radios, cameras or my wireless keyboard so that I won't have to change the batteries so often. Fuel cell phone prototypes also exist. Fuel cells for running larger devices, such as laptops, can require additional components such as pumps (not so convenient). So there you have it - fuel cells - they aren't bad you know.
Labels: technology
The Metro Notebook. Here's a concept by Intel. A notebook that is under 1 inch thick and very light. It's designed to be carried over the shoulder, like a bag - and has an external e-Ink display to quickly view email your calendar or even eBooks! The screen is even active when the power is turned off. A cool looking cover will not only provide some protection to the notebook itself, but will provide that e-Ink display with power. The Metro Notebook is designed for on the go - wireless communications with an antennae which can be switched between Bluetooth, WiFi, and WiMax. Intel also hopes to ship the item enabled to charge your cellphone and other devices wirelessly through a charge pad..amazing!
Read More.
Labels: Computers
Sunday, April 15, 2007
This one is for you Mike. I know you love your iPod docks, haha. But now look, you can design your own iPod decorations!I don't own an iPod...gasp...and I doubt I ever will. So I had no idea you can buy iPod stickers to decorate the expensive little music storage gadget. And why would you put stickers on a $300 piece of equipment...I really don't know.
But apparently the stickers aren't always very attractive.
So The People's Media Company wrote an article on how to design your very own iPod sticker. I hate to have to direct you to their sponsor-filled and very backwards looking website, but you can read the article here.
How to Make Your Own iPod Skins
Labels: Gadgets
Friday, April 13, 2007
Here it is folks! It's the USB gadget we've been waiting for. It's the super cool and ultra compact USB..MEMO HOLDER. *clears throat* Um, it lights up when a note is inserted. So if you forget that you have a memo, you'll look at the memo holder and see that it is lit up - signifying that you have a pending memo. You can use as a USB extender too. Yes!USB Memo Holder.
Labels: Gadgets
Virus Alert! The Internet Storm Center has issued a storm watch for all members of the online community. At least 20,000 cases have been reported and thousands more are expected throughout the area. The Storm Worm will arrive in a password-protected ZIP file with the password contained in a GIF file in the body of the e-mail. The subject line may contain, "Worm Alert!" or "Trojan Detected!" The GIF filename may read "UrgentNotice.gif" or "AbuseReport.gif." And the ZIP file name may be similar to "patch-####.zip" or "removal-####.zip." To prevent any damage from the Storm, simply do not open any email that informs you that you have a virus..ever. And since you weren't aware of an Internet Storm Center - Click here.
It would appear that some folks at Stanford University would like to change the structure of the Internet. By change the structure, I mean..scrap it all and start over. Is the Internet perfect? Nope, not at all. It sounds ludacris doesn't it? "The proposed program will focus on unconventional, bold, and long-term research that tries to break the network's ossification. To this end, the research program can be characterized by two research questions: 'With what we know today, if we were to start again with a clean slate, how would we design a global communications infrastructure?', and 'How should the Internet look in 15 years?'"I'd say that the Internet as we know it is definately an amazing collaberation of technologies. Apparently upgrading the infrastructure of the internet piece by piece is not good enough, and will only work in the short-term as the internet expands at incredible speed. But from what I have read about Stanford's proposal, I just cannot imagine reconfiguring the Internet from a clean slate. Despite the fact that I cannot imagine this change coming to fruition, I do understand the importance of a carefully planned and intelligently organized network. The Internet is indeed a sloppy mesh of hastily placed technology, and now is a good a time as ever to fix what we can before it's unimaginable.
Read More.
Labels: technology
Thursday, April 12, 2007
So the biggest news today in the tech world came from Apple. What have they done now? Apparently they are pushing the release of the next OSX - Jaguar - to October. Mr. Jobs has moved some key engineers from the Mac OS team over to work on the iPhone in order to complete it on schedule. The iPhone contains "the most sophisticated software ever shipped on a mobile device, and finishing it on time has not come without a price," Apple said in a statement. The iPhone is expected to ship in June. It's pretty amazing to see Apple pull away from their claim to fame OS. Delays happen, but perhaps this is a sign of what we can expect from Apple in the future - a trend that flows away from heavy focus on Mac OS and more towards hip and trendy gadgets.
iPhone.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Hey, this is cool. The Esla Telebit TV Tuner is an SD card with a digital TV tuner. So it looks like you'll be able to insert it into a variety of devices which can display video and accept SD cards - PDAs or laptops perhaps. It's going on sale in Japan at around $110. There are plans to market it around the world. It won't pick up regular TV waves, but a signal which delivers video designed for this type of card. Needless to say, "they" are still working on standards for delivering the video. I'd buy one though!
More Reading.
Are you tired of hiding your iPod in your pocket and wearing little white ear buds? Pockets and armbands are for sissies. Now you can show off your unique taste and style and roll out with a these extra large iWalk headphones. There's nothing like going for a jog with 5 pounds of Apple goodness strapped over your head. 99 million more iPod gadgets to go!
Product info.
Labels: technology
Have you ever wanted the ability to Punch, Power Punch, Double Power Punch, Block, Power Block, Double Power Block, Heal, throw up a Force Field, and Overheat? Well now you can with the Mazu Kan: Two Player Invisible Fighting Game. It's like a video game..but real. Whoa!
Mazu Kan is a two-player, superhero(ine) training, virtual fighting simulation. By squeezing the palm button and punching the air, you will send an attack toward your foe. If they do not block, you score a hit and their chest unit vibrates. You can play beginner or advanced mode, depending on your l33t skills. Go get'em tiger.
Product Page
Awesome. Very-PC, a UK based company will try to market servers that are submerged in oil. According to Very-PC, submerging computer chips in oil could make them more efficient. Oil actually doesn't affect the electrical components of a computer. "It is possible to cut power consumption in half," says managing director Peter Hopton. "You don't need to drive inefficient fans, or the usual air conditioning."
Radical indeed - I don't doubt the efficiency of the technology, but I can't imagine walking into a server room full of Bacta Tanks. Have fun swapping out hardware.
Read More.
Radical indeed - I don't doubt the efficiency of the technology, but I can't imagine walking into a server room full of Bacta Tanks. Have fun swapping out hardware.
Read More.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
If you haven't heard already, Apple has sold 100 million iPods since it was introduced 5 and a half years ago. Over 10 models of the iPod have been designed since then - incliding the mini, shuffle and nano. So now people are asking "can they sell 100 million more?." I don't know, but I do know this - I can't wait to see 100 million more iPod dock designs.
Labels: technology
Everyone has a spray product these days. Deodorant, fake butter..computers? Scottish scientists have created a computer so small - you spray it on. Once applied, these nanocomputers will create networks that can be programmed like ordinary computers. Each speck will be autonomous, with its own captive, renewable energy source. How will it be used? Spritz a patient to monitor pulse and muscle movement. Perhaps combat medics will equip travel size versions. "You can do lots of interesting things with this technology. We are seeing this kind of technology in the Nintendo Wii and this is a very, very primitive form of what we will be demonstrating on Friday." The Spray 'n Go Computer - very cool.
Read more here.
And here.
Read more here.
And here.
Labels: Computer Science
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