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Our Plan For Landing On An Asteroid
Posted by Seamus Byrne at 11:54 PM on July 30, 2007
FACT: An asteroid will one day kill us all. That's why NASA asked a 3D imaging company named DigitalSpace Commons to simulate a landing on an asteroid with modified spacecraft, pictured here. I'm partial to the production levels of Armageddon, but we're guessing this simulation is a bit more accurate. We still recommend NASA brings along Bruce Willis because, as we all know, someone will need to stay to detonate the bomb. It's just the way these things work out. [DigitalSpace Commons via cnet]
We've noticed small red cameras up on the top of 
In case you missed it, 
Let's have a round of applaws (oh dear) and some stroky-stroky for Mr Lee, the world's foremost cat photographer. His owner, South Carolina resident Jurgen Perthold, was curious as to what Mr Lee got up to during the day. So he rigged up a shock-, scratch-, water- and theft-resistant camera, slung it round Mr Lee's neck and sent him off to hunt voles. Turns out he's pretty good at taking pics - as the gallery shows, after the jump.
Samsung today announced its new i85 camera too, which includes a personal media player to really make use of its big 3" touchscreen LCD. The camera itself is an 8 megapixel with a 5x optical zoom lens and face recognition technology which automatically focuses on any faces that are in shot. The i85 will retail at $349 and should be appearing at the end of August. [
Samsung has unveiled three new models in their NV range today; the NV8 8-megapixel, the NV15 10-megapixel and the NV20 12-megapixel. They all feature the company's Smart Touch system, which wouldn't be out of place in a fighter plane. Or judging by its sleek looks, in a TIE Interceptor. More details after the jump.
iPod-compatible boombox bags are two-a-penny these days, but Fred Flare's tote is less hideous than a lot of the current speaker-bag combos that are around at the moment. Paying hommage to the vinyl 'n' crappy plastic turntable age, (no doubt you get an authentic tinny sound from the speakers) the bag runs on four AA batteries, and is compatible with MP3 players and mobiles. The only drawback is that, at just 12 inches wide, you'd be hard pressed to fit all your beach gear into it without a serious tussle. [
Ford Sync is a new system developed by Ford and Microsoft that aims to fully integrate your MP3 player, cell phone and car computer with a speech recognition system. You will be able to climb into your SUV and say, 'Play artist Cliff Richards', and the annoying old timer will start blaring out of your speakers. It can even read out your text messages for you in an old-skool synthesised voice, which even understands lazy abbreviations like GR8. Jump to see it in action on a video featuring the action movie guy voice over.
This toy is shaped like a row of books, and includes a sensor that triggers spooky noises and pushes out one of the books when someone walks past. It might fool someone, although I think that old-style binding may scream in-between all those O'Reilly books on programming. [
The new Panasonic HDC-SX5 may be less sexy than the 
Panasonic is claiming today the light-weight world title for the smallest 3CCD Full HD camera with their HDC-SD5. Looking at its 2.6 x 2.6 x 5.3-inch 0.75-pound package, it seems they may be right. In any case, coupled with its 1,920 x 1,080 30fps recording on SD or SDHC cards, revamped image stabilization system and Leica Dicomar lenses, the HDC-SD5 is one of the sexiest camcorders in a while. Full specs and price after the jump.
We heard 
Microsoft's Windows Live Local armada is striking back against 
Good Morning Giz AU! Nice to be home. Thanks a truckload to Jenneth for holding the fort last week, too. Hope you all took something from having a woman around the place for a while. And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming...
Etruk has devised a method to produce biodiesel within the comfort of your own home, using their Home Biodiesel Processing Plant. The unit utilises biological sources such as vegetable oil to produce the sustainable energy source. The benefits of making biodiesel at home primarily lie in the sustainability of the fuel source and the monetary savings it confers.
If you have problems displaying just how much you love the Transformers then get yourself one of these rings. Two types will be made—Destron or Cybertron varieties—and they are strictly limited edition with only 50 being made each. At $185, the money is a small asking price to pay to show your true robot emotions.
All you have to do now is take off any worthless rings you are wearing, (wedding rings etc), and pledge your true allegiance where it matters. Be warned you shall have to repress your excitement; pre-orders are being accepted now, but shipment should not be before next month. To contain yourself in the meantime you could host a Transformer themed party, or have a wet dream about Optimus Prime. The guilty feelings following the second experience would have me advise the first suggestion. Not that I've experienced either, of course. [
The Blow Ta Lamp is a striking design from Studio Italia Design—a lamp magically encapsulated within a glass bubble. The directional controls are executed via a magnet on the outer surface of the glass case and the power is supplied via a 12V lamp head. At $1200 the price of chic design is not cheap, but if you are in the field for contemporary art as furniture, it isn't too dear either.
The Tivo HD is the product were waiting for but beginning to doubt. Because Tivo's Series 3 model successfully brought HD to the platform, but at a price reserved for high-end home theaters. So when news of the $299 Tivo HD broke, we were elated.
But how does it perform? Hit the jump for our Frankenreview: a promised consensus, once and for all, on whether or not the new Tivo HD is pants-worthy.
Nanopoint has come up with a genuine scientific breakthrough that is set to revolutionise research and medical diagnosis in a flash. The hype surrounds Nanopoint's cellTRAY, IDSA's 2007 Gold Winner in the medical category, which allows scientists to image living cells on a slide for the very first time.
The technology is a standard microscope slide with a twist; it incorporates an incubator to sustain the life of cells encapsulated within it. The viewable area is split into 7, 614 wells, containing a liquid medium. The wells are linked by a micro fluidic channel system that is able to supply nutrients, reagents and remove toxic wastes that build up.
The Ikea in Oslo is opening up a free hostel for shoppers who want to continue the clusterfuck that is the Ikea shopping experience for day two. 30 participants will get free dinner, breakfast and the joy of sleeping on dormitory-style beds. Plus, shoppers keep the sheets (good call), a bathrobe and slippers, too. For those who area looking for a more romantic getaway, Ikea is happy to oblige...
Atari's Pong is stealing our quarters once again, recently approved for use in a slot machine made by Bally: "Bally Pong." A cabinet decorated with chrome fixtures and retro fonts will be a pretty standard 5-line slot, though featuring two knobs for the 1-in-70 occurrence of a 45-second Pong minigame. And while earnings at this point are "skill based," will expert Pongers see a real payout advantage?
The guys over at Fogonazos have compiled a list of the 'Top 10 Best Spacewalks in History' and the images are absolutely stunning. The pictures are so inch perfect we thought they were photo-shopped; amazingly, they are all genuine.
