All this fighting about HD formats makes me wonder if the lot of you have forgotten about DVDs. Bittorrent aside, there are a lot of official ways to get video these days, high def discs and downloads. Even so, it’s worth reiterating that DVD is still my favorite way to go and will be for awhile. Here’s why:
The School Zone is one of those concepts that should become a reality pronto, if only to give you the illusion you are Pac-Man while crossing the street: loaded with LEDs (our favorite light sources,) School Zone can indicate how much time you have left to cross because they are networked with the traffic lights. The raised slabs, which act as speed bumps, are completely modular:
Did you know that most Japanese people can type faster on a mobile phone keypad than on a standard keyboard? This is not just because QWERTY is hard to use, but because the original Japanese keyboard configuration was actually much more complex and impossible to master than anything we can imagine. But even the most computer illiterate businessman knows where the ENTER key is, and that’s why it has quickly gone up the ranks as a national favourite. Favourited enough, in fact, to be worthy of becoming its very own phone strap.
This HDMI 1.3a cable supports deep color and has a mini signal repeater to allow the cable to be run up to 82-feet behind walls. Useful, if it works (it’s not powered). As we proved in our HDMI tests, like all DC current over straight wire, even digital video signals degrade over great distance. [Accell]
A few months ago, I happily wrote a post about Fuji camera’s continuing decision to build sensors with fewer megapixels in exchange for better light sensitivity. Apparently, that philosophy has not kept up. Proof: Old generation Fuji point and shoots like the F30/31 are going for more than double the original retail price on ebay ($450-$550!) as enthusiasts reject the newer F50 camera with double the MP and worse image quality in dim conditions. Is this true, or fan myth mania? [TheOnlinePhotographer]
While I try to quell thoughts of “Oh, the humanity,” take a look at another fanciful attempt to bring back the glory days of the Zeppelin airships. This one is called the Manned Cloud, and can fly fast enough to take a round trip around the globe in three days. The 1640-square-foot craft, whose French designers say could take to the skies in a year or so, will have 60 rooms and travel at a breakneck speed of 173mph. Since this behemoth gets its lift from helium, there’s not much danger of a fiery hydrogen explosion like that ill-fated Hindenburg, so we’re thinking it might be fun to float around the world in a luxo-hotel. Of all the ideas like this, maybe this one will be the one to actually fly. [Born Rich]
Toshiba and Sharp have announced a new partnership that will involve Toshiba purchasing 40% large LCD panels from Sharp, whilst Sharp shall purchase 50% of required semiconductors from Toshiba. [Daily Tech]
Our information gathering series plugs right on through the holiday season, but we are mixing things up a little. We want you guys to tell us which phone you think Santa uses, and why. It is obvious the big guy in red needs a constant, speedy communication line to Lapland; GPS is probably also a must, as finding your way to everyone’s house might be difficult; Bluetooth, a web browser and a full QWERTY may not be totally necessary, but who knows? We’re hoping you do.
