Sunday, March 2, 2008
Random Stuff
Visit the Apple Store, Get Laid
2:55PM Haroon Malik | Holy crap! Cosmopolitan Magazine—never mind why I was reading it—has just published an article saying the Apple Store is the hottest haunt to pick up dashing young chaps. That means hordes of the Cosmopolitan Magazine reading public are off to their local Apple Store to search for trendy geeks like you. It makes no sense to us either, but don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, lad. This may well blow your mind, but here’s the situation; you may get to talk to a hot girl. Shocking, we know. Checkout Cosmopolitan’s reasoning about the Apple Store after the jump. More »
Hardware
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale Processor Tested (Verdict: “Recommended”)
1:00PM Haroon Malik | The chaps over at Hot Hardware have put the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 processor, which belongs to the (45nm) Wolfdale line, through its paces, and they sure were impressed. From their extensive testing, the processor, intended for desktop machines and ideal for gaming especially, did not seem to make any massive changes on an architectural level, however, small adjustments had a great overall effect on performance. The 6MB of L2 cache brought an impressive speed boost, while the power consumption and heat production levels both fell. More »
Science
iCub Baby Robot to Undergo Developmental Training, Still Isn’t a Real Kid
12:00PM Haroon Malik | Those spiffing fellows at the University of Plymouth, UK are undertaking a research project involving a baby-bot named iCub, which will see the robot actually learn how to speak. The three-foot high robot will help researchers deduce how language is taught, but the further reaching impact of the study include the prospect of developing humanoid robots that can learn, think and talk. Sure, Steven Speilberg has already envisioned such a future, but how far off was he? More »
Cameras
Sigma DP1 First Grope
11:00AM Haroon Malik | The guys at Pop Photo have managed to get their hands all over the much-hyped Sigma DP1. Apparently, the DP1 has a build quality comparable to the solid Canon PowerShot G9, and the mega sensor monster does away with any fuss with regards to shooting options; you’ll find Manual, Auto, Aperture-priority, Program, and Shutter-priority modes for image capture, as well as QVGA video mode (320 x 240 @ 30fps) and an audio capture mode, but beyond that, there are absolutely no ludicrous scene selections to choose from. The chaps at Pop Photo found this a refreshing turn to minimalism, and we would have to agree. All in all, the hype is looking to be well founded. Checkout the full tear down by hitting the link. [Pop Photo] More »
Entertainment
Apple Falls 601 Movies Short of February Promise
9:31AM Mark Wilson | Macworld did some follow-up on a promise made by Apple in a press release from January’s keynote. In it, the company claimed: iTunes Movie Rentals launches today and will offer over 1,000 titles by the end of February, including over 100 titles in stunning high definition video with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound which users can rent directly from their widescreen TV using Apple TV. Now that February is over, a “Power Search” on iTunes reveals that only 399 rentals are available. More »
Gadgets
GROW Shingles Shame Leaves and Solar Panels
8:40AM Mark Wilson | While the future of solar technology seems to rest on nanotechnological innovation, these GROW panels by SMIT are fairly remarkable. Inspired by leaves, these tiny generators do one better than their biological counterparts, drawing power from the sun, but also capturing energy from the wind as they are jostled by the breeze. Developers currently showcasing the technology hope to sell modular kits through art/design resellers (as opposed to typical industrial outlets). Unfortunately, we’re guessing that this more accessible purchase will have a major price trade off. [SMIT via inhabitat] More »
Gadgets
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The Evolution of Dance Featuring Optimus Prime
7:51AM Mark Wilson | Since you are currently on the internet, it’s impossible for you to have missed Judson Laipply’s Evolution of Dance video. Here’s the Autobots’ version of the famous routine, featuring Mr. Prime himself. Something tells us that if Optimus Prime wasn’t real wasn’t currently in another galaxy, he would destroy this video’s creator. To see the original version, hit the jump. More »
Science
NASA Releases New Footage Of The Moon
5:00AM Mark Wilson | NASA has just released new imaging data from the moon’s south pole—the area they believe to be best suited for future landings and even colonisation. Gathered from a 70-metre radar dish, scientists assembled a precise topographical map of a 640 by 400 km area (we’re not certain how much of that we see here). In the first video (above), NASA recreated a day passing on that spot by adding shadow detail to their model. (It looks neat, we promise.) More »
Vehicles
Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid: First Planned HEV With Li-Ion Battery
5:00AM Haroon Malik | Sure, we have heard word of lithium ion batteries being possibly implemented in a Prius before, but Mercedes-Benz is going beyond concept speculation with its S400 BlueHybrid, which promises Li-ion HEV action to be hitting the production lines by 2009. At present, that makes the S400 BlueHybrid the first Li-ion HEV with a set mass-production time frame. More »
Gadgets
