Monday, July 21, 2008
Gadgets
Concept Toast-Dropping Toaster is Real After All: The Trapdoor Toaster
11:30PM Kit Eaton | We gave the Nahamer T450 toaster concept design a big thumbs-up for its simplicity… but it turns out that there’s actually a real toast-dropping versus toast-popping machine. The Trapdoor Toaster does exactly what it sounds like it does. It’s a 1400W device, with auto-adjusting guide racks so it can do toast, bagels or pop-tart-style food. You simply slide in your food, and when it’s done it slips out the bottom, and elegantly onto your plate. Out now for US$79.95. [Hammacher Schlemmer] More »
Design
Star Wars Meets Classic Art
11:15PM Mark Wilson | Those Photoshoppers over at Worth 1000 decided to mash up Star Wars with some of the world’s most famous pieces of art (and we’re like 99% certain that it was meant as a joke). This remix of M.C. Escher’s famous Hand with Reflecting Sphere has to be the most brilliant, with traces of the Death Star looming in the background next to a Escher’s psychiatrist officesque workspace. For more reimagined pretentious college freshman art, hit the link. [Worth 1000 via digg] More »
Design
SUV Sculpture Unintentionally Sends the Wrong Message
10:24PM Mark Wilson | Constructed of 3500 parts, connected by 4,900 bolts and standing 112 feet in the air, this sculpture commissioned by Land Rover is certainly an idolatrous addition to the Festival of Speed. But, uhh, does anyone else see the piece as less a triumph and more an indicator of our inevitable future–one where SUVs are good for little else than standing proudly/uselessly on a scrapheap? [Gerry Judah via Core77] More »
Home
Faber Imago+: Now Even Your Cooker Hood Has a Webcam
9:49PM Kit Eaton | Faber’s Imago+ cooker hood seems like a glimpse into the near future where every available gizmo in your household is some kind of electronics-packed entertainment system. It’s first and foremost an extractor fan/filtration system that inhales the fumes from your cooking so you don’t have to (at 870 cubic meters per hour). But it’s actually loaded up with a multimedia PC too. More »
Gadgets
World’s First Tidal Turbine Power Station Goes Online, Doesn’t Blend Seals
9:09PM Kit Eaton | However exciting the rubber robot snake wave power generator sounds, a real seagoing power station is way more interesting. And over in the UK, they’ve just turned on the world’s first commercial tidal power generator station. SeaGen is situated in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, and it has twin turbines that spin as the tide rushes into and out of the lough at up to 8 knots. The moving seawater spins the turbines for around 20 hours each day and when it’s up to full operating capacity, SeaGen will be pushing out 1.2 megawatts of power, roughly enough to supply 1,000 homes. And since the revolution speed is only around 10 to 15 per minute, the blades shouldn’t offer a threat to sealife like the local common seals. Eco-friendliness all ’round. [Daily Mail] More »
Weapons
German Mini-Marines Deploy Mini-Tanks, Prepare to Invade Mini-Poland
8:58PM Jesus Diaz | I’m glad the Germans got rid of the funny moustaches, the kinky uniforms, and they are on our side now, because these mini-tanks and mini-trucks–which could be deployed inside standard transport helicopters–give a new meaning to the word blitzkrieg. They can be rolled out in any location in a matter of seconds, as this recent video shows. Apparently the trucks have not been very successful in actual use in Afghanistan, but the Wiesel 2 multi-role vehicles–developed by Porsche–have been very useful. More »
Software
New iPhone Unlock Tool Out, Fixes Bugs
7:49PM Jesus Diaz | If you had trouble jailbreaking and unlocking your iPhone 2.0 with Pwnage 2.0, there’s a new version out there that will make it even easier to free your iPhone, fixing some of the problems which were found in the previous version: More »
Phones
BlackBerry Storm to Get Visual Voicemail on Verizon
7:47PM Kit Eaton | We mentioned that there were rumors that Verizon was going to be bringing its own version of visual voicemail out sometime, and now there are further rumblings that this will include visual voicemail on the BlackBerry Storm. This makes the touchscreen, haptic-feedback smartphone sound even more like a real iPhone competitor, wouldn’t you say? [Electric Pig] More »
Robots
Robocup 2008 Droids Cooperate Like Real Soccer Team, With Fewer Hissy Fits
7:22PM Kit Eaton | Miniature humanoid robots are getting more impressive by the day: this video shows the Darmstadt Dribblers team in action in the recent 2008 Robocup. And if you notice, they’re really playing like proper autonomous soccer teams. It’s the first year that three on three playing action has happened, and thus required some nifty role negotiation and info exchange over wi-fi. That’s in addition to avoiding obstacles, finding the ball visually and trying to score goals. Ok, so that opposing team needs a better goalie, but at least watching this robotic version of the beautiful game means you get to see less diving and hissy fits at the referee. Impressive stuff, no? [YouTube.—Thanks Stefan] More »
Phones
