Saturday, September 27, 2008
Vehicles
Mitsubishi Plans Ferocious MMR25 Rally Racer for Year 2025
12:30PM Wilson Rothman | In the year 2025, a scant 17 years from now, all cars will be electric. But according to Mitsubishi’s entry into the LA Auto Show’s latest design challenge, some will even tear up the Salt Flats, looking like bionic insects with the cruelest of intentions. Each wheel of the proposed MMR25 Rally Racer gets eight little wheels for omnidirectional movement, and there’s no such thing as windshields in the future, replaced—naturally—by Star Trek tech. Here’s the run down, plus the sickest rendering of a non-existent product I have ever seen: More »
Hardware
SimpleTech Duo Pro: 4 Interfaces, 3 Terabytes, 2 Drives, 1 Happy Nerd
12:00PM Wilson Rothman | There are plenty of dual-hard-drive outboard storage systems on the market, but SimpleTech’s Duo Pro struck me as particularly brimming with awesomeness. It’s not a NAS—it’s totally local—but you have a choice of USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and 800, and eSATA, which clocks a max transfer speed of 3Gb per second. (That’s gigabits, not gigabytes.) You can naturally do RAID 0 or 1, and though the current options are a 1TB total for $US280, a 1.5TB total for $US420 and a 2TB version for $US550, you will be able to choose a 3TB config when the winter winds start to blow. Have a look at the back of this in the photo below the jump. [SimpleTech] More »
Gadgets
Apple Store Geniuses Might Actually Be Dunces
11:30AM Matt Buchanan | You’ve probably wondered what it takes to become a Genius at an Apple Store. I mean, they’re called Geniuses, and it’s Apple, and they only deal with Apple products, so they know them to the core, right? Well, in at least one Apple Store, not so much. MacBlogz’s Aviv went through the whole process of applying, which he has helpfully documented for us. After answering 17 out of 20 ridiculously easy technical questions correctly, he was offered the job for $US17 an hour (which you can see in the letter below). Because that made him not just a Genius, but a superstar. More »
Weapons
First Look at the XM25, the Most Lethal Army Gun Ever
11:00AM Jesus Diaz | Here’s the first look at the final version of the deadly XM25. We learnt this morning about the weapon’s destructive power, but now we have all the details, starting with the key for its destruction power, a built-in fire-control system that can program each of the weapon’s 25 millimeter rounds wirelessly, in real time, so soldiers can take down enemies around obstacles: More »
Toys
Micro 4-Channel R/C Flying Saucer Features Accelerometer For Supreme Control
10:30AM Sean Fallon | Not long after releasing their super-cheap 3-channel Black Stealth chopper, ThinkGeek is delivering a Micro 4-channel flying saucer with a built-in solid state accelerometer for control. Even if you have poor eyesight and fat, clumsy hands you can always switch on the “EZ button” backup that prevents maneuvers that may send the saucer out of control. A 20 minute charge will get you about 5-7 minutes of flight time, so the whole package seems pretty decent for $US100. [ThinkGeek via DVICE] More »
Online
Stuck at a Desk? Watch the Presidential Debate Online
10:15AM Wilson Rothman | Tonight at 9pm ET the first debate between John McCain and Barack Obama takes place. In the interest of keeping political discussion alive in America, here’s a link to CBS, where we know the debate will be streamed live, at least within the US. Here’s a link to NBC, which hosts much debate-related video, but doesn’t quite say outright that it’ll be streaming live. ABC also has a link to election coverage, but they don’t seem to say much about this streaming video thing at all. Watch, discuss, get excited or pissed off. If the network’s commentary is too vanilla-bean for your uppity self—or if your sorry arse is out of the country and blackballed from US video service—hit up Gawker’s liveblog of the debates. When you’ve had enough of democracy in action, come back here for your fill of Lego Millennium Falcons, boob-related iPhone apps and other timeless objets du awesome. [Gawker]
Entertainment
The Ninja Handbook Teaches You The Fine Art Of Making Ninja Jokes
10:00AM Jason Chen | Do you want to learn how to be a ninja? Find a time machine and transport yourself back to 8th century Japan. Alternatively, if you want to learn how to be a “ninja”, as in the type of ninja described in Ask a Ninja’s hilarious net video series, all you have to do is pick up the Ninja Handbook. It won’t teach you how to be a the type of ninja that can actually win a fight with a schoolgirl, but after reading at least a combined five pages of this book, we can safely say that it teaches you how to make ninja jokes for 326 pages. That’s even more impressive, in our minds. [The Ninja Handbook] More »
Software
Security Hole in Adobe Software Allows Free Movie Downloads
9:30AM Sean Fallon | An exploit has been uncovered in Adobe software that could be used to download free copies of movies and shows from Amazon’s Video on Demand service (and other similar services). Apparently, Adobe sacrificed a “a stringent security feature” that protects the connection between Adobe software and its players in order in increase download speeds. More »
Press
Pandora, Nearing Survival Deal, Gets New Threat From NAB
9:16AM Wilson Rothman | CNet earlier today broke a story about how the National Association of Broadcasters—traditional broadcasting conglomerates and others who think HD Radio is more vital than the internet—is trying to kill a brand new bill that could save Pandora and other web radio services. We’ve done some reporting of our own, and the situation does indeed seem dire. If you love your Pandora, here’s what’s going on, and how you can help save its very existence: More »
Software
