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CNN reports that General Electric has created a giant OLED panel printer to be specifically used for lighting. The "semi-trailer" sized machine prints out thin layers of flexible plastic, covers them with chemicals, and seals them with foil, so they'll glow a frosty blue-white if an electrical current is applied. But these OLED sheets aren't exactly lightbulb substitutes.
New MacBooks, MacBook Pros, and probably an updated MacBook Air are coming up next week, at the Apple MacBook 2008 event. The MacBook and MacBook Pro are long due for a case redesign but, beyond that, little is known for sure. Here we have collected all the pieces of information we have about them. All the facts, the logical rumours, and the crazy ones, which we will keep updating through the coming days until the MacBook Event liveblog kicks off.
CityWall has been around for a little bit now, offering a giant multitouch display of maps and other service-oriented features. But now the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology just launched their new 3D UI for the interactive display, which makes it look super futuristic and awesome. While not actually 3D in the physical sense, the UI is fully rendered in 3D. As the video below shows, groups of files are represented as spheres, which can be manipulated in every which way. You can even look at the photo thumbnails inside the sphere "from behind." Though the demo is thin, it shows some really interesting ideas at play. [CityWall via Crave]
Microsoft is planning to reduce the number of annoying warning popups appearing in Windows 7. Also known as user account control prompts, these things are proven to all too often either lull us into a robotic state of acceptance (clicking "yes" without reading) or a more active state of wrath. (YES, you stupid computer, I do want to install the Adobe suite that just cost me a month's salary!) The reason Windows programmers are able to reduce the warnings is funny: Most of them come from Windows itself.
Just a few days after its TV anniversary, and in time for the new Star Trek movie, YouTube is now airing a bunch of full episodes of Star Trek. According to them, this is just the beginning:
I threw away two batteries yesterday. I know, I know—it's almost the same as chopping down like five old-growth oak trees or something, but it was just so damn easy. And what else are you gonna do with dead batteries? That's exactly why I am jazzed about this Energy Seed concept by Sungwoo Park. You collect all the batteries that no longer power your digital cameras, baby toys and TV remotes, and you deposit them in the base of this lamp. The lamp then glows, because even a mostly spent battery will be able to power an ultra-efficient light source.
This remote-controlled Lego Mindstorms NXT Fat Boy bike is cute and stylised enough to guarantee a post on its own. But when you see that the actual controller is shaped like the handles of a real motor bike, then it's just not a matter of writing about it or not. It's a matter of taking a plane to Germany and stealing it.
If you have a new 4th-gen nano and a decent ear, you may have noticed something funny: After putting it to sleep, if you wake it up by inserting headphones, the left and right channels switch. I tried this with the most obvious stereo mix of all time, David Bowie's "Space Oddity," and it's really easy to duplicate yourself. While it's easy to correct, it's still definitely a weird, weird bug. Thanks to reader Matt for bringing it to our attention, and posting a thread at iLounge. Have you noticed it or any other weird glitches, like Genius' pathological avoidance of the lovely Norah Jones? (I'm serious, try it!)
A Brazilian artist named Vivian Caccuri has put together an installation that uses the movements of live fish to remix the music played on an MP3 player. These fish are tracked using a proximity sensor and their activities trigger adjustments in processing levels, distortion and speaker fade to create a unique sound. Sure, it is about as pointless as snails being used to send email, but it is definitely relaxing to watch. [Vivian Caccuri via Crave]
Researchers are using a technique called simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM) to develop helmets that rescue workers can use to navigate through heavy smoke. The helmet features an infrared laser scanner and software that bounces signals off walls and uses that data to create a map of the surrounding area.
The Life Clock from Jinsei Tokei is kind of like a Tamagotchi for adults—but instead of caring for it, the little guy living inside this box mimics your lifestyle. Well...sort of. You see, you can choose between three characters: a salaryman, a schoolgirl or a rock star. It gets up when your alarm goes off and it goes back to sleep when you set it at night. In-between that time it will do things like eat, shop and go out on dates. It will even cook if you use it as a kitchen timer. So, this is really a model of how to to live your life. You know—earn a little money, eat 3 square meals a day, find yourself a nice girl and do it all with a strict punctuality. Available for $US55. [Japan Trend Shop via TRFJ]
At face value, "1080p high definition" means 1920×1080 pixels presented progressive scan (all at once). But if a clip is 1080p that alone doesn't necessitate that it will look good. Just as you can stretch a thumbnail in Photoshop to any gargantuan size you like, so too can content providers give you ugly 1080p.
Today, only seasoned, rated pilots are allowed to step behind the controls of an armed Predator or Reaper drone. However, the Defence Department is planning to change all that by fitting their low-flying Shadow counterparts with precision weapons. Currently Shadow drones function primarily as an intelligence asset—hunting down and collecting information on potential targets. They are also much lighter, smaller and cheaper than Predators or Reapers—which is why the Air Force felt comfortable allowing the most junior officers to pilot missions.
So, Guitar Hero: World Tour is set to drop on the 26th. That is all well and good if you are a fan, but the last time I checked, record labels were not handing out millions of dollars to Guitar Hero virtuosos so they could tour the world and score with groupies. The only way that is going to happen is if you learn how to play a real instrument and get yourself on stage. That is where the following gadgets can help.
It's got to be tough distinguishing your scrap yard (a big lot filled with junk) from a competitor's scrap yard (another big lot filled with junk). But one Chinese entrepreneur from the Zhejiang province had a plan to promote his particular pile of junk as something special. He'd build full scale Autobot sculptures. While it's tough to find fault with any of the work, his best is definitely this converted BMW 7-Series. And until a free shiny red semi pulls into town, it'll probably stay that way. [China Car Times via Jalopnik]
Besides just looking a lot snazzier, the New Xbox Experience uses a whole new foundation that's server-based rather than sitting on your hard drive, so it's easy for Microsoft to add on features and apps. One possibility is basically movie parties—you and your friends could all watch Indiana Jones on Netflix at the same time—or more likely, photo sharing. Update: A reader reminded us that movie sharing was actually supposed to be in the NXE in the first place, so you can probably count on it. But uh, where'd it go in the meantime?
Back in April we discovered a new music recording program from Celemony Software that could potentially revolutionise the music industry. It allows recording engineers to isolate and manipulate individual notes (as opposed to an entire chord) from a performance (no matter how lame) and turn it into a flawless piece of music. Celemony has revealed new details about DNA that claim the program will be able to handle "complete mixes (rather than a simple piano progression, for example)," but stresses that the more complex the job, the less likely you are to isolate individual notes.
Here's one way to tap the parallel processing power in Nvidia's graphics cards: Wi-Fi security hacking. Russian hackers reportedly bored through WPA and WPA2 encryptions using a brute-force technique juiced with one of Nvidia's latest graphics cards (they don't say which ones). The card supposedly made the "password recovery" process up to 10,000 percent faster. The report's notably skimpy on the details, but if true, that's a whole lot of busted for Wi-Fi security. [SC via DSL Reports]
Apparently, your cat enjoys it when a soft, vibrating material is rubbed against it. That's why this vibrating pet glove exists. When your cat feels lonely and just needs a tender touch, slip on the vibrating pet glove and give it the massage it so desires. It even wipes clean with a damp cloth if your cat is wet or dirty. It uses 3 AAA batteries, and it totally doesn't look like a vibrator, so you can just leave it sitting out and not worry about your mum popping over to visit and making your feel uncomfortable. I mean it, uh, doesn't look like a regular pet brush. [Product Page via Book of Joe]
Being the blind bat that I am, I first got excited when I saw this M1 Abrams tank made out of paper because I thought those were comic-book pages. Is that Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos? Maybe coloured Milton Canniff's Steve Canyons? Doug Murray's 'Nam? Then I zoomed in and I realised what it was.
Up until now, I had never heard of Aussie indy-rocker Josh Pyke. However, sailing the seas on a giant guitar is something that tends to get people noticed. The boat is prominently featured in the video for his new single Make You Happy, and it appears to be an accurate replica of his favourite guitar. Unfortunately, it is not an actual, playable instrument—which is just as well. Jamming on this thing would require far too much effort. [Zimbo via Born Rich via DVICE]
One of drawbacks with traditional touchscreens is that the touch action requires layers of junk between the light source and the surface you're smudging, which makes it dimmer. Fraunhofer IPMS is showing off a breakthrough in OLED tech that doesn't need any of the crap, since the OLED itself reads touch signals. Obviously, that opens up all kinds of sweet possibilities, since OLEDs are incredibly efficient (and this touch tech doesn't make them any less so) and brilliant. A phone with a gorgeous, insanely bright OLED touchscreen? Sign me up. [Science Daily via OLED Display via Engadget]
We're not sure that Bill Gates signed off on this unofficial endorsement for 'Belgium for Love' brand condoms, but that didn't stop the company from placing his more characaturish features on a condom-wrapped penis with the caption, "I finally discovered an efficient antivirus!!" In case dominating the worldwide computer market, being one of the richest men alive and breaking entirely new ground on what it means to be a philanthropist wasn't enough, Bill can finally say he's made it. To see the full NSFW photo, hit the link. [Coilhouse via CopyRanter]
The Army is following the Air Force's green efforts to cut their energy expenditures and, presumably, don't see their weapons budget cut. They will install solar panels and windmills, while investing in bio-fuels and energy conservation in bases all around the country. According to Keith Eastin, assistant Army secretary for Installations and Environmen, this will be good not only for the military, but for all of us:
You're sitting there freezing your arse off and someone comes up to you and says "cold enough for ya' today?" then laughs. If you have ever been in this situation you know how annoying it can be. Thanks to the temperature sweater you can reply by extending your arm, pointing to the temperature gauge on your wrist that is clearly displaying 2 degrees Fahrenheit, then turn up your hand and extend your middle finger. [Generate Design LE via RGS]
It's been a rough week. We've seen so many stock market trend graphs looking like cross-sections of the Grand Canyon, so many sad traders. Doomsday proclamations a-plenty. So a hard week calls for an escape for hard rest, and thankfully, the App Store this week is eager to provide the visual and audio accompaniments for your weekend sensory/media deprivation.
As if we didn't have enough with the stock market going down in flames on its own, computers have decided to screw them a little bit more and make everyone go "WTF" for a few minutes this morning. After dropping around two hundred gazillion points yesterday, today the Dow Jones industrials saw another drop of 700 points, which was suddenly reduced to 125 and then went down again. Everyone thought "rebound" for a second there, until they realised what was really happening.
Another talking point for the throaty fake movie announcer in Sprint's occasionally amusing Instinct vs. iPhone schtick: The Instinct now has a Pandora app. However, it'll cost you three bucks a month (like on most phones with Pandora), even though it's free on the iPhone. You can grab it through your Digital Lounge. Comment competition: Somehow spin that into an "Instincts Win" blurb. [Sprint Users via Gear Diary]
Brushing your teeth with your finger never works, despite how often you try it when you end up wasted at someone else's place for the night. You know, it just kind of smears the toothpaste over your teeth without creating a foam, and it leaves your mouth feeling even grosser than before. If only you had one of these weird finger condom toothbrushes! It looks to be extremely po