Saturday, October 11, 2008
Gadgets
Printed Sheets of OLED Lights Will Light Up Your Life
11:30PM Gizmodo US Edition | 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. More »
Computers
Apple MacBook 2008 Event: All the Information You Need to Know
10:40AM Jesus Diaz | 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.
Screens
CityWall Interactive Multitouch Display Now Has a Glorious 3D Interface
10:19AM Adrian Covert | 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] More »
Software
Microsoft Cutting Down on Annoying Warnings for Windows 7
9:40AM Wilson Rothman | 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. More »
Entertainment
Star Trek Original Series Now Warping on YouTube
9:24AM Jesus Diaz | 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: More »
Design
Energy Seed Concept Is Smart Way to Collect Spent Batteries
9:20AM Wilson Rothman | 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. More »
Toys
Lego Mindstorms Fat Boy Is Controlled with Actual Bike Handles
9:00AM Jesus Diaz | 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. More »
Music
iPod Nano Switches Left and Right Channels With Headphone Insert
8:40AM Wilson Rothman | 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!) More »
Design
Live Fish Remix MP3s, Have More Talent Than Most American Idol Contestants
8:20AM Sean Fallon | 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] More »
Gadgets
