Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Sony Cineza LCD projector - Engadget - www.engadget.com Equipped with a 3LCD panel, the new VPL-HS51 is making home theater buffs around the world re-think their media rooms. The little projector features a 6000:1 contrast ratio, which is quite an accomplishment for a front projector. It’s optimized for HD signals with a 1024 x 720 resolution - this means it can do 720p native on screens anywhere from 40- to 200-inches.
The tricked-out toilet - Engadget - www.engadget.com That’s it. We’re done. We have reached tech nirvana, and there is nothing left to be designed, built, or even thought up. This high-tech throne of eternal happiness, first brought to us by the guys at Trick Anything, features drink holders, lumbar support, and a multi-positioned adjustable bowl (after all, some people are bigger than others).
BBC NEWS | Technology | Barcelona clubbers get chipped BBC Science producer Simon Morton goes clubbing in Barcelona with a microchip implanted in his arm to pay for drinks.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Alpine KCA-420i iPod Interface - Engadget - www.engadget.com Alpine is releasing the $100 KCA-420i iPod Interface for car stereos. Like the new BMW stereos, the Alpine system allows you to connect your iPod to your car stereo at line level and control it from the stereo head unit. This is great news, as the Alpine systems can be installed in virtually any vehicle, and the head units start at $200. There are some interface and usability issues (playlists are called files and song are called folders), but the sound quality is reported as being excellent.
Nintendo DS wireless hub trick up its sleeve? - Engadget - www.engadget.com The DS could act as both a wireless 802.11 device and as a repeater hub. In other words, you won’t need a wireless router nearby to get online with these things - you’ll just need someone close enough to connect to, and he’ll be able to connect you to someone just as close to him even if that person isn’t so near you, and so on. Potentially-huge networks of gamers could appear organically and play against one another regardless of pre-installed routers or proximity. While we worry a bit about the lone boy in the forest (should people know he’s out there alone, and should his DS be announcing as much? Go home, boy, go home!), the possibility of a spontaneous wireless gaming network of multiple hubs is straight up amazing. Or is it downright creepy?
People ditching landlines causing problems for pollsters? - Engadget - www.engadget.com: "Nearly seventy years ago Literary Digest conducted a poll of millions of voters that predicted that Republican Alf Landon would trounce Franklin Roosevelt in the 1936 president"
Monday, September 27, 2004
Mozilla Firefox 1.0 Roadmap: "New Releases
Additional required work has necessitated the insertion of a new release for Windows, Linux and MacOS X (0.10 - called '1.0 Preview Release') and extra for MacOS X (0.11 - coincides with '1.0 Final'). The decision has been made to hold the 1.0 release on MacOS X until after 0.11 has been completed, basically ensuring that we do not ship a product that is not up to spec for that platform."
Additional required work has necessitated the insertion of a new release for Windows, Linux and MacOS X (0.10 - called '1.0 Preview Release') and extra for MacOS X (0.11 - coincides with '1.0 Final'). The decision has been made to hold the 1.0 release on MacOS X until after 0.11 has been completed, basically ensuring that we do not ship a product that is not up to spec for that platform."
Firefox on Mac OS X Annoyances (Jeremy Zawodny's blog) Found one piece of potentially very good news:
"Just FYI, I was looking at the Firefox Roadmap (http://www.mozilla.org/projects/firefox/roadmap.html) the other day, and I noticed the following "Anticipated further Release Candidates" (after it hits 1.0 on the PC):
1.0PR2 (MacOS X) - Aquafication release. Focus on outstanding UI issues particular to MacOS X, redevelop UI to support cross platform nature, etc.
1.0 (PC) is actually listed as 1.0 alpha 2 for the Mac."
so hopefully Mac commands will work with Firefox next release, and perhaps some extensions that don't work on Mac will follow.
"Just FYI, I was looking at the Firefox Roadmap (http://www.mozilla.org/projects/firefox/roadmap.html) the other day, and I noticed the following "Anticipated further Release Candidates" (after it hits 1.0 on the PC):
1.0PR2 (MacOS X) - Aquafication release. Focus on outstanding UI issues particular to MacOS X, redevelop UI to support cross platform nature, etc.
1.0 (PC) is actually listed as 1.0 alpha 2 for the Mac."
so hopefully Mac commands will work with Firefox next release, and perhaps some extensions that don't work on Mac will follow.
Friday, September 24, 2004
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Gear Eye: T-Mobile Sidekick II - Engadget - www.engadget.com In every school there was a guy who was almost a year older than the rest of the class. He didn’t get held back or anything, he was just born a few days too late for his parents to register him the year before. In grade school no one noticed, but in jr. high he hit puberty before everyone else. When he was gangly and awkward, everyone else in his class made fun of him, but by high school he was one of the cool kids. He started growing bigger than the rest of the guys in his class. He wasn’t stupid, just bigger, so he he used his size and age to his advantage. He was probably the first guy you knew who could buy you some beer with a fake ID. Girls all wanted to date him, guys all wanted to be his pal, but somehow he was never a popular kid — just the cool guy.
The Sidekick II (SK2), well, it’s exactly like that guy. The first Sidekick was a bit awkward and gangly, but the SK2 has matured into a smooth operator that just happens to be a bit bigger than his classmates. It’s really not fair to just judge the SK2 as a phone, when it does and has so much more than your average phone. It’s really more of a laptop in your pocket. Because of this, we’re going to make a few exceptions on our ratings, but we will make them consistent across smartphones—promise.
The Sidekick II will be available exclusively through T-Mobile for a while. If you don’t score one in Santa Monica today, you should be to get one at your local T-Mobile store in the next day or two. Our man Jacks got us one a few weeks early so we could give you something to drool over while all the Paris Hilton wannabes are down in Santa Monica gettin’ their new SK2s blinged out.
The Sidekick II (SK2), well, it’s exactly like that guy. The first Sidekick was a bit awkward and gangly, but the SK2 has matured into a smooth operator that just happens to be a bit bigger than his classmates. It’s really not fair to just judge the SK2 as a phone, when it does and has so much more than your average phone. It’s really more of a laptop in your pocket. Because of this, we’re going to make a few exceptions on our ratings, but we will make them consistent across smartphones—promise.
The Sidekick II will be available exclusively through T-Mobile for a while. If you don’t score one in Santa Monica today, you should be to get one at your local T-Mobile store in the next day or two. Our man Jacks got us one a few weeks early so we could give you something to drool over while all the Paris Hilton wannabes are down in Santa Monica gettin’ their new SK2s blinged out.
Friday, September 17, 2004
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Friday, September 10, 2004
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Sony’s DSC-M1 digital camera I swore off sony, but they are tempting me with interesting new cameras like this one. If they'd just ditch the memory stick.
We think the design is sorta fresh just on its own, but what Sony really hopes will impress us about the Cyber-shot DSC-M1, their new 5.1 megapixel digital camera, is that it can also pull double duty as a mini-camcorder. We’d be all dismissive and everything, since tons of digital cameras can record video clips, but it’s not exactly just a marketing gimmick. Yeah, its 2.5-inch LCD can swivel around and rotate 270 degrees, but the DSC-M1 also has this unusual hybrid recording mode where it can automatically record five seconds of video before and three seconds after every time you take a pic, the idea being that this way you won’t accidentally miss any of those future precious memories. They use an MPEG-4 video codec to keep the file size down, but either way you’re still going to need a mighty Memory Stick to store all those extra clips you’ll be recording. Anyway, the DSC-M1 should be out in December with a retail price of $600. (Click to see some more pics.)
We think the design is sorta fresh just on its own, but what Sony really hopes will impress us about the Cyber-shot DSC-M1, their new 5.1 megapixel digital camera, is that it can also pull double duty as a mini-camcorder. We’d be all dismissive and everything, since tons of digital cameras can record video clips, but it’s not exactly just a marketing gimmick. Yeah, its 2.5-inch LCD can swivel around and rotate 270 degrees, but the DSC-M1 also has this unusual hybrid recording mode where it can automatically record five seconds of video before and three seconds after every time you take a pic, the idea being that this way you won’t accidentally miss any of those future precious memories. They use an MPEG-4 video codec to keep the file size down, but either way you’re still going to need a mighty Memory Stick to store all those extra clips you’ll be recording. Anyway, the DSC-M1 should be out in December with a retail price of $600. (Click to see some more pics.)
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Monday, September 06, 2004
Sunday, September 05, 2004
Friday, September 03, 2004
STAAR permanent contact lenses to supplement Lasik - Engadget - www.engadget.com To hear the commercials tell it Lasik surgery can work for anyone. Guess you can’t trust advertising, since those with severe myopia are out of luck as far as getting their eyes cut up with lasers is concerned. Now, with the invention of STAAR, a permanent contact lens implant, they too can join the party. The lenses are made of a collagen/polyhema blend and are currently in the last stages of FDA approval. Oh, and if something goes wrong; the lenses can be removed or changed. (Good call on that one.) The process is expected to cost about 20% more than Lasik.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Element: strong like bull - Engadget - www.engadget.com It’s no Lady-Comp, but it does look a bit like a Cup-O-Noodles, (peel back cover, add ingredients and wait 10 minutes). Pria Diagnostics is producing the Element, a male fertility test, and you know you’re just a tad bit curious. Boxers or briefs—maybe this at home DIY experiment will finally convince you to ditch those tighty whities. We’re hoping Element parties will be next season’s big hit.
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Vice Magazine North America It’s got every DO & DON'T we ever ran, plus tons and tons and tons more. There’s all kinds of extra stuff too, including an interview with the author IN THE NUDE!!!
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Star Trek Scotty receives honour Actor James Doohan, famous for playing Scotty in the original Star Trek series, has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The 84-year-old's attendance at the ceremony was expected to be his final public appearance.
He was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and also suffers from Parkinson's disease and diabetes.
Doohan has spent the past few days meeting fans to say farewell and thanking them for their support.
Star Trek co-stars at the Walk of Fame ceremony included George Takei, who played Sulu, Nichelle Nichols, who was Uhura, and Walter Koenig, who played Chekov.
The 84-year-old's attendance at the ceremony was expected to be his final public appearance.
He was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and also suffers from Parkinson's disease and diabetes.
Doohan has spent the past few days meeting fans to say farewell and thanking them for their support.
Star Trek co-stars at the Walk of Fame ceremony included George Takei, who played Sulu, Nichelle Nichols, who was Uhura, and Walter Koenig, who played Chekov.
BBC NEWS | Health | Familiar faces seem more friendly Far from opposites attracting, people tend to choose friends who look like them, research suggests.
However, psychologist Dr Lisa DeBruine found a facial resemblance is not a turn-on when we are looking for a partner.
She believes we may have evolved to prefer the company of people who remind us of family - but have a biological block to prevent incest.
However, psychologist Dr Lisa DeBruine found a facial resemblance is not a turn-on when we are looking for a partner.
She believes we may have evolved to prefer the company of people who remind us of family - but have a biological block to prevent incest.
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